.｡.:✧ Chapter 23 ✧:.｡.

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“Haak! Haak!”
“Haah!”

“Huff, heuk, huff!”

Recently, even though my Academy life had been peaceful thus far , I wondered if it was okay for things to be so quiet.

Waking up in the morning to exercise in the refreshing air that I couldn’t feel in the Demon Realm’s forest improved my quality of life significantly.

‘I’ve definitely become stronger than before.’

In fact, I was confident that I could hold up decently if I were to face my past self right now.

‘I can definitely defeat them this time.’

In reality, when Rin became the Commander of the Undead, I was close to victory in our one-on-one battle. I just panicked when I saw Rin’s face unexpectedly after destroying her helmet.

‘Well, maybe or maybe not.’

I did have thoughts of killing Rin whenever signs of her becoming the Commander of the Undead became apparent. However, if I missed the timing to prevent Rin from becoming Commander of the Undead, there’s no guarantee that I could fight her one-on-one again, so I didn’t miss any opportunity to train.

After finishing my physical training, I waved my hand towards the two girls in the distance who were sweating like slobbering dogs.

“We’re almost done, keep going! One last sprint!”

“Haak! Haak!”

“That, that bastard…!”

Eve, who had barely made it, fell to the ground and tried to swing her fist at me, but it didn’t have any strength behind it.

“How’s that? Doesn’t it feel great to wake up in the morning and exercise?”

“Yeah! Feels great!”

“Phew, be careful with your mouth.”

“Haak! Haak! Th-that…! Potion! First aid! Will! Love! Parents!” [T/N: no idea either :P]

Eve was swearing while rolling on the ground, and Tana was muttering something. The reason the two of them were running with me was because of the second test.

Eve, who couldn’t do anything in the second test and lost, and Tana, who was weak in combat from the beginning, heard that I was exercising in the morning and joined in.

Of course, they collapsed after just one day.

“Originally, we were supposed to do strength training next…”

“Get lost! You Satan! Devil! Don’t act like you know me today! Who in their right mind thinks about running 10 kilometers from dawn?”

You guys looked tired, so I shortened the course in the middle.

“Danielle, Haak! You know that? Haak!”

Eve, who was lying down.

Her plump breasts had a somewhat charming shape due to gravity, but unfortunately, I was past the age of getting excited over a little kid’s chest.

“Haak! If you really want to kill someone! Haak! Unexpected strength! Haak! Came out! Haak! I experienced it just now!”

“Alright. I won’t push you further, so try to catch your breath.”

I guess she’s too tired to do anything more.

It looked like it was going to be just one day and that was it, but that can’t happen. It was the first time I had a training partner, and it wasn’t as bad as I thought.

“Tomorrow, I’ll take it easy.”
“Tomorrow? You said tomorrow? Just now, exercise disappeared from my dictionary!”
“I… I’m dying.”
“You guys have been snacking a lot lately, so you said we should go on a diet starting tomorrow for real. If we keep turning into lazy pigs like this, what’s the point?”
“Oink, oink.”
“Pigs.”
They both glanced at me with uneasy expressions, asking,
“Are you really going to take it easy?”
“Of course. I brought it up suddenly yesterday, so today I’ll just do what I usually do. I’ll prepare something tailored for you guys tomorrow.”
“I want to have a slim figure, not become a muscle queen.”
“I got it.”
I chuckled as I reached out to help Eve, who was lying down, but she almost stumbled again, so I held her steady.
“Ouch.”
“I-I’m sorry. My strength gave out.”
It looked like she couldn’t walk at all, but I carried her without a word, and although Eve seemed surprised, she accepted my help with a nod.
Then she suddenly regained her appetite.
“I’m envious. Can’t you carry me too?”
“Do you want to ride on top of Eve?”
“Oh, no, thanks!”
Eve immediately waved her hand in refusal. So, we continued on our way to the dormitory.
“Hmm? What is this…”
I paused for a moment and repeated the process of sitting down and getting up several times, leaving Eve and Tana wondering what I was doing.
With a genuinely curious expression, I asked Eve,
“How many kilograms are you? Is this a new form of exercise for you?”
“I! I! I!”
“Amazing…”
Eve uttered an inexplicable exclamation and started patting her back vigorously. I couldn’t help but laugh, saying it was just a joke, but from the strength she was showing, I thought she could probably walk just fine.
As we chatted about this and that, we encountered a group of male students at the entrance, who seemed to be arguing with the security guard while entering the academy.
It was Fenil Leiros, along with his gang, who had received disciplinary action from me for a month.
“Has a month already passed?”
I had been so busy that time had passed much faster than when I was in the Forest of the Abyss. I stuck my tongue out in thought and locked eyes with Fenil.
I considered starting a confrontation with them to finish the strength training I had left unfinished, but…
“…..”
They pretended not to see me and even changed direction away from the dormitories towards the academy.
It reminded me of the time I encountered Demon’s in the Forest of the Abyss, and they were running away. I chuckled and headed towards the dormitory.
***
“What?”
Lately, it seemed like Ares’ fish had developed a habit of coming to me. Yesterday, Sen suddenly came and started playing rock-paper-scissors with me.
The day before, Adriana came, closely examined my face and then abruptly left, muttering that it wasn’t it.
And the day before that, Elise came, touching her hair in different ways and asking what hairstyle Ares would like.
Of course, I told them all to stop bothering me and just go away.
Wasn’t it enough that I knew how to make the secret pie of the village? I understood the desire of a girl who wanted to get more information about the guy she liked, but I wished they wouldn’t bother me.
And today, it was Hayun.
She was the one I had dinner with last time, and I thought she was a decent person, but when she came out of the bathroom, she approached me out of the blue.
“Can you help me a little?”
“Hey, don’t you fish communicate with each other? Didn’t you hear what happened to the ones who came to me before?”
“I heard.”
“Then why are you coming again? Just because we had one meal together doesn’t mean there’s something between us. It’s like a passing cat taking a piece of bread I offered it.”
I spoke a bit roughly out of irritation, and the students who passed by also glanced at us.
I told her to go away before some weird rumors started spreading, and as I turned to leave, Hayun grabbed my hand.
“Please! I’m going to confess to Ares.”
“…What?”
I asked with a confused expression, wondering if she was still testing the waters. Hayun’s voice was a bit loud, and it seemed like the surrounding students might have heard, making her face turn even redder.
“Come here for a moment.”
Since there was still some break time left, we entered an empty classroom typically used for traveling lecturers and I asked her.
“You know that I severed ties with him, right?”
“I do, I know.”
Hayun bit her lip firmly. It was a pitiful expression as if there was no one else she could ask for help, but I didn’t waver.
So, I honestly told her with the intention of cutting it off completely.
“You’ll get hurt if you confess to him now.”
Of course.
Arni Duratan, Elise, Sen, Adriana, Tana, May, and so on.
The reason so many female students didn’t confess to Ares wasn’t because they enjoyed being cautious.
They already knew.
They would lose if they fought now.
Because there was someone in Ares’ heart, and unless that girl was removed, there was no chance.
But a completely unexpected answer came back.
“I know.”
“…What?”
“I mean, I know.”
“Is this some kind of strategy to bother him and make him pay attention because you’re confessing?”
Of course, I hadn’t experienced it.
I read about it in books…
Anyway,
I thought it was that kind of strategy, but Hayun vehemently shook her head.
“No, no. I’m going to confess to Ares with all my might and get rejected with all my might. Without any room for doubt.”
“…..”
“To do that, I need your help. I want to…”
“I want to end this damn first love quickly.”
***
After that, I listened to Hayun’s explanation.
In reality, she didn’t actually like Ares, but she was doing it because her family ordered her to. Suddenly, I remembered what I had told her last time.
‘Hey, what’s so great about that guy? He’s good-looking, but honestly, do you really want to compete with all those other girls who are hanging around him?’
‘Well, if you really like him, I’ll support you, but still, think about it seriously. But as someone who has known him for a while, I can tell you that your chances are better than most.’
“Oh no.”
It seemed like what I had said to the girl during our dinner together had become some kind of catalyst for her.
“So, I’m going to confess with all my might and get rejected, and then I’ll tell my grandfather. That I failed.”
“…But why do you need to ask me for help? Can’t you just dress up nicely and confess with determination?”
In response, Hayun pulled at her collar and revealed a black tattoo-like mark on her shoulder.
“Through this symbol, my grandfather can use magic to determine the truth and lies in my words.”
“Huh?”
“If I say I got rejected, he will ask if I gave it my all. If a lie is detected, it’s all over. That’s why I want to confess with all my might, within the limits of what I can.”
“I see.”
I couldn’t help but think she was leading a very difficult life. I felt a bit sorry for her, and I scratched my head in thought.
“So, let’s do this. Teach me your sword skills, and I’ll tell you everything I know about Ares.”
It wouldn’t hurt to share some information about a friend who had been cut off anyway. But Hayun’s expression darkened.
“My swordsmanship is the only heirloom my mother left me. I can’t teach you everything.”
“That’s okay. Just teach me one or two basic techniques.”
I was only interested in the theory of swordsmanship, not trying to absorb everything for myself, so I responded casually. Hayun nodded in agreement.
“Okay, deal.”
“Great.”
We shook hands, and I jokingly suggested, “Should we pick a team name? ‘Heart-throbbing First Love Crush’? Something like that.”
But Hayun, who had taken it all very seriously, gave me a cold look.
“Even when we had dinner together last time, I felt it a few times. You sometimes say things that make you sound like an old man.”
That really hit home.
Inside, I may be 28 years old, but as a kid, I had to admit it wasn’t the case. I scratched the back of my head in embarrassment and followed Hayun out.
“But that magic that discerns truth from lies…”
It felt like a strange kind of magic.

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