Chapter 38
Chapter 38
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: The Beasts That Scatter Gold ☆ (3)
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A full day had passed since I woke up.
“Mhm♪ Fully recovered—☆”
“…”
“…”
“…”
Alvitt, Lotha, and Kara, who had come to visit my hospital room, stared at me with complicated expressions. They didn’t dare speak, but their endlessly trembling eyes were filled with nothing but worry and guilt.
Seeing them, I let out a dry laugh.
‘I don’t get why they’re looking at me like that. I’m honestly fine.’
After a day of changing clothes, bathing, drinking water, and resting, my condition had improved rapidly.
My recovery speed was practically superhuman by the standards of my past life, but in this world, it seemed I'd barely clawed my way back from the brink of death. I could still vividly recall the astonished looks on the faces of the United Student Council’s health department students when they saw me.
A little while after Hilde had left the room.
The health department students had come in with all sorts of testing equipment to check my condition.
-There's... no... ether at all.
-It's... completely empty. I've never seen a case like this.
-This must be the backlash from using a forbidden power...
‘That’s just because my fuel tank is huge and the remaining ether was low…’
But after finishing all their tests, they seemed to reach their own conclusions, muttering amongst themselves, so I didn't bother correcting them.
Since it was the intensive care unit, the test results came out immediately. Fortunately, aside from issues related to my ether, they said I had recovered enough to maintain a normal daily life.
‘Though all my ether recovery buffs are gone, leaving me no different from an empty can.’
Still, I’d survived thanks to Urðr's help, and it had even become the key to breaking through to a realm beyond Apex, so it wasn't a bad thing. That was a problem I could solve eventually.
Ether, for now, gets a pass.
I looked over my body.
‘Thankfully, my body isn't in as bad shape as I thought.’
My hands and feet were still a little numb.
Dark bruises had formed on my arms and legs.
The vibrant pink of my hair had faded a bit.
And an eerie, vein-like scar had appeared around my neck and heart.
“…”
Well… this wasn't so bad.
A scar is like a minor scratch on a smartphone.
It even gave off a mysterious vibe, like some demonic master who’d learned a dark art.
Didn't Xiahou Dun chew up his own eyeball and use it as a fashion statement?
My situation was even better than good ol' Dun's, who was mockingly called the "General of the Perfect Body" for missing an eye. In my case, my entire body was perfectly intact; only the skin had changed a bit.
That’s right.
I've obtained the event skin: [The Faded Spiral] Clara.
‘…Not bad.’
So the scar gets a pass.
But the fading of my hair color was unexpected.
‘I’ve gone from a pink-head to a light pink-head.’
My once cheap-looking pink hair now had a calm, elegant feel, much like Hilde's, which was quite satisfying. If I ever saw Hilde again, I wanted to playfully ask her, "Notice anything different about me?"
‘I couldn’t say it then since things were so chaotic, but from now on, I should go see Hilde whenever I get the chance.’
Wasn't she the poor friend who, unable to bear her longing, had resorted to sniffing the sour scent of a patient's unwashed hair? It wasn't bad to see a new side of her, who had always been so dependable and graceful.
‘As [The Faded Spiral], it wouldn’t be strange to visit an old friend…’
Hair also gets a pass.
There were minor changes here and there… but in any case, I was alive, and that's what mattered.
All clear.
Surprisingly, the body of [The Faded Spiral] was in much better shape than I had braced myself for.
But my juniors, who came to visit after all the tests were done, burst into tears the moment they saw me, crying out apologies. It was quite a scene.
-Senior...! If only... if only I were stronger...
-I'm sorry... I was too weak... I'm sorry...
-Damn it... Damn it...!!
Alvitt was holding my hand, sobbing uncontrollably.
Lotha had collapsed to the floor, her shoulders trembling as she muttered to herself.
And Kara was punching the wall with a grief-stricken face, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Overhearing the commotion, students from Scarlet Academy mistakenly thought I had finally crossed the rainbow bridge, leading to a minor incident where they started a riot.
-Honor the hero—!!
-Hyaaaah!! Light the fires—!!
-You crazy bitches!! Why are you setting fire to a building that's almost finished—?!
Recalling that chaotic mess made my head spin.
“Such a fuss—☆”
“A fuss…!”
“Anyway♪ Lotha, you had a promise to keep with me—☆”
“Ah.”
After all that drama had passed.
I was now rubbing my face against Lotha’s two cat ears.
“Hmm♪”
“Hiih?!”
Lotha was sitting on a chair in front of me. As I buried my hands and face in their soft texture, her small shoulders flinched with my every breath.
Alvitt and Kara watched my display of affection with embarrassment.
“Senior, that… aren’t your hands being a bit too explicit?”
“Honestly, if a student from Public Vana Boarding School or Gjallarhorn were here, that gesture could get you arrested for harassment, I say.”
‘Nope. I’ll do as I please.’
I paid their reactions no mind.
I held her orange cat ears in both hands, taking in their scent and relishing their texture.
Rub, rub.
Lick, lick.
Sniff, sniff.
“Hoooom☆ Om nom nom♪”
“Eek…?! Hiiik…?!”
I savored a modern softness rarely found in this world filled with crude arcane punk.
A supreme softness, like something you’d feel from a microfiber blanket or fuzzy socks…
‘It’s strange how the animal parts of beastkin have such a luxurious feel.’
Most beastkin in the Academy City were nobles attending prestigious high schools, so they took good care of themselves. But even so, their animal parts possessed an innate, noble texture you couldn't find on country dogs or street cats from my past life.
‘Though there were some with strange textures or shapes.’
Excluding those who looked odd even from an objective, interspecies perspective, most tried to groom their features into what they considered their ideal form.
Lotha, in particular, could be considered quite beautiful, with her ears standing up perfectly and her cat fur grown to a moderately fluffy length.
And I was thoroughly enjoying those ears, which were among the most beautiful of all cat beastkin.
“Hnngh… nom… this is heaven—☆”
“Ahiit…?! Eehee?!”
Despite it all, she couldn't bring herself to refuse.
As I continued to snort and sniff, Lotha spoke in a pitiful voice.
“S-Senior. Um… beastkin get really startled when wind goes into their ears. So maybe… not with the nose…”
“Hoooooom—☆”
“Aghyaaaah—?!”
Unlike her silky hair, her orange cat fur had a slightly coarse feel. But when I rubbed my cheek against it, it smoothed down as if it had never been coarse at all.
“Om nom nom nom—♪”
“Akikikik?! Hwaah?!”
The softness of her fur carried the sweet scent of flowers and the warmth of sunlight. No high-end fabric could ever replicate this natural texture, imbued with the warmth of a living being.
‘So soft… this is heaven…’
Kara tilted her head as she watched Lotha making strange noises.
“Um… I understand this is a very embarrassing sight to behold. But is it really something that would make one twitch their fingers and make such bizarre sounds?”
“Eek?! Oof~!! Hey!! Beastkin ears are… ahiit?! The closest…! Hyaat!! To the brain!!”
“Ah, I see. That is new information.”
Alvitt wore a wry smile as she listened to their conversation.
“Well, there aren’t many people in the Academy City who would grab the ears of a high-class beastkin and treat them so carelessly.”
“Mhm—♪ I’m so glad Lotha came to our school—☆ Mmfphmffph…!”
“Akik?! Eeht?! Oohk…! Goohk…! Oohk?!”
As we were enjoying our friendly time together.
A presence approached from the distance, its footsteps sounding like they might melt away from exhaustion. Soon, that presence reached our door and opened it.
Creeak…
The one who entered with the faint sound of the door was Vel.
She wasn't in the red tracksuit I last remembered her in, but had changed into the uniform of a United Student Council executive. Adorned with more extravagant ribbons and frills than when we first met, she looked every bit a member of the Academy City's elite.
But Vel's face was so gaunt her cheeks were sunken in.
Tremble, tremble…
Vel weakly raised a hand and greeted us in a small voice.
“H… hi. It’s been a while… this is… the first time since… then.”
“Hello, Vel—☆”
“Oh… Pink-hair… no… Clara… you’re awake… I’m so glad…”
“I don’t mind any nickname—☆”
“No… I can’t… do that… to my savior… yeah…”
As Vel waved weakly, Alvitt and Kara greeted her with concern.
“Senior Vel, it’s been a while. You seem to have been very busy.”
“Comrade Senior Vel. You don’t look well, I say.”
“Eekiit?! Nghoook?! Oooohk…!!”
“Huh…? What’s… with… her…?”
“It’s an expression of affection between me and Lotha—☆”
“I see…”
Vel moved sluggishly, pulling out a simple visitor’s chair and collapsing onto it. She moved like an ice cream cone melting on a summer road.
Scrape…
Thump…
Vel lowered her head and let out a deep sigh.
“Hoooo… I just got out of solitary confinement… I was being punished for a while after that…”
“What?! Solitary?! But I heard Senior Sigrun avoided disciplinary action because her merits were recognized.”
“Well, she… technically, she was just doing what she was supposed to do as a member of Gjallarhorn… and the incident happened while I was senselessly away from my post…”
“Oh no…”
“Still… for it to end like this… they went easy on me… Normally, I would’ve been stripped of my position and hit with all sorts of penalties, but I got off with solitary confinement… fuu…”
Vel sighed and hung her head low. When she looked up again, she forced a cheerful voice.
“Yep! Well, your favorite cutie secretary is pretty much fully recovered! Haha! I’m back to my regular duties!”
“What are your plans now, Senior Vel? Will you be staying to guard the Mimir Industrial High School garrison?”
“Well… there’s the Eastern Federation’s movements… and more importantly…”
Vel scratched her cheek as she answered.
“This incident made it clear that the group known as Ratatoskr isn't just some gang that encourages student kidnappings.”
“Ratatoskr…”
“On top of that, according to the analysis from the Magical Analysis Club, the incident was suppressed early, so only larval Chaos Fiends appeared. They said if we had been just a little later, sub-adult or even adult forms could have spawned outside the dungeon gate.”
“…Adult forms.”
Alvitt let out a low groan at those words.
“…”
“Nghoook!! Oook…! No…! No more…!”
I continued to knead and touch Lotha’s ears, recalling my fight with the Priest of Corrosion. I also pondered how I should navigate the now-altered flow of the original story.
“…”
“…”
“…”
The hospital room fell silent, each of us lost in our own thoughts.
It was Vel who broke the silence after a moment of gathering her thoughts.
She looked at me with serious eyes and spoke.
“Thank you, Clara. It was a sudden crisis, but in a situation where the entire northern part of the Academy City could have been reduced to ruins, you burned yourself out to protect everyone… I’ll be sure to remember your sacrifice.”
“Don’t mention it—☆ It wasn’t a sacrifice, it was just something that had to be done♪”
“Really… It's not like [The Pink Spiral] is some legendary saintess… Anyway, I don’t know if you can call this a reward.”
Vel took four stiffly coated tickets with a high-quality finish from her uniform pocket and handed them over.
“This is the least I can do. Use these if you’re ever in trouble, or if you just want to come hang out at the garrison.”
Alvitt and Kara’s eyes widened in shock when they saw the tickets.
“This is…!”
“A season pass for the exclusive Mimir Industrial High School transit line?!”
“They’re normally only issued to high-ranking executives of the United Student Council, but I pulled some strings to get them. With these, you should be able to use any ether train between Central Prism Academy and Mimir Industrial High School.”
Vel smiled faintly, her face still looking exhausted.
“We met under the most ridiculous circumstances… who knew it would turn out like this.”
“Heh heh…”
“Fufu.”
“Nghooot?! Oooohk… wait… can I get in on the mood too…?”
We too laughed, recalling our first meeting with Vel.
“Well then~ this cutie secretary will now be returning to her regular duties!”
“Senior Vel…!”
Vel stood up, smiling as brightly as she had when we first met. Her smile seemed somehow relieved, yet also held a playful glint, as if to avoid any awkwardness the next time we met.
“This has been the United Student Council’s cutie secretary… Vel!”
“Thank you, Senior Vel!”
“Comrade Senior Vel! If you’re ever in trouble, come find us at Central Prism Academy, I say!”
“Mhm—♪ We’re more than just allies in the same union, we’re friends~☆”
Vel laughed heartily at that and turned to leave the room.
“Oh, right…!”
“…?”
“Is something wrong?”
“[The Crimson Trajectory] called an airship to take you to Central Prism Academy. She said to come to the temporary landing strip. She wants to say goodbye.”
“Eir did?”
“Well, I’ve said all I need to say, so I’ll be going now~”
And with that, Vel left the hospital room, her side tail swishing behind her.
“…It’s time for us to go back.”
“Really… I thought we’d only be in for one rough night, I say.”
“I know, right☆”
“Uoooh…! Oooohk…”
We all realized it was time to leave Scarlet Academy and head home.