Additional Episode - Fate Story
Gant’s Joyful Carriage Construction
My name’s Gant. Just your average third-year 【Craftsman】.
With the April events winding down, I’d passed off looking after the new first-years who’d joined the guild to my juniors, leaving me with less work. These days, I was mostly just minding the shop with no customers, bored out of my mind. Ever since the upperclassmen graduated, the serious commissions stopped coming in, and I’d been worried my skills would start getting dull.
Then one day, something interesting happened—sparked by the careless words of a certain rude girl in my guild.
"Hey, Gant~. If you’ve got nothing to do, could you run an errand to Marie’s place for me?"
"…Fine."
This rude girl was a classmate of mine. What was her name again? …Eh, doesn’t matter. Not important for crafting.
Still, this was one errand I couldn’t ignore. Marie was a powerhouse of a woman from a production guild who, just this month, had started supplying us with tons of valuable materials.
Don’t be fooled by that petite frame of hers—she’d have you dancing in the palm of her hand if you underestimated her.
There’s no way I could send that rude girl in my place. I’d have to go myself.
So, package in hand, I set off for Marie’s guild, <Wappen Seal Sticker>. But before I even got there, a message popped up in chat from Marie herself:
'A customer came in with a <Carriage> recipe from a <Gold Chest>, and they’re lookin’ for someone who can make it. Gant-senpai, you free right now?'
What?!
I rubbed my eyes and read it again. No mistake—it really said a <Carriage> recipe from a <Gold Chest>.
I’d never heard of such a thing. Definitely something you couldn’t get in this Academy.
Sweat gathered in my palms. I quickly replied, I’m nearby. Heading over now. By the time I realized, I was already standing at the guild’s entrance.
Marie wasn’t at the counter as usual. Instead, that perpetually sleepy-looking girl was there, sitting upright and dozing off. If she were here, then Marie must’ve been in the back with a guest.
I let myself in, found a lit room, and swung open the door.
"Marie, you in?"
Inside were Marie herself—and a first-year boy I recognized.
Marie explained: he was the same kid who, back when I was tending shop, had bought goods by trading materials—a rare move. Now he was apparently the much-talked-about 【Hero】, and, most importantly, the owner of this <Gold Chest> recipe.
I looked over the recipe and froze in shock.
This <Carriage>… had no horses. Instead, you built mechanical ones to pull—self-running machines of your own making.
What an outrageous idea. My motivation surged like wildfire.
I borrowed the recipe and received a mountain of materials from the 【Hero】. Maybe it was thanks to him that Marie had been able to supply so much lately.
But seriously, what was this pile? Every single one was boss material. How had he even gathered this much? Well, with all this, I had no excuse not to make something truly great. I promised him the best equipment I could forge and rushed back to my guild.
"Huh, Gant, what about Marie’s package?"
It wasn’t until one of those rude guildmates pointed it out that I realized—I’d forgotten to hand Marie the parcel. For me to slip up like that… I must’ve been more worked up than I thought.
From that day on, I devoted myself to crafting the <Karakuri Carriage>.
With mountains of material, I spared no expense. I’d make something extraordinary.
But there was a problem. Every material he’d given me was from normal bosses.
This wouldn’t do. I’d promised the finest quality (well, mostly to myself), but this wouldn’t cut it for a <Supreme Karakuri Carriage>.
"Hey, hey, hey, Gant—what’s that? Let me help too!"
"…You’re noisy."
I shut the girl up and immediately asked Marie to procure rare boss materials. I wasn’t going to cut corners.
While I waited, I pored over the recipe, memorizing every line and deepening my understanding.
"Wow, this design’s amazing! Hey Gant, let me join in, please?"
"…Do what you want."
"Yay!"
Annoying as she was, the girl’s skills were the real deal. Besides, working alone sometimes blinds you to improvements. Together, we could build something better.
A few days later, the rare boss materials arrived. Not just enough for one set—four.
Perfect. Now we could make the <Supreme Clockwork Carriage> in its ultimate form.
We got to work immediately.
Trading ideas, building together, and weaving it all together with our skills.
It’d been ages since I’d worked on something this big. But my hands hadn’t lost their touch—in fact, they were sharper than ever. Every move flowed just as I envisioned.
Several days later, it was finished. Our masterpiece. The best we could possibly make right now.
"It’s done…"
Cheers erupted through the guild hall. Apparently, even the juniors, usually tucked away studying, had come to watch. I’d been so focused I hadn’t noticed.
Well, fine. Witnessing this completion would be good inspiration for them.
And for me, it was a piece I could truly take pride in. This feeling of accomplishment is why I could never give up the craftsman’s path.
"Amazing quality, Gant. Truly masterful. Or should I say… our new guild master?"
…Oh, right. This girl had just been made submaster, hadn’t she?
Our guild valued strength above all. And now, the two top seniors had built this together.
I could already picture the Hero’s face when he saw it—eyes wide with shock.
Sierra’s Guild Must-Have Plushie Shopping?
I’m Sierra, tank of the guild <Eden>.
"Welcomeee!"
Today, I’m out doing a bit of shopping.
This place is a general store—or so it seems. Rika told me it’s actually a well-known secret plushie shop. Just by glancing around, I can see tons of adorable stuffed animals on display.
Rika once said she ran into Zephyrus here. I wondered what business he had at a shop like this.
Well, actually, I already know. He came to buy that <Mochikko> plushie sitting in the guild room.
I heard he placed it there to lighten <Lucky Cat-sama>'s burden.
"Hmm…"
At first, I didn’t really get it. But now, I think I understand a little. Our guild has a surprising number of plushie lovers.
Well, plushies are cute. Can’t be helped. Yes, totally can’t be helped.
Still, <Eden> only has two plushies.
And now, since we’re recruiting new members, the plushie shortage is starting to look serious.
Especially with Lulu, the new girl I’m planning to introduce to the guild. She’s a huge plushie fan. Honestly, without plushies, who knows what might happen to her. Zephyrus has already decided to recruit her no matter what, so before that, I want to fix up the guild environment. That’s why I came here today.
I started touching and inspecting each plushie one by one.
"This one feels so smooth, silky almost. But this one’s fluffy and warm… tough choice."
Don’t get me wrong, okay? I’m here for Lulu, not myself. But placing something I personally think is no good won’t help either. Making a good environment means putting good things in it. And good things should at least be things you yourself feel are good. Otherwise, the other person won’t be happy. That’s the bare minimum of courtesy.
"But looks are important too. I have to think of her tastes… Lulu would probably prefer animal-themed ones, right?"
Of course, knowing what the other person likes is key. Even if it’s good quality, if it’s not to their taste, it won’t make them happy. Lulu loves plushies in general, but she especially likes chibi-style animal ones. She’d go crazy for something like <Lucky Cat-sama>. Yep, definitely animal-types.
"…If <Lucky Cat-sama> gets sacrificed, that person will be really sad."
"Who would be sad?"
"Kyah!"
I nearly jumped out of my skin when someone suddenly spoke up beside me.
I turned around in a rush—and there stood Rika, wearing the sporty hat I’d seen her in before.
"Sorry for startling you, Sierra. I didn’t think you’d react that much."
"Rika? Ugh, don’t scare me like that. What are you doing here?"
"Eh? Uh, well, you know… we cleared a dungeon and had some money to spare, so I thought I’d do a little shopping."
She answered while awkwardly looking away.
Oh right, Rika’s the one who recommended this shop to me in the first place. Now I get it.
"Your first purchase after dungeon profits being a plushie… that’s kinda nice."
"Don’t tease me. I was just thinking to myself that it might be a little too girly."
So that’s why she wore a hat—to disguise herself. But when she saw someone she knew, she couldn’t resist saying hi. Very Rika.
"Anyway, Sierra, what about you? What brings you here?"
"I’m shopping too. The next girl joining our guild loves plushies. I figured I should buy around ten for her."
"Ten?! T-that’s an insane number. You’re putting them all in the guild?"
"So everyone can touch them."
"Hm. Everyone, huh. That’s good. That’s really good."
Rika nodded with a serious look. You might wonder if it’s that big a deal, but for us, the answer’s yes. Oh—actually, Rika might be perfect to ask.
"Rika, would you help me choose? If that’s okay."
I could decide on my own, but since I happen to know someone with plushie expertise, why not ask? Especially since these plushies are for the guild, it’s only right to get Rika’s opinion too.
"If that’s the case, of course I’ll help. How about we look around together?"
"That would be a big help."
And so, Rika and I went plushie shopping together at the store. In the end, we managed to pick out ten wonderful plushies.
Later, when we showed them to Lulu, her eyes sparkled like never before.
<Thousand Blades Fracal> – Kiri-chan’s Precious Memories
I’m Kirie, third year, sub-master of the A-rank guild 〈Thousand Blades Frakal〉.
"Good work, Kiri-chan! That one-on-one with Yuri was amazing!"
"Kanon, you too. Though honestly… even if the fight had gone on, I don’t think I could’ve won."
"Ehh, even you couldn’t beat him? His Highness is way too strong~."
Right now, our guild has just faced the S-rank guild <King Absolute>—and lost.
The prince I fought in a duel was unbelievably strong.
And the girl chatting to me so casually is none other than my guild’s master, and one of only six A-rank guild masters in the entire academy—<Thousand-Blade Princess Kanon>.
Her height isn’t that tall, her build is on the small side, and she talks in this light, breezy way… but in raw strength, even I can’t match her.
"In that case, shouldn’t you have fought instead, Kanon? You don’t need to hold back for my sake."
"Come on now, say stuff like that and the juniors will only shy away from you again, you know?"
Kanon wagged her finger in a playful tsk-tsk gesture. She’s the same year as me, yet the gesture suits her so naturally—it’s cute, honestly.
"I’ll be fine. After all, I still have that little charm you taught me to ease the juniors’ nerves."
"Eh, you’re putting too much faith in that! Proof is, I heard no one’s actually accepted one of your scout invitations yet, right?"
"Ugh…"
That one stung.
The truth is, I have… a bit of a weakness.
No, maybe more than just a bit—it used to trouble me to the point I seriously worried about it.
It lies in my appearance and how I speak.
As you can see, I’m tall, carry myself without any openings, and my way of speaking is old-fashioned and stiff.
Because of that, I apparently give off an unapproachable, uptight vibe.
Thanks to that, back when I was a first-year, Kanon was my only friend.
I actually like talking to people, so I tried hard to make more friends—but I failed miserably. For some reason, everyone hesitated and kept their distance.
That’s when Kanon told me this:
"Then, during self-introductions, just call yourself Kiri-chan! That’ll boost your image and help you make friends! Yup, no doubt about it!"
I had no idea what her real intention was, but I tried it anyway—nothing to lose, right? And to my surprise, it worked. My friends increased—not just one or two, but a lot.
From then on, whenever I introduced myself, I’d always say, "Call me Kiri-chan. Or Kiri-chan-senpai."
That became my little charm.
And it’s the reason I’ve always stayed by Kanon’s side in the same guild. I’ll always be grateful to her.
Even this duel was at Kanon’s instruction. She gave me a chance to stand out, to avoid being shunned. I can never thank her enough.
"Well then, let’s do our best next time too! Oh, and Kiri-chan, I’m leaving the rookie scouting to you, okay?"
…So yeah. Even if she uses me as it suits her, I don’t really mind.
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