Chapter 1122 – #267_A Rough Day In The Magic Academy
#1116
1.
It was 2 PM, the sun high in the sky, yet the room was pitch black, thanks to the blackout curtains.
The Oh sisters, with the solemnity of a courtroom, interrogated Rinne, who sat demurely on a chair.
“Defendant Rinne Samakiel, do you admit to seeking unfair advantage by providing lunch boxes to the assistant without clear notice?”
“……”
“That’s cowardly! You’ve been racking up points alone for over two weeks!”
The twins fiercely denounced the defendant’s wrongdoing.
“I was merely packing lunch for my husband.”
Rinne stated that her actions were not intended to gain unfair advantage, but it was an obvious excuse to anyone.
“Your Honor! The defendant is telling a blatant lie.”
“That’s right! There’s evidence that she packed lunch boxes not only for the assistant but also for all the researchers in the basic department!”
“Hmm, hmm~ Naughty, naughty~”
Judge Dorothy, who had somehow acquired the attire of an old judge, nodded.
“The defendant violated Article 7 of the Lovers’ Agreement by secretly gaining points alone!”
“She’s been hogging the ‘good wife’ image all by herself, and she must have been showered with compliments like, ‘Your wife is such a good cook!’ and ‘Your lady’s cooking is so delicious!’”
“…Tsk.”
“Tsking in this sacred courtroom!”
“Naughty! Naughty!”
The participants in this trial included the twins, Rinne, Dorothy, Elroa, and L’Riel.
Amelia was resting to recover her health (though she often went out to play), and Sharon, who had become a full-fledged businesswoman, was swamped with secretarial work and preparing for the regular semester.
“We cannot let this heinous crime go unpunished!”
“She must be held accountable!”
Anyway, the reason for the trial was clear.
Rinne had violated the agreement between lovers: ‘Fair competition is OK. But don’t secretly monopolize it alone.’
“This court hereby delivers its verdict~”
In truth, only the twins were serious; everyone else was half-joking, so the punishment for Rinne was concluded with ‘a two-week ban on sleeping together.’
“Your Honor! Isn’t that too formal a punishment, considering the assistant is too busy with work to even go on dates?”
“Of course, as an additional penalty, I will ban Rinne from making lunch boxes for that period.”
“……”
Upon Dorothy’s additional penalty, Rinne showed the artistry of expressing a heart-wrenching feeling with a blank face.
Since she had indeed been using tricks, she couldn’t properly argue back.
“Justice prevails!”
Apart from the twins, who were reveling in their victory, a fierce flame of competition was about to ignite.
The reason Rinne’s actions were pointed out as unfair was that serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner was directly linked to being a ‘good wife.’
In other words, how wonderful the meals they served would be would greatly affect their reputation.
Not only Siwoo but also his direct subordinates would praise, ‘The chairman’s wife, Ms. XX, is such a great cook!’
This was not an opportunity that came easily.
“Hoho, the time has come to show off my excellent seafood cooking skills.”
L’Riel, who had participated as an audience member, spoke with great vigor.
“I also have some confidence in my cooking.”
Elroa, the master of home-style cooking who had often cooked for Siwoo, also strengthened her resolve.
“Hmm~ If I start preparing now, it should be fine.”
Dorothy didn’t have much talent for cooking, but she was confident she could do well at anything.
If necessary, she could hire chefs and claim that she had done it herself.
However, the most enthusiastic among them were the twins, who had brought Rinne to court and delivered the hammer of justice.
“Hehe, is it finally time to show the results of our hard work?”
“Master Chef Gehenna’s Odile and Odette. Ready for deployment.”
“Odile and Odette, you two know how to cook?”
“Of course!”
“With the philosophy of always taking on new challenges, we create recipes that break away from existing frameworks. You’d better be nervous.”
“Indeed~ Being young has its advantages.”
The chefs of the Jemernai family were known for their skills.
Unlike Elroa and Dorothy, who nodded, thinking that the twins, who had grown up eating such food, must have some expertise, L’Riel’s face turned pale.
L’Riel had once tasted the food prepared by the twins for Siwoo, who had collapsed from overwork.
The Cthulhu-infested chicken noodle soup not only destroyed the taste buds but also triggered L’Riel’s autonomous defense.
“Are you saying you’ll feed that terrible monstrosity to the researchers, not just Siwoo?”
“What did you say? Calling our heartfelt dishes a terrible monstrosity!”
“Don’t you know that sincerity is important in cooking? Of course, we have to prepare for the hardworking researchers as well.”
“What’s important in cooking is not sincerity but following the recipe!”
“When did we ever break the recipe?”
“We’ve taken existing recipes as a base and recreated them.”
A terrible disaster might befall the Hessed Academy.
No, it wasn’t a ‘might’; it was a certainty.
“Dorothy! Stop those unruly girls right now! Odile and Odette are not to be allowed in the kitchen!”
L’Riel, knowing that the arrogant twins wouldn’t listen to her, asked for Dorothy’s help.
“Your Majesty~ You shouldn’t tease your friends too much.”
However, Dorothy seemed to interpret the situation as a squabble between her niece and her niece’s friends.
L’Riel hurriedly asked Elroa for help as well.
“Pink hair! Duke Elroa! Do something! A real catastrophe is about to happen!”
“L’Riel, you’re always so energetic, it’s nice to see.”
But Elroa only smiled kindly and patted L’Riel’s head.
“Stop being jealous and get your work done properly.”
“I’ll flatten your nose.”
L’Riel felt like a cursed prophet whom no one believed.
2.
As usual, research was in full swing at the basic department’s research building.
Experience changes people.
The same was true for witches.
A schedule so harsh that it wouldn’t be strange for casualties to occur, if they weren’t spirits. It was truly like a battlefield.
Eating breakfast at the research building, lunch at the research building, dinner at the research building, and then eating breakfast at the research building again the next morning. This hardcore training method began to draw out the potential of each researcher.
“Ah, with this level of calculation… mental math is enough.”
“Five simulation models? A day is enough.”
“Hehehe! Made a mistake? I’ll just do it again!”
Thus, the atmosphere in the basic department’s research building was nothing short of eerie.
Excellent talents with the efficiency of a hundred researchers.
Unlike the witches who usually pursued work-life balance, they were showing a tenacious spirit, making the impossible possible.
Just as the injured muscle fibers from extreme stress grow into more robust muscles, the researchers were constantly transforming from raw stones into diamonds.
Siwoo looked at his wristwatch.
For reference, the only clock in this research building was on the chairman’s wrist.
They had removed all clocks because they believed that forgetting the passage of time and contemplating was the true path of a researcher.
“Hmm.”
The second hand of the high-end Patek Philippe wristwatch (a high-end model) that Takasho had gifted him indicated that lunchtime was approaching.
“It’s time for lunch. Let’s take a break.”
Unexpectedly, there were no cheers.
There were no sighs like, ‘Finally, a break!’ or jokes like, ‘I want to go home….’
The researchers, like true professionals, calmly organized their materials and prepared to move to the cafeteria.
Their appearance was truly befitting of the elite members of the Hessed Academy.
Still, Siwoo called out to the academy members who were chatting about things like, ‘What’s on the menu today?’ and ‘I’m looking forward to it.’
“Before we eat, I have an announcement.”
The eyes of the academy members focused on Siwoo.
Despite having undergone a rigorous training process and becoming elite, there was an undeniable agitation among the researchers.
Every time this happened, the Demon King Shin Siwoo, the chairman of the academy, would order some absurd additional work.
However, there were no researchers who cried out, ‘Eek, I can’t do that, Chairman, waah!’ or ‘Such inhumane exploitation!’
Shin Siwoo’s training method had killed their weakness.
What was newly born were the 25 ultimate researchers who were willing to work themselves to death.
As if they were about to embark on a suicide mission, they all exuded a sense of grim determination. Daphne stepped forward as their representative.
“Give us your orders, Chairman.”
“Ah, it’s nothing much. From today, we will have a tea time from 3 PM to 5 PM after lunch. The project completion date will be slightly delayed, though.”
“……”
After a brief moment of silence.
“Hahahaha!!!”
“Kyahahahaha!!!”
“Kekekekeke!!!”
“Oh my, our chairman’s jokes have improved! Hahahaha!!!”
A boisterous laughter, like that of a bandit’s den, erupted at once.
Of course, in Gehenna, tea time was a model of leisurely leisure for cultured witches and a precious time to strengthen social bonds.
However, the word ‘tea time’ from Shin Siwoo was as mismatched as a dictator and frugality.
“I will spend my time as I see fit, so please rest comfortably, and I’ll see you again at 5:10 PM.”
However, after Daphne’s desertion-return incident.
Siwoo, who had been briefly out of his mind, had also realized something in his own way.
‘I was definitely pushing them too hard.’
The defection was Daphne’s personal issue, but it was like obtaining a sample of how small and large complaints could seep into the organization and how they would manifest.
Therefore, this time, he left without saying any nonsense like, ‘Of course, you can work during tea time if you want’ (and without carrying any documents), leisurely and empty-handed.
“What? What’s going on?”
“Is the chairman not feeling well?”
“Is he going to say there’s more project work around dinner time?”
“Nah.”
The research team, faced with an unexpected and unfamiliar scene, chirped like chicks separated from their mother hen in a strange place.
What awaited them as they entered the cafeteria was, as expected.
“Welcome! You’ve all worked so hard!”
“This is a full-course meal prepared by Odile and Odette to comfort your hard work.”
The precious daughters of the Jemernai family, known as two of the chairman’s fiancées.
The adorable girls, who looked like they could be put in your eyes without hurting them, were wearing aprons and chef’s hats, nimbly serving silver platters.
“Oh my, they’re so cute.”
“Did you prepare this yourselves?”
“Of course!”
“We cooked it ourselves!”
“The chairman is so lucky.”
“Shall we taste the food of the two mistresses?”
The silver platters covering the first course were opened in front of the researchers, who were sitting at the table with expressions like doting fathers.
“The first dish is our ambitious creation…! Mint Chocolate Mala Pineapple Pizza Parfait!”
“We’ve grated white truffles from Perigord on top, so please don’t mix it and savor it slowly from the top.”
That day, the researchers of the basic department of the Hessed Academy saw hell.
