19. A Lucrative Outing

A goddess, huh.

Anyone who dismissed it as ludicrous on the spot was an amateur. If magic existed, and ki, and natural disasters like the Chairwoman were walking around, why wouldn't a goddess?

The Holy Kingdom and the Church still existed, even if the Mountain King had them cowering these days. The existence of a goddess the faithful worshipped was common knowledge.

So maybe—genuinely maybe—the voice really could be a goddess, however unlikely.

As it happened, I had an ironclad method to verify whether I was dealing with an actual divine entity.

"Can you send me back to my original world, then?"

<Huh? What?>

"If you don't know, never mind."

I had no idea whether a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠goddess was truly omniscient, but if she called herself a deity, she ought to at least know I came from another world.

As my suspicious gaze lingered, I could've sworn the voice trembled.

<W-Wait. Original world?>

"Just testing. A real goddess would obviously know that much."

<...I've never heard anything about that.>

"Right then. Self-proclaimed Goddess it is."

She looked unmistakably shady, which paradoxically made her more credible.

If this were a malicious con, common sense dictated you wouldn't claim to be a goddess in the first place.

Maybe it'd work if I were a devout believer or if this were the era when the Holy Kingdom was the hegemon, but at this point in history, pretending to be a goddess was laughable. Even more so now, with the Empire maneuvering to turn the fallen Holy Kingdom into a vassal state.

A god existed, sure, but that singular, absolute authority had long since crumbled. Even the "god" the dwarf Tir—the market proxy—had mentioned was different from the goddess the Church worshipped.

"What do you want from me?"

<...>

"The voice suddenly speaking to me, the help you've been giving—you want something from me. Am I wrong?"

<...>

If she claimed she wanted nothing, right there I'd know to be suspicious. As a rule, unsolicited generosity was something you dodged first and analyzed later.

But the voice, in contrast to its earlier fluster, answered in a deeply subdued tone.

<...I do.>

"What?"

<Stay close to Chloe Pisti.>

And there it was. Chloe's name.

Honestly, it wasn't that jarring. Now that I thought about it, the first time this voice had spoken to me was right after I'd met Chloe.

Hadn't Chloe been present for the voice I'd heard just before Professor Alon showed up, too?

Connecting Chloe to the voice on those grounds alone would've been flimsy, but if she spelled it out for me, that sealed it.

"Did a so-called goddess submit to the Elf Archmage? Monitoring contract compliance? Or maybe you're some World Tree protecting Pisti?"

<Think whatever you like. You aren't the type to care much about my real identity anyway, Adam.>

"...Why do you think that?"

<Because I have utility value and you have no reason to antagonize me right now. You're the type to exploit whatever you can as much as you can.>

What was this? Why did she sound like she knew me a little too well?

It was unsettling, but she wasn't wrong. If anything, the way she spoke like she had my number might help me narrow down the candidates.

And more importantly—

'I'm already plenty close with Chloe as it is.'

Weren't we already the ideal student-faculty pair? A student who volunteered to assist with official academy business seemed exceptional enough.

Was she angling for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠something beyond that?

'So she's not an Archmage plant?'

The Archmage wanted to keep Chloe and me apart because of a misunderstanding, so this was the exact opposite—meaning the voice might be someone else entirely.

There was also the extremely remote possibility that the voice was Chloe herself. The timbre was similar, and magic could certainly enable something like this.

I'd keep the possibility open.

"So in exchange for staying close to Chloe, you offer me help from time to time?"

<Correct.>

"Fine."

She wasn't forcing me to act, and the help she offered might be real or might be nonsense.

I'd just filter it appropriately. No problem.

"More to the point—can you speak to me anytime I'm alone?"

<...Mostly. But I can't sustain it long.>

"I'll keep that in mind. Let's head back, then."

Staying in here too long might invite unnecessary misunderstandings.

When I stepped out of the bathroom, I felt oddly lighter despite having done no actual business in there.

'All the real work's done anyway.'

The toughest negotiation was resolved. Now it was just a matter of investing and heading home.

Heading home meant answering the Chairwoman's confession, though. Hmm.

"Hey, Self-proclaimed Goddess."

<...What.>

"Someone confessed to me recently. How should I respond?"

<What?>

"Never mind. Forget you heard that. This is something I need to think through on my own."

I hadn't exactly racked up a lot of romantic experience, but in matters like this, asking for someone else's advice risked distorting my own true feelings.

No matter how close the Chairwoman and I were, if I had to refuse her, I ought to do it cleanly.

...The strange part was, I couldn't really picture myself refusing the Chairwoman's confession. Why not?

Our Ranks, our ages, our social standing, our power—the gaps were enormous. We hadn't even known each other that long.

'Had I actually liked the Chairwoman all along? Was that my type?'

My unease only deepened.

<...>

And the voice fell silent, too.

*

'...She's back.'

'What took you so long? Do you know how hard I had to work to maintain that?!'

'...I know.'

Meanwhile, back at the inn.

Chloe sat in meditation in her room, circulating her mana through a bizarre pathway.

Ordinarily, mana was supposed to flow toward the heart or the hands where magic manifested, but she was deliberately channeling it toward her head. This wouldn't make her head explode, obviously. It was just pointless effort.

But that was pointless for Chloe now—not for Adult Chloe.

'How ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠much mana does this thing eat?!'

'It's been working fine up until now.'

'That's because you never cast proper magic! Or is this kind of mana consumption normal for a 7th Rank mage?'

'More or less.'

Adult Chloe was nothing more than a mental construct. To exist, and to cast magic while acting as the dominant consciousness, she had no choice but to borrow Chloe's mana.

She could manage without it, but since the mental body itself was composed of mana, using magic that way meant consuming her own existence as the price.

So she normally relied on Chloe's mana. Simply existing consumed almost nothing; there'd been no strain at all.

But today, when Adult Chloe had deliberately cast magic in earnest, she'd pushed Chloe to the brink of mana exhaustion.

'That damn princess does this... every single time?'

'I told you. You have to get used to mana exhaustion too.'

'I remember, so stop worrying.'

Chloe's thoughts had flicked to Beatrice for a moment, but she shook her head hard. There was something more urgent right now.

She fixed her gaze on Adult Chloe's mental body, which had finally returned.

'So? Did you find out anything?'

'...There's good news and bad news.'

'Bad news first.'

'The good news is that Adam accepted the voice's existence. Accepted me, I mean.'

'You have a rotten personality, you know that?'

They were both Chloe Pisti, so it couldn't be helped, but Adult Chloe—whose mouth and temperament had always been foul—seemed even more twisted today.

As Chloe tutted at her future self, Adult Chloe, who'd spoken the good news first, darkened.

Chloe didn't notice. She was too busy being genuinely elated.

'Anyway, that's a relief. I don't know how you explained yourself, but you didn't blow your real identity. And now, in voice form, you might even be able to help Adam! Though you'll have to stay quiet when you're near him.'

'...'

'So? The bad news?'

'...Adam.'

'Adam?'

'He got... confessed to.'

"The fuck?"

The words slipped out of her mouth before she could think them.

But Chloe didn't bother worrying about soundproofing. She just glared at Adult Chloe, eyes wide.

As if to say, what the hell kind of nonsense is that?

'What the hell kind of nonsense is that?'

'I don't know the details. Adam just suddenly said it. But given the context...'

'...The Chairwoman?'

'It's nobody else but that menopausal hag.'

The memory struck Chloe immediately. The first time Adult Chloe's voice had reached Adam.

What had Adam said back then?

'My master—the Archmage, I mean—said she knows I like Adam... harbor feelings for him, and wants to keep us apart.'

'...'

'And Adam said there was no way that was true.'

An outsider, not the person being loved, had seen straight through Chloe's feelings.

And honestly, that made perfect sense. Adam was 1st Rank. The Archmage was 8th Rank. Who'd be better at reading hearts? No contest.

Chloe let out a hollow laugh, then gritted her teeth.

'Either way, my surroundings are full of enemies.'

'First things first—we deal with that confession.'

'Obviously.'

She had to approach this carefully. If she suddenly brought up the confession, Adam would realize the voice and Chloe were in communication. And if she tried to manufacture a plausible pretense, who knew when Adam might accept the confession?

Shuddering at the Chairwoman's shamelessness in ignoring their age gap, Chloe narrowed her eyes.

...She hadn't said it aloud.

But "enemies" included Adult Chloe, too—at least, that was what Chloe thought. Whether her future self would actually give up on Adam as she'd originally promised was deeply questionable.

Resolving that she had to do something, Chloe finished her deliberations and stepped out of her room.

And immediately—

"Hh—! You startled me! Say something when you're walking around!"

"...I'm better than somebody who suddenly swears in her room."

"Can you not say unnecessary things? On top of everything, you're a 'male student' using the next room over, in case you've forgotten."

"Didn't you just tell me to say something when I walk around?"

"...Tch."

Chloe clicked her tongue at Rus, who hadn't lost a single exchange. She looked her—him—over.

The usual black clothes, a coat, and an old sword at the hip.

The moment her eyes landed on that worn blade, Chloe couldn't help but swallow.

'That's the Dark Sword.'

An artifact rivaling the Holy Kingdom's Sacred Relics. And, simultaneously, the weapon that had killed her future self.

To the naked eye it was nothing but a shabby old sword, but Chloe had seen the real Dark Sword before.

During the magic professors' summoning ritual, when she'd gone to inspect the site in Adam's place because he couldn't enter the forest, she'd encountered Rus disguised as a suspicious intruder.

The sword she'd ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠carried then had been the Dark Sword.

'...I don't know why she's cross-dressing, but she did seem pointlessly close to Adam.'

But that was all. Chloe's confidence quickly returned, and she smirked.

Filling herself with the satisfying sense of superiority that she was closer to Adam than Rus, Chloe walked on ahead.

'Still, she can't beat me. I spent the whole festival with him. She isn't even living with him.'

She neutralized the sense of defeat the Chairwoman had dealt her with a dose of victory. It was petty, she knew, but given her upbringing, this kind of behavior was second nature.

Petty or not, it was excellent for managing her mental state. Her psychological victory complete, Chloe shot a sharp look at Rus.

"So, why'd you suddenly come out?"

"I could ask you the same."

"I'm taking a walk while I recover mana. The Finance Director needs the assistance of a capable mage, after all."

"...The Finance Director is coming back, so I'm going out to meet him."

"What? He's coming? What do you—"

Ah. Right. This one was 6th Rank.

Chloe was growing rapidly thanks to Adult Chloe's recent help, but Rus was on an entirely different level of monstrous. She was a regressor who'd returned from the future, after all.

Rus's keen senses had detected Adam's approach far earlier than Chloe's. She headed for the inn's front entrance.

"Ah, Student Rus! Good timing. Is Student Chloe here as well?"

"Finance Director! I'm right here!"

"The negotiations went well. No point wasting time, so I'd like to head to the rock salt mine immediately. Please accompany me."

"Yes, sir!"

Chloe felt a tiny flash of resentment toward Adam—walking around looking so pleased after getting confessed to by the Chairwoman—but the fact that he needed her instantly lifted her mood.

Chloe hurried to the entrance. With the deadpan Rus beside her, she fell in behind Adam. Count Anton, whom they'd met a week ago, stood next to him.

"These students... they're at a remarkable level. They could well be stronger than the captain of my territory's knight order."

"You flatter us. They're among the top honors students at Grandis Academy."

"Ah, I've heard the rumors. The famous 6th Rank freshman and the Archmage's disciple. Reassuring escorts indeed."

Was he mocking a faculty member for using students as bodyguards?

Chloe bristled briefly, but Adam merely nodded as if he meant it.

"Extremely reassuring."

'I'm more reassuring than that cross-dresser, right?'

'...'

Her irritation evaporating in an instant, Chloe followed along, inwardly agreeing with herself, for several dozen minutes.

The carriage—a horse-drawn one, this time—swiftly delivered them to the rock salt mine, which was already well into reconstruction.

The magical work had stalled for now, since they couldn't afford a 5th Rank mage's daily rate.

"You there! Move faster! Clear these stones!"

"Idiot! The shaft's over here! Are you trying to dig a new one? We're restoring the existing tunnels!"

"Groundwater over here!"

But the ordinary laborers were still swarming the site, busy with every manner of work.

The sheer scale of the place drew an involuntary sound of admiration from her.

"At present, we're restoring Shaft No. 1. Shafts No. 2 and No. 3 will be addressed at a later phase."

"I'd heard Shaft No. 1 was the main shaft and had the highest output."

"Now that we've secured investment, we need to generate returns quickly. I have high expectations for the academy's and the Chairwoman's funds."

"You may expect great things."

We'd come here under the pretext of escort duty, but there wasn't much to guard Adam against. Chloe merely cast a simple protective barrier against flying debris when she noticed Rus staring fixedly at something.

"What are you looking at? If you're on escort duty too, watch the Finance Director."

"...No way."

"Huh?"

"No way, not again—!"

Again?

Before she could even question it—

GrrrrrrrrrrRRRRRRR!

"W-Whoa!"

"Get clear! It's an earthquake!"

"Help!"

"What in the—?!"

The tremors erupted without the slightest warning, engulfing the salt mine and the Finance Director's party.

While the count was pulled to safety by the laborers and his head butler, Chloe whipped her head toward Adam.

"Adam!!!"

"Ngh—?!"

Unlike the count, who was 2nd Rank and had reacted a fraction faster, Adam was 1st Rank and utterly defenseless.

The shaft quaked from the tremor, and a hole gaped open in the chaos.

Though the distance was considerable, he was yanked helplessly toward it, as if something were dragging him, and plunged inside.

"...!!"

An instant later, Rus was likewise sucked in, wrapping her arms around Adam to shield him.

Chloe didn't stand idle.

[Jade Shackles]

She used the magic her future self had drilled into her.

But her body was already on the verge of mana exhaustion, and the spell only grazed Adam before dissolving.

"No!! Adam!!!"

Only Chloe's desperate, frantic voice echoed through the rock salt mine as it continued to shake and collapse.