Sieglinde, the vice president of the <United Student Council>, surveyed the area. With a greatsword in hand, she was ready to charge at any moment if the situation changed.

“…”

Around her, subordinates were relaying signals with hand gestures and flags, moving efficiently under her command.

Shak—!

Shak—!

The last order Sieglinde had given was a retreat command.

“…”

She had been instructed by President Brynhild to maintain the front line as much as possible, but the situation was not favorable. The students with serpent tattoos were launching unexpectedly powerful attacks.

To make matters worse, President Brynhild was occupied trying to stop Frau, the exceptionally strong student council president of <Public Bana Boarding School>.

Boom—!

Sieglinde watched in awe as dozens of lightning bolts rained down from afar, their thunderous roar clear in her ears.

The power of the student she respected, the master she had pledged her loyalty to. Until the ruler of Academy City arrived, she had to make the best possible decisions.

If I assume President Brynhild returns after dealing with Frau, it would be a bad move to waste our forces here. We need to buy time.

If they assumed no [Unique Ether] level abilities would intervene, she believed the best decision was to preserve their forces as much as possible.

There are reports of <Ratatosk> cultists appearing across the wilderness, and suddenly hundreds of enemy troops with [Wave Ether] level powers have emerged…

It was a complicated urban battle. The front line was split, and unexpectedly, the power of <Public Bana Boarding School>, which was nothing special except for [Purple Spindle], had skyrocketed.

The appearance of <Ratatosk> cultists at such a coincidental time.

An unexpected rebellion caused by suddenly obtaining power beyond common sense.

The ‘Alliance of Academy City’ that continued since ancient times without any real meaning… it’s finally coming to an end.

Sieglinde thought that once this battle was over… her alma mater might disappear into history.

“…”

Her gaze turned to the students of <Aesir Girls’ High School> who were retreating swiftly. Unlike the beastkin students, who were adorned in gold and white, the mostly human students in black uniforms moved in unison.

**“Block off sections seven and eight!”

“Sections eleven and fourteen, cause a diversion from behind!”

“Everyone else, form a chain formation—!! Advance swiftly—!!”

“Advance—!!”

“Advance—!!”**

Voices shouting orders with strained throats.

Class leaders commanding at least thirty students each, raising their ether as they shouted instructions. They moved quickly, maintaining formations ingrained into their subconscious through countless drills.

Tat-tat-tat-tat—!

Quickly accepting that they were being pushed back, they retreated to conserve their strength.

The beastkin noble faction students who had been charging recklessly, drunk on power, were caught off guard.

**“Chase them!!”

“Don’t let them escape!!”

“We have to finish this today!!”**

The black uniforms quickly vanished from the street before the gate.

The beastkin noble faction students hurriedly pursued them.

But intermittent interference hindered their pursuit, slowing them down.

If they tried to crush them with sheer force, they would quickly retreat into the distance.

“…?”

Watching this, Sieglinde narrowed her eyes.

Something’s off.

If they intended to dominate <Academy City Yord> and clear the way to the World Tree, wouldn’t it be more beneficial to calmly regroup and advance?

But their behavior seemed almost as if…

They’re desperate, as if they have nothing left if not now.

Flick

Sieglinde’s black wolf ears twitched, detecting an urgent voice. Though they were currently being pushed back by overwhelming firepower, there was an underlying unease.

Are they afraid of the president? No… In that case, they’d lay a trap and wait rather than pursue…

Having once attended <Public Bana Boarding School>, Sieglinde knew the cowardly and passive nature of those with magical skills. That’s why the situation felt strangely off to her.

Meanwhile, the pursuit continued.

**“Heeek…!”

“Huff… Huff…! Those barbaric usurpers…!”

“We need to drive them all back quickly…!”**

The students of <Public Bana Boarding School> tried to chase the swiftly disappearing black uniforms. But they couldn’t match the systematically trained movements designed to control Golden Street.

The beastkin students, frustrated by the failure of their plan to quickly deplete the enemy’s forces in a direct confrontation, voiced their anger.

**“Damn it…!”

“These barbarians…!”**

Caught in a position where they couldn’t do anything, the noble faction students found themselves like dogs chasing chickens, unable to catch them.

Having confirmed that the front line had completely shifted, Sieglinde prepared to move with her vigilant subordinates.

“Hey there—☆”

“…?”

Her subordinates whispered among themselves, watching the approaching students. The frightened faces of the first-year students from <Public Bana Boarding School>. And until she saw the pink-haired girl smiling beside her.

Flick

Sieglinde’s wolf ears twitched as she noticed the pink hair and felt a sense of surprise.

…No presence?

Up close, Sieglinde was adorable.

I finally get to meet her…

Although in the gaming community, she was often ridiculed as a lower-tier Hilde clone, a late-game balancing victim, her bold combat style and the imposing wolf ears atop her head had always appealed to me, so much that I even spent money to raise her character.

Though cat ears are more alluring in person… wolf ears have a rustic charm that’s impressive.

But here, the puppy seeing me for the first time was cautious.

An awkward silence followed.

Even Freya and Lota behind me couldn’t easily find words to say.

“…”

“…”

What was needed here was an icebreaker.

I carefully spoke to Sieglinde.

“We, well—☆ We’re here to help—♪”

“…”

I raised both hands, showing a friendly smile toward Sieglinde. However, she slowly tightened her grip on the greatsword’s hilt, starting to glare at me.

Ah, this is the silence right before a misunderstanding.

Lately, I’d been in so many misunderstandings that I was very familiar with this atmosphere. The simmering heat around me, the uncontainable fragments of emotions…

The air right before things get tangled…

In this situation, if I spoke thoughtlessly, I always ended up in an irretrievable mess.

“…Who are you?”

“Back off.”

“How did you get in here?”

“Are you with [Purple Spindle]…?”

The surrounding students raised their guard.

I felt a cold sweat trickling down my back. Starting a conversation with fists was risky, given that the opponent was one of Hilde’s direct subordinates.

If I beat up her junior in front of her, Hilde would hate me, right? I really don’t want that. What’s needed here is…

To resolve this situation.

I thought of Jia Xu, the master of survival skills who survived by reading the room and died of natural causes.

The art of survival, mastered under Dong Zhuo, Li Jue, Guo Si, and Cao Cao…!

Jia Xu, in such situations, would bow and say what the other party wanted to hear. Human psychology dictates that people may despise those who bow to them, but they won’t become hostile.

So they say, never face someone who’s read “The Romance of the Three Kingdoms” three times… It’s proving helpful.

In that fleeting moment.

I quickly recalled Sieglinde’s character settings. But unfortunately, as a secondary character not crucial to the story, her details were sparse.

What topic did she like…? It’s been over two and a half years, so everything’s hazy… I can’t afford to forget really important hints like this…

Thoughts raced through my mind.

Among them, I remembered one setting.

Respects President Brynhild of the <United Student Council> greatly.

Ah…!

This girl… likes the same things I do…!

I could talk about Hilde’s merits all day.

But if I act too friendly with someone she respects, it might be suspicious, right?

I quickly spoke before Sieglinde could draw her sword.

“I’m an envoy sent here by President Brynhild—☆ You know <Central Prism Academy>, right? Amazingly, President Brynhild knows our school☆ Isn’t she thorough and meticulous? So I was ordered to bring [Purple Spindle] wandering the wilderness☆”

“…”

“Of course, following the orders of President Brynhild, the honorable student at the top of <Academy City Yord>, is the right thing to do—♪ Don’t you agree? Because she’s adorable and capable—☆ I ended up respecting her~♡”

“…”

“So, please listen to us—☆”

The art of reading the room…

But silence continued.

“…”

“…”

Honestly, as I spoke, I started feeling something was off. No matter how much I tailored my words to her taste, singing Hilde’s praises in this sudden situation wouldn’t be convincing.

“Senior… What are you suddenly saying…?”

“Ugh… I’ll talk instead… Move aside… brute.”

The sighs of Lota and Freya, wrapping their heads at my clumsy persuasion, pierced my heart.

Yeah, I’m no Jia Xu… I’m just Yan Baihu…

I quietly tried to step back and let Freya explain the situation.

Grab—!

“Hm…! You’re a very… very proper student!”

…Until Sieglinde grabbed my hand.

She tucked her greatsword behind her back, holding my hand as if to shake it. Her rough, sturdy grip was warm, unlike Alvit’s.

Huh…? Seriously? Did that work…?

I looked at our clasped hands with a puzzled expression.

“…?”

“Mm! Mm-mm! That’s a very correct perception. It should be like that…!”

Sieglinde nodded with a satisfied look. If she had a tail, it would likely be wagging in approval.

“Forgive my excessive suspicion in these chaotic times! I did consider that [Purple Spindle], the representative of the Exploration Faction, might come personally… but I didn’t expect her to have companions. And that one of them would be a student with proper respect is quite pleasing.”

“R-right…? So you’re going to trust us—☆”

“Ah, of course. Let’s discuss more while we move.”

Sieglinde showed a faint smile amid her stern demeanor. Somehow, her face and tone resembled Hilde’s quite a bit.

“…And I didn’t expect to meet a friend who can share President Brynhild’s good points on this battlefield.”

“…!”

Hearing that, I nodded enthusiastically. Knowing there were others who recognized Hilde’s good points made me happy.

But behind me, a rude whisper reached my ears.

**“That… worked…? Are they… of similar intelligence…?”

“…Good grief.”**

Lota and Freya looked at me incredulously. But there was something they didn’t know—another nickname of mine.

I am Yan Baihu, the Virtuous King of Dongwu. In this chaotic world, there isn’t a person I can’t persuade.

After giving Lota and Freya a triumphant glance, I shrugged and spoke to Sieglinde.

“Yes! That’s right—☆ I’m thrilled to meet someone who knows President Brynhild’s good points too—♪”

“Mm, then let’s move on to the next sector. But first…”

Sieglinde turned her gaze to the freshmen from <Public Bana Boarding School> standing hesitantly behind us. They had surrendered after Freya persuaded them to abandon the fight.

Sensing her gaze, Freya stepped forward and spoke.

“Th-these stragglers… They just got caught up due to the pressure from the third-years… They said they’re willing to share important information with you… So, let’s take them along…”

“Do you think it’s possible to just get caught up in a war?”

“On the other hand, what grounds do you have to believe they stepped forward deliberately… Surely you saw… Frau’s blatantly foreign faction’s movements…”

“…”

“If you’re worried… Just lock them up somewhere as prisoners… They’re weaklings who pose no threat…”

“Fair enough.”

As Freya’s ambiguous mix of defense and reproach continued, the heads of dozens of beastkin girls drooped in dejection. But only Lota seemed to care enough to offer comfort.

Lota patted the drooping freshmen beastkin girls on the back, offering solace.

“Stay strong…”

“Yeah…”

And so, we headed toward the sector where <Aesir Girls’ High School> and the <United Student Council> had retreated.

＊

To my surprise, Hilde was waiting there. Covered in dust and soot, she walked toward me.

“Lala.”

“…Lala?”

As Sieglinde muttered to herself, looking at me skeptically… Hilde gripped my shoulders and brought her lips to my forehead.

Smooch—

The soft touch of her lips.

“I’ve had enough. I can fight again.”

“…?”

“…?”

“…?”

…?

…?

…?

My mind went blank.