Chapter 58
Chapter 58
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: The Shadow Behind the Gold☆ (2)
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Sieglinde, the vice president of the United Student Council, surveyed her surroundings. With a greatsword in hand, she was ready to charge out at a moment's notice should the situation change.
“…”
Around her, her subordinates moved, relaying signals with hand gestures and flags as commanded.
Swish—!
Swish—!
The last order Sieglinde had given… was the order to retreat.
“…”
She had been tasked with holding the front line for as long as possible under President Brynhildr’s command… but the situation was not favorable. The offensive from the students with snake tattoos was ferocious, their attack power unexpectedly overwhelming.
Moreover, President Brynhildr was currently holding back Frau, the student council president of the Public Vana Boarding School, who was displaying particularly immense power.
A deafening roar—!!
Sieglinde cast a look of reverence toward the dozens of lightning bolts raining down in the distance.
The sound of thunder ringing in her ears was vivid.
The power of the student she respected, the master to whom she had sworn fealty.
Until the sovereign of the Academy City arrived, she had to make the best possible decisions.
‘Assuming the president deals with Frau and returns, recklessly expending our forces here would be a poor move. I need to buy time.’
Assuming no Unique Ether-class users intervened.
She believed that preserving their forces as much as possible was the wisest course of action.
‘I’m also hearing reports of Ratatoskr apostles appearing in the wastelands, and more importantly, hundreds of fighters at the Wave Ether-user level have suddenly appeared on the enemy’s side…’
It was an exceedingly difficult urban battle. The front lines were divided, and the forces of the Public Vana Boarding School, which should have been insignificant aside from The Violet Spindle, had seen a sudden surge in power.
The appearance of Ratatoskr apostles at such a coincidental time.
A rebellion launched as a surprise attack, fueled by a sudden acquisition of power that defied common sense.
‘The pretense of a ‘united Academy City,’ which has only been carried on out of tradition with no real meaning… it's about to end.’
Sieglinde thought that once this battle was over… her ‘former alma mater’ might vanish into the annals of history.
“…”
Her gaze shifted.
She could see students from Aesir Girls' High School rapidly retreating. Unlike the beastkin students, who were ornately adorned in gold and white, the predominantly human students, clad in black uniforms, moved in perfect unison.
- Squads Seven and Eight, block their advance!
- Eleven and Fourteen, create a diversion from the rear!
- Remaining squads, form a chain link formation—!! Move at a quick march—!!
- Move—!!
- Move—!!
Their shouts were hoarse, veins popping on their necks.
The class presidents, each commanding at least thirty students from the combat departments, yelled out instructions, their Ether surging. They moved swiftly, maintaining formations that had been drilled into their subconscious through countless hours of training.
Th-th-thump—!
Quickly accepting their defeat, they fell back to conserve as much strength as possible.
This flustered the beastkin noble faction students, who had been intoxicated with their newfound power and charging recklessly.
“Ch-chase them!!”
“Don’t let them get away!!”
“We have to end this today!!”
The black uniforms vanished swiftly from the street before the gate.
The beastkin noble faction students gave chase in a hurry.
But their pursuit was hindered and slowed by the occasional harassing attacks.
Whenever they tried to simply overpower them with brute force, their targets would quickly flee into the distance.
“…?”
Watching this unfold, Sieglinde narrowed her eyes.
“…Something’s strange.”
If their goal was to pave a path to the World Tree and take control of Academy City Yggd, wouldn’t it be more advantageous to calmly regroup and advance?
But the way they were acting was as if…
‘They’re desperate, like they have no future if they don’t succeed right now.’
Twitch.
Her black wolf ears flickered, sensing the urgency in their voices. Although they were currently being pushed back by overwhelming firepower, there was a hidden sense of unease.
‘Are they afraid of the president? No… if that were the case, they would set a trap and wait, not give chase…’
Having once attended the Public Vana Boarding School, Sieglinde was well aware of the timid and passive nature of its magic skill users. That was why this situation felt so dissonant.
Meanwhile, the chase continued.
“Hah…!”
“Pant… pant…! Those barbarians… those usurpers…!”
“We need to… defeat them all quickly…!”
The students of the Public Vana Boarding School tried to pursue the vanishing black uniforms, but they couldn't keep up with the systematic, trained movements of those who managed the Golden Street.
Thus, their plan to quickly deplete the enemy's strength through a direct confrontation having gone awry, the beastkin students cried out in frustration.
“Gah…!”
“These barbarians…!”
Caught in a stalemate, the noble faction students were left looking foolish, like a dog that had lost the chicken it was chasing.
After confirming that the front line had completely shifted, Sieglinde prepared to move with the subordinates who had been guarding the perimeter.
“Hey there—☆”
“…?”
Her underlings began to murmur as they watched the approaching students.
First-years from the Public Vana Boarding School, their faces filled with fear.
And then she saw the pink-haired girl smiling beside her.
Twitch.
The moment Sieglinde saw the pink hair, her wolf ears perked up in surprise.
‘…She has no presence?’
***
Up close, Sieglinde was cute.
‘I finally get to meet you…’
Although the game community teased her for being a weaker version of Hilde and a victim of late-game balancing, I had spent money to build her up because I loved her exhilarating combat style and the gallant wolf ears on her head.
‘Cat ears are more alluring in person, but wolf ears have their own rustic charm.’
But the puppy seeing me for the first time here was on guard.
An awkward silence followed.
Even Freyja and Lotha, standing behind me, couldn’t bring themselves to speak.
“…”
“…”
What was needed here was an icebreaker.
I carefully opened my mouth to address Sieglinde.
“Um, umm—☆ We’re here to help—♪”
“…”
I quickly raised both hands with a friendly smile, but she slowly tightened her grip on the hilt of her greatsword and began to glare.
‘Ah, this is that silence right before a misunderstanding.’
I’d been in so many situations ripe for misunderstanding lately that I was all too familiar with this atmosphere. The simmering heat in the air, the fragments of emotion bursting forth nonsensically…
‘The air right before things go sideways…’
If I just blurted out whatever came to mind in a situation like this, I always ended up in an irreversible mess.
“…Who are you.”
“Get back.”
“How did you get in here?”
“Are you with The Violet Spindle…?”
The surrounding students grew increasingly wary.
Watching them, I felt a bead of cold sweat trickle down my back. The fact that my opponent was Hilde’s direct subordinate made me hesitate to start a conversation with my fists.
‘If I openly beat up her junior, Hilde will hate me, right? I really don’t want that. What I need right now is…’
To overcome this situation.
I thought of Jia Xu, the master of political maneuvering who lived to a ripe old age on his wits alone.
‘That political acumen that allowed him to survive under Dong Zhuo, Li Jue, Guo Si, and Cao Cao…!’
In situations like this, Jia Xu would bow his head and tell his opponents what they wanted to hear. It was human nature to look down on those who groveled, but not to treat them as an enemy.
‘They say you should never argue with someone who's read *Romance of the Three Kingdoms* three times… I see now how helpful it is.’
In that fleeting moment.
I pushed my cognitive abilities to their limit, recalling everything I knew about Sieglinde’s character. Unfortunately, as a minor supporting character, her story was rather thin.
‘What topics did she like again… It’s been over two and a half years, so everything’s getting hazy… I can’t afford to forget any truly important plot points…’
Thoughts flashed through my mind.
Among them, I managed to recall one piece of her characterization.
[Greatly respects Brynhildr, the president of the United Student Council.]
Ah…!
This girl… her interests are similar to mine…!
I could talk about how great Hilde was all day long.
‘But if I act too chummy with someone she respects, she’ll find it suspicious, right?’
I spoke quickly, before Sieglinde could draw her sword.
“I'm a special envoy here under President Brynhildr's orders—☆ Yup♪ You know Central Prism Academy, right? Surprisingly, President Brynhildr knew about our school☆ Isn’t she so thorough and meticulous? That’s why she ordered me to bring The Violet Spindle, who was wandering the wastelands, here☆”
“…”
“Of course, it’s only natural to follow the orders of President Brynhildr, the most honorable student in the highest position in Academy City Yggd, right—♪ You think so too, don’t you? Because she’s so cute and capable—☆ Yup♪ I can’t help but admire her~♡”
“…”
“S-so, please listen to us—☆”
Gauging her reaction…
But the silence continued.
“…”
“…”
To be honest, even as I was speaking, I felt that something was off. No matter how much I tried to cater to her tastes, there was no way she would be convinced by me suddenly singing Hilde's praises in this bizarre situation.
“Senior… what are you even saying all of a sudden…”
“S-sigh… I’ll just do the talking… M-move aside… you brute.”
The sighs from Lotha and Freyja, who were clutching their heads at my clumsy attempt at persuasion, pierced my heart.
‘Right, who am I kidding, I’m no Jia Xu… I’m just Yan Baihu…’
I was about to quietly step back and let Freyja explain the situation.
Grab—!
“Mmm…! You are a very… a very righteous student!”
…But then Sieglinde seized my hand.
She sheathed the greatsword on her back and grasped my hand as if for a handshake.
Her rough, calloused hand was warm in a different way than Alvitt’s.
‘Huh…? Seriously? This actually worked…?’
I stared at our joined hands, a question mark forming on my face.
“…?”
“Mm! Mhmm! A very correct perception. As it should be…!”
Sieglinde nodded with a satisfied expression. I could sense a fondness in her demeanor that suggested her tail would be wagging, if she had one.
“I apologize for being overly suspicious in the midst of this chaos! I had considered that The Violet Spindle, the representative of the Exploration Faction, might come in person… but I didn’t expect she would have companions. And I am quite pleased that her companion is a student with such proper respect.”
“R-right…? So, will you trust us then—☆”
“Ah, of course. Let’s talk more as we move.”
A faint smile broke through Sieglinde’s stern expression. Her face and tone somehow bore a strong resemblance to Hilde’s.
“…And I never thought I would meet a friend on a battlefield like this with whom I could share President Brynhildr’s good qualities.”
“…!”
Hearing that, I nodded vigorously. For some reason, the thought that there was someone else who recognized Hilde’s virtues made me happy.
But then I heard some rude whispering from behind me.
“Th-that… actually worked…? A-are their intelligence levels… similar…?”
“…Good heavens.”
Lotha and Freyja were staring at me with expressions of disbelief. But there was another title of mine they didn’t know.
‘I am Yan Baihu, the Virtuous King of Dongwu. There is no talent the Virtuous King of this chaotic age cannot persuade.’
After shooting a smug glance at Lotha and Freyja, I shrugged and said to Sieglinde.
“Yup! That’s right—☆ I’m so happy to meet someone who knows President Brynhildr’s good qualities too—♪”
“Mm, then let’s hurry to the next sector. But before that…”
Sieglinde looked at the first-year students from the Public Vana Boarding School standing timidly behind us. They had given up fighting and surrendered after being persuaded by Freyja.
Sensing her gaze, Freyja stepped in front of them and spoke.
“Th-these dregs… were just forced into this by the third-years… Th-they said they’re willing to share some necessary information… s-so let’s take them with us…”
“Do you believe one can simply be ‘swept up’ in a war?”
“C-conversely, what grounds do you have to think these kids acted of their own volition…? Y-you must have seen it… the clearly dissonant movements of Frau’s group…”
“…”
“I-if you’re that worried… j-just throw them in a corner as prisoners… Th-they’re just weaklings who pose no threat anyway…”
“I see.”
As Freyja’s words—which sounded like a mix of defense and condemnation—continued, the dozens of beastkin girls lowered their heads, dejected. The only one here who seemed to care was Lotha.
Lotha patted the backs of the disheartened first-year beastkin girls, comforting them.
“Ch-cheer up…”
“Okay…”
And so, we ran toward the sector where Aesir Girls' High School and the United Student Council had retreated.
***
Surprisingly, Hilde was waiting there. Covered in dust and soot, she walked straight toward me.
“Lara.”
“…Lara?”
The moment Sieglinde inadvertently muttered the name and gave me a suspicious look… Hilde grabbed my shoulders and pressed her lips to my forehead.
Peck—
The soft touch of her lips.
“…This is enough. I can fight again.”
“…?”
“…?”
“…?”
…?
…?
…?
My mind went blank.