Unlimited Fafnir:Volume 4 Chapter 1

Chapter 1 - The Dragonslaying Princess

Part 1

"Nii-san, hurry. We are going to be late."

While running along the path from dormitory to the school, my younger sister Mitsuki urged me. With every step, Mitsuki's long black hair would flutter lightly.

"There's still time. Even if we just walk briskly, we'll still make the first bell."

Holding my school bag which contained a laptop-style portable terminal, I answered in a carefree tone of voice.

"As the student body president, how could I serve as the role model for others students if I arrive at school in the nick of time? No matter how late, I must pass through the school gates five minutes early. Otherwise, it is no different from being late."

"In that case, Mitsuki, you'd better run first. I'm still digesting breakfast, so let me walk at my own pace."

Due to oversleeping, I had just finished breakfast in a hurry. Holding my stomach, I replied.

"Unacceptable! Because I am in charge of supervising you, Nii-san, it is my responsibility if you are late, that is why we must run together."

Mitsuki finished then held my hand matter-of-factly.

"H-Hey."

"We are almost there, Nii-san. Hang in there a little longer."

Holding my hand, Mitsuki quickened her pace.

The sensation of slender fingers, a size smaller than mine, made it hard for my emotions to remain calm.

After the Basilisk battle, only a couple days had passed since the transport ship took us back to Midgard.

Having learned that Mitsuki was not my blood-related sister and listened to her confession of her feelings—I could no longer not notice her.

After Mitsuki declared she would not give up on me, she started to act more proactively, no... More accurately, she had decreased the amount of unnecessary reservations.

Currently, Mitsuki looked very natural. As Midgard's student body president, as my family, she used to adhere rigidly to standards. That kind of life must have been stifling for Mitsuki.

Mitsuki now looked full of vitality. At her urging, I quickened my pace.

Arriving at the intersection between the road to school and the girls dormitories, Mitsuki instantly let go of my hand and switched to a moderate pace. She probably thought that it would be unseemly for the student body president to be rushing through the school gates in a hurry.

But having run all the way up to this point, there was plenty of time to spare now. On the towering clock tower which could be seen from anywhere on the island, the minute hand indicated that there were still fifteen minutes until class.

—The clock tower was already restored to normal. Its broken and tilted state earlier seemed like it had never happened.

Recalling how the top portion had been destroyed and the clock tower was in a state of ruin earlier, I could not help but feel impressed inside.

Roughly a month ago, Midgard had suffered severe damage from Kili and Hekatonkheir but while we were away to put down Basilisk, the clock tower had been repaired for the most part.

Precisely because Midgard was the castle of the Ds who fought dragons, they had finished construction as quickly as they could.

Both Mitsuki's room, originally damaged by Kili's blast, and the gym's roof, which had been wrecked by falling debris, were likewise repaired.

The only lingering signs of destruction were probably the trees trampled by Hekatonkheir.

We swiped our ID cards and passed through the school gates to head to our classroom—Brynhildr Class.

ALong the way, after we entered the school building, I immediately heard someone call my name from behind.

"Yuu—"

I spun around and looked back to see a young girl with tiny horns on her head. Tia Lightning. Her light-colored hair swaying while she ran towards me, the strands of her hair looked pink under the light in a kind of optical illusion.

"Good morning!"

Tia used the momentum from running to jump and hang onto my neck.

"Oh—G-Good morning, Tia."

I caught her light body and greeted her.

"Ehehe, so happy to see Yuu today again."

Tia smiled and clung tightly to my body.

"Tia-san, please do not make excessive displays of intimacy in public."

Mitsuki put on her student body president face to correct Tia, but Tia pouted unhappily.

"Not excessive, this is within normal for Tia."

"In community life, you need to respect common standards more than personal values. Judged according to that, Tia-san, your actions are excessive."

"Hmph... Mitsuki is too strict."

Tia reluctantly let go of me and stared pitifully at me.

"Yuu, if just a little bit, did your heart flutter because of Tia?"

"Huh? Suddenly getting hugged... Of course a little."

Hearing my describe my feelings honestly, Tia happily closed her eyes partially.

"Great, Tia will continue to make Yuu's heart flutter, then Yuu will love Tia the most!"

"Urgh—"

Confronted with her pure and sincere feelings, I could not help but panic.

Ever since returning to Midgard, Tia had been acting this way. Compared to the previous phase when she pleaded like a child for us to get married, she was now courting me as a girl, making it even harder for me to know how to react.

"Nii-san, what are you losing composure for? Okay, let us get to class."

Mitsuki finished with slight displeasure in her tone, then grabbed my hand and dragged me off.

"Ah! So unfair that only Mitsuki gets to hold hands. So that's not excessive?"

"...Because Nii-san and I are family. This level of contact is very normal."

Mitsuki guiltily shifted her gaze away and answered.

"Then Tia will hold hands with Yuu too! Lisa said that comrades in the same class are no different from family."

"Compared to that, the kind of family I am referring to is... Fine, I suppose the two meanings are not entirely dissimilar."

Mitsuki replied ambiguously.

Thinking back now, I had spotted Mitsuki making similar expressions many times before. So actually, Mitsuki had always been conscious that we were not siblings by blood, it was just that I never noticed.

In the end, Mitsuki and Tia held my left and right hands respectively. The three of us made our way to the classroom.

"By the way, Tia, you came to school alone? What happened to Lisa?"

In the beginning when she first transferred here, Tia refused to leave my side, but now that she had opened her heart to her classmates, she was rooming with Lisa Highwalker.

I looked back along the corridor but could not see any signs of Lisa.

"Lisa says she has to talk to Firill, so Tia came to school alone today."

"Talk to Firill? Did something happen?"

What could have happened that required her to ask Tia to go to school first? Feeling curious, I asked.

"Dunno... But Firill seemed a bit strange."

"Strange?"

"She seems distracted... Oh, and she didn't bring a book today."

"That really is quite strange..."

I frowned and nodded.

As a bibliophile, Firill always had a book in her hand. Something definitely seemed wrong... But right now, there was no way to confirm why.

All I could do was wait quietly for Firill to get to school.

Right before entering the classroom, Mitsuki released my hand and opened the door. Three students were already inside.

"Hi, good morning."

Greeting us in a casual tone was the tomboyish girl—Ariella Lu.

"...Mm."

Then greeting us with just a wave of her hand was the redhead, Ren Miyazawa.

"Good morning."

"Morning!"

Mitsuki and Tia greeted while entering the classroom.

"Good morning, Ariella and Ren."

I greeted the two girls then turned my gaze to the remaining girl in the classroom.

"G-Good morning..."

Stammering her greeting was... Iris Freyja.

"Good morning, Iris."

I smiled and replied, but Iris shifted her gaze away from my face after giving Mitsuki a glance.

Even after I sat down next to her, Iris continued to stare out the window. Previously, Iris would always start talking to me frequently on her own, so this felt quite uncomfortable to me.

"...Nii-san, did you get into a fight with Iris-san?"

Seeing us like that, Mitsuki asked me.

"No, that's not it..."

Actually, Iris and I had grown even more intimate after I confessed my memory loss.

However, in direct contrast to Mitsuki who had started behaving more proactively, Iris no longer initiated intimacy with me like when fighting with Tia for my attention, especially when in front of Mitsuki.

She was probably worried about Mitsuki's feelings.

I think that after she heard my confession, having declared she would retrieve my memories, this was the only thing she could do.

Because of the path she had chosen, perhaps in the end, she must give up on "the current me."

Seeing Iris push herself like that, I felt very useless but I did not know what to do. But there was one thing I could be certain. Something seemed to be off about the current situation.

While I was thinking about the correct thing to do, the bell rang for class. Just before the ringing stopped, only then did Lisa and Firill enter the classroom.

Just as Tia said, Firill was not carrying a book in her hand. She looked very preoccupied with her thoughts.

"It will be fine, Firill-san. I shall help you find a solution."

"Lisa... But—"

"Speak no more. Leave it to me."

There was a heavy atmosphere hanging around Lisa and Firill while they talked and took their seats. Then because Shinomiya-sensei, our homeroom teacher, entered immediately, I did not get a chance to talk to them. Sitting in the center of the last row in this 3x3 arrangement of desks and chairs, I could only look at the backs of the the girls who sat on the left and right ends of the front row.

"Now let's begin with the register."

Including me, Brynhildr Class only had eight students. Although one could tell at a glance who was missing in this small class, Shinomiya-sensei still opened the register and took roll call one by one.

"Lisa Highwalker."

First to be called was Student No. 1, Lisa.

"..."

However, Lisa did not respond straight away. She was staring silently at Firill.

On the other hand, Firill was taking on Lisa's gaze with a lost and hesitant look on her face.

"Lisa Highwalker, are you listening?"

Shinomiya-sensei called her name again. Immediately, Lisa's expression looked like she had made some kind of decision. Turning her gaze away from Firill, she pushed her chair back and stood up.

"Shinomiya-sensei, I have a request for you."

"...You do know that this is homeroom time, right? Save it for later."

"I am terribly sorry but because the matter is of utmost urgency, it cannot be saved for later. Sensei, may I ask that you grant Firill-san permission to exit Midgard as soon as possible?"

Lisa asked Shinomiya-sensei solemnly.

—permission to exit Midgard?

Although I did not know why, this was truly an unreasonable request made all of a sudden. Midgard was both the self-governed organization of Ds—users of dark matter creation—but also an isolation facility at the same time.

Midgard existed both to isolate Ds from all sorts of malevolence as well as to protect ordinary people from getting harmed by Ds.

"What are you suddenly talking about...? You should know that prior to reaching the age of twenty, when powers naturally vanish, Ds are essentially forbidden from leaving Midgard."

Shinomiya-sensei brought up Midgard's rule. Indeed, once arriving in Midgard, Ds must live in this school until they reached adulthood. This decision was chosen to keep friction between them and ordinary people to a minimum, to avoid conflict with the world.

"Of course I know that, but could you make an exception?"

"Do not ask for the impossible. Besides, why on earth—Oh, I see now... Because he passed away."

Shinomiya-sensei turned her gaze to Firill and spoke.

"Yes, that is why I would like Firill-san to attend the funeral."

It looked like someone related to Firill had passed away. No wonder she was acting differently from normal, but—

"I understand how you feel... But I cannot allow her to enjoy special treatment as a lone exception."

Shinomiya-sensei's answer was just as I expected. There must be quite a few people who had encountered the same situation so far, but Midgard's rules were not lax enough to allow them to make brief outings for such reasons.

Lisa should understand this very clearly, but still, she refused to give up.

"Shinomiya-sensei, that statement is already wrong on many assumptions. Firill-san is a special case. The Principality of Erlia has made huge contributions to Midgard acquiring the right to autonomy. Even now, they are still major sponsors of Midgard. All things considered, she is their—"

"No matter what position she held outside of Midgard, she is only an ordinary student here. Your line of reasoning does not work."

Shinomiya-sensei interrupted Lisa and told her clearly.

"But—"

"...Lisa, forget it. Thank you... That's enough."

Lisa was about to argue back when Firill stopped her.

"Firill-san..."

"Rules must be followed after all. Sorry, Sensei, I made a willful request."

Firill bowed her head and apologized to Shinomiya-sensei.

"No, wanting to attend a family funeral is a most natural request. I'm the one who feels sorry I cannot agree to your request."

Shinomiya-sensei apologized to Firill while Lisa sat down reluctantly.

Hence, homeroom began under a slightly grave atmosphere. Lisa and Firill had evidently given up on arguing, but there was still one thing I did not understand.

Right now, it was hard for me to speak to Iris, so I asked Mitsuki quietly:

"Mitsuki, what did she mean by Firill being a special case?"

"...Nii-san, do not tell me you still have no idea? Surely you must have heard the name of the Principality of Erlia mentioned in class?"

Mitsuki looked at me with an expression of surprise and lamentation.

"Huh? Oh, of course I know the Principality of Erlia... I remember it's the country that lobbied strongly for the restoration of the Ds' human rights, which led to Midgard's independence, right?"

This name was mentioned frequently in the Ds' modern history class. The Principality of Erlia was a small landlocked country in western Europe. Through the export of scarce resources, they had reportedly achieved astounding economic growth in recent years.

Apparently only Japan, where the birthrate of Ds was the highest, and the Principality of Erlia were the two sponsors of Midgard that far outstripped all other countries.

"Although the Principality of Erlia is a democracy, the royal family has been retained as national symbol. And the one who led the movement pushing for the restoration of the Ds' human rights was the current king. So, what is his name, may I ask?"

Mitsuki tilted her head slightly with a mischievous look and posed that question to me.

"N-Name? Well, I've forgotten."

"Seriously... How I worry for your next exam if you cannot even remember this. The correct answer is Albert Crest, but unfortunately—He passed away several days ago."

"Crest? I remember that's..."

I had some recollection of this family name. I looked at Firill sitting in the front row.

Following my gaze, Mitsuki nodded affirmatively.

"Yes, she—Firill-san—is the granddaughter of the late King Albert. She is veritably a true princess."

Part 2

—A princess... huh.

During the lunch break, we members of Brynhildr Class went to the cafeteria together. Walking alongside Lisa in front, Firill was still empty-handed. She probably was in no mood for reading still.

The depressed Firill exuded a dreamy impression, making her seem harder to approach than usual. Looking at her now, I could feel an air of nobility in her posture and gait.

—After her grandfather passed away, if her father succeeded to the throne, that would make Firill the king’s daughter.

Princess, the king’s daughter—positions that only appeared in fiction were now presented before my eyes.

It was a strange feeling, lacking in a sense of reality.

"...You've been staring at me for a while now, why?"

She seemed to have noticed me staring at her. Firill slowed down and walked side by side with me.

"Huh? F-Forgive this unworthy peasant."

"Why are you suddenly speaking so deferentially?"

"Oh—I just learned that you're a princess, Firill, so I subconsciously..."

I smiled wryly and replied.

"I see, so you're staring at me because you find princesses very exotic."

Firill asked somewhat sharply.

"Well, I can't deny feeling a bit of that—But what worries me more is that you don't have a book in your hand. That proves that you're really sad, right?"

"Oh..."

Firill stared at her own hands in surprise.

"You only noticed now?"

"...Yes."

Firill nodded gloomily and answered. Now it looked really serious.

"Your grandfather—passed away, right?"

"......Yes, he died, before I could repay him at all."

Firill nodded and murmured quietly.

"Repay?"

Apart from sorrow, her expression conveyed heavy regret as well.

"Grandfather took great pains on my behalf. When he found out I was a D, he said 'How could I allow my granddaughter to be locked away in a some kind of detention facility!?' and threw out the Asgard staff."

"What an amazing grandfather."

Asgard was the international organization commanding Midgard and NIFL. Its express purpose was to oppose dragons. Rejecting Agard's demands was equivalent to opposing the world.

"However, the rules could not be ignored completely... Hence, after that, Grandfather changed his approach and worked towards making Midgard an appropriate home for me. Hence, he got the entire world involved and started a movement to restore the Ds' human rights... Despite his poor health at the time."

"So, it's all thanks to your grandfather's painstaking efforts that we have the current Midgard..."

Through the export of resources, the Principality of Erlia was very well off financially. Over the years, the Principality had also provided great amounts of financial aid to the various European nations plagued by dragon disasters and economic recessions. Perhaps due to such interactions, the Principality was able to exert widespread influence.

"Right... But I have yet to repaid him at all. At least at the end—I really wish I could have said 'thank you' to Grandfather."

She wanted to say "thank you" rather than "goodbye."

I could feel intense feelings of gratitude in those words of "thank you."

If possible, I wanted to take her to the funeral, to allow her to say those words directly. But I had neither that sort of authority nor that kind of power.

"—Don't worry."

Originally listening to our conversation on the side, Ariella suddenly joined in and asserted in a strong tone of voice.

"Ariella?"

Hearing me call her name, she smiled cheerfully and said:

"No matter where you are, Firill, your thoughts will definitely reach your grandfather's soul."

"...Do souls really exist?"

Firill murmured with a complicated look on her face. She was admittedly happy about Ariella's well wishes, but it was probably impossible for her to accept that notion readily.

"Yes, because I've see them myself."

However, Ariella confirmed without hesitation.

With no idea whether she was serious or not, Firill and I could only stare at each other with troubled looks on our faces.

As soon as we entered the cafeteria, I quickly noticed the unusual mood.

"Did something happen...?"

Mitsuki seemed to notice the same sense of dissonance and looked around.

The air was tense in the cafeteria and abnormally quiet.

"There's a lot of people gathered in the lounge."

Iris pointed at the lounge where a large television was installed.

A memory of watching a Basilisk news report in the lounge flashed across my mind. Did a dragon make a move again?

"Although it doesn't feel like anything good... Let us head over to have a look."

Lisa led the way while we followed.

As soon as we neared the crowd gathered around the lounge, I heard voices from the television.

'—What are your views on the incident?'

'Well... Fundamentally, it's certain that the situation resulted from NIFL doing things by force.'

Judging from the fact that NIFL was mentioned, this did not seem to be a topic irrelevant to us.

I tiptoed slightly to get the television into view. Since all the people in Midgard were girls, my view was not blocked in situations like these.

I could see the newscaster and commentators on the screen, discussion a certain topic.

"Yuu, Tia can't see, please let Tia ride on your shoulders!"

Tia tried to climb on my body from behind. Wrapping her arms around my neck, she choked me.

"C-Can't breathe. I got it, let go first."

To make it easier for Tia to get on my shoulders, I knelt down.

"Thanks!"

Tia thanked me and sat down on my shoulders, clamping my head between her thighs, hugging my head tightly. As for the sensation of fabric against my neck...

"...Eh?"

Discovering the absence of something that should be present, I could not help but exclaim in surprise.

"Yuu?"

Sitting on my shoulders, Tia peered at my face from above with an incredulous expression.

"Tia, I'd like to ask you a question..."

"What is it?"

"Don't tell me... you forgot to wear underwear?"

I asked Tia in trepidation.

"Muu, Yuu, you're so rude. Tia is not the kind of little kid who forgets to wear underwear, because Tia is already a mature lady."

"T-That's true... Sorry for asking you a weird question."

Although there was classmate who really would come to school occasionally without remembering to put on panties despite being the same age, normally speaking, that was impossible. She was an exception in many ways.

"Oh, but Tia's are different today."

Tia seemed to recall something and leaned in closer to whisper in my ear.

"...What's different?"

Seeing Tia wary of getting overheard by Lisa, I whispered back as well.

"Lisa was speaking with Firill the whole time today... and did not prepare a change of clothes for Tia. So Tia went to look for panties alone, but couldn't find any... So Tia borrowed Lisa's to wear."

"What... B-But the size won't match, right?"

"Yeah, so Tia chose the type that's string-tied. It won't fall off if tied tightly."

"S-String!"

I raised my voice involuntarily.

"Wearing her panties without permission, it's bad, right?"

"N-No... It can't be helped in this case, I don't think Lisa will be mad."

Seeing Tia quite worried, I reassured her.

"...Thank goodness."

Tia breathed a sigh of relief but to me, this was a huge problem, because I had to carry Tia on my shoulders but she was wearing the type of underwear that others could mistaken for not wearing any.

—Stop thinking nonsense. I must keep my mind clear, keep my mind clear...

I warned myself not to let my thoughts stray while standing up and holding Tia's legs.

"Wow, so high up!"

Tia cheered but ignoring the sensations around my neck was already taking my full effort.

Just as I finally turned my attention and gaze to the television with much difficulty, the commentators' discussion came to a close.

'Then let us return to the situation at the press conference.'

It looked like they were going to play a news video clip. While talking to Tia just now, I had heard almost nothing of the discussion, but now, I could get a grasp on the situation.

Immediately, the screen switched to show a girl.

"Eh—"

Tia's hoarse voice entered my ears. I gasped in surprise too. The worries about underwear earlier were instantly evicted from my mind.

'I sincerely thank this country for accepting me despite this time of mourning for them.'

Shown on the television was a girl with long black hair and a prim and proper face. Her intelligent eyes were looking into the camera. I knew clearly who she was.

"Kili..."

Tia called her name in a trembling voice.

Indeed, she was Kili Surtr Muspelheim, the leader of the dragon worshiping cult, the Sons of Muspell. Deemed a disaster, she was also a D that NIFL had targeted for priority elimination.

Roughly a month ago, Kili had disguised herself, taking on the identity Tachikawa Honoka to infiltrate Midgard, intending to take Tia away.

Kili had disappeared without trace after that, so why did she openly make an appearance on television?

The fact that a D was the leader of a terrorist organization was not disclosed to the public, because such news would discredit all Ds if it spread throughout the world.

Hence, the news probably was not reporting on her as a criminal. Then what kind of position exactly was she standing before the cameras of the media?

'I—Kili—am a creator of dark matter. In other words, what everyone calls a D. My position would normally require me to head to the autonomous educational institute of the Ds, Midgard, but due to certain reasons right now, I cannot go to Midgard.'

After listening to Kili's statement, a reporter asked: 'By certain reasons, you mean...?'

Judging from the press conference, Kili was speaking as a D whose powers had awakened, rather than as a terrorist.

'Because NIFL might very well interfere during the process of transportation to Midgard. Until the very end, this NIFL organization opposed Midgard's independence. Even now, when the Ds' human rights have been restored, NIFL still regards us as monsters. I really cannot trust them. Rumor has it—They secretly filter the Ds sent to Midgard... Has anyone heard of this rumor?'

Gathered around Kili, the reporters clamored while cameras flashed nonstop.

'Of course, I don't know if it's true or not. But ever since I started investigating the veracity of this rumor, I've heard several times about the disappearance of Ds. I wouldn't hand myself over to that kind of organization for even a second.'

Gathered around the television, Midgard's students were whispering among themselves.

I heard someone say stuff like "I knew it..."

'But protected by the secure defenses of Midgardsormr, Midgard is in a state of isolation from the outside world without any direct way of reaching them. As a commoner, even trying to contact them is impossible. Hence, I can only rely on this country.'

Kili spoke gravely to the camera:

'Considering the Principality of Erlia that had rejected Asgard and NIFL's demands in the past, concealing their princess who had awakened as a D—I believe they will guarantee my safety if I make such a suggestion.'

"Principality of Erlia...?"

Hearing that name, I looked for Firill who should be nearby. She was completely still, staring intently at the image on the television.

'I hope to be transported directly from the Principality of Erlia to Midgard without going through Asgard or NIFL. If Ds come directly to pick me up, I will be able to hand myself over to them without worry. I hereby request—Please save me.'

Kili bowed deeply with her head down. Then the camera switched scenes.

Inside the recording studio, the commentators began another round of discussion. However, I almost did not register any of their opinions.

"What on earth is going on?"

Kili's goal was completely incomprehensible. For a long time now, Kili had persisted in evading NIFL's pursuit. If it was her, there was no need to seek any side's protection, right? Even if she had some goal requiring her to infiltrate Midgard again, doing it this way would attract way too much attention.

Considering her ability to perform biogenic transmutation, turning herself into a totally different person would be a more practical method.

"Apart from us, no one seems to notice she is Honoka-san..."

Lisa whispered after observing the nearby students.

Indeed, everyone was fervently discussing whether what they just saw was real or not, or whether Midgard would tak e any action. None of them seemed to have realized her identity. Although it was common knowledge by now that Honoka was a terrorist who had infiltrated Midgard, her name being Kili was not disclosed to ordinary students.

When infiltrating as Tachikawa Honoka, she had glasses and was wearing her hair in braids. Despite looking the same, she gave off a completely different impression, which was probably why people failed to associate Honoka with Kili.

Disguised as Honoka, she was timid, quiet and gentle, but in the video, she was completely unafraid and quite outgoing in tone.

"What is she doing... in my country? I must hurry and inform Father and the others of her true identity—"

Firill spoke with anxiety.

"I understand how you feel, but please calm down a bit. If you act recklessly, it could endanger your parents."

Mitsuki placed her hand on Firill's shoulder and cautioned her.

"Kili's strength is enough to oppose NIFL's army. Based on this fact, this is the same as taking Firill's country itself hostage..."

I remarked with deep worry.

If the truth was revealed, forcing the Principality of Erlia to make Kili an enemy, she would probably eliminate all threats mercilessly.

"No way... What should I do...?"

"—It seems that we will be deciding what to do straight away."

Taking out her portable terminal, Mitsuki showed us the screen. Shinomiya-sensei was calling for her.

"Then I shall head over to the conference. Nii-san, everyone, please have lunch first."

Saying that, Mitsuki swiftly left the catering building.

"Yuu..."

Sitting on my shoulders, Tia hugged my head tightly.

Tia had been subjected to Kili's brainwashing education before. The pair of horns on her head were also given to her by Kili through biogenic transmutation. And her parents' murderer was also—

"Don't worry, although it's unknown what Kili's goal is... I don't think she wants to take you away like before, because we already defeated Basilisk."

"...Really?"

"Yeah. Even if you're her target, Tia, I'll still protect you, so don't worry."

I reached out and stroked Tia's head.

"Yeah... Then Tia is relieved."

Tia relaxed her body as though breathing a sigh of relief.

"..."

On the other hand, Firill showed a stiff expression on her face while staring at the next news report. With her grandfather's passing and her home country in danger, it was only natural for her to feel unsettled.

However, I could not offer comforting words irresponsibly without understanding the situation.

The problem was how Midgard would choose to react.

And the only student involved in that decision was Mitsuki as the student body president.

—Mitsuki, I'm counting on you.

Believing in my non-blood-related younger sister, I prayed that she could point out a better path.

Even after the bell rang for afternoon classes, Mitsuki still had not returned. Charlotte B. Lord showed up as the substitute teacher to cover Periods 5 and 6.

The principal's childish appearance meant that she did not look out of place standing among the students. She looked especially happy to be teaching. Although she did not look any older than us in appearance, rumor had it that she was already on this island since Midgard's inception, hence her age likely did not match her appearance.

"—When a D is targeted by a dragon and her dragon mark changes color, she will turn into the same type of dragon just by making contact with the dragon. All of you should know this already. But according to the latest research, a D's dragonification might be brought about by the dark matter generated from her own body."

It was supposed to be History class right now, but she was proudly talking about the latest D research while dressed in a loose-fitting lab coat. Every time she jumped to point out something projected on the blackboard, her blonde hair fluttered lightly behind her.

She mentioned she had a medical license when I received a health examination from her last time, so perhaps her main job was being a researcher.

"This hypothesis means that a D might be using her own dark matter to perform biogenic transmutation to take on a dragon's form. But here's the problem now. A human brain does not have sufficient specs to control and process biogenic transmutation—"

This was a very interesting topic, so I had no complaints.

However, I wondered: Was it really okay for Midgard's chief administrator to be spending time in this kind of place?

Essentially, I asked her in the beginning, doesn't the principal need to attend the meeting? But she said "since Haruaka is Midgard's commander, that's her job. I'm just the principal."

"Any deficit must be made up somewhere. Most likely during a D's dragonification, a powerful link is formed with the dragon's brain, thereby conferring massive processing power. There is also evidence that a D can feel the dragon's consciousness when her dragon mark changes color. Such testimonies also lend support to this hypothesis."

Saying that, the principal turned her gaze to Iris and Tia. They had been targeted by dragons separately and had sensed the thoughts of dragons.

"Excuse me..."

Lisa raised her hand at this moment.

"Yes, what is it? Do you have a question?"

The principal asked Lisa in delight.

"Yes, although I find this hypothesis very compelling... It does raise the question, how is Kili Surtr Muspelheim able to use biogenic transmutation?"

Lisa's question was only natural, because we had witnessed with our own eyes how she used biogenic transmutation to heal her wounds instantly.

Lisa probably recalled that incident after seeing Kili just now.

"Well, there are two kinds of possibilities."

However, the principal raised two fingers and spoke.

"Two kinds?"

"Yes. One is that she is also using some method to supplement her processing power. The other is that she is not human to begin with."

"Not human...? Are you saying that she might not even be a D?"

Lisa exclaimed in surprise but the principal nodded with a nonchalant expression.

"Assuming that without external aid, she is capable of things that are beyond you Ds—That implies she is a different lifeform. She supposedly claimed to be a dragon and I would not be surprised even if that were true."

The principal remarked calmly.

Thinking logically, this was the natural conclusion. But for us, who had thought of Kili as simply a D the whole time, we were rendered instantly rendered speechless.

Inside the classroom where you could hear a pin drop, the bell rang to announce the end of the period.

"Oh, it's time. What a delightful lesson, with the gazes of beautiful maidens gathered upon me, time sure flies."

The principal spoke in a wistful tone of voice. That seemed to be the reason why she was in a good mood.

"—As much as I'd like to continue, that's it for today's lessons. Dismissed."

"Y-Yes. Please stand, everyone."

Since Mitsuki was not present, Lisa took on the role of issuing orders.

"Bow."

"Bye."

The principal started walking and was about to exit the classroom when she stopped before opening the door and looked back at me.

"Mononobe Yuu, come over here. I've got business with you."

"Okay, got it..."

I wondered what it was about while following the principal to the corridor.

"Show me your dragon mark."

Hearing that, I instantly understood the principal's intent.

"—There's nothing unusual."

I showed the back of my left hand where the dragon mark was located while I spoke.

The small wound that had appeared after Leviathan's defeat was now part of my dragon mark.

Since I had gained the ability to create antigravitational matter after the wound appeared, the principal was suspecting a causal relationship between the two.

"Hmm... That seems to be the case. Then has there been any changes in your powers? Are you able to perform new transmutations?"

Stroking my dragon mark with her fingertip, the principal asked.

"None so far..."

"I see. It'd be interesting if you became capable of emulating Basilisk. But since it hasn't been that long since the team defeated Basilisk, perhaps the change will occur later. Report to me instantly if you discover anything."

"Yes."

I nodded affirmatively and the principal instantly turned her gaze to the door of Brynhildr Class.

"Antimatter and mithril was obtained from Kraken while antigravitational matter was obtained from Leviathan. In each battle against the dragons, Ds would gain new powers after victory. This time should be no exception. Apart from you, there could be changes in the others, so you must pay extra attention."

"...Creating new matter unintentionally is very dangerous. I'll be careful."

A suddenly obtained power could go out of control or cause accidents. Hence, I must pay attention and not miss minute symptoms.

"Great, then finally—Could you crouch down slightly."

"Huh? Like this... Is that okay?"

I had no idea what the principal wanted but I still bent down and lowered my posture.

Immediately, the principal placed her hand on my head.

"Mononobe Yuu, you did excellent work. It's all thanks to your contributions that Basilisk could be taken out successfully without sacrificing a single person."

It felt quite embarrassing to have her tiny hand rubbing my head.

"P-Principal, what are you doing so suddenly—"

"Hmm? I'm praising you... You're unhappy with this level of praise?"

"No, I'm not unhappy at all..."

"Then accept it with gratitude. It's extremely rare for me to personally reward a man."

After ruffling my hair for a while, the principal smiled and left.

I returned to the classroom. In the middle of packing their belongings, my classmates all stared speechlessly.

"...Mononobe-kun, your hair is such a mess, fufu... It's so weird."

Having worn a gloomy expression all day, Firill chuckled.

Seeing her smile, I felt somewhat thankful for the principal's reward.

Perhaps getting stroked on the head was not a bad thing once in a while.

Part 6

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