Fated to Die in an Academy Novel – Chapter 134

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: JayM
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The Lord of All Worlds’ explanation was simple.

From my perspective, it felt like I jumped into a novel to save a friend, but to my friend, it seemed like our positions were suddenly swapped, and an accident occurred.

He tried his best to keep our deal a secret, but my suspicious friend caused a commotion, and because of that, he was discovered by another god, the Witch of the Time Flower.

Afterward, the Witch of the Time Flower offered my friend a similar deal and sent her to this world.

“You’re not going to suddenly say that we can’t both go back, are you?”

-Don’t worry about that. I swear on my position as the Lord of All Worlds that as long as you don’t cause any major incidents or do anything that violates the laws of this world, that won’t happen.-

“…Can I really trust you?”

In web novels, guys like him always betrayed you in the end.

-Yeah, I know it’s hard to trust me since the image of gods is at an all-time low these days, but I’m on bad terms with those kinds of guys, so you can trust me. You’re the only one who loses if you doubt me.-

Well, he was right. It was thanks to him that she was still alive, after all.

“Then is it also true that she… ah, the author, won’t be in any immediate danger?”

-Of course. She can interfere a little, but she can’t even enter this world yet, so what can she do?-

That was a relief.

Unlike me, my friend didn’t have a suitable vessel, so she had to design one herself and couldn’t interfere with the world right away.

Honestly, I came to this crazy world to save her, and I wasn’t exactly thrilled that she was trying to follow me into this mess.

And she was quiet at the moment, but until just now, she was so angry at me that my head was spinning.

-Who asked you to save me? Did you think I’d be okay if you just left? You’d better be prepared.-

-You possessed Kang So-hyun, of all people? So frail.-

-…If I knew this would happen, I would have made him ugly.-

And so on.

I thought my head was going to explode.

“…Anyway, about the Creator’s Authority.”

The gods said it was a kind of cheat, something that could even defy the laws of the world depending on how it was used.

They said something strange about the world’s desire, but her pronunciation was muffled, so I couldn’t hear it clearly.

In my pocket was a necklace she made for me with her Authority.

Creator’s Favor.

A special-grade artifact that automatically absorbed surrounding magical power and converted it into reserve life force.

It was exclusively for Kang So-hyun, an item she created with her favor and special treatment.

When I asked if it was okay to create such an item, since she hated twisting her story, she answered angrily.

-…Because you’re much more important than the novel, you idiot. Kang So-hyun isn’t a very strong character at first glance, but you have to survive.-

That was true.

In the end, it was just a novel.

It was only natural.

No matter how hard she worked on it, no matter how precious she considered the story, it was ultimately just a story she wrote. And I would have gladly destroyed this world to save her.

Yes, it was natural.

It was a natural thing to say.

Though a question was already blooming in the corner of my heart.

But it was too troublesome to confirm that question.

I didn’t need to worry about it for now.

I tried to ignore the question that surfaced within me.

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My daily life didn’t change much even after awakening my talent.

The only major incident was attending that guy’s birthday party, since Cheon Yoo-hak’s father and Kang Hyun-woo knew each other.

I was a bit surprised at first, but I decided to think positively.

Considering his character in the original story, he needed to become a bit stronger and more resilient for the future, and it was a good opportunity to plant a seed of change in him.

Anyway, there were no other major incidents, so I spent my time training to control my talent or researching magical power.

As time passed, I became an elementary school student, old enough to go to school.

It was still embarrassing to act like a child, but it wasn’t that difficult.

Perhaps because of my young body, people saw me as a mature child, and I gained the reputation of a child who was always cheerful by his sick mother’s side.

“So-hyun, what did you learn at school today?”

“I have to write a book report for homework, so I brought a book!”

“Aww, everyone says So-hyun looks like his dad, but his smile is just like mine!”

Come to think of it, I didn’t know, but my sister also said that my smile was starting to resemble my mother’s lately.

…Did I really smile like a mischievous kid? I didn’t think so.

“Anyway, So-hyun wants to read a book! What book is it? Yes! Even if Mommy is very sick, she can still read a book…!!!”

“No? I’ll read it to you, so just lie down.”

“…You’re seven, So-hyun. How about Mommy read it to you instead?”

“It’s the story of the tortoise and the hare. Sounds fun, right?”

“So-hyun, why are you ignoring Mommy…?”

The tortoise and the hare. I chuckled as I read the story she already knew.

Come to think of it, the story she made up a long time ago was also based on this.

A twisted story of a child who said that effort was meaningless and that birth and one’s given role were everything.

Her writing, regardless of the genre, usually contained such themes.

Even “The Holy Sword Hero of the Academy,” the original story of this world, was like that.

Cheon Yoo-hak, a genius but not as talented as Lilac, resorted to dark arts when he was faced with a wall he couldn’t overcome with effort alone, and even Lilac despaired several times before a greater talent until he awakened his true talent.

But that wasn’t entirely true.

As I lived, I realized that effort was very important.

Of course…

…only when you had the minimum talent to build up on.

“Hmm? Why did you suddenly laugh while reading, So-hyun?”

“It’s nothing. It’s just funny that a tortoise and a hare are racing. In reality, they wouldn’t.”

…Ah, did I say that wrong?

It wasn’t something a child couldn’t say, but it probably wasn’t a very childlike thing to say.

“That’s true.”

You’re agreeing with that in front of a child?

“Even if they say that the race itself has meaning, even if they try to give meaning to the effort, it’s a clear fact that everyone has a different starting line and a different field of expertise.”

She reached out and caressed my cheek.

“Our So-hyun is so smart. You’re already thinking like that.”

She then playfully squeezed my cheeks.

“But So-hyun, that’s not all.”

You just agreed with it yourself?

She slowly spoke, as if reasoning with a child.

“Humans are creatures that live for useless things!”

…That was a kind of nonsense I had never heard of before.

“It doesn’t take much to live as a living creature and prosper as a species. Entertainment, hobbies, and even the process of naturally liking, loving, and cherishing someone. These are things we should give up for the development of the human species.”

Well, I couldn’t say that she was right, but it wasn’t entirely wrong either.

“But humans still love and seek entertainment. They smoke even though they know it’s bad for them, and they drink until they’re drunk.”

It was a difficult topic to discuss with a child, but she was looking at me seriously as if she were talking to an equal, an adult.

“Everyone just has different fields they want to focus on. Value is something you decide for yourself, So-hyun. What’s precious, what’s a priority, it’s different for everyone.”

It’s different for everyone.

Those words strangely stuck in my mind.

“Because it will eventually break. Because it will eventually disappear. I understand wanting to keep your distance because you’re afraid of getting hurt, but isn’t it a waste to do so?”

My heart skipped a beat.

It felt like the person in front of me was a real person, not a character.

‘It will disappear anyway.’

‘It wasn’t mine to begin with.’

It was something I often said in my pre-transmigration life when I let go of something.

And in the end, they were words that led to so many regrets in that life.

“So-hyun, there are very few things in this world that truly have meaning. Ironically, that’s why it’s okay for people to give meaning to everything! Who cares if others laugh at you? As long as you don’t harm others, you can do whatever you want!”

What did she know?

Was this all just a coincidence?

“So, I think it’s okay for So-hyun to laugh at the tortoise and the hare! I think you can grow just by laughing your head off and thinking about why the tortoise was so obsessed with running, and what a useless thing it was obsessed with.”

I thought it was a mischievous smile, but looking at it now, it didn’t seem so.

I thought she was treating me like an adult, but maybe I was wrong.

Maybe she was telling me this serious story because she was truly treating me like a child.

“Was that too difficult?”

I shook my head.

I also had it.

Something that was close to a habit that others might laugh at.

A meaningless thing I kept doing even though I thought it was over.

The bank account I was saving money in for her.

“…Do you have one too, Mommy?”

“Huh?”

“Something useless you’re obsessed with.”

“No.”

…This person? She just said that people live for useless things.

“I’m a very rational person, so I’m obsessed with something that’s definitely meaningful!”

“What is it?”

“It’s~?”

She playfully pulled me into her arms.

…It was warm.

“Mmmph!?”

“So-hyun, Na-hyun, and Daddy! What more could I ask for when I have my family!”

Were you really that happy with us, even as your body was dying day by day, even as you forced yourself to be cheerful and smile for us?

How could you love me so much, me who stole your future the moment I was born?

-Ha-neul, what do you want to eat?

-I like everything Mommy makes.

What did she say after hearing that?

-You don’t have to be so reserved. I’m sorry, Ha-neul.

Ah, she said she was sorry.

Yes, I had forgotten, but I think she smiled wryly and said she was sorry.

I heard by chance while working part-time that my biological family had died.

A double suicide, they said.

…Why?

If you were going to abandon me, you should have at least lived well so I could resent you.

You should have lived well so I could think that you didn’t regret abandoning me.

Why did you have to die and make me feel this way?

I felt like crying.

“…So-hyun, are you crying? Was what Mommy said too difficult? It’s okay. You’ll understand someday.”

No, I understood.

That was why I was crying.

Even if you didn’t mean it, it felt like you were telling me it was okay to hold on to the things I let go of.

It felt like you were truly treating me, the thief who stole your son’s place, like your own son.

Perhaps because I was in a child’s body, my already weak emotional dam broke, and a few tears streamed down my face.

“…Don’t die.”

So, I blurted it out like a child’s whine.

“Huh~? Mommy’s not going to die. I’ll get better soon and go on walks with you until you get annoyed and tell me to stop following you!”

I knew it was a lie.

I knew it was something you said to comfort a child.

Even so, I selfishly thought that I really didn’t want you to die.

I knew you might despise and hate me when you found out I was a thief, but at least for now, I wanted you to live.

“Can I sleep with you today?”

“Of course~ Let’s sleep together, So-hyun! Should I call Daddy and Na-hyun too!?”

So, I would reach out to save you.

I looked at her sleeping form and cut off a piece of my innate qi from my immature body.

Tears welled up from the nausea and pain of my life force diminishing, but strangely, I didn’t regret it.

Was it okay for me to hold on to you too?

Saving her might be a useless act that wouldn’t help anything, but was it okay to try?

“Don’t die.”

…Yeah, this was nothing.

It was just an extension of my usual acting.

It wasn’t unnatural for a son to worry about his mother.

“Please, don’t die. Mom.”

Enhancement.

The light of the talent that elevated everything at the cost of life force enveloped her body and entered her heart.

Her pulse grew a little stronger.

It was because I enhanced her natural healing and regeneration abilities.

I wasn’t really calling her ‘Mom,’ so this much was fine.

I was just repaying her kindness, so it was fine.

It would be fine.

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T/N – I’m just waiting for shit to hit the fan soon. Though it seems like the MC is really vulnerable right now as a child. To be so easily attached and influenced like this despite being an adult previously…

Also, damn. So Ha-neul’s parents committed suicide after his mother abandoned him? Jeez, that’s dark. Though the mom probably knew they were heading that way, so she abandoned the MC for him to live as a last act of love.

If you find any mistakes, feel free to point them out in the comments.