Brunhilde was swiftly moving, her thoughts racing as she processed the situation.
“…”
With the second semester just around the corner, reports had come in about Chaos Insects appearing in the wilderness near Golden Street. She immediately suspected it was related to <Ratatoskr>.
'The phenomenon of Chaos Insects appearing outside dungeon gates, known as the "Erosion Phenomenon," was supposed to be tied to the power of the now-deceased [Priest of Erosion]. So why has it suddenly reappeared?'
After the Serpent's attack, they had strengthened their defenses. There should have been no gaps for this to happen.
“…”
The situation felt off. Rather than sending subordinates, it was faster for the strongest person—herself—to check it out personally.
'Even if it’s a trap set by the Prophet, leaving it unattended could put the students at risk…'
As the protector of this academy city, it was her duty to safeguard the students. No matter the situation, that duty remained unchanged.
'If this is the Prophet's doing, he might have anticipated that I would be the one to respond.'
In that case, this could be her opportunity to directly confront and judge the Prophet.
“…”
Recently, Clara had been giving Brunhilde advice, saying that the person called the "Prophet" might be someone she knew well. She provided insights into his personality, the knowledge he likely possessed, and the things he might misunderstand.
And then there were the insults.
Coward. Slowpoke. Idiot. Clumsy, oblivious fool.
“…”
Brunhilde had felt a twinge of jealousy gnawing at her from that moment. She was surprised to see Clara speak so extensively about another person—it was the first time she had witnessed such a thing.
'No matter how I look at it, they must have been deeply connected in their past lives…'
Could it be… Could it be that you, Clara…
“…”
Even those juniors Clara cherished were dismissed with simple comments like, "They’re nice," "They cook well," or "They like scythes and hammers." While Clara wasn’t great at expressing herself, it was mostly because she didn’t pay much attention to other people’s characteristics.
For Clara to describe someone so thoroughly—almost as if she were talking about herself—gave Brunhilde chills, though she didn’t show it.
'Could he have been her lover in a past life? Was the Prophet a woman back then?'
Could this be a love rivalry?
The thought alone made her breathless, unable to continue imagining further. Her heart pounded, and she felt like she might go mad with rage, so she used [Gungnir] to calm herself.
Kurrung—!
“…”
She was calm now.
“…”
Regardless of their past genders, the fact that Clara might have left a lover behind in a previous life was something Brunhilde found unforgivable.
Should I crush them right now so that they can never return? The thought crossed her mind, but she couldn’t confront Clara based on mere suspicion.
If she drove Clara away now, she feared it would cause irreparable emotional damage. This time… this time, she would approach with extreme caution and care.
That way, the fruit she tasted would be all the sweeter.
…The thought of soft, tender skin and sticky love made her tremble. Even imagining it made her swallow hard.
Brunhilde was always ready.
'Clara, however, doesn’t seem ready yet…'
Despite her silent interrogation, Clara never revealed the exact nature of her relationship with the "Prophet" in their past lives. She only emphasized that he was a dangerous person who must be stopped at all costs. She described him as an uncontrollable variable that could not be negotiated with.
'Just the fact that he was involved with <Ratatoskr>, which harmed Clara, is reason enough to kill him.'
But if he was a common enemy, she would need to approach the situation more carefully.
A person who knew the [Fate] of this world. Someone who had a vague understanding of the future. It didn’t feel like a coincidence that two such individuals appeared in the same era.
The fact that the fate of the world was to be decided during her time at the peak of this academy city… it truly felt like a twist of fate.
'…A foreigner, just like Clara, who came from outside this world.'
Clara had told her that the Prophet might attack the [Fate of the Three Heroes], so she planned to distract him by drawing attention at <Holy Alfenheim High School>.
Thus, one would guard the [Fate of the Three Heroes], While the other protected the path to Yggdrasil.
All summer long, they waited for the Prophet to make his move.
And finally… an anomaly had occurred. A few adult Chaos Insects had appeared in the wilderness.
Kuuwoooorrrr—!!!
Massive insects, the size of three-story buildings, were gathered in the middle of the wilderness near the Ether Train tracks.
“…!”
As soon as Brunhilde spotted them, she unleashed dozens of lightning bolts and shot into the air.
With her movement, the tails of lightning stretched out like a lion's mane, each streak containing destructive power and electric force. The spears of lightning connected behind her, transforming into what appeared to be a radiant spear made of pure lightning.
She became a colossal spear of lightning, descending from the sky.
At the moment of impact, a flash of light burst forth.
The entire field of vision turned white with the shock.
Kwooooom—!!!
An explosion created a crater, which was then filled by falling earth, covering it like rain.
Kurrurung—!!
Dozens of lightning bolts split and surrounded the physical force of the lance. It was as if a god was hammering the ground with a massive hammer, pounding the giant black insects that had emerged from below.
The Chaos Insects were crushed to oblivion within.
Light. Flash. Destruction.
Screeech—!!! Keeiiieeeck—!!!
And then, silence.
All that remained were the numerous bloodstains and scattered flesh across the ground. Warm chunks of meat and blood, amidst the cold embrace of death.
The scent of death was etched between the remnants of destruction. Brunhilde calmly walked out from the carnage.
“…”
The thunderous lightning, which had once threatened to tear the sky apart, now echoed as a distant rumble.
Without any warning, a black veil materialized in the air.
And from it emerged a 10-meter-long dragonfly and the Prophet.
“…I’ve found you. Reincarnator.” “…?” “You know the truth of this world, don’t you? The <Yggdrasil Gate>.” “…”
Brunhilde tilted her head slightly at his words. If she had heard this out of the blue, she might not have understood, but she knew more about it than anyone else in this academy city.
'Reincarnator? I see, the Prophet has mistaken me for Clara.'
As she processed this thought, a deep voice emanated from the dragonfly-like creature, filled with a girl’s vengeful mutterings.
[You’re the one… you’re the one who killed the [Priest of Erosion], Graff Voldur, aren’t you? You slaughtered our greatest priest so… so cruelly…! I’ll kill you! Inferior species…!]
The Prophet, pressing down on the dragonfly's head, spoke in a low, almost teacher-like tone.
“Moen, suppress your hatred. Now is the time to deal with this calmly.” [Shut up! If you didn’t have a way to save him, we wouldn’t have followed you, inferior imitation!]
Brunhilde was inwardly taken aback by this exchange.
It was hard to maintain her poker face, but she bit her lip and kept her expression neutral.
In battle, it wasn’t her duty to correct the enemy’s misconceptions.
'It was all Clara’s doing, but these fools…'
But…
'Now is the time to gather information.'
Brunhilde quickly organized her thoughts.
The Prophet mistakes Brunhilde for the Reincarnator. They also mistakenly believe she killed the [Priest of Erosion]. Therefore, they’ve come to kill her as a top priority. The group from <Central Prism Academy> at <Holy Alfenheim High School> is considered a secondary target. If that dragonfly was the sister of the [Twin Priests], The brother likely headed to <Holy Alfenheim High School>.
“…”
What a mess…
“…”
No. This was the correct course.
In a household, the outside person bears the responsibility for the inside person’s mistakes.
That was the burden of the head of the household.
It would be better to keep the Prophet occupied.
'I love you, Clara.'
Brunhilde made her decision in an instant and boldly spoke to the Prophet.
“Ah, I see. You’re a Reincarnator too.” “…I almost mistook you for one of those "broken characters" when I saw the [Pink Spiral].” “…”
“Did you really try to nurture an ‘adorable’ character to become the ultimate ‘broken’ one?”
The Prophet, using language from the outside world, carefully observed her reactions. If her responses were off, he might turn away and head toward Clara.
'If he tries any tricks, I’ll have to secure Clara’s allegiance once and for all.'
But Brunhilde had already extracted all the necessary information from Clara, so she could answer confidently.
Whatever you say with confidence becomes the truth. That was a truth that held even on the battlefield.
"That’s right. Clara is my 'favorite.' She’s so 'hot' that I spend every night thinking about how to ‘devour’ her. Although I raised her with '攻略' in mind, I realized it would be better to have her 'yuri pregnant.'”
"…"
"I plan to make a mess of her, just like in those 'doujinshi,' and finish her off with 'hypnotic brainwashing training.' Who playing <Yggdrasil Gate> hasn’t fantasized about that with their 'favorite' character?"
"…I should have known that no one who plays this game is normal."
The Prophet's tone was filled with disgust, but it seemed he no longer suspected her. He was now convinced that such a vulgar and twisted personality couldn't possibly be the 'Brunhilde' from the game.
The Prophet waved his black robe and said,
"Let's begin, Moen."
[Don’t give me orders, inferior imitation.]
The dragonfly-shaped dragon, towering over ten meters tall, flapped its enormous wings, sending shockwaves that rippled like a small sandstorm. The Prophet, standing atop it, spread a dark aura around him, enveloping the area in a sinister energy.
In an instant, countless thoughts passed through Brunhilde’s mind, all in less than a fraction of a second.
Should I attack? No, hold back.
'If Clara’s information is correct, he already knows about me. The fact that he’s revealing himself despite that means… he’s fully prepared. In such a situation, attacking first would be a mistake.'
Brunhilde braced herself, ready for whatever might come.
The black ether magic circle that appeared at her feet shone ominously. It wasn’t an ether skill but rather an ancient magic supposedly used by dragonkind.
The Prophet, his black aura swirling around him, chanted,
"Rise from the swamp of death…!"
Then, the pieces of the Chaos Insects that had been torn apart began to reassemble themselves. Slowly, they merged back into their original forms and let out a fierce roar.
Kuuwoooorrrr—!!
The resurrected Chaos Insects, now whole again, bellowed with renewed vigor.
Brunhilde's eyes narrowed as she observed the situation. The Prophet's power wasn’t just about summoning these creatures—it was about manipulating life and death itself.
This was a battle she couldn't take lightly.
'This is going to be a tough fight.'
Brunhilde took a deep breath, her mind focused, and prepared herself to face the onslaught. As the resurrected Chaos Insects and the dragonfly-shaped dragon loomed before her, she knew that this was just the beginning of a much larger and more dangerous confrontation.
But one thing was clear—no matter what, she would protect Clara and the academy city. The battle was about to begin in earnest, and Brunhilde was ready to do whatever it took to ensure victory.