Deadline Is Raining in the Status Window - Chapter 65

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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“This matter stays buried.”
The Academy Headmaster lowered his voice and issued his command with a grave expression. There was something about him—an air of organized brutality, as if he’d just finished burying someone on the Back Mountain—that made both Evan Laef and the Common Professor instinctively unite in affirmation.
“Yes, boss.”
“Understood, chief.”
“Call me Academy Headmaster, you lunatics.”
“Yes, boss.”
“Understood, chief.”
“Lunatics.”
There had been no demon invasion of the Academy. Witnesses were silenced, and the official story released to the public was that the Department Head Professor had been playing around with a student named Evan Laef and accidentally destroyed the Dining Hall.
The claim that the Student Cafeteria had vanished and a Lake had appeared in its place was difficult to believe, but once it became known that both the Department Head Professor and the student Evan Laef belonged to the Magic Department, no one dared question it.
The Magic Department—what could you do? Everyone said this year’s cohort was well-behaved and quiet, but here they were causing real trouble. More pressing was the question of where students would eat. While servants could bring meals, the Student Cafeteria served purposes beyond mere dining. It was where factions were organized, where nobles conducted their social exchanges, and where news was shared. A new cafeteria and kitchen needed to be constructed urgently.
“In light of this, your punishment will be community service within the Academy.”
The funds from Neftis’s donation could cover the construction of a new building, but the students couldn’t be left to starve. First, a kitchen had to be set up in the empty space, and then personnel were needed to prepare food and manage the cafeteria operations.
The Department Head Professor and Evan Laef were perfect for the job—their mere presence would intimidate students into accepting the situation without complaint.
“But I’m a professor. Are you saying I should receive the same punishment as a student?”
“Well said. As a professor, your responsibility is greater. You’ll be in charge of preparing the food in the kitchen.”
“Isn’t the school for the students?”
“The school belongs to those who donate the funds.”
“Ah.”
The handsome middle-aged man whistled appreciatively at the logic, and despite everything that had happened, not a speck of dust clung to his clothes. His tailored suit remained perfectly pressed even as he knelt with his hands raised, its fabric draping elegantly to showcase his physique. The three-piece vest he wore emphasized his lean waist and broad chest with striking effect.
Infuriatingly, the old man was disgustingly fit. The Common Professor’s irritatingly dapper appearance made the Academy Headmaster’s blood boil, and he clicked his tongue repeatedly before drafting disciplinary documents for all three.
“Your service continues until the new Student Cafeteria is completed. Failure to perform diligently will result in salary reduction and demerit points.”
At the mention of salary reduction and demerit points, both men looked up at the Headmaster with desperate eyes. The Department Head Professor was a luxury goods enthusiast who already felt his stipend was insufficient, and Evan Laef dreaded the thought of earning demerits that would send him to the Homeless Settlement.
“Salary reduction? How much?”
“Full amount for six months.”
“That’s unjust.”
“Academy Headmaster, how many demerit points are we talking about?”
“Two points for today’s incident. If you don’t perform your service properly, I’ll add three more.”
“That’s unjust!”
“The truly unjust ones are the General Studies students who’ve lost their cafeteria.”
The Academy Headmaster stamped the disciplinary documents decisively and ordered his secretary to post them on the school bulletin board, signaling the conversation was over.
The Department Head Professor and Evan Laef felt monumentally wronged. But the one who felt most wronged was Seian Crowell, who had regained consciousness only to discover he’d somehow earned two demerit points and was now just three points away from eviction from the Official Residence.

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“Ugh…”
My entire body ached. My head throbbed, and breathing came with difficulty. My physical condition was a complete mess, and groans escaped involuntarily.
“Professor! Is the meal ready yet?”
“Not yet! I told you to wait!”
“How long does it take to make pig slop porridge?!”
“It’s not pig slop porridge! And do you have any idea how difficult it is to prepare meals for over a hundred people?!”
“That’s why I offered to help!”
“Absolutely do not come in here!”
I wanted to rest, but the noise was absolutely unbearable. With my head ringing painfully, I irritably opened my eyes to find the air around me uncomfortably warm.
“You’re awake, Transparent Crown Prince.”
“Who’s transparent?! …Ugh!”
“Don’t strain yourself. And put on the apron.”
Why would she tell me not to strain myself while asking me to wear work clothes? I wondered at this contradiction, but I couldn’t refuse Evan’s touch—or rather, I lacked the strength to resist her force.
“You’re awake, Transparent Crown Prince! Come over here!”
“Who are you to address me that way?!”
“I’m the Department Head Professor of the Magic Department!”
“That’s not what I meant by asking for your name!”
Why were all members of the Magic Department completely insane? And this man had seemed dignified when I saw him before—why was he acting so recklessly now?
“Come here! We’re almost done—just add the quick-cooking ingredients!”
“Wait, explanation. Please, someone explain!”
“While you were asleep, the General Studies Department Cafeteria was destroyed, groundwater erupted and created a lake, and since we’re taking responsibility, we have to do meal service volunteer work until a new cafeteria is built.”
“What? I understand for you lot, but why me?!”
“The Department Head Professor won’t receive a salary for the next six months, and you and I each received two demerit points.”
“No, I’m not involved! You two used the magic, I just—ugh! My head…!”
“Negotiate with the Academy Headmaster about that later on your own. If you don’t complete this volunteer work now, you’ll get three additional demerit points. That’s a one-way ticket to the Homeless Settlement.”
“Damn it! Why am I caught up in this mess?!”
Unable to afford losing the housing provided by the Academy and ending up in the Homeless Settlement, I tied the apron Evan had placed on me firmly and went to the professor. The Department Head Professor handed me the large wooden spoon he’d been stirring with in the enormous pot.
“Keep stirring. I need to blend the seasonings.”
“Ugh. What is this? Dog food?”
“No, Seian. In professional culinary terms, it’s called pig slop porridge.”
“Didn’t you say it’s not pig slop porridge? It’s called Dr. Bruno’s Mixed Stew.”
“Isn’t that just another way of saying hodgepodge stew?”
“It’s neither dog food nor pig feed. It’s legitimate human cuisine.”
With practiced skill, the Common Professor mixed turmeric, garlic, nutmeg, star anise, and various other extraordinary ingredients, compressed them with gravity, then shook the bowl and dumped everything into the pot with a proud expression. The shock when Dr. Bruno, the Former Dean, first introduced this recipe had been tremendous. I’d thought he simply threw in butter, vegetables, and meat to make broth, but the moment the spices went in, it transformed into an absolutely appetizing masterpiece.
“Wow! It’s curry!”
“It’s not curry. It’s Dr. Bruno’s Mixed Stew.”
“It looks like beef bone broth with curry mixed in!”
“It’s Dr. Bruno’s Mixed Stew. Dr. Bruno would be disappointed if he heard you say that.”
When Evan took a spoonful and exclaimed how delicious it was, I gathered my courage and accepted what she offered me, eating it as she fed me.
“…Not bad.”
“You twist your personality into such adorable knots, Seian Crowell, unable to simply admit when something tastes good. It’s endearing beyond measure.”
“Hey, that’s an insult.”
“Stop your lover’s quarrel and get to serving. The students with meal tickets are waiting.”
“Let’s go. My adorably twisted pretzel.”
“Don’t call me that!”
The Common Professor watched Evan Laef sprint forward clutching a large pot in both hands, while Seian Crowell followed, gathering a ladle and a head wrap, and found himself smiling warmly at the vitality of youth.
He wished he’d ventured outside the cave more during his own childhood instead of remaining confined there. It was a belated regret, but ever since meeting Dr. Bruno, he’d been enjoying life sufficiently to call it even.
Since Dr. Bruno went to Prison, things had grown somewhat dull, but the arrival of Evan Laef as a magnificent spectacle had the Common Professor absolutely thrilled lately. It was worth enduring all these years at the Academy. The fact that Evan Laef had connections with the Serpent King was unsettling, but from a broader perspective, he anticipated that even that would become something to savor later.
How exhilarating it was to face a future one couldn’t see even a step ahead. The Professor lifted an enormous cauldron with a single finger using magic and headed toward the Temporary Cafeteria. When the General Studies Department students saw the unidentified object within the pot, half fled in panic, but the remaining half—the brave ones—tasted it, cried out in eureka, and ate heartily alongside bread.
Because students kept drawing additional meal tickets and shouting “One more bowl!”, the cauldron was nearly emptied. Evan Laef confirmed there were no more customers, scraped the remaining contents from the pot, and secured portions for the Professor, Seian Crowell, and himself.
“Eat, Seian Crowell. It has far better nutrition and flavor than the grass scraps you usually consume.”
“I’m not filling my stomach with cabbage!”
“I said grass scraps, not that you fill your hungry belly with cabbage.”
“I’m not even hungry!”
Though his mouth said so, his body was honest. Seian Crowell picked up a spoon and began eating small portions according to Imperial Court etiquette, but he frowned as he watched Evan Laef devour meat ravenously and gulp down broth.
“Don’t show signs of being poorly fed yourself. People will think you’re lowborn.”
“My status is humble.”
“It is lowborn, true! But that’s not what I meant!”
“Seian Crowell, if anyone makes you uncomfortable, tell me. I’ll freeze their mouth.”
“You’re the one making me uncomfortable! You!”
“Unfortunately, I can’t freeze my own mouth. I need to eat.”
“Ugh!”
The Department Head Professor chuckled at Seian Crowell pounding his chest in frustration and began eating. Six months without salary stung, but a brief visit home would easily cover his new watch collection without issue.
Entertainment surpassed money any day. Youth wasn’t called the blue spring for nothing. The Department Head Professor watched the two of them, savoring entertainment money couldn’t buy, until they finished quarreling and parted ways.
“It’s late, but since the Professor and I live nearby, I’m relieved, Seian Crowell. Lock your door well when you get home.”
“Who’s worried about whom?”
“I am. About you.”
As Evan Laef pointed at himself and Seian Crowell in turn with a finger, Seian Crowell made a sharp sound and tried to bite Evan Laef’s finger.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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