Volume 3 Chapter 31 Catherine - Two Consecutive Chapters, Am I No Longer The Protagonist？
The day after Catherine and her friends had a meeting on the terrace, late Friday night, before midnight, Catherine and the others──except Chris──were standing in front of the school with their guards from dark side.
"You guys... you can stop here."
Edgar told dark side to stand down, but there was no way he could let the Crown Prince roam free while investigating strange rumors. Right now, dark side was still arguing with Edgar at the entrance, shaking their heads and saying, "We can't allow that."
Edgar probably felt annoyed because he wanted to enjoy the spooky atmosphere of the school at night, but he had to deal with these annoying guards. He turned to dark side with a frown and said, "But..."
"Edgar-sama. They have their job too."
Catherine snuggled up to Edgar, saying they needed to hurry since it was getting late.
"Dark side will protect you, Edgar-sama. But... but who will protect me──."
"Leave it to me, Cathy."
Edgar's frown disappeared in an instant, and Catherine smiled, saying, "Please."
"Of course, I'm counting on you, Dario and Arthur too."
She didn't forget to charm the other 2. Even so, when they cheerfully said, "Leave it to us," the dark side members watching probably sighed at the scene.
"...I heard she's a witch who brings down kingdoms."
"Don't say that. It's only during school life. In less than 2 years, the Saintly Lady will start her visits to comfort people everywhere."
"So this is just a way to let off steam before that?"
The dark side members whispered quietly so the 4 wouldn't hear them, thinking that for this moment, they would watch over the kids' youth with warm eyes, standing right behind the reverse harem party.
"Alright, let's go!"
At Edgar's command, everyone stepped into the school at night.
"It feels kinda creepy."
Catherine wrapped her arms around Edgar, and he grinned mischievously, asking, "Are you scared?"
"I-I'm not scared at all!"
Catherine puffed out her cheeks and then snuggled up to Arthur, saying, "Edgar-sama is being mean."
"Edgar, you need to learn how to treat a princess better."
Arthur shrugged, and Edgar also shrugged with a wry smile. It was a silly scene, but the dark side members kept a serious watch around them.
Of course, there were no ghosts or spirits appearing in the school at night.
Since there was no bad energy in the school, there shouldn't be any ghosts, but the dark side members didn't know that and were on edge for no reason, getting stressed over the silly antics happening in front of them.
This ghost-hunting trip with guardians ended quickly.
"There it is. That's the broken clock."
As Dario pointed to the end of the hallway, there was an old clock. Even in the dark, the clock faintly glowed, as if it was saying something was there.
"...I wonder why they don't remove this clock."
"Apparently, it's a graduation memorial for the first class."
Arthur's obvious question was answered by the knowledgeable Dario, while...
(Hmm. So key items for events are connected to reality like this.)
Catherine was starting to understand that this world, while based on the game, was different from it. Her mind was becoming a bit clearer, and she knew some of the events that would happen in this world.
Still, the fact that she was a reincarnated person and had brought these events with her didn't change. Because of that, she still thought this mystery was an event from the game.
"Anyway, should we try to set the time like the rumors say?"
As Catherine said, they needed to hurry because midnight was coming soon. It was uncertain if there was a strict time limit, but it would be better to match the conditions as the rumors suggested.
Everyone nodded in agreement, and Arthur opened the clock's cover to set the time.
Four o'clock... 30, 35, 40... 45.
The moment the needle stopped, a small glowing door appeared on the right side of the clock. The door, shining faintly, was just big enough for one person to pass through.
With determination, Arthur led the way, and the 4 of them along with the two from the dark side went through the door. The other 2 from the dark side stayed behind to call for help if anything went wrong.
What the 4 saw after passing through the glowing door was just like the rumors said.
The floor, the desks, the chairs, and of course the blackboard and walls. Everything in this old, faded classroom looked like something they had never seen in their school before...
(A Japanese... school classroom?)
Just as Catherine thought, it looked a lot like a typical classroom in a Japanese school.
"This is a strange setup."
Arthur touched an old desk, and Dario warned him, "Don't touch things carelessly." If they believed the rumors, there was a chance they could get trapped in the classroom and not be able to leave for days.
"It is definitely a weird design, but nothing too strange──."
Edgar's words were cut off by the sound of a bell ringing throughout the classroom. It wasn't the familiar school bell they were used to; it was the "kin-kon-kan-kon" sound that they recognized from Japanese schools.
As the bell rang, everyone tensed up, and suddenly, countless shadows appeared in the classroom. These shadowy figures didn't seem to care about Catherine and the others; they quietly took their seats, waiting for something.
When the bell rang again, a large shadow appeared in front of the teacher's desk. Everyone silently agreed that this must be the teacher.
In fact, as the shadow stood at the desk, letters began to appear on the blackboard.
No one could read the letters, but for some reason, they felt drawn to what was written. Feeling a strange temptation, Arthur reached for an empty seat nearby──
"Stop. If you sit down, you won't be able to come back."
Arthur snapped back to reality at Edgar's words and slapped his own cheeks hard.
"This is a strong temptation... it must be some kind of element."
Catherine nodded vigorously at Dario, her hands clasped in front of her chest.
"Light──."
A bright light surrounded Catherine, and the shadows were enveloped by this light, disappearing like mist.
What was left was the old classroom and silence.
"Just as I thought, it was the element's trick."
Catherine smiled at everyone.
Elements, also known as spirits, are mysterious beings that are different from beasts. They are said to be the cause of magical energy, but this hasn't been proven yet. One thing is clear: they like to play tricks on humans who enter their territory.
Unlike beasts, they don't directly harm people, but their tricks can be dangerous for humans.
Many have gone missing or experienced near-death situations after wandering in dreams or having their souls taken. While there are no reports of deaths, some people have disappeared and never returned. However, if you don't invade their territory, you won't be bothered by the elements.
From the outside, they seem harmless. That's why they are called spirits, not beasts. Their interference is seen as a trick, and it's recommended to leave the area quietly if you see them.
You should never attack an element. If you do, an angry element will retaliate with supernatural powers.
If it's a fire element, it will unleash a fierce blaze.
If it's a water element, it will cause a flood.
If it's a wind element, it will create a tornado.
The saying "Leave the gods alone, and you won't face their wrath" is very true, so it's best to keep your distance from elements.
But the only thing that can drive them away is holy magic. Catherine's wide-range healing magic uses the purity of holy magic to show no hostility, shaking the presence of the elements with its magical waves and sending them back to their rightful world.
The church claims this is the relationship between the goddess and her elemental followers, but it's not certain. This belief also reinforces the idea that "you should never attack elements."
Anyway, only Catherine, who can use powerful magic that affects a wide area, can return multiple elements to the goddess.
"Cathy, I'm glad you're here."
"I'm happy to help!"
Catherine and Edgar smiled at each other as tiny particles of light started falling from the ceiling. The glowing particles surrounded them and seemed to be absorbed into their bodies.
"I wonder what this is... I've never experienced anything like it before."
Even though Catherine had fought off elements many times, she had never seen these light particles. This meant that no one here had the answer to what was happening. But...
"Doesn't your body feel lighter?"
"I thought the same thing."
Just like Dario and Arthur said, Catherine felt a slight sense of comfort in her body. It felt like she could do anything right now. Remembering something, Catherine secretly stored one of the particles in her item box.
What she read was... 'Element Experience: Gives the holder a part of their experience.'
(Is this a power-up event?)
It wasn't exactly an event, but it was definitely a power-up. These light particles were like experiences that the elements had collected. Unlike regular elements, these had learned by imitating people. The experiences they gathered over many years were now turning into light particles, boosting Edgar and Catherine's power.
(Yes, yes, yes! This is it! I got it!)
Catherine felt a thrill thinking she was getting ahead of Elizabeth, who was supposed to be the one to gain this. And even if it was just a little, she could definitely feel herself growing. Catherine realized that luck was finally on her side.
If she could master this mysterious event before Elizabeth, she could make her look bad.
The more the elements collected experiences, the less likely they were to focus on anything else. This meant it was a one-time event. The more she thought about it, the harder it was for Catherine to hide her smile.
When she opened a status window that no one else could see, she saw that her numbers were definitely going up. The increase might be small, but the fact that it went up and that she had taken it for herself pushed Catherine toward the next mystery.
"Everyone! We did it! Let's keep working hard for the next one!"
Catherine showed a big smile and a fist pump, and the other 3 smiled back at her. At that moment, they were definitely at the center of the story.
* * *
Meanwhile... Randy was in the backyard, training alone.
"Young master, you're working hard even this late."
Harrison, trying to hold back a yawn, heard Randy say, "Sorry, I'm going to rest now," while raising his hand.
"Well, that's fine, but... haven't you gotten stronger?"
"Really? I feel kind of light... want to try me?"
"No way! I definitely can't handle you right now!"
Harrison shook his head vigorously, and Randy replied playfully, "Come on!" He thought he could have a good match with Harrison.
"Tomorrow is an early day. The main character oversleeping would be a disaster, so you should get to bed early."
"Okay, okay."
Randy shrugged, put his jacket over his shoulder, and left. Harrison watched him go and sighed softly.
"Seriously. He's getting stronger and stronger. As his guard, I need to step up my game too."
With a wry smile, Harrison drew his sword and swung it down. The sound of the wind whooshed past as it cut through the air.
"Maybe I should invite Luke to train."
Even with a smile, Harrison looked a bit happy as he sheathed his sword.
He wasn't at the center of the story.
Even though he knew that, there was still a man here who dreamed of reaching the top. Randy moved forward, and others followed him. Because they chased after him, Randy kept running ahead.
The cycle they created was steadily helping them all grow stronger, little by little.
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