The Academy’s Weakest Became A Demon-Limited Hunter

Chapter 249: Hilde (3)

He handed over the clothes he had prepared in advance to Hilde.

The shop owner had a puzzled expression, and Dorothy seemed to have a question mark above her head.

Hilde entered the fitting room.

[I will change and come out.]

For a brief moment, light leaked out from the fitting room.

Soon, when the silver-haired woman dressed in my clothes came out of the fitting room, the shop owner was astonished.

"What? What's this? Hilde...? Is that you, Hilde?"

Dorothy was equally surprised.

[Indeed. Am I not beautiful?]

Hilde gracefully turned her body, showing off her appearance.

Since she was wearing clothes larger than her physique, her voluptuous figure appeared less defined, but it was clear she was a beautiful young lady.

With her horns and tail hidden, she looked exactly like a human.

Dorothy's trembling eyes turned towards me.

"Hilde, you could become a human...? Wasn't the dress supposed to fit your little dragon form?"

"Yeah, well..."

You thought so, too, huh? I was the same at first.

"I only found out yesterday that she could transform into a human."

"Amazing!"

Dorothy exclaimed in admiration.

Dorothy immediately approached Hilde and examined her closely from different angles. Hilde was slightly taller than Dorothy.

[What is the matter, Dorothy?]

"You've really become human. You use quite advanced transformation magic, didn't you?"

[For someone like me this level of magic is as easy as eating cold stew. Hmph, do kids these days not even know how to use transformation magic?]

"These days, you can just use disguise tools or disguise magic, right? There's no need to change your actual body."

[…!]

The arrogant Hilde flinched at Dorothy's response.

"Well, if your body is weak, you can just enhance your protection magic."

Hilde tried to rebut, but Dorothy's follow-up comments left her speechless.

Hilde's advanced transformation magic was problematic to learn within the span of a normal human lifetime, and there was no need to painstakingly master it.

It was more beneficial to learn or master an additional elemental magic instead.

[Am I the one who is outdated....]

Hilde felt a sense of doubt.

"First, let's measure your size."

The shop owner approached Hilde, skillfully took her measurements, and informed her of the size. Perhaps because Hilde was accepted as my familiar, the shop owner quickly accepted the spectacle of her becoming human.

After all, Hilde was a white dragon, an extraordinary magic beast from the start.

"How about blue for the clothes? It seems like it would suit you best."

[Blue, you say. The color of kings...! I like it!]

Hilde looked at my hair upon hearing Dorothy's question. It was unclear if she considered it the color of kings because my hair had a bluish tint.

There was no need to custom-make a dress. Dorothy and Ella chose a dress and went into the fitting room to help Hilde put it on.

Each time, Hilde proudly showed off her dress to me and Phantom Cat Cheshire.

Holding a magic tool in one hand and practicing mana circulation, I seriously observed Hilde's appearance. From party dresses to everyday dresses, Hilde wore them all splendidly.

So, everything looked fine, but Dorothy and Ella kept feeling something was missing and continuously changed Hilde's clothes.

I'm getting tired...

"Everything seems to suit her well."

[Meow... Isaac, I'm getting a bit bored.]

I was sitting on a chair brought by the shop owner with Cheshire on my lap. The cat seemed to have gotten bored by now.

"I think this one is the best after all!"

Dorothy brought back the blue dress that Hilde had first tried on. It was more suitable for everyday wear than for a party.

In the end, Hilde changed back into the blue dress. Cheshire and I were left in awe. Then what was all that about until now...?

[How do I look, Master?]

"It suits you best."

[Your answer lacks spirit...]

She really was pretty. But whether Hilde's human form was beautiful or not, I hoped the fashion show would stop already. I was utterly exhausted.

[Done. I will go with this. I like it the most as well!]

"Right? Oh, and let's do something simple with your hair!!"

Dorothy braided some of Hilde's hair on both sides of her face and tied it back. Satisfied with her work, Dorothy nodded, and Hilde looked pleased in the mirror.

Finally, it's over.

[Dorothy, how about this? As a reward for helping me, I will choose some clothes for you too!]

"My clothes? Hmm... Isaac, is that okay?"

…!

My nerves were on edge.

But I answered as calmly as possible.

"Yes, go ahead and choose."

"Nihihi, great!"

Hilde went with Dorothy to choose clothes, and each time Dorothy changed into a new outfit, she showed herself to me.

"How about this one?"

"Hmm, try this one on too."

"This one?"

"Hmm, next try that one too."

"How is it? Does it suit Big Sis well?"

"Umm..."

Well, I’d be damn...

This is Dorothy after all.

It was hard to keep my lips from curling up into a huge smile.

Just watching her made me so happy.

My body trembled. A thrilling current flowed through me, and I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude.

Everything about her was cute and lovely. How could a person be so beautiful?

Whatever she wore suited her so well that it was hard to give any of them up.

[Master, why do you react differently to Dorothy?]

Hilde protested.

What are you talking about?

"What? It's all the same."

[It is completely different! You glanced at me carelessly, but you were sparkling at Dorothy?!]

Hilde stomped the ground in frustration.

I guess it showed.

Sorry, it’s beyond my control.

Dorothy covered her mouth and laughed slyly.

"Heh heh heh. President, you can't seem to keep your head straight because Big Sis is so pretty, huh?"

"What are you talking about... It's not like that. How about trying this one on next? Oh, and that one too..."

Ah, this feeling. It's been a while.

This is the happiness of being a fan.

***After buying clothes with Hilde, Dorothy did Hilde's makeup beautifully and then left, saying she had some errands to run with Ella.

Since the 「Alice Subjugation 」, Dorothy had been intensifying her training to avoid being swayed by her starlight mana.

She would meditate in quiet places or strongly circulated starlight magic.

The power bestowed by fairies did not require complex calculations like other magics. The strength depended on how well one adapted to magic and the strength of their mana. The training methods were also very different from those of conventional elemental magic.

Meanwhile, Hilde, enjoying her blue dress, quietly hummed a tune.

We went to find Stone Turtle-Gormos and introduced Cheshire and Gormos to each other.

[Look, Gormos. Am I not beautiful? Every passing human praised my beauty!]

[Hmm... is that so?]

Stone Turtle-Gormos the magic beast with a rocky mountain shell, showed an indifferent reaction to Hilde's appearance.

In reality, the only person who praised Hilde's beauty was the shop owner. Not every passing human did so. She seemed to exaggerate to boast about herself.

After walking around with Hilde in her dress and training, it soon became night. Cheshire returned to Alice, and I intended to take Hilde back to the dorm.

However, Hilde suggested we go to the top of the nearby tower.

Today, I wanted to do everything Hilde wanted. After all, it was a special day for fitting her dress.

Hilde seemed to want to walk around outside a bit more in her dress.

We climbed the high tower and looked down at the scenery of the academy. When we looked up, we could see the tranquil night sky stretching out far into the distance.

Hilde seemed to have something she wanted to say to me. As her master, I could sense her feelings.

So I stood silently, holding the magic tool in one hand and training, Hilde spoke to me.

[Master, can I talk about something serious?]

"It's okay. What is it?"

[About my previous master…]

Is it about the Primordial Ice Sovereign?

I was glad she didn't say something like, “Can I talk about your past life?” There was no need to pointlessly dig into that.

Besides the fragmentary information from the setting book, I didn't know much about the Primordial Ice Sovereign. She was someone from a distant past who I didn't need to know about.

[She was gloomy for a human. Her emaciated body looked like it could collapse at any moment, and she spoke so little that it seemed like she was lost in her own world.]

Hilde leaned against the railing and looked up at the sky.

[She took many lives. Betrayers, marauders, demons, and ferocious magic beasts were her enemies, and the more blood she shed, the less she spoke... Oh no, I have said unpleasant things.]

Hilde paused.

[There was an ice valley where any creature that approached carelessly would lose its life to the cold. My previous master was the human who came to me, living alone there, and reached out her hand, asking me to roam the world with her.]

"That must be a memory."

[Indeed. She had a cold expression, but hehe, I was lonely then, and I really liked her. It was a day I will never forget.]

"..."

[She never gave affection to anyone. My feelings for my former master were entirely one-sided. I longed for the voice that called my name, the battles we fought together, her touch. And then a thousand years passed, and I met you.]

Hilde gazed deeply into my eyes.

"...Today, you're not saying I'm the reincarnation of that woman?"

[This does not mean my thoughts have changed, Master. I still believe you are the reincarnation of my previous master. But... if you are truly someone with no connection to her.]

Hilde's expression darkened as if she recalled something unpleasant.

She seemed to be about to say something she had hesitated to mention.

[Would you listen to my previous master's message?]

"A message?"

There was a message?

[My previous master and the Primordial Elemental Kings made a prophecy. 'In the future, an Evil God of destruction will be resurrected to bring about the end of the world, but a Brave Hero will appear to stop the Evil God.' This is the message related to that prophecy.]

As soon as I heard those words, my eyes narrowed involuntarily.

It was the prophecy mentioned in ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱.

I had overlooked it and didn't think deeply about it, but when Hilde brought up the prophecy, an indescribable sense of unease surged within me.

Questions began to brew.

The prophecy left by the Primordial Kings was based on fragmented visions of the future.

But this world...

This is the world where I am...

In ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, the player was Ian, and since Ian stopped the Evil God, it was natural to think that the “Brave Hero” in the prophecy was Ian.

After all, the only one who could defeat the Evil God was Ian Fairytale, the one dubbed “Child of Light”.

But...

If that was the case, why was it expressed as “Brave Hero” and not “Child of Light”?

Moreover, unless I died, it was clear that I would be the one to stop the Evil God.

How could Ian, who lacked the power of the system and combat prowess, stop the Evil God?

There was no way to defeat the Evil God other than for me to take the lead in subduing it, and for Ian to deliver the final blow.

it raised the question of whether the “Brave Hero” in the prophecy was really Ian.

"...Keep talking."

[Master. If you are not the reincarnation of my previous master, you might be the “Brave Hero” prophesied by the Primordial Elemental Kings.]

"..."

Could the Primordial Elemental Kings have foreseen the current situation?

...Let's not jump to any conclusions. Everything is still just logical speculation.

However, it was difficult to calm the boiling suspicions.

[If that brave hero appears, my previous master asked to deliver this message.]

I listened intently.

The message left by the Primordial Ice Ice Sovereign.

Finally, Hilde spoke the words that the Primordial Ice Sovereign had uttered a thousand years ago, words that only Hilde had kept for a millennium.

['Please, with a calm heart, destroy me.']

At that moment, a sense of dread trickled down my spine.

"What...?"

What could it mean?

For a while, we just looked into each other's eyes, feeling the cool night breeze.