Unlimited Fafnir:Volume 6 Chapter 1

Chapter 1 - Silent Genius

Part 1

Midgard was the stronghold in the southern seas where Ds, people capable of generating and using dark matter, were gathered.

Their powers would awaken with the onset of secondary sex characteristics then disappear when they reached maturity. Hence, the majority of Ds were school-age children.

Hence, an academy was established at Midgard for the Ds.

The Academy's campus contained all kinds of facilities. There was also a medical building fully equipped with cutting-edge technology.

A week earlier, I was severely injured in the battle against Yggdrasil and admitted to this medical building for treatment, but—

"Principal... I'm getting sleepy. Can we end this here?"

I—Mononobe Yuu—spoke hesitantly to the blue-eyed blonde who was sitting on the bed, face to face with me.

She looked like a petite girl in her teens but was actually Midgard's chief administrator—Charlotte B. Lord.

Dressed in a loose-fitting lab coat, she looked like she was merely "playing doctor" but she actually had a medical license. She was currently my principal physician to conduct treatment for me.

But after arriving at my room under the pretext of diagnosis, she had already stayed for as long as three hours.

"Wait, be quiet, I'm currently thinking."

The principal furrowed her elegant brow, pursing her pink lips, concentrating on her thoughts. Meanwhile, her gaze was focused on the game of Japanese chess on the board between us.

"I'm basically a hospitalized patient, right? I don't think pulling all-nighters is good for my health."

"I've already healed your wound. Since your body is back in full health, keep me company for a while longer. Okay, try this move!"

Smack, the principal moved her chess piece and looked proudly at me.

Yes, my wound originally required a long time to recover completely, but it was all healed now. I was scheduled to go back to school tomorrow.

This was only possible thanks to a "power" possessed by the principal.

She was the "Gray" Vampire—the dragon that controlled other people by using bodily fluids as a medium.

I heard that she had managed human society from the shadows the whole time, preventing humanity from destroying itself. My left arm, controlled by Yggdrasil, was currently at peace only thanks to the principal's power.

But in exchange, my left arm was no longer under my own control either.

"Unfortunately, it's over. Here, checkmate."

I sighed and used my mobile right hand to place my piece in front of the king.

"What!? I can't believe you used a captured piece. That's why too underhanded! You're under my dominance right now, so don't forget I can read your thoughts if I wanted to, okay? But I faced you fair and square without doing that!"

The principal frantically spoke and pointed at the piece I had moved.

"I can't help it even if you call me underhanded, because that's what rules are like for Japanese chess. And I basically explained in the beginning, right?"

"Hmmmm... Looks like I wasn't listening carefully because I was focused on memorizing how the pieces moved. I never expected these factors absent from international chess... This game is more complicated than I imagined."

Arms crossed before her chest, the principal stared at the ended game in chagrin.

"It might be a bit hard playing the first time when you need to memorize lots of things, but I'm actually not that good at chess. Once you get the rules down, Principal, you'll probably play better than me. Besides, I got totally thrashed in international chess just now... Yawn... Then I'm going to bed."
 I cleared up and prepared to put the chessboard away while yawning, but the principal showed displeasure on her face.

"Hold on, one more game. It's too much of a waste to end things here when I went out of my way to order a Japanese chess set just to play with you."

"Can't we just play again next time? I'll be your opponent any time I'm free."

Rubbing my sleepy eyes, I tried to convince the principal, but she made a sulking look and started to place the pieces.

"How could I sleep without avenging my defeat?"

"You're such a sore loser..."

Given no choice, I arranged the pieces in their starting positions.

Inside the quiet sickroom late at night, the principal and I began a second game of chess.

"But by the way, it really is so similar."

After capturing my pawn, the principal placed the piece in her hand and murmured.

"Similar to what?"

"Not just defeating the enemy but also bringing them over to your own faction to become part of your strength—Don't you find this very similar to our relationship with dragons?"

Prompted by the principal's question, I thought briefly about it.

"—Yeah, we gain the powers of dragons by defeating them. Conversely, if we lose, dragons would turn Ds into their mates... It really is quite similar to chess now that you point it out."

"I know, right? As a result, a single victory in our war would greatly affect the overall development of the situation. Mitsuki Mononobe defeated the 'Purple' Kraken while you defeated 'White' Leviathan. Replicating their powers was conducive to later victories, but—"

Then the principal showed a gloomy expression.

Understanding what troubled her, I lowered my voice and asked:

"...You're thinking about Iris?"
 My classmate, a lively and straightforward girl—Iris Freyja.

During the battle against Yggdrasil, Iris had used Catastrophe without going through the step of dark matter. There was a fundamental difference between Iris generating Catastrophe directly, versus how Mitsuki and I replicated dragons' powers through transmutation. This difference was so great that it might transcend the boundaries of what it meant to be a D—

"Yes, I was wondering this. Suppose Iris Freyja were to change into a dragon, whose side would she take?"

Looking at the opposing chess pieces on the board, the principal spoke with worry.

While moving my piece forward, I looked into the principal's eyes.

"Iris is human. She's not a monster like Basilisk."

Falling unconscious from my severe injury, during my first conversation with the principal after I woke up, I heard that Iris might turn into a dragon, but I could not accept such a suggestion

"Don't make such a scary face, it's just speculation. Although I've conducted thorough physiological exams on her, I haven't found any anomalous changes in her body. As a result, I've no intention of treating her as a dragon."

The principal smiled wryly and shrugged.

"Good to hear that."

I breathed a sigh of relief but the principal made a serious face in response.

"Compared to what you are, how you live is more important. Bluntly stated, whether someone is a dragon or not is totally irrelevant. On the other hand, you should pay more attention to her and don't let her feel troubled by her own existence."

"—I understand."

After I nodded and answered solemnly, the principal relaxed her expression contentedly.

"I've inherited this title of a dragon too... But I choose to stand on your side, to live this kind of life. I've also gained a friend like you, so I'm very satisfied with my current lifestyle."

The principal's smile conveyed her candid joy. Feeling embarrassed, I avoided eye contact.

"T-The pleasure is all mine..."

Perhaps offended by my reaction, the principal pouted unhappily.

"However, could you quit speaking so formally to me? I'm playing games with you as a friend right now, so there's no need to care about hierarchy, okay?"

"Huh? But even if you say that, I..."

Having spent a long time at NIFL, a place with a clear system of hierarchical relationships, I could not help but speak in a reserved manner to superiors. This had become a kind of habit.

"Hmph, you're taking that respectful attitude again. Fine, I've decided! If I beat you at Japanese chess, you're forbidden to use polite speech with me again. Also, you'll use my nickname of Charl."

"H-Hold on. Principal, you're Midgard's chief administrator. If I call you that, what would other people think?"

"No problem, just address me that way when we're alone. Okay—I'm going to get serious now."

The principal put her smile away and moved her chess piece with a smack.

"...Sure, and if I win, you'll give up, right?"

I sighed and advanced my piece as well.

"What are you talking about? I intend to play until I win."

The principal smiled proudly.

I was rendered speechless and realized that I was probably not getting any sleep until the principal won tonight.

Feeling bright light hurting my eyes behind my eyelids, I opened my eyes.

By the time I knew it, it was already morning. White rays of dawn were streaming in through the window, illuminating the sickroom's interior brightly.

I remember playing Japanese chess with the principal last night...

Tracing back my memories, I recalled the previous night's events.

The principal really refused to give up unless she was victorious. Taking advantage of my drowsy consciousness, she won against me in the third game. I could not remember anything after that, so that was probably when I fell asleep.

Trying to move my body, I felt something weird. My right arm seemed inexplicably heavy.

I turned my head right to see the principal's pretty face. She was lying on my right arm, using it as a pillow, and was staring at me with her gemstone-like eyes.

"What a wonderful morning. Sleeping next to someone else's body warmth is kind of nice, actually."

The principal rubbed her cheek against my arm with a comfortable look on her face, greeting me in a gentle tone of voice.

"What... W-Why are you sleeping here, Principal?"

Despite a moment of speechlessness, I still asked.

"Because you fell asleep last night the moment I won. To make sure you keep the promise, I decided to wait until you woke up. Come, we're alone right now. Don't be shy, call me Charl."

The principal leaned herself against me on the bed, rocking me. A fragrant scent was tickling my nose. Making body contact with a supple body, I felt blood rush to my face and ears.

"Y-You're too close. Please move away a bit."

"I refuse. I won't release you until I get my reward for last night's victory, because I won't tolerate you cheating me out of my reward."

The principal grabbed me even more stubbornly. Things were not going to end at this rate.

"...Got it. I'll keep my promise."

I prepared myself and took a deep breath.

"Good, ready any time."

The principal waited excitedly for me to speak.

Meeting the principal's gaze, I spoke like a friend:

"Good morning, Charl."

Instantly, a smile bloomed all over the principal's face.

"Wow, you did it! Excellent, that's more like my friend!"

The principal rubbed my head happily.

While her delicate fingers combed through my hair, I felt both embarrassed and extremely comfortable. With these indescribable feelings, I exhaled.

"Is this enough?"

"Yes, I'm happy now. Since you listened to my unreasonable demand, I must do everything I can for you in return."

The principal straightened her relaxed expression and continued seriously:

"Ever since the giant tree, ostensibly Yggdrasil, appeared in Japan, the interference power affecting you has been increasing. Even I cannot tell how long I can suppress it, so we must find a way to take down Yggdrasil as soon as possible."

"But didn't you say before that defeating Yggdrasil requires wiping out all plant life from the Earth? Or maybe I should put it this way... If such drastic measures are required to defeat it, what exactly is Yggdrasil?"

I posed a question I had not asked before. It was a bit awkward to speak because I had to intentionally avoid using polite language.

"When I controlled you, I sensed Yggdrasil's true nature... But I don't have proof. Currently, I am asking Asgard's laboratory to perform verification and I believe there will be response soon. I'll tell you the details later."

"Asgard... So it's a research facility of the higher-ups."

Asgard was an international organization in charge of dragon-related policies, the superior agency ruling over Midgard and NIFL. Most likely including the principal's true identity, they were privy to many secrets. Otherwise, Asgard would feel suspicious about how the principal was able to obtain information regarding the truth of Yggdrasil.

"Gathered there are the world's most prominent researchers on dragons, countable on one hand. Believe in me and them, rest properly and wait for the time to act."

"—Got it. I'll believe in you, Charl, and bide my time."

Seeing me nod, the principal smiled contentedly.

But at that moment, the sickroom's door opened.

"Mononobe, it's morning already! Have you woken up?"
 Entering the sickroom was the girl whom the principal and I had discussed last night—Iris Freyja.

"Eh...?"

Iris was originally smiling cheerfully, but the moment she saw us, her expression froze instantly.

My classmates from Brynhildr Class were also showing up behind her.

"Nii-san, I heard you were coming back to class starting today, so I came to pick—"

My little sister of no blood relations—Mononobe Mitsuki. Upon seeing the principal lying in bed with me, her entire person froze.

The price for downloading pre-civilization weapons data from Yggdrasil was that I had lost virtually all my memories beyond three years ago. Hence, I did not have my memories from when Mitsuki and I were still family and more often than not, I did not know what she was thinking—But now was an exception.

Her face was red, eyebrows raised and eyes staring in anger. Anyone could tell what Mitsuki's current emotions were.

"N-Nii-san... What on earth are you doing?"

Pointing at me, Mitsuki cried out in a trembling voice.

Entering the room after Mitsuki, the others also questioned me with their faces red.

"Mononobe Yuu! What is the meaning of this!?"

Lisa Highwalker glared at me, her long blonde hair almost about to rise vertically.

"Mononobe-kun and the principal... What did you two do?"

Always reading, never showing much change in expression, Firill Crest was showing a terrifying smile.

"No fair that only the principal gets to do this! Tia wants to sleep with Yuu too!"

The young girl with two red horns on her head—Tia Lightning. Only her reason for being angry was different from the others.

"D-Don't do that, Tia. It's not allowed."

Ariella Lu tried to dissuade Tia. Her ribbon-tied ponytail also jumped.

"Mm!"

Ren Miyazawa also kept nodding, her red hair swaying.

"Wait, t-this is a misunderstanding! Listen to me, all of you!"

I frantically tried to find an excuse, but the principal spoke up as though interrupting me:

"—Hmm, it looks like the Academy's students have caught sight of my unseemliness. Actually, I was locked in an intense battle until late last night. Utterly exhausted, I fell asleep with him like this."

The principal got off the bed nimbly and explained the reason to the group.

But after listening to her, all the girls' faces went even redder.

"A-An intense battle until late last night...?"

Repeating the principal's words in shock, Mitsuki looked like she was getting some kind of weird misunderstanding again.

"I'm a bit sleep-deprived... But since there's business matters to handle today, I need to get back to the principal's office first. Work hard on your studies, everyone."

Ignoring the girls' reactions, the principal walked to the door.

The just before exiting the room, she looked back and smiled proudly at me.

"I'll practice seriously from now on and overwhelm you next time. I'll make you scream. Prepare yourself."

Leaving behind words that could easily cause misunderstandings, the principal left the sickroom.

Left behind, I looked in trepidation at the people gathered.

Tia was staring wide-eyed while the others were red in the face, glaring sharply at me.

"Nii-san... Even though I said that impure relations between students were forbidden, I never expected you to make a move on the principal..."

Seeing Mitsuki's clenched fist shaking nonstop, I shook my head and denied in full force.

"I-It's not like that! Last night, we were only playing—"

But Firill interrogated me in a fierce tone of voice after hearing my explanation.

"You were only playing with the principal? A depraved... adult relationship?"

"Stop thinking in wrong directions! My conscience is totally clear!"

Although I explained as much as I could, thanks to deep misunderstandings, it took me a very long time before I could get the girls to accept my explanations.

Part 2

"Seriously, Nii-san... Why did you not say so earlier if all you were doing was playing Japanese chess?"

Along the way from the medical building to Brynhildr Class, Mitsuki remarked with displeasure.

"No, I already said it who knows how many times, but you won't believe me..."

I sighed in exhaustion.

"B-Because it sounded too much like an excuse... Oh, putting that aside, how are your injuries, Nii-san?"

Mitsuki changed the subject in embarrassment and shifted her gaze to my left arm and abdomen.

I had changed into my uniform with my left arm in a cast. Although it was covered by clothing, my abdomen was also wrapped in bandages.

"Don't worry. Although my left arm might take a while to heal up, I think the abdomen bandages can be taken off soon."

Although to others, it might look like I had suffered grievous injuries, thanks to the principal's ability, my wounds had long recovered.

The cast was a disguise to mask the immobility of my left arm while my abdomen did not actually need bandaging. For those who neither knew about my relationship with Yggdrasil nor about the principal's power, the cover story was that I had suffered a fracture.

"That is a relief, but please do not overexert yourself. Please observe instead of participating in PE and practical classes."

"Got it. Thanks for worrying about me."

"Eh... Oh, yes."

Hearing me thank her, Mitsuki nodded somewhat in surprise, her cheeks turning red faintly.

Maybe the way I was talking did not sound like myself.

It occurred to me—If I saw Mitsuki as family, I might not be thanking so solemnly in this kind of situation. But having lost my memories, of course I could not possibly know the right answer.

"Mitsuki-san, you worry too much. This level of injury is completely nothing seeing as it is Mononobe Yuu."

Lisa touched my cast from the side.

Due to knowing the whole story, she was also clearly aware that my left arm was uninjured.

"Lisa... So Mononobe-kun is actually that reliable in your view?"

However, Firill interpreted Lisa's words differently and interjected in a playful tone of voice.

"What, I never... Uh, after all, since he is the one who rescued my parents from Yggdrasil's evil grasp, I won't regard him as unreliable, but... Umm..."

Blushing, Lisa seemed especially flustered.

Seeing her reaction, Firill smiled.

"And you two have pretended to be a couple before. I'm a bit jealous... that your relationship with Mononobe-kun has gotten so close all at once."

Saying that, Firill leaned in. I could not help but feel flustered from the contact between her voluptuous bust and my elbow.

"H-Hey, Firill?"

"Listen, Mononobe-kun, even for just a moment, play the part of my boyfriend—or rather, play the part of my prince."

Looking at me with a pleading and endearing expression, Firill made such a suggestion.

"Wait, Firill-san! I simply asked him to play the part of my boyfriend out of necessity, but right now, there is no need for him to play a prince."

Before I could answer, Lisa pulled me away from Firill.

"Eh... That's so unfair, Lisa, hogging everything."

"I-It's not unfair! I am simply maintaining public morals on Mitsuki-san's behalf."

Lisa looked away from Firill's glare of dissatisfaction. Her answer sounded like an excuse.

"Y-Yuu! Tia wants Yuu to play husband character too!"

But this time, Tia pounced on me from behind wrapping her arms around my neck, choking me.

"T-Tia, I-I can't breathe..."

"Don't do that, Tia, Mononobe-kun is still injured."

Seeing the situation, Ariella cautioned Tia.

"Oh, sorry! Does it hurt?"

Tia frantically jumped down and apologized to me in worry.

"No, I'm fine, it was just hard to breathe. Just as Lisa said, this level of injury is nothing."

"Thank goodness, but... Tia is unfit to be a wife, failing to consider husband's injury."

Tia breathed a sigh of relief but got depressed.

"I-It's not like that. I'll feel cheerful as long as I can see you lively and energetic, Tia. No one will say you're unfit to be a wife."

I tried my best to console her. Immediately, Tia looked up at me and said as though examining my face:

"Really? Then... You think so too?"

"Eh, well, of course, but I'm just giving an objective opinion—"

Given what I had already said, I could not refute my own words, so I had to nod ambiguously.

"Objective opinion? Tia doesn't get what that means, but Yuu approves of Tia as wife! Then Yuu, let's get married!"

However, my ambiguous answer did not work on Tia. She raised her arms and cheered with a joyful expression.

"W-Wait, those are totally separate things—"

"Not marrying a wife who's not unfit, that would be weird!"

"Maybe you have a point, but..."

Cornered by Tia's logic, I could not help but take a few steps back.

However, just as I was about to be trapped, someone extended a helping hand.

"Tia-chan, please don't make things difficult for Mononobe."

Iris had intervened in Tia's conversation with me. Arms akimbo, she spoke to Tia.

"Muuu—Iris is always getting in Tia's way. So Iris wants to marry Yuu too, right?"

"Ehhh!? I-I..."

Iris instantly blushed to her ears. She secretly glanced at me from the side.

But as though suddenly realizing something in alarm, she looked in Mitsuki's direction then shook her head hastily.

"N-No, it's not like that. Tia-chan, what I mean is you can't get married at your age. If you make a fuss, you'll be a nuisance to Mononobe..."

Iris answered with a suffering look on her face. Seeing her expression, I felt a stabbing pain in my heart.

Iris knew that "the me before I had lost my memories" used to have an engagement promise with Mitsuki. Because I had told Iris that "the real Mononobe Yuu" probably loved Mitsuki the most.

Ever since, Iris always worried about Mitsuki's feelings. Surely, she was considering what would happen after I recovered my memories.

Currently—Iris and I were deeply in love with each other.

However, Iris seemed to have prepared herself for the present state of affairs to be lost eventually in the future.

Hence, I was not confident at all whether these current feelings were legitimate, because I could not be certain whether these feelings might waver.

Thus, in the roughly two months that had passed since Iris and I confessed our feelings to each other after the Basilisk battle, our relationship had not advanced a single step. Neither advancing nor regressing, it simply remained stationary while time continued to flow by.

"Feels like Iris never speaks the truth."

Perhaps sensitively noticing Iris' feelings, Tia grumbled with dissatisfaction.

"N-No! I'm not lying! Right, Ariella?"

"Huh? Well—Tia's age definitely cannot marry. I don't think there's a need to rush to get married. You should enjoy the current life more. There's so many things to do before marriage."

Suddenly called out, Ariella answered in a bit of a dilemma.

"Really!? Then what kinds of things need to be done before marriage?"

"W-Well..."

I did not know what Ariella was thinking of, but she went red and stammered ambiguously.

"Hey Ariella, tell Tia!"

Tia tugged Ariella's arm and begged her to answer.

I felt bad for Ariella but breathed a sigh of relief that the subject of conversation had moved on from me.

Perhaps to escape Tia's questioning, Iris also left us in a hurry, going off on her own. Instantly losing someone to talk to, I looked around me with nothing else to do.

We happened to have reached a connecting corridor between buildings, overlooking the school's courtyard and sports ground.

A pile of abandoned scrap, probably from the school festival, could be seen in a corner of the school.

My classmates and I had prepared and opened a Japanese teahouse for the school festival.

Tragically forced to crossdress, pretending to be a couple in front of Lisa's parents, fighting Yggdrasil's clone—Now that I thought about it, those were two extremely busy days.

And only a week of time had elapsed since then.

While I was immersed in reminiscence, I noticed that just like me, Ren was staring out at the school festival scrap.

She looked especially forlorn from the side of her face. Hesitatntly, I tried to ask her:

"Ren, what's wrong?"

"......"

She threw a glance at me but did not say a word.

But that was how she always behaved. Ren always answered briefly with an "mm," typed on a terminal, or responded with silence.

I had never had normal dialogue with Ren so far.

But somehow, I had already grown accustomed to interacting with her without the use of words and language. We were naturally able to achieve communication.

If she responded with silence, it was a signal that she did not wish to broach this subject.

Hence, I did not pry and switched to another topic.

"But anyway, so much happened during the school festival. Ren, did you enjoy yourself?"

"Mm."

This time, she nodded in response.

"What did you find the most fun, Ren?"

Ren thought for a while after hearing my question then typed on her portable terminal and turned the LCD screen towards me.

"—Rossweisse Class' haunted house eh. Yeah, that definitely was a blast."

I read out the words shown on the screen and smiled wryly.

Rossweisse Class was where the youngest Ds in Midgard were gathered. Their haunted house consisted of costumed girls trying to scare visitors, but since all they did was scream and play around, it was not scary at all.

However, simply watching young girls playing around in excitement would bring a smile to one's face—Although it was tiring, I found it to be a fun activity for sure.

"Due to Yggdrasil, the afterparty had to be suspended, but if there's another chance, I'd really like to enjoy thing from start to end completely."

"Mm."

Ren answered in agreement. A bonfire party was originally planned for evening festivities. Without seeing the bonfire, it felt like a proper conclusion was lacking.

"Oh... Now that I think back, there's so many things to do apart from the afterparty. I didn't get to visit all the homerooms, and despite this rare visit from my parents, I didn't even greet them once..."

I sighed heavily.

While I was unconscious after the incident with Major Loki, my parents already left Midgard. Since meeting them directly might expose the fact of my memory loss, in a certain sense, it was quite fortunate.

Even though it was unavoidable, I still could not avoid getting tormented by guilt for feeling "thank goodness" inside.

"......"

This time, Ren responded with silence. However, I got the sense that rather than refusing to answer, she was expressing her empathy for what I felt. The same forlorn expression from earlier surfaced on the side of Ren's face again.

"—Is there someone you want to meet during the school festival, Ren?"

Feeling this inexplicably, I tried to ask her.

Ren's shoulders immediately shook. She looked down as though hesitating on how to answer.

However, it looked like I was not too far off the mark.

I knew nothing about Ren's origins and family background, so I had no idea who she wanted to meet at the school festival, but—

"If you want to see the other person, you'll see them eventually. Don't worry."

I placed my hand on her red hair and encouraged her.

There was no proof but I had a precedent. Mitsuki and I were only able to reunite at Midgard because of the effort she had dedicated towards wanting to see me.

However, Ren kept shaking her head under my palm.

"Oh, sorry."

I thought she hated being touched on the head, so I hastily withdrew my hand.

Ren shook her head again as though saying "that's not what I mean." She typed on her portable terminal then showed me the words.

"...I don't want to see him. I hate that kind of person the most?"

I read out the words on the screen. Ren immediately nodded in confirmation.

"By 'that kind of person'... What kind of person do you mean?"

I asked Ren whom she was referring to.

"..."

However, Ren kept her lips shut tightly without answering the question and looked away.

Evidently, she was not going to say more.

Although Ren's relationship with me had become slightly more harmonious compared to the very beginning, there was still a tall barrier between us.

One day, will I be able to become better friends with her, even to the point of having a dialogue with her?

While thinking this, I glanced sideways at the young redhaired prodigy.

Part 7

Back to Prologue

Return to Main Page

Forward to Chapter 2