I had gone to the hill with Albit, indulging in a soliloquy full of death flags, but fate couldn’t claim my life.
As expected, Pingcheng is invincible. The essence of Pingcheng is a gag character. I’m a sturdy gag character☆
In any manga, gag characters never die!
Ufufu☆ Eliminating a character with such an alluring figure like Pingcheng from the narrative would be a great loss for the game company—☆ I’m even willing to wear a slingshot or bunny girl outfit, so prepare to open your wallets♪
…
What am I even thinking? These days, strange thoughts flood my mind if I space out even a little.
Anyway, the words I said to Albit weren’t meant in that way.
Though they ended up sounding like last words before a final battle, they weren’t spoken with the intention of dying.
I just wanted to leave her with some encouraging words and memories that Frida-senpai had once shared with me.
‘Above all, she’s the junior I’ve known the longest.’
Isn’t it better to pass down good words through generations?
So, without riding Red Hare , I returned to the school in an instant using [Bifrost].
“Ah, it’s about time for me to head back.”
“Pretty tight schedule~☆ Should I ask Hilde to let you rest today? If I say I want to have a meal with my juniors...”
Upon hearing that, Albit made a disgusted face.
“Whaaat…? If you say that, senpai, it’ll really put me in a weird position… I can handle it, so please don’t do that.”
“Hahaha—☆ You should rest when you’re tired~ You’re close with Bell and Sieglinde anyway, so why are you so worried—☆”
“You need to separate work from personal matters. I’m still an apprentice. Just because I’m close with the seniors doesn’t mean I can slack off. That would push Hilde-senpai’s schedule back.”
Albit placed one hand on her chest and spoke solemnly, as if taking an oath. If this were a manga, there would be a sparkly effect above her head.
This kid. So diligent.
‘Although she’s driven by her mission, at her core, she’s endlessly...’
Without any intention of taking it easy, Albit was getting ready to go for her handover training. So I offered to take her directly with [Bifrost].
“…Well, that’s... thank you. That ability is really convenient.”
Albit thanked me and went into her room. In the meantime, I used Pingcheng Vision to check on the other juniors.
“Kkyaa—☆”
Cara, Lotta, and Pip were still exploring the Misty Plains. I could clearly see them trudging around.
‘You have to rely on luck to find the Standard of the Rider ...’
Just like how the Grimoire of the Golden Witch had suddenly appeared, I thought the Standard of the Rebellious Rider might also just show up out of nowhere.
‘I did craft the hint from the game like a prophecy and passed it on through Urd...’
But today seemed to be a bust as well. After dropping off Albit, I’ll have to pick them up from the Misty Plains.
But... There was something I needed to do first.
I wrapped up the collapsed Red Hare in a waterproof cover to prevent it from rusting any further and placed it in a corner of the storage room.
Creak...
Even though I set it down as gently as a feather, the parts rattled and made an uneasy sound. It was just a bicycle, but it sounded like a dying horse.
“...”
Covering it with the white waterproof tarp, Red Hare sat lonely in a dark corner of the storage room. It looked like a corpse laid out in a funeral home.
So, I stood there in the school’s storage room, surrounded by the school’s equipment.
“...”
I glanced around the storage room. Many of the things I had collected since my first year were gone.
‘Living with four people, things got used up faster than I expected.’
Instead, the items that the juniors had brought from dungeon gates and other schools had increased.
Old books that Lotta had brought and Cara’s useless inventions filled the space. Albit’s practice weapons, which she had maintained herself, were also there.
Now, the only thing in this room that I could say was truly mine was the Red Hare wrapped in the white tarp.
That’s why the white tarp stood out so much.
‘If I just leave Red Hare here, by the time the juniors are in their second or third year, there won’t be enough space in the storage room.’
Perhaps...
After the main story of Yggdrasil Gate , new students might flood in. They’ll enroll, following their amazing seniors, and the place will be bustling.
To them, this Red Hare would just be meaningless clutter.
“...”
Looking at the lonely Red Hare , I made up my mind.
‘I’ll take it with me when I graduate.’
If I forced repairs and continued riding it, it might completely fall apart in the battles that lie ahead.
It would be safer to leave it here quietly until graduation.
‘I’ll take it out and repair it with new parts.’
Even if I have to replace everything, I’ll restore it as much as possible to its original form.
‘And I’ll create new memories with it.’
I wanted to ride it with Hilde, go on lots of walks, and explore.
‘Until then... rest for a while.’
You’ve done well.
“...”
I closed the door to the storage room. Then I returned to the dormitory.
“I’m ready, senpai.”
“Yeah♪”
I took Albit’s hand as she emerged from her room with her backpack on. Her hand felt soft, as if she had applied hand cream.
“Are you ready, Al?” “Huh?” “Of course, Clara☆” “...Your sudden remarks are starting to feel normal to me.” “Are you ready, Al?” “...” “Are you ready, Al?” “Of course, Clara☆” “Hahaha—☆ Make sure to naturally call Hilde-senpai by her name too~ She’s more sensitive than she appears, so she’ll notice—☆” “I-I’ll try...”
With an attack from Pingcheng on one side and Hilde on the other, Albit nearly lost her mind.
Flash—!
A rainbow-colored spiral wrapped around us. I dropped Albit off in front of the main entrance of the United Student Council building.
“I’ll be back.”
“Yeah♪ Take care~”
I turned and walked away. Lately, all the friends in the United Student Council were busy, so I didn’t want to bother them by hanging around.
“...”
Before leaving, I glanced back. I looked beyond the United Student Council building to the barrier and the towering World Tree beyond it.
‘For some reason, spatial movement doesn’t work near the World Tree at all... I wonder if it’s some kind of balance patch.’
Or maybe it’s an unfinished map. The space around there felt strangely jumbled and chaotic.
It was like how in a manga, only a few pages are mixed up in different languages, giving off a strong sense of unease.
‘Maybe Eir should burn it all down to snap it out of it.’
Anyway, I was relieved that I didn’t have to worry about the Prophet suddenly launching a dung bomb on top of the World Tree through spatial movement. There wouldn’t be any way to deal with that.
Even a big tree like that can roll around.
“...”
But what’s the point if it’s usually so useless? Ugh, that obscene tree that’s always leeching off dragons.
‘Why does Anna even worship that thing as a god?’
It was still a mysterious, cultish rural tradition that I didn’t understand.
As I walked away, I checked on the juniors who were on the search quest using [Find Pinkpink Vision☆].
As expected, they looked exhausted. Their enthusiasm had hit rock bottom, and they were hanging their heads.
‘I think it’s time to call it a day.’
The Pingcheng bullet taxi is on its way.
“Kkyaa—☆”
Flash—!
The rainbow-colored spiral wrapped around me. In the blink of an eye, I covered the 100-kilometer distance.
‘It’s truly overpowered.’
The damp wind of the plains brushed my cheeks. Before me were Cara, Lotta, and Pip, all sitting there with tired expressions.
“Ta-da—☆ Pingcheng has arrived like a champ—!”
“Whew... comrade senpai, today’s harvest was another bust.”
“What a shame. What a shame—☆”
Cara was sitting on top of dozens of poles piled up like firewood. Lotta was lying against the massive Pip.
“I just want to go home and rest...” “Peep— The thick fog drains my energy for some reason.”
Twitch—
Lotta’s cat ears twitched disapprovingly.
“Pip, you didn’t do anything.” “Peep! Can’t you do something about that disrespectful nickname? This body is the avatar of the beast god— I am called The Nameless Falcon , peep.” “You keep making peeping noises, so what else would you be? And what do you mean your name is ‘Nameless’? That’s just weird.”
Pip had a sullen expression. Even though he was a chick, his expression was surprisingly clear.
“Peep... Lady Witch, you are truly cruel.” “Hmph. I’m not a witch worthy of that title yet.”
“Peep— If you’re not the witch who inherits the magic of the Golden Witch , then what are you?”
“Shhh—! It’s a matter of pride! At least until I can fulfill what I swore to the witch, I won’t call myself a ‘witch’!!”
Lotta scratched her head and stomped her feet.
“Ugh...! If I just study fairy tale magic a little more, I’ll be able to connect everyone’s ether skills...! At least if I could reach [Unique Ether]...!”
“Hang in there. Peep.”
I couldn’t help but feel awkward.
‘In the game, it seemed to work out with a simple ‘Anyway, it works’...’
Since both Urd and I had only indirect experience, we were getting stuck on the parts that required actual skill.
Awkward...
Pip clattered his beak for a moment, then suddenly froze. He wrapped his wings around his belly, looking unsure of what to do.
Gurgle—
“Guh...?! Ugh... my, my stomach...?! Peep—!”
“Huh?” “I, it feels like the goddess is pounding on my stomach wall... peep.”
“Urd... is?”
“Peep, peep—! Saint! P-please respond to the goddess’s call! I feel like my lunch is about to come up—!”
Pip’s beak opened wide in desperation. Cara and Lotta decided to rest until the issue was resolved, so they extended their arms and dived into his mouth.
Gulp—
They moved through the narrow passage, wiggling their waists and hips as they went. It was a smooth, snake-like motion.
‘This sucks.’
Honestly, the slippery, warm sensation was something I could never get used to. Still, it was better than getting stuck halfway like before.
‘But it still sucks.’
Before I knew it, I had landed softly in the vast space.
*Tap☆
“Pingcheng has arrived like a champ—☆”
“Huh...?”
There was Urd, standing on a chair, gently scratching a mysterious pink wall that had appeared in the air. She looked at me with a surprised expression.
I grinned and greeted her cheerfully.
“Oh dear—☆ What’s with that expression when you’re seeing an old friend—☆”
“Clara, you...?” “Hm? What’s up? Are you surprised to see two adorable Pingchengs—☆”
“...”
Urd had a strange look on her face.
It was a mix of pity and shock. It was like the expression of a daughter who had just caught her father in her room wearing a woman’s ballet outfit.
“...” “...”
I felt a sense of unease.
Oh. Come to think of it...
‘Why isn’t the pretty filter turning off?’
Astrid appeared once again on the plains, shrouded in yellow mist. She pulled out a massive yellow greatsword from the mist and shouted.
“Ho~ hoho—! You there! The black knight! I, the noble of the night, have already taught you the virtue of mercy—!”
“…Ssshhh.”
There was a black armor figure there, ready to swing a black greatsword. The sword was pointed at the hazy figures of several students from various schools.
-Where... am I...? -I was definitely in the workshop...
Were they ghosts? Were they illusions? Their forms were so indistinct that it was impossible to tell.
But Helina, clad in black armor, was resolute. Her voice seeped out from between her black helmet.
“Ssshhh... They are merely remnants born from the abyss. They could be dangerous if they meet those who live in the light.”
Astrid’s red eyes filled with pity.
“…They didn’t come here by choice. Just send them back into the mist.”
“Ssshhh... That doesn’t matter. Now that I’ve seen these apparitions rise from the earth, I must deal with them decisively. That is the duty of us black knights.”
“Ho~ hoho!! Then, I shall once again teach you about mercy!!”
Somewhere on the Misty Plains, the yellow and black greatswords clashed once again.