Chapter 151

She stopped, bracing herself on her knees to catch her breath, and the two swords in her hands vanished in a flash of starlight.

"Not enough..."

The feeling of fighting Herul resurfaced within her; back then, she had almost been defeated, and if her opponent had been Anilas, she would have had no chance of winning.

She must become stronger, extremely strong.

The late night is a time for solitude.

A cup of black coffee sat in front of Efnir's computer, its slightly sour and bitter taste spreading across her tongue.

Drinking coffee on an empty stomach is a bad habit.

Moreover, coffee is utterly useless to the agent, not even providing psychological comfort. The only reason Efnir's agent chose coffee was because she disliked bitterness.

Agents have a good resistance to drugs and toxins. For them, aids such as alcohol and caffeine are unlikely to have a real effect. Just like a strong painkiller, an ordinary person will feel drowsy and confused after taking one pill, but you need to take four pills of Efnir to see the initial effect.

Those were drugs prepared for emergency situations, and the side effects they caused were unbearable for the human body. If it weren't for the exceptional physical condition enhanced by the Order Force, they probably would have already broken down.

The night was exceptionally quiet. Yukina was fast asleep in the bedroom, while Efnir sat back on the living room sofa with her laptop on her lap, the screen filled with files.

The recording played over and over again in my headphones.

It must be said that "Fifina-X" sings very well.

Although the sound was mixed with noise and indistinct, the voice of "Fifina-X" always stirred her heart, like the clear whisper of wind chimes swaying amidst the rustling of insects on a summer night. Listening to the song, Efnir couldn't help but wonder what her life would be like now if she hadn't become an Ephnel. Perhaps Yukina would be the one active as an Ephnel, while she herself might be kept in the dark.

If it were Yukina, this song would suit her better.

What Efnir was concerned about was the recording deadline.

It was as if an invisible hand was guiding Efnir, directing her thoughts toward the "Western Capital University Special-Type Erosion Incident." That was Efnir's beginning, and also the end of "Ephnel-X"—as if suddenly evaporated, the battle recording abruptly stopped midway through that battle.

Masaki Hina's words made Efnir take them to heart.

What is the connection between these two things?

In the "Western Capital University Special Erosion Disaster Incident," why did I turn into a girl?

Efnir was grateful for her experience, which gave her the power to fight, but... why did such a miraculous thing happen to her? Efnir had asked this question more than once, but she had never found the answer.

Fate doesn't choose anyone.

There is no place for "miracles" in this world, and no one is "chosen"—this is the only truth that Efnir has come to realize from her endless battles.

Destiny and luck are not unique to any one person.

Those who survived were not lucky; they simply happened to be them.

Efnir sighed softly and lay down on the sofa.

Her raven-black hair slipped down her nightgown strap, revealing half of Efnir's fair, white shoulder.

The pendant on her chest slipped out, shimmering with a dazzling azure starlight.

Everything has a cause. By tracing the ethereal threads, the veil of truth will be lifted, even if reality conceals bloody lies.

But no matter what, there was only Yukina person that Efnir was determined to protect.

This is the only thing that will not and has never changed.

This is the meaning of Efnir's existence here.

[With the departure of Masaki Hina and the initiation of the Maesakagawa Recapture Operation as the starting point of Volume One, the story of Volume Two is just beginning. The world-building will also unfold in this volume, I suppose?]

[Speaking of which, some might ask, is Efnir planning to build a harem? -- Answer: No, Efnir will only ever love Yukina. She's just a clueless female iron girl... After all, who wouldn't like a girl like that?]

[A man with a severed hand: By the way, did I act in a whole volume of sex scenes?]

Book Two: Different Colored Squares

1. Light shines through the window.

The "Erosion Disaster," or "White Hole Erosion," or simply "Corruption," is accompanied by the world's enemies, known as "Erosion Entity."

It is a demon that descends like divine punishment, destroying everything.

It is generally believed that "Corruption" first appeared thirty years ago, while its large-scale emergence and seizure of human living space only began twenty years ago. At the end of the same year, the in-depth excavation of the Western Sea Ruins brought humanity its last hope, and the following year, the Agent first appeared in people's sight.

But this is only what people see on the surface.

In fact, "Corruption" has existed in the world for a much longer period than humans have ever seen.

From the oldest disasters and the worship of gods, "Corruption" has permeated the entire history of human social development. Curses, ghosts, monsters, and spirits—the earliest concrete forms and the legends that have been passed down are all related to it.

The "Orderkeepers" are organizations that have existed in the world since the establishment of social order in human society.

Prayer, witch, shaman, spirit medium—different names and rumors circulate in different regions, but in the predecessor of the Human Federation, they all had the same name—"Agent," also known as "special agent" or "proxy."

They are all people who possess a certain "trait".

Simply put, these are what are now known as "the Eligible." The "Eligible" are born with a special constitution that allows them to communicate with Order Force, and only they can influence "Corruption."

According to ancient records, in the Old Era, a "natural disaster," also known as "Corruption," would occur every few hundred years.

Compared to the "Corruption" we see today, the "natural disasters" of that era were exceptionally weak. However, since humanity had not mastered Beacon technology, the power of each agent was extremely limited. They trained themselves day and night to communicate with the "gods," but what they could do was still insignificant.

To quell a "natural disaster," the lives of hundreds of agents are often required.

That is the "inner" part of the world. As a reclusive organization, the Orderkeepers maintain the "order" of the world in ways unknown to others.

The world's surface and its inner workings are like two sides of a mirror.

Twenty years ago, that day was merely the moment a mirror was shattered.

The Orderkeepers Organization always puts a lot of effort into carrying out science education and publicity work—and today is the day when the Orderkeeper Headquarters regularly opens its doors to schools for educational and publicity purposes.

The renovation of the Orderkeeper Headquarters is basically complete, and the new building has undergone some expansion and renovation.

The hall was packed with students from various schools.

Today's speaker is Efnir.

The hall was filled with elementary and middle school students in school uniforms, and the area in front of Efnir was already crowded with students.

In fact, Efnir comes here about once a month.

Spending time with the students made Efnir feel relaxed. Actually, when she first did this job a long time ago, Efnir was a little reserved and unaccustomed to it, but after doing it a few times, she quickly became proficient.

"... So, in fact, 'Corruption' has existed in things that existed even before the birth of humankind."

Clear and ethereal, Efnir's voice possessed a childlike quality that matched her youthful appearance, yet it also held a composed and commanding presence. She didn't deliberately raise her voice, but in the spacious hall, her voice still had considerable penetrating power, allowing everyone present to hear it very clearly.

Despite her unfortunate height, Efnir attracted countless gazes simply by standing there, as if she naturally drew the spotlight.

"In other words, it's not a weapon used by aliens to invade Earth!"

Efnir tilted her head, a smile spreading across her face. With that movement, her fine silver hair cascaded down her shoulders, as if carrying a shower of starlight.

"Oh~~"

Most of the students listened attentively and then asked questions, which Efnir answered carefully within the bounds of her knowledge.

This is also part of the publicity and education campaign.

Efnir raised her hand and swiped the images in the science education section on the big screen.

"Now, let's visit the exhibit on the 'Boundary Stele' system, humanity's shield against 'White Hole Erosion'..."

At five o'clock, the students left one after another under the guidance of their teachers.

They waved goodbye to Efnir.

"Goodbye, Sister Efnir ~~"

See you next time.

Today's routine education and awareness day has come to a perfect end.

After all, Efnir has the dual identity of being a spokesperson and an idol, giving it a unique advantage in this regard.

However, perhaps it was precisely because Efnir's aura as an agent was too strong that the students always behaved themselves in front of Efnir. Of course, it was good that no one caused trouble, but it would be disheartening to be feared by others.

Furthermore, it is truly disheartening that the atmosphere can only be enlivened by personal popularity rather than by a brilliant speech.

It's like playing a game with cheat codes. Although the stats look amazing, you lose the sense of accomplishment that comes from the challenge. Some games even deliberately limit the final score of cheaters.

That's how Efnir feel right now.

"I always feel like it would be more interesting if I were less popular~"

"Are you showing off?!"

Shinomiyami Nami said disdainfully.

Efnir pursed her lips in exasperation.

For an active spokesperson and idol to complain about their high popularity is like a billionaire saying they're troubled by having too much money—it certainly has a hint of bragging.

But Efnir had seriously considered what kind of life she would have had if she weren't an idol or an agent. No dramatic, unforgettable experiences, just daily hustles and mundane matters—not poor, not rich, perhaps a typical life?

It might be a bit boring.

But that was actually the Yukina Efnir.

"If this battle could end, I might become a useless, lazy bum..."

Efnir sighed softly and murmured.

The voice was so soft that Shinomiyami Nami didn't hear it clearly. As she put away the letter and gift that Efnir had just received from the student, she gave a suspicious "hmm" and looked up.

Did you just say something?

"Nothing, you'd better not have heard anything."

Efnir chuckled.

"Oh, right, I need to make a call to Yukina. Excuse me for a moment."

Tomorrow is the official start of the Beyond-the-Boundary Combat Exercise, Efnir specially gave Yukina a "relaxation day" —Efnir let Yukina arrange her time freely today and choose to do things other than "training".

But in the end, Yukina didn't know what to choose.

--After becoming an agent, he forgot who he used to be, and forgot what "ordinary life" was.

Being numb from battle and pressure will dull the sword in your hand.

This is a common "ailment" among newly appointed agents.

2. It's night outside the window.

[This chapter was originally posted in the wrong volume, in Volume 1. The Volume 1 chapter has been removed and reposted here. Because it was my mistake, this chapter is free.]

In conclusion, Yukina finally returned to school for a long time and attended classes for a day.

It was already past school dismissal time, and I wondered if Yukina had already gone home. With that thought in mind, Efnir took the water bottle from Shinomiyami Nami and took out her phone to make a call.

After a brief response, the call was suddenly disconnected, and a text message was received instead.

("Look behind you")

"Huh?"

Efnir instinctively turned around, her gaze passing through the dissipating crowd, and Yukina's slender figure came into Efnir.