299 – A Parent’s Heart
After finishing the auction on the seventh day, I was lying on the floor of the auction house, building a sandcastle when I heard a loud bang bang coming from the distant cruise ship.
“Ugh. Everyone looks like they’re having fun. I’m the only one not playing.”
“You can go back to the boat right now. Then you can enjoy yourself as much as you like.”
“Hmph. Absolutely not. I’ve gathered these points for a reason. Do you think I’ll return empty-handed?”
Spending 90,000 points is nothing compared to what I have left.
“The safe zone at the auction house is only open during auction hours. Please leave, miss.”
“Ugh. I hate Jonna.”
As soon as I stepped outside, the giant king crabs that should’ve charged at me merely stared blankly or passed by.
It’s not due to the strange effect of dark mana or some achievement, but simply because there’s prey that’s much easier to hunt.
“Reap. April. Since you’re participants too, you should leave as well.”
Reap stepped out of the safe zone. The giant king crabs continued to stare at the safe zone.
As April tentatively put a foot outside the safety boundary, the clack clack of crabs’ legs echoed from everywhere. When she pulled her foot back inside, it was as if the crabs were disappointed, plopping back down onto the rocks.
“Were they targeting me as prey…?”
April quickly forfeited. Knowing when to retreat, even if it meant losing her participant status, was the wisdom of surviving without being reckless.
“Reap, shouldn’t you forfeit too?”
“That’s not a good idea. Gaining the status of a participant is very rare.”
“How unfair! I thought we were only competing among students, and now Reap ends up being the last one standing.”
“Don’t worry. I haven’t gathered more points than you.”
“How many have you collected?”
“Regrettably, only 9 million points. I find it disgraceful as an assassin maid that I couldn’t reach 10 million points.”
…So, 10 million points is the benchmark for an assassin maid!
Even from the perspective of a veteran player, that’s quite intimidating. It’s enough to astonish anyone, considering it’s double the points of a warrior.
“Surely you didn’t win a scholarship, did you?”
“Miss, you underestimate me just because you spent time playing with students.”
She barely avoided my hand, which had struck a pose ready to flick her forehead, and thwack! my vision went white for a moment.
“Ow!”
“While I recognize your growth, there’s still much to learn compared to completed competitors. I’m delighted to have a lot to teach you.”
“Ugh. I definitely dodged that!”
This is sorcery!
“Want to give it a shot? Today, for 24 hours, try to evade the assassin maid’s secret trick, [Bug Catching].”
“What do I get if I do it?”
“I’ll give you a rare-grade preserved food that you’ve never tasted before.”
“Wow! I’m excited!”
“But if you fail before the auction starts, you’ll have to eat a bland normal-grade celery dish.”
“Ugh… I’m not excited anymore……!”
*
Unlike the shabby skills of cleaning maid April, Reap’s moves were difficult to read.
She could anticipate her master’s movements anywhere, sneaking in silently and, before I knew it, I’d be the one on the receiving end.
What kind of wicked footwork lies beneath that long skirt? What’s the sinister technique that sways people’s minds despite her demure appearance?
[Low insight function.]
[Low observation accuracy.]
[Automatic technique analysis failed.]
Miraculously, I couldn’t copy Reap’s technique. Unlike the academy freshmen who reveal their skills without reservation, Reap’s skills were extremely elusive.
But even the Oknodie’s eyes can’t fool her sharp intellect!
“What if I try this?”
“I’ll commend you for forcing an attack through an intentionally opened gap in the dark curtain laid on the ground to catch the flick of my forehead.”
“Hehe. I got praised!”
“50 points.”
“…50 points?”
“It’s a sufficient technique against academy freshmen, but this is outside the academy. I hope you understand that the evaluation criteria will naturally be raised.”
“50 points out of a hundred??”
“If you had added a sticky property to the curtain, combined with its unique rapid deployment, it would’ve become a binding trap that restricts the opponent’s movements.”
“Even still, you can’t hit me like that!”
“Did you forget? Today’s objective isn’t to defend but to evade. If you had created a bind so strong that evasion wasn’t necessary, I would have acknowledged it, but this just isn’t enough.”
With a thud, Reap stomped her foot in front of the ice barrier where the dark curtain was set, and the curtain suddenly flared up, drawn by the adhesive mana.
“Even the same magic can produce entirely different effects depending on how you apply its attributes. Recognize that your opponent can strategize just like you, and prepare an active countermeasure.”
“Ugh. The difficulty has gone up from the original. Hardcore mode is too tough.”
Thanks to that, I ended up eating a bland normal-grade bibimbap.
The brown vegetables numbed my hands, and the purple ones made my fingers tingle, but by infusing dark mana to expel the toxins, I felt fine again.
“I lost the bet, but the auction will be different!”
Let anything come out. I’ll give it a good lesson!
“I will reveal the eighth item of the Uninhabited Island Auction. Today’s item is [Standardize the academy cafeteria menu for a year to a nutritious lunch set].”
“!?!?!?!?”
How on earth can such a vicious product even exist!?
Forcing me to collect a cooking handbook for a year? That’s too much!
“The starting bid is 500,000 points. Bids will increase by 500,000. Is there anyone who wishes to participate?”
Jonna looked at me and Reap. Reap looked extremely tempted.
“I can’t pass up the chance to ensure your nutrition, miss. I bid 500,000 points.”
“NO!! Losing the free collection of food recipes is too big of a loss. I’ll block it with a million points!!”
April muttered incredulously.
“I should’ve seen the pathetic sight of those who got eliminated throwing away a million points for such a product.”
Bidding skyrocketed.
“Reap. 1.5 million points.”
“Oknodie. 2 million points.”
“Reap. 3 million points.”
“Oknodie. 4 million points.”
Reap withdrew her hand with a very light expression.
“Please go ahead. I willingly concede the product in support of your abundant meals, miss.”
I fell for it. She used my weak spot for food on me.
I knew the purpose of such a weak spot product was to evaporate points, but it really hurts deeply.
But I can’t help but be suspicious.
Was this product designed because I love trying new foods and hate eating the same one? Or was it set up to hinder my progress in collecting recipes through realizing the mechanics of the cooking handbook?
‘I don’t know!’
Both Reap and Jonna were masters of poker faces. Even Jonna, with her perpetually fierce expression, and the ever-cold Reap wore expressions as rigid as a mask, leaving me unable to read their hidden emotions.
“Tomorrow, I won’t let myself get caught!”
“I look forward to it.”
Reap replied with a smile that I couldn’t tell was genuine.
*
The explosive sounds were more extravagant than the previous day, freezing the waters around the boat and causing a wild flurry of ice and fire.
Those kids are lucky.
They get to enjoy fireworks and ice games.
As I stared at the cruise ship while building sandcastles on the beach, I saw Reap dragging a giant king crab with a broken shell.
“Miss, you are still in your growing phase. You should be eating dinner, right?”
“I’m not hungry…”
“Are you sulking?”
“Hmph. Who’s sulking? Not one bit! Hmph hmph.”
“Society has tacitly agreed that such behavior is defined as sulking.”
As soon as Reap cracked open the shell of the giant king crab, delicious smells and steam wafted out.
“This is the giant king crab fried rice cooked for 3 hours, just for you.”
“Wow. What kind of fried rice takes 3 hours? Did you use a secret recipe?”
“Building the fire took an hour.”
“Did you spend 2 hours frying it on low heat?”
“I spent 2 hours gathering firewood.”
The entire island’s vegetation was stripped away, once by fire, once by ice, and once by metal.
Gathering firewood must have been quite a task.
Feeling Reap’s dedication, any lingering disappointment melted away like ice.
“Hehe. Reap is the best!”
“Even from the reports, you seem to have gained new hobbies, miss. Do you enjoy building sandcastles that much?”
“You get treasure chests with a great castle! I can’t resist the chance for a random treasure chest drop from the first quest!”
“…I’ll help you.”
“Suddenly? You scolded me for staying up late before!”
“A bad adult doesn’t sleep at night.”
“Then am I a bad child?”
“To me, you’re just a lovely miss.”
Despite everything, family really is the best.
My time with Jonna and Reap is always a delight!
*
I have many friends, but in reality, most are followers of the miss.
True friends who open their hearts to each other have such a significant skill difference that they can’t even train together, leaving the miss to play alone, building sandcastles.
I had thought this when receiving the materials, but it’s truly pitiful.
How lonely and isolated the miss must feel, having such an overwhelming power and talent, yet just wanting to have fun.
To ignore that fact and be caught up in diabolical experiments like the Uninhabited Island Auction, along with the foundation cooperating with it, is quite a predicament.
‘Just one night should be okay. It’s also good to indulge the miss’s whims.’
Reap realized the parent’s heart that worries about a child no matter how old they get.
No child would take the idea of building sandcastles for treasure boxes seriously.
It’s probably a child’s pure heart or something.
Maybe she’s read a peculiar picture book somewhere.
Nevertheless, I’ll play along.
Playing with children is just how it goes.
With the dexterity of an assassin maid, Reap was creating sandcastles.
As she carved patterns into the castle walls with a dagger, mixing the ashes from the burnt remains with ice shards to create a castle of fire and ice, a dazzling light erupted from inside the sandcastle.
The ecstatic Oknodie smashed the castle, pulling out the treasure chest that resided within.
And the only thought in Reap’s mind was a singular truth.
‘Why is this real?’
A real treasure chest had appeared.
