I Became the Academy’s Heroine Stalker – Chapter 65

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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“I know it’s hard to believe. But just believe it, don’t even think about doubting it.”

“…You’re something else.”

“I told you it’s not a lie or a joke. You don’t believe me?”

I felt like giving him a round of applause.

It was fortunate it was me he was talking to.

If anyone else had heard this, they would have immediately retorted with, “What the hell are you talking about, nerd?”

But knowing the whole story, having heard from Su-ah about the world’s ending and the 51 failed regressions, I couldn’t respond with mockery or scorn.

What he said was the absolute truth, at least until I possessed Han Tae-jin.

However,

I couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for him.

For him, struggling to save the world, unaware that he was no longer the chosen one.

I wanted to tell him, “I’ve taken over that mission, so you can rest easy and get some sleep,” but I figured silence was better than creating more variables.

Even though I felt a ridiculous sense of guilt for ruining him.

But regardless of that, what was annoying was still annoying.

Even if he had phrased it nicely, I had no reason to listen in this overturned situation.

His arrogant tone, as if he was talking down to me, only fueled my rebellious spirit.

Seriously, he needed language lessons before ethics lessons.

I understood he was desperate, but expecting understanding through demands and threats wasn’t how civilized people communicated.

‘Or did the deviation from the original story cause him to regress mentally?’

Anyway…

“…Would you believe it if you were me?”

I replied with a dubious expression.

“I understand. It’s a lot to take in. But it’s all true, and the fact that you’re putting me in a difficult situation is also true.”

‘…Who was it that couldn’t adapt to the changes and threw a tantrum in the first place? If you hadn’t threatened me when we first met, things wouldn’t have escalated to this point.’

I wanted to spew out my pent-up frustrations, but I took a deep breath and maintained my composure.

It would only be a waste of breath.

By the way, was the original author some kind of linguistic magician?

How could he portray such a guy as a charming, cold-blooded character?

Experiencing this in real life, he was nothing but a crazy bastard.

Should I just reveal everything?

[Hey, you too?] [1]

[Hey, me too!]

And then we, fellow transmigrators, could hug and laugh, embarking on a wonderful adventure together?

Bullshit.

If I revealed the truth, that bastard Choi Do-han would only complain about why I didn’t tell him sooner and put him through all this trouble.

To me, the chosen agent, Choi Do-han was now no different from a villain.

If I could get a [Perk] for defeating him, I would have done it already.

But as a 3D transmigrator, I should be magnanimous and offer understanding towards the 2D one.

However…

“I don’t know about the other stuff, but I don’t understand why I should stay away from Su-ah, Mi-jin, or Han-na.”

“What?”

“I didn’t approach them. And why would I do that anyway?”

“So, even if you have to be cruel…”

“Fuck off.”

“What?”

Today was an important day.

Extremely important.

I wanted to maintain my composure and focus on the decisive battle with De Roque, but facing this guy was like creating a tsunami in a calm sea.

Even Buddha would probably yell, “The mercy of the Bodhisattva is a killing mercy!” and smash his skull with a wooden fish, and a priest would shout, “Lord, I offer you this son of a bitch!” and deliver a final blow with a cross.

With that sentiment in mind, I shouted,

‘Fuck off.’

Choi Do-han’s expression hardened.

“So you’re saying you’re rejecting my sincerity?”

Haah… I was sick and tired of arguing with him.

I sighed and frowned in exasperation.

“I’m sorry for cursing, but if you’re going to keep talking nonsense, I’m leaving.”

I turned to walk away, but…

“Wait.”

“What now?”

“Then let me ask you one last favor.”

“What is it?”

‘One last favor?’ What nonsense would he spout this time?

I waited, almost anticipating(?) his words. He looked around again and quietly said,

“Today is a very important day for me, so I’d appreciate it if you stayed out of my way. I’m asking you not to interfere, even if I’m in danger. Do you understand?”

…So he was asking me not to interfere when he fought De Roque?

But what was the basis for his confidence that he could handle it alone?

Did he really resort to dark magic?

“What are you talking about?”

“There’s a reason. You’ll understand why I’m saying this after tonight. And you’ll regret it. Regret not believing the truth.”

‘Crazy bastard.’

Who would believe him if he suddenly declared, “I’m the protagonist of a novel destined to save this world”?

It was only because it was ‘me’ that I was letting this slide.

No,

Forget it.

“Yeah, whatever.”

I waved him off dismissively, like shooing away a pesky salesman.

At first, I felt sorry for him.

I even felt a slight pang of guilt, thinking that I was responsible for his current state.

But with every passing second I spent with him, the guilt faded, replaced by a sense of responsibility.

A responsibility to prevent him from stealing the hidden information and ruining Ercia’s 52nd regression.

And this encounter confirmed one thing.

He believed he could defeat De Roque.

It meant that something had changed while he was in his withdrawn, depressed state.

His confidence didn’t seem like mere bravado. He seemed to consider me a rival for the hidden information, so there was definitely something going on.

And I,,,

I decided to bet on the dark magic theory.

It was a somewhat productive meeting.

If I could deduce his intentions, I could respond more effectively.

As I turned to leave, Choi Do-han’s warning echoed behind me.

“Please keep that in mind. You might regret it.”

‘Yeah, whatever.’

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“Wow~! This is amazing!”

“Whoa! How did they make this?”

“Ooh! Master! Look at this!”

…Renia was ecstatic as soon as the afternoon festivities began, completely oblivious to my inner turmoil.

It was 5 PM.

Only three hours remained until the Illusion terror incident.

Su-ah was trailing behind me.

Her expression was as stiff as mine.

‘It must be because of the terror incident.’

She hadn’t directly mentioned the future, but she had hinted at a ‘bad feeling.’

As she had said before, knowing the future was always a source of misery, so she only gave me a hint.

‘But if it’s such a big incident, shouldn’t she tell me with only three hours left? So I can prepare?’

That’s what I thought, but the 52-time regressor probably had some rules that a first-time newbie like me couldn’t comprehend.

‘Well… if you think about it, I’m just a newbie who’s only playing for two months.’

But at least I knew the story up to the mid-to-late part of the original.

Anyway, as I was walking around the training grounds, now transformed into a festival venue, with the excited Renia, I spotted Han-na and Mi-jin from across the field.

“Ah, Tae-jin! Reina unnie!”

Mi-jin, spotting us, waved and approached.

She was in charge of [Face Painting] at the festival, and she had several designs painted on her cheeks and hands.

Han-na, who was also in charge of face painting, had a small design on her cheek.

A heart.

“Han-na got her face painted too?”

“Ah, well. Mi-jin insisted.”

“I did a good job, right?! It suits Han-na’s red hair, doesn’t it?”

Mi-jin asked excitedly.

I thought they were a little awkward around each other, but they seemed to have gotten closer while preparing for the festival.

“Should I paint Su-ah’s face too? A cross would look really pretty on her…!”

“Thank you for the offer, but I’m fine.”

Mi-jin asked enthusiastically, but Su-ah flatly refused.

It seemed she was also under a lot of pressure, with the impending incident weighing on her mind.

Mi-jin’s gaze, slightly dejected, shifted to Reina.

“Ah! Then should I paint Reina unnie’s face?!”

…Mi-jin’s eyes sparkled again.

It was a look that made you feel guilty if you refused after Su-ah had already declined.

I hoped Reina would handle it well.

“Kyaa~! Really? You’ll do mine too?! I want a star!”

‘…Uh, hmm.’

Renia was really excited, huh?

Well, there were still three hours left, so there was no need to be serious.

Renia looked at me, and I smiled and nodded, as if saying, “Go ahead.”

But,

“Okay! Then Master should come too! You look so grumpy today, you need some face paint to cheer you up!”

“Right! Good idea! I’ll do unnie’s, and Han-na can do Tae-jin’s!”

…?

‘Wait, why me?’

‘I never said I wanted face paint.’

‘I didn’t want to fight De Roque with a cutesy design on my face.’

‘It wouldn’t befit the dignity of the chosen agent.’

“Ugh?!”

But my protests died in my throat as Renia dragged me towards the face painting booth.

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*Swish, swish, swish*

Various face painting tools were laid out inside the small tent.

I was abruptly seated, and Han-na was currently painting my cheek.

And then,

“Next! Su-ah!”

“…I never said I wanted…”

“Then why did you come! You must have wanted it if you followed us. Sit down~!”

“N-no, sister…!”

“Come on! Let loose and have some fun today!”

“B-but…!”

“Come on, Su-ah! I got mine done~! It’ll be prettier if we do it together-!”

“Th-this is unbecoming of a devout believer…!”

Su-ah, who had followed me, was dragged to a chair by Renia and Mi-jin and forced to sit down.

A 52-time regressor getting her face painted.

Suddenly, she seemed more pitiful than me, so I closed my eyes, smiled, and nodded at her.

A transmigrator’s smile, conveying, ‘Accept your fate.’

Thanks to Renia, who declared she also wanted face paint because it looked fun, Su-ah ended up with designs on both cheeks.

‘…By the way, why were Han-na’s hands trembling so much?’

“Um… are you okay?”

Feeling uneasy, I asked Han-na.

“Stay still.”

She replied curtly.

‘Yes, ma’am.’ I thought to myself.

I glanced at her and saw that Han-na, who had apparently reached the level of a ‘master painter,’ was even sweating.

It was hot inside the tent, but not that hot.

And I heard Han-na had done all of Mi-jin’s face painting, so why was she so nervous?

It was making me more anxious.

Wouldn’t you be uneasy if you went to the dentist, had your mouth forced open with a cheek retractor, and the dentist held the drill with trembling hands?

Perhaps that was why,

I was nervously tapping my foot.

Why was I so anxious?

Is it because the Illusion Terror incident is less than two hours away, past 6 PM?

“Phew… I’m… done…”

Thankfully, it didn’t take too long.

Han-na hung her head and exhaled, like a boxer collapsing in their corner after a grueling match.

I quickly grabbed a mirror and looked at my cheek.

“…?”

Then, I put the mirror down.

I wished Illusion would just attack already.

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[1] [T/N: I’m not sure about the original reference, but I remember the ‘Ending Maker’ novel also had the same reference.]

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