HPDBC Chapter 45
Chapter 45
The shopping district bathed in the evening sunset. Freya walked ahead of me.
“...” “...”
Her original school uniform had become too worn out from the dust storms in the wilderness, so we left it at Grandpa Huata's repair shop and were now on our way back to school.
Freya had taken a shower and changed into a clean training outfit.
‘She doesn't look that odd...’
As I looked at her in that training outfit, I remembered the little incident that had just occurred.
“What... what is this tacky, bright red training suit...” “It’s better than the tight black suit from
Apparently, because her school was wealthy, even the gym uniforms were of high quality. So I offered Freya another school's gym uniform I had.
“Ah―☆ Then you want to wear these hot shorts from
In the end, Freya wore the red training suit from
‘Bel, Maya... it seems like everyone who visits our school ends up trying on the
I couldn’t imagine the noble silver-haired girl wearing the red training suit. But I thought Hilde would look good in anything she wore.
‘Hilde might even look good coming out in loose street pants...’
Of course, someone as dignified and serious as Hilde would never do something so comedic. But it seemed like it would be a fresh and cute shock, precisely because it was so out of character.
“...”
Thinking such thoughts, maintaining a subtle distance, I followed Freya, leading the Red Horse.
Because her steps were smaller, walking together would quickly close the distance. But my steps were slower as I led the Red Horse, so the distance remained slightly off.
A subtle distance. A subtle pace. We shared an awkward silence as we walked.
“...” “...”
Step step Crunch crunch
Quiet footsteps.
The sound of Freya's shoes hitting the gravel-filled ground was like dwarfs grinding their teeth as they slept underground.
As the sun set and it gradually grew darker, I made no sound with my steps, but the gravel crunched noisily beneath her feet.
Her current state seemed somehow similar to that noise.
“...”
Watching her back, I thought.
‘In the game, students from the prestigious magical academy
They had powerful character performances and left a strong impression in the story. But strangely, despite Freya's abilities, she didn't appear often in the story.
『You ignorant... worms... Do you think that even matters...』
Freya would just say cynical things and disappear. After that, she didn't play an active role in the story, becoming an inconspicuous character on par with Clara’s “I don’t know, I don’t know―☆”. Just a laughingstock for the users.
I carefully observed Freya's back.
‘What kind of story does she have... What thoughts does she live with?’
When she walked, she gingerly stepped with her toes first. Her shoulders slanted, perhaps from reading too many books.
Following her, I could see those things. But I couldn't understand what was truly in her heart.
“...” “...”
The ongoing silence. Walking so quietly, various thoughts crossed my mind. I rang the bell of the Red Horse’s bicycle to ease the awkwardness.
Ding-ding―☆ Ding-ding―☆
We could have quickly returned the way we came, riding the Red Horse to the shopping district. But Freya wanted to walk back slowly, so we were walking.
‘Why is she listening so seriously...?’
Though I was flustered by her gaze, I continued speaking.
“And―☆ Recently, I may have acted a bit unladylike and vigorously, but―☆”
“Stop... stop mumbling like an idiot... Explain it properly...”
I flinched at Freya’s sharp reprimand.
“Ah... okay. Well... Yeah☆ Actually, the lizard... the ‘priest’ was sucking ether from the girls like a mosquito―☆ So I broke it down and forcefully injected it―♪ Then made a splendid debut as the ultimate☆ Clara―☆ But as a result, my ether tank was empty―♪ My hair, poof―☆ Something like that―☆”
“...”
“But... as you can see~☆”
I slowly gathered ether into my hand. Though my recovery was too weak to summon [Unique Ether], I conjured the second-stage [Vibration] ether with my newfound weapon aptitude.
It looked amateurish to a [Unique Ether] user, But it was clear proof that I hadn't lost everything.
“See―☆ I’m becoming strong again from the beginning―☆”
“...”
Freya silently watched, then nodded.
“R-right... starting from the beginning... But you’re still alive...”
“Yeah? Well... perfectly fine―☆”
“Pink brute... what are you... what are you trying to become so strong for...”
“Hmm...☆ In the first year, I thought being strong was everything, but now I just want to fight to protect what’s precious to me―☆ That’s all I wish for♪”
Freya’s eyes widened as she spoke.
“Des... [Destiny]...”
“Yeah? Right! I’ve met a truly destined encounter~ Ahaha―☆ Freya, you’re so romantic~☆ This romantic stray cat―♪”
“Be... be quiet... Always talking about peeing or whatever... I thought you were a moron... but...”
Freya muttered timidly, then nodded.
“I understand... That’s why... your reason...”
“Wow...☆ That’s too much―☆”
*
Freya stared quietly at Clara.
“...”
‘The soul of this universe’ and ether are completely intertwined with [Destiny].
The maximum amount of ether one can use in a lifetime is determined by [Destiny]. Unless one has a huge [Destiny], their soul will deplete first.
‘The way to use ether allowed by Yggdrasil is to live a life defined by [Destiny], holding a weapon...’
Even if Freya, who explored the truth in the academy city, did not know this as accurate knowledge, everyone living in the academy city subconsciously understood this fact.
No, it was an instinctive law engraved in the realm of the subconscious. ‘Every soul belonging to this universe’ is bound by that law. But Clara was directly defying that law.
‘Discarding weapons and arbitrarily increasing ether use...’
The cost of doing something that ‘every soul in this universe’ feels a deep aversion to...
‘Unless she came from another universe unaffected by Yggdrasil or has two souls... this would eventually lead to complete erasure...’
An absurd thought. What Freya realized about Clara’s situation was that bleak.
What kind of [Destiny] does she have...
‘Really... she’s a foolish brute. Pursuing a [Destiny] even if it means erasing her soul...’
From the moment Freya realized this, she no longer hated Clara. Because Clara, like her, bore an overwhelming [Destiny].