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A goddess, huh.
It would be foolish to dismiss it as a lie here. With magic, aura, and natural disasters like the Headmistress, why wouldn't there be a goddess?
The Holy Kingdom and the Church existed, even though they had been weakened by the Mountain King. The existence of the Goddess they worshipped was common knowledge.
So there was a chance, however small, that she could be a goddess.
And coincidentally, I had a surefire way to confirm if she was truly a divine being.
"Then can you send me back to my original world?"
—Huh? What?
"If you don't know, then it's fine."
I didn't know if a goddess was truly omniscient and omnipotent, but if she was a god, she would at least know that I came from another world.
As my gaze filled with suspicion, I felt a strange illusion that her voice was trembling.
—W-wait a minute. Your original world?
"I was just testing you. A goddess would naturally know that much."
—…I've never heard of such a thing.
"Alright, then, self-proclaimed Goddess."
She seemed very suspicious, but that actually made me believe her.
If this was a malicious scheme, she wouldn't claim to be a goddess, would she?
If I were a follower of the Church, or if this was the time when the Holy Kingdom was the dominant power, it might be different, but at this point in time, imitating a goddess was quite ridiculous. Especially now that the Empire was trying to make the fallen Holy Kingdom its vassal state.
Gods existed, but their once absolute authority had long since fallen. Even the dwarf who was the acting mayor, Tir, mentioned 'gods,' not the Goddess worshipped by the Church.
"What do you want from me?"
—...
"You must want something from me, considering how you suddenly started talking to me and helping me."
—...
If she said she didn't want anything, I would be suspicious. It was wise to avoid favors without compensation.
But the voice, contrary to her earlier flustered tone,
Answered in an extremely subdued voice.
—…There is.
"What is it?"
—Chloe Piste. Get close to her.
Chloe's name is mentioned here.
Actually, it wasn't that strange. Now that I thought about it, the first time I heard this voice was also right after meeting Chloe.
And even the voice I heard right before Professor Alon arrived, Chloe was there, wasn't she?
It wasn't enough evidence to connect Chloe and the voice just from that, but if she was telling me this directly, it was certain.
"Did the Goddess perhaps submit to the Elven Archmage? Is she watching to see if I fulfill the contract properly? Or is she the World Tree that protects the Piste family?"
—You can think whatever you want. In the end, Adam, you won't be very curious about my true identity.
"…Why do you think that?"
—Because I have value to you, and there's no need to be hostile towards me right now. You're the type to use anything you can… right?
What? Why did she seem to know me so well?
It was a bit unsettling, but she wasn't wrong. Perhaps I could narrow down the candidates by the way she spoke, as if she knew me so well.
And more importantly…
'I'm already quite close to Chloe.'
Wasn't this the best I could do as a student and a staff member? A student going to help a staff member with work was impressive enough.
Did she want something more than that?
'Then she's not the Archmage's pawn, is she?'
The Archmage actually wanted to separate Chloe and me because of the misunderstanding, so it was the opposite. Then was she a completely different being?
There was also the possibility, however small, that she was… Chloe herself. The voice was similar, and if it was magic, this kind of thing didn't seem impossible.
Let's keep the possibility open for now.
"So, in exchange for getting close to Chloe, you'll help me from time to time?"
—That's right.
"Alright."
It wasn't like she was forcing me to do anything, and if she was just offering help, whether it was true or not…
It was fine as long as I filtered it properly.
"By the way, can you talk to me whenever I'm alone?"
—…Mostly. But not for long.
"I'll keep that in mind. Then shall we go now?"
If I stayed here too long, it could cause unnecessary misunderstandings.
As I left the restroom, I felt somewhat lighter, even though I hadn't relieved myself.
'I finished all my work anyway.'
The most difficult negotiation was over, and now all that was left was to invest and return.
I had to go back and answer the Headmistress's confession, but… hmm.
"Hey, self-proclaimed Goddess."
—…Why?
"I received a confession a while ago, what should I say?"
—What?
"Never mind. Just pretend you didn't hear that. Even if it's you, I should think about this alone."
I haven't been in many relationships, but receiving advice from others about this kind of concern could distort my true feelings.
Even if I was close to the Headmistress, if I were to reject her, I should do it properly.
…But for some reason, I couldn't imagine myself rejecting the Headmistress's confession. Why?
There was such a difference in rank, age, social status, power, and everything. We hadn't even known each other for that long.
'Did I actually like the Headmistress? Was I into that kind of thing?'
I fell into deep thought, and…
—...
…the voice…
…was no longer heard.
***
'…I'm back.'
'Why are you back so late? It was incredibly difficult to maintain this!'
'…I know.'
Meanwhile, at the inn,
Chloe was sitting in her room, meditating and circulating her mana in a strange way.
She was deliberately directing the mana, which should be flowing towards her heart or her hand for casting magic, towards her head. Of course, it wouldn't cause her head to explode or anything. It was just unnecessary.
But it was necessary for 'adult Chloe,' if not for the current Chloe.
'How much mana are you consuming!?'
'I've been using it just fine until now.'
'That's because you weren't properly using magic. Or is this level of mana consumption normal for a Rank 7 mage?'
'It's similar.'
Adult Chloe was just a mental entity. Therefore, to exist and use magic as the main body, she had to borrow Chloe's mana.
She could use it without Chloe's mana, but since her mental entity itself was made of mana, it was like using herself as a price for magic.
Therefore, she usually borrowed Chloe's mana. Just existing didn't consume much mana, so it wasn't a burden, but…
Today, when adult Chloe used magic in earnest, Chloe was almost driven to mana exhaustion.
'That bitch… that princess bitch is doing this all the time?'
'Didn't I tell you? You have to get used to mana exhaustion.'
'I remember, don't worry.'
Chloe briefly thought of Beatrice, but she quickly shook her head. There were more urgent matters at hand.
Chloe looked at the mental form of adult Chloe, who had finally returned.
'So, did you find out anything?'
'…There's one good news and one bad news.'
'Tell me the bad news first.'
'The good news is that Adam acknowledged me, the voice, as a separate existence.'
'You have a terrible personality…'
It couldn't be helped since they were both Chloe Piste, but adult Chloe, who was already quite foul-mouthed and had a bad personality, seemed even more twisted today.
As Chloe clicked her tongue at her future self, adult Chloe's expression darkened after delivering the good news first.
However, Chloe was simply happy, oblivious to that.
'That's a relief. I don't know what kind of excuse you made, but you didn't reveal your true identity, did you? You might even be able to help Adam in the form of a voice! But you'll have to stay quiet when you're near Adam.'
'...…'
'So, what's the bad news?'
'…Adam…'
'Adam?'
'He… received a confession.'
"What the fuck?"
Those words came out of her mouth before she could even think.
But instead of worrying about soundproofing, Chloe glared at adult Chloe with wide eyes.
'What nonsense are you talking about?'
'I don't know the details. Adam suddenly mentioned it. But judging from the circumstances…'
'…The Headmistress?'
'There's no one else but that menopausal bitch.'
Chloe suddenly recalled the previous incident. When adult Chloe's voice first became audible to Adam.
What did Adam say back then?
'Master, no, the Archmage said I like… have feelings for Adam and is trying to separate us.'
'...…'
'And Adam said that wasn't true.'
An outsider, not the recipient of those feelings, accurately saw through Chloe's heart.
It might be natural. Adam was Rank 1, and the Archmage was Rank 8. There was no need to ask who was better at reading people's hearts.
Chloe, laughing hollowly for a moment, gritted her teeth.
'Either way, everyone around me is an enemy.'
'But first, we need to figure out what to do about that confession.'
'Of course.'
She had to approach this carefully. If she suddenly brought up the confession, Adam would realize that Chloe and the voice were communicating, and if she tried to create a suitable excuse, she didn't know when Adam would accept the confession.
Chloe, grinding her teeth at the Headmistress's shamelessness in not considering the age difference, narrowed her eyes.
…Although she didn't say it out loud…
'The 'enemies' include even you, adult Chloe.' That's what Chloe was thinking. She doubted if her future self would actually give up on Adam as she had initially promised.
Just as Chloe, determined to do something, finished her thoughts and left the room,
"Eek!? You scared me! Say something before you come in!"
"…It's better than you suddenly cursing in your room."
"Would you stop with the pointless remarks? You're a 'male student' sharing a room next door, you know."
"Weren't you just telling me to say something before coming in?"
"…Tsk."
Chloe clicked her tongue at Ruth, who wouldn't back down, and scanned her, or rather, him.
He was wearing his usual black clothes and coat, with an old sword at his waist.
Her eyes fell on the old sword, and Chloe couldn't help but gulp.
'That's Dark Sword.'
An artifact comparable to the sacred relic of the Holy Kingdom, and the weapon that killed her future self.
It looked like just an old, worn-out sword, but Chloe had seen the real Dark Sword before.
During the summoning ritual of the Magic Department professors, she went to check the site instead of Adam, who couldn't enter the forest, and met Ruth disguised as a stranger.
That's when she saw Dark Sword.
'…I don't know why he's cross-dressing, but he seemed unnecessarily close to Adam.'
But that was all. Chloe, regaining her confidence, smirked.
Chloe, feeling superior to Ruth in her relationship with Adam, walked ahead.
'Still, he's not as close as me, who watched the fireworks with him. They're not even living together, are they?'
She neutralized the sense of defeat from the Headmistress with a sense of victory. It was a petty move, but she was used to it, considering her background.
Even if it was petty, it was good for managing her mental state. Chloe, having achieved her mental victory, glared at Ruth.
"Why did you suddenly come outside?"
"You too."
"I'm taking a walk to recover my mana. The Finance Director needs the help of a competent mage."
"…I'm going to welcome the Finance Director."
"What? He's coming? What do you…"
Ah, that guy was Rank 6.
Although Chloe was rapidly growing with the help of adult Chloe, Ruth was a far more monstrous being. She was a Regressor who returned from the future, after all.
Ruth, with her heightened senses, noticed Adam's approach much faster than Chloe and went out to the front entrance of the inn.
"Ah, Student Ruth! Just in time. Is Student Chloe here as well?"
"Finance Director! I'm here!"
"The negotiations went well. To avoid wasting time, we're heading to the rock salt mine now. Please follow me."
"Yes!"
Chloe was slightly resentful of Adam, who must be beaming after receiving a confession from the Headmistress, but she was quickly delighted by the fact that he needed her.
Chloe quickly approached the entrance and followed Adam, along with Ruth, who had an indifferent expression. Next to them was Count Anton, whom she had met a week ago.
"These students… are quite impressive. They must be stronger than the Knight Captain of our territory."
"You flatter me. They are the top students of our Grandis Academy."
"I see. I've heard the rumors. The famous Rank 6 freshman and the disciple of the Archmage. Reliable escorts."
Was he mocking the fact that a staff member was using students as escorts?
Chloe was momentarily angry, but Adam simply nodded as if it were true.
"They are indeed reliable."
'I must be more reliable than that cross-dressing bitch, right?'
'...…'
Chloe's anger subsided in an instant, and she followed them with a sense of agreement. After several tens of minutes,
They boarded a carriage, a horse-drawn carriage this time, and quickly arrived at the rock salt mine, which was under construction.
Although the magical work had stopped because they couldn't afford to pay the Rank 5 mages' daily wages,
"Hey! Move it! Clear these rocks!"
"You idiot! The tunnel is over here! Are you planning to dig a new one? We're restoring the existing tunnel!"
"There's groundwater here!"
…ordinary workers were gathered, carrying out various tasks.
She couldn't help but be awed by the scale of it, beyond her imagination.
"We're currently restoring Tunnel 1. We'll work on Tunnels 2 and 3 later."
"I heard that Tunnel 1 was the main tunnel with the largest deposit."
"We need to generate profit quickly since we received investments. I have high expectations for the academy and the Headmistress's investment."
"You can count on it."
Although she came here under the pretense of being an escort, there wasn't really anything for Chloe to protect Adam from. Chloe, who simply used a basic protection spell in case any rocks flew towards them,
Suddenly looked back at Ruth, who was staring intently at something.
"What are you looking at? You're also an escort, protect the Finance Director."
"…No way."
"Huh?"
"No way, again…!!"
Again?
Before she could even question those words,
Rumbleeeee!
"Whoa!?"
"R-run! It's an earthquake!"
"Help me!"
"What's this…!?"
A tremor, without any warning, struck the rock salt mine and the Finance Director's party.
While the Count was being rescued by the other workers and the head butler, Chloe desperately turned her head towards Adam, but…
"Adam!!!"
"Ugh!?"
Unlike the Count, who was Rank 2 and could react a little faster, Adam, a Rank 1, couldn't resist at all.
The tunnel shook due to the tremor, and a hole opened up in the ground.
Even though they were quite a distance away, he was helplessly pulled towards it and fell in as if something was dragging him.
"…!!"
Ruth also fell in, embracing Adam to protect him, and…
Chloe wasn't just standing still either.
[Chain Binding]
She used the magic she had trained with her future self, but…
Her body was already on the verge of mana exhaustion, so the magic barely grazed Adam before disappearing.
"No!! Adam!!!"
Only Chloe's desperate cries…
…echoed through the rock salt mine, which continued to shake and collapse.