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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Vine
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“What… what do you mean?”
“…”
The air in the room was frigid.
It was an atmosphere familiar to anyone who had visited the chairman of Shinwa Group, but one that Himari had never experienced.
“Grandpa.”
“Kang Haneul killed Justitia?”
The chairman’s sharp voice pierced through Himari, who was sweating profusely, unable to adjust to the atmosphere.
“…Yes. According to the data.”
“Impossible.”
Himari flinched slightly at the resolute voice, then shook her head and began to speak.
“No, it’s certain. Cross-verification has already been completed. The results of our group’s internal investigation also…”
“Himari.”
The chairman quietly raised his hand, stopping her.
“Didn’t I say it was impossible?”
“…”
“Are you saying I’m wrong?”
Himari bit her lip, then closed her eyes tightly and answered.
“Yes.”
Silence.
“I’m disappointed.”
The chairman’s words, like daggers, pierced Himari, who could barely stand in the suffocating atmosphere.
“Leave.”
“Grandpa, but…!”
“Didn’t I tell you to leave?”
Himari, about to retort, quietly gritted her teeth at the chairman’s unyielding attitude.
“You’ve already crossed the line.”
“…”
“It’s too late to turn back.”
The chairman muttered, now looking at her with pity.
“Tell the secretary to come in when you leave.”
“…Alright.”
As Himari left the room with her head bowed, the chairman sighed with his eyes closed. How did things come to this? He had thought everything was under control before he went into hibernation. But while he was asleep, everything went awry.
‘Is it… him again?’
He was in a situation where he couldn’t see even an inch ahead, but he had a hunch.
Lumia Obse. The Child of Prophecy. The boy he initially tried to recruit, but decided to observe for the time being due to an unknown sense of unease.
He was involved in all these incidents.
“How unfortunate.”
It wasn’t just a simple guess. Sometimes, things became clearer from a distance. And the chairman had a basis for his judgment.
“That boy can’t kill anyone.”
It was because of the content of the contract he made with Kang Haneul in the past.
“This is frustrating.”
The concept residing within the chairman was the ‘Concept of Contract.’ The power to make absolute contracts with mutual consent. He wanted to reveal the contract he made with Kang Haneul and bring his second granddaughter to her senses, but he couldn’t. One of the penalties of his ability was that he couldn’t divulge the contents of a contract to anyone. It was a trivial penalty compared to his immense power, but this trivial penalty was now snowballing into a huge problem.
“Chairman, you called for me.”
A secretary with a stern expression appeared before the chairman, who was sighing quietly.
“Lumia. Investigate that child.”
“Understood.”
“And, hmm…”
After quietly giving her the order, he pondered for a moment, then asked,
“…What is my first grandson doing?”
“The young master has been out of contact for two days.”
Hearing that, the chairman frowned and asked again.
“That good-for-nothing. I just saw my second granddaughter, so that’s fine. What about the third?”
“The young lady was busy preparing for her entrance exams until recently, but she suddenly declared she would apply to the Hero Academy and left home…”
“Ha…”
His already throbbing head throbbed even more. Why were there problems with all his grandchildren, the future of the group?
His first grandson was a complete wastrel, just like his parents. His second granddaughter, who had top-tier abilities, had the fatal flaw of lacking emotions. And his third granddaughter had a good personality, but her abilities were lacking. On top of that, she suddenly ran away from home and applied to the Hero Department.
“I shouldn’t have let Kang Haneul go.”
The chairman, muttering with his head bowed, spoke to the secretary with a dark expression.
“From now on, I intend to treat Himari simply as my beloved granddaughter.”
At first glance, it seemed like his usual words, but the secretary understood the hidden meaning.
He would treat her as a blood relative, not a successor candidate.
It was practically a death sentence within the group.
“…Are you serious?”
“Wasn’t it a golden opportunity to make him a member of our group?”
As the secretary quietly asked, the chairman replied in a cold voice.
“Since he kicked away his opportunity himself, I’m simply taking it back.”
Then, the secretary asked with a puzzled expression.
“Was Kang Haneul that important?”
“…”
“Of course, I know he’s the ability user who dramatically improved the second young lady’s condition. But even so, to the extent of influencing the group’s major decisions…”
The chairman looked at the secretary, who trailed off and glanced at him cautiously, and spoke in a low voice.
“You don’t know him.”
“Huh?”
“You don’t know what he was called during his academy days, what kind of relationship he had with Justitia, or why I supported him.”
Then, he stared intently at the secretary.
“And you don’t know what he gave up for Himari, or what price he paid me to accept her feelings.”
As the chairman’s voice became agitated, the secretary flinched involuntarily.
The living legend, Minamoto Hiroto.
Even though he was on his deathbed, his aura was still enough to overpower people.
“And you don’t know his true ability.”
After briefly emanating a fierce aura, the chairman cleared his throat and continued.
“And that’s something even Kang Haneul himself doesn’t know.”
“…?”
“The one who secures his ability will gain the upper hand in the future.”
His eyes gleamed sharply.
“Start working with my third granddaughter from today.”
“…Why?”
“Didn’t she say she wants to be a hero?”
“…”
“I’ll need your help.”
As the hesitant secretary nodded, the chairman closed his eyes and added,
“And if you have time, try to find Kang Haneul.”
“That’s…”
The secretary was about to say that would be difficult, but seeing the chairman blinking with one eye open, she sighed and nodded.
“…I’ll do my best.”
“Yes, you should.”
After bowing to the chairman, who had closed his eyes, the secretary left the room.
“…Then there was no point in accepting him as my son-in-law.”
Alone in the room, the chairman muttered in a dejected voice.
“Himari, why did you make such a choice?”
He recalled the young boy who knelt in this very spot a few years ago, proposing a completely unequal deal with no benefit to himself. “Why did you push away the man who would give everything for you?” The image of the boy, answering without hesitation and signing the contract after being asked if his granddaughter was worth it, came to mind.
– It’s not a matter of worth.
That answer was one of the most impressive he had ever heard.
– How can I put a price on the emotions a child who had none is starting to express?
As he drifted back into a deep sleep, the chairman thought quietly.
‘A foolishly kind boy.’
But that’s what made him shine.
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A few days after the successful deal with my sister over a bowl of kimchi jjigae.
“This place brings back memories every time I come here.”
I returned to the academy as Oh Ji-seok.
I was able to avoid attending for a while under the pretext of treating the injuries I sustained during the academy incident, but I had to show my face soon or risk being fired.
“To think I’d come back as a professor.”
It was only a few years ago that I was a student here.
It was a strange feeling to be here as a professor, even if it was ‘temporary.’
– *Growl…*
‘Why am I so hungry?’
As I walked around, taking in the familiar sights, a sudden, intense hunger struck me.
I was eating three square meals a day, but I’d been feeling hungry lately.
Was this also an effect of Villainization?
‘Should I ask Dice later?’
Scratching my head at the unexplained phenomenon, I headed to the cafeteria, and soon realized the reason.
“…Looks delicious.”
Justitia’s younger sister, Ariel, was standing in front of the cafeteria, drooling.
“Ugh…”
The International Hero Academy’s cafeteria was famous for its cheap and delicious food. I always made sure to eat there when I was a student. However, Ariel was just loitering in front of the cafeteria with a gloomy expression.
– *Rustle…*
As I was looking at her with a puzzled expression, Ariel suddenly took out her wallet from her pocket.
“…Ha…”
After rummaging through her wallet for a moment, she sighed deeply, slumped her shoulders, and trudged towards the cafeteria.
“Um… can I get one cup ramen, please?”
She picked a cup ramen with a dejected look.
“That’ll be 1050 won.”
“Ah, 1050 won… 50 won… so…”
However, she encountered an unexpected problem and frantically searched her wallet, then quietly gritted her teeth.
“…One triangle gimbap, please.”
She handed over a crumpled 1000 won bill, bought a small triangle gimbap, and left the cafeteria.
– *Growl…*
As I watched her walking with her head bowed, passing by the students chatting and laughing with their trays, my stomach growled loudly, as if in pain.
“This is infuriating.”
That sight pushed my buttons.
How dare she eat such a meager meal in front of me.
Especially when I was sharing her pain through the ‘Physical Link’ skill, and my stomach was aching this much.
“Two meal tickets, please.”
As Justitia’s partner, I couldn’t just stand by and watch, even if it meant dirt in my eyes.
“Excuse me.”
“Ah, Professor?”
With that thought, I quickly bought two meal tickets, approached her with fiery eyes, and
“I accidentally bought two meal tickets, so if you haven’t eaten yet, would you join me?”
…asked with the friendliest smile I could muster.
“Ah, i-it’s okay. I…”
Then, she started waving her hands, her eyes darting around.
– *Rumble…!*
But at that moment, a thunderous rumble echoed from Ariel’s stomach.
“Huh? What was that?”
“W-well…”
Pretending not to have heard, I asked again, and Ariel, her face and ears flushed red, answered in a barely audible voice.
“…Th-thank you.”
Her appearance was so cute and endearing that I unconsciously smiled like a proud father and handed the meal tickets to the staff, then walked towards the dining area.
“Here, two please.”
“Ugh…”
…with my hand on Ariel’s shoulder, preventing her from escaping.
‘I can’t overlook her eating so little.’
I finally felt a sense of relief.
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