Chapter 130
The night of the banquet passed like an afterimage of midwinter.
The academy returned to daily life once again.
With the end of one night commemorating the new semester, the short and intense two-week vacation was wrapped up.
It was a time when resumed studies and schedules gave students headaches.
Even the leisurely atmosphere on campus gradually returned to a fierce arena of competition.
The second chapter was beginning.
Peacefully.
And calmly.
"I've processed all the documents you handed over."
"Ah... thank you."
That daily life included me too.
It was a peaceful air after a long time.
As I was processing faculty work as usual, the woman in the seat next to me tapped my shoulder.
Before I had time to turn around, a teacup was placed on the desk.
Heat containing fragrance.
I tilted my head.
"Black tea...?"
"Because the weather is cold. Though my skills are poor, I tried brewing some."
"For saying that, the aroma is good. I didn't know you had expertise in tea too."
"It's the first time I'm serving someone."
"I'm your first this time too."
"Are you happy about that?"
"Of course."
Conversation flowing naturally.
After the banquet.
There was a slight change in our relationship too.
Should I say the distance narrowed compared to before.
Her characteristically cold and lifeless atmosphere was still there, but she showed a somewhat softened attitude in dealing with this side.
Her endlessly stiff tone noticeably loosened from that day on.
A feeling of becoming a little closer.
We continued working side by side.
"By the way... it seems the work has particularly increased."
"It's a busy time in various ways."
The beginning of the winter semester.
It was the busiest time of the year for the academy.
Especially as there were many dates overlapping with external institutions' schedules, internal personnel were frequently dispatched outside, and because of that it was when the academy became most empty.
No wonder it was infamous even among faculty members.
A hectic week in various ways.
'Was it because of that?'
There were also wolves waiting for such gaps.
An incident mercilessly trampling daily life.
It was none other than the first attack occurring at the academy.
In the original work, it was a signal flare starting the full-fledged waves, and also a part where the nightmare that had only been vague directly arrived.
Even the brief peace shattered into pieces.
The storm finally swept in.
There’s hardly a few days left.'
A story approaching right before our eyes.
Perhaps as I was waiting for the start of the disaster, this side needed various preparations too.
If I made a mistake and slipped, I would slide just like that.
As I was chewing over thoughts about the disaster for a moment like that, the woman sitting nearby gently called my name.
It was a somewhat flustered voice.
"Student Yuda?"
"Yes?"
She was looking at the snake.
More precisely, at the hand stroking her purple hair.
Swish swish-.
"...What is this?"
"Ah."
I belatedly realized.
There had been many requests to stroke from here and there recently, and as I got used to that, it seemed my hand moved on its own.
I gently removed my hand that had been touching her soft hair.
Was she quite bewildered?
Selena had a blank expression.
I added a clumsy excuse.
"Because of habit... I'm sorry. I committed rudeness."
"No... I wasn't particularly upset or anything. I was just surprised by the unexpected action. There's no need to receive an apology."
"Then can I continue?"
"Please refrain from that."
"How disappointing."
A playful response returned.
The woman who had been staring fixedly at this side soon muttered in a faint volume.
It was her own impression unconsciously popping out.
"Student Yuda is strange."
"Hmm?"
"How should I say it... I feel comfortable being together, and strangely I'm reminded of old times a lot too."
"......"
Old times.
Was the longing contained in those fragments speaking of your regret?
The atmosphere seemed to sink little by little but.
The woman soon tidied away her gloomy air.
It was a blurry inner thought.
"It doesn't matter now."
"Do you have some worries?"
"How could I have such things?"
"You never know. If so, please rely on me anytime."
"You really are a good person."
The drunkard gently turned her eyes away.
Her expression gradually darkened upon seeing my smile but.
I didn't question that.
Because it was to draw out such a reaction from the start.
The reason I was affectionate towards you, such an innocent reason, a reason so docile it was tender, was to stimulate your guilt from start to finish.
I was handling your emotions as I pleased.
Along with a tongue teasing cunningly.
Just with the excuse that it was for all futures.
I lied.
'So... this side doesn't deserve to be called a good person either.'
I smiled bitterly for a moment.
So you wouldn't notice.
Covering my mouth with the teacup I tilted for a moment, you spoke while organizing the processed documents.
And put a period on the continuing work.
"Let's stop here for today."
"You worked hard."
"That's my line. Thanks to Student Yuda, we finished several hours early."
"Huhu... then I'll be heading back now."
I headed outside the research lab.
Shadows spreading stealthily.
Shades settled on each step I took.
The surrounding air sank instantly.
'Soon.'
Evil approached before long.
As it was a time before its beginning, the remaining time had to be used for preparation.
It was a moment of wandering in darkness again.
Even for me.
This episode wouldn't be easy.
***
Academy attack.
The episode started the tragedy of the original work.
[EP23. Evil Awakening]
-Life crying out death amid seething blood and malice-
It was the part where hardships began in earnest in the original work.
As if everything before was nothing.
The black magicians who had disappeared after the great purge targeted Galimar Academy, where the empire's best talents gathered, to hold their debut stage splendidly.
By awakening the [Disaster] sleeping deep underground at the academy.
A plan to completely destroy the surroundings.
It was a great success in the original work.
'Rat bastards.'
An ancient forgotten secret passage.
Those guys who discovered the academy's weakness after long research secretly dug in, awakened [Death], and leisurely escaped.
The disaster awakened like that and utterly destroyed the area.
A miserable tragedy.
Though they succeeded in sealing the disaster again after half the faculty sacrificed their lives, the academy had already suffered irreversible damage.
They had to take comfort in the fact that there weren't many casualties among students at least.
Land splattered with countless blood.
Regardless.
The heretics who seized the opportunity got on the board.
To achieve the demon god's revival.
'Many... too many died.'
It was a story insufficient to call shocking.
Though there was a dark atmosphere until then, at most only a few extras died, and beloved supporting characters rarely exited.
But even such an unwritten rule was completely overturned from this attack.
Nearly half the supporting characters couldn't keep their lives.
[Category: Free Board]
[Title: What? Professor Rafael dies here???]
Why do so many die in this episode?
I didn't know even this guy would die
Shit about 40% of the named characters seem to have been swept away
Especially the faculty executives are at the level of annihilation
The situation is like this but the dean doesn't even step up
Is he really a useless character?
[Is the dean's incompetence one day or two days?]
-> 1364184th incompetence of Season 1
-> You again... JOAT
-> Kya Future-saw-dor scoring another one
[Rafael was really cool until the end]
-> Dying while protecting students is real
-> That guy went out artistically even when going
-> True professor... we won't forget...
[No fucking way this can't be happening Rafael sir please don't die please get up]
-> But the result was a donut
-> A hole in the chest~
-> It'll ventilate well
-> I'lltearallofyoutopieces
Characters I often faced.
NPCs I sometimes greeted and got along with were dying, so the shock of that episode couldn't help but come strongly.
That's why many multiple playthrough players also appeared trying to prevent that event.
But the result was...
[Category: Question Board]
[Title: Can this really be prevented?]
I'm a user over 300 playthroughs
I'm twisting my whole body trying to prevent the attack episode
But there's a problem
It seems the developers blocked all breaking routes.
It's completely blocked from start to finish
The secret passage the heretics invade through doesn't even reveal its location properly
The altar where the disaster is sealed is covered in some ancient thing so it can't be found even with detection magic
Plus there's not enough firepower to suppress the disaster in the early stages
Is this really the end??
Is there nothing we can do but watch the disaster's revival?
[It seemed like it might work somehow if you just find out the passage location]
-> The problem is I can't find that shit
[According to the setting, only deans have known the passage location for generations]
-> The current dean is mute?
-> So there's no way to find out
-> Augh incompetent bastard
[Can't you just spread all the prophecies to the world, shoulder the restrictions, and die heroically?]
-> I think it was said that's not possible because it's the role of the protagonist's guide
-> What guide when there's been no guiding
-> Just not a guide?
-> Another peaceful day of Rindo Rindo
[Even the walkthrough guy failed that]
-> If even he can't find it, that means no one can, right?
-> How are we supposed to find something even the guy who streams 16 hours a day can't
-> I tried 599384645 times after seeing this post
There was no method.
The underground passage location wasn't properly revealed, and it had spatial characteristics that even detection magic didn't work on, so even detecting the invasion wasn't easy.
As such, preventing the disaster was treated as impossible.
Even in my past life I couldn't succeed.
Of course.
'This time is different.'
There was a way in this life.
A way to save the academy and people engulfed in destruction.