Chapter 22: Assistant Ringmaster Ella (3)
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Chapter 22: Assistant Ringmaster Ella (3)
The night was deep.
I sat by the window in my cabin, enjoying the gusts of wind hitting against it.
My unfamiliar long hair still tickled my face.
The sound of water splashing against the wheels.
The noise coming from the engine room.
The occasional creaking of the ship.
The ship was moving slowly enough not to disturb people's sleep, just as it was customary in these upper reaches of the river. However, since there was still a considerable distance to our destination, we were pushing on even at night.
I turned on my status screen to check the time.
Oh, has it already been an hour?
Should I have another cup of tea?
This quest is getting annoying.
There was a cup of tea on the desk, which Yurakne had prepared and left for me in case I needed it. Since I couldn't call her at this hour, I had taken it in advance.
I poured some tea into the cup.
"Ugh."
As I looked down at the tea in the cup...
Well, of course, I must be smiling.
The smiling man always smiles.
But...
It wasn't how I truly felt.
Just smelling the tea's aroma was getting on my nerves by now.
I had already had nearly twenty cups of tea today.
Ugh.
Honestly, I preferred the sweet and refreshing fruit drinks.
I felt sorry for Yurakne, who worked so diligently to prepare the tea, but I had to drink it out of obligation.
My purpose was not to enjoy the tea but to engage in the act of drinking it.
"Ringmaster really loves tea!"
Yurakne, who would cheerfully watch me whenever I drank tea. Besides, I couldn't exactly say I didn't like it. I just nodded in agreement when she commented like that.
It was fortunate that there was a smiling man by my side during such times. I didn't have to force a reluctant expression and choke down the tea.
There was a reason why I was diligently drinking a tea that I suddenly didn't like.
"Subordinate Management."
The TTT interface appeared before my eyes, and among the ten subordinates, I selected Yurakne's profile.
Name: Yurakne
Age: 26
Favourability: 23 (Next Reward: Affection 30)
Title: Spider Woman
Occupation: General Acrobat
Special Trait: [Yurakne's Sincerity]
Her favourability had unexpectedly risen to 23. Annoyed by the constant stream of messages, I had turned off real-time notifications, but it seemed to have continued to rise without my knowledge.
The day before the ship's arrival, Yurakne's affection had surpassed 15. Ever since the incident at the fish market, her affection had been increasing by 1 point each day without me doing anything. On days when we went for a night stroll together, it even went up by 2 points.
Compared to other subordinates who didn't move an inch like bricks, this was a welcome development.
[Yurakne's affection has increased by 2. As a reward for reaching Affection 15, this reward is granted to Yurakne.
Current Favourability: 16 (Next Reward: Favourability 30)]
Special Trait: Yurakne's Sincerity
Applicable to: Tea brewed by Yurakne
Effect: Drinking tea increases the three basic attributes of Wonderstein by 0.1% for 1 hour.
Requirements: Yurakne's affection must be 15.
When I drank tea prepared by Yurakne... my abilities increased for 1 hour...?
So, this was a growth-type trait.
I paid attention to the "0.1%."
Ah, this is an incremental trait.
As if on cue with my muttering, a message appeared in the notification window.
*Subquest - Yurakne's Sincerity: Yurakne will continue to brew tea with even more sincerity every time you drink it.
Conditions for Completion: Drink 1000 cups of tea brewed by Yurakne (with intervals of at least 1 hour).
Rewards upon success:
[Yurakne's Sincerity] +0.1% increase per cup
Failure Penalty:
None
"Yurakne's Sincerity" was indeed an excellent attribute to unlock early on, offering a significant advantage. With a 0.1% increase per cup, drinking 1000 cups would result in a whopping 100% increase in ability.
In situations requiring a boost in ability stats, her tea could double your capabilities. However, this growth-oriented attribute couldn't be used immediately; it required completing sub-quests to unlock.
That's why I had been asking Yurakne for tea every day. Thanks to her, I had been steadily sipping tea for the past ten days, and today I finally surpassed 50 cups. Yurakne's Sincerity had now increased my abilities by 5%.
Name: Frank Wonderstein
Age: 27
Occupation: Biomancer
Debulroots: (22/30)
Muscle Strength: 2.0 (+0.1 Yurakne's Sincerity)
(Fitness Club -> Fitness Club Senior)
Tissue Resilience: 2.0 (+0.1 Yurakne's Sincerity) (Leather Armor -> Cowhide Armor)
Cell Regeneration: 3.0 (+0.15 Yurakne's Sincerity)
Oh, it's wonderful. It's so wonderful.
This is the blessing of the circus.
Inspira.
Her attempt to use her newfound ability as an experiment had worked perfectly.
She looked at herself through the eyes of the mouse, and then she looked at herself through the eyes of a pigeon.
The happiness of being a trainer, able to communicate with the beast she had tamed!
It was a great joy as a trainer.
She wanted to show it to her friends.
What she had achieved.
Leaving school, how she had come this far, she wanted to brag...
To brag...
A smile slowly faded from Ella's lips.
Her expression froze rapidly.
Fear and anger spread.
To show her friends...?
Her friends...
Most of them...
At a moment when Ella should have been extremely proud, she felt intense self-loathing.
Her heart sank coldly.
The voice of Wonderstein came to mind.
His voice mocked her.
Are you happy, Ella?
Are you happy, Ella?
Are you happy, Ella?
Are you happy, Ella?
How...
How did you come this far?
Haha.
Hahaha.
Are you going to say it?
Huh?
Are you going to brag?
In front of your friends' graves...?
Haha.
You're garbage, you know that?
You're trash.
You thought it was okay, didn't you?
You thought it was fine?
That you came on this journey with Wonderstein.
Getting out of that boring school made you happy.
Oh, really?
It's probably not true.
But you did think for a moment.
That it seemed okay.
Suddenly, tears welled up.
She wanted to sob uncontrollably.
Corpse. Monster. Corpse. Monster.
The people of the village.
Her friends.
The merchants.
They're all dead. Almost everyone except a few.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry to all of you who thought of me as a friend, even though I'm so selfish.
Hatred for Wonderstein.
Self-loathing.
Regret for the time that had passed.
All of it mixed together.
In that moment, the Inspira that had come to her disappeared.
Kirku must have withdrawn his blessing from her.
Why was that?
Because she was disappointed i herself?
She felt oddly relieved.
Yeah. I'm not qualified.
I'm just a novice.
After putting down her worries like that for only a few hours,
Inspira came back to her.
Ella was confused, overwhelmed by self-blame and anger again, and Inspira left her once more.
She had been wavering like this for days.
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Chapter 22: Assistant Ringmaster Ella (3)
The night was deep.
I sat by the window in my cabin, enjoying the gusts of wind hitting against it.
My unfamiliar long hair still tickled my face.
The sound of water splashing against the wheels.
The noise coming from the engine room.
The occasional creaking of the ship.
The ship was moving slowly enough not to disturb people's sleep, just as it was customary in these upper reaches of the river. However, since there was still a considerable distance to our destination, we were pushing on even at night.
I turned on my status screen to check the time.
Oh, has it already been an hour?
Should I have another cup of tea?
This quest is getting annoying.
There was a cup of tea on the desk, which Yurakne had prepared and left for me in case I needed it. Since I couldn't call her at this hour, I had taken it in advance.
I poured some tea into the cup.
"Ugh."
As I looked down at the tea in the cup...
Well, of course, I must be smiling.
The smiling man always smiles.
But...
It wasn't how I truly felt.
Just smelling the tea's aroma was getting on my nerves by now.
I had already had nearly twenty cups of tea today.
Ugh.
Honestly, I preferred the sweet and refreshing fruit drinks.
I felt sorry for Yurakne, who worked so diligently to prepare the tea, but I had to drink it out of obligation.
My purpose was not to enjoy the tea but to engage in the act of drinking it.
"Ringmaster really loves tea!"
Yurakne, who would cheerfully watch me whenever I drank tea. Besides, I couldn't exactly say I didn't like it. I just nodded in agreement when she commented like that.
It was fortunate that there was a smiling man by my side during such times. I didn't have to force a reluctant expression and choke down the tea.
There was a reason why I was diligently drinking a tea that I suddenly didn't like.
"Subordinate Management."
The TTT interface appeared before my eyes, and among the ten subordinates, I selected Yurakne's profile.
Name: Yurakne
Age: 26
Favourability: 23 (Next Reward: Affection 30)
Title: Spider Woman
Occupation: General Acrobat
Special Trait: [Yurakne's Sincerity]
Her favourability had unexpectedly risen to 23. Annoyed by the constant stream of messages, I had turned off real-time notifications, but it seemed to have continued to rise without my knowledge.
The day before the ship's arrival, Yurakne's affection had surpassed 15. Ever since the incident at the fish market, her affection had been increasing by 1 point each day without me doing anything. On days when we went for a night stroll together, it even went up by 2 points.
Compared to other subordinates who didn't move an inch like bricks, this was a welcome development.
[Yurakne's affection has increased by 2. As a reward for reaching Affection 15, this reward is granted to Yurakne.
Current Favourability: 16 (Next Reward: Favourability 30)]
Special Trait: Yurakne's Sincerity
Applicable to: Tea brewed by Yurakne
Effect: Drinking tea increases the three basic attributes of Wonderstein by 0.1% for 1 hour.
Requirements: Yurakne's affection must be 15.
When I drank tea prepared by Yurakne... my abilities increased for 1 hour...?
So, this was a growth-type trait.
I paid attention to the "0.1%."
Ah, this is an incremental trait.
As if on cue with my muttering, a message appeared in the notification window.
*Subquest - Yurakne's Sincerity: Yurakne will continue to brew tea with even more sincerity every time you drink it.
Conditions for Completion: Drink 1000 cups of tea brewed by Yurakne (with intervals of at least 1 hour).
Rewards upon success:
[Yurakne's Sincerity] +0.1% increase per cup
Failure Penalty:
None
"Yurakne's Sincerity" was indeed an excellent attribute to unlock early on, offering a significant advantage. With a 0.1% increase per cup, drinking 1000 cups would result in a whopping 100% increase in ability.
In situations requiring a boost in ability stats, her tea could double your capabilities. However, this growth-oriented attribute couldn't be used immediately; it required completing sub-quests to unlock.
That's why I had been asking Yurakne for tea every day. Thanks to her, I had been steadily sipping tea for the past ten days, and today I finally surpassed 50 cups. Yurakne's Sincerity had now increased my abilities by 5%.
Name: Frank Wonderstein
Age: 27
Occupation: Biomancer
Debulroots: (22/30)
Muscle Strength: 2.0 (+0.1 Yurakne's Sincerity)
(Fitness Club -> Fitness Club Senior)
Tissue Resilience: 2.0 (+0.1 Yurakne's Sincerity) (Leather Armor -> Cowhide Armor)
Cell Regeneration: 3.0 (+0.15 Yurakne's Sincerity)
Oh, it's wonderful. It's so wonderful.
This is the blessing of the circus.
Inspira.
Her attempt to use her newfound ability as an experiment had worked perfectly.
She looked at herself through the eyes of the mouse, and then she looked at herself through the eyes of a pigeon.
The happiness of being a trainer, able to communicate with the beast she had tamed!
It was a great joy as a trainer.
She wanted to show it to her friends.
What she had achieved.
Leaving school, how she had come this far, she wanted to brag...
To brag...
A smile slowly faded from Ella's lips.
Her expression froze rapidly.
Fear and anger spread.
To show her friends...?
Her friends...
Most of them...
At a moment when Ella should have been extremely proud, she felt intense self-loathing.
Her heart sank coldly.
The voice of Wonderstein came to mind.
His voice mocked her.
Are you happy, Ella?
Are you happy, Ella?
Are you happy, Ella?
Are you happy, Ella?
How...
How did you come this far?
Haha.
Hahaha.
Are you going to say it?
Huh?
Are you going to brag?
In front of your friends' graves...?
Haha.
You're garbage, you know that?
You're trash.
You thought it was okay, didn't you?
You thought it was fine?
That you came on this journey with Wonderstein.
Getting out of that boring school made you happy.
Oh, really?
It's probably not true.
But you did think for a moment.
That it seemed okay.
Suddenly, tears welled up.
She wanted to sob uncontrollably.
Corpse. Monster. Corpse. Monster.
The people of the village.
Her friends.
The merchants.
They're all dead. Almost everyone except a few.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry to all of you who thought of me as a friend, even though I'm so selfish.
Hatred for Wonderstein.
Self-loathing.
Regret for the time that had passed.
All of it mixed together.
In that moment, the Inspira that had come to her disappeared.
Kirku must have withdrawn his blessing from her.
Why was that?
Because she was disappointed i herself?
She felt oddly relieved.
Yeah. I'm not qualified.
I'm just a novice.
After putting down her worries like that for only a few hours,
Inspira came back to her.
Ella was confused, overwhelmed by self-blame and anger again, and Inspira left her once more.
She had been wavering like this for days.
Chapter 22: Assistant Ringmaster Ella 3The night was deep.I sat by the window in my cabin, enjoying the gusts of wind hitting against it.My unfamiliar long hair still tickled my face.The sound of water splashing against the wheels.The noise coming from the engine room.The occasional creaking of the ship.The ship was moving slowly enough not to disturb people's sleep, just as it was customary in these upper reaches of the river. However, since there was still a considerable distance to our destination, we were pushing on even at night.I turned on my status screen to check the time.Oh, has it already been an hour?Should I have another cup of tea?This quest is getting annoying.There was a cup of tea on the desk, which Yurakne had prepared and left for me in case I needed it. Since I couldn't call her at this hour, I had taken it in advance.I poured some tea into the cup."Ugh."As I looked down at the tea in the cup...Well, of course, I must be smiling.The smiling man always smiles.But...It wasn't how I truly felt.Just smelling the tea's aroma was getting on my nerves by now.I had already had nearly twenty cups of tea today.Ugh.Honestly, I preferred the sweet and refreshing fruit drinks.I felt sorry for Yurakne, who worked so diligently to prepare the tea, but I had to drink it out of obligation.My purpose was not to enjoy the tea but to engage in the act of drinking it."Ringmaster really loves tea!"Yurakne, who would cheerfully watch me whenever I drank tea. Besides, I couldn't exactly say I didn't like it. I just nodded in agreement when she commented like that.It was fortunate that there was a smiling man by my side during such times. I didn't have to force a reluctant expression and choke down the tea.There was a reason why I was diligently drinking a tea that I suddenly didn't like."Subordinate Management."The TTT interface appeared before my eyes, and among the ten subordinates, I selected Yurakne's profile.Name: YurakneAge: 26Favourability: 23 Next Reward: Affection 30Title: Spider WomanOccupation: General AcrobatSpecial Trait: Yurakne's SincerityHer favourability had unexpectedly risen to 23. Annoyed by the constant stream of messages, I had turned off real-time notifications, but it seemed to have continued to rise without my knowledge.The day before the ship's arrival, Yurakne's affection had surpassed 15. Ever since the incident at the fish market, her affection had been increasing by 1 point each day without me doing anything. On days when we went for a night stroll together, it even went up by 2 points.Compared to other subordinates who didn't move an inch like bricks, this was a welcome development.Yurakne's affection has increased by 2. As a reward for reaching Affection 15, this reward is granted to Yurakne.Current Favourability: 16 Next Reward: Favourability 30Special Trait: Yurakne's SincerityApplicable to: Tea brewed by YurakneEffect: Drinking tea increases the three basic attributes of Wonderstein by 0.1% for 1 hour.Requirements: Yurakne's affection must be 15.When I drank tea prepared by Yurakne... my abilities increased for 1 hour...?So, this was a growth-type trait.I paid attention to the "0.1%."Ah, this is an incremental trait.As if on cue with my muttering, a message appeared in the notification window.*Subquest - Yurakne's Sincerity: Yurakne will continue to brew tea with even more sincerity every time you drink it.Conditions for Completion: Drink 1000 cups of tea brewed by Yurakne with intervals of at least 1 hour.Rewards upon success:Yurakne's Sincerity +0.1% increase per cupFailure Penalty:None"Yurakne's Sincerity" was indeed an excellent attribute to unlock early on, offering a significant advantage. With a 0.1% increase per cup, drinking 1000 cups would result in a whopping 100% increase in ability.In situations requiring a boost in ability stats, her tea could double your capabilities. However, this growth-oriented attribute couldn't be used immediately; it required completing sub-quests to unlock.That's why I had been asking Yurakne for tea every day. Thanks to her, I had been steadily sipping tea for the past ten days, and today I finally surpassed 50 cups. Yurakne's Sincerity had now increased my abilities by 5%.Name: Frank WondersteinAge: 27Occupation: BiomancerDebulroots: 22/30Muscle Strength: 2.0 +0.1 Yurakne's SincerityFitness Club - Fitness Club SeniorTissue Resilience: 2.0 +0.1 Yurakne's Sincerity Leather Armor - Cowhide ArmorCell Regeneration: 3.0 +0.15 Yurakne's SincerityOh, it's wonderful. It's so wonderful.This is the blessing of the circus.Inspira.Her attempt to use her newfound ability as an experiment had worked perfectly.She looked at herself through the eyes of the mouse, and then she looked at herself through the eyes of a pigeon.The happiness of being a trainer, able to communicate with the beast she had tamed!It was a great joy as a trainer.She wanted to show it to her friends.What she had achieved.Leaving school, how she had come this far, she wanted to brag...To brag...A smile slowly faded from Ella's lips.Her expression froze rapidly.Fear and anger spread.To show her friends...?Her friends...Most of them...At a moment when Ella should have been extremely proud, she felt intense self-loathing.Her heart sank coldly.The voice of Wonderstein came to mind.His voice mocked her.Are you happy, Ella?Are you happy, Ella?Are you happy, Ella?Are you happy, Ella?How...How did you come this far?Haha.Hahaha.Are you going to say it?Huh?Are you going to brag?In front of your friends' graves...?Haha.You're garbage, you know that?You're trash.You thought it was okay, didn't you?You thought it was fine?That you came on this journey with Wonderstein.Getting out of that boring school made you happy.Oh, really?It's probably not true.But you did think for a moment.That it seemed okay.Suddenly, tears welled up.She wanted to sob uncontrollably.Corpse. Monster. Corpse. Monster.The people of the village.Her friends.The merchants.They're all dead. Almost everyone except a few.I'm sorry.I'm sorry.I'm so sorry to all of you who thought of me as a friend, even though I'm so selfish.Hatred for Wonderstein.Self-loathing.Regret for the time that had passed.All of it mixed together.In that moment, the Inspira that had come to her disappeared.Kirku must have withdrawn his blessing from her.Why was that?Because she was disappointed i herself?She felt oddly relieved.Yeah. I'm not qualified.I'm just a novice.After putting down her worries like that for only a few hours,Inspira came back to her.Ella was confused, overwhelmed by self-blame and anger again, and Inspira left her once more.She had been wavering like this for days.
