I Became the Academy’s Pink Airhead

Southern part of academy city.

There was a plain with huge fields extending beyond the horizon. There, various cultivation facilities and agricultural vehicles worked hard without rest.

Agricultural department students from were also busily moving around under the hot midsummer sun.

While students of other races would be panting and struggling after just an hour in this heat, the elf students’ faces remained calm even under the hot sunlight.

Thanks to their ability to quickly adapt to natural environments, they could harvest season-appropriate crops year-round.

The main crop currently being harvested was corn.

Normally, it would be difficult to grow corn on such a large scale as it greatly depletes soil fertility, but the World Tree’s blessing made this possible.

Always bountiful harvests.

The blessing of the World Tree, which has protected humanity for over a thousand years, is generous in sharing daily provisions with believers living near the great light.

‘…Even so, this is a bit much.’

A senior elf student wearing a straw hat to cover her face spoke to a junior moving corn sacks beside her:

“How much corn came from D-21?”

“Looking at the records, roughly twice… no, almost three times as much as last year.”

“This year is strange… Everything we plant yields more than last year…”

At least double… some crops yielding over ten times the average.

Potatoes that had just recently filled all the school’s warehouses to capacity were a prime example.

‘We had no space left in the warehouses, so we just piled them up on the plain. Now we have to do the same with corn?’

The senior student started getting a headache recalling that memory.

Thanks to schools like that love freebies taking large amounts of potatoes, they had barely returned to manageable levels. Now she had a feeling corn would be giving her a headache.

“…”

Certainly, good harvests weren’t a bad thing. There were plenty of schools that love freebies anyway, so if they spread the news about sharing, those schools would come take it themselves.

‘But something feels off.’

This continued unprecedented bumper crop didn’t sound like entirely good news. Because all this energy originates from the World Tree.

“…”

Changes in the World Tree don’t always move in a positive direction. And its influence is connected to the situation in , which is closest to the World Tree.

‘The academy city was unsettled throughout the first semester, and this year it feels like something… something more will happen…’

Though troubles are overflowing in , and the is moving to resolve the troubles that occurred this year…

Something felt strange.

She had an uneasy feeling.

‘The spirit of the sword who always stays in seclusion unusually giving revelations to the theology department kids too…’

The senior elf student muttered with a serious expression:

“…Something’s strange.”

“Is it strange? It’s a bit much— but isn’t it because the World Tree’s blessing quickly restores soil fertility?”

“…”

The most common and reasonable conclusion.

But the senior wearing the straw hat still had a serious expression even after hearing that.

The 2nd year junior student threw a corn sack larger than her torso into a vehicle and tilted her head.

“…?”

“…”

After staying silent for a while, the senior put her straw hat on the junior and strode towards the edge of the cornfield stretching to the horizon.

Rustle—

When the senior took off her straw hat, her long tied-up blonde hair swayed as it moved. And green ether faintly sparkled.

[Verdant Great Bow] Anna spoke as she walked:

“I need to go see Nella.”

“The theology department head?”

“Yes, I need to hear how exactly the spirit of the sword spoke. There must be some more reason for suddenly bringing Clara and students.”

Anna walked forward, leaving behind the junior who went back to moving corn sacks. Then she suddenly turned back.

“…”

The scenery of her alma mater… , boasting the largest campus among schools in , came into view.

Fields and paddies covering dozens of kilometers beyond the horizon.

Elf students from the agricultural department passing by in comfortable clothes.

And white buildings stretching in a straight line to Golden Street.

Following the World Tree as a personified god, a life of cultivating plants in the way He lives.

A life of living according to the [Fate] He determined.

A familiar scenery.

A place she must soon graduate from.

‘For us, what does graduation mean…?’

To begin with…

What was the meaning of building a ‘school’ instead of a ‘temple’ in the ‘place closest to god’?

Anna let numerous thoughts flow through her heart as she started walking again. But the sticky mud clinging to her boots made it difficult to walk.

* * *

The first-class of the ether train I rode for the first time was incredible.

We had come about halfway already, but there was no discomfort thanks to the plush seats. Since it crosses various fields and plains, the journey to , which is quite far, felt very short.

And the service we encountered there was more luxurious than imagined.

Theology department members from .

They attended to our convenience more meticulously than aircraft flight attendants.

‘At first they rushed at us like they were going to kidnap us, then suddenly changed their attitude… I’ve seen this scene in the main story too, but seeing it for real seemed a bit crazy.’

In the original work, they only moved for the [Hero] designated by [Nameless Hawk], but this time the difference was that they took care of the [Saintess] too.

‘Well… there are many parts I can guess…’

Anyway…

They requisitioned a top-class ether train to escort three students and one bird to .

I, Alvit, Kara, and Peepeep received lavish service there.

For reference, Rota said she would go to alone to research the knowledge she heard from Urd. She was taking the things Urd told her very seriously.

‘Come to think of it, it’s surprising that the smartest one among us, who believed my and Urd’s words faster than anyone… is her.’

It’s not that I was just trying to deceive… rather it was no different from sharing the answer key. But it was really unexpected that she would believe so easily.

To my question, Rota had said this:

-Denying phenomena unfolding before your eyes is unworthy of a magician! Even rules thought to be truths might unexpectedly be just tiny fragments! …that’s what [Golden Witch] said at the end… Hehe.

-Hm? Then do you believe that I’m a ‘friend of the goddess’ too~☆

-Yes! Of course! Because the senior I’ve seen so far wasn’t someone who deceived others to do bad things!

So analyzing the fragmented facts and illuminating a new path is what she should do… If that process is wrong, she should take responsibility for believing…

Rota answered like that and boarded the train.

“…”

Though I thought I was quite smart myself, I felt humbled hearing Rota’s words, whom I had just seen as young.

‘Perhaps what I thought was truth may not be truth…’

While I was thinking that.

A gentle voice was heard from beside me.

“Saintess! Say ah~”

“Ah~☆”

“Well done!”

A fluffy piece of high-quality corn muffin automatically enters my mouth. The savory corn scent spreads inside my nose, and it melts away with the sweetness created by the saliva pooling.

Before I know it, a taste that brings to mind the smile of an elf schoolgirl harvesting corn with twitching ears spreads fully in my mouth. The finely chewed sweet sugar is a bonus.

Munch munch—☆

Though I’ve tasted sweetness many times, this bombardment of primitive carbohydrates made my mouth go slack.

This is it.

This is life.

This taste that’s bad for health…!

Sugar galore, carbs full…!

At this moment I temporarily dismissed my manly soul and became a girl greedily craving sweetness.

‘Life isn’t sweet and salty, but sweet and sweet…!’

Originally on Earth, ‘sweetness’ itself was a precious resource, so it was difficult to encounter easily until technological developments were made.

But in this academy city made only for girls, for ‘some reason’ it was very easy to obtain various sweeteners. So each school made and ate desserts in various ways.

‘Among them, the desserts made by the kind fairy students of , which has developed the most advanced eating culture, can be said to be the undisputed number one.’

The threat of various diseases and belly fat I had lived with since starting work in my mid-20s. The taste of desserts eaten freely after being liberated from those was exquisite.

Perhaps ‘eating whatever you want as much as you want’ was the part that benefited most from becoming Clara’s body.

‘The basal metabolic rate of an exercising teenager is nothing short of a blessing…!’

Gulp—!

After swallowing all the bread in my mouth, I opened my mouth like a baby bird begging for food. And I shrugged my shoulders and conveyed my intent to the elf student beside me.

“Ah~☆ More! Give me more!”

“Yes! I’ll give you more. I’m glad it suits your taste!”

“Yes! It’s delicious—☆”

“Oh my…! All the 1st year kids in the theology department would be so happy to hear that!”

Then the 2nd year elf female student attending to me in the next seat giggled and fed me bread with a fork again.

“Here you go, Saintess!”

“Nom—☆”

I ate that, and another happy sweet bombardment continued in my mouth. A sugar jindo dog had been deployed in my mouth.

Munch munch—☆

How many calories have I absorbed so far?

‘I might have to chase this ether train riding Red Hare…’

I was now a power plant in the form of a girl.

Clara’s flames were still burning.

Roar—☆

Towards those burning calorie flames, someone spoke up. It was Kara, who was hiding beside me because the lavish treatment pouring down was burdensome.

“…Senior comrade seems used to such luxurious treatment? Is it because you received a lot during your [Pink Spiral] days?”

What is she talking about?

The [Pink Spiral] era was the peak of my beggar career…

“Mmmnom nom—☆ This is my first time receiving such treatment~?”

“…”

Even Hilde, who was my best friend, was someone who slept in dusty holes with canned food sauce smeared on her mouth, so I didn’t have any memory of receiving VIP treatment from any school.

Rather, the most recent wedding dress makeover and the treatment I received when visiting Bell’s garrison were the peak of my rich life career.

Kara sighed with a dumbfounded expression and said:

“Then what on earth is this adaptability?”

“What? Isn’t this normal—♪”

“…If this is normal, this world will be engulfed in flames of the sins of vanity and greed.”

Kara rubbed her forehead while shaking her head.

“…?”

I just entrusted my body when they said they would give me a foot massage in front… and entrusted my mouth when they said they would feed me dessert beside me.

And I also entrusted my hands when they said they would do nail care beside me…

Hm?

“…”

I slightly lifted my head and looked at Peepeep and Alvit sitting in the back seat.

Alvit was frozen stiff, quietly refusing the students’ suggestions, and Peepeep was calmly pecking at the desserts placed in front with its beak.

Hmm…

I guess I did act a bit like a nouveau riche.

…

So what?

I turned back to Kara and said:

“You’re supposed to receive these things when given☆ It’s rude to refuse—☆”

“Haah… If I hadn’t known Senior comrade’s modest and humble side for a long time, I might have raised my revolutionary flag here.”

“Hey, hey—☆ Don’t be like that, why don’t you come here and get a massage together?”

“I politely decline.”

“Don’t be shy—☆”

“…By the way, to think even comrade Alvit and Senior comrade received such important [Fates]… With comrade Rota walking the path of [Golden Witch] too, I don’t know what’s going on with this school.”

Kara shrugged and said:

“[Witch], [Hero], [Saintess]… Hah… I’m confident I won’t be surprised even if [Rider] suddenly appears now.”

“…”

‘That’s you.’

But I didn’t spoil it directly.

‘Honestly, in the current situation, you seriously believing you’ll remain ordinary until the end is more extraordinary…’

I looked at Kara’s profile for a moment, then looked out the train window.

“…”

Endless fields and paddies.

Plains full of lush plants and trees.

The land where the holy sword and ‘spirit of the sword’ reside.

‘Though Rota found it first now, originally this is the place where the [Fate of the Three Heroes] would first be discovered…’

We had arrived at .