63 - Proof of Existence
Bang—!
Water is the source of life. Yet the merciless violence disguised as vitality lays the earth to waste.
No sooner had the barrage of magic ended than Vice Principal Jin Chronicle descended to the ground and launched into close-quarters combat. The clashing sounds of swords and maces wrapped in mana from the water source rang out.
Namme, clad head to toe in iron chains, deftly parried Jin's swinging sword with agile movements before countering into his opening.
"NoName, I'll help you...!"
Clang— But Jin was no pushover. His strikes of conviction were repeatedly blocked by the steel pocket watch, yet he pressed on with the next attack. A blue sword aura gleamed along Chronicle's blade. The azure mana hungered like a ferocious hound to tear into Namme's waist.
Namme rolled forward in a flash. At the same time, she yanked the flail head, and the trailing chain coiled around the sword, sealing Jin's weapon.
"Watch out for the light beam above—"
Before long, the pocket watch had closed in over Namme's head. The maddening tick of the second hand scrambled her senses. The watch's charging hum heralded a straight-line slash that would rob all life in its path.
As Namme charged at Chronicle again, he too retreated, raising his sword diagonally. The forest keeper's light beam disruption formula left her wide open. He planned to strike decisively when she fell for the obvious dilemma, claiming her life for certain.
Whirr—
As expected, Namme halted and activated a magic circle to destroy the irritating pocket watch from behind. Her abdomen was fully exposed. Chronicle charged forward with wide strides.
"Behind you, behind you!"
Adella's desperate scream erupted. Namme swung her flail late, but she was sure her response was too slow. It had to be.
Kaboom—!
Yet before Adella's warning could land, Namme's flail smashed into Jin's head first. Her attempt to target the pocket watch had been a feint. Instead, through near-prophetic foresight that he would come for her, she'd cast an optical magic circle to distort the flail's position.
"Urgh...!"
As his last HP drained away, it seemed the boss fight was finally over.
Vrooom— The flail head spun wildly. Despite taking a direct hit to the head, Professor Jin Chronicle still clung to consciousness.
"In all my years... to be done in by such green brats..."
With both arms, one leg, and his skull shattered, the professor let out a mad cackle.
"Heh heh. If only I had the laurel tree."
He looked utterly defenseless, without even the strength to pick up his fallen monocle. Now was the moment to end him.
"Laurel tree. Laurel tree. Laurel tree. Laurel tree. Laurel tree. Laurel tree. Laurel tree. Laurel tree. Laurel tree. Laurel tree."
Namme uncoiled her chains and hurled her law orb, smashing into his lower back from range. Crack— The sickening snap of a breaking spine reverberated.
"Laurel tree. Yggdrasil? Yes, pitiful woman. Tomorrow, I shall etch the end times. A day's revelry dooms six seasons to ruin."
His mouth wouldn't stop, fragmented words scattering into the wind. Then his body jerked upright like a wooden puppet.
"Adella."
He softly called his daughter's name.
"My beloved Adella."
"Wha—what?! Suddenly!"
The laurel fragment that had bound him floated up once more. Hundreds of fireflies adorned the night sky.
"...!"
The fireflies slyly encircled Adella. She reached out, but they slipped through her fingers.
"Adella, run now!"
"Huh?"
"Too late. Heir of Yggdrasil."
The turbidity cleared from Professor Chronicle's eyes, vitality returning.
"Wha... huh? Why's my body...?"
Adella staggered and collapsed, her legs giving out.
"The laurel tree of life. Truly an absurdly magnificent thing."
Phase transitions that backstab players don't appear after combat fully ends. Conventional wisdom holds they trigger at 1/3 or half HP, or set intervals. Thus, Professor Chronicle's actions now raised many questions.
Ice Prison
108 ice pillars erupted in concentric circles around Namme.
"You're not Jin Chronicle, are you?"
"Was my act that poor? No matter."
Ignoring Namme trapped in the ice walls, he kindly offered a hand to the fallen Adella.
"Sorry for startling you. But I had no choice to awaken."
"Wh... who are you?"
"I am nothing at all right now. So I can't answer your question."
Gentle. All the more alien for it.
"I know you, Adella. I hold your talents in high regard."
Adella gripped the dagger hidden in her bosom tightly. But the man showed no openings. Instinct warned that no matter where she struck, he'd block effortlessly. Still, she denied her instincts. A swift strike at his carotid.
Ting— Not even a scratch on his neck. That's why he hadn't bothered to defend. The power gap was clear.
"Your effort, courage, will, patience, perseverance, and very existence. Yet the curse upon your flesh prevents you from blooming fully."
"Wh... what are you talking about...?"
"Your father foolishly cursed you once. So that on your nineteenth birthday, you bid farewell to the world. See here. The curse's brand is stamped on your heart, isn't it?"
Adella glanced down at her chest. A new blue glyph had emerged.
"So what?!"
"Look, even now it hurts, doesn't it?"
Black energy rippled from the man's hand. The glyph on her chest resonated, glowing in tandem.
"Hngh...!"
"You shine brighter than anyone, Adella. Yet because of one foolish wretch, you spend nights on cold stone floors, choking down dry bread soaked in spit. Resent your father. You should."
"It hurts..."
"But Jin Chronicle is already dead. Regret you couldn't kill him with your own hands? No, vengeance is inherently empty and hollow. It's all over—any regrets in life? No, you're a greedy woman at heart."
"So what... then...!"
"Don't you covet that child's talents?"
The man pointed at Namme.
"I'll grant you a new life. Take the forest keeper's body."
The devil's temptation whispered. The pillars holding Namme twisted like serpents. Four pillars yawned wide, clamping her limbs.
No matter how Namme struggled, the rigid ice held firm. Now she could claim the forest keeper's body whole.
"Warm food, a warm home, academy life—all yours, starting anew."
You become the forest keeper from Arseria Forest who came for academy enrollment. Not a filthy, sweat-stained body, but one chosen by the gods.
"The body bestowed by Yggdrasil is a blessing in itself."
As the man withdrew his power, the aching chest pain faded.
"What do I have to do... what do you want from me...?"
"We want just one thing. A fine proposal for you."
The fireflies swarmed around Adella's head, forming a gleaming laurel crown.
"Become our new god."
"God...?"
"Yes. Yggdrasil is a false god. We need a new one."
"I... don't know about that."
"No. Easier than pickpocketing nobles. Go stab the forest keeper's heart with your dagger. It's not killing—no need for guilt. Just borrowing her body."
"I... I... hngh... hngh...!"
The fireflies glowed again. Adella clutched her head in agony and collapsed. She realized the truth of the laurel tree, Yggdrasil, and the fireflies. At the same time, Jin Chronicle's body slumped lifelessly. She'd already been absorbed into the "existence," exploiting her weakened body and mind.
"You're... demons."
Tears streamed from Adella. Her vile hand refused to release the dagger. Was this her true heart?
Her heartbeat quickened. Strength returned to her legs.
"You deserve to be blessed."
Adella approached Namme step by step, slowly. The weapon in her hand felt especially alien today. Had it always been this sharp? Dread welled up.
"Sorry, forest keeper."
One step, two steps.
"I'm so pathetic, aren't I?"
Confusion was plain on Namme's face.
"I just... hngh... just wanted Dad to acknowledge me. I don't know why everything went so wrong."
She wanted proof of her existence. To be a cog the world needed. The fear that no one would remember her if she died like this drove her to seek recognition from anyone.
"Hear that? I'm dying anyway... in less than a year... Why'd Dad even keep me alive? Should've killed me at birth...!"
She'd craved attention and affection endlessly. She'd pestered Alperion with trivial talk during his busy times, stolen Sisiela's favorite clothes to wear.
"I know... even if I live like this, the world won't pity me. I'm useless. Everyone hates Adella."
That's why she envied the forest keeper NoName so much. The affinity to chat with strangers instantly, a body sculpted by gods, inexhaustible mana, endless knowledge. All Adella had left was the tenacity to cling to life reluctantly.
"Sorry... so why'd you bother being nice to someone like me? You didn't trust me much either... hngh... sob..."
Tears blurred her vision; Adella's tear ducts were a broken faucet. Even now, the forest keeper said nothing. What forged such steel in her? Adella could never know.
Her hand trembled worse than during her first kill. She lacked even the basics of a swordsman.
"I didn't wanna be born this weak. I wish everyone looked up to me. Nah, forget it. What did I even want...?"
The dagger, half-ruined from prior fights, could still sever a fragile thread of life with its broken edge. Her sobs quieted. She'd resolved within.
"Yeah... I get it a little. I needed a friend."
Was entering the academy truly just to gain her father's full approval? From that single encounter, Adella realized Jin Chronicle could never be that man. Deep down, she envied him.
While she huddled in robes stealing in alleys, academy students disciplined thug merchants oppressing vendors, saved kids from carriages and earned praise—she envied them. She wanted to join them. Be praised. Belong. Feel human warmth she'd never known.
She poured out her life's tale to the forest keeper trapped in ice.
"Guess I wanted to live like them."
She raised the dagger skyward.
"Thanks for everything... this is the only way. Sorry, it's all my fault... One last favor?"
The fireflies' energy converged on the dagger. The demon was ready to seize Namme's body.
"Don't ever forget me... forever... being forgotten scares me too much... keep remembering, hold in your heart that a cool person named Adella was here... Oh, and say hi to Mr. Gestalt for me. Hehe... that's two now..."
Adella flashed a pointless, bright smile and reversed her grip on the blade.
"You'll do that, right?"
The blade aimed at Namme suddenly veered. Instead of piercing the forest keeper's heart, it turned toward her own. Faster than the alarmed fireflies fleeing the blade, Adella's arm plunged. Crimson blood sprayed across Namme's face. Adella spewed blood. The ice melted. Namme rushed to catch the crumbling body. With its vessel lost, thousands of fireflies ascended into the sky and vanished. Dawn's red light infused vitality into the chilled earth. Yet the girl who burned her worthless remaining years for the noblest death lay utterly still and cold.