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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: JayM
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My reason for wanting to save her wasn’t anything special.
I liked her setting in the settings book, and I thought it would be nice to have a homunculus among my villain comrades.
But to be honest, the biggest reason was that her situation, being unable to leave this place and having to constantly wait for someone, reminded me of a past connection I had.
“Master, do you perhaps dislike me?”
“No, it’s not that I dislike you, but why am I your master?”
“In the forbidden books, most men liked it when a beautiful woman with a good figure called them Master.”
Oh my god…
She didn’t have to be similar in this aspect too…
I remembered a certain friend who was stuck in his room due to some circumstances and could only use the internet.
-In doujinshi, this usually leads straight to bed.
Huh? I just recalled an old memory, but I suddenly feel dizzy. My physical condition has improved, but this is strange.
It felt like a resident of the internet world, who had indiscriminately acquired a vast amount of information from it, was standing before me.
“Have you perhaps heard of the word ‘common sense’?”
“Yes, but didn’t you suggest we be secret friends? So I naturally thought you were looking at my body…”
Huh? Maybe this was partly my fault?
Uh, hmm, I was a little surprised, but it wasn’t bad.
It wouldn’t be bad to have a beautiful character who calls me Master in an academy story.
Rather, I liked it.
The problem was that I couldn’t even guess what kind of feelings she had for me.
I couldn’t judge the personality of a character who didn’t appear in the original story based solely on the information in the settings book.
“Aha, I understand. You’re suspicious of me.”
“It’s not that I’m suspicious, but honestly, it seems like you’re following me too readily.”
“I understand. I was lacking in explanation because I was too focused on my own perspective. But I’m sincere, Master. First, this secret room will collapse soon, so let’s go outside. I’ll explain afterwards.”
It wouldn’t be dangerous.
The settings book didn’t say she was violent or anything. Rather, she was said to be too pure and, like the soul she was based on, liked humans.
First, we decided to go outside since it would be dangerous once the collapse started.
And…
“Oh.”
“Oh?”
The moment we stepped out, I made eye contact with Ha-ni.
“Who’s that?”
And as if they heard Ha-ni’s voice, the others started gathering.
They seemed to have already looted the reward room and were discussing the distribution.
Oh, shit.
Was this it?
Was this the cliché-ridden event where I was called Master in front of everyone and sent to hell?
But our Villain Comrade Candidate No. 3 calmly scanned her surroundings for a moment, then made a slightly frightened expression and spoke in a trembling voice.
“Are these the people you were talking about?”
Thankfully, the situation where she suddenly called me “Master” in the presence of other people didn’t happen.
And I wasn’t so clueless as to not understand what her actions meant.
“Ah, yes. These are the heroes I mentioned. You’ve been safely rescued, so you can relax.”
She didn’t know what kind of person I was yet.
Considering that, her response, “the people you were talking about,” which could be interpreted in any way, was a perfect answer that deserved a score of 150 out of 100.
“Rescued? Cadet Kang So-hyun, who is that?”
“She seems to have memory problems. I think she’s a victim who was dragged into the dungeon. She was deep inside the reward room, so I rescued her.”
Judging by the reactions of those around me, it seemed like a decent performance, but Professor Cathy and my sister didn’t let their guard down.
“Cadet, please step back. I apologize to the victim, but due to the special circumstances of being found in the reward room and the lack of anyone to vouch for your identity, you’ll have to undergo a simple examination.”
Well, it was understandable.
Frankly, she was someone found in a dungeon, so there was a possibility that she was a humanoid monster who could communicate.
My sister took out something that looked like a speed gun or a scouter from her pocket.
Well, the examination wasn’t anything special.
They just pointed that tool at you, and it showed your general disposition. If it showed neutral or above, you passed.
The formal examination was more complicated, but they weren’t likely to do that in this situation, and you could avoid that tool if you really wanted to, so it was just a better-than-nothing kind of examination.
Professor Cathy’s expression softened a bit as a neutral disposition was displayed without any problems.
“Thank you for your cooperation. It seems you have memory problems, so if you wish, we can assist you with basic necessities after we escape.”
She looked at me with her red eyes for a moment, then smiled gently and shook her head.
“Ah, thank you. But I’m fine. My memories are slowly returning, even though they’re a bit vague.”
“Ah, that’s good to hear.”
She naturally bowed her head towards us… or rather, towards me, and then walked towards the waiting civilians.
…She wasn’t planning to just run away like that, was she?
It wouldn’t really matter even if she did, but I was a little curious about what she was planning to do next.
“Hey, So-hyun, did you put on cologne?”
“No? What cologne?”
Ha-ni suddenly approached me while looking puzzled and started sniffing me.
Wasn’t it part of your setting that you disliked men getting close to you?
Well, I played dumb, but I knew the reason.
It was a side effect of the special elixir I had just consumed. If you drank the elixir made by the Rose Alchemist, your body scent would change to a faint floral fragrance.
I drank it without thinking much of it because it wasn’t supposed to be a noticeable scent, but it seemed like sensitive people could detect it.
“Why? Do I smell like something?”
“Well, it’s not unpleasant, it’s actually quite a nice scent.”
“Oh, really? Loser smells good~”
“Oh, really? Let me…”
“Lilac. If you take one more step closer, you’re going to have a death match with me, you bastard.”
“Too much.”
“Too much, my ass.”
“…I’m glad you seem okay. I was worried because you looked so exhausted earlier.”
Ah, I thought they were strangely close to me and their gazes were full of pity. So it was another commotion.
Guys, this time it was all an act, so it hurts my conscience when you look at me with such pity.
Not only Lilac and the others, but even my sister and Professor Cathy looked like they were about to cry.
I had to admit it.
I went a bit too far this time. I should have considered that I might mean more to them than I thought.
I had only thought of it as a fun story, an event necessary for the protagonist’s growth, but I almost gave them trauma.
I was trying to prevent them from experiencing such incidents, but the tables were almost turned.
“I’m really okay…”
Perhaps because of that, I was about to brush it off as usual by saying I was okay, but I suddenly felt like I shouldn’t.
“Honestly, I wasn’t okay, but I wasn’t that scared. You were there, Han-hee was there, and the professor was there. The others and the seniors were there too. As long as I endured, I knew I would survive, so what was there to be afraid of?”
So that today wouldn’t become a bad memory for them, and since I had already done it, so that it could become a stepping stone for the protagonists to resolve themselves and move forward.
“Well, but if you’re really worried…”
No, it’s like this. I felt bad, but since it already happened, I should make the most of it.
“Next time, save me a little faster.”
Wouldn’t this be a great move as a supporting character helping the protagonist’s awakening?
Lilac nodded with a determined expression, and the others seemed to feel something too.
And Professor Cathy…
She was resolving herself with an expression three times more serious than Lilac’s, which honestly made me feel a bit pressured.
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“Wow! This bastard Lilac is seriously good at grilling…!”
Ha-ni shouted as she devoured the samgyeopsal Lilac had grilled.
Lilac put on some ridiculous sunglasses, grabbed salt with oven mitts while imitating chefs, sprinkled it on the meat, and then flipped the meat with lightning speed before the juices flowed out.
He looked happy as he controlled the fire and grilled the meat.
“Bring more meat!!! No, bring it all…!!!”
“This is so good!”
He smiled contentedly at the seniors exaggerating their enjoyment of the meat, looking more like a restaurant owner than a hero.
“Are you that happy?”
“Yeah, it’s nice to see them enjoying the food.”
“Did you eat enough yourself?”
“Yeah, Yoo-na made me some wraps while telling me to eat instead of just grilling. Yoo-na might seem a bit prickly, but she’s kind.”
It’s not because she’s kind, you idiot.
“What about you? Did you eat some meat?”
Honestly, I thought meat was inherently delicious, so it wouldn’t matter much who grilled it, but my complacent mindset was shattered after eating the meat Lilac grilled today.
High-quality meat seasoned optimally without overpowering its original flavor, perfect heat control to minimize the loss of juices, and precisely timed flips to create a barbecue with a crispy exterior and a moist interior, it was worthy of being called culinary art.
“Wow, this is delicious. You could open a barbecue restaurant if you don’t become a hero.”
“Haha, it would be nice if the world was a little more peaceful. Grilling meat and eating with the kids.”
“Will you give me a discount?”
“You’ll pay in cash, right?”
“Wow, this guy is already thinking about tax evasion. Are you sure you’re a hero-in-training?”
We shared jokes, and everyone burst into laughter.
“Hey, So-hyun.”
“Yeah, what?”
“I think I need to become stronger.”
“Suddenly? You’re already the top student at the academy.”
“Not like grades and stuff. I feel too powerless as I am now. Honestly, up until now, I didn’t have anything I could call a clear goal.”
“But?”
“I thought things would work out somehow no matter what I did. But that wasn’t the case. Precious everyday life, a peaceful tomorrow, those things can be broken at any time.”
He nodded while looking at those eating the meat he had grilled.
“I’m going to become a hero. I want to be the kind of hero who can lend a hand to anyone who needs help.”
It was a goal he couldn’t reach originally.
The number of people he could save, even if he reached out, was limited.
“It suits you. Good luck.”
If all of you were going to become heroes, I would become the small trial to prevent you from despairing due to the world.
“I think I’ll need strength for that. I don’t know how yet, but I won’t give up.”
If you stray from the right path, become broken, and lose sight of your original goal, I would remind you of your initial wish.
“Ah, it’s a bit embarrassing to say it out loud. Anyway, I’ll try to prevent things like today from happening again.”
“What’s there to be embarrassed about? That’s cool. I should tell the others.”
“Ah, seriously, don’t.”
And if a trial that you couldn’t overcome yet struck and tried to break you, I would…
“I’ll think about it~”
…become a wall protecting you from such trials until the day you are strong enough.
“This samgyeopsal is damn delicious. Seriously.”
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“…Huh?”
“…Oh.”
Drip.
A drop of water fell on the floor.
From where? From shiny black hair.
Why?
Because the owner of the hair had just washed it.
Late at night, when everyone was asleep after stuffing themselves with meat and drinks.
I, who had gotten up because I was thirsty, a cliché move, regretted it belatedly.
There was someone who had skipped bathing earlier, making the excuse of suddenly feeling unwell while everyone else was laughing and washing up in the large bath.
And he, or rather, she, seemed to have wanted to wash up after running around all day, so she secretly went to the bath.
Even though the hot water wouldn’t be running at this hour.
Haha.
A woman in light clothing that revealed her figure with a towel on her head had a face that was undoubtedly identical to my roommate’s.
Why did you have to run into me of all people, Ha-ni…?!
No, seriously, the atmosphere was so serious just now.
We could have ended it seriously…!
-Achievement unlocked! First erotic event!-
Shut up…!
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T/N – Lol, how cliche… How will the MC get out of this one? Also, I didn’t know his low presence system had a sense of humor.
Also, though the MC flopped at the last moment, Lilac did get motivated to become stronger, so mission accomplished. I also find it kind of sweet to see just how far the MC is willing to go for them.
If you find any mistakes, feel free to point them out in the comments.
Thanks for the chapter