The "Potion That Prevents Sleep" contest results would be announced at the end, following a vote by the mbers of the Blue Tower.
In the indoor auditorium, wizards who participated in the contest or ca to see the awards were seated.
Aria, noticing yawning softly, asked, "Did you not sleep well last night?"
"No, I slept too well."
I had slept so soundly that I wanted to stay in bed even longer. The mornings at the tower started very early.
'It seems like she didn't sleep well.'
I suddenly glanced over at Ayla, who looked exhausted. Had Snoopy scared her that much?
'They have that in common.'
Aria, despite pretending otherwise, was surprisingly timid.
When our eyes t, Aria tilted her head. "Why?"
"Nothing."
I mumbled and turned my gaze to the podium.
Just then, the elder of the Blue Tower was announcing the winner of the contest.
"First place: 758 votes."
And the result was...
"Snoopy Coffee Milk. By Glass Greya from the White Magic Tower."
Snoopy Coffee Milk had won overwhelmingly.
With about a thousand mbers in the Blue Tower, this was a decisive victory.
"Congratulations."
"Thank you."
As I went up to the podium, I received a certificate and a trophy from the judging elder of the Blue Tower.
"I enjoyed the Snoopy Coffee Milk as well."
"I'm glad to hear that."
"Haha, I only drank half a bottle, but I stayed up for two nights."
It seed that people from this world had no tolerance for caffeine, so Snoopy Milk worked wonders. But two nights was quite rare.
"Here's the prize, the Horun's Magic Stone."
"Thank you."
I tucked the case containing the pink magic stone into my pocket. It was a valuable item worth five million gold.
'As expected of the 12th Magic Tower.'
Even the first prize was substantial.
*
Having received the first prize and the expensive magic stone, I still had more to receive.
"I admit my defeat."
Ayla .
Ayla, who had made a bet with , acknowledged her loss.
"I was surprised that you could summon a spirit with milk."
I had entered the Blue Tower contest entirely because of Ayla's encouragent.
"I'd love to do it again, but a promise is a promise."
Ayla, though disappointed, took off her bracelet and handed it to .
It was a magical tool worth millions adorned with a blue sapphire.
"This is the Tear of the Sea God that I promised."
"Thank you."
As I accepted the bracelet, I was taken aback.
'She's giving it up more willingly than I expected.'
Honestly, I had been contemplating how to accept it if she didn't give it.
It wouldn't be easy to take it if Ayla, a high-ranking wizard of the Blue Tower, decided to ignore it.
But Ayla showed boldness by handing over the bracelet first.
However, her ears drooped, as if she were trying hard to act tough.
As I watched Ayla secretly brush her empty arm, I spoke up.
"Well, to be honest, I almost lost."
"?"
"Excuse ?"
At that mont, both Ayla and Aria, the two sisters, widened their eyes in surprise.
The expression in their eyes seed to say, 'What nonsense is this?'
I knew I was spouting nonsense, so it was hard to endure their gazes, but I had no choice.
The one who had kept Ayla up all night was none other than .
It was frustrating to have lost the bracelet and made her lose sleep.
Moreover, it seed Ayla believed in the existence of Snoopy, who didn't even exist.
If I had a relationship with Ayla, the potion maker, I would have to be careful about what I drank. I wanted to avoid such risks.
"I can't believe you mixed Mandragora with Cola Tree... I never imagined that."
I recalled the drink Ayla had made and forced out so complints.
In truth, I didn't even know what kind of synergy Mandragora and Cola Tree would create.
But Ayla's drooping ears perked up like a sponge soaking in water.
'Her reaction is quick.'
Ayla was very susceptible to complints.
"If you had used live Mandragora, I would have had a hard ti too."
"Uh, um. I guess you noticed. But I couldn't help it. Using a living creature isn't morally right."
"I see."
I almost laughed at her suddenly brightened expression but nodded seriously.
Aria looked at with a puzzled expression, as if to say, 'What are you doing?' but I ignored her.
"By the way, was what you said last ti true?"
"What do you an?"
Ayla glanced at Aria and then quietly whispered in my ear.
"That I resemble Aria."
"Oh, yes. You look exactly alike."
Does she not realize it herself?
As I responded with confusion, Ayla blushed and coughed lightly, avoiding my gaze.
"Uh, well, since you're sisters, it might look that way."
She was trying hard to hide her happiness, which was quite obvious.
But when she made eye contact with Aria, she froze in surprise and ran away.
She was really not honest.
*
"What were you two talking about earlier?"
"What do you an?"
"You were whispering to each other."
"Oh, that? It's nothing much."
Aria frowned, but I mumbled and didn't give her a proper answer.
We were now at the Union's tavern, celebrating Snoopy's victory.
The enthusiasm for processed foods had spread to the Union as well, making chicken and ran common sights.
However, perhaps because it was cold in the northern region, cola wasn't very popular.
Instead...
"So, how did the Snoopy Tea reaction go?"
"The effect was amazing. They said it was a ghost."
High-alcohol fruit liquor was selling well.
"That makes sense. I made it glow so it would be visible at night."
As Aria spoke proudly, her face was subtly flush.
'She's surprisingly weak with alcohol.'
She had only drunk two cups of fruit liquor, yet she was already tipsy.
Of course, this wasn't solely because Aria was weak with alcohol.
The drinks in the northern region of the Union were generally high in alcohol content.
'Distilled liquor seems perfect for this.'
There was nothing better than distilled liquor to withstand the cold. However, distilled liquor hadn't been created in this world yet.
No, it couldn't be done.
'Alcohol' was used for disinfecting wounds and was also a primary ingredient in healing potions.
For this reason, pure alcohol was treated as 'holy water' in this world.
It was illegal for individuals or groups to produce and sell their own alcohol.
Because pure alcohol was considered 'holy water,' only 'churches' could manufacture it, which was a ridiculous law.
However, there existed an organization that had the church's approval to produce pure alcohol on a large scale.
That was the Blue Tower.
The Blue Tower, which was serious about potions, had even set up a holy water manufacturing plant inside the tower to mass-produce alcohol.
'I want to try connecting to make distilled liquor...'
To do that, I absolutely needed Ayla's help.
The Blue Tower wouldn't agree to my request to turn holy water into alcohol.
As I pondered these thoughts, I decided to ask Aria sothing I was curious about.
"Why does Ayla dislike it?"
"She doesn't particularly hate it. She just finds it annoying."
Aria frowned.
"That person runs away like she's guilty whenever she sees ."
It irritated Aria that Ayla kept avoiding conversations, and she gulped down more fruit liquor.
The relationship between the two sisters hadn't been bad from the start.
In fact, it was said that Aria and Ayla had gotten along very well.
However, their sisterly bond had deteriorated due to the 'competitive culture' of the Blue Tower.
'It was a bit harsh.'
Wizards in the Blue Tower lived under the pressure of 'evaluation.'
Among them, the talented Aria bore the expectations of the Blue Tower on her shoulders.
The demands placed on Aria by the Blue Tower were as harsh as the expectations.
"There was even an elder who threw out in the middle of winter and told to survive on my magic alone."
As if recalling past mories, Aria frowned.
Every day of Aria's childhood was unbearably harsh, as she struggled to et the Blue Tower's expectations.
And Ayla didn't simply watch her sister bear such harsh expectations.
Ayla took everything that was directed at Aria, allowing her sister to have so relief.
This was all to make her younger sister comfortable.
However, this led to Aria being 'devalued' in comparison to Ayla.
Tired of the Blue Tower's culture of comparison, Aria left the tower.
But that didn't an Aria resent or disliked Ayla.
It was rely a choice she made for herself.
Yet Ayla believed that Aria leaving the Blue Tower was entirely her fault and avoided her like soone guilty.
Without even giving them a chance to have a proper conversation.
"She's not a stalker, but she hides in a robe and runs away when she gets caught, you know?"
Aria pointed out soone as an example.
"Just like that person over there."
A woman in a robe with her face covered by a mask was ordering food at the counter.
"Just three mint chocolates, please."
She ordered in a quiet voice, perhaps embarrassed to ask for mint chocolate.
Then, her behavior of looking around was quite familiar.
At that mont, her gaze t mine.
"..."
Her purple pupils widened like rabbit's.
"Ayla?"
"You must have mistaken for soone else!"
As soon as she ordered mint chocolates were ready, the woman who looked like Ayla grabbed them and dashed away.
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