I Became the Academy’s Pink Airhead

As dawn breaks, sunlight pours between the buildings.

In front of the firmly locked main gate of the grounds.

We were gathered, discussing the current situation.

“…”

There was some commotion for a while.

I thought Hilde was just acting spoiled because she was tired. But I could still hear words like ‘the president’s woman’, ‘lover’ from behind, and Sieglinde continued to scrutinize me with suspicious eyes.

“It seems… the president…”

“…If there’s a ceremony…when…”

“…Boasting of the president’s favor…?”

“…”

The soft sensation still remaining on my forehead.

To prevent my hand from unconsciously going there, I fiddled with my fingers while organizing my thoughts.

‘It’s not such an unpleasant misunderstanding… Hmm. Misunderstanding? Is it? I’m not sure. But honestly, dating Hilde doesn’t sound so bad… No, it’s not very manly to misunderstand and get excited over just one skinship. Or is it? I’m not a man anymore, right? That’s why I gave up those feelings…’

Oh the blazing soul of a man.

Don’t just be serious when fighting, answer me.

What should I do in this situation?

‘Ah… You don’t know either because you’re single too. Sorry…’

After desperately pondering how to explain these feelings, I came to a conclusion.

‘Hmm… I don’t know. Let’s put this on hold for now.’

There were more urgent matters. Now I needed to emulate Cao Cao’s shamelessness in dismissing his subordinates to covet a married woman.

“Like Cao Cao, the married woman hunter…☆”

Recalling Cao Cao’s shamelessness, I raised my head and looked ahead.

Of course, Hilde was leading this meeting. But perhaps unable to hide the fatigue from fighting all night with Frau, who had become as strong as a [Unique Ether] ability user after receiving an ancient god’s power, she seemed a bit weak.

‘Is she… okay?’

I glanced at that face.

“…”

“…”

Feeling my gaze, Hilde looked back at me too. But perhaps because it was during the meeting, she lightly shook her head and focused again on listening to reports from each person.

‘You did it, and now you’re concerned.’

For some reason I found that funny and couldn’t help but smile.

Numerous students gathered at the scene.

The , Freya, and even the straggler beastkin female students… When the cross-verified testimonies of numerous students were gathered, a big picture emerged.

The movements of the faction centered on Frau among the beastkin noble faction.

Suspicious cooperation between the formed Eastern Alliance and .

And even the long-cherished wish and inferiority complex held by the Eastern Alliance leader…

I was surprised hearing that story.

‘To think ’s Student Council President Frau had been researching ancient gods and forbidden power since 1st year…’

An attempt to shed incompetence unfit for the noble faction leader.

There really existed forbidden power that could be obtained by escaping one’s fate… that is, the world’s laws. To be precise, the authority possessed by ancient gods had been passed down in vague oral traditions.

It was truly a coincidence.

Alien authority to obtain power that defies the world’s laws.

That it actually existed, and there were even those who had been researching it from before…

I recalled the ill-fated encounters with furry beasts from the past.

‘Come to think of it, there were cases where furry beasts would suddenly pick fights when I was wandering the wilderness in the past. To think those were the ones researching forbidden power…’

Of course I easily defeated them. And the furry beast group with unremarkable combat power at the time never encountered me again after picking fights a few times.

‘I ignored it because it was a side story event, but here it was real ancient history… Though they say only a few people know it properly, so it’s all distorted.’

The authority possessed by [Snake of Wisdom and Cycles].

Power that grants desired knowledge in exchange for taking away [Fate].

The setting for heretic mobs appearing in side stories after the ending.

And surprisingly, there wasn’t just one such ancient being.

I was starting to understand how the rumor of [Faded Spiral] came about.

‘Did knowledge about ancient beings spread as rumors, get distorted, and become the basis for [Faded Spiral]… It doesn’t seem to affect me much since I’m not fully part of this universe anyway.’

It was laughable to even call it forbidden power.

Honestly, it was funny to see discarding weapons and using it as similar to mortgaging one’s [Fate] to ominous beings passed down from ancient times.

Unlike my thoughts as an outsider to this universe.

Freya and Hilde glanced at me worriedly while conversing.

“Th-That’s what happened. This story is a hypothesis combining what I knew… and the testimonies of the st-straggler dregs…”

“I see.”

“A-And looking at the state of some students… th-that power is probably something that can’t be used for long… a v-very temporary power. Fr-Frau, who gained [Unique Ether] level power, might be able to use it a bit longer… but the r-rest of the dregs are already losing their power…”

“…So that’s how it was. That’s why Lara’s power…”

I cut in before Hilde could misunderstand:

“Ah―☆ No misunderstandings here please♪ I’m fine~☆ [Faded Spiral]―☆ I didn’t even know there was such a rumor―♪”

“…”

“…”

When their gazes lingered on the branch-like scars on my neck, I desperately added:

“I lied about being sick before―☆ Actually it was a lie―☆ Sorry for making you worry♪ R-Really… I’m healthy―♪”

“…”

“…”

“I didn’t lose power, didn’t fade―☆ I’m fully prepared to be a shining spiral pretty girl♡ Right? The alley cat saw me fighting earlier too―☆ Hilde, aren’t you looking forward to fighting together with me? Yes♪ My heart is racing too☆”

“…”

“…”

“Wh-When things calm down, let’s invite Eir too! Yes♪ L-Let’s have a tea party together and catch up☆ Yes♪ We’ll clear up misunderstandings then too☆”

“…”

“…”

Whirr―!

Perhaps it looked like desperate lies mixed with consolation?

Purple and azure ether gauged me. But I no longer had as much ether as before, and even scars had formed all over my body.

“…”

“…”

Freya and Hilde looked at me as if pitying me.

Rather, it seemed like clumsy struggling that I had crawled back up to the stage 2… [Vibration Ether] realm. To end up like this when we finally reunited.

I felt like I was trapped in an inescapable quagmire.

‘This is driving me crazy… I secluded myself to preserve original work knowledge, then came out again after realizing the original was distorted, but now even if I say the enemies know the original work knowledge, they won’t believe me… Should I say I experienced this world as a game so I avoided everything you’re worried about…?’

But somehow if I did that… it felt like I’d be confined to a hospital ward for my mind going back and forth now. I really had that certainty.

Freya and Hilde sighed lastly looking at my faded light pink hair.

“Haah…”

“…”

“…Senior.”

As much as Freya and Hilde’s sighs.

And as much as Rota’s sorrowful gaze.

My heart ached with guilt.

I felt somewhat ashamed and karmic about this situation of receiving worry, and got slightly dizzy.

‘This is driving me crazy… Is this all karma…’

Along with my complicated feelings, Freya and Hilde made subtle expressions and continued speaking:

“A-Anyway… While Fr-Frau was researching forbidden power… she saw the f-fruits of it…”

“And through that power she aimed to suddenly conquer the academy city.”

“O-Of course, as much as it was hastily implemented… it’s a r-rampage borrowing outside forces… w-without any strategy or anything… but that b-brute force alone is… th-threatening.”

“Hm, it does seem odd that followers appeared at a time like this, and that Frau obtained ancient power. It’s too much to be a coincidence.”

“Pr-Probably to prevent outside forces like [Crimson Trajectory] from in-interfering… As expected, I would have pr-prepared means to check them by now too…”

“Is that why Frau hurriedly stopped fighting and retreated?”

Hilde nodded as if grasping all the circumstances. And she seemed to raise her guard against the Eastern Alliance colluding with outside forces.

Hilde emphasized to the surrounding students including Sieglinde:

“Evidence of cooperation between the hateful… and Eastern Alliance has emerged. If followers are discovered, everyone act according to the existing ‘follower response strategy’, but if leader-class ones called ‘priests’ appear, retreat immediately.”

“Understood!”

“Understood!”

“The means to block unexpected variables for enemies with time limits are outside… and the groups presumed to have infiltrated inside. Keep this in mind and drag out time as much as possible. Now, march out again.”

Vigorous salutes following Brunhilde’s orders.

Boom―!

“Understood!”

“Understood!”

Numerous students began moving in unison again. Of course, even while moving positions, Sieglinde continued to watch me closely.

“…”

Hilde looked at me as if to say you’re included in that order to retreat.

“…”

“Ahaha…☆”

I had originally intended to warn about the seriousness of this situation.

‘But they’ve already understood and accepted it amongst themselves.’

A situation where snake-tattooed furry beasts estimated to be level 60-70 with post-ending side story buffs are rampaging in a place that’s normally level 40-50 on average. On top of that, it was a situation presumed to have ’s influence.

But before I could open my mouth, everyone had already recognized the seriousness and strangeness of the situation, so I had nothing to say.

‘Everyone… is so smart.’

So I could only answer by desolately raising my hand:

“Ooh―☆ Let’s all defeat them―♪”

“What are you saying. Lara, you’re coming with me.”

“…”

“I will protect your safety. Since you came all this way for me… From now on, no one will harm you.”

“…”

What are you saying…

You need to go out and check the strong ones…

Just like that, asymmetric force Hilde was one step away from becoming my bodyguard.

“…”

Freya, who had been thinking intently, cut in:

“N-No… R-Rather, it would be b-better for the ruffian to go to ’s library with me…”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Th-That’s…”

Just as Hilde was sharply questioning Freya.

Tap tap tap―!

A student who had been deployed elsewhere came in through the students busy preparing for the next battle in the distance. Judging by the emblem on her shoulder, she was a student serving as a messenger.

The messenger urgently reported to Hilde who was looking at her:

“Urgent report! Forces presumed to be from have invaded outside the sector!”

For a moment, the faces of Alvit and Kara… and Bell and the other kids flashed through my mind.

* * *

“Kukukuk… You look pathetic. Inferior species.”

“Shut up…! What do you know…!”

“Oh, that you fought someone far beyond your level with power that doesn’t suit you and ran away in tatters?”

“…!”

A girl with fox ears so lush they swayed.

Frau bit her bloodied lips hard and looked towards the voice.

“What are you going to do glaring like that? Are you going to give up on becoming the ruler of the academy city now and continue a meaningless life?”

“…”

“Kukukukuk…!”

There was a huge green dragon there.

A bizarre body like a praying mantis torso with hundreds of dragon horns attached.

It was mocking Frau with a magic circle spewing black ether behind it.

[Priest of Strife] spoke in a voice like scraping the floor:

“If another beast god’s main body descends here, perhaps even your pitiful [Fate] tied by the World Tree might change.”

“…”

“I don’t know how much future is left for you who have already offered your [Fate]… kukukukukuk…!”

As if no longer wanting to listen, Frau turned her head and returned to the tent to treat her wounds.