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On the other hand, after starting the battle with Noah…
…Laurea found herself inwardly surprised.
'She's much stronger than I expected?'
Noah was a shaman.
So truthfully, she had slightly underestimated Noah a little.
Because shamanism was known as a primitive form of magic, with spell casting famously slow.
On the other hand, divine magic was different.
As long as you chanted the prayer aloud or even inwardly, it could be invoked at any time. In certain situations, it could even be faster than regular magic.
'So I thought I could easily subdue her...'
But reality proved quite different.
Noah swiftly utilized her magic, defending against Laurea's attacks. It was a moment where the common knowledge she had relied on was shattered.
On the other hand, Noah's inner thoughts were somewhat different.
Unlike Laurea's high estimation of her, she struggled to suppress rising feelings of anxiety and restlessness.
'Ugh, what do I do?'
Although she had sufficient mana, she lacked amulets.
Of course, she knew plenty of spells that could be cast without amulets, but their power was consequently diminished.
Facing off against Laurea, the sole SSS-grade character in the warrior party, was a mismatch.
'Before I run out of amulets...'
Ulan needed to secure the banner.
Noah nervously gnawed on her lip.
But then, abruptly, the onslaught ceased.
"Phew, fighting continuously is getting a bit tiring," Laurea remarked, taking a few steps back, panting slightly.
"So how about calling it a draw?"
"...A draw?"
"Yes, I get the feeling this could drag on endlessly if we keep going."
Noah's expression brightened somewhat; it was an appealing proposal from her perspective.
However, the moment she heard the following words, Noah felt her words stuck in her throat.
"Instead, let's have a conversation."
"..............."
A dumbfounded look crossed Noah's face.
Understandable, given that she had initiated this battle precisely to avoid conversing with Laurea. Doing so now would render their fight meaningless.
"That said, since my questions were rather one-sided earlier, this time I'll give you a chance to ask me things as well."
"A chance to ask questions...?"
"Well, how about we take turns asking each other questions and answering them? Just until the mock battle ends."
How about it? Isn't that fair?
Laurea's smile seemed to convey just that sentiment. However, Noah shook her head with a troubled look, "I don't really have anything I'm curious about."
This was the truth.
For Noah had played through Laurea's scenarios multiple times in the original work.
In other words, she was already well-versed in her information. So understandably, she simply had nothing she particularly wanted to ask.
"Fufu, is that so?"
Despite her outright refusal, Laurea's smile didn't falter. Rather, as if anticipating such a response, she opened her mouth with an amused look.
"The Frost Dragon."
A name mentioned out of the blue.
Though not particularly surprising, as it was a being referenced many times before. But her following words were enough to shake Noah's composure:
"The Wraith Knight. The Giant King. Lord of the Swamp."
"...!?"
The Rulers of the Abyss who have yet to make an appearance.
The moment their existences were listed out, Noah's eyes instinctively widened. As if hearing something wholly unexpected from an unlikely source.
Meeting Noah's perturbed reaction, Laurea merely smiled faintly.
"Well? Has your curiosity been piqued now?"
"............."
"Ah, and if you're worried I might give false answers, fear not. Here, I'll swear an oath to the Holy Spirit that only truths shall pass my lips."
Some time after making that vow, Noah finally opened his tightly sealed mouth.
"......The questions you asked earlier."
"Yes?"
"Except for those, I'll accept your offer."
Referring to the questions about her identity and how long she had known Ulan. Recognizing this, Laurea readily nodded.
"Alright, we'll do that."
As if those details simply weren't that important.
Laurea then opened her mouth again.
"Then allow me to ask first. No need to be so tense - it won't be anything too grandiose."
Gazing at the highly strung Noah, she posed her first query:
"What is your objective?"
Certainly not a grandiose question.
At the same time, it was not an overly difficult one for Noah either. So she simply stated the truth in her usual composed manner.
"...To return."
"Return?"
"To go back to the place where I originally came from. That is my current ultimate goal."
Her bright yellow eyes sparkled like stars. It was the truth. Laurea nodded as if in understanding. Now it was Noah's turn. Without needing to ponder, he asked:
"How do you know about the Rulers of the Abyss?"
"I learned it from Ulan."
Noah's gaze wavered.
Somehow, she felt that would be Laurea’s answer.
But this alone isn't enough. So, to probe further, she pursed her lips.
"T-Then, how did Ulan...?"
"It's awkward. As I mentioned earlier, we agreed to take turns asking questions and answering them, didn't we?"
"..............."
"Now it's my turn, right?"
Interrupting Noah's question in one fell swoop, Laurea's eyes widened.
"Ah, now that I think about it, I'm curious too. How do you know about the Rulers of the Abyss?"
This was a somewhat problematic question.
However, it was still manageable. An idea to provide a roundabout truthful answer had occurred to Noah.
"I've faced them before."
"The Rulers of the Abyss?"
"Yes."
She nodded and sealed her lips.
It was the truth. Noah had fought countless Rulers during her playthroughs of the original game.
After a momentary contemplation, Laurea nodded, prompting Noah to ask in turn. She didn't need to ponder what to ask.
"How does Ulan know about them?"
"The same way you just answered."
"...Huh?"
A bewildered expression formed on Noah's face.
Which soon turned into one of confusion.
Understandably so.
Based on the answer just heard, it meant that Ulan had also fought against the Rulers of the Abyss.
As Noah struggled to suppress her bewildered emotions, Laurea also fell into contemplation.
'What I originally intended to ask was...'
She had planned to inquire about the "place" Noah mentioned returning to in her first answer. But her thoughts shifted slightly.
Considering this purpose, she came up with a question that delved deeper into the core. So, with a rather serious expression, Laurea asked,
"Do you know the future?"
The moment she heard this question, Noah speculated that it likely stemmed from suspicions about the foresight ability she frequently used as an excuse. Judging it a troubling query, she tried to deflect with a vague response.
"Well, to a certain extent..."
"Answer properly."
Her attempt to brush it off was exposed.
As expected, Laurea was no pushover. With a short sigh, Noah provided an honest reply.
"Yes, I do. Not everything, but some things."
An admission to possessing knowledge of the future.
Laurea's eyes flickered slightly at this.
Her speculations about the person named Noah were gradually narrowing.
At that moment, Noah suddenly took a deep breath.
As if about to ask something important.
After repeating her breath several times, she grabbed the hem of her blue cloak tightly and spoke up, "...Honestly, I know it's a strange question, but I'll ask anyway just in case."
"Go ahead, ask me anything."
Perhaps emboldened by Laurea's gentle smile, Noah steeled her expression and asked, "Is Ulan a player?"
"A player?"
What did that mean?
Laurea tilted her head in confusion.
"Ah, from your reaction, I'm guessing not."
Noah breathed a sigh of relief.
Seemingly satisfied with just knowing that Laurea didn't know whether Ulan was a player. Observing this, Laurea narrowed her eyes slightly.
'What is a player?'
It seems like an important clue for some reason.
Although her intuition whispered that, she couldn't ask about it. It was because smoke was rising in the distance from Eloden's base.
'...There is no time.'
The mock battle would soon end.
She had to get to the main point.
The real reason she had proposed this exchange of questions. The real question she wanted to ask Noah. Laurea exhaled softly and pursed her lips.
"Noah Darshen," her smile faded. And with a serious expression, she asked, "Are you allied with the Abyss?"
"No. Absolutely not."
An answer without a shred of hesitation.
It was the truth.
Laurea's eyes sparkled. She realized Noah wasn't an enemy.
And at that very moment:
【Vapor Deonas: Dead】
【Lua Axen: Dead】
【Remaining Eloden Forces: 1】
A notification appeared, indicating casualties.
Only Laurea remained now.
The implication was clear.
Noah's eyes widened while Laurea exhaled in relief. Shortly after, a new notification manifested before them:
【Eloden's banner has been seized.】
【Victorious Side: Arsene Academy】
【Final Winner: Ulan Bator】
【The mock battle has ended】
A signal that the battle had ended.
Laurea shrugged.
"I suppose we'll end our conversation here."
"...Huh?"
"What's with that surprised look? We agreed to converse only until the mock battle's end, did we not?"
Looking at Noah, who was taken aback, Laurea chuckled and tilted her head. In response, Noah countered with a rather flustered expression.
"B-But you asked the previous question! It's only fair I get to ask one too!"
"Did I ever say the questions and answers had to be perfectly equal?"
"T-That's...!"
"In any case, the conversation is over."
She grinned.
Then, pointing outside, she said,
"Let's go. We should attend the award ceremony."
"..........."
Noah pressed her lips firmly shut.
It was a sign of protest.
In contrast, Laurea simply turned around and headed outside first, as if she had nothing more to say.
Watching this, Noah's body quivered slightly.
'Ugh, she really got me good.'
After letting out a heavy sigh, she gradually recalled the gleaned information.
And after organizing it, it boiled down to this—
First, Ulan was aware of the Rulers of the Abyss besides just the Frost Dragon.
Second, Ulan had fought the Rulers of the Abyss before.
And third, Ulan was not a ‘Player.’
After sorting out everything, Noah forced herself to swallow her regret.
'I should have asked this as well...'
Based on these three pieces of information, she came up with this question.
「Does Ulan remember his past life?」
It was a reasonable question.
Despite the Gates to the Abyss not even being opened yet, he was aware of who the Rulers of the Abyss were.
Moreover, he was apparently not a player.
So did that imply he retained memories from his previous turn - his past life?
That was Noah's speculation.
'Of course, it sounds rather far-fetched....'
But she couldn't think of any other plausible explanations.
So, she had intended to ask, but she didn't expect the conversation to end just because the mock battle was over.
However, Noah did not give up.
'I'll propose it again soon.'
Just like earlier, an exchange where they took turns posing questions and providing answers to resolve lingering curiosities. She wanted to confirm whether her latest speculation was accurate or not.
'If this guess turns out to be right...'
Then many things were bound to change going forward.
Gazing at the blazing Eloden base from afar, her azure eyes flickered fiercely.
Afterward, once Noah left the base,
The friendly mock battle between the Arsene Academy and the Eloden Academy officially came to an end.
End of Chapter. . . . . . . .Thanks for Reading. . . . . . . . .
Translator's Notes:-
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