The decision Erich regretted most in his life was bringing Irene to the cafeteria for a meal.
To be precise, it was sitting with his roommates at the most conspicuous table right in the center of the cafeteria. This table seemed to be some sort of cursed spot; anyone sitting there automatically drew the attention of the entire room—accompanied, of course, by whispers and looks of disdain.
“This world is truly sinful.”
The elven prince, Yser, sat upright at the dining table, gazing affectionately at the roasted lobster in front of him, which was as large as a washbasin. His slender fingers elegantly picked up a dinner knife.
“To think that my poetic heart, which yearns for tranquility and gentleness, must drift in this mundane world.”
With that, the dinner knife slid precisely into the seam of the lobster shell. With a flick of his wrist, the entire shell popped off, revealing the tender white meat. Yser then began to gorge himself, completely abandoning his elegant image.
Sitting opposite him, the dwarf Balin turned to Erich beside him and said in all seriousness, “This elf is out of his mind.”
Erich nodded in deep agreement and repeated it to Irene beside him. “Just ignore him. This elf is out of his mind.”
Irene couldn't help but burst into laughter.
The story started half an hour ago.
After a quick tidying of their dormitory, Balin clamored that he was hungry, while Yser elegantly expressed his willingness to accompany him. Naturally, Erich didn't forget to call along Irene, who was still cleaning her room.
And so, he regretted it.
On one hand, it was because his roommates were indeed all a bit touched in the head. On the other hand...
“Look at that. How disgusting. How did our elven race produce such a thing?”
Several elven students at the neighboring table huddled together, their eyes fixed directly on Yser.
“An elven prince actually eating meat—and roasted, no less. It is a complete desecration of the Forest Spirits.”
“Is that Balin? The youngest son of the Dwarf King,” some dwarf students on the other side whispered among themselves. “I heard he can't tolerate high temperatures and can't even get close to a forge. He's an absolute disgrace to dwarfs.”
Balin slammed his fork onto his plate, muttering, “Those bastards.”
Just as Erich was about to offer some words of comfort, he heard voices coming from behind him.
“That's Erich. Definitely stay far away from him in the future.”
“I heard he especially likes to lay hands on pretty girls. A commoner girl caught his eye before, and she was almost...”
“And that time in Frostfire City, they say he led a pack of lackeys to corner the Saintess in an alley. If the crowd hadn't risen up to resist...”
“How could someone like him still get into the academy? Didn't the Edmond family exile him?”
As a comprehensive magical academy open to almost all races, Morningstar Academy was a place where you could see any race imaginable in the cafeteria—except for the beastkin, who scoffed at magic.
So the current situation was: the elves were gossiping about Yser, the dwarfs were gossiping about Balin, and the humans were gossiping about Erich. Each race had its own target of discussion, perfectly orderly, with no one interfering with anyone else.
Erich suddenly turned around and glared fiercely at the human student closest to him who was currently wagging his tongue.
Meeting Erich's gaze, the boy's face instantly turned pale. He picked up his food tray and bolted out of the cafeteria in three quick strides.
The cafeteria fell silent for a few seconds before the chatter resumed, though the volume was noticeably lower.
Erich turned back to continue eating, more or less resigned to his fate. In any case, his reputation had long since been ruined. As long as Irene wasn't dragged into it, he didn't want to bother.
Erich's three roommates also went on eating as if nothing had happened; they were clearly long accustomed to this kind of atmosphere.
Sitting beside Erich, Irene stared at the vegetables on her plate without taking a single bite for a long time. Finally, she said to Erich very seriously, “Don't listen to their nonsense. You're actually a very good person.”
Erich merely nodded, then pointed at her plate. “Hurry up and eat. Less talking.”
Irene rolled her eyes.
“You two have such a great relationship.” Yser elegantly wiped the grease from the corner of his mouth. “Human friendship always moves me. It is like a hearth in winter—warm, yet not burning.”
“This elf is truly out of his mind,” Balin repeated.
Ragg spoke up, a rare occurrence: “Have you been like this since you were a child?”
“Supposedly, yes.” Balin gulped down some alcohol. “The education of the elven royal family went terribly wrong with him.”
Unfazed, Yser continued to express his poetic sentiments toward the remaining lobster shells on his plate.
...
After finishing their meal, the group went their separate ways. Ragg was heading to the library to study advanced textbooks on magic theory, Balin was going to the forging workshop to check out the academy's equipment, Yser said he was going for a walk, and Erich and Irene set off down another path.
Outside the main gates of the academy lay Sage Avenue.
As the most famous academic commercial street in Radiant City, Sage Avenue's bustling activity during the school opening season was comparable to a large shopping mall running a massive promotion back in Erich's previous life. The shops on both sides were brightly lit, and the middle of the street was packed to the brim with stalls set up by upperclassmen—selling secondhand textbooks, magic materials, and there was even a fellow in a black robe giving fortune-telling sessions.
Irene was dazzled by the sight, having no sense of direction at all, but Erich had a clear goal in mind.
How could an aspiring mage about to embark on a magical journey not even own a staff? Although his magic adaptability was faint, as long as he could learn, he had the confidence to max out his skill proficiency. Had these otherworld bumpkins ever seen a status panel?
In the middle of Sage Avenue, a semi-circular sign hung from a three-story wooden building. The sign read: 【Embers and Chords】.
Erich was very familiar with this place.
In the game, this shop was one of the primary locations for players to purchase staffs, ranging from the most basic poplar wood staffs to the late-game mithril dragon-heart staffs. The shopkeeper was an eccentric but highly skilled old dwarf who would recommend suitable staffs based on the player's attributes and combat style. Back then, to grind for an endgame staff with perfect stats, Erich had repeated the dialogue here dozens of times.
Although he didn't know if the real-life shop was exactly the same as the one in the game, starting with a familiar place was definitely the right move.
He pushed open the door and entered the shop, only to see a chestnut-haired girl standing in front of the counter, picking out a staff.
Her back was turned to the door, but she seemed to sense something when Erich entered and turned her head.
Erich slammed on the brakes, causing Irene, who was following closely behind, to bump face-first into his back.
“Why did you suddenly st—”
“Let's go somewhere else.”
Erich grabbed Irene's shoulders, pushing her toward the exit before she could even finish her sentence.
“Eh? Eh, eh, eh? Why are you pushing me?”
“We're going to another shop. I suddenly remembered there's a better one on Sage Avenue... what was it called? Anyway, let's just go somewhere else.”
Irene was pushed out the door, her face a mask of utter bewilderment.
Lorraine had already rushed out of the shop, blocking Erich's path. She stared at him and asked, “Do you know me?”
Rate on N.U.
