Chapter 176: Handsome as Dan Heng is, yet he's still called a monster? What kind of taste do you people have?!
「 "But the Alchemy Commission hopes that Bailu can stay on as High Elder," Stelle said.
"These people speak of 'legitimacy.' They believe that Bailu was chosen as heir apparent by the previous High Elder, and that unless she were to commit a terrible sin, the Preceptors should have no right whatsoever to choose again."
"The Healer Lady has draconic features and scarcely believable therapeutic abilities. Some regard this as evidence that she is the High Elder. But the Preceptors are fixated on strength, and are unwilling to accept her..."
Jing Yuan turned his head, gazing at the distant Scalegorge Waterscape. "And after this 'reincarnation of Dan Feng' before your very eyes commanded the boundless waters of the Lunarescent Depths, those longing to keep the traditional bequeathal of the High Elder feel increasingly uneasy."
Jing Yuan held no strong opinions on the internal strife within the Vidyadhara, but as a friend, he offered a kind warning: "So long as Dan Heng and Bailu, with their respective High Elder powers and titles, both remain on the Luofu, the Vidyadhara will never cease their internal strife. This is not to say that either of you is to blame."
With that, Jing Yuan clutched his aching back and returned to recuperate from his injuries.
The two continued forward, arriving at the seaside where they found Huanxi waiting. When Dan Heng insisted on meeting her, she merely shook her head with a wry smile, offering no further obstruction. However, a group of Vidyadhara soon arrived behind Dan Heng, vehemently demanding his expulsion from Scalegorge Waterscape.
"Even if he isn't Dan Feng, the Vidyadhara cannot tolerate a monster like him!" The leader's voice was aggressive and confrontational. 」
「 .....」
〜KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World〜
"Huh? A monster?"
"If someone as handsome as Dan Heng is called a monster, then what does that make Kazuma?"
Megumin slammed her beer mug onto the tavern's wooden table, making several empty mugs jump.
"Hey, hey, I think I heard someone talking badly about me."
Kazuma walked in through the tavern's main entrance. He looked up at the sky, then at the overly excited Megumin.
"Are you obsessing over someone from another world again? I remember last time it was Jing Yuan, the time before that was Luocha… and now you're back to Dan Heng?"
"…Even if he's that good, you can't touch him, right? What's the point of obsessing over them?"
"Of course, there's a point! At the very least, it's a testament to my exquisite taste."
Megumin, her cheeks slightly flushed from the drink, proudly tilted her head.
"Unlike some people, whose aesthetic standards are so low that even the old ladies at the succubus shop look like beauties to them!"
"Th-that's because they use magic to make themselves look good!"
Kazuma retorted, his face red.
Just then, Darkness, who had been quietly sipping juice beside them, suddenly spoke.
"Actually… I don't think Kazuma is… that bad…"
Her face inexplicably turned red.
"While he can't compare to Dan Heng, occasionally… on very rare occasions, he does have a tiny bit of charm…"
Aqua nearly spat out her drink. All three of them turned to Darkness, their expressions incredulous.
"Darkness, you're not coming down with a fever, are you?"
Aqua reached out to touch her forehead.
"No, I think she probably got hit in the head by some tentacle monster today,"
Megumin said gravely.
Kazuma, meanwhile, gripped Darkness's hand with a look of profound emotion.
"Finally! There's someone with normal taste at this party!"
Darkness's face grew even redder, and she stammered,
"I… I was just being honest… Of course, most of the time, you're still a hopeless scumbag…"
—
「 With that declaration, those individuals revealed themselves as assassins and collectively moved to strike Dan Heng. However, their strength was utterly negligible before the High Elder, and Dan Heng effortlessly neutralized them.
Having dealt with these minor nuisances, Dan Heng and Stelle followed Huanxi to the Dragonvista Rain Hall.
There, Bailu had been waiting for them for a long time, her chubby little face etched with impatience. But when she turned and saw Stelle, her eyebrows immediately relaxed, and her voice rose several octaves: "Hello there, Stelle, long time no see! How come you're here too?"
Huanxi explained that the two had encountered assassins on the way, who had attempted to murder Dan Heng… presumably to protect Bailu's orthodox claim to the High Elder title.
Upon hearing the words "High Elder," Bailu's eyebrows drooped again, and she huffed impatiently. "What does that have to do with me? I said it early on: whoever wants to be this High Elder can be it. I didn't choose this title myself."
Upon seeing Dan Heng, Bailu's expression first showed surprise, then curiosity… especially after confirming that Dan Heng was the reincarnation of Dan Feng, her gaze couldn't help but dart towards Dan Heng's back.
"Oh, you're different from me. Where's your tail?" Bailu asked with a playful smile. "If I let you be the High Elder, would you grow a tail?"
"…Uh." Dan Heng uncharacteristically wore an awkward expression.
He explained that he had no intention of involving himself in the High Elder's legacy, and his sole purpose for this journey was to repair the Ambrosial Arbor's seal, and incidentally, to discuss the old events with Bailu, hoping to try and accomplish something.
Dan Heng's honesty left a good impression on Bailu, who agreed to accompany him on a journey through Scalegorge Waterscape.
The two arrived at the entrance to Scalegorge Waterscape, and from afar, they saw the dragon-shaped roots. While marveling at the sight, Bailu also complained that the Elders had never told her about the Ambrosial Arbor's seal. This, she surmised, indicated they had long known she was unfit for the High Elder's position.
"Since I, this young lady, have no qualifications whatsoever, why did Dan Feng choose me back then?" Bailu looked up at Dan Heng, curious. 」
「 .....」
〜A Certain Magical Index World〜—
"Eh? The only two Vidyadhara to manifest Draconic don't want to be the High Elder?"
In a park in Academy City, Misaka Mikoto sat on a bench, intently watching the two "High Elders" on the holographic screen.
"Yo, isn't it Bilibili? You're also keeping an eye on those two?"
A familiar voice interrupted her thoughts. Misaka Mikoto looked up, only to see the shadow of the spiky-haired boy fall over her from behind, perfectly shielding her from the intense sunlight.
"It's not Bilibili, it's Misaka Mikoto!"
A vein throbbed on Mikoto's forehead, and several blue-white electrical currents uncontrollably sparked through her bangs.
Touma laughed, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender.
"Just kidding, just kidding, Misaka-san. I didn't realize you were so invested in Dan Heng, too?"
"It's not just me; the higher-ups are also very interested in his abilities."
Misaka Mikoto snorted, looking at the two separated ancient seas within Scalegorge Waterscape.
"This level of ability, if it were in Academy City, would probably be far beyond Level 6; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a miracle… How could those guys not be interested?"
"But I don't want to think about that for now. It just irks me a little to see both of them trying to shirk the responsibility of the High Elder."
"Huh? But isn't that natural?"
Kamijou Touma looked at the backs of the two figures on the screen.
"It's perfectly normal to feel rebellious when such a responsibility is forced upon you, isn't it? Especially since neither of them ever wanted to be the High Elder in the first place."
"But they can't just run away from it, can they?"
Misaka Mikoto frowned.
"While being forced to accept it is indeed painful, the extraordinary encounter has already found her, and that cannot be changed. Instead of trying every possible way to escape, I think… it would be better to first learn how to be a good High Elder, and then slowly change the current situation."
"…As an LV 5, I understand the principle that with great power comes great responsibility."
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