Black Solstice-Chapter 29: Fitness [1]

It would appear that Spell Card crafting fell under Rune Architecture.

What were Spell Cards anyway?

Simply put, there were rare cases where devils were born without innate abilities, and nearly eighty percent of a devil’s overall potential depended on the innate power they awakened.

Whether it was combat oriented, sorcery aligned, or utility based, everything hinged on that initial awakening.

Although Lesser Devils suffered from this the most, even Noble Devils were not exempt.

So the Occult Tower approved the Cardmaker profession and allowed a new temporal innovation, the Spell Card, to enter circulation.

By channeling reishi into a blank card along with specific materials, it became possible to create an artificial grimorie and unleash the embedded spell when required or in combat.

In essence, it was the act of coding reishi into a physical object.

You might think something like this would be easy.

How difficult could channeling reishi into a physical medium be?

Actually, it was incredibly difficult.

Spell Card crafting demanded precise reishi control. Input too much and the card would explode. Input too little and the process would simply fail.

Teacher Olga explained that this was a profession one had to begin from a young age, long before entering the academy, and that aspiring Cardmakers typically refined their skills until they were capable of joining a Cardmaker Association Branch anywhere in Nifleheim.

Guess who had absolutely no talent for cardmaking?

’Ugh. It’s been so long since someone yelled at me with such passion that I almost forgot what love felt like. I mean, I did blow up every blank card handed to me. In the end, it was a complete failure, and I nearly set the entire class on fire.’

Controlling reishi was a nightmare when you had an unreasonable amount of it.

Quantity and quality were meaningless when your control was utter shit.

If I didn’t fix this problem soon, passing Rune Architecture would only be a ever distant dream.

I might as well drop out.

"Tsk."

While moving towards the cafeteria, I clicked my tongue in displeasure.

Upon entry, the layout of the cafeteria immediately penetrated my view. Long rows of tables filled with students talking, laughing, and occasionally shoving trays at one another.

The supper turned out be quite strange as the dormitory. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

There were rice, bread, various side dishes, sauces, fresh vegetables, fruits, and so forth. But it was their appearance that set me off.

The rice grains wriggled like disgusting maggots, and each grain had a tiny black eye in the middle, blinking up at me. They squeaked when the spoon crushed a few, wet little pops and a puff of sour steam that smelled like old blood.

I looked at the bread next. The crust split open on its own, showing pale meat inside that pulsed slowly.

The side dishes were no better.

Chunks of something gray floated in thick red sauce. There were child-sized fingers and nails still painted pretty colors. They curled when the sauce touched them, grabbing at nothing.

A bowl of "vegetables" turned out to be eyeballs on thin green stalks. They rolled to watch me.

One even winked.

The fruit platter was a pile of tongues, glossy and wet, varying in size, some forked, some human. They licked the air every few seconds.

I stood there holding my tray while the other students ate as if this was normal. Some chewed with their mouths open, crunching through cartilage, juice running down their chins.

I had noticed it since I arrived, but did devils really go about their day eating such grotesque supper?

No wonder they occasionally needed to enter Earth.

Their food was trash.

Perhaps their bodies were different from humans, but their meals were literally garbage and unhealthy. At least, to human standards, they were.

Do I have to starve again today? There should be some normal-looking food here, right?

With that thought, I studied the food display until something caught my eye.

My eyes landed on a small corner of the cafeteria that didn’t immediately scream horror. A tray of pale, unassuming loaves sat there, slightly warm and steaming. There was no twitching, blinking, or curling fingers. It was just plain bread. Next to it were some boiled eggs, perfectly white, and a few pieces of fruit that didn’t lick the air or blink back at me.

I let out a quiet sigh of relief and grabbed a plate.

Glancing around, the image of a lowly figure eating his supper entered my line of vision. With a smile, I approached and took the seat opposite him.

Dabble lifted his head up and noticed me, looking a bit surprised.

"You... you actually came?"

"I said I would, didn’t I? The world would be a better place if people kept their promises."

"I see."

I frowned slightly. "Huh? What’s with that look? Could it be that you didn’t want me to come?"

"No, no, no! That’s not it. I’m... just surprised, that’s all."

He muttered under his breath, then raised an eyebrow when he noticed the food on my tray.

"Also, um... is that all you’re eating?"

"Is there a problem?"

"There is nothing wrong per se. But how can you be satisfied with just a measly bread and boiled eggs?"

"I’m not a big eater."

"Ah, I see. Guess that explains it."

It was a lie.

Of course, I was a big eater. But how could I have an appetite when the food itself looked like it could fight back?

And I didn’t want to make frequent visits to the infirmary because of diarrhea. That would be the best-case scenario.

The Imp seemed satisfied with my answer and didn’t press further. He simply went back to eating... um, whatever it was he had on his tray.

I looked down at my own food and decided to take a bite, bracing myself for the taste. But.

’Huh? It’s... actually good?’

It was a pleasant surprise.

Even though the food itself was just a simple loaf of bread, it had a warmth and softness that made it almost comforting. The boiled egg was perfectly cooked, the yolk rich and creamy, and the fruit tasted surprisingly fresh, like it had been picked at the peak of ripeness.

I chewed slowly, letting the simple flavors settle in my mouth.

At that moment...

"Ah, there you are!" a familiar voice rang out, bright enough to ruin the tiny peace I had left.

My mood dropped instantly.

Reluctantly, I lifted my head and saw Seraphis already sliding onto the seat beside me, her tray hitting the table with far too much enthusiasm for this hour.

Seraphis scooted in until her shoulder brushed mine, completely ignoring the concept of personal space, which she clearly believed was beneath her station.

How wonderful.

I smiled weakly then greeted:

"Good morning, Sera. How were your classes?"

"...Dreadful," she replied without hesitation, flicking her hair over her shoulder. "Professor Akrim made us memorize twenty-seven variants of arterial patterns. Twenty-seven. Does he think I’m training to be a surgeon?"

"That class is for biographical application," I reminded her.

"Hm. Is that so? My memory refuses to acknowledge it."

How do you not know the course you enrolled in?

Seraphis casually stabbed something still twitching on her tray.

"Anyway, my day was exhausting. I deserve compensation."

A chill ran down my spine. "What kind of compensation?"

"Don’t pretend you don’t know. You weren’t planning to run off after eating, were you?"

"I was considering it, actually."

"Unacceptable. I came all the way here just to find you."

"Pretty sure you said you were already looking for food."

"Semantics," she said with a wave. "Besides, you made a promise. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten."

"Did I really? Ah, silly me. I must be suffering from amnesia."

"Not fair! But you promised! Are you going back on your word!?"

"Shh! Keep your voice down! Are you trying to cause a misunderstanding!?"

"Don’t shh me. I have the right to express my feelings!"

Damnit.

This clingy vampire was too energetic for her own good, and everyone was already staring. Even Dabble was giving me a weird look.

I released a long, defeated sigh.

"Fine. Do whatever you want."

Her eyes sparkled the moment I said it.

"Okay~ Itadakimasu♥!"

Seraphis leaned in without delay and sank her fangs into my neck.