A dim and dark afternoon. The lively energy of midday was gone, replaced by a calm stillness.
The academy city, once bursting with vibrant energy, now felt unnervingly quiet.
No, it wasn’t calmness; it was closer to a sense of unease.
It was a time when the crisp autumn wind and the still-warm sunshine should have been present. But that expectation vanished along with the bluish mist that had appeared.
For the past few days, the mist had been continuously rising.
At first, it appeared gradually in the plains surrounding the academy city. But as the mist began to spread, it eventually covered the entire city.
“Sigh…”
First-year students wandering around the grounds of Mimir Industrial High School turned back from the streets. It was an unusual choice for them, who were always on the lookout for something fun since enrolling.
“Ugh, it’s cold. I don’t feel well either...” “Yeah, me too.” “Let’s just go back to the dorm.” “Yeah, even the seniors have been looking weird lately. Is it because of this mist?” “Well, we haven’t seen proper sunlight for days… And the mist has even blocked the trains connecting us to the outside world.” “Not that it mattered much since people without any Ether aptitude couldn’t come to this city anyway… But it’s a bit scary, like we’re trapped.” “Yeah…” “Anyway, let’s go to our rooms and play cards.” “Yeah.”
The dwarven workers at the factory closed their doors early and patted each other on the shoulder. The faces that usually greeted students with bright smiles were now grim.
“Hm, maybe it’s the humidity, but the frame feels like it’s creaking. I don’t know if it’s just me, but even breathing is hard, and I’ve been having nightmares too.” “Same here… I’ve tried changing the fueling method and applying lubricant in the morning, but it’s not helping.” “With logistics delayed these days, it’s scary to even try doing anything.” “Yeah… And I’ve been seeing things, like students passing by on empty streets.” “You whippersnappers acting like you’re rusting already, and you’re not even 50 years old. Back in my day, if our joint fibers tore, we’d stitch them back together with our bare hands, you punks. Tsk tsk… Kids these days have no grit.” “Grandpa, you cried about a loose screw when you bumped into the doorframe the other day. Even a three-year-old can tighten a screw by themselves.” “…”
The conversation ended as the old dwarf silently fled. The dwarf in the bread hat, who had been listening, suddenly glanced at the mist and muttered.
“I wonder if Cara is doing okay...”
Cara, the giant-blooded girl who was adopted into the dwarf artisan village. He wondered if she was doing well, considering how she always treated the dwarves with respect, even though they were often looked down upon by the students.
“Well… she should be fine.”
Cara was the type to get along well wherever she went, always cheerfully calling everyone "comrade." With that thought, the bread-hatted dwarf headed to the dormitory for the workers.
At that moment, the ground shook slightly.
Rumble—
“What?!”
A sudden earthquake. The timid dwarf immediately tried to run to a safe spot, but the tremor disappeared as quickly as it had come.
“…”
Earthquakes had been frequent, along with the thickening mist.
“...I should head back. I’m worried about steel beams falling on my head.”
Fearing that the factory roof might collapse, the bread-hatted dwarf looked around at the sky. Because of this, he didn’t notice the apparition that passed by and returned without incident.
Thus, everyone in the academy city retreated to their rooms with dark expressions.
Only a few knew that something was happening. But instinctively, they sought safety.
And what played a decisive role in their choice was the announcements sent by the student councils of each school.
Broadcasts that were different from usual… Calm yet clear announcements.
Amid the thick mist, the loudspeakers installed in each school’s grounds began to broadcast.
The voice was calm, but the content was alarming.
[This is an announcement from the United Student Council and Mimir Industrial High School . Due to the mist currently covering the entire academy city, numerous missing persons have been reported. For the safety of students residing in the eastern region, please refrain from going outside, and if you must go out, please stay within the designated school grounds...]
The students who had returned to their rooms flinched.
Were there really that many students who had disappeared into the mist?
Even if you have Ether abilities, you could die if you get lost and starve…
‘So many reckless students...’
Thinking such thoughts, They quickly abandoned any curiosity about venturing into the mist.
They huddled under their blankets in their rooms, Waiting for the mist to pass.
[The president and the next president of the United Student Council are swiftly responding to this situation, so please be careful not to wander into the mist…]
With quick responses from each school to the strange phenomenon, a sense of relief mixed with anticipation for tomorrow spread.
They recalled the reliable appearance of the new student council president from the recent Combat Festival.
‘The new student council president seems trustworthy.’
The rumors about the vague ghosts in the mist, which should have spread with anxiety, were quietly fading away.
“Thank you, everyone, for your hard work. I’ll be off now.” “You too, President. Thank you for your efforts.”
Skadi , the student council president of Mimir Industrial High School , confirmed that the broadcast was transmitted correctly and left the broadcasting room.
Following her out was Katrin , the interim student council president of Svart Industrial High School and, in truth, a hostage. Unlike a typical confident dark elf, she was trembling as she spoke.
“A-Are there really that many people missing in the mist?” “…?”
Skadi turned back with wide eyes.
“The kids around here say that there are terrifying ghosts in the mist… They think everyone got dragged away by the ghosts… And now they’re saying the academy city is about to go to war with the ghosts…”
“…”
Her brown skin made it hard to see, but Katrin’s face was pale.
‘Is she really scared of ghosts?’
It was almost amusing to see a group of resourceful dark elves, who often used phrases like “Damn—!” trembling in fear of ghosts…
‘…They’re still elves, but they’re kind of cute.’
Skadi found the dark elves’ reaction endearing but didn’t show it.
“There are no missing persons. Other students are patrolling as well.”
“What?”
“If you tell the students in the academy city not to go into the mist because there are ghosts, do you think they’ll listen? They’d probably rush out to see the ghosts.”
Katrin had to admit that the students in the academy city were indeed that kind.
“…I suppose so?” “Exactly.”
Skadi turned and continued walking. Katrin nodded in understanding but suddenly stiffened.
“…So the ghosts are real?” “…” “Um, excuse me? It’s scary when you don’t say anything. Senpai? President? My lord? Master? Please say something...!” “…”
Shhh—!!
“Yop—☆”
I delivered a chop to the mouth of the chaos bug that dared to show its head. Watching the adult chaos bug twist in pain was hilarious.
‘If it’s going to hurt that much, it shouldn’t have come out of the dungeon in the first place—☆’
Take my cutie pretty punch☆! *Wham☆
Roar—!!
“Hahaha—☆”
The adult chaos bug even started laughing along with me.
The way its black, shiny body wiggled its pincers made it look like it was laughing hysterically!
Crab-crab dance time—☆ Wiggle those pincers, up and down~
It’s great that everyone is happy when they laugh. Oh, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to let it go—☆
Even if I’m laughing, I can’t let you off the hook!
The chaos bug then showed me its sharp teeth, which looked like Ether conductors, and smiled.
-Hahaha—☆
Hmph! Lame flirting… Zero points.
Ah… By the way, the laughter of the chaos bug was just my imagination. No matter how big a bug is, it can’t laugh, right?
Anyway, I "borrowed" Astrid’s greatsword and smashed its skull, and once again, the chaos bug exploded with laughter.
A literal explosion.
Boom—!!
Wow~♪ What an awesome fireworks display… It would’ve been romantic to watch it with Hilde.
“Hoo—☆ When this fight is over, Hilde and I will go watch fireworks together♪”
Eek☆ Another sneak attack death flag—♪ Lately, I’ve been trying to set as many death flag lines as possible.
Because… when you multiply a negative by a negative, it becomes a positive!
Clang—!
As I lowered the yellow greatsword, it returned to Astrid. It’s a merciful sword, just like its kind owner... and with just one blow, I could smash a head to pieces.
Unfortunately, Astrid’s Ether skill [Eternal Stage] was closely linked to the vampire species’ unique traits, so I couldn’t "borrow" it.
I would’ve liked to wear a yellow dress and dance in the mist at least once...
Anyway, what was I doing out here in the plains, fighting chaos bugs?
‘Hmm… What was I doing?’
With that thought, I slapped my own cheek.
Slap—!
“…”
With a sharp shock, memories of the Yggdrasil Gate came back to me.
…
I remembered.
‘It’s not over yet.’
There are still things I need to remember. There are things I need to hold onto from his memories.
Remember.
What was I doing?
‘I informed the United Student Council that this phenomenon is a precursor to a great disaster. And I shared the last bit of main story information I knew with Hilde.’
What was I trying to do?
‘To stop Ratatosk ’s final interference and variables, I came to this place... the Misty Plains. As expected, followers and chaos bugs were appearing all over the plains.’
Good. I remembered.
I nodded and looked ahead.
The eerie Misty Plains. The vast plains were shrouded in mist, and the corpses of chaos bugs were scattered throughout.
Stakes were swaying in the wind everywhere. In the dim light, the stakes left behind by the Rebellious Rider , who was once known as one of the Three Heroes , stood like silent sentinels.
And then, Lotta came rushing toward me, calling out.
“Senpai! Are you okay? Why did you suddenly slap yourself?”
“Haha—☆ It’s this weather… I got sleepy and couldn’t help it☆”
I gently scratched Lotta’s orange cat ears, sensing her unease. She purred softly, then spoke with concern.
“…Don’t push yourself too hard. We can fight now too.” “Yeah♪ I’ll be careful next time—☆” “But you always push yourself.”
Muttering with dissatisfaction, Lotta returned to searching for the stakes.
Suddenly, yellow mist appeared, and Astrid materialized, probably startled by the sudden borrowing of her greatsword.
“W-What’s going on?! Why did my greatsword suddenly disappear?!”
Her speech was all over the place.
I greeted her politely, like a servant. I had decided to humor her character once.
“It was nothing, noble of the night—☆” “…It’s hard to say it was nothing when I see this…”
Astrid looked around the blood-soaked plains with a shocked expression. Then she narrowed her eyes, focusing on a specific point.
Wooong—
With a small tremor, A hazy figure appeared, wandering aimlessly.
“...” “...”
Astrid and I kept watch, ensuring no one approached "it." But unlike Helena, we did not view it as an enemy.
The echoes that reverberated through this land were remnants of those who once existed here.
“Let’s just let them go.” “Yeah.”
Astrid scattered yellow mist around the echo to keep people from approaching. Then she looked at me and spoke.
“…From what I can see, this situation seems far more dangerous than we imagined. Don’t you agree?” “Yeah.” “I’ve dealt with many non-human entities who manipulate the mist, but this is the first time I’ve seen such a clear apparition speaking like this.” “…”
Astrid’s blonde hair fluttered in the damp wind of the plains.
“What lies beyond that place?” “…”
The mist was rising thickly in that area. It felt as though I could hear a low wailing sound coming from beyond.