Chapter 32
The School Store Opens
As lunchtime arrived, students headed to the cafeteria.
The Notos dormitory students began openly selling goods.
“We’ve got raspberry jam. Just a little bit makes even the driest bread go down smoothly.”
“Here’s a special herb salt mixed with sugar from Milan. Put it in your soup—it makes even that foul vegetable-water-like broth somewhat edible.”
Shockingly, they sold these items to students—for real money.
The prices were outrageous, several times the market rate.
But for students tortured by the cafeteria’s bland food, especially the rich Zephyros dorm students, it didn’t matter. They bought eagerly.
Seeing this, the Boreas dorm students reported it to Gibs.
But even though he found it distasteful, Gibs allowed it.
“There’s no specific rule in the handbook against it…”
The Notos smugglers responded with smug grins.
“Don’t get so upset. We admired how the Boreas students rejected the store points earlier. Northerners are just built different…”
BAM!
A fist slammed into his face.
One Boreas student had finally snapped.
“What the hell?!”
“Are you insulting us?!”
“No! I swear, I was genuinely complimenting you!”
“Then why the hell were you grinning?!”
“It was just an awkward smile!”
“Enough! Flip the table! We’ll take the demerits. Four of us is enough!”
Four students from Boreas charged into the Notos group.
“Only four? That’s it?”
The Notos students laughed at their numbers.
But then—
Smack! Crack! Thud!
The sounds of raw power echoed through the cafeteria.
The fearsome reputation of the northerners held true.
Boreas boys, taller and bulkier, rushed in with protection spells and fists flying. The southerners couldn’t stand a chance.
These weren’t just any students—they were Karl Gustav’s personal guards. Future royal knights.
“Magic arrow!”
A panicked southern student tried casting a spell—but he didn’t finish.
A towering Boreas student grabbed his arm mid-cast. Bones creaked as the limb bent unnaturally.
“Agh! My arm!”
“Your spells might work in class, but not when someone’s charging at you.”
“Spoiled little southern brats!”
“But… we struggled too…”
“Shut it. You’ll bite your tongue off.”
WHACK!
One southern student flew backward, right toward Idnia.
Reacting fast, Idnia caught him and shielded his head from hitting the floor.
‘This was an event in the original game, but the alliance shattered so fast. The grudge is real now…’
Suddenly, enchanted suits of armor rushed in and lined up, splitting the cafeteria in two.
“What the hell is going on?!”
Gibs had arrived.
The students cheered—probably the only time in history they’d been happy to see him.
The four Boreas attackers—Eirik, Rivard, Olsengard, and Durbin—calmly surrendered. They knelt in front of the magical armor, heads high.
They’d completed their mission—beat the smugglers.
Meanwhile…
“Ugh… ahh…”
“These damn barbarians!”
The Notos students lay beaten and groaning on the floor.
Gibs looked lost, lantern in hand, eyes scanning the mess.
Then Professors Deneuve and Baroness Byulem arrived.
“What in the world happened here?”
“Assistants!”
At the Baroness’s order, assistants arrived and began healing magic.
One by one, the Notos students rose, trembling in fear.
Over ten men had been rhythmically pummeled by only four. Without the screaming, it would’ve sounded like a logging crew.
Lorenzo, head of Notos, who hadn’t been beaten, stepped up.
“The Boreas dorm attacked us without warning.”
“Why?”
“They claimed we insulted them.”
“Karl, is that true?”
Professor Deneuve called Karl, who had stayed out of the physical fight.
Everyone knew he had orchestrated it.
Karl didn’t make excuses.
“We simply reminded the schemers that their bodies were within striking distance. Call it a northern greeting.”
“Understood. All caught in the act will receive 5 demerits and be sent to the punishment room. Karl, you as well. Any objections?”
“None.”
Karl and his four retainers accepted without protest.
25 demerits total. Boreas now led the demerit board—but Notos students were furious.
“Only 5 points?! That’s absurd! They should be expelled!”
“They planned this! Now they’ll think violence is acceptable!”
“You people don’t realize you’re mages of the Holy Eldar Empire.”
“What?”
“Duels aren’t allowed yet due to unfinished curriculum. But among mages, disputes are settled by dueling.”
Professor Deneuve stunned the students.
Fighting was expected. They just hadn’t reached that part of the course yet.
Realizing this, the Notos students gave up on protesting.
In the aftermath, Idnia, Crown Prince Rudolf, and Lorenzo gathered at one table.
Lorenzo suggested:
“Let’s exclude Boreas and form a new alliance, just us three.”
“Exclude them?”
“Yes. They broke the pact and attacked first.”
But Idnia and Rudolf both smiled awkwardly.
‘He doesn’t think monopolizing the school store counts as aggression? Someone needs to say it…’
“May I speak, Prince Lorenzo?”
“Of course.”
“Had you stood with us in rejecting store points during Professor Magram’s class, this could’ve been avoided.”
“You’re saying I should’ve supported them?”
**“Rudolf and I did. If you had followed suit, it would’ve diffused things.
But instead, you bought out the town’s store and sent in smugglers—yet couldn’t offer a small gesture of goodwill.”**
“…Ah.”
Lorenzo was stunned.
**“Perhaps I truly did hate the northerners.
I smiled on the surface, but inside I burned.
I’m sorry.”**
He apologized sincerely.
**“Karl went too far. He hit harder.
But if we fight more, we’ll just fracture as the school wants.
I understand your frustration. But shouldn’t we consider peace?”**
“If I bow now, Karl and his people will think we submitted out of fear.”
Indeed, the divide between north and south had deepened.
**“I’ll mediate when the time is right. For now, Karl is in the punishment room.
Let’s just eat and prepare.”**
Rudolf left to join his group.
“Thank you, Lady Idnia. You helped me calm down.”
Lorenzo was grateful to both Rudolf and Idnia.
“It’s nothing. But by the way—what did Professor Magram say when he called you aside?”
Idnia asked casually—curious, since this wasn’t in the original game.
But Lorenzo’s expression darkened.
“I’m sorry. I can’t tell you.”
“Ah… of course! You don’t have to! I just asked casually.”
Still, the fact that he refused shocked her.
‘What did Magram tell him? So strange… but if he won’t say, I’ll let it be.’
Rationing hit hard.
The fight had knocked over stew pots and crushed bread underfoot.
Even mediocre food was better than none for growing teens.
Idnia, with her stockpile, was fine. But she knew what was coming.
‘It’s starting.’
Sure enough, Magram’s voice rang out through enchanted armor.
**[Students,
Many of you are complaining about smaller portions.
But we’ll continue reducing rations.]**
“What?!”
“Are they trying to starve us?!”
**[Listen.
There is a facility you can unlock: a dorm-exclusive kitchen.
And to feed it, you’ll need a dorm garden. Farm your own food.
Today’s reduced rations are practice. Good luck.]**
Students were stunned.
“We’re supposed to farm?!”
“I’ve never lifted anything heavier than a spoon!”
Then another announcement came—Professor Deneuve this time.
**[Due to unfortunate events, we will begin operating the school store today.
It will be located in the cafeteria and open during free time.]**
Students ran for it.
“I need to see this.”
Idnia also made her way to the cafeteria.
There, small vendor stalls were set up on tables.
They looked like street stalls—with wooden counters and price tags.
There were sweets galore: pecan kugelhopf, sweet rolls with icing, licorice sticks, honeycomb berries…
But next to them—
“……”
Idnia froze.
On one stall were chocolate almond bars, instant cup noodles, and canned food.
All in packaging from Earth. With Earth’s languages.
“Wait. Why are these here?!”
Idnia stared at the packages in disbelief.
The chocolate bars, cup noodles, and canned goods clearly bore Earth-language labels and Earth-brand logos.
It was unmistakable. She wasn’t just imagining things.
A student next to her muttered in awe, “Are these… imported from another world?”
Another chimed in, “So those rumors were true… the academy really has a connection to a different dimension?”
“I heard the principal used to be a wizard who crossed between realms…”
Wild theories began to spread like wildfire.
But Idnia wasn’t surprised for the same reason.
‘No. This was in the game too. It starts here—the appearance of Earth-brand products at the school store. It’s the beginning of the cross-dimensional commerce plotline.’
She examined the goods more closely.
Each item had a steep price.
A single chocolate bar cost more than a day’s worth of cafeteria meals.
The cup noodles were even worse.
But the students didn’t care.
They were hungry.
More importantly, the packaging promised a taste they’d never experienced before—flavors beyond this world.
The shelves quickly began to empty.
Some Zephyros students were already flaunting their Earth snacks like status symbols.
“My father imported chocolate once. This is the same kind. From the ‘Nestle’ kingdom or something.”
“You plebs wouldn’t understand.”
Idnia rolled her eyes at the elitism but said nothing.
‘So it’s begun. The students will soon realize: controlling Earth-product distribution means controlling power.’
And indeed, she could already hear murmurs.
“Who’s stocking this store?”
“Can we use our merit points to buy Earth goods?”
“Should we start trading…?”
A marketplace was forming.
Not just for snacks, but for influence.
And as expected, Lorenzo Medici Mazdari was already at the center of it.
He stood near the store’s stall, speaking quietly with a couple of other students from Notos and Zephyros dorms.
Idnia watched him closely.
‘He’s already setting up a secondary economy. If I don’t intervene, he’ll corner the market in a week.’
But she didn’t act—yet.
Instead, she grabbed a single cup of noodles and walked away silently.
Back at her dorm, she set the cup down on her desk.
The Korean writing on it read: “불닭볶음면 (Buldak Bokkeum Myeon)”.
‘Spicy chicken stir-fried noodles… I haven’t had this in ages.’
She lit a small fire rune beneath her pot, boiled water, and poured it into the cup.
The scent hit her instantly.
Memories of her previous life—long forgotten—rushed back.
A convenience store, cold rain, cheap plastic umbrella, sore feet after class…
Back then, she’d been nobody.
Now she was Idnia Katche Betelgeuse—noble heiress, spirit summoner, academy student.
But in that moment, holding that cup of noodles—
She was just… herself again.
