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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
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‘It seems Bianca-nim has started as well.’
Valerie sensed Bianca’s presence approaching from the spectator stands.
It also meant it was about time she finished her assigned task, so with a slightly impatient heart, she looked at Charlotte, who was running alongside her.
‘Annoying…’
At first, Charlotte had been flustered, not even knowing what was happening to her, but now it was a little different.
Had she become accustomed to the power she was wielding?
Charlotte was becoming more serious as she ran, the more the race went on.
“If you give up now, I’ll spare your life. I clearly mentioned your life. Even you wouldn’t want to die so meaninglessly, would you?”
She tried to subtly intimidate her, but Charlotte was now running ahead without even glancing at Valerie.
“What’s your reason for participating in the Mana Sprint?”
Then, suddenly, Charlotte asked her.
Valerie was surprised in two ways.
First, that Charlotte could now talk while running.
And second, that Charlotte wasn’t at all intimidated by Valerie’s words.
“Hmm, let’s see? Just to get rid of some trashy humans?”
“My goal is to win.”
“……?”
Valerie’s eyes widened as she looked at Charlotte. At Charlotte, who wasn’t at all intimidated.
“You’re a demon, so you’re naturally strong. You might be stronger than anyone here.”
Whoosh—
They were running at a very fast speed, so the sound of the wind kept hitting their ears.
But even amidst that, Charlotte’s voice was strangely calm as it pierced Valerie’s ears.
“I guess I’m greedy. But I can’t help it. I don’t want you to hurt the others, and I don’t want you winning either. So, I’m going to stop you from doing everything.”
Having said that, Charlotte bit her lip tightly.
She was fully aware that she was weaker.
But… she had trained hard until now.
The determination to be recognized by Adrian again was within the girl.
Valerie let out a hollow laugh as if she was dumbfounded.
“What is she even saying…”
Valerie tried to understand Charlotte’s words, but in the end, she couldn’t understand a single thing.
Goals were something that only those with power could achieve.
An unyielding heart would be easily broken by the unyielding heart of someone stronger.
“Yeah… well, you’re probably just trying to think positively because you’re so scared.”
Valerie gave a disgustingly wicked smile.
“…You’re disgusting, so please stop that.”
These kinds of humans were the type that Valerie hated the most.
The type that seemed like they would accomplish something later if they were left alive.
In other words, the type that she had to kill right now to prevent any problems later.
“Disgusting?”
As Charlotte muttered that, five flame formulas began to surround Charlotte, as if in response.
“…What?”
Even Valerie couldn’t help but be a little puzzled.
It was so different from the attitude Charlotte had shown until now.
The current Charlotte clearly had the ‘mindset to fight.’
“The truly disgusting ones are you demons.”
An explosion occurred, covered in violet flames, but only the hem of Valerie’s clothes was slightly burned.
Valerie’s counterattack followed.
Valerie swung the wind element around like a bludgeon, hitting Charlotte repeatedly.
The anger… the rising anger, was poured directly onto Charlotte’s body.
“Ugh!”
Thump, Charlotte’s body rolled helplessly on the ground.
“Say it again.”
“…I said it.”
Charlotte’s eyes, though she had rolled on the ground several times, were becoming clearer.
She stood up again and muttered.
“The disgusting ones are you demons.”
And she started running, one step at a time.
Her whole body was bruised, but it felt as if she was regaining her health.
“It doesn’t matter. I will definitely win. And if you try to hurt anyone else, I’ll stick to you until the end…”
“You?”
“Yeah. Me. You.”
“Why are you going so far?”
“…Because everyone’s watching.”
Charlotte gasped for breath.
And then continued.
“Because the entire failing class is watching me. I don’t know all of the professor’s feelings, but he still chose me as the representative.”
Hwaak— The violet flames, even more intense than before, wrapped around Charlotte’s feet.
“So… I’ll stay as the representative of the failing class until the end. Until this race is over.”
Valerie was so dumbfounded that she looked around.
All the humans in the spectator stands were under Bianca-nim’s illusion.
In other words, they were humans who didn’t even know that this race was progressing like this.
But this girl was now— even while receiving those illusory gazes, she was trying to fulfill her role.
What should she even say about this feeling?
Her anger began to rise like crazy.
It felt like she wouldn’t be able to break this human’s will by just breaking a few bones.
“Hey, Charlotte.”
Anger spread across Valerie’s pale face.
It felt so presumptuous for a human to show such a sight.
What was a human? A weak being.
A being that should beg for their life.
A being that should say that they should be spared while others could be killed.
That was what they should be.
Now, she couldn’t even put on a fake smile.
With a face filled with madness, Valerie lunged at Charlotte.
And the first thing she did was break her arm.
“Kkeueuk!”
With a cracking sound, Charlotte trembled.
The next moment, Valerie was about to move her hand to break her leg as well.
‘The barrier is broken?’
With a whoosh, the barrier was lifted.
Valerie had no choice but to leave Charlotte on the ground and start running.
She was going to pretend she didn’t know anything.
‘It’s better this way.’
She wanted to break Charlotte’s will.
And if Valerie won this race, it would be the greatest despair for Charlotte.
Valerie kicked off the ground.
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A commotion filled the air.
The scene of the race had suddenly changed to something unbelievably cruel, causing great confusion.
While everyone was trying to figure out what was going on, something appeared in front of Charlotte, who had fallen.
It was a black shoe.
A very familiar shoe.
“Adrian… Professor…?”
Charlotte couldn’t lift her head.
Seeing the professor intrude on the race, she immediately thought that she would be disqualified.
“Charlotte.”
But Adrian knelt down.
He called the girl’s name softly.
“You foolish thing.”
That was the one word he managed to squeeze out.
It wasn’t easy to know what to say to Charlotte, who hadn’t given up on the race until the end while facing Valerie.
“…You still did well.”
Even if she had given up halfway, no one would have blamed Charlotte.
But she hadn’t given up until the end.
Even with her whole body bruised and one arm broken, Charlotte hadn’t given up.
“You must hate me a lot.”
Charlotte opened her mouth quietly.
“And… you must think I’m pathetic, unreliable, and that I’ve disappointed you again.”
“Charlotte.”
He simply called the girl’s name once more.
Their eyes met in the air.
And— he was looking at Charlotte with the same expressionless face as always.
“Is it important to look good for me?”
“……”
“Or was the ranking important? Is it important how others see you?”
“…I don’t know.”
She said that because she truly didn’t know.
There were times when she thought that looking good for Adrian was the most important thing, and there were times when she thought that how she appeared to others was the most important thing.
However.
“Look over there.”
Following Adrian’s gaze, she saw the seats where the failing class students were.
…Strangely, everyone was cheering for Charlotte.
Why?
She hadn’t proven anything.
Nothing…
The girl’s one eye trembled.
Adrian placed something in the girl’s hand.
“This is…?”
It was a glove.
The veil glove that Adrian always wore when he used magic.
That white glove was in Charlotte’s hand.
And the meaning of this was clear—
“Why, why are you doing this…?”
“The reason I’m giving you the glove, the reason the failing class kids are cheering, it’s not related to good grades. It’s not related to how you appear to others either.”
Charlotte was confused.
She couldn’t understand the situation at all.
“…It’s just because you didn’t give up until the end. You have your own battle, don’t you?”
Charlotte’s own battle.
Yes, the girl definitely had that.
Thump.
Her heart, which had seemed to have stopped, began to beat again.
And very quickly.
It felt like strength was returning to her body, which had been devoid of it.
However, there was something she wanted to ask.
Charlotte barely managed to part her lips.
“Professor.”
“Yes.”
“There’s something… something I really wanted to ask.”
“What is it?”
Charlotte squeezed the glove in her hand.
The question she had wanted to ask was.
“What am I… what am I to you?”
“I don’t know if you’ll believe it.”
It was as if the world had stopped for a moment.
All sounds were erased from the world except for Adrian’s and Charlotte’s own voices.
It felt like if she lost focus even a little, she wouldn’t be able to hear Adrian’s voice.
Charlotte desperately followed Adrian’s lip movements.
And those lip movements clearly said.
“You are… the protagonist. My protagonist.”
Hwaaareuk, the girl’s body began to burn more intensely than ever.
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[imagine telling someone that theyre the main character lmao]
