After about 20 rounds of trivial questions, we finally gained access to the Research Faction's base, which wasn't even revealed in the game.
As soon as we entered, we felt the presence of many individuals. Dozens, if not hundreds, of beast-like female students were watching us. Every one of them had a slouched posture and wore glasses.
In the dim light of the library, the glint of countless eyes focused on us at once.
Whisk—!
"...?!"
Rota flinched, startled by the sudden influx of attention.
Feeling overwhelmed by a different type of pressure from that of the aristocratic faction students, she approached and clung to my sleeve. As she moved, many of the beast-like female students withdrew into their hiding spots.
Rustle, rustle, rustle—!
Yet, they continued to observe us.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Twitch, twitch, twitch, twitch.
Hundreds of pairs of animal ears twitched repeatedly. The number of people watching us kept increasing, but... they only silently observed. Eventually, I gave up trying to count the sheer number of presences.
"This isn't an anthill; why are they all hiding behind partitions...?"
Through the cracks and bookshelves, they cautiously peered at us, ears of cats, foxes, rabbits, and more, twitching in vigilance.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Twitch, twitch, twitch, twitch.
It was as if a refugee camp had been set up in the library. Some students, apparently eating, had jam or bread crumbs on their faces, while others wore dusty blankets under tables or bookshelves.
"What's the reason for living crammed together in such an old building like a dormitory? And it's eerie how this is the only place within a 100-meter radius where any conversation is happening."
The Research Faction's base was puzzling. The countless stares felt suffocating the more I looked.
So many questions arose. Why were hundreds of people living together if they didn't even converse? And why block the already gloomy building from sunlight?
"I wish I could ask a stray cat."
Thinking such thoughts, I looked at Freya, who was ahead.
Freya was attempting to deliver a light flick to the forehead of a second-year rabbit-eared student holding a note for playing Twenty Questions by the back door.
"You, you crazy girl..."
"Ouch...!"
The rabbit-eared student in glasses ran away, nearly in tears.
Hop, hop, hop...
Sway, sway, sway...
She seemed so slow it looked like she could be caught at any moment. However, Freya was equally slow and failed to catch her.
Hop, hop, hop...
Sway, sway, sway...
Would it look like this if Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi were fighting? It was honestly exhausting to watch.
I couldn't imagine them launching numerous weapons in an attack.
"This is a physical confrontation between magic skill holders...! That Mila girl also possesses [Wave Ether]... and seems stronger than most of the serpent tattooed ones, surprisingly."
In the whole academy city, a top 5 powerhouse and a top 1% powerhouse's physical fight was quite grand. This was a critical flaw of magic skill holders.
Hop, hop, hop...
Sway, sway, sway...
In the end, the forehead flick narrowly missed.
Whoosh—!
Freya spoke with a timid yet furious voice.
"S-Stop right there... you crazy girl, Mila...!"
"Ugh...?!"
Startled by her voice, Mila hesitated, and Freya finally succeeded in flicking her.
Flick—!
The rabbit ears flopped down. Tears welled up in her large eyes as Mila mumbled in frustration.
"Oww... it hurts, Librarian..."
"Y-you crazy girl... arrogant aristocrats wouldn't mimic my way of speaking... a librarian who... can't make such simple inferences...?"
Mila adjusted her glasses, disheveled from the flick, and timidly defended herself. Despite knowing Rota and I were there, she pointedly avoided looking at us.
"B-but... when you said to break free from stereotypes during research, it was you, Librarian, and I just followed that... and I was the one who kept the library safe while you were gallivanting around for months..."
"S-shut up... quiet... that was during research... and the Research Faction's library is sealed... no outsiders can freely enter... what are you even protecting..."
"Eep..."
Mila's excuse was promptly refuted, and she glanced at Rota and me while mumbling.
"Eep... L-Librarian, even if you easily make friends, unlike introverts like me... it’s not that easy to just... answer calls or talk aloud..."
"Th-they’re not friends... just state your business... as long as you don’t make eye contact... it's not that scary..."
"But that's not easy either... and even using the phone without seeing a face is daunting..."
"Q-quiet..."
"Eep... But I did hide and protect the 'First Grimoire' well..."
"That's to be expected!"
"Eeeep..."
Freya's timid rebuke silenced Mila. Yet, her murmuring was incoherent.
"Freya is quite eloquent among the Research Faction students."
The more I learned, the more I realized Freya was well-suited as the leader of the Research Faction. We continued towards our destination under the watchful eyes of the timid Research Faction students.
"..."
"..."
The dark hallway filled with bookshelves and odds and ends. The path leading to the room atop the tower, where only the sound of four people's footsteps and the twitching of hundreds of pairs of animal ears echoed.
Step, step—
Twitch, twitch—
The underground library was surprisingly vast and magnificent. Although it was the oldest building in the school, its enormous scale couldn't compare to a shabby school like <Central Prism Academy>. The underground passages, intertwined like an anthill, housed various facilities, contrary to the eerie exterior resembling a countryside church.
"It's like Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong..."
I wandered, marveling at the library's complex and bizarre appearance. Then I stumbled upon a statue that startled me.
What is this...?
"..."
The statue was taller than Hilda, who was already tall. It depicted a beast-like woman, but its design was too erotic and provocative for the Research Faction's library.
"If <Yggdrasil Gate> wasn't academy-themed but an adult mobile fantasy game... would the beast girls look like this?"
Involuntarily, I scanned the statue from top to bottom.
"..."
Plush cat ears.
Eyes as large as lakes.
Sensually pursed lips.
A chest that seemed about to burst.
A slender waist.
An impressive hip line.
The long, slender legs.
There weren't many ways to describe the statue without using obscene comparisons. Several vulgar words fleetingly crossed my mind.
"..."
No matter how you looked at it, it was indecent. It seemed like a lonely night's dream brought to life.
"The standard of beauty in this world is already high... but this is excessive..."
A statue of a woman you’d call a "madam" rather than a "girl." It reminded me of keywords like "luxury" and "new city."
The statue's shocking visual overwhelmed Clara's youthful sensibility. It was a beast with a physique I had never seen before in this world. The explosive body revealed under scanty clothing was explicit, even evoking emotions from my past male self.
"Wow... I was an otaku in my past life, but this is a bit much."
I couldn't help but feel my face heat up.
As I stood there in shock, Rota approached and tugged on my coat sleeve.
"Senior, is something wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
"Huh...? That statue is just, how should I put it...♪ Ahaha...☆"
"...?"
Rota tilted her head at my words and then replied matter-of-factly.
"That's the statue of the [Golden Witch], isn't it? It's been here since this school was founded. I heard it was moved to the library because aristocratic students kept trying to gild it."
"...?"
"The [Golden Witch] was a historical figure from 1500 years ago, the ancestor of ancient beast nobles, and one of the greatest magicians... She created the spell for golden armor and the magical ether usage method. Because of the [Golden Witch], the beast race holds such a high position today."
"...?"
"I also heard stories of the [Golden Witch] from my sister and wanted to become a great magician like her... Hehe. Probably, all beast races respect her story."
"...?"
"Oh, I guess you wouldn’t know much about her since you're pure-blooded human? Other races prefer the stories of the [Banner of Rebellion] or the [Hero of Lightning]."
"...?"
I know about the [Golden Witch], but I didn't expect her to have such a shocking appearance...
According to the game's depiction, she was supposed to be a more petite, adorable girl.
"...because."
In the original work, though it's a bit further into the future, the next person to use the [Golden Witch]'s magic is—
Tug, tug—!
Rota pulled on my sleeve, urging me.
"More importantly, Freya told me from the room over there to hurry up. She said if you don't come quickly, she'll lie to the [Azure Spear] and say you got hurt..."
"...?!"
Rota's finger pointed upward. While I was idly observing the statue, Freya and Mila had climbed the stairs leading to the tower. Detecting presences only by distance was challenging in such complex terrain.
"Anyway, catching up is a breeze."
However, if Freya jokingly lied like that... I had an ominous feeling of being confined somewhere this time.
"Hilda wouldn't do something like that... would she?"
Worry gnawed at me, and I moved to catch up while shaking off the shock.
"...Yeah☆ Let's follow them~♪ It's a different atmosphere, and I got lost in sightseeing―☆"
Though I referred to the statue, Rota seemed to interpret it differently. She sighed and looked around the Research Faction's library.
"Well... If I knew the Research Faction was this quiet, I wouldn't have glanced at the aristocratic club in the first place—oh?! But I'm not regretting coming to <Central Prism Academy>."
"Hehe, I know―☆"
"Being close with [Azure Spear] or other colors is unfamiliar, and I still don't fully grasp your situation, Senior..."
Rota smiled bashfully and took my hand.
"But I'm glad to have met you and other friends... I learned a lot because of that."
"Good encounters... you mean―☆"
"Yeah, exactly!"
Rota nodded vigorously at my words.
"Oops... we'll be late. Let's hurry to the top of the tower!"
"Okay~♪"
Just before leaving, I read the inscription beneath the [Golden Witch]'s statue.
"..."
"[He who realizes the 'story' left by the Golden Witch shall know the truth.]"
"[He who finds the 'flag' left by the Banner of Rebellion shall raise the waves.]"
"[He who draws the 'sword' left by the Hero of Lightning shall gain shining wings.]"
And below that, in very tiny writing, was another sentence.
"[He who inherits the 'heart' left by the Saint of Sacrifice shall dedicate himself to the world.]"
"..."
[Saint of Sacrifice]. It was a title I didn't recognize.
Written so small that only someone with extreme perception could read it, the message seemed... different from what I knew.
"Senior~!"
Rota's voice called out.
'For now... I'll keep this sense of incongruity to myself.'
If I'm late, Hilda might really confine me.
So we walked toward the "Sage's Room" atop the tower.
The "Sage's Room" at Last.
At the top of the tower, there was a room filled with numerous devices and complex magical diagrams showing the outside environment... resembling an airport control tower.
"Even with the windows thoroughly blocked, they use a magic circle to view outside..."
According to Freya, the "Sage's Room" atop this tower was a kind of magic skill amplifier. By shooting magic from a designated location, it could interfere with magical skills not only in <Barna Public Dormitory> but also in the northern golden district.
Essentially a pseudo-missile interception system...
"Why is that here...? And why wasn't it used in the main story?"
I quietly asked the dozens of Research Faction students maintaining various materials. Surprisingly, they were also higher ether users than the serpent-tattooed students.
"Why is there a means to attack other school students and the golden district here―☆"
Freeze—!
The turtle-necked, glasses-wearing beast girls froze but soon resumed working with twitching ears. They didn't answer my question.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Instead, Freya answered.
"It's... because it's infuriating."
"...?"
"Those arrogant aristocratic bitches who look down on us... it's infuriating... so if push comes to shove... we thought about launching it... a room passed down by the seniors..."
A quiet blade from generations of timidity. I chuckled at the lingering resentment.
"Ahaha...☆"
"Of course, if they knew about this, the aristocratic bitches would throw a fit... but this time, they've really crossed the line... with their rebellion... and <Ratatoskr>..."
Nod, nod
The Research Faction students nodded vigorously.
"So, while being holed up, they prepared a means to go down fighting..."
Probably because the aristocratic faction's disturbance was swiftly suppressed in the main story, it was forgotten or abandoned.
As I came to this conclusion, patiently waiting, the tower room, protected by various barriers, shook from an impact. This disturbance disrupted the magic circles and spells being prepared.
Thud—!
"Kyaaa?!"
"Ugh?!"
"W-what is that?!"
The startled Research Faction students. Among them, librarian Mila adjusted her glasses and reactivated the magic circle showing the outside.
"...?"
"C-could it be that idiot Frau returned?"
"N-no... I can't see outside clearly... at this rate, we can't launch or do anything..."
Countless murderous intents were felt.
Tingle—!
I felt chills run down my spine. The immense presence outside made me break into a cold sweat.
"If this feels like that priest, then... it's him."
I looked at Freya and spoke.
"It seems he's come to this side―☆ ...the priest."
"Is that so? Outside... they must've attached something like cockroaches..."
Freya sighed deeply.
"I thought it was quiet even after I arrived... but to think they'd send a big shot here..."
Below the tower of the Research Faction's library, the area was filled with numerous black silhouettes. Specifically, they resembled the human form of the [Priest of Conflict] cloaked in robes. Like cockroaches, they clung to the surfaces, obscuring the activated magic circle meant for viewing outside.
The [Priest of Conflict]'s authority allowed him to become a collective entity.
Watching from afar, a massive green dragon clicked its mantis-like forelimbs.
"Heh, [Violet Spindle]... and [Scarlet Trajectory]."
The [Priest of Conflict] Offnir recalled the prophecy about a nuisance he despised. There were only two members of the colors who could have pierced through his disciples at the gate to reach this place from <Mimir Industrial High School>.
"Both inferior species were said to be weak in prolonged battles. And [Scarlet Trajectory] was the one who killed the old man..."
Offnir murmured, repeating the advice of a prophet he disliked, steeling his resolve. Though he hated it, he had to use all available means.
A truly detestable situation. But it was also unavoidable. In such moments, that nuisance would bring up inexplicable, strange analogies.
"A Liu Bei joining hands with Cao Cao..."