Ch.380Uninterruptible NPC. (1)

“Latina, I, we are too weak. If you really want to remain Ira’s friend until the end, at least…”

…

The two who had promised to do various things together during the summer break suddenly disappeared.

“Um, Professor. Are Ira and Grace still…”

Professor Kaina, who was in charge of Class A, and Assistant Professor Rag had also disappeared.

“Latina. Do you have the luxury to worry about those two? There were instructions from the Dean, and I heard from the Acting Vice Principal, so I’m telling you this separately. You…”

And it was then that I could finally understand. From the moment I was kidnapped. From the day I was rescued, nothing had changed.

“Latina!”

With your sun-red hair fluttering and your sparkling purple eyes reflecting me, I realized I wasn’t a person who deserved to be by your side.

-Creeping, creeping.

Now, I’ve come to understand that.

*

“…Latina? Look, I’m really sorry. I didn’t plan to go to the Empire like that. My sis… My older sister had some business in the Empire. So she left alone, and I went after her. Ugh. This sounds like an excuse… I, I’m really sorry…!”

How long are you going to make Lady Ira apologize?

It’s been three minutes of the two of them talking on the bench in the practice field—no, of Lady Ira one-sidedly talking and apologizing. That Latina girl who’s still saying nothing and just sobbing is starting to get on my nerves.

‘…Really, do we need to get rid of that girl?’

Grace may have had a sharp personality and way of speaking, but she properly looked up to Lady Ira and tried to assess herself objectively. She was doing that.

Above all, to remain Lady Ira’s friend, she showed that she didn’t mind putting herself in danger and personally practiced the noble’s pride of noblesse oblige. But that girl…

“Ugh, hic… sob…!”

“Ah, aah… L-Latina, I’m really sorry! Okay? P-please stop crying…”

…Tsk, I know that leveling up doesn’t change a person’s mental strength. Still, I thought she had become somewhat worthy of reconsideration. It seems I need to replace my golem eyeballs. That girl, even if she’s by Lady Ira’s side now, she’s not helpful.

“Lady Ira. Any further conversation—”

“Gore, be quiet!! No, get out!! We haven’t even talked for five minutes!! Latina can’t speak because you keep glaring at her!!”

“……”

I got scolded terribly. Certainly, I had been glaring at her, but that was because she wasn’t apologizing at all and just kept sobbing…

“Gore!! Stop thinking unnecessary thoughts and go over there!! If you look at her with strange thoughts one more time, I’ll tell my brother that you made my friend cry!!”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Could she be reading my mind? Without me saying anything, she started shouting and pointing her finger for me to go away, so I had no choice but to turn my body in a direction where I couldn’t see the girl.

Ah, really. Lady Ira is too kind and gentle, which is troublesome. Indeed, without a perfect maid like me serving her, she might someday get entangled with bad people… or maybe not. The Master’s ideological education is solid. And after a few more minutes of the girl sobbing, finally, proper conversation began.

“Ugh, sob… Ira is not bad…”

[Of course not.]

“No! If I had properly explained to Latina before leaving…!”

[No. Even with an explanation, waiting here would have been the same anyway.]

“I, I… I’m too weak. So, I’ve only been receiving help from Ira and Grace…”

[Yes, I get it.]

“That’s not true! Grace and I have received a lot of help from Latina too! Like forming groups for the practical exam! And when preparing for the written exam, she knew everything I didn’t know!!”

[No, it was just that some youngsters had poor judgment of people, and you had read fewer books. If you had time, you would have done well on your own…]

As I kept interjecting into the conversation that had finally started between the two, the girl finally began to speak her main point, as if she didn’t want to hear any more of Lady Ira’s apologies.

“No!! Ira didn’t do anything wrong!! Grace who came back said so too!! It’s because I, ‘we’ are too weak!! That’s why we can’t follow to where Ira is!! She left without telling us because she was worried about us!!”

“…Ah, G-Grace said that?”

…So that girl was the problem. If she had returned first, she should have just quietly studied and guarded the place for Lady Ira’s return. What unnecessary things has she been saying? But as I observed, she was trying to be objective.

Setting aside Latina completely, even Grace, who had leveled up, couldn’t be taken to the center of the Empire at that time. Even the high priest titled Cardinal whom we met that day was easily defeated because he self-destructed on his own, but if we had fought head-on, what would have happened? Even now, after leveling up, I think the chances of winning without getting hurt are about fifty-fifty.

‘If Grace had been there, she would have been nothing but baggage.’

“So, I’m still… not good enough to be Ira’s friend…!”

“…No, no!! I’ve never thought that! I’m just happy to have Latina by my side…!”

“But!! The Empire has fallen!! You were in the Empire then, right?! In the Empire, to prevent war!!”

“Ugh…!”

[Lady Ira, beyond this point. You should at least take measures so that the conversation isn’t heard by others.]

I write text next to Lady Ira using only slime liquid detached from my body from a position where the girl can’t see me.

How much did that Grace girl tell her? Don’t tell me she even told her that Ragni is the Imperial Princess? Did she judge that the connection with this girl was so important to Lady Ira and herself?

Thinking this isn’t a very pleasant situation, I wait for Lady Ira’s action, and she takes out her staff and lightly waves it to create a barrier around us that blocks sound. That was the magic called “Silence,” wasn’t it? Even I, who don’t know much about magic, can see that the sound is perfectly controlled.

“Ira, you’re facing tremendous things that we, that I don’t know about. It was you who single-handedly defeated the werewolf in the practical exam that day. I was only able to find out after you and Grace disappeared that it was meant for the high school graduation exam. I was able to find information that what happened that day was actually some problem at the academy! That means, if you hadn’t been there, I would have already…!!”

“That’s… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hide it. And, I didn’t go there to do anything specific! The w-werewolf too!! I didn’t know!! Really! B-believe me!! Latina, I like being friends with you…!!”

“Ira! Even now, you’re hiding your magical power from me as much as possible!!”

“Ugh…!!”

Is she going to cry again? That’s what her mournful cry makes me think.

But what does she expect with her own distress? Lady Ira literally didn’t do anything of her own will except going to the Empire. She didn’t even go to the Empire to prevent war, but to retrieve Ragni. In the process, she got involved in Imperial affairs and ended up in battle. Lady Ira is always the one who gets involved. Of course, I could have brought this up first out of frustration, but for now, I observe Lady Ira’s reaction.

…She’s grimacing as if in pain, but well. The girl is also properly talking while sniffling, so I’ll just watch for now.

“…Ira. So, you can’t tell me anything after all?”

“N-no! I can tell you everything! What I know, what I’ve been hiding! I’ll tell you everything!! Latina is truly an important friend…!!”

“Then. Show me all of your magical power.”

“…Eh?”

[What?]

What is that fool saying now? Show all of Lady Ira’s magical power? Is this a new suicide attempt by a fool who has never felt the pressure of the Dean’s magical power?

I unconsciously turn my head to look at Lady Ira and the girl, and the sniffling girl’s eyes were more seriously determined than I expected.

“A-all of it? All my magical power?”

“Yes. If you really think of me as your friend. Show me all the power you have.”

“B-but, my m-master said that it would make people around me uncomfortable…”

“Your master is the Class A professor. No, the Dean, right?”

“Ugh…!!”

What the hell, how does that girl know everything? Is it Grace after all? That girl seems to have a looser tongue than I thought.

Thinking this while looking at the bespectacled girl, Lady Ira started pulling strongly at her chest as if troubled.

“Um, really? Now? Or, later, when we go outside to a ‘somewhat distant’ place…”

“No, I want to see it now. Show me. If you really think of me as a necessary friend, right here. I want to see ‘Ira’ up close.”

“……”

Finally, Lady Ira is at a loss for words, and her purple eyes begin to tremble.

No, no matter what she says, Lady Ira wouldn’t do it, right? She said the other was a precious friend, so she wouldn’t do something that might cause the other to collapse under the pressure of magical power…

“…Alright. Then, I’ll release it all at once. If it seems like Latina can’t handle it, I’ll suppress it again right away.”

[What?]

“Okay.”

Lady Ira, who had been looking directly into the eyes of the girl called Latina, stood up with determination in her own purple eyes. And naturally, the girl also began to prepare for the magical power Lady Ira was about to release, holding her practice staff. No, w-wait!! Lady Ira!! You can’t release it all at once!! The girl might die from shock…!!

-Woooooooosh!!

“⎯⎯⎯?!!”

I swallow a shrill moan, unable to even scream.

Purple-tinged blue magical power, the same color as Lady Ira’s eyes, begins to rise and fluctuate, painting over all the surrounding space as if to devour it.

The complexion of the girl who claimed to be a friend instantly turned pale blue upon seeing it, her eyes becoming like those seeing something terrifying. Ugh, this is not good…!!

“This is 50 percent. Latina, are you okay?”

-Crack…!!

“Y-yes!! I’m f-fine…!! Sh-show me the r-rest! All of it! Show me!!”

[Huh?]

Contrary to my concern, when Lady Ira made eye contact with her and spoke with a worried voice, the girl immediately turned her eyes and gritted her teeth before speaking again.

[-Academy Student- Name: Latina. Level: 176 Age: 15]

With a level about 5 times weaker than Lady Ira’s, she was enduring the pressure of that magical power.