Unlimited Fafnir:Volume 5 Chapter 3

Chapter 3 - The Disappeared Green Dragon

Part 1

"—What spectacular scenery."

Kili Surtr Muspelheim looked out to the epicenter of the blast and remarked.

This was farmland on the border of Germany and Denmark that had been abandoned due to Yggdrasil's arrival. Right now, there was absolutely nothing.

Whether abandoned farmland, broken sections of road, or even the dragon in the shape of giant tree, nothing existed.

Everything had vanished without trace, leaving a gigantic crater several kilometers wide. A hemisphere had been gouged cleanly out of the ground to serve as evidence for a powerful explosion.

"What on earth..."

Jeanne Hortensia was murmuring in a daze next to Kili. Together with Kili, she was looking down from a slight hill, staring at the crater in the distance.

"Who knows. Without witness the moment, all we can know is that this resulted from Hekatonkheir making contact with Yggdrasil."

Looking at this scene which seemed as though part of the world had been dug out, Kili replied.

"NIFL should have recorded what happened. If we infiltrate a base again, perhaps we might be about to get details—Are we doing it?"

"Oh my, Jeanne-chan, that's so proactive of you, how rare. But there's no need, because what's important is the outcome, not the process."

The wind blowing from crater was causing her hair to fly up. Kili narrowed her eyes and answered.

"Outcome?"

Hearing Jeanne's question, Kili nodded with a stiff expression.

"Yes, whether Yggdrasil was truly destroyed—This is the only question of importance."

Part 2

Ever since preparations for the school festival started, two weeks had passed.

Through continued practice, everyone's cooking skills were improving bit by bit. The "fake couple" interactions between me and Lisa were gradually getting more natural than before.

The ordered supplies had also arrived at last, so Brynhildr Class started making costumes in our homeroom classroom.

"...It's almost like cutting paper."

Cutting folded fabric with scissors, I muttered.

Although I was following pre-made templates and instructions, I still found it hard to imagine the full look of the finished garment.

But once the cut cloth was spread out, the garment had definitely taken form. It felt like mischievous fox spirits were playing pranks on me.

"Feels unbelievable, doesn't it? That's why I love making clothes."

Sewing sleeves next to me, Firill stopped what she was doing and remarked.

"Yeah, I've discovered it's unexpectedly fun after doing it for real. But by the way, I never knew you had tailoring skills, Firill."

I originally thought she would not have any tailoring experience just like with cooking, but Firill joined Mitsuki in directing the making of costumes.

"I learned about cosplay culture from the books and manga I read... Hence, I tried making some and ended up getting obsessed."

Firill replied quietly with some embarrassment.

"Really? Then you have a lot of clothes in your room that you made yourself?"

"Yes... but I've kept it a secret from everyone so far, because none of them have met my standards. However—If you're interested, I could wear them to show you?"

Firill leaned near me and whispered in my ear.

"Huh?"

Just as Firill's breath and words were making me waver, she said with a slight blush:

"Many cosplay outfits are quite sexy... So be prepared for your adrenaline to pump, Mononobe-kun."

"Uh... S-Stop joking around with me."

I imagined Firill in a revealing costume but halfway through, I frantically shook my head.

"I'm serious, not joking."

Firill leaned in closer.

But seeing our interactions, Lisa scolded us with displeasure.

"Hey, you two over there, cut the idle chatter and get back to work."

"Eh? Don't tell me you're jealous, Lisa?"

"O-Of course not!"

Lisa went red in the face and denied Firill's observation.

"Hmm... It feels so suspicious. Lately, Lisa, you've gotten unusually close with Mononobe-kun."

"Nothing of that... sort."

Lisa looked away while answer. Feeling embarrassed too, I scratched my face.

Most likely, the results of our lovers training were showing up, but it was quite embarrassing for a classmate to point it out.

"Hmmmmm... Are you two hiding something from me?"

"No, that's—"

Essentially, we intended to reveal Lisa's request just before the event and ask for everyone's assistance. But if we told them this early, we would have to suffer teasing for the next two weeks for sure.

If possible, I wanted to delay announcing this. Just as I was thinking of an excuse, news arrived.

The door was forcefully flung open, drawing everyone's gaze.

"Urgent announcement."

Shinomiya-sensei appeared. Looking at all of us with a stiff expression, she spoke the shocking truth.

"We just received a report from NIFL. Yggdrasil and Hekatonkheir—apparently disappeared."

"—Let me start with what transpired. After resurrecting, Hekatonkheir made its way towards Yggdrasil. This was confirmed quite some time ago already. But for the past twenty-years, Hekatonkheir has never made contact with other dragon, hence, the majority opinion was that it would change direction eventually."

Shinomiya-sensei entered the classroom, went up to the lectern and started to explain.

We paused in our dressmaking for now and returned to our seats, listening intently to how the two dragons vanished.

"But that prediction was off. Hekatonkheir approached Yggdrasil. Deciding this was an anomalous situation, NIFL observed the two dragons."

Everyone listened to the teacher with serious expressions on their faces.

But my mind was in a partial state of panic. Cold sweat slid down my forehead.

To me, Yggdrasil was not simply a dragon. As things stood at the moment, it was cooperating with me. And on the matter of recovering my memories, it was the last resort I would consider relying on.

Getting a premonition that an irrevocable situation had occurred, I felt intense anxiety as a result.

"Mononobe..."

Noticing my anxiety from her seat on my left, Iris looked worriedly at me.

I forced a smile to tell her "I'm fine" and focused on Shinomiya-sensei's explanations.

"Then an hour ago, Yggdrasil started to attack when Hekatonkheir reportedly reached within two kilometers or so."

"Attack!? A fight between dragons!?"

Lisa cried out in surprise.

It was only a natural reaction. A fight between dragons—There was no precedent at all.

"Yes. Perhaps it was an act of interception against an invader of its territory, but in response to the attack, Hekatonkheir began to fight as well. Despite getting skewered by Yggdrasil's branches and roots, Hekatonkheir still continued to advance. Releasing a blinding flash of light, it caused a massive explosion."

"Meaning that Hekatonkheir detonated itself in a suicide attack of mutual annihilation?"

Mitsuki asked Shinomiya-sensei in a hoarse voice.

"That appears to be the case based on NIFL's observations, but what actually happened is still unclear. However, as results stand, both Yggdrasil and Hekatonkheir vanished together. This is the truth."

Hearing the teacher's answer, Mitsuki's face went stiff.

"Considering past precedents, Hekatonkheir should not be regarded as destroyed...."

"Indeed, we cannot reject the possibility that Hekatonkheir will reappear eventually. But so far, there are no reports of its revival. In other words, perhaps it is only a temporary situation, but for the time being, there are no dragons on Earth to threaten us."

Everyone gasped, then whispers started up in the classroom.

Two dragons disappeared, "Black Vtrita" missing—

Just as Shinomiya-sensei said, there were no dragons existing anywhere on the Earth to threaten us.

"Although we cannot lower our guard, this incident should be considered advantageous to us. If anything changes, I will inform you, so go back to your school festival preparations."

After finishing, Shinomiya-sensei left the classroom in a rush. She was probably very busy due to the incident.

"Nii-san, I will go out for a short while too."

Mitsuki left as though chasing after Shinomiya-sensei. As the captain of the Counter-Dragon Squad, she probably wanted to get more details on the situation.

"Sure... I got it."

I answered absentmindedly but in her rush, Mitsuki ran out of the classroom without noticing that something was off with me.

—Could this situation really be considered advantageous?

I looked up at the ceiling in the classroom and wondered.

If Yggdrasil was humanity's enemy like the other dragons, it was definitely advantageous. But if it was standing on humanity's side, this would be a severe loss.

If the missing Vritra were to show up again, putting us in a desperate crisis, I would not be able to rely on Yggdrasils power to obtain data on new weapons.

Although this problem was also related to my memories, I intended to shelve the matter of my memories for now. I could not honestly feel happy about the current developments.

After school, Lisa and I were staying in the classroom as members of the festival executive committee as usual. Today, there was the additional presence of Iris as well.

"Speaking of which, Iris-san, you know about his matter too, right?"

Seeing Iris with a serious expression, Lisa spoke as though it had just occurred to her.

"Yes, so when I heard that Yggdrasil vanished... I felt very worried. Mononobe, are you okay?"

Iris stared at my face and asked me.

"I haven't experienced any changes at all. Even when something so drastic happened to Yggdrasil, I didn't notice anything."

To put Iris at ease, I smiled to her and told her I had no symptoms.

Immediately, it was Lisa's turn to question me.

"Did you try to summon Yggdrasil?"

"No, not yet, because you asked me not to summon it on my own, so I thought I'd discuss with you first, Lisa."

"A wise decision. However, I believe we need to confirm Yggdrasil's continued existence even if it means bearing some risk right now. I permit you to do it. Try summoning it."

"Got it."

I nodded and called to Yggdrasil in my mind.

—Yggdrasil, are you listening? Answer me if you are.

But even after waiting a long time, no voice responded.

"...Doesn't seem to be working."

I shook my head and Lisa murmured with her arms crossed.

"Then should we regard it as destroyed...? If that were the case, then it proves that defeating Yggdrasil will not recover your memories."

"How can this be—then Mononobe will never recall his precious memories again?"

Iris spoke, almost looking like she was about to burst into tears.

"I didn't say that. Although it's true that options have been reduced, I will find a solution. Iris-san, leave his matter to me and focus your efforts on preparing for the school festival."

Hearing Lisa's assertion, Iris showed relief on her face.

"Okay... I got, but Lisa-chan—"

Iris paused here and stared at Lisa squarely.

"I can't think of a way to recover his memories, so I have to rely on you, Lisa-chan—But I'll support Mononobe all the way!"

"Huh...?"

Pressured by Iris' forceful gaze, Lisa backed away slightly.

"I'm the one that Mononobe entrusted his memories to, so I can't leave everything to you, Lisa-chan. I'll try to do what's in my power."

Iris smiled sweetly, took her school bag and walked to the classroom door.

"Whether it's about Mononobe or the school festival, let's do our best! See you tomorrow!"

"G-Goodbye."

Iris waved goodbye while Lisa answered in a slightly higher pitch. I said "bye" to her and waved.

Only after Iris disappeared from sight did Lisa exhale deeply.

"She... seems to have changed."

"Did she?

I tilted my head. Iris did not seem to have changed in particular.

"She did. Until recently, she was gave off an air of unreliability and unsteadiness. But now, I can feel strong willpower coming from her."

"Strong willpower..."

Perhaps I was the one who forced Iris to change in this way. I could not help but feel guilty.

Staring at me, Lisa seemed to be observing my attitude. Then hesitantly, she said:

"Excuse me... By any chance, are you and Iris-san—"

But Lisa halted mid-sentence and felll silent.

"Are we what?"

Not understanding what was up with her, I urged her to continue.

"No—I'd better not pursue the matter unnecessarily, because I... am not your real girlfriend."

Lisa's answer sounded like she was trying to persuade herself. Then she smiled somewhat forcibly.

"Very well, let us get to work. We will begin with writing today's activity report."

Next, when sat in our seats with our shoulders touching, taking care of our jobs as executive committee members.

Before I knew it, Lisa's body warmth from the side had already become something I took for granted. Her warmth was gradually calming down my anxious emotions from the sudden incident.

Part 3

"Then let us begin the third Ether Wind experiment."

The voice of the lab coat wearing Principal Charlotte B. Lord was heard in the special underground training site below the school.

"Yes."

I answered briefly and raised my left hand.

—Fictional armament, Siegfried.

I raised the ornamental gun made of dark matter and aimed at the target—

"Principal."

"What's the matter?"

"Isn't this scene too surreal?"

Looking at the giant frozen tuna on the target location, I asked her.

"...Shut up, I'm holding in my laughter too."

Shoulders and voice shaking, the principal replied.

"Hey, you're already laughing out! Since you find it hilarious too, prepare something more normal, okay...?"

"This can't be helped, because preparing a cadaver is quite difficult."

The principal shrugged and replied.

"At least it's not processed food, so it's much better than last time..."

After defeating Hraesvelgr, I had gained a new ability—the generation of "Ether Wind."

Four days had passed since the report that Yggdrasil and Hekatonkheir had disappeared. Today, it was the third experiment to test and analyze Ether Wind.

Ever since it was confirmed that I had inherited Hraesvelgr's ability, two experiments had already taken place in the intervening two weeks.

But there was never a satisfactory result each time, because of the special properties of Ether Wind.

"If the golden particles you create through transmutation has the same properties as Hraesvelgr's power, it might be a medium for souls to manifest. Since it's impossible to test this effect without the presence of souls, I prepared the largest dead body I could find so far. Be grateful."

Pointing at the frozen tuna, the principal puffed out her chest and declared.

Last time, we were using processed meat borrowed from the catering building, but nothing happened. Hence, this time, we were using a frozen tuna that had not been processed yet.

There was nothing wrong with this approach, but even though it was not wrong...

"Why a tuna..."

"I understand how you feel. But importing human cadavers might cause unnecessary speculation among the outside world, so I decided to use tuna with its relatively large body size."

"In a case like this, wouldn't the size of the brain matter more for selection?"

"Don't be like that. As an international organization, Midgard is under many ethical constraints. We will face protests on many fronts if we used sapient creatures. Also, if we use tuna, we'll be able to have a feast after the experiment, don't you agree?"

Seeing the principal licking her lips while she spoke, I slumped my shoulders powerlessly.

"Now those are your true thoughts..."

"Fufu, it's just a small reward. Come, hurry and start the experiment."

"—Understood."

I sighed and raised Siegfried again.

Then focusing my mind, I imagined Hraesvelgr's power.

"Ether Bullet."

Turning the picture in my mind into a bullet, I pulled the trigger.

The fired bullet of dark matter turned into golden particles and covered the frozen tuna.

If the tuna's soul manifested, it would surely be a bizarre scene. While thinking that, I observed the experiment's reaction.

However, nothing happened. The golden light faded and disappeared.

"No good this time either...? Perhaps we need to use a subject with higher intelligence."

The principal remarked ruefully.

"—Is that it for today's experiment?"

I put down Siegfried and asked but the principal shook her had.

"No, there's something else for you to test. Maika, get into position!"

The principal shouted and the door to the training site instantly opened. Maika-san appeared in her maid outfit.

She strode over to the frozen tuna and stopped.

"This time, fire at Maika."

"—Huh?

I stared into the principal's eyes and wondered if she was serious.

"I heard that during your battles against Hraesvelgr, there was one instance when you were enveloped in golden particles and unable to move. This experiment will test if that phenomenon can be replicated."

"But suddenly experimenting on a human will be dangerous..."

"Don't worry. Maika is very strong."

I was worried about Maika-san but the principal asserted with inexplicable confidence.

"I will be fine. Please do not hold back."

Maika-san herself was urging me with a smile.

Despite clearly chosen as a test subject, she did not look nervous at all. She was abnormally bold.

"...I got it."

Despite my uneasiness, I aimed Siegfried's muzzle at Maika-san.

Since I absolutely must not transmute it into any other substance, I strongly maintained the picture in my mind and pulled the trigger.

The fired bullet turned into golden particles and covered Maika-san's body.

"How is it, Maika?"

The principal called to her but she did not reply. Maika-san's smile seemed frozen on her face.

"—I'm guessing she's unable to speak. Because when we were hit by Hraesvelgr's move, we couldn't make a sound either."

I told the principal while observing Maika-san's condition.

After a while, the particles faded and Maika-san immediately blinked.

"Oh, I can move now."

Maika-san opened and closed her hand repeatedly while reporting to the principal.

"Yes, the phenomenon during the battle against Hraesvelgr was successfully replicated. Although we have failed to confirm the power to manifest souls, this has raised chances that your power is of the same nature as Hraesvelgr's."

The principal nodded contentedly, patted me on the back and said "Good work."

"What remains is quite a significant factor of uncertainty. Indeed, Basilisk's power still remains unknown..."

Hold her hand against the side of her mouth, she murmured. Having ended the experiment, Maika-san approached and replied to the principal.

"Yes. Using the school festival as a pretext, we conducted a health examination but no changes were diagnosed among the students' dragon marks."

"No visible changes in appearance. That means that the person might not even notice herself. What exactly should we do...?"

"Charlotte-sama, for example..."

Seeing the principal and Maika-san begin a discussion, I asked them apprehensively:

"Umm... The experiment has really ended, right? Since I still need to prepare for the school festival, can I leave?"

"Hmm? Oh, sorry, you must be busy too. But hold on, I've got something else to tell you."

The principal halted her conversation with Maika-san and turned to me.

"Something else?"

Seeing the principal grin maliciously, I had a bad feeling and asked her.

"As Midgard's principal, I have a favor to ask of you. You know that the school festival is held over two days, right?"

"Yeah, I know..."

"The reason for having two days is to differentiate visitors. People with intimate ties to Midgard, privy to undisclosed secrets, versus the other group who are not. These two groups cannot mix."

"That definitely make sense. But what does that have to do with me?"

So there was that kind of reason behind it. As much as I could understand, it was an issue on the organizer's side. I did not think it had anything to do with me as an ordinary student.

However, the principal shrugged in exasperation and sighed in an exaggerated manner.

"It has a lot to do with you. Have you forgotten how special you are? You are the only one verified case of a male D. This has not been disclosed to the public yet and it is unknown what chaos might result."

"Eh, really? But Firill's parents know about me..."

The next king of the Principality of Erlia—Firill's father apparently heard rumors of me. As a result, I originally thought that my existence was already known to the outside world to some extent.

"Firill Crest's parents, the royal family of the Principality of Erlia? Naturally, as major sponsors of Midgard, they must have heard rumors about you. But people who are only slightly involved with Midgard would never expect in their wildest dreams the existence of a male D, hence—"

The principal snapped her fingers. Immediately, Maika-san jogged over to go through the door then swiftly brought something back.

"We will concentrate all the people who don't know about you on the first day's invitations. When the time comes, I want you to wear this."

The principal motioned to Maika-san with her eyes. Instantly, Maika-san handed to me what she had brought.

"The Academy's uniform...? Hey, isn't this a girl's!?"

Seeing the uniform I received, I could not help but scream.

"Yes, it should fit you well because it was made according to measurements the other day."

"That's not the issue here, why do I have to wear a female uniform—"

So that was why Maika-san was measuring me with a tape the other day? While thinking that, I tried to protest but the principal interrupted me in a forceful tone of voice.

"Of course it is for you to disguise yourself as a female student. Although I considered putting you on house arrest for one day, I'd feel sorry for you."

"E-Even if that's the case..."

Looking at the female uniform, I did not know what to do.

Immediately, Maika-san dropped a long-haired wig on the uniform with a smile.

"Don't worry, Mononobe-san, you have a cute face. You won't be exposed as long as you pay attention to your voice and manner of walking."

Receiving such encouragement that I could not feel happy about, I slumped my shoulders in dejection.

Seeing me disheartened, the principal patted me on the back and laughed.

"I will issue orders to the entire student body beforehand to keep the truth of your gender a secret. So relax and enjoy the school festival."

So all the students will know I'm cross-dressing huh?

Feeling even more depressed, I sighed.

To be honest, being confined in a room would feel much better, but as a member of the festival executive committee, I must not take a break. I was cornered.

"Principal, let me ask while I'm here. Which days will my parents and Lisa Highwalker's be visiting?"

But this was a matter I must confirm in advance no matter what, so I asked the principal.

"The Highwalker Group is one of Midgard's sponsors and their position allows them to know about you, so they will be invited to the second day. However, your parents will be on the first day. Even if they know you are at Midgard, they are still ordinary people in position. I cannot allow them to mix with the second day's visitors."

"I see..."

If I was allowed to show myself as a man on the second day, I should be able to play the part of Lisa's boyfriend.

But on the first day, I must cross-dress in front of my own parents. That would be almost the same as torture.

No... But this could be my excuse to avoid my parents, right?

To prevent my memory loss from coming to light, I must avoid contact with my parents as much as possible. And to achieve this goal, I could apparently take advantage of the current situation.

"Then do your best to prepare for the school festival. Right now, there are no dragons targeting you lot. Enjoy the festivities as much as you can."

Laughing jovially, the principal's shoulders shook.

But after hearing her say that, my uplifted feelings cooled down a bit.

"...Principal, do you believe that all dragons have disappeared?"

I was interested in her opinion as Midgard's chief administrator, so I asked.

"Hmm, all dragon eh—"

Immediately, the principal smiled wryly for some reason then said:

"I cannot assert there are no more dragons."

"Perhaps Hekatonkheir will revive, or Vritra might reappear..."

I agreed but the principal shook her head.

"That's not what I mean. What I'm implying is there might be other undiscovered dragons hidden in the world."

"What—"

Hearing this unexpected answer, I could not help but gasp.

"What's to be so surprised about? This shouldn't be anything impossible to conceive. Besides, what the things we call dragons? You can't understand that either."

"R-Right. Now that you mention it... The ones who decided on the name dragon and described these things as monsters from legends was Midgard's superior—Asgard. If you're part of the higher-ups, Principal, do you know the truth about dragons?"

Hearing her say that, I asked in return. It was something that had intrigued me since a long time ago.

"—You overestimate me. No one knows about those monsters. At most, there is a hypothesis founded on speculation."

"Hypothesis..."

"Basically, a theory that no one knows is right or wrong. And the person who proposed it is no longer around, how irresponsible..."

The principal sounded like she was grumbling. Her face seemed especially sad.

"Can you tell me that hypothesis?"

"Unfortunately, it is top secret, not something you're allowed to know."

"Yeah... I thought so."

Information held only by the higher-ups could not possibly be told to an ordinary student like me.

Because I asked without raising my hopes, I gave up after knowing it was not possible.

But seeing me like that, the principal seemed to show embarrassment on her face. Hesitantly, she said:

"No, it's not like that. Personally, I think you can be told... But umm, rules..."

The principal glanced furtively at Maika-san while speaking to me.

"Charlotte-sama, please don't, okay?"

Maika-san warned the principal while smiling courteously. The principal motioned towards her with her eyes and smiled wryly.

"...So that's that. But personally, I really wish you could stand among those who ought to be in the know."

"Those who ought to be in the know?"

I found the principal's wording quite curious and cocked my head in puzzlement.

"Meaning that—whether you can become my friend in the truest sense of the word. I mentioned on our first encounter, right? I want a friend."

Speaking of which, the principal apparently said something like that to me... But I could not remember clearly.

"How can I become your friend, Principal?"

"Hmm, welll... First we have to sneak into the girls dorm together—"

The principal made an excited look then started speaking but halfway through, Maika-san grabbed her by the head.

"Owwwwwwwwww!? M-Maika, my head's gonna split open!"

"Charlotte-sama, the joke ends here. Mononobe-san, please do not take her seriously and do anything weird. It was all a joke."

Seeing her intimidating smile, I nodded reflexively.

Then the principal was taken away by Maika-san, held by the head, thus ending the experiment.

I looked at the female uniform and wig in my hands and could not help but sigh deeply.

I was curious about what the principal had said but more importantly right now, perhaps I should think about how I was going to survive the first day of the school festival.

Part 7

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