The shopping district bathed in the evening sunset. Freya walked ahead of me.
“...” “...”
Her original school uniform had become too worn out from the dust storms in the wilderness, so we left it at Grandpa Huata's repair shop and were now on our way back to school.
Freya had taken a shower and changed into a clean training outfit.
‘She doesn't look that odd...’
As I looked at her in that training outfit, I remembered the little incident that had just occurred.
“What… what is this tacky, bright red training suit…” “It’s better than the tight black suit from <Public Banna Boarding School>.” “That… that’s not… it’s high-quality mage engineering… with excellent sweat absorption… But this loose pants thing…”
Apparently, because her school was wealthy, even the gym uniforms were of high quality. So I offered Freya another school's gym uniform I had.
“Ah―☆ Then you want to wear these hot shorts from <Scarlet Academy> that they gave me as a gift―☆ They'll suit you with your pretty legs―☆” “Aren't those just underwear…? Please, the training suit…”
In the end, Freya wore the red training suit from <Central Prism Academy>. And as I watched her, I had a strange feeling.
‘Bel, Maya… it seems like everyone who visits our school ends up trying on the <Central Prism Academy> training suit. I wonder if Hilde will wear it too.’
I couldn’t imagine the noble silver-haired girl wearing the red training suit. But I thought Hilde would look good in anything she wore.
‘Hilde might even look good coming out in loose street pants…’
Of course, someone as dignified and serious as Hilde would never do something so comedic. But it seemed like it would be a fresh and cute shock, precisely because it was so out of character.
“...”
Thinking such thoughts, maintaining a subtle distance, I followed Freya, leading the Red Horse.
Because her steps were smaller, walking together would quickly close the distance. But my steps were slower as I led the Red Horse, so the distance remained slightly off.
A subtle distance. A subtle pace. We shared an awkward silence as we walked.
“...” “...”
Step step Crunch crunch
Quiet footsteps.
The sound of Freya's shoes hitting the gravel-filled ground was like dwarfs grinding their teeth as they slept underground.
As the sun set and it gradually grew darker, I made no sound with my steps, but the gravel crunched noisily beneath her feet.
Her current state seemed somehow similar to that noise.
“...”
Watching her back, I thought.
‘In the game, students from the prestigious magical academy <Public Banna Boarding School> mainly appeared. Freya was treated like a high-performance character allocated to each school.’
<Scarlet Academy>'s Eir. <Central Prism Academy>'s Alvit. <Aesir Girls' High School>'s Brunhild.
They had powerful character performances and left a strong impression in the story. But strangely, despite Freya's abilities, she didn't appear often in the story.
『You ignorant… worms… Do you think that even matters…』
Freya would just say cynical things and disappear. After that, she didn't play an active role in the story, becoming an inconspicuous character on par with Clara’s “I don’t know, I don’t know―☆”. Just a laughingstock for the users.
I carefully observed Freya's back.
‘What kind of story does she have… What thoughts does she live with?’
When she walked, she gingerly stepped with her toes first. Her shoulders slanted, perhaps from reading too many books.
Following her, I could see those things. But I couldn't understand what was truly in her heart.
“...” “...”
The ongoing silence. Walking so quietly, various thoughts crossed my mind. I rang the bell of the Red Horse’s bicycle to ease the awkwardness.
Ding-ding―☆ Ding-ding―☆
We could have quickly returned the way we came, riding the Red Horse to the shopping district. But Freya wanted to walk back slowly, so we were walking.
Freya didn't start any conversation. Our meeting felt awkward in a different way from the first day with Eir. Sensing something amiss, I sighed inwardly.
‘It’s my fault… but things keep going wrong. I feel sorry for her.’
Was it because of Freya's arrogant first impression, wielding dozens of magically created spears and speaking haughtily? In my mind, despite her timid speech, Freya had a strong, arrogant, my-way-or-the-highway image.
‘Even in the game, she had that image whenever she appeared…’
But she seemed to have a much softer inside than I thought.
I watched Freya’s reactions closely.
Watching...
Freya had a subtle expression, lost in thought. A mix of timidity and arrogance in her face. She seemed to make a decision and slowly turned to face me.
“...” “...?”
Freya’s face, highlighted by the sunset, The shadow cast by the setting sun made her expression seem even more resolute.
‘She must have something to say.’
I waited for her to speak, watching her face.
Freya cautiously opened her mouth.
“Pi… Pink brute… Is it true that you… used that, [Forbidden Power] since your first year… and then suddenly disappeared…”
“Ahaha…☆ Forbidden power…”
“And… and recently… when you used it for the last time… lost all your power… and that’s why your hair is bleached… your body as empty as a hollow can…”
I felt a headache coming on as I heard her words.
‘Oh no, not this again…’
Though it was a lie I started, The situation matched so well, it had become the perfect truth of the [Faded Spiral] legend.
Now, even when I told the truth to my peers and juniors, they selectively believed it. It wasn't just them; it was the same for everyone.
‘The tiger I, Bel, and Eir created was indeed powerful…’
So much so that among the students, rumors circulated that it was Eir who defeated the priests of <Ratatosk>.
The students of <Scarlet Academy> eagerly spread tales of my exploits, but the students who hadn’t witnessed the events firsthand only remembered the keyword [Faded Spiral].
‘What I did to squeeze out my last bit of strength and defeat <Ratatosk> with Eir was separated and misinterpreted… I became an unknown weakling who collapsed alone, and Eir became the hero.’
Even though it wasn’t my last bit of strength...
Anyway, it was as if I was Gan Sun-mi in the early stages of Romance of the Three Kingdoms. And Eir was Guan Yu who monopolized others' feats.
Even those who knew the truth misunderstood that I had exhausted all my power and was on the verge of death...
I thought of it as my karma.
‘Well… this misunderstanding is because I started this strange concept without knowing the original story had twisted. It’s my job to correct this for those around me. Even if they criticize me for it.’
What’s important now is sincerity, not the original story.
Though <Ratatosk> might have discovered the original plot, at least Freya would never collude with them. So I smiled wryly and decided to tell her the truth.
“No, no―☆”
“Then…?”
“In my stormy first year―☆ I just boosted my ether capacity to use my cute fists―☆ Like whoosh―☆ Boom~ Something like that? Haha♪”
“...”
“And~ Well~ I took a break… because I misunderstood something…☆ I wanted to protect something very precious… Um~♪ It was a girlish reason, not because I lost my power―☆ My ether was still there until recently♪”
“...”
Her eyes were like jewels, clear purple. I was startled by Freya’s serious face.
That face was no longer the timid, tearful girl… but a determined researcher from the prestigious magical academy <Public Banna Boarding School>.
‘Why is she listening so seriously…?’
Though I was flustered by her gaze, I continued speaking.
“And―☆ Recently, I may have acted a bit unladylike and vigorously, but―☆”
“Stop… stop mumbling like an idiot… Explain it properly…”
I flinched at Freya’s sharp reprimand.
“Ah… okay. Well… Yeah☆ Actually, the lizard… the ‘priest’ was sucking ether from the girls like a mosquito―☆ So I broke it down and forcefully injected it―♪ Then made a splendid debut as the ultimate☆ Clara―☆ But as a result, my ether tank was empty―♪ My hair, poof―☆ Something like that―☆”
“...”
“But… as you can see~☆”
I slowly gathered ether into my hand. Though my recovery was too weak to summon [Unique Ether], I conjured the second-stage [Vibration] ether with my newfound weapon aptitude.
It looked amateurish to a [Unique Ether] user, But it was clear proof that I hadn't lost everything.
“See―☆ I’m becoming strong again from the beginning―☆”
“...”
Freya silently watched, then nodded.
“R-right… starting from the beginning… But you’re still alive…”
“Yeah? Well… perfectly fine―☆”
“Pink brute… what are you… what are you trying to become so strong for…”
“Hmm…☆ In the first year, I thought being strong was everything, but now I just want to fight to protect what’s precious to me―☆ That’s all I wish for♪”
Freya’s eyes widened as she spoke.
“Des… [Destiny]…”
“Yeah? Right! I’ve met a truly destined encounter~ Ahaha―☆ Freya, you’re so romantic~☆ This romantic stray cat―♪”
“Be… be quiet… Always talking about peeing or whatever… I thought you were a moron… but…”
Freya muttered timidly, then nodded.
“I understand… That’s why… your reason…”
“Wow…☆ That’s too much―☆”
＊
Freya stared quietly at Clara.
“...”
‘The soul of this universe’ and ether are completely intertwined with [Destiny].
The maximum amount of ether one can use in a lifetime is determined by [Destiny]. Unless one has a huge [Destiny], their soul will deplete first.
‘The way to use ether allowed by Yggdrasil is to live a life defined by [Destiny], holding a weapon…’
Even if Freya, who explored the truth in the academy city, did not know this as accurate knowledge, everyone living in the academy city subconsciously understood this fact.
No, it was an instinctive law engraved in the realm of the subconscious. ‘Every soul belonging to this universe’ is bound by that law. But Clara was directly defying that law.
‘Discarding weapons and arbitrarily increasing ether use…’
The cost of doing something that ‘every soul in this universe’ feels a deep aversion to…
‘Unless she came from another universe unaffected by Yggdrasil or has two souls… this would eventually lead to complete erasure…’
An absurd thought. What Freya realized about Clara’s situation was that bleak.
What kind of [Destiny] does she have…
‘Really… she’s a foolish brute. Pursuing a [Destiny] even if it means erasing her soul…’
From the moment Freya realized this, she no longer hated Clara. Because Clara, like her, bore an overwhelming [Destiny].