Chapter 10 - I Became the Daughter of the Academy’s Villain

Episode 10 10 - The Shortcut to the Ticket Test "The dishes made from the ingredients you’ve obtained, though not all, include a few rare foods that one would crave to eat on a normal day but couldn’t afford to, right?" "Ah, yes... Well, that’s the case, but..." "As you can see, I’ve grown up deprived of food, leaving me short in stature and full of regret. I don’t want to miss this golden opportunity to enjoy a variety of dishes!" Giselle asked with a face full of disbelief. "Then, what about the ticket?" "Can't I just eat first and think later?" "Ha. Do you think the method will just come to you while you eat without any preparation?" "What’s there to lose?" "It offends my pride. To hear such lazy words even after you've seen my capabilities right in front of you." Giselle’s eyes turned cold. "If you're that confident, what about making a bet?" "What kind of bet?" "The 32 kinds of dishes you received as meal vouchers. If you, miss, manage to acquire the ticket by an impressively clever method that I can acknowledge before you finish eating all these dishes over 11 days, three dishes a day, then I'll give you the meal vouchers free of charge." "Heh...." "But if I win, you pay me a hundred gold coins and buy a silver ticket from me. Either way, you end up with a ticket, and I maintain my pride. It’s a fair bet." Giselle arrogantly jutted her chin out. "If you aren't confident, then you might as well surrender now before you lose face—surrender the ticket... the ticket..." Drool... Overwhelmed by the prospect of free food, I drooled embarrassingly, leaving Giselle at a loss for words. "Miss, no matter how enticed you are by the food, it is unseemly for a lady to drool in front of strangers. Please be mindful." "But it's free food after all." "Ha. Such tremendous self-confidence. There’s no need to even ask whether you’ll accept the bet." And so began the ticket test wager between Giselle and me. * * After staying at the inn for five days, Giselle, a covert merchant who anticipated an ingenious method from the girl to acquire the ticket, kept a watchful eye on her every move. He wondered to himself. 'Should I report this as child abuse?' He knew that noble families had strict upbringings. Their world is different from that of commoners. No matter what, there is a limit. "This dish has a lingering taste that wraps around the tip of the tongue; it’s just perfect." The girl, eating rare dishes, smiled contentedly. The fork and spoon she placed on the table produced a heavy clunk, resonating weightily. It’s not just about the utensils. After finishing her meal, under the guise of agility training, she would terrifyingly jab between her widely spread fingers with a fork— a crazy exercise that could result in losing a finger if done incorrectly. And that’s considered one of the easier exercises. "With the young lady's skills, ordinary running won't be of any help anymore. Therefore, you should practice evasion maneuvers while running." "Sounds good!" "I’ll announce the targeted area before each attack. If your evasion is too slow, you won't be cut but expect to get injured. Stay on your guard." The butler always used honorifics when addressing her, yet he trained the lady with knife handling. Screech The maid who coated the young lady’s candy with a substance that would kill ants writhing in pain from just one drop after verifying its potency. The oblivious lady readily accepted the candy and ecstatically hugged the maid’s skirt. ‘This goes beyond child abuse; it's practically a contract for assassination. She’s facing threats of murder and poisoning from the butler and maid every day. It's something I should report to the local lord.’ What could possibly be the reason that she faced such threats from her servants? Giselle sent people to investigate. "The refreshing taste of strawberry shaved ice clears the mind, the trailing sweetness is top-notch!" "The texture of brunoised ingredients mixed with curry is a fantastic combination! A perfect 10 out of 10!" Unaware of the danger, the lady joyfully delivered her taste reviews like an amateur food critic. The long-term guests, observing this behavior with complex feelings, started to grumble. "Is she just going to pay 100 coins to buy the ticket?" "If I knew it would be like this, I should have bet on the sure win." "Dammit, tell us the truth. You two are in cahoots with each other, acting out to fleece us of our small change!" The long-term guests who had placed bets on who would win the wager between the two grew angry. Startled by their loud voices, the lady shrank her neck, and a flash of murderous intent sparked within the eyes of the butler. Clutching a glove in one hand, the butler walked with a fist clenched, knuckles crackling. "Watch your mouths. Are you suggesting that I, Giselle the covert merchant, am so blinded by your chump change that I’d rig a match? For an unofficial bet I didn’t even arrange?" Before he could take action, Giselle yelled first. Those long-term guests who had personally seen Giselle's capabilities did not dare to shout back at him. "Get out of the inn right now. If not, I’ll make you pay for irritating me." Tickets hold a value so precious. It was improbable that Giselle, who had schemed to get dozens of tickets, would come here unprepared and bare-handed. At that moment, several mercenaries employed by Giselle put their hands on their weapons and glared at the guests from their tables near the end of the room. "Kuh...!" "We'll see about that." "Bad luck, really." Muttering their complaints, the long-term guests left. Although they behaved arrogantly, they were merely bluffing, and one of the disgruntled mercenaries drew his sword. Swish Alarmed by the icy sound of the blade, the lingering guests panicked and bolted. Some of them even fled without receiving their remaining lodging fees from the innkeeper. "Ha ha. Cowards." "This is disgraceful for adventurers." As the mercenaries glanced around the room, even those who sneered at the fleeing guests flinched and looked away. Unlike adventurers who handle all sorts of trifling requests, mercenaries make a living from combat. The level of the employed guards was unquestionably deemed higher than that of the adventurers. "Little miss, please come here." The girl looked to her butler for guidance. Only after the butler nodded did she hurriedly trot over. "I am not someone who gambles with just anyone." "Are you disappointed because you think I'm too naive?" Giselle shook his head. On the contrary, he found her usual spirited demeanor to be irritating - not because of her bold nature. Rather it was disheartening to see her perceive such minor troubles as nothing, owing to the harsh trials and tribulations she had already faced in life. The disdain he felt towards the butler and maid who had driven her to this state of mind, that suspicious pair, also played a role. "Little Miss, I have seen enough in the past few days to understand how fiercely you’ve lived your life. I am not disappointed, and certainly, a petty wager like this is no reason to be." Disappointment was far from what he felt. What Giselle was truly experiencing was concern. "If ever you find yourself with nowhere to go, you may use my name among the covert merchants of any city. I’ll ensure you have a way to make a living." "Are you trying to scout me right now?" Giselle, with an expressionless face, was conscious of the butler and maid guarding their table. "With the strength and audacious character that Little Miss possesses, I believe you could become one of the rare substantial merchants in this industry. That's all I'm suggesting." "Heh... That’s the first time anyone's said something like that to me." The girl was genuinely impressed. As though to intervene, the butler quietly interjected. "The young lady is going to be enrolled in the academy. We appreciate the offer, but she is not meant to become a merchant." "That's right. I have no such intentions." "...It wasn't a big offer to start with. Just keep it in mind. Life doesn’t always go as planned." The girl tilted her head in confusion, then grinned mischievously like a cheeky boy and nodded. "I'll remember your advice." He considered persuading her further but soon gave up the thought. Those child abusers wouldn’t let her go easily, anyway. This was enough for now. Someday, when hardship comes her way, knowing there’s an adult on her side would be a great help to her, Giselle thought. * * Several more days passed. Ticket test takers who had ventured out from the inn began to trickle back in, a week into the examination period. "I’ve come to deliver the ingredients." "Too bad. Those ingredients have already been supplied." "What, what?!" Most of the mediocre ingredients were already taken by Giselle, who had cornered the market, leading to their supplies being finished. "Innkeeper, please, just this once, have mercy. If I leave now, I won’t have the money for lodging!" "Our inn does not do tabs. Will you leave on your own or do you want to suffer the consequences?" "This year’s no good, then. I’ll leave on my own...” The innkeeper is associated with the examiners. An act of defiance now could result in a loss of eligibility for next year's exam – a far larger loss. "Uwahaha! You little tyke. Were you still hanging around here?" Amidst the widespread failure to collect ingredients, the monkey beastman triumphantly accomplished something significant. Boom! The sap bladder full of the vine monster’s sap. The innkeeper opened the lid to check the aroma and taste, nodding in satisfaction. "You’ve brought the right stuff." Senior examiner Michael pulled out a ticket emitting a subtle golden glow from his pocket. "It’s a gold ticket." "Now that I've passed, I don't have to worry about the examiner anymore, right? How about it, old man? Fancy a match?" "A post-meal exercise wouldn't hurt." After devouring a plate of rare cuisine made from the ingredients brought in, the two went out to the backyard of the inn. Boom!! With a few heavy bangs and shouts, and as usual, the noble Michael returned with a bored look on his face and headed upstairs. On the other hand, it was not until an hour later that the monkey beastman returned, limping on one leg. I thought as much— If he fought against the senior examiner and survived, that in itself was impressive. Groaning in pain, the beastman noticed me and sniffed around. "Lazy bum. Haven’t even started yet?" "There's no need to." "How trivial." As if his business was done, the monkey beastman slung his bundle without hesitation and left the inn. However, Giselle's gaze at me had a strange sense of admiration. He had seen the audacious act I'd pulled off while the monkey beastman was dueling with the examiner. "Was that the opportunity the Little Miss was waiting for?" "That’s right." The exclusive menu reserved for examiners, which I always ordered from and then took back to the second floor. While the examiner was momentarily away for the duel with the monkey beastman, I spread out the menu. And then, I wrote down a <New Menu> that wasn't originally there. A veteran's strategy, transcending mere luck. A special menu that forced the creation of a desired assignment. A word from the author (author's note) The way a culinary collector faces their ordeal.