I Became the Academy’s Heroine Stalker – Chapter 49

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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*-Crash!*

*-Crack!*

*-Crunch!*

A building on 13th Street.

A man stood on the rooftop of the 90-story skyscraper.

From that dizzying height, where the people below were barely visible, the man observed the scene.

Even though the cars appeared as mere dots, his vision was sharp enough to see even the smallest movements, like ants scurrying about.

Thanks to his inherent trait, [Detection].

At max level, Detection allowed him to magnify even small objects up to 10km away, so the height of the 90-story building posed no limitations.

‘Success.’

The man nodded as he surveyed the street.

He was here to confirm the results of a test.

The purpose of the test was to see if the [Portal] functioned correctly even with low mana density of [mid and low-rank villains].

The trial run had been completed, but due to the interference of magnetic fields in the city, it was uncertain if it would work in an urban area. So, he conducted the test today.

And the results were successful.

The portal worked perfectly in the city center, and the prearranged mid and low-rank villains had crossed over through it.

Since the portal transfer test for high-rank and above villains had already been completed, this meant that villains of all ranks could now be summoned to the city center beyond the barrier through the portal.

The portal test was something God R’hell, the leader of Illusion, had invested a lot of effort in, so it had to succeed.

Only then could he earn his trust and perhaps meet him face-to-face to uncover his identity.

Fortunately, the test was a success, and the man was about to close the portal and return.

But he couldn’t.

The mid-rank villain who had come through the portal suddenly went berserk.

The sole purpose of this test was the portal.

No acts of terror or attacks had been ordered, so the villain should have returned through the open portal.

However, the villain not only went berserk but was also completely consumed by the monster’s power, and soon the street descended into chaos.

He was about to intervene directly.

As a Holder working undercover, he had to prevent the unplanned civilian massacre.

But….

‘…?’

His magnified vision caught sight of Han Tae-jin.

And soon, the battle with the villain began.

However, it was a one-sided fight.

Calling it a battle felt embarrassing.

Just a struggle to buy time. But even that struggle didn’t last long.

He looked around and scanned the distance.

He was trying to estimate the Holders’ arrival time.

‘They’ll be too late.’

He could see Kim Hye-seo in the distance, but the distance between Tae-jin and the villain was far too close.

If he left them alone, Tae-jin would likely die.

He was about to step in, but once again, his attempt was thwarted.

‘That woman.’

It was the woman he had encountered when he went to see Tae-jin before.

A woman who wielded a similar type of mana as him.

Though her rank was lower than his, there was something reliable about her presence.

The man let out a soft sigh.

It was a sigh of relief.

‘Thank goodness. By the way…’

How did that good-for-nothing kid end up with such a beautiful and dependable woman by his side?

The pathetic kid who used to chase after female students all the time had suddenly started growing stronger, and then she appeared.

He had investigated her just in case.

He wondered if someone from Illusion, who had realized he was a spy for the Monster Management Bureau, had attached a pawn to Taejin to set some scheme in motion.

But she was clean.

Or rather, no information came up at all.

This made him even more suspicious, but he decided not to worry about it too much.

That day, when he saw her at the Hunter Hospital, he could sense from her expressions and gestures that she genuinely cared for Han Tae-jin.

It was what he had wished for.

He had been burdened with guilt for not being able to care for his own son due to his identity as a spy infiltrated in Illusion.

That’s why he had been secretly supporting Tae-jin.

Whether it was providing him a home or money.

Yet, no matter what he did, that guilt never went away, and he had been desperately hoping for someone who could care for Tae-jin warmly in his place.
And then, out of the blue, she appeared.
A woman with both exceptional skill and beauty.
He hadn’t even learned her name yet, and their first encounter was more of a battle instead of a proper greeting.

He was incredibly curious about how she came to be by Tae-jin’s side, but…

He knew he couldn’t reveal his identity recklessly, so he could only watch from afar like this.

No one knew about Tae-jin’s existence.

It was a secret he had kept even from Kim Hye-seo, with whom he was carrying out a joint operation.

And it was a fact unknown even to Han Baek-ho, his old friend with whom he had once faced life and death situations.

During his time as an undercover investigator, he had meticulously fabricated all records to protect Tae-jin, so no one in the world knew of his son.

And so, all he could do was watch from afar with longing like this.

‘It’s over.’

He saw the woman beating the villain to a pulp.

He averted his gaze.

If he had intervened, it would have aroused unnecessary suspicion.

But thanks to her, he had avoided a difficult situation.

A moment later, black smoke began to rise around his body like a mirage.

‘See you again, Tae-jin.’

With a silent farewell to his son, he vanished like a mirage.

It was time to return, not as Han Chang-ho, Han Tae-jin’s father, but as De Roque, a high-ranking executive of Illusion.

-*Swoosh.*

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At Tae-jin’s House.

“Ugh… My sea dragon fin…”

Renia let out a deep sigh from the kitchen.

The timer had been buzzing loudly, indicating that 40 minutes had already passed.

*Click!*

Renia irritably pressed the STOP button on the timer.

She tried to pick up the fin with tongs, but it just…fell apart.

Cooking sea dragon fin was all about timing.

If it was overcooked even by a few minutes, its texture would be ruined, rendering it worthless as an ingredient.

That’s why she even had prepared a timer, but it still ended in failure.

“Sigh….”

“Renia, what’s wrong?”

Tae-jin, freshly showered, entered the kitchen and asked.

Renia showed him the sea dragon fin, which had become so mushy that it was falling apart, with the tongs.

“…It’s ruined. It was supposed to be dinner…”

“It’s okay. I’m tired today, so should we order something? How about your favorite burgers?”

“But… I wanted to make you a proper meal.”

Renia sounded disappointed.

But her heart-shaped tail tip was wagging lightly.

Did she really like burgers that much?

Tae-jin chuckled and pushed Renia towards the dining table.

“Let’s just have something simple today.”

And so, their impromptu dinner(?) commenced.

Delivered McDonald’s burgers were spread out on the dining table.

It was a rather humble meal for a day that marked his first successful villain subjugation and the rescue of countless lives, but…

It was a perfect feast for the two of them.

“By the way, it’s amazing that they still deliver even though the store was damaged. What a dedicated work ethic.”

Was this what they called dedication to service?

Tae-jin praised their professionalism and took his seat, and soon the two of them began their meal while chatting casually.

Renia took a bite and smiled, then nodded her head.

“Mmm~ As expected, the Bacon Tomato Deluxe is the best~? It’s delicious no matter how many times I eat it.”

Renia looked happy, as if she had forgotten all about her earlier disappointment.

Seeing her like this, Tae-jin smiled too.

He always smiled whenever he was with Renia.

Though he wasn’t aware of it himself.

“Don’t you ever get tired of it?”

“Of course not! I tried making it in Drogfia, but it just doesn’t taste the same.”

“Really? I should pack a lot for you when you go…”

Tae-jin’s words trailed off abruptly.

The idea of “going back” hit him unexpectedly, causing his throat to tighten.

The thought of her leaving felt… strange.

Had he, without even realizing it, been rejecting the notion of her return?

Tae-jin quickly changed the subject.

Though even that new topic was also about [returning].

“Ah, do you absolutely have to go back when the contract ends?”

Renia nodded.

The contract, formed through a covenant, was an absolute, irreversible system.

“I see….”

Tae-jin murmured, sounding disappointed.

A heavy silence suddenly fell between them.

It was Renia who broke it.

“Oh, by the way, Master, why were you there?”

“Where?”

“Where you were with the villain.”

“Ah, there? I went to buy burgers for you.”

“What…?”

*Flush!*

Renia’s face flushed red at Tae-jin’s casual remark.

“I-is that so?”

“Yeah. But then the villain just happened to show up.”

“But why was Miss Mi-jin with you…?”

Renia asked cautiously.

For some reason, she was bothered by that.

The image of her master supporting Baek Mi-jin, their bodies touching, was still vivid in her mind.

“Mi-jin? I ran into her by chance. Her younger sister likes the same burger as you, Renia.”

“Oh, is that so?”

Renia wasn’t interested in Mi-jin’s sister.

She was just curious why he was alone with Mi-jin.

She was relieved(?) that it wasn’t something like a date, but then,

“Renia.”

“Yes?”

“If you’re okay with it, you can drop the formal speech when it’s just the two of us.”

“…What?”

Her master suddenly made an unexpected suggestion.

A suggestion she had never heard before.

“Y-you want me to speak informally?”

“Well, you’re much older than me, and there’s no need to call me ‘Master’ just because of the contract, right?”

“But… I’ve never done that before…”

Renia awkwardly scratched her cheek.

But Tae-jin was adamant.

He didn’t want Renia to see him as just her “master” anymore.

He also didn’t want Renia to lower herself.

And who was he to be called by such a title?

Honestly, he should be the one calling her Master.

Therefore,

“Please, please.”

Tae-jin almost whined(?).

But Renia was flustered by the unfamiliar suggestion.

“Uh… b-but how could I dare…”

“It’s okay. I want you to.”

“Speak informally…?”

“It’s not that I want to hear informal speech, but… how should I put it? I want you to be comfortable. Wouldn’t that make us closer?”

“Closer…?”

To Renia, the word ‘closer’ sounded like ‘stickier,’ but Tae-jin didn’t know that.

Renia hesitated for a moment.

She would do anything to become closer to her master, Han Tae-jin.

And if that’s what he wanted, she wanted to comply.

It was also a summon’s duty to do what their master wished.

Besides,

‘If we get closer, we might get stickier, and… well, if we get stickier… Kyah.’

Renia’s face turned as red as a tomato.

Her mind had wandered into indecent territory.

Quickly dismissing the thought, Renia bravely raised her head.

“O-okay.”

“Good. Then try calling me something.”

“Calling you…?”

“We need to get rid of the ‘Master’ title anyway.”

“Ah.”

Renia nodded.

Then she stared at Tae-jin.

How should she call him?

After a moment of thought, a certain form of address came to mind.

“Hey.”

“…”

It was a form of address so casual it almost felt dismissive.

Seeing Tae-jin’s dumbfounded expression, Renia realized she had made a mistake and hurriedly tried to fix it.

“…Uh…”

It was an undeniably awkward attempt at recovery.

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