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After seeing Bedler off, I slumped into the corner of the booth. Louise approached me with concern, but I just shook my head, telling her it was no big deal.

In reality, it was a big freaking deal. I no longer needed to wonder what a life with three divine punishments stacked up would be like. From now on, I’d just need to look in the mirror to find out.

Still, I couldn’t exactly tell Louise, ‘Hey, I’ve been divinely punished. It’s a miracle I’m not dead.’ Even if lovers shouldn’t keep secrets, this was beyond that level.

Damn it.

I quietly closed my eyes, feeling like tears might flow if I kept them open. Thinking about it, this world had gods that actually existed and could intervene in human affairs.

Enen, having achieved religious victory, seemed to have quieted down after an intense game, but wasn’t the North the only pagan area beyond Enen’s influence? There was no guarantee that the god of this pagan area would be as quiet as Enen.

I was foolish. Even the Eternal Blue Sky was a divine being like Enen, yet I dismissed it as merely a nomadic cultural tradition.

“Human power cannot suppress an enraged god’s doing.”

As a result, Bedler shook his head without hesitation. Apparently, even the most merciful god would be furious at the murder of an apostle, the destruction of a temple, and the desecration of their sacred objects.

Honestly, I’d probably be livid too if I were in their shoes. While killing the apostle might be justified as self-defense, burning down the temple and defiling cherished possessions was another matter entirely.

“It’s one of the few records about the Eternal Blue Sky, but I heard that the temple was built on the burial site of the first person to worship the Eternal Blue Sky. They say it has eight pillars, while other temples have fewer than eight.”

To make matters worse, the temple I burned had eight pillars. In terms of my previous world, it’s like I burned down St. Peter’s Basilica. From the Eternal Blue Sky’s perspective, I must be the worst bastard in existence. Even among pagans and enemy nations, it was an unwritten rule not to touch holy sites.

“Fortunately, there is hope.”

Yet, even in this insane situation, there was supposedly hope. For a moment, I thought Bedler might be telling a white lie to comfort me, but his expression was deadly serious.

“Honestly… it’s a situation where death wouldn’t be surprising, but seeing that you’re still alive, brother, it seems that the Eternal Blue Sky is avoiding directly harming a follower watched over by Enen.”

“So, they’re angry but still have some rationality left?”

“Yes, I believe that with an apology and appropriate compensation, forgiveness might be possible.”

I had caused such a ruckus that the other side was furious, but not so much that they’d lost all reason to the point of gods confronting each other. So, I must apologize and pay compensation. If I do, then even a god might forgive me.

It was a strangely capitalistic approach, but thankfully, it wasn’t too difficult. It would have been more troublesome if I had to go to the holy site and perform a ceremony according to the nomadic traditions.

“It’s embarrassing for me, who follows the Lord’s teachings, to tell you to pray to another god, but shouldn’t we save lives first?”

Seeing Bedler make such a statement as a true priest, I resolved to make sincere donations to the Dawn Sect and pray three times a day to the Eternal Blue Sky from now on.

Shit.

What kind of life was this, anyway? Apart from being pushed around by the Crown Prince and ministers, now I was even being pushed around by gods.

Still, let’s stay strong. While I couldn’t do anything about the dead Kagan and the burned-down temple, maybe this god might overlook it if I diligently manage their sacred objects from now on.

As for the rest, I’ll just have to settle it directly with the god involved through prayer.

I’m sorry, Eternal Blue Sky. I’ll pay as much compensation as needed. I’d give offerings too if the temple were still standing, but I burned it down myself.

I’ll rebuild the burned temple if the North stabilizes…

***Except for Bedler’s surprising announcement, the club fair proceeded smoothly. Last year’s club fair went well too, aside from the Third Honor incident, and this year’s additional mage guests were quietly waiting for the cookie auction, so nothing could possibly go wrong.

“The guests from Ernesto Academy will arrive tomorrow morning.”

“Ah. It’s already that time, isn’t it?”

And now, the final guests have arrived. The visit of Ernesto Academy symbolized the end of the long rivalry. Thanks to this, the Principal’s face was full of a gentle smile.

They could have come earlier, but it was agreed that Ernesto Academy’s visit would be scheduled for the middle of the club fair to avoid overcrowding on the first day. Honestly, it seemed more like an attempt to tame them rather than manage crowds, but what could they do? When the boss says jump, they should only ask how high.

Besides, it wasn’t like they were being mistreated as the underdog.

“They’ll surely be delighted despite the long journey. Being able to receive teachings from the Mage Duchess is the greatest honor.”

I nodded with a smile in response to the Principal’s words.

While it may be an attempt to tame them, it was an agreement where they only had to swallow a bit of pride while gaining plenty of practical benefits, so they shouldn’t have any complaints. After all, wouldn’t the Mage Duchess teach them herself as long as they came to the club fair? They’d probably walk all the way here if they had to.

“It would be such a shame to send children who’ve come from so far away empty-handed. Meeting them once will allow everyone to part on good terms.”

They might even cry with emotion if they knew that the Mage Duchess volunteered for this surprise lesson.

“That’s fortunate. It will be an opportunity to show just how excellent the Imperial Academy is.”

“Hoho, you’re absolutely right.”

I discreetly congratulated the Principal on his victory, and his smile deepened.

It was heartwarming to see the Principal smile like this. His twilight years, which had been severely damaged by the mass enrollment of foreign VIPs, had now recovered. The Principal would likely remember this year’s victory in the traditional rivalry rather than last year’s disaster if he retired now.

Well, all’s well that ends well.

After smiling for quite a while, the Principal cleared his throat softly and continued.

“By the way, Executive Manager. How many cookies have been made?”

Though it was an abrupt change of topic, it was an important one, so I straightened up.

It was funny how cookies were treated as a crucial matter between the Academy Principal and the Executive Manager, but unfortunately, they really were important. The fate of the Academy might hinge on the quantity of cookies. After all, they were more like medicinal elixirs in cookie form.

“We’ve made about 520 of them. We’re storing them ourselves, so there’s no need to worry.”

At this, the Principal looked puzzled. While 520 wasn’t exactly a small number, cookies were something that could be produced in bulk in a single batch. It had been several days since the decision was made to put the Mage Duchess’s cookies up for auction—yet there were only 520? It was reasonable to find that odd.

But the premise of mass production was wrong here. The Mage Duchess only made them when she felt like it, and most of what she made ended up being force-fed to me.

It’s not like I can shrink my stomach.

Thanks to this, I had been consuming cookies in massive quantities, practically making meals out of them. From my perspective of having to eat them reluctantly, it was surprising that we’d secured even 520. I wish the Principal could understand my plight.

“Don’t worry. It doesn’t take long to make them, and if we find we’re short, we can always speed up production, can’t we?”

Of course, for the sake of my stomach and the Academy’s peace, I don’t plan to continue this mass consumption. Even for limited editions, there was a limit. How would we deal with the aftermath if the supply was too low compared to the potential buyers?

We could sell the cookies to hundreds of people if we sold them one by one, but it wasn’t right to give just one to those who had come from far away. You’d be called heartless for doing that. The auction wasn’t about profit but about keeping the peace, so we needed an approach that wouldn’t leave people grumbling afterward.

The trick was finding that delicate balance—not flooding people with cookies, but not offering too few, either. It was a familiar task for a civil servant.

“How could I worry when the Executive Manager is in charge?”

The Principal didn’t seem particularly concerned and simply nodded at my response.

Right. No matter how seriously we discussed it, they were just cookies. We weren’t dealing with some rare medicinal herbs, just cookies. They could be easily made with the Mage Duchess’s touch, so there was no need to worry.

***Compared to last year, there was a noticeable increase in guests and a corresponding surge in sales.

However, since production hadn’t changed much from last year, all club members were working together diligently… except for two people.

“I’m sorry. As a teacher, I should be helping my students.”

One was teacher, who had become an honorary club member. Her pastry skills were certainly up to par, but due to various circumstances, we couldn’t actually sell the pastries she made.

“It’s alright. Just helping move the ingredients is a big help.”

It didn’t matter. Thanks to teacher’s magic, we were saving time on transporting materials. She couldn’t directly assist in production, but her help with time management was invaluable.

“I’m sorry… A newbie like me is just holding everyone back…”

And the other was Sarah, our only new club member this year. She was still inexperienced with pastry-making as she wasn’t used to physical work. But I could see how hard she was trying, so I had no intention of scolding her.

Moreover, unlike teacher, who absolutely couldn’t be involved in the production process, Sarah could help with some odd jobs. She was fulfilling her role in her own way.

“It’s natural for newcomers to be inexperienced. I was the same at first, so don’t feel discouraged.”

So, I comforted the dejected Sarah. I didn’t want to see any members sad at an event that was meant to be enjoyable.

With that in mind, I patted her shoulder, and Sarah’s slightly teary eyes began to regain their composure—

“I’ll have two slices of cheesecake today, please.”

—before suddenly turning sharp.

Her sudden change in attitude from a gentle lamb to a fighting cock made me instinctively step back. And as I naturally turned towards the voice, I saw someone I expected.

A woman was smiling at Erich, who was at the sales counter. It was Erich’s close sister figure, and obviously someone who had feelings for him.

Countess Horfeld.

Our regular customer was here again today. But strangely, I wasn’t particularly happy to see her. If she had come when Sarah wasn’t around, I might have welcomed her warmly…

“Two slices? Usually, you order just one.”

“One of them is for you to eat. You need to fill your stomach when you’re working hard.”

“You’re the best as always, noona.”

Hearing their friendly conversation amidst this situation made me break out in a cold sweat.

That idiot.

I felt a slight resentment towards Erich as he smiled while packaging the cake.

I mean, she was a dear friend from Erich’s perspective, so being affectionate was unavoidable, but couldn’t he at least refrain from saying she was the best when Sarah was clearly listening?

Grit—

I thought I heard the sound of teeth grinding next to me, but I pretended not to hear it.

I don’t know anything. Really, I don’t.