LGHTNOVELBOOK 20
As soon as Black picked me up in her arms, the surrounding scenery began to change rapidly.
She was traversing the streets where I had fallen multiple times at an unbelievable speed.
She truly lives up to her name, Flash Black.
…Though she’s still terribly bad at kicking.
After catching up to the two men at high speed, Black hid behind a corner to observe their movements.
“Those guys… they’re heading back to the café. Could they be planning to cause more trouble there?”
Their destination appeared to be the same café as before.
‘Were they the Count’s subordinates?’
It seemed they were returning to reconnect with their employer.
The bulky men had clearly made a wrong judgment in their urgency.
The Count I know wouldn’t give such stupid instructions.
This is like openly advertising that he’s a criminal.
But this made one thing clear to me.
The sudden event will take place at the café.
If we return to the café, I can preserve 99% of my future vision.
‘The sudden event has gotten twisted… but if I can just get through this event, I can start simulating from there again…!’
Anyway, show yourself, Monegarm.
I’m already in a dead state, so it doesn’t matter if my vitality wears down even more.
Hurry up and appear, drop Minerva’s Owl, and leave.
Come on.
“…Huh?”
But the two men weren’t heading to the café.
After reaching the front of the café, they changed direction and started running toward Count Train’s building, now just blackened ruins after the fire!
The two men were humans enhanced with drugs.
That means there’s a research facility where they’re heading.
There must be an underground facility that neither the Drug Control Bureau nor the Thunder Emperor had discovered.
Or perhaps the Fire Sword Ghost had manipulated it beforehand to ensure it would never be found.
‘Could it be that they’ve hidden Monegarm there too…?’
Beneath Regin City.
And to think they hid such a large monster in a place the Thunder Emperor had just visited.
Are all the demon king’s army just idiots with their livers hanging out?
‘The problem is…’
While Black could quickly snatch Minerva’s Owl dropped after defeating Monegarm,
it would be difficult for her to deal a fatal blow to Monegarm directly.
From the beginning, even a well-trained 5-person squad would struggle against the extreme difficulty of Monegarm at this point.
How could Black defeat it alone?
She’s an Athena who’s worth every Minerva’s Owl fed to her, but right now she’s just a klutz who knows how to run fast.
‘But she’s already sent a request for support.’
The more time we stall, the better for us.
Just looking at the members of the Student Council makes that clear.
The Student Council President, Thunder Emperor Stormbringer, who can blow away half of Monegarm’s health with one hit, even if she faints from prolonged exposure to its poison gas.
The Vice President, Ice Emperor Kandinavr, who can encase the entire area in a massive ice dome to minimize civilian casualties and freeze Monegarm solid.
And the wild Disciplinary Department Head, Wild Dog Ti, who may be no better than a thug who doesn’t listen, but will at least slice off an enemy’s head when he shows up.
I couldn’t include them in my squad due to early relationship issues, but having these three participate as NPCs is incredibly reassuring.
When I was playing, forming a squad that worked well with these three made clearing Monegarm a sure thing.
‘I tried every possible combination…’
In my case, I always included Black in my initial squad.
After all, Black had received a direct invitation from the Thunder Emperor to join the Student Council.
After the event ends, the Thunder Emperor will once again propose that Black join the Student Council…
Black, having grown from this battle experience and with Minerva’s Owl, will accept the offer.
From then on, the professor can build relationships with the powerful Athenas of the Student Council through the events that occur.
You might think the Thunder Emperor already listened well to the professor, but
she only followed the professor because she was the Student Council President; as individuals, they had an awkward relationship.
“Wh-what should we do? Should we follow them?”
Black asked, looking down at me in her arms.
I stopped thinking at thousands of times the speed of others for a brief moment.
My body is in terrible condition, but it’s strange how my mind is still working well.
It feels like I’m using a game avatar.
Life seems like nothing more than bits of data governed by a vitality stat.
“Ugh… hng… huh….”
Trembling, I pointed with my fingertip at the two bulky men who had headed straight for the ruins.
Black gulped and looked once more at the shining Fafnir flare in the sky.
She seemed to have a premonition that something was about to happen.
“Okay. Let’s go in….”
If Black had stubbornly refused to enter,
I would have gone in alone in this bodily state.
So I was grateful to Black for mustering her courage.
The heart’s impulses and boiling emotions from earlier seemed to have calmed down a bit.
…But.
When I think about it, this is all because of you.
Because of you and the Thunder Emperor.
The professor, the Thunder Emperor, Black.
Honestly, I don’t like any of you.
Future vision or whatever, I just want to handle everything myself.
Why do I have to be so anxious and suffer alone for the sake of that certain future vision?
Should I just overturn everything?
Should I side with the Fire Sword Ghost and then betray him?
Wouldn’t that work?
If the Fire Sword Ghost is the final boss,
if I backstab the final boss, it would all be over—
“Senior—!! Are you okay?!”
Ack.
What kind of crazy girl yells right into someone’s ear like that?
“Ha… kugh. Hurgh…!”
Black turned pale as she watched me trembling while clutching my chest.
“Wh-what do I do. Your symptoms are getting worse….”
The surroundings darkened, and naturally my head lifted.
Light was coming through an open trapdoor, but it was gradually disappearing, devoured by the darkness of the deep underground.
It seemed to be beneath Count Train’s company.
The bracelet that Black had been wearing until recently was placed near the entrance, shooting light toward the sky.
“Let’s go back up. This isn’t working…!!”
Perhaps because she absolutely hates seeing people die,
Black’s lips trembled as she began to climb back up the cylindrical staircase.
“Kaugh….”
No, you crazy girl.
The sudden event is right in front of us, where are you trying to go?
We absolutely need to be at the scene before anyone else.
Otherwise, I’ll be forcibly transported back to the academy.
I won’t leave this place until you obtain Minerva’s Owl.
‘I can… still move….’
The cylindrical staircase has an open center.
This means that if we wanted to, we could get to the depths faster than anyone else.
With all my strength,
I twisted my body that normally didn’t listen well.
“Ah, aah…!”
Black’s legs also staggered on the staircase without railings.
Finally, my body was lifted into the air, and Black also lost her balance and flew into the sky.
“Kyaaak!”
Stop screaming and quickly jump down to catch it.
We don’t have time, Black.
“Is everyone gathered?”
“Yes, senior!!” “Assembly complete!”
All dormitory Student Councils of Regin Academy were in an uproar.
It was because of the Fafnir image that had risen in the city.
“President, I don’t see Ti anywhere.”
“Leave Wild Dog alone. He’s been busy searching since hearing the news about Atropos.”
The Thunder Emperor, with arms crossed, grinned and glanced at the Ice Emperor.
“Besides, the two of us are enough, aren’t we?”
“That’s true, but….”
In every dormitory, there are representatives for each year from 1st to 5th year, excluding the 6th year graduating class.
For freshmen, a representative chosen directly by the professor takes that role.
“It’s an emergency call from that selfish glory-hog, we should go right away!”
Representatives are granted various rights.
One is the right to command students on behalf of the dormitory professor at official academy events.
While coordinating mentor-mentee matching, they also have the right to choose their own mentor first.
The last is the emergency flare, well-known as the Dragon Bracelet, which can call all Student Council members from every dormitory.
“That’s why I’m concerned. Unless it’s a serious matter, I don’t think Black would call for you and me.”
The Thunder Emperor laughed heartily and slapped the Ice Emperor’s back.
“Ack!”
“Hwahaha! It’s fine! What could possibly happen? If some monster shows up, leave it to me! Once I hit it once, you and the others can take care of the rest!”
“President! Really.”
While rubbing her tingling back with a bent arm, the Ice Emperor looked around.
“By the way… it seems like all dormitory officers are here except the Disciplinary Department Head. When are we planning to leave?”
The Thunder Emperor once again surveyed the academy’s central garden where the casually dressed officers had gathered.
Indeed, as the Ice Emperor said, everyone except Ti Freyr was present.
“Professor Yggdrasil hasn’t arrived yet.”
The Ice Emperor asked with a puzzled expression.
“Don’t tell me he wants to come along this time too? Only the Student Council is obligated to respond to emergency assemblies….”
Certainly, there was nothing wrong with what the Ice Emperor said.
Although academy professors may be the strongest warriors by human standards,
they are weaklings compared to Athenas.
Therefore, in crisis situations involving villains or monster appearances, a professor’s accompaniment often brings more harm than good.
The enemies also specifically target professors in their attacks.
A professor is a parent to the Athenas of a dormitory,
an adult to lean on, and a lighthouse to emulate and grow from.
That’s why even Athenas who normally fight autonomously and systematically have their formation shattered the moment a professor is attacked.
This is a well-known fact to the demon king’s army, so the academy never sends professors to operation sites without “definite escort.”
“I tried to persuade him too. But he said he had to go.”
But Yggdrasil was a peculiar one.
He cherished Athenas like his own little sisters.
If he heard rumors that someone was injured, he would obsessively send Student Council members to investigate even other dormitory matters.
The very person who wouldn’t sleep until an official treatment report from the Beberu doctor confirmed the student was fine was Professor Angelus van Yggdrasil.
“Maybe he’s worried that an academy student might be hurt—”
Clunk!
“I apologize!”
The door opened with a loud noise.
He seemed to have dressed in a hurry; his tie was crooked,
and beads of sweat had formed on his forehead.
Despite his somewhat disheveled appearance, his looks still shone,
but his expression was as miserable as someone who had lost the world.
“I’m late. Let’s depart immediately.”
4. There Are Some Things You Can’t Avoid. End.