NOVEL NEXT Chapter 51 - Fake Knowledge, Fake Sage☆ (1)
“…”
Hilde’s voice coming through the phone…
Even with a fantasy world phone full of noise, there’s no way I wouldn’t recognize that clear and distinct voice.
‘Hilde recognized my voice right away too.’
Probably because I chattered so much beside her in our first year, my voice became familiar to her ears. Even now I’m still happily utilizing the pretty filter, but back then it was on another level.
As a man in a woman’s body, the clumsy words I spoke to befriend a girl. I was almost afraid to ask what impression those left on Hilde now.
‘Because for a very brief moment back then… I truly seriously thought of Hilde as a romantic interest…’
A fleeting emotion that suddenly came to mind from a time when my male identity was much stronger.
That faint feeling that passed by in those days.
An emotion I absolutely don’t want revealed now.
“…!”
Flinch―
I hurriedly shook off the memory that suddenly resurfaced in my head. And I lightly tapped my cheek with the hand not holding the phone, trying to regain my sense of reality.
Tap tap…
The soft feeling of my cheek and the slight stinging sensation.
‘Get a grip… This is an urgent moment.’
With Bell having left her seat now. I needed to inform Hilde of the garrison situation, and furthermore coordinate with the
I organized it like that in my head.
But somehow I felt tongue-tied again.
‘…Hilde must have been surprised why I was in the garrison office.’
We shared an eternal-seeming few dozen seconds of silence like that.
“…”
“…”
“Um…☆”
“Um.”
Oh no… our words overlapped.
“…”
“…”
Silence returned.
I chuckled to myself in that silence.
And I tapped my cheek again with my other hand to regain my sense of reality.
Tap tap tap…
Along with the sense of reality gradually returning, embarrassment washed over me too.
‘What am I doing at this age…’
At that moment, a faint noise sound came through the phone. It was like a classic thunder sound effect that might be used in horror movies or old Chinese films.
Rumble―
“…?”
And another thunder sound following.
This time it rang out more clearly and loudly.
Rumble―!
“…?!”
I was startled hearing that.
‘This isn’t the sound right before the phone signal cuts off, is it…?!’
I don’t know the principles of magic engineering, but electrical sounds coming from the phone can’t be a normal situation. I had no idea when those furry beasts or elves would ruin this precious opportunity.
‘This is really dangerous. I need to quickly state the purpose of the call.’
The safety of numerous students was hanging on this one phone call. So pushing down the cowardly part shrinking inside my heart, I opened my mouth again in a deliberately cheerful tone.
‘Let’s go with something neutral, something neutral…’
I chose a fairly neutral greeting and said:
“Hello☆ Hilde, have you been well? I was so happy to hear from you I couldn’t move my mouth―☆”
“…I was, so, happy, I couldn’t… even move… my mouth. Is, that… re… ally.”
Rumble―
“Tha… nk.”
Another thunder sound ringing out.
And Hilde’s voice sounded a bit quieter.
“For….”
Clatter―
Whether she dropped the phone, or the signal weakened, Hilde seemed to fall silent along with the unsettling static.
“…”
“Hilde? Hilde―☆ W-Wait a moment?! Don’t hang up―☆”
Ah.
Wait a minute.
Did it really disconnect?
Did I foolishly blow this opportunity?
Am I going to get punished by having my lips sewn shut this time?
“…”
“Hilde! Hilde? Hilde―☆ Please pick up the phone♪ Let me hear your voice―☆”
Even as I spoke, a drop of cold sweat ran down my back. The image of those damn furry beasts flicking their vile tongues and trying to cut the communication lines flashed quickly through my mind.
‘Just wait till I get my hands on those furry beasts and elves.’
I gathered both hands to hold the phone, releasing the hand that had been tapping my own cheek. Along with cold sweat starting to form on my forehead, my floating mind settled down. My thoughts started becoming organized calmly.
‘So what… It’s about to disconnect right now!’
At that moment.
Fortunately, Hilde’s voice came through clearly again.
“…Hmm, Lara. My apologies, I dozed off for a moment.”
“Dozed off… What do you mean―☆”
No, that’s not important right now…
I was going to say more to Hilde, but decided to skip unnecessary remarks. Who else in the academy city could be as desperate and exhausted as Hilde in the current situation? She could have dozed off momentarily from fatigue.
‘I should be grateful she still shows such unguarded sides to me.’
I should be grateful this beautiful and noble girl shows such a familiar and lifelike side. Yes, let’s just skip unimportant things and accept it gratefully.
‘Always be grateful to the heavens…’
Thinking that, I informed Hilde of the current situation in the northeast and our planned course of action. And Hilde immediately understood when she heard about our reason for coming here, the news of the Eastern Alliance’s movements, and the plan to break through to the center.
“I see… With the train tickets Bell passed on…”
“Y-Yes…☆ We were able to come very comfortably thanks to them♪”
“Lara, are you hurt anywhere?”
“I’ve fully recovered―☆”
“Really…?”
Hilde’s voice sounding doubtful as she asked again. Somehow that one word made me feel small.
I flinched at that voice and answered timidly.
“W-Well… To be precise, only my body for now…”
“No new injuries?”
“None, none―☆”
“I see, as long as you haven’t been injured again… That’s enough. For now.”
“Y-Yes…”
“If you get hurt again, I really… might come take you away myself.”
“…”
“For now, just… keep staying alive.”
“…Okay.”
Feeling my chest ache from the warmth contained in those words, I hurriedly spoke about the current situation.
“S-So now that we’ve joined up, we’re planning to move based on what you think on your end―☆ By the way, Bell went out to command the kids♪”
“I see.”
Hilde was silent for a moment, then opened her mouth. Somehow her voice seemed to contain the bitter feeling of someone who had been defeated.
“…As expected, gradually closing the distance like Bell was important. I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Hm? What do you mean by that―☆”
“…It’s nothing.”
“…?”
Hilde then briefly explained what was happening in the center. It was quite similar to what Freya had predicted.
“Students belonging to the noble faction, including the
As expected, the furry beasts’ main force was advancing through the golden street. But the words that followed were something even we hadn’t anticipated.
“All of the hundreds of advancing noble faction students… have snake pattern tattoos and freely utilize the ‘Golden Armaments’ up to stage 4. The usage is alien, but I confirmed it clearly.”
“…What did you say?”
[Snake of Wisdom and Cycles].
Snake pattern tattoos that forcibly inject knowledge in exchange for giving up one’s own [Fate].
Realizing what that meant, I couldn’t hide my shock.
‘Why is that appearing now…? That’s content from an event boss story unrelated to the main story…?’
Furry beasts who suddenly inherited the power of a boss from a side story. But the shocking information Hilde was telling me continued.
“According to those who went out scouting, Student Council President Frau also uses magic equal to… no, superior to [Purple Spinning Wheel]’s level.”
“I-Is that really true―☆ You know that too, right Hilde? The alley ca… Freya is extremely talented…!”
“Lara.”
Gentle but, a voice admonishing firmly.
Hilde quietly continued speaking.
“It’s a clearly proven fact. Student Council President Frau, who until recently could barely use stage 3 armament magic… has now become a magician equal to or surpassing [Purple Spinning Wheel]. She also has a snake pattern tattoo, they say.”
“…”
“They are currently waiting while drawing a massive magic circle in the northern part of the Golden City.”
“…Okay.”
Hearing that news, I felt my shock gradually fading.
‘As it is, the spiral only points towards… the heart.’
When shock exceeds a certain level, one becomes calm instead.
It’s better to just accept things as they are.
[Priest of Erosion], well, did he die moving according to plan?
‘If
I calmly exchanged information while talking with Hilde, writing memos on the messy papers on Bell’s office desk.
The conversation we had for several minutes.
What we need to do from now on is roughly outlined.
“…”
“…”
And silence returned.
But this time Hilde was the one to break the silence first.
“Lara.”
“Yes―☆”
“Are you… thinking of coming?”
“Yes.”
This time I didn’t lie.
Even knowing it would worry Hilde, I spoke to her with true sincerity.
“I’m going to go there―☆”
“…”
“Because there are people who can help me, and people I can help.”
“…”
Hearing those words, Hilde muttered in a dejected tone:
“…I want you to stay put. Then I’ll protect you.”
Reproach.
Joy.
Gentleness.
Shyness.
The voice of a friend containing all those emotions was special.
‘Thank you for worrying about me. Always… thank you. Even though I can’t face you with a clear conscience…’
I recalled the memory of the day I collapsed and got up again at
“If what’s precious to you and me is the same now―☆”
To protect
To protect numerous students and lead everyone to a happy future.
“This time I’ll come to you―☆ Just like you came for me♪”
“…!”
“Wait for me♪ A girl’s oath is heavy, after all☆ I’ll come there with terrifying friends―☆”
“…Hmph.”
I smiled hearing that sound. Because I could tell what emotion was contained in just this sound.
‘Happy but stubbornly pretending not to be.’
It’s about time to do a Clara action at this timing.
Moving on to the next topic along with the appropriately loosened mood is our routine.
‘What Clara action would be good to do now…’
I suddenly recalled the prank I pulled on my juniors talking about demerits and merits. Remembering their faces that were disgusted then and would be disgusted now made me laugh.
With a heart now calm as your friend. And with a lingering old attachment in a corner of my heart.
‘With 10 merit points for you who always forgives and helps me…’
I kissed the microphone part of the phone.
Smooch―
A flustered reaction could be heard through the phone.
“Lara, what was… that.”
“…Hehe♪ This is the ‘smooch’ reward given to students at
“…”
Hilde spoke in a somewhat chilly voice.
“Has anyone… received that until now?”
“Nope―☆ Getting 10 Clara merit points is no easy feat―☆”
“I see… Then I have a request.”
“Yes?”
“If you could… do it just one more time…”
“Ahaha―☆ You want to bring it to your cheek? Of course―♪”
I really couldn’t hold back my laughter.
‘Hilde, you truly are a real friend who accepts Clara actions…’
For this friend who accepted this prank for the first time, I quietly kissed the phone microphone again. And so our phone call concluded.
Of course, I didn’t forget to thoroughly wipe down the work phone Bell normally uses. Then I grabbed the memo papers and ran to tell Bell the details.
To determine the direction we should advance, breaking through the fire network laid out by the furry beasts and elves.
* * *
Brunhilde removed her lips from the phone microphone.
“…”
Rising fighting spirit, feeling the world’s ether.
Blue and white ether crackles with thunder sounds.
Today she didn’t feel like she could possibly lose.
Clang―!
Brunhilde picked up the giant lance and left the
“President!”
“Preparations are complete.”
Vice President Sieglinde raising her black wolf ears, burning with fighting spirit.
Secretary Erda calmly adjusting her bow, catching her breath.
Thud―!!
Thousands of
News came that more disciplinary committee members were joining from
“…”
Everyone was waiting for her.
And Brunhilde spoke the words they had been waiting for.
“It’s time to make a move.”