A plump and gigantic chick was crying out in the middle of the school courtyard.
Its feathers were fluffy and a bright yellow. Except for its small beak, which was slightly curved downward… No matter how you looked at it, it just appeared to be an oversized chick.
[The Nameless Hawk] looked up at the sky and cried out mournfully.
“Peep—! It’s so, so cold here! Peep—!” “…” “…” “…” “…” “Peep—! To think I’d awaken in such a remote place instead of the promised land—! Peep—!”
We exchanged glances with each other, trying to communicate silently. And we attempted a more advanced form of nonverbal communication than before.
Albite turned to me and sent a message with her eyes.
-What should we do, Senpai? It looks weak, should we try talking to it? -Ahahaha—☆
“…”
I silently watched the gigantic chick, lost in thought.
‘Bringing back that egg and nest was tougher than any other mission…’
The name of this pathetic chick was [The Nameless Hawk]. Ironically, its name was a contradiction—‘being nameless’ was its name.
It first appeared as a guide when the main storyline transitioned into the conflict with <Ratatoskr>, introduced after the in-game ‘Clara’ had ‘coincidentally’ brought it along.
…and later served as an ally in the final boss battle.
[Hey guys—☆ Look at this~☆ I found it hatched from an egg in an empty dungeon—!] [Peep—! Hero, take me to the promised land—! Peep—!] [Senpai!! What on earth did you bring—?!]
But despite being an important character, there were no hints about its appearance.
It was infuriatingly weak until the boss battle, and to make matters worse, the egg and nest were left in a dungeon… If any chaos beast showed up, it would die pathetically.
‘When I decided to follow the original storyline, this was the most frustrating part… Even if I got everything else right, I had to somehow ‘coincidentally’ find the chick’s egg at the right time.’
So I was forced to abandon the idea of following the original entirely and searched for the location where I thought the chick’s egg might be.
There were only two clues. A dungeon that the ‘weakest Clara’ could have ‘accidentally’ found. A dungeon located in an unexpectedly obscure place where the chick’s egg and nest could have been left unnoticed.
“…”
Relying on those two clues, I spent a year searching through empty dungeons. I even explored underground and cave systems, considering the possibility that the nest might be in an unexpected location.
‘The available information was ridiculously sparse, and even then, it was at the level of a treasure hunt or “just exists.”’
The original Yggdrasil Gate was a mobile game, so the UI and geographical information were incredibly poor. Except for a few clearly marked dungeons, everything else had to be searched or found by instinct.
So, all I could do was ride my red horse and search through every empty dungeon I could find. It was a grueling task, searching every nook and cranny that the ‘crazy Clara’ might have explored.
‘If I hadn’t thought about Freida-senpai and the future of the academy city, I wouldn’t have been able to do it…’
After a year… I finally succeeded in finding the nest and the egg. I then sealed it securely next to the underground storage of <Central Prism Academy>.
‘It’s been peeping from the egg since I locked it up underground… and now it’s finally awakened.’
A story of hardship that could bring tears to your eyes. Only Hilde knew the truth in this world.
‘She seemed to understand it more as a kind of prophecy or revelation rather than talking about games and original works.’
Even Hilde, who waited for me for a year, nodded and comforted me when she heard the story.
-So sad…☆ That’s why I ate bread out of sadness that day—☆ -I see. “Lara eats bread when she’s sad.”… -Huh? Why are you writing that down? -It’s a personal habit. But… Lara, why do you eat bread when you’re sad? Isn’t it more efficient to think about solving the problem?
Recalling the struggles of that year, I felt a surge of pent-up frustration from deep within my heart.
So I felt like playing a small and mischievous prank on the little creature that had finally awakened.
Grinning, I sent a message with my eyes to Albite, who was watching me.
-Isn’t that just some tasty new bird meat—☆ How about we cook it up for dinner? -Huh…? It’s talking, though… Eating a sentient being seems a bit…
At that moment, Rota, who had caught my message, perked up her orange cat ears and blinked her eyes. She then mouthed a message, adding to the conversation.
-It doesn’t look like a chaos beast or a <Ratatoskr> follower… If it’s a new species, wouldn’t it be good for research? -And by the way, those yellow feathers are really pretty. How about we pluck them and make a blanket? -Ugh, I bet it would smell awful. -That’s just Rota’s prejudice. With the secret technique passed down from my foster father, I can make a comfortable bed out of it. -Instead, let’s call Freya-senpai and send it to <Public Bana Boarding School>’s dissection lab!
A research specimen or an interior decoration material. The chick’s fate was being decided at that moment.
-Well, I guess… Maybe we should at least try talking to it first… -Ahahaha—☆ Normally, you should assert dominance in situations like this. Why not threaten it by saying we’ll eat it if it doesn’t confess its identity?
The juniors caught my message and exchanged glances.
“...” “...” “...”
Nod—
Instead of talking to [The Nameless Hawk], we decided to casually start preparing dinner.
We brought out a large pot, Filled it with water from the ether faucet, And started heating it over a large bonfire that had somehow already been set up.
Clatter— Clatter— Bubble bubble…
[The Nameless Hawk] started screaming in a voice that sounded like a shy boy sitting in the back of the class. Despite its size, it was covering its chest with its oversized wings.
“Peep—! Stop that! Don’t look at me like that! Peep—!” “...” “...” “...” “...” “Peep—! Why are you cooking outdoors and glancing at me? I checked this place, and there’s a proper kitchen over there! Peep—!” “...” “...” “...” “...” “Peep—! You’re planning to eat me, aren’t you?! Like savages! You’ll throw me into that evil, filthy pot! You’ll chop me up into small pieces, boil me in pumpkin and turnip broth with fragrant spices until I’m tender and tasty—! Peep—!” “...” “...” “...” “...” “Please, say something—! Peep—! I am the ‘God of Order’! I have a mission to fight the ‘Chaos Dragon’ and continue the era of order…! I can’t end up as a stew after this pathetic resurrection…!”
[The Nameless Hawk] seemed to have thought of something and hurriedly started hopping towards us. The ground trembled lightly with each jump due to its size.
“Th-that’s right…! Peep! Girls over there! I sense a noble and heroic destiny within you! Peep—! Please help me defeat the ‘dragon’… and return this world to the age of order—!”
Albite, stunned by the grand words, blurted out a response.
“H-hero? Us?” “Indeed!” “…Why?” “Because it is your [Destiny]!” “Heh…”
Then Kara interjected with an unusually cynical tone.
“Isn’t this a common scam tactic? I’ve heard that flattering the target is the first step in a con. Even my foster father got scammed like that.” “Oh dear… I made such a mistake.” “Peep—! How could I, a god, deceive you—!”
And so, [The Nameless Hawk] continued spoiling the world’s lore and trying to persuade us.
“...” “...”
But the conversation was losing its impact as it drifted into increasingly metaphysical and theological topics.
“Eh.” “Huh.”
Albite, who had been peeling onions, turned away indifferently, And Kara, who had been chopping firewood with an axe, shrugged her shoulders. Seeing that the two didn’t believe him, [The Nameless Hawk] pounded its chest in frustration.
“...”
Rota, who had been stirring the large pot with a ladle, twitched her orange cat ears once before falling into deep thought.
“Hmmm—☆”
I was at the sink washing vegetables, still watching [The Nameless Hawk] mumble to himself.
‘Well, I think we’ve teased it enough… It’s time to move things along.’
I casually approached [The Nameless Hawk]. The three juniors tilted their heads as they watched me.
“Senpai?” “Senpai comrade?” “…Senpai?” “Peep—! You’re finally going to talk to me! Thank you, girl!”
[The Nameless Hawk] looked at me with hopeful eyes.
‘But how did it convince anyone in the original story that it was really a god?’
Something happened, but it’s been over two years, so I can’t quite remember.
Ironically, I remember all the tactics and strategies I used every day, but I can’t recall the finer story-related details.
‘Well… if Albite believed it, it must have been something relatively reasonable.’
Trusting in the chick’s sense, I put on a confident smile in front of it.
“Hmmm—☆ Did you think this is the first time we’ve seen a beast god?” “What…? Of course it is! Peep! The two gods are dead, and the only beast gods left on this earth are the dragon and the hawk—!” “Hmmm…☆”
This guy. He doesn’t know what the prophet did afterward.
“Haha, that’s hilarious—♪ Then how about proving to me, the senior of <Central Prism Academy>, that you’re really the ‘God of Order’—☆” “Oh, as expected from the [Saint]! You understand! You’re trying to see the center of this world before anyone else! Peep—!”
Huh? What did he say?
But before I could ask…
The creature opened its giant beak wide and aimed it at me.
“Witness the center of the World Tree… the empty seat of the god, the fountain of destiny—!” “…What?”
Gulp—!
‘Wait, hold on…!’
With a warm and moist sensation, I heard the distant voices of my juniors calling out in alarm.
“Senpai?!” “You bastard!!” “Senpai—!!”
As I was swallowed up to my waist, I was startled when, instead of seeing its throat, I was engulfed by a vast darkness. A strange, starry darkness, like space.
“…Oh, no.’
Like a heroine from a lewd comic, I had been swallowed up to my waist, and what I saw before me was…
“…?”
…Space. There were three familiar chairs.
A pink-haired girl lying on the chairs like a bench looked at me in surprise.
“Huh…?” “…It’s been a while, Urd.” “Oh, long time no see—☆” “...” “...” “...” “...S-so why are you here—☆ Ah?! Could it be, you’ve already had another near-death experience~♪ You’re really such a troublemaker—☆” “That’s not it. Um, how should I put this…” “...”
Urd tilted her head and asked me a question.
“Why are you hanging halfway out of a hole in midair…?” “...”
Right… Why am I in this position? I’d like to know that too.