I Became the Academy's Pink Airhead

Chapter 61

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."

"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 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 ..."

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 .

"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..."