Ch.427427 – Not Really a Big Deal

# 427 – It’s Not Really a Big Deal

After seeing the senior off, Ishtar, covered in dirt, got up from the empty lot while bleeding.

“Are you okay? Want to borrow a handkerchief?”

I pulled out the handkerchief that Jona had tucked into my breast pocket, saying it was a symbol of refinement and that I should always carry one.

Her cloudy eyes, as if her spirit had been broken, glared at the handkerchief in my hand.

Smack!

The handkerchief flew through the air after being struck by her fierce hand, like a pet dog barking without recognizing its owner.

I caught it again using an adaptation of the spider grass’s pulling technique, and the hero’s eyes trembled as if realizing something.

“Why hit the handkerchief? If you don’t want it, just say so.”

“Was it you? The one who summoned that monster?”

“Huh? Um… I don’t know…”

“You were testing us. We were completely played.”

“That wasn’t my intention!”

“Then who was that senior? Why would such a strong senior follow you around?”

“That’s because the senior is a tsundere!”

“You expect me to believe such an excuse…? Haha. You really know how to make people miserable.”

Tears welled up in Ishtar’s eyes.

“Are you okay? Want to borrow a handkerchief after all?”

“I don’t need it.”

“If you ever need one, I could introduce you to a strong companion who could join the hero party!”

Ignoring me completely, Ishtar limped away without looking back.

As I watched Yufi and Skola, who had depleted even their healing mana from exhaustion, hurriedly follow behind her, a third-year senior approached and grumbled.

“What disrespectful brats. We help them and they throw a fit? They’re the ones who caused the trouble.”

“Don’t be too harsh! Even without me bothering her, Ishtar is already pitiful enough.”

“You’re really too nice. Being kind to someone who acts so arrogantly.”

“I have no choice. Ishtar will have to work hard in my place, catching the Emperor and the Demon King, and serving as an eraser for landmine events!”

“Why would a hero supported by the Emperor want to erase the Emperor?”

“That’s just how it is!”

“Ah… you’re from the Foundation. I’m scared to even ask questions now. Let’s pretend I didn’t hear that.”

The third-year seniors quickly ran away as the situation concluded.

“Don’t forget! I won the bet, so you have to look after our baby’s training from now on!”

The seniors’ escape speed tripled.

Tch.

Do they think they can avoid me later?

When I visit the Botany Club, they’ll all be huddled together.

Boom boom boom…

The sound of dark clouds in the distance brought me back to reality.

“Oh no.”

I sensed the student council approaching by flight magic from afar.

They must be rushing to investigate after feeling the power Grimreaper senior used.

Nothing good would come from getting caught.

I quickly fled the crime scene using the linked function <Stealth> of <Hiding>.

* * *

“That happened!”

After I told her about my adventure with the third-years, Alice senior tilted her dark aptitude evaluation hat with displeasure.

“You enjoy danger too much. You won’t live your full life that way.”

“But I couldn’t just let those seniors bully our baby. I had to teach them a lesson so our baby would respect me!”

“Baby…”

Look at the baby waving its roots weakly in applause.

How much must it have suffered at the hands of those third-years to be so weak?

I should visit the club room next week to torment them.

“So… what about the other matter?”

“Charlotte senior? She was still alive!”

“…Still?”

“She said she couldn’t give up on the Bibo challenge. So I told her I understood!”

“Your explanations are too abbreviated for clear communication. Tell me everything that happened objectively.”

Alice senior is really strict.

But it’s the wish of a senior who lived stuck to a wall for years, so I can’t refuse.

I told her about my encounter with Charlotte senior.

* * *

Bibo challengers each develop their own methods to face magical disasters.

Some gather large quantities of lost items to attempt a breakthrough, while others aim to acquire a single powerful lost item hidden in the center of magical disasters that precede the Bibo.

Some seniors adapt to the magical disaster itself, developing attribute affinities instead of relying on lost items, those divine artifacts.

“Charlotte senior prefers the direct approach!”

“…Who are you?”

Three swords were drawn with a chilling light, breaking through my pre-set barrier and nearly reaching my neck before being blocked by my layered protection barrier.

“I’m Oknodie. I’m 10? 11 years old? I’m not sure about my age.”

“What is such a young child doing in an area reserved for students on leave? And how do you know my name?”

“Actually, I came because I have a question for you. Could you tell me who your supervisor is? That’s all I need to know!”

The three-sword wielder Charlotte, whose beauty remained unblemished despite being covered in ashes, twirled her rapier.

The slash delivered with rotational force pierced through two layers of protection barriers without mercy, regardless of my being a child.

However, it failed to break through the triple-layered rotating protection barrier I deployed simultaneously with her sword’s rotation.

“How audacious. Asking about the identity of a Foundation supervisor in the middle of a magical disaster in an area reserved for students on leave, beyond even the instructors’ reach. Do you have multiple lives?”

“Don’t misunderstand. I’m not your enemy! I’m also a Foundation lady!”

“Prove it.”

“This is my butler’s whistle. If Charlotte is also a Foundation lady, you should have a butler summoning item too, right?”

For the first time, Charlotte looked at the whistle with sad eyes instead of swinging her rapier.

Her hand disappeared into her thick robe and pulled out an old whistle tied with a gold string.

It was similar to mine, but much older, with years of wear visible.

“Yours is clean. Even though it should be the most precious item for a lady.”

“I’ve only had it for less than a year!”

“…You must be Jona Wiheomhae’s lady.”

“Wow. How did you know?”

“The only butler who wasn’t granted enough time to properly raise a lady weapon of the Foundation. A man who pays for his own sins with his lady’s life. That’s your butler.”

“Hmph. You must not have gotten along with Papa.”

“Papa…?”

“Never mind! Now that I’ve proven I’m a lady, will you tell me about the supervisor? Information should be give and take, after all!”

Her slender figure occasionally visible through her robe and her distinct features had an androgynous charm that would appeal to people of all ages and genders, but she wasn’t a good negotiating partner.

“You’re Alice’s sister, aren’t you?”

“Gasp. How do you know Alice?”

“She was another unfortunate lady selected by Jona in the same 978 batch.”

“Don’t talk about Jona like he’s a totem of misfortune!”

“That man isn’t bad. But for a lady whose training period was forcibly shortened, being chosen by him can only be the greatest misfortune.”

She digs into painful stories so casually.

Even though she herself is hurt by that fact.

“Jona Wiheomhae. That unfortunate butler would know who Charlotte’s butler is.”

“Butler? I’m looking for the supervisor!”

“My precious person and your enemy are one and the same. He was promoted for producing the most capable lady of the current generation.”

“Ah, I see. Then I’ll be going now!”

“I won’t let you leave so easily.”

When Charlotte’s rapier struck the air, the blade suddenly appeared right in front of me, ignoring space.

“Why do you think I revealed the information so willingly? Because it doesn’t matter if you know. You can’t return. Consider that information as money for your journey to the afterlife.”

━━━

[Sudden Event: Charlotte Encounter Battle!]

Foundation lady Charlotte.

She knows the identity of the enemy Alice wanted to learn about.

That identity is none other than Charlotte’s butler!

But to survive Charlotte’s lethal attacks and deliver this information to Jona, you must survive.

Strength, wisdom, eloquence.

Any method will do.

Just as flowers that bloom too quickly fade fast, this crisis is seriously dangerous for someone who entered the area reserved for students on leave too early!

Please escape safely and remove the cellophane from Titosoga’s spotlight. A spotlight with only one color is too inconvenient!

━━━

Hmph. The entity writing these event descriptions seems to care more about Titosoga than me.

It’s worried about Titosoga, not me!

<Charlotte Rapier Technique>

<Fatal Skill – Itten Touya>

The senior’s technique was sharp enough to make the event description’s warning serious.

If I had to compare, she was like an upgraded version of the hero.

Unlike <Holy Mirror> which allows you to predict where attacks originate and where they’ll land, Charlotte senior’s sword tip could thrust anywhere and suddenly appear from anywhere.

A sword thrust from the front would suddenly appear behind me, and a sideways slash would briefly appear to be coming from all directions before suddenly emerging from beneath my feet.

She would feint as if striking from 5m away, then close the gap with two steps and follow up with a real thrust connected to Itten Touya.

‘What an incredibly technical swift sword!’

Senior demonstrated a fighting style where fundamentals were everything, showing such diverse variations with just Itten Touya.

I wonder how many third-year seniors could withstand this sword—her combat ability was practically that of an active senior-year student!

However, people have the concept of human compatibility.

Clang! Clang!

No matter how quickly she thrust, no matter how cleverly she feinted, even when she disguised feints as direct attacks to force a head-on skill battle.

I managed to perceive and counter every attack without being deceived.

“I’m sorry, senior! I’m already familiar with that fighting style!”

The <ALL-IN ONE-HIT CHARACTER I LOVE Marine> build that pushes all patterns at once for an instant kill wasn’t a build that emerged on my first try when starting the game.

Rather, before reaching this build, there was another technique I favored most.

The playable character, hero <Ishtar>.

Her brilliant holy sword techniques.

Once, that was my favorite swordsmanship.

“…I see. Jona Wiheomhae has already taught you all my techniques for Alice’s revenge.”

Charlotte senior’s eyes showed she had seriously misunderstood something, and she dropped her middle stance.

“But the capabilities that man knows of me would only be up until my entry into the area reserved for students on leave.”

Instead, she raised her sword tip higher, taking a high stance aimed at head height.

A bizarre posture of taking a high stance for thrusting rather than slashing or cutting.

Yet the pressure increased at least twofold compared to before.

‘Wow. This isn’t an event I can break through with force!’

I realized immediately upon feeling the pressure.

This requires an unconventional approach.

So I tried one trick.

“Charlotte senior, you’re strong and beautiful!”

“Is that so? How unfortunate. Beautiful flowers tend to grow thorns. Your flattery won’t stop this sword.”

“So I was thinking, someone like you could even become a companion in the hero party!”

“…What?”

“I don’t know what goal you’re trying to achieve by obtaining the Bibo from the area reserved for students on leave, but having the status of a hero party member would surely be a great help, right? I could introduce you to Ishtar!”

At last, the senior’s rapier, sharp as the thorns of a rose, lowered its tip to the ground.

* * *

“It’s not really a big deal, but that’s what happened!”

“That’s an extremely big deal. The companion you tried to introduce to Ishtar was that Charlotte.”

Alice squeezed the opening of her hat, pressing down on the crown of my head.

“Oww, that hurts!”

“You deserve a little pain.”