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231. The Last of the Festival (5)

I was in a frenzy trying to escape from Mary, who had awakened strange desires.

Who is she? A girl like a runaway train that never stops once the lights are on.

It’s absurd that Mary acknowledges her short stature; she’d never be sane enough to do that.

Was there ever a premise where communication with an alien was possible after watching the movie Alien, leading to a reconciliation with humanity?

It’s just as unlikely for Mary to become kinder as it is for such a random plot development to occur.

She hides her true nature behind a facade of kindness.

Of course, her suddenly admitting her height was strange no matter how you look at it.

That wouldn’t happen unless a specific someone stirred it up.

That someone must be an incredible figure—the type who could point out Mary’s height without any repercussions.

But Lyman was currently absent, so who could it be?

“Hahaha! Sorry~”

Thanks to the assistance of the spirits, I managed to find out immediately.

At least not as powerful as Lyman, but this one was no slouch either: the Spirit King Shaikar.

“What are you doing?”

“I went through the trouble of making an avatar, but there’s no one to use it on. So, I was just chatting with this girl here.”

He laughed, pointing to Mary who was clinging to my side.

When I asked what kind of conversation they had, he casually replied.

“It was a very important talk. It was about a girl accepting her identity, and it sparked quite a bit of curiosity.”

That identity… could it perhaps be….

As I lowered my gaze to Mary, she blushed and said, “Yes, that’s right! I’m not going to get angry anymore. I’m going to grow into a good girl from now on.”

Considering Mary’s previous behavior, this was utterly unconvincing. It was like a camel passing through the eye of a needle.

“And from now on, I’ll call Jenny and Luska ‘sister’!”

“Ha ha ha! Really?”

“What, you don’t believe me now?”

As I burst into laughter, Mary narrowed her eyes and glared at me.

No matter how she glared, it needed to be believable to take it seriously.

“Then, my friend, do you want to make a bet?”

“A bet?”

“The loser grants a wish.”

“A wish? Hahaha!”

At the mention of a bet, I laughed as if it were ridiculous.

“Ha ha… ah….”

But then bad memories surfaced, and my laughter faded.

Last time, when I returned after the winter break and first encountered Professors Radian and Stella.

I remembered vividly the intense trouble I had gotten into after mindlessly making a bet back then.

“I’ll just back out.”

“What?”

“I said I’m backing out.”

“What? Are you scared?”

“Yeah. Hell, I’m scared.”

“….”

As I spoke honestly, Mary fell silent, seemingly at a loss for words.

Engaging in further provocation and arguments would just be a waste of time.

“Is it really okay to do this? You know this girl is unpredictable.”

“But just looking at her trying to accept her flaws is a huge improvement, don’t you think?”

Well, that wasn’t entirely wrong.

Mary admitting to her stunted growth was unprecedented, even in the main story.

It’s no wonder the academy people were reacting like it was an emergency situation.

“It is indeed an unheard-of event.”

“But you know? The reason this unprecedented event happened is because of you.”

“Me…?”

Shaikar continued, looking pleased.

The reason Mary wanted to overcome her flaws is that she wanted to impress me.

At first, it sounded ridiculous, but as I processed what had just happened, I started to see it.

-Baby~ Let’s get married!

A chill ran down my spine and spread throughout my body.

My head throbbed at the sound that had echoed through the gathering of academy people.

It was no different from a catastrophic disaster often termed a confession gone wrong.

However, calling it a “confession gone wrong” was also vague. It’s a double-edged sword, as casting that spell could also make you the laughingstock of the whole school.

The huge cause for concern was shame, but true natural disasters don’t adhere to common sense.

“Don’t be too down. This girl has a brilliant spirit, that I can guarantee.”

Shaikar gave a thumbs up.

It wouldn’t be something to brush off just because it came from the Spirit King, even if there were a few eccentricities.

At the very least, Mary was one of the playable characters.

They all possessed an opposite mentality to Lyman’s misguided hatred for humanity.

And during the train overturn incident, Shaikar would have seen Mary fight.

If he hadn’t felt an affinity then, there probably wouldn’t be any of this chit-chat now.

“So, congratulations on becoming public lovers!”

“Shut up!”

Public lovers can freeze to death.

Now, I was sure I’d be stared at oddly because of that public confession a moment ago.

“Humans are truly amazing. Just helping someone once can create an unprecedented golden wind.”

“Golden wind, my ass, it’s probably just a mess.”

It was quite baffling to see someone who used to criticize humans celebrate their greatness.

Still, I wanted to overlook such foolish behavior simply because she had started helping humans.

“So, my friend.”

“Yeah?”

“What are you going to do?”

In response to her question about what I was going to do, she smiled slyly.

“Are you going to accept this girl’s confession?”

“….”

No. Cancel what I just said.

Mary smiled brightly in a way that could easily pass for a mother-daughter demeanor.

Could it be that this was actually Shaikar’s true nature?

For some reason, all the high-ranking people I meet feel like their authority has wilted.

*

Burning Friday.

Today, all students were buzzing with a night-long party.

Returning to the plaza, I saw students relaxing with drinks, relieved.

I had been fleeing from Mary all day, and before I knew it, night had fallen.

“Looks like they’re having so much fun.”

Exhausted from indulging in Mary and Shaikar’s antics, I collapsed onto a table.

By regulations, I should wash up and sleep in my bed, but I longed to sleep right there, completely out of energy.

Cook! Cook!-

“How’s this?”

“Ah… it feels nice. Keep going.”

Cook! Cook!-

Luska, sitting beside me, poked my back with her fingers.

The strength of a Divine Beast transcending ordinary humans was applied carefully, transforming my weary face into a serene smile.

Seeing my tranquil expression, Luska seemed pleased, but suddenly her tone shifted to serious.

“What did you talk about with Mary?”

“Ah….”

Mary was still smiling like a fool at my side.

Except for the fact that her mouth, which usually had to consume bugs like instant food, was now chewing real instant food, she seemed unchanged from her usual self.

“I’ll say it again.”

“…?”

“From now on, I’m going to call Radon ‘darling’… umph!”

I hurriedly covered Mary’s mouth before she could finish.

It was a quick response born from my well-honed ‘perceptive’ skill.

Especially since I was able to sense with ‘Mana’ and grasp the feelings of the girls around me—excluding Mary.

Given the awkward atmosphere from the public confession, I couldn’t imagine the chaos if she blurted that out.

“Hahaha! I just told Mary to be more cautious next time and to watch her mouth.”

“Is that so?”

Thankfully, it passed. For now, I felt relieved.

“I thought you were avoiding the situation because you had received some strange confession and were trying to dodge it…!”

At the end of her sentence, Luska’s voice seemed to rise.

To someone not deaf, it could have easily been overlooked, but I sensed it both physically and instinctively.

“Ugh!”

“Hey! Are you okay?”

It happened just as Luska’s fingers pressed down harder than necessary on my back.

I understood it was a reaction to heightened emotions.

“Ah… my back waist….”

“Sorry, that was a mistake.”

Thank goodness it was just fingers; if she’d had a weapon, I would likely be joining the stars in the sky.

“But Luska, is your massage really that good?”

“Are you doubting me?”

“Not doubting but… in that case, give me a try!”

Jenny puffed out her chest and shrugged her shoulders.

Her confidence radiated as if she could withstand any pain.

With my chin resting on the table, Luska’s finger massage began poking at Jenny’s back.

At that moment….

“KYAAAAAA!!”

“Why the sudden scream?”

“It hurts, it hurts! It hurts, hurts, hurts, hurts!!”

In an instant, Jenny’s resolve crumbled, and she shot upward.

Then she rolled on the floor, rubbing her back as though it had been seared by a poker.

“Luska… you did that on purpose, didn’t you…!”

Once her mind cleared, Jenny shot a fiery glare at Luska.

“How dare you touch my back… ugh!”

Jenny’s face was as red as a beet. Seeing that, Luska chuckled.

“Pfft…!”

“What’s so funny?”

“Well… you were just given the same force I used on Radon, and yet you suddenly react so dramatically; it’s only natural I find it amusing.”

Luska, what in the world are you saying?

“You looked just like a frog when you jumped up.”

“What?”

At Jenny’s comment, I felt a chill run down my spine.

Simultaneously, I felt as though the threads holding someone’s sanity snapped.

“Hey, Jenny….”

“Let go, Radon.”

I could tell from the cold glare in Jenny’s eyes that it was too late to mediate.

The air froze with Jenny’s ensuing laughter.

“Fufu, do you remember what the main event of this festival was?”

“Of course, it was the Tactical Martial Arts competition.”

“Then do you remember who your original opponent was there?”

“Ahhahahaha!”

“Fufufufu!”

The two girls, realizing they had forgotten that little fact, became one in laughter.

And they exuded a chilling aura as they positioned themselves on either side of the training ground beside the plaza.

An atmosphere reminiscent of a scene from a western movie or a martial arts novel was forming.

Boom!-

With that, they launched into each other, starting the clash.

Hearing the sounds, students began congregating, eager to witness the spectacle.

They felt excitement at witnessing a grand show, feeling a sense of awe towards the two girls who towered above them, despite being students themselves.

-Go for it!

-I was curious about who was stronger, and this is perfect!

-The strongest among the Combat Department are settling their scores!

The students who hadn’t seen the clash during the Magical Banquet were now graciously getting to witness the match.

To those regular students, Jenny and Luska’s coordination and movements would be invisible.

Instead, they would witness the red and blue trails cutting through the training ground rapidly.

Boom!-

With each movement, sonic booms erupted.

Their coordination could only be caught by someone perceiving with ‘Mana’—it was in a realm belonging to the professors.

Even then, neither side was at full power.

Jenny lacked the ability to display 100% output of the Silver Age, and it wasn’t even a full moon for Luska that night.

“Go for it, our Queen Jenny! Don’t lose to the fox!”

Among the enthusiastic students, one overly passionate student stood out.

Crona Delaware, a second-year Magic Department student, shouted loudly enough to engulf the voices of others.

“Let your youth burn bright!”

Mary also shouted loudly as she watched the battle.

Why she donned a fox mask once more and pretended to be a ninja was a mystery to me.

Watching their duel reminded me of that time—the Lycanthrope incident from the first chapter of the main story.

Jenny had fought there as well. The duel with Crona had been more of a release from the nightmare than anything else.

Jenny, who had used friendship with her companions as an escape from the joys of life, was now radiating innocence.

That shining spirit was shared by Luska as well.

The image of them perpetually fighting as if fleeing was nowhere to be seen.

“I told you, didn’t I? Humans are so beautiful.”

Shaikar, who had lingered in the academy forest, approached me.

Even she, who once derided the human heart, displayed a relaxed demeanor.

There was a saying I often remembered from my time in the previous world.

-Humans learn more from failure than from success.

That saying was also the last phrase that appeared after the true ending credits of Devilaka.

No one exists without failure.

Three hundred years ago, that Great Sage… and even the protagonist of this game was no exception.

She, a descendant of the Evil God, was paradoxically the most human-like being.

“Oh, but you guys… are you going on a mission this time?”

“Now that you mention it, yes.”

Currently, due to the disruption at the Magical Banquet, we found ourselves unable to assign proper class evaluation scores.

The attacks from external forces had obliterated the festival events, which were akin to academy assignments.

To compensate for that evaluation, we intended to handle this with external missions once again.

“You professors have it tough.”

“….”

I also frowned sympathetically, just like Shaikar.

“By the way, there’s a mission you should undertake.”

At her statement, I tilted my head in confusion.

Survive as the Academy Scammer.

 

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