The sky had dimmed, and dinner was long finished.I spent the time with Garfield doing a provisional grading of the Divine Studies exam, then headed toward Freya’s office right on schedule.The cool night air greeted me as I arrived at Ishtal’s main headquarters.I stopped in front of the drawbridge and quietly looked up.'Majestic.'Towering walls reminiscent of a fortress in the shape of a cross, surrounded by a moat.Looking up at this overwhelming sight, I couldn’t help but recall once again why Ishtal’s territory was often called a massive garrison city.Freya had been putting constant effort into shedding that rigid, intimidating image.The Sports Festival she hosted must have been part of that attempt.Once I was done admiring the structure and approached the main gate, several members of the Disciplinary Committee blocked my way. But they soon stepped aside with displeased expressions.“You’ve arrived.”Passing through the gate, I was greeted by a student wearing a red armband.It was Theon Flaver, one of Freya’s aides.I gave him a small nod.“Working hard even this late. Lead the way.”The headquarters itself was also fortress-like inside, so reaching Freya’s office required navigating a maze of winding corridors.Even in the game, you were likely to get lost without a guide.Sure, I could just open the system map, but a first-timer finding the way perfectly would only raise suspicion, so I quietly followed the guide.“Yes, it’s a complicated place, so please stay close.”I followed Theon into the convoluted interior of the headquarters.The hallways were made of bare concrete with iron doors lined up on both sides.It was barren enough to pass for an underground bunker.Maybe they had preserved the original structure for tradition’s sake, but if it were up to me, I’d paint everything a bright color and rip out those hideous iron doors.Step. Step.As I followed Theon down the corridor, we occasionally passed Ishtal students.They didn’t say anything, but each of them glared at me once as they went by.Theon noticed the tension and slightly turned his head to speak to me.“Forgive me for being presumptuous, but it would be best not to respond to other students’ provocations.”“And what happens if I do?”“You might end up in an unwanted ‘duel.’”“A duel, huh.”A duel was the classical method for resolving disputes between Union students.It had some overlap with inter-academy territory battles.While the results didn’t affect competition rankings, duels had legal binding force.Refusing to comply could lead to expulsion, so it wasn’t just a game for fun.Knowing that, I asked curiously,“As far as I know, duels require mutual consent. If one side refuses, it can’t proceed.”Theon corrected himself as if realizing he’d phrased it poorly.“Ah, not that sort of formal, dispute-settling duel. A bit crude, but… the term ‘brawl’ would be more appropriate.”“……”So basically, if I mouthed off, I’d get punched.Well, given how Dandori rushed at me before, Ishtal was a place where fists mattered more than laws anyway.It made sense to some extent.Freya’s goal was to change that kind of mindset and public perception, but with these kinds of students, there were limits to what could be done.Theon added,“The public opinion wasn’t favorable to begin with, but since you obtained the treasure hunt’s final prize, it’s gotten worse.”“Are you one of them too, Theon?”He shrugged.“I’d be lying if I said otherwise. But duty comes before personal feelings. I trust you’ll behave wisely so unnecessary rumors don’t spread.”“I’ll keep that in mind.”After a short conversation, we arrived at Freya’s office.Theon bowed slightly and opened the door for me to enter, intending to wait outside while we talked.“You’ve arrived? Please, have a seat wherever you like.”Despite the end of working hours, Freya was still in her neat uniform.Only her shoes were different—she’d replaced her stiff dress shoes with a pair of soft slippers.Frog-shaped ones, quite cute actually.“I prepared some refreshments. Please help yourself.”I sat on the sofa and glanced at the tea set on the table.A cup of warm, fragrant tea—high-grade quality by the smell of it.And then—'What the hell is that… a cookie from hell?'On the plate sat something black and rock-like, resembling a lump of coal.At first I couldn’t tell what it was, but looking closer, it seemed to be something like a brownie.“……”When I showed the slightest interest in the refreshments, Freya’s eyes sparkled.She seemed to be silently urging me to try it.Don’t tell me… she baked it herself?With trembling hands, I picked up a piece of the blackened cookie.There was no way this thing had been made with ingredients from this world.I had zero desire to eat it—but there are a few things in life you must do even if you don’t want to.I steeled myself and put the cookie-shaped object into my mouth.The moment it slid down my throat, a system log flashed across my vision.[You have ingested poison. Entering fainted state.]For a brief instant, my consciousness went dark before I snapped back to awareness.'Did I just faint?'Realizing what had happened, I forced my jaw to move again.Crunch, crunch.The unpleasant crumble of flour and unmelted sugar clumps filled my mouth.The outside was charred black, but the dough inside seemed half-cooked—sticky and damp.For a moment I wondered if she had invited me here to poison me on purpose… but probably not.I forced myself to chew and swallow, then washed my mouth with tea.Of course, through the entire process of ingesting this toxin, not a single expression crossed my face.All thanks to my trait [Thick-Skinned].How fortunate indeed.Clink.I set down the teacup with a trembling hand, and Freya cautiously asked,“H-how does it taste?”“It has quite the… witty flavor.”“Pardon?”“Nothing, it’s good. If there are any left, I’ll take them all.”“Ah, that might be difficult… I was planning to share them with my aides.”“No, I’ll take them all. Absolutely.”I couldn’t allow any more victims.“If you insist, then…”“A handmade cookie, huh. What’s gotten into you? I thought you never touched cooking.”Freya’s father, the head of the Gunhild family, the Thunder Sword Wodanaz Gunhild—One of the continent’s Top Ten strongest—held a long-standing belief: “Hands that wield a sword should never hold a kitchen knife.”Because of that, he had forbidden his daughter from cooking.Baking didn’t involve knives, but even so, Freya had consciously kept away from it.Freya spoke,“I wanted to give something back to my aides for helping me make the Sports Festival a success. There are other rewards, but I wanted to offer something personally made.”“I see.”Since she’d managed to hold the Sports Festival successfully to reshape Ishtal’s image, it seemed she’d decided to change herself a little as well.A good sign.The current Freya was like an unhatched egg.To become a true “Hero,” she’d have to go through several more stages of growth.“I understand your intention. So, you said you wanted to express your thanks to me too? I assume this handmade cookie isn’t that reward.”Because really—who thanks someone with poison?Freya slowly nodded.“You once made a request of me. Since you helped me, I’ll use my voting right once on your behalf.”“Even if it goes against your convictions?”“…I hope it won’t come to that, but yes. If I’ve received help, I must repay it.”Freya nodded with a resolute expression.“Good.”That was what I’d wanted from the start.There would come a time when I’d need her strength.“And this is my personal token of thanks.”With a rattling sound, she handed me a gift.It was a belt, the kind swordsmen usually wore.The soft leather finish and golden embroidery made it clearly a luxury item.“I noticed you usually carry your sword in hand. This will make it easier to wear on your waist.”I accepted it with a somewhat dazed expression.“…You said the practice sword you bought me before would be your final favor.”When I threw in that remark, Freya glared sharply.“This isn’t a favor—it’s a token of gratitude!”Same thing, really. No need to shout.I shrugged and tucked the gift into my bag.“Much obliged. Though I’m not sure I’ll ever use it.”I wasn’t a swordsman, so «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» walking around with a sword on my belt would look pretentious.Still, the Azoth Sword could be hidden well enough that it wouldn’t draw attention.“And please, take this too.”Still a little flustered, Freya brought out another box and handed it to me.I opened it and checked the contents.As the lid lifted, a brilliant light spilled out—a silver gauntlet, gleaming like dragon scales.It was the [Silver-Scaled Gauntlet] she’d once put up as a donation prize during the Sports Festival.My eyes widened.“You’re giving me this?”“Yes. Since Ishtal won, it returned to my possession. This is the academy’s official token of gratitude. The Sports Festival’s success was largely thanks to you.”“…I’ll accept it, then.”No reason to refuse such a gift.It granted immunity to all poisons and even prevented instant death—a very fine item.I nodded and set the box containing the gauntlet beside me.'What a windfall.'Before she could change her mind, I shifted the topic.“How’s your sister? Has she fully recovered?”Freya’s older sister, Verdandi Gunhild.I’d heard she’d been hospitalized ever since Gilean’s attack during the combat class but was recently discharged.“Yes, she’s resting at our family estate outside the city. Once her probation ends, she’ll return to the Union.”Knowing Verdandi’s personality, she probably tried to take full responsibility and return to her family, but since she planned to come back, Freya must have persuaded her well.“Oh, that reminds me.”At the mention of Verdandi, Freya seemed to recall her successor, Professor Zimmer.“Did something happen between you and Professor Zimmer? His attitude toward students seems much softer lately.”“I wouldn’t know.”No reason to reveal that Zimmer was essentially my planted spy.The fewer who knew about him, the better for his future operations.Though why was she asking me that?Did she think I’d influenced the grading ratio or something?Anyway, when I feigned ignorance, Freya nodded as if she understood.“Hmm. In any case, that’s a relief. When he first kicked Garfield out of class, I wasn’t sure how to handle it.”I remembered how she reacted back then.Freya wasn’t the type to just overlook such things.“So, personally, I was thinking—even after my sister’s probation ends, perhaps Professor Zimmer should continue teaching a bit longer. What do you think?”“You mean extending his assignment beyond three months—perhaps for one or two semesters?”“That’s right.”Freya nodded.It was a proposal I couldn’t have welcomed more.I looked at her and smiled inwardly.

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