NOVEL NEXT C2
Chapter 2
I knocked on the door of the principal’s office and heard a groggy voice.
“……Who is it?”
“This is Amon Drake. I have something to tell you, may I come in?”
“……Come in.”
I walked in and saw the principal with her back turned to me.
‘I see her ears are drooping.’
I thought to myself, “She must have pouted because I passionately ‘explained’ the difference in time between humans and elves.”
The headmaster said bluntly.
“What business do you have with a tough elf?”
She pouted, but she pouted hard.
I said in a polite voice to the principal.
“I’ve been doing some thinking.”
“……what?”
“The headmaster of this prestigious academy wouldn’t spend money on snail races just for her own amusement. Snail races are just a way to raise money to make investments. And the investment is for the future of the academy. Isn’t that right?”
The headmaster flicked her ears.
“Well, yes.”
“I see. And without realizing it, my foolishness led me to call you a stupid elf, and for that, I respectfully apologize.”
The shriveled ears of the principal perked up, ever so slightly.
“Please be careful……in the future.”
“Sure thing, by the way.”
“Is there anything else you’d like to say?”
“Yes. To tell you the truth, I’m getting a little interested in snail racing.”
If you want to open up a conversation with a guy who’s obsessed with something, you just have to let him know you’re interested.
As expected, the principal, whose back was still to me, turned and looked this way.
“Is that true?”
“Yes. To be honest, I agree that we can’t resolve the situation normally, so we’re just relying on a bit of luck at the moment.”
“That’s what I’m saying.”
The headmaster’s ears perked up a little more.
I used the momentum to push on.
“Besides, racing snails, so popular with the long-lived, wise elves, can hardly be compared to the gambling of the humans, horse racing, which is presumably a culture that has risen to the level of rationality and art.”
By now, the headmaster had turned fully around and was flapping her ears.
“You finally understand!” she exclaimed.
“Yes! So, can I get another copy of that magazine you mentioned earlier…….?”
“Actually, I have one more!”
I almost shouted out, “Is this little elf crazy?” as the principal pulled out a copy of the racing snail magazine from her stash but I held it in.
‘That’s how I’ll ruin this place.’
Amon forced a laugh.
The headmaster chuckled.
“You have great insight! You are truly a great person!”
“Come on, read it!”
As I flipped through the pictures and numbers, unable to read in Elvish, the principal pointed a finger at a page.
“Look, this is the winning snail from ten years ago, Supermom!”
It was a grotesque drawing of a giant snail standing up.
“Isn’t it great, I can still see her powering her way around the world!”
“…….”
I sighed and pointed to a corner of the magazine.
“So these are the runner snails in this race, and these numbers are the odds?”
“Yes. And this one and this one are Jowjow and Steel Slug, so now that you see them in person, you can see why I had my eye on them.”
I have no idea.
I glanced at the snails and chose one.
“I think I’ll take this one.”
The principal looked at the snail in question and cocked her head.
“What do you like?”
“Let’s give this one a try.”
“……Yes? What are you betting on?”
The principal repeated, but there was a glint of anticipation in her eyes.
“Let’s bet on this guy, win a share, and take back the future of the academy.”
“Aaaah!”
The headmaster’s ears were flapping so hard that they looked like they might fall off.
“At last, someone who understands my deepest intentions!”
‘Not at all.’
“I understand what you mean, Mr. Amon, but!”
The headmaster, who pointed to the snail I had named, shook her head.
“Not Hanaslug, he’s the weakest in this race!”
The stern-looking headmaster continued with a look of conviction.
“So trust my judgment as the experienced one. Rumor has it that Jowjow and Steel Slug have spent the last nine years working on their skills, and it’s about time they paid off. Fifty to one, not bad odds.”
“…….”
“But the odds for Hanaslug are a whopping 500 to one, and even the organizers don’t think they have any chance of winning, so let’s stick to the plan and bet on Steel Slug!”
Amon, who had been silently listening to the headmaster’s imposing speech, finally spoke up.
“That’s why I’m betting on Hanaslug.”
“It’s……?”
“Because he’s the weakest.”
“……!”
Amon said, his face serious.
“He may be the weakest, but Hanaslug is also bone and flesh…….In any case, he must have gained the right to climb up the World Tree only after going through desperate training. Despite that, the world’s gaze is only on him being considered the weakest and looking down on him.”
“…….”
“But as I said, with training, Hanaslug’s own prowess would be second to no other snail, and yet the reason he fails to perform is largely psychological.”
The gambling-crazed headmaster nodded seriously at the plausible bullshit, and Amon spoke up as if to drive a wedge.
“But! Such sluggishness can be broken by the ‘expectations’ and ‘beliefs’ of others!”
“……ah!”
“I’m saying that a little faith on our part might just transform Hanaslug into a regal winning snail!”
“Aaah, aaah!”
I shoved reality in the face of the principal, who gasped at the fantasy.
“And the odds are five hundred times, five hundred times!”
“Five, 500 times……!”
“What are you going to do with fifty times the odds, the great forest clan should play big! Don’t you think so?”
The schoolmaster, who was shaking under the constant provocation, quickly reached into her pocket and placed it on the table.
“That’s right, let’s bet on Hanaslug!”
“Yes! That’s it!”
“That, ten gold coins, gah!”
Amon grinned broadly at the blood-curdling screams of the headmaster.
‘Five hundred times the odds?’
No wonder she’s blowing the money.
Now, the Academy will finally be ruined.
* * *
The world tree that the elves hold sacred, it’s a legendary tree that is said to be in contact with the elven race, but only the chosen few get the chance to see it!
Even before Amon had a chance to reflect on the mystery of seeing it for himself, he was already feeling disillusioned with the elven race.
“Come on, come on! Let’s go!”
“Slugfighter! You’re too strong!”
The beautiful elves who surrounded the World Tree in a circle, spewing out screams that seemed to smell like alcohol!
‘I don’t know that I’ve ever fantasized about elves, but this is just too much.’
In the midst of all the carnage, the most shocking sight of all was the headmistress of the school, the most beautiful of the elves, holding the snail’s pole of the snail race, waving it around and screaming.
“Hanaslug! Hanaslug! He is a god!”
Amon rolled his eyes at the ugliness.
‘Why the hell am I here…….?’
Thirty minutes ago.
“Well, Amon, speaking of which, shall we go see him? He’s about to start.”
“What? What are we going to see?”
“The snail race.”
“Me?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I thought you were interested in snail racing?”
That’s how I got pulled into the warp.
Amon, who was pressing his brows to relieve his headache, grabbed the headmaster.
“Headmaster.”
“Katsuaaat!”
“Principal!”
“What are you doing, don’t let go……hot! Are you teacher Amon?”
“Yes, this is Mr. Amon. Are we even starting this, by the way?”
Sure enough, there were giant snails clinging to the world tree.
But there was no sign of movement, and the elf-like creatures had been hooting and hollering for half an hour.
The headmaster looked puzzled when I asked.
“We’re in the middle of a race, right?”
“We are……?”
“Just now, Hanaslug made a move and—ahhh! Got overtaken!”
Amon glared at the snails, but he couldn’t tell which one was slipping and which one was overtaking.
And as he stared, he realized that the snails were moving…slowly, almost imperceptibly.
‘They’re going to get to the top of the world tree at that speed?’
I look up and see the World Tree.
The top of the world tree was covered in clouds.
“Huh.”
“I~ am happy!”
“Haha!”
“Hanaslug is happy!”
“Hahahahaha!”
Amon finally broke down and laughed.
* * *
Exhausted from walking and running to the academy, and traumatized by the event, Amon watched the race for a while before collapsing and falling asleep.
He was awakened a few times by the shouts and screams of the elves along the way, but his exhaustion allowed him to sleep well.
I wonder how much sleep he got.
“Hello…….”
“Ugh, ugh…….”
“Mr…….”
“Ten more minutes…….”
“Mr. Amon!”
Amon woke up angrily at the shaking hand and looked up to see the headmaster crying.
“What, what is it?”
Amon looked around quickly at the suddenly frantic headmaster.
The elves were causing a ruckus, tearing apart the snail shells in all directions.
‘The race is over.’
Which meant.
‘You’ve blown it, and you’ve finally choked the life out of the Academy!’
Amon grinned.
The Headmaster covered her face with her hands and cried!
‘Now I can go back, and they won’t ask me why I came back now that the academy is dead!’
The dream of building a family is nice, but it’s not the only path.
‘I’d rather find another way than spend three more years in this living hell.’
Amon grinned wickedly and grabbed the headmaster by the shoulders.
“Headmaster, calm down, you don’t deserve this!”
“Ahhhhhhhh…….”
“First of all, let’s return to the academy and discuss what to do next. In some cases, we might even consider closing the academy…….”
At that moment, a magically amplified voice boomed out.
-The winning snail of this race is Hanaslug!
I turned my head as if I had been slapped by those words.
“What, what!”
At the same time, the tremor I felt in the shoulders of the principal I grabbed intensified.
“Hmph, hmph, hmph!”
“What the hell…….”
“Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh!”
The principal, who was laughing like a madman, grabbed Amon’s hand and exclaimed with flashing eyes.
“You did it, Mr. Amon!”
“Ahhhhh…….”
“Our plan worked! It worked!”
That’s when the moderator exclaimed in an impressed tone of voice.
-And, to everyone’s surprise, there is only one person who predicted Hanaslug’s victory! So, Hanaslug has requested to shake hands with the person who believed in him! If you bet on Hanaslug, please come to the front of the World Tree!
“Aaaaah!”
“Teacher Amon, I’m so happy!”
“Aaaaah!”
Amon screamed, clutching his head.