Chapter 60
Chapter 60
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: The Story Left by the Witch☆ (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
A memory from an early summer day.
At the request of Nina, who loved to cook, I was carrying a mountain of dessert ingredients from the shopping district. They were the prize for winning the ‘All-You-Can-Eat Dessert Competition’ held there.
Nina had held up the plaque that read [Champion], beaming.
“Heeheehee, I get to eat tons of delicious sweets… and get a bunch of fresh ingredients too! This is a win-win no matter how you look at it!”
Then, Nina whispered a secret to me. The mischievous smile peeking through her shaggy, ivory-colored hair was unforgettable.
“Actually, I was blacklisted after winning in my first year… but I used Selma’s name in my second year, and Frida’s this time~”
I let out a hollow laugh, picturing Nina’s slightly chubby cheeks.
‘She’s a little plump, but she doesn’t look like she can eat that much… Just where do all those mountains of sweets disappear to?’
Even the world-champion-level competitive eaters from my past life didn’t look overweight. Was Nina one of those types?
Nina’s fearsome display.
Like something out of an American cartoon, she’d opened her mouth like a vacuum cleaner and swept in hundreds of sweets… It was a feat worthy of a true glutton. It was the first time I realized someone could be so awe-inspiring just by eating.
‘Even if this is a game world… to give such an intense competitive eater trait to a pretty girl with just a bit of cute puffiness under her eyes…’
I suddenly stopped walking.
“…”
Come to think of it.
This was a game world.
One destined to face a world-ending catastrophe.
And in this world, something called fate truly existed.
“…”
Fate, huh.
It was a problem I had never seriously considered.
What if…
What if Clara, the character who opens the main story, didn’t fulfill her duty and left Central Prism Academy?
What if extra-level characters accomplished things that went beyond the [Fate] assigned to them in the main story?
What was the penalty for defying [Fate] in this world?
“…”
Honestly, I didn’t know.
In the game, it was just flavor text in a skill description.
Even if someone told an outsider like me to dedicate myself to this world’s [Fate]… it was hard to get invested. I just got stronger, befriended characters I knew… and as I lived like that, summer arrived.
“…”
I forced myself to forget about [Fate].
‘Well, I suppose history will move on even if I don’t step up like the original Clara. All that stuff about fate…’
Shaking off the momentary worries.
I readjusted the slipping bag of sugar and walked on.
A hilly road lined with shabby shops.
It was a path I usually sped through on my bicycle.
Walking it slowly for the first time in a while felt refreshing.
“Heave-ho—☆”
I climbed the hill and soon arrived in front of the main gate of Central Prism Academy. And as always, my seniors were waiting for me.
“I’m back~☆”
“Welcome back, Clara!”
“Welcome back~”
Frida led the way, with Nina and Selma following. Frida’s expression hardened when she saw the enormous load on my back.
“Honestly! Nina, did you really ask her to carry a mountain of luggage like this? That’s why I said we should all help!”
“Ah, well… hehe. I didn’t know there’d be this much~”
“It’s fine, it’s fine—☆ This is nothing for a cute porter♪”
“Porter?! Nina, you called Clara that?! No wonder you’ve been shamelessly making her run errands lately…!”
“N-No, I didn’t…!”
Frida scolded Nina. But Selma, unconcerned, glanced at me, muttered something to herself, and pushed up her glasses.
“Hmm… a porter… a porter? Ooh! *I Became the Banished Porter of the Hero’s Party*…! I feel a heart-fluttering comeback story bubbling up inside me…! The protagonist, thought to be a lowly porter, was actually a vital member of the party…!”
Ignoring the commotion around her, Selma pulled out a small notebook and began scribbling something down rapidly.
“Ahaha…☆”
The three chaotic girls.
Seeing them made me feel like I was home again.
‘…It doesn’t feel strange to call this place home anymore.’
The old, dusty school grounds.
While my seniors carried the supplies inside.
I felt a breeze brush past my back and turned around.
“…”
*Swoooosh—*
The vast, blue sky and clouds stretched out before me.
The shabby shops nestled at the bottom of the hill.
Dwarves walked the streets, and in the distance, I could see the World Tree.
From beyond, a wind carrying the azure of summer blew once more.
*Swoooosh—*
A cool breeze carrying the scent of the wide plains and the World Tree.
My first summer in this world was incredibly refreshing.
The girls, who had been bustling under the sun, paused to enjoy the coolness.
The plants, hiding dewdrops, swayed back and forth.
“…”
With the wind at my back, I picked up the rest of the supplies and walked on. I quickly caught up with my seniors, who were far ahead of me.
My body was much stronger than it was at the beginning of the semester.
Influenced by the Ether state, I grew stronger by the day.
But the state of [Unique Ether] always felt just out of reach.
‘I’m completely used to [Wave Ether] now… but for some reason, I can’t get a feel for [Unique Ether]... It’s like I almost get it, but…’
The name that leads to [Unique Ether].
In the game, it was described as the form of the soul heading towards [Fate].
But I had no clue what that [Fate] was supposed to be.
‘The form of the soul… It’s not some occult thing, I can’t even begin to grasp what that means.’
With those thoughts, I trudged along beside my seniors.
Frida wiped away the sweat beading on her brow, looking surprised.
“Wow…! Clara, you’re really good at carrying heavy things…?”
“Ahaha—☆ It’s a cute girl’s specialty~♪ That’s why I said I’d carry it all☆”
My tone was deliberately boastful.
Frida giggled and said.
“Still, there’s no need for one person to carry a heavy burden all by herself. It might be just a little… but sharing the load makes you feel happy, and that helps you keep going for much longer!”
Frida’s lecture was filled with romanticism. But the hand holding the flour sack was trembling like a leaf. She sometimes got so overly sentimental that she would needlessly exhaust herself.
‘Just last week, she collapsed from staying out in the scorching sun with a butterfly because she thought it looked lonely…’
Feeling sorry for Frida, who was wasting her energy on such romantic notions, I offered a reasonable counterargument. As much as she worried and did things for my sake… she still needed to take care of herself.
“B-But… shouldn’t the person who’s already strong handle these tough jobs alone…☆”
“Hmm…? Hmph, I guess Clara doesn’t like it when us weaker folk try to help—!”
How did she interpret it like that…
Even the Pretty Filter was starting to falter.
I broke into a cold sweat and carefully chose my words.
“N-No—☆ That’s not what I meant…♪ It’s just faster if the person who’s good at it does it alone☆”
“Ah?! Clara is starting to talk back to me now… *sob sob*… I’m so sad…!”
Frida pretended to cry, preventing me from arguing any further.
In the end, the situation was settled by an appeal to emotion.
I couldn't help but give a bitter smile at the sight.
‘I know she’s a kind and good person, but she can be… overly sentimental… Is it because she’s an art student?’
The debate was light, almost a joke.
Nina came up beside me and joined in. The way she had slyly picked up the lightest bag of sugar was quite telling.
“Heeheehee… when Frida’s like this, just quietly go along with it~ She’s super stubborn, so you’ll never convince her anyway~”
“I can hear you, Nina…!”
“Ahaha…☆ Well, Frida is a lady of principle, after all—☆”
“Clara~! You’re teasing me for being stubborn, aren’t you!”
“Ahaha…☆”
“Stop laughing!”
Nina looked over at us, smiled, and said.
“No matter how much you can’t seem to work things out, if you just sit down and eat something delicious together…! The problem will eventually be solved!”
Selma shrugged and said.
“Nina… isn’t that just because you don’t care about anything other than eating? People will make fun of you if you say things like that.”
“No, no~ I won’t change my mind~ People’s thoughts are all pretty similar… it’s just their tastes that are different.”
*Swoooosh—*
The summer wind blew again.
It carried away the breath of this moment, now already the past.
The passing azure breath made Nina’s bangs flutter.
Nina flashed a mischievous smile and said.
“Even the grandest-looking problems can be solved with a single catalyst… In the end, everyone just needs a similar excuse~ For me, that’s delicious food… and no one dislikes delicious food! So, this is a universal truth—!”
“…”
Frida heard this and let out a snicker. Her face was filled with unconcealable playfulness.
“Well then, if you can replicate the taste of the limited-edition cookies from the most famous dessert shop on the Golden Road… *The Golden Cat*, I’ll consider it!”
“Heeheehee, that’s quite a difficult request…”
“Oh my—♪ Frida has suddenly become a very demanding lady—☆”
“A *discerning* lady!”
“Heeheeheehee—!”
Nina burst into laughter, a cackle fit for a witch.
All that was needed was a small catalyst.
Nina’s words, which seemed foolish at first glance.
They unexpectedly became a great help in raising my Ether state.
Not long after that day, I awakened my [Unique Ether].
***
Shattered pieces of a sign lay on the intersection floor.
*The Golden Cat*
“…”
“Senior?”
A small voice came from my side.
Lotha was looking at me with worried eyes.
I smiled in response, as if to say not to worry. When I turned my head forward again, I saw the dessert shop my seniors had mentioned that day.
‘I never thought I’d actually come to this shop.’
The tragic state of *The Golden Cat*.
The elegant exterior had been shattered by the fighting… but even so, it couldn't completely hide the sophisticated atmosphere it once possessed.
As I stared blankly at the shop.
Freyja, who had been scouting the area, approached and said.
“Th-There are a bunch of thugs with snake tattoos guarding the front… I-I think we’ll need to force our way through…”
“Okay—☆ Got it♪ I’ll do my best too~☆”
“…”
“…”
A brief silence.
Freyja nodded heavily.
“S-Since I’m the one who called you… I-I can’t complain, but… d-do you have any regrets? You could have gone with the main Gjallarhorn forces… to your juniors, or stayed safely with The Azure-White Lightning Spear…”
“Hehe, I told you—♪ Those kids are strong now, so they can handle this much—☆ I’m going to prove with my own two hands that I’m not The Faded Spiral anymore—♪”
“…”
“If I get hurt even a little, or if I get in the way, I’ll never… I’ll never stand at the front again—☆”
Because I had spoken with such desperation.
Even Hilde had agreed that we should all do our best in our respective positions.
She had gone to stop Student Council President Frau, who had reappeared.
‘What I need is… a catalyst to correct all the misunderstandings caused by my actions and approach everyone honestly… To be honest, I’m anxious too, but if I don’t give it my all right now, I feel like I’ll never be able to earn their trust again.’
I looked Freyja and Lotha straight in the eyes.
“I swear… on my everything. I’m fine. I mean it.”
“…”
“…”
“I want to solve the problems of the Academy City, my juniors, Hilde… and my friends, as much as I can—☆”
The eyes and pupils of beastmen are as transparent as the surface of a gem.
That’s why their panic or fear is so clearly visible.
It was also apparent in the eyes of the two cats before me.
‘Perhaps the arrogance of the aristocrat kids is a shield to hide this beastman trait…’
Not that I had any intention of going easy on them.
With that thought.
I looked at the still-trembling eyes of Lotha and Freyja and spoke.
“Let’s begin.”
“Yes... [Spindle of Eternity], localized activation, on standby…”
Freyja summoned a large spindle, ready to attack at any moment, while Lotha gently climbed onto my back and said.
“You’ll be okay, right…?”
“Of course—☆”
“…”
*Squeeze—*
Her arms wrapped tightly around me.
An incantation echoed.
[What good is drawing a greatsword? My back isn’t what it used to be. Might as well use it as a mirror.]
I grabbed the cat-shaped greatsword that materialized from thin air. A warm, ticklish feeling washed over me, and with it, I could feel Lotha’s anxiety.
“…”
A thought suddenly crossed my mind.
‘…Was there ever a character who could feel another’s Ether attributes and emotions like this?’
…
I wasn’t sure.
The only thing I knew for certain was that.
After meeting Hilde, Urðr, and my seniors… my so-called [Fate] had already changed from that of the ‘Clara’ in the game.
Pushing those thoughts from my mind.
Freyja and I charged toward the beastman girls with snake tattoos advancing on us.
*Tat-tat-tat-tat—!!*
The girls with snake tattoos turned to look at us.
What I saw were their faces, filled with shock and hostility.
“Who are you?!”
“Ah, The Violet Spindle?! Why?!”
“Attack!! I said attack!!”
*Boom!*
*Boom!*
*Boom!*
Hundreds, thousands of red spear blades.
An endless barrage of attacks.
The same onslaught that had forced even the elite troops of Aesir Girls' High School to retreat continued.
I had said ‘I’ll be fine’ so many times.
But for some reason… I felt a genuine conviction that we would be fine.
“…”
And surprisingly.
We broke through dozens of beastman girls and managed to infiltrate through the back door leading to the library of the Public Vana Boarding School.
***
The gloomy library of the Public Vana Boarding School.
The main base of the most unassuming Inquiry Faction.
The back door was covered with several layers of heavy seals, along with a sign that read:
[No Outside Visitors]
Freyja knocked on it. It seemed they had used a magic skill to seal it completely shut.
*Knock, knock.*
“…Open the door, you lunatics… your leader is here…”
A timid voice came from the other side of the door.
“D-Don’t be ridiculous… your voice impression is good, but… th-there’s no way our head librarian would be with other people… If you have something to say, write it on the notepad below… I-If you’re from the Aristocrat Faction, get lost…”
*Creaak—*
The seal loosened just a tiny bit.
An opening, just wide enough for a single sheet of paper to pass through, appeared.
“…”
“…”
“…”
We hadn’t expected this.