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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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The light from the hallway seeped eerily into Aria’s darkened room as I opened the door.
“…Mr. Lev?”
The girl who had looked at me with suspicion in the Restoration Hall after the selection test… was gone.
Her hair, damp and plastered to her head, made her look unusually fragile today. It wasn’t like Aria.
I closed the door and approached her.
“…Don’t come… closer.”
“…”
“……”
She was naked, and her voice was still empty.
“Please… don’t come near me.”
-Grab.
-!
I finally managed to grab Aria’s wrist and pull her down onto the bed.
-Thud…!
Her silver hair, tinged with lavender, scattered across the bedsheets.
“…I know you’re not… possessed… so please… stop joking…”
‘Has she been crying?’
Even if I couldn’t see clearly, there were things I could feel.
Yes, it was time to speak. Now that I knew her feelings, it was truly time.
“Aria.”
Just as I steeled myself to speak,
-Clang!
‘?’
An ominous sound effect. System messages, complete with the classic UI, appeared between Aria and me.
‘…….’
Back when I had the Supporting Role trait, before defeating the fallen angel Tobiel who tried to corrupt Yeriel, there was a supporting role quest about Aria that I had left untouched, knowing it was clearly a trap.
That quest had been modified by the author. He probably set it up right before giving me the Yeriel Fallen Angel Transformation quest.
‘Was he trying for a draw?’
The rewards at stake were ‘Game End’ and Aria’s Awakening, which was essential for the true ending. He hadn’t messed with the rewards until now, so this probably meant what I thought it did.
Since I absorbed Andras’s power from the beginning, things weren’t going according to his plan. It seemed he was trying to salvage his self-insert story by giving me a way back.
‘Author… it’s too late, isn’t it?’
This unexpected situation arose because I tried to complete the quest much later than he anticipated. Even better.
I looked into Aria’s blue, planet-like eyes and spoke calmly.
“Andras… you said.”
“Yes?”
“The target of your revenge.”
“…”
Aria, lying on the bed and looking at the ceiling, avoided my gaze and nodded.
I covered her with a blanket and whispered softly,
“I’ll help you. With your revenge.”
“…You will… Mr. Lev?”
“…Yes.”
With that, we fell silent, facing each other as we had before.
-…
My gaze traced the contours of Aria’s face. Her delicate features captivated me, as if beckoning me closer.
“……”
“……”
Just one step away,
“Sorry.”
I couldn’t help but pull away from Aria.
.
.
.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
.
.
.
Clarice Academy welcomed a new semester after the vacation. The hectic events in Neldaran felt like a distant midsummer night’s dream as reality quickly set in.
‘It’s beginning.’
In the courtyard for Class A first-year students, where colorful autumn leaves were starting to appear,
“These two… are Edwin Gwines and Lev Denec, who have been promoted to Class A this semester. Treat them well…”
Instructor Bella briefly introduced Edwin and me to the students gathered here, then said,
“There will be a further announcement, so you are to engage in self-training until then.”
She instructed us to return to our training.
“That’s him, right? The guy who got lucky and rose quickly by defeating Kaelan.”
“Yeah. He looks annoying.”
On one side, there was backbiting about Edwin.
“Who… is he?”
“I heard he made a contribution in the Crimson Ash subjugation…”
“He seems to be involved in every incident… it makes me feel uneasy.”
“Agreed.”
On the other side, they were evaluating me. I had anticipated Edwin being promoted to Class A in the second semester and being downplayed as lucky, as it was the same in the fan fiction.
“Lev! You’re going to train with me, right?”
“…Yes.”
“I won’t lose today!”
Paired with Edwin for physical training, my gaze was fixed on a bespectacled boy training alone in the distance.
‘…’
Navy blue hair, an ordinary-looking back of the head. Nikolseta Heisman. He was the son of the Heisman family, currently in marriage talks with Yeriel’s family, Artina.
He was outwardly portrayed as good-natured with a gentle personality. But in reality, he was incompetent, indecisive, and didn’t even put in any effort, clinging to Edwin’s coattails… a cancerous presence.
The reason Edwin couldn’t break off Yeriel’s engagement in time was because of this guy.
As I sighed slightly and looked at the naive Edwin, he responded with a friendly grin.
“What’s wrong? Already tired?”
“Yeah, I’m exhausted because of someone.”
“Who?”
The important person here wasn’t just Nikolseta Heisman. The key was his older brother, Macleod Heisman, a third-year student at Clarice Academy. Along with Violet, the head of the Archery Department, and Yelodi Latacia, the head of the Magic Department, he held the position of head of the Support Magic Department.
Considering that the appraisal scroll used to appraise the [Ring of Engraving] at Anchorfall’s workshop was created by the Heisman family, he was undoubtedly skilled in magic detection and support magic.
If things continued as in the fan fiction, Edwin would lose Yeriel to that guy, and with Melissa and Abelline siding with Kaelan, he would completely break down.
From then on, Kaelan would have Edwin completely under her thumb.
“Well, there’s a spot for a baggage carrier in my party.”
“Uh… yeah?”
“I’m asking you, Edwin. What do you say?”
‘I couldn’t believe it…’
…What followed was the worst possible ending. Edwin only showed signs of reawakening but ended up being manipulated by Kaelan.
‘That can’t happen…’
First, I intended to completely sever Yeriel’s ties with the Heisman family. That way, the outcome would be better than in the fan fiction.
Second, since Kaelan had returned to the academy, there wouldn’t be another opportunity like this.
‘If I can take them down at once… I will.’
According to the novel, Kaelan was targeting Violet and Edwin. And if she was perceptive enough, perhaps even me…
Since it seemed she had decided to accept demonic power, I had no more hesitation.
.
.
.
“Gather around.”
Everyone’s attention turned towards Bella.
“To get straight to the point, the students must have heard about the various unfortunate incidents that occurred during the first semester.”
As expected, the news Bella brought was about the second-semester schedule.
“However, I believe everyone was prepared for this from the moment they stepped foot in this academy. As a result of discussions by the academic staff, we’ve decided to focus the curriculum on practical training and real-world experience rather than theory, to more quickly enhance each student’s individual abilities.”
There were mixed reactions to Bella’s announcement. Some were pleased about the reduction of written exams, while others looked a bit uneasy, knowing that Clarice’s practical training wasn’t easy.
‘It’s going according to the original story.’
Fortunately, the main storyline remained unchanged. From Chapter 4, that is, the second semester of the academy, the demons would appear more cunningly and erratically.
And the reason for that would connect to the story of Crowfey being behind it.
“Therefore, starting from the second semester, each student council will select aspiring heroes. You’ve all received the prior notice about the reason for selecting aspiring heroes, correct?”
“Yes!”
After the students’ brief reply, Bella continued,
“There are two ways to be selected as an aspiring hero. The first is to receive a recommendation from the head of each department.”
Like when I received a recommendation from Violet. Of course, I had declined and yielded to Selena.
“The second is to prove yourself through skill, through the Adventure Practice.”
“Don’t tell me… is it that?”
“What? What is it?”
“Did you hear something from the upperclassmen last time…?”
Groans arose from here and there. Adventure Practice.
The name itself was straightforward. It referred to the unavoidable event of Chapter 4, the deserted island survival, an essential part of the academy. And here, I absolutely had to…
‘Keep Violet alive.’
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
I.
Am.
A.
Fool.
Four words. Those four words lingered in Aria’s mind all day, from the end of the first day of the new semester until she returned to the Seraphi Dormitory.
‘……What should I do? Am I… really a fool…?’
She had forgotten because of the atmosphere at the time and the sudden surge of emotions. She had just finished showering.
And because of that, she was naked. She had shown that appearance to Lev Denec. It was an unimaginable situation.
‘But… we’re in the same dormitory…’
How was she supposed to face him now? And Yeriel…
‘But…’
Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, he had skillfully guided her towards the darkened bed and covered her with a blanket.
And he had told her. Clearly,
-I’ll help you. With your revenge.
That he would help her with her revenge.
‘……’
After all her suspicions… he wasn’t Andras.
A bashful smile crept onto her face. That simple fact alone eased the burden that had been weighing on her.
“Close your eyes.”
“!”
She suddenly recalled his seemingly nonchalant yet gentle voice that followed. Just thinking about it made her heart pound. It was a wave of emotions entirely different from when she received the ring.
‘…’
Of course, when she closed her eyes as he told her, he had approached, then left.
‘…!!’
A sense of disappointment washed over her. Aria quietly got out of bed. She opened the dormitory door and confirmed that she was alone in Seraphi Dormitory.
-Click.
She returned to bed and hugged a pillow larger than herself.
-Hug…
She silently repeated the words she probably wouldn’t be able to say for a while. The feelings she no longer needed to hide.
“I like you, Lev Denec.”
The words felt so good.
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Come on! I need a sweet sweet yandere moment! Stab the red goblin with holy power!
Talk about bait and switch. They not only skipped the intimate reply part but actually the whole shenanigans of visiting Yeriel’s family.
kaelan is a ‘he’ not a ‘she’.
Up where ‘she’ would suspect mc and also got into demonic powers.
Should be ‘he’
I’m disappointed, I thought he was about to tell her he killed andras,, also confirmed he likes both of them he admitted it internally