I Became the Academy's Pink Airhead

Chapter 58

Sieglinde, the vice president of the , 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 .

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 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 , which was nothing special except for [Purple Spindle], had skyrocketed.

The appearance of 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 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 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 , 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 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...!”**

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 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 and the 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.