142. Isn’t it common sense to touch tails?

142. Isn’t it common sense to touch tails?

“E-“

CRUNCH.

I learned from Ur’s precedent that it’s generally best to destroy this type of enemy before they can speak.

The necromancer skeleton, its skull shattered, recovered at a speed incomparable to Ur, but even with such recovery, it was a matter of swinging my sword one more time.

“Hik….”

As if it triggered PTSD, Ur’s voice trembled thinly every time the skull was smashed.

There’s no need to worry so much. Ur is no longer a skeleton; she’s my small, cute beloved sword and maid.

Claire, who was recovering, approached and said.

“Skadi.”

“Yes?”

“… No, it’s nothing. You’re doing well.”

“Thanks.”

This skeleton’s bones were certainly harder than Ur’s. Without Freya’s magic, it’s clear I wouldn’t have been able to pierce that black curtain earlier.

But what does that matter? I have Freya now, and her magic is imbued in my sword.

After smashing the skull dozens more times, the skeleton moved before its head could fully recover and let out a roar.

“Stop!!”

“Whoa.”

Normally, I wouldn’t be greatly affected by someone yelling nearby. But perhaps the name ‘necromancer’ wasn’t a lie, as the skeleton’s cry contained an inexplicably unpleasant low frequency.

So I smashed it one more time.

“M-Master, um… maybe just listen to what it has to say for a moment….”

“No. Father taught me not to listen to monsters.”

“The former master isn’t a normal undead, so it won’t die even if you kill it like this, Master….”

If you kill it until it dies, it dies. Didn’t I kill Ur that way?

… No, come to think of it, Ur couldn’t be killed by just blindly hitting her like this either. For some reason, she just became my possession when she turned into a beautiful girl. As Ur said, perhaps it can’t be killed this way.

I frowned and put away my sword.

The skeleton patted its head a few times and clicked its jaw, seemingly surprised that its head was still attached. Then, its red eyes glared at me, and it shouted.

“You, I will never forgive-“

As I smashed its skull again, the skeleton finally seemed to grasp the situation and backed away. What a quick-witted monster.

“So it was you who ruined all my plans. I admit your overwhelming power; you can be proud that it’s recognized by one who walks the boundary of life… Wait! Killing me is meaningless! Don’t you know that!”

“Hmph.”

Both this guy and that guy like cheesy lines. Is it because this is a fantasy world?

I unconsciously calmed my hand, which was about to swing the sword, and looked at the skeleton. The cowering skull cleared its throat and continued.

“You don’t know, do you, how the Empire was built on lies and deception! I have come to correct that!”

“Claire, how many years ago was the Empire founded?”

“… It’s been about 400 years.”

So this skeleton invaded with events from 400 years ago. Whatever it is, it holds a long grudge. It’s right to kill it until it dies….

“Wait, wait! If you knew what the first Emperor did, you would sympathize with me! Listen to me!”

“….”

I never imagined that a necromancer who created a black sky and commanded tens of thousands of dragons would be so pathetic.

As expected, I can’t trust common sense from my past life. I realized again how important it is to accept new common sense and listened intently to the skeleton’s words.

“This is from a very long time ago, when kings ruled the continent….”

——

“Skadi, wake up!”

“Ugh, ugh?”

When I opened my eyes, I saw the necromancer, tightly bound to a tree trunk, and Freya, her face filled with rage.

“Because of you, I couldn’t have sex with Sister and almost died, so die!”

“What the-!”

I was a bit dazed by the sudden change in scene. However, with my beastkin senses, I could roughly understand the situation.

While I was asleep, the necromancer must have been rambling on with its old stories. Since I woke up feeling refreshed, it was probably a long story. While the story was continuing, Freya, who had just arrived, must have ambushed and captured the necromancer, and now Freya is charging a maximum-power solar beam at the skeleton’s head.

“Good job, my sister, shoot it just like that!”

“You damn bitch, you didn’t listen to a word I said and just slept!”

The skeleton glared at me with red eyes and raged. Then, a golden light began to envelop the skeleton’s body, and Freya’s tree trunk was torn to shreds by the fiercely rotating golden aura.

“Freya!”

“What? Why is it using that?!”

My sister might get hurt if this continues. I quickly grabbed Freya and retreated. Freya’s eyes twitched in disbelief at the power the necromancer used.

Claire shouted.

“That took my power earlier, be careful!”

“Tell me that sooner!”

A storm rages. The abyssal black, the brilliant gold. The two colors, which seem incompatible, mix, and the gold becomes tainted. Then, the necromancer transforms into a giant typhoon and begins to ascend high into the sky.

A sound echoes.

“The hateful imperialists don’t know what this power is, they’ve just been letting this great authority go to waste! So I will show you myself! The true power of the World Tree’s authority!”

The wind begins to suck people in. Everyone holds onto something nearby to resist, but it’s clear they won’t last long. It’s a typhoon that is too powerful. Black light swirls.

I split it in half.

The necromancer is astonished.

“Wh-what is this!”

“Ur, do you have any objections to killing your former master?”

“U-Ur is fine! As Master wishes….”

Under the pure white light, the black and gold typhoon split in half. The necromancer, at its center, looked at Ur’s sword body, which was glowing with runes, and shouted.

“A sword? No, an undead? What kind of grotesque hybrid is that…!”

“She’s my precious ego sword.”

Snow falls from the sky. The sword strike I made earlier has become a cloud of snow, spreading cold. Then, Freya’s magic enveloped my body again. Power surged through me.

“Sister, it’s a buff that can damage the Life Vessel! Go and smash it!”

“Okay.”

Freya’s rough speech needs to be corrected later, but for now, defeating the enemy is the priority. I braced my legs. I felt the sensation of my muscles compressing tightly, and then, releasing all that power, I leaped high into the sky.

“Did you think I’d just stand by and watch!”

Thousands of black projectiles are fired at me. Freya tries to block them urgently with magic, but they can’t keep up with my speed. I’m moving faster than the protective barrier can form.

“「Fiery Flames of Wrath」! Hah! How about that!”

“Priscilla!”

At that moment, a giant red meteor blocked my path. The massive meteorite shattered into pieces without withstanding the impact of the projectiles for long, but just before that, I was able to use the fragments of the meteorite to leap and dodge the attack aimed at me.

The necromancer is getting closer.

“What should I do… H-Hang in there, Skadi!”

“Thanks, Claire!”

Claire, who had her strength stolen, looked around and then cheered me on. It was a mentally supportive cheer.

“I can’t die like this! How long have I been preparing, and to be defeated so easily by someone who doesn’t even listen to me…!”

“Ah, you talk too much!”

I understand why my father told me not to listen to monsters. I thought it was to avoid being tempted, but it was simply because they were so noisy.

The sword blade begins to glow. The runes engraved on Ur shine white. As I get closer to the necromancer, the runes shine even brighter. It seems to signal the end is near.

The necromancer’s evil aura is unable to overcome the overwhelming brilliance of the white light and vanishes. The darkness recedes, revealing the hidden world.

The necromancer, gathering its remaining energy to envelop itself, looks at me with red eyes and lets out a scream, or perhaps a roar of rage.

Does it know that all those actions are meaningless?

I swung my sword with all my might.

——

“Hmm.”

The necromancer is dead. The black sky disappeared, and the brilliant sun shone upon us again.

The people who had taken shelter underground slowly emerged under the control of the staff. All of them were surprised to see the ruined academy.

And in front of me….

“Wh-what is this… What did you do to me!”

“Hmm.”

There was a young girl wearing the necromancer’s robe. She had pale skin, red eyes, silver hair, and long ears.

Ur exclaimed.

“Wow, she’s about the same height as me, Master!”

“That’s right.”

Despite the great battle, there were no fatalities. There were some injured, but thanks to Freya and the other healers, everyone was able to recover. It’s truly fortunate.

… Although the academy is essentially just ruins.

The sky was clear.

“Priscilla, Claire.”

“Yes!”

“Yes.”

Looking back, I saw my close friends from the academy. Not only that, but in the distance, other acquaintances were kissing, and beside me was my precious sister, Freya.

“How did the meeting go?”

“Well… is there even a meeting? It’s closed. Until it’s restored.”

“I’ve strongly warned them to ensure there are no illegal structures from now on! Hehehe….”

Freya stroked the baby dragon cradled in her arms and chuckled sinisterly. I continued.

“So, is everyone going back home?”

“I guess so? It will take years to rebuild the buildings.”

The academy… literally only the land remained. The majestic appearance I saw when I first arrived no longer existed. I can’t even estimate how long it will take to restore this.

“Um, Claire. But where is your maid?”

“I am here.”

“Ugh?!”

Startled, I turned around and saw Claire’s maid, Edel, standing there calmly. I hadn’t seen her for a while, so her sudden appearance truly surprised me.

“While tracking the necromancer, I returned to the academy, but there was a barrier, so I couldn’t approach. Fortunately, it seems the Princess resolved it.”

“Ugh.”

Looking around, everyone was packing their belongings. It seemed the school would be closed for a considerable time, so everyone was heading home. I don’t know if there’s anything left to pack in these ruins, though.

We should do the same, right?

My sister linked her arm with mine, beaming. Perhaps she was happy about returning home. I grabbed Freya’s wagging tail with my own tail and kissed her forehead.

“Let’s go quickly, Sister! Before those other girls… no, people, arrive!”

“Hmm.”

It was Claire and Priscilla who stopped Freya, who was dragging me along.

“Where are you two going alone? We should go together too, right?”

“Are you crazy?! You go back to your own homes!”

“Actually, I sent a letter to Sister earlier! I told her we would be going up to the Lyra territory ‘together’! There’s no law that says we have to go back to our hometowns, is there?”

“What….”

Freya looked up at me. Her eyes silently pleaded for me to say something. I followed my sister’s will and opened my mouth.

“Yes, let’s go together, everyone.”

“Sister?!”

It’s always good to have more friends. Taking two more people to the north shouldn’t cause any major problems.

I started walking forward, surrounded by Priscilla and Claire. Freya, dumbfounded, stood still for a moment before hurrying to follow me.

As everyone got into the carriage, the coachman began to move the horses. Gazing out the window at the rapidly changing scenery, Priscilla suddenly exclaimed.

“Skadi, may I touch your tail?”

“Of course, naturally.”

I smiled and brought my tail to Priscilla’s head. Her rough breath tickled my tail, and her familiar hands began to stroke it.

“What? Why are you touching Sister’s tail!”

-This is mine! Look, Skadi’s tail likes it best when I touch it.

-Of course, the rest is mine. You have none.

-Hey!!

“Hehehe, Freya. Calm down.”

My precious new friends I made at the academy.

In the noisy, boisterous carriage, I finally opened my mouth.

“Isn’t it common sense to touch tails?”