I Became the Terminally Ill Character in My Friend’s Academy Novel – Chapter 97

—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: JayM
—————————————————————–

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

The fight between the Fighting Demon and the professor was one-sided.

Against the dazzling torrent of golden magical power, the Fighting Demon only dodged with minimal movements and made no attempts to counterattack.

It was a scene that defied common sense.

Even injured and exhausted, the Fighting Demon was an S-rank villain.

He shouldn’t have been so easily overwhelmed by the professor, whose main body was still sealed, unless he had sustained serious injuries. But I was certain this fight would unfold this way.

“Ah, you little thing! I don’t fight children, so go away…!”

“Haha, you’re excellent at getting on my nerves. Who’s a kid? You’re dead meat!”

Arcadia members never bothered children. The Fighting Demon was especially particular about it.

Professor Park Ah-ram’s actual age didn’t matter.

What mattered was that as long as she looked like a cute child, he wouldn’t be able to lay a finger on her.

It was a risky move that wouldn’t work on the other members, but since the Fighting Demon was a simple man, even if he knew her actual age, he would probably just take a beating and run away.

Now then…

I could leave that side to the professor.

Thanks to the Fighting Demon and the black magician’s trolling, the villains were almost wiped out. The guards were taking care of the injured ones trying to escape.

So, there was only one thing left.

I turned my head, and my gaze met the gaze(?) of the crimson hand that was watching the fight between the Fighting Demon and the professor with interest from a distance.

The moment our eyes met, it started pretending to struggle to tear through space, as if it had been trying all along.

Look at this bastard, pretending to come out when it has no intention of doing so.

It was a being summoned by the black magician using the Devil’s Touch by sacrificing his own life, the corpses of the dead villains, and the remaining magical power bestowed upon him by the dragon vein. It must have been a considerably powerful named devil. But paradoxically, that was why it wouldn’t move.

Like in any novel, devils granted wishes in twisted ways unless the contract was written precisely.

If the black magician had wished for all of us to die, it might have been a different story. But he must have made a vague request in his desperation, like asking for it to stop the Fighting Demon or to somehow resolve the situation.

He might not have even made a wish at all.

The hand, seemingly frustrated that something was lacking, tried to tear through space, but as I turned my gaze away, it went back to watching the fight.

…Was it crazy?

Among devil-related artifacts, excluding the top-tier ones like the Lemegeton or Solomon’s Ring, the Devil’s Touch was quite high-ranking.

Since any devil interested in contracts could lend their power through the artifact, then there was no way to know its identity, as it wasn’t predetermined which devil would appear.

“Hey, it seems like the professor will take care of that big guy. Should we go after that now?”

“Hmm, no. It looks like it can’t come out, so let’s wait and see.”

As if it heard our conversation, it started putting on another passionate performance.

If the black magician knew his soul went to such a con artist, he’d probably be so angry that he’d come back to life.

Of course, I wouldn’t sympathize with a villain.

Ha-ni looked at the hand with concern, but if it was going to come out, it would have done so already.

Now all we had to do was wait. Just as I thought that—

-Devil’s Touch expresses affection towards you.

I heard that notification.

“…Huh?”

“What’s wrong?”

“Ah, n-nothing. It’s nothing.”

-Devil’s Touch proposes a secret contract with you.

…So suddenly? Why?

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

Beyond the passage opened by Devil’s Touch, a devil was observing the mortal world from the heights of hell.

The reason she, who normally wouldn’t be interested in a contract with such a meager offering, responded instead of her subordinate was because of that boy.

She acted as if she wasn’t interested, pretended to be weak, and feigned interest in watching the fight to create a sense of familiarity with him, slowly laying her trap.

That boy was a perfect contractor in many ways.

The sheer volume of his soul beyond the contracts others had made with him, and the scent of his soul that was so pure and sweet that it was hard to believe it belonged to a human were all to her liking.

Every devil had their preferences, but she enjoyed taking pure and beautiful souls and corrupting them.

However, his greatest charm wasn’t such trivial things.

What truly amazed her, what completed him and made him so appealing, wasn’t just that.

It was the mark engraved on his vast soul.

[One who has begun to understand death.]

Understanding death? A mere human? How? How did he manage that?

Did he conduct research by sacrificing others? Or did he have near-death experiences?

No, if he had such experiences, his soul wouldn’t be so pure.

If he were a villain who casually sacrificed others, he should have a corrupted soul. If he frequently had near-death experiences, his soul should be tattered or dying.

But his soul was not only healthy, it was overflowing with vitality, rejecting any approaching impurity as if it wouldn’t allow even a speck of defilement.

Could even the saints of other worlds possess such a soul?

No, it wasn’t just pure. The scent it emitted was too fragrant.

It was a soul that was both like that of a pure maiden and a seductive demon who knew her own charm.

How could a pure and upright soul emit such a sweet scent?

She coveted it.

She wanted to keep it all to herself, to slowly defile it.

A desire to test how long he could maintain that nobility arose within her.

How would it feel to let that soul taste sweet corruption? The thought alone was exhilarating.

But those with such souls tended to avoid devils, so she had to appear harmless first.

Some might laugh at her for going to such lengths for a single human, but he was no longer just a mere human.

Devils with similar tastes would surely understand her.

But that was why she had to make an exclusive contract with him right now, preferably a contract with his soul as collateral.

Before other devils found him. Before they set their sights on him.

To savor and enjoy him slowly, all by herself.

For that, it was bearable to pretend to be a low-level devil.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

…This was awesome.

Why would I refuse when a high-ranking artifact was practically begging me to make a contract?

It was a bit concerning that it was a devil-related artifact, but I could manage it with careful use.

I also needed an artifact that could deal with enemies resistant to physical attacks.

I was a bit curious about the devil controlling the artifact, but there was no reason to refuse an increase in power…

-Saint’s Will resists!

Oh, it’s been a while.

-You are doing well. I understand that you will eventually tire of walking the righteous path and desire power when faced with a great obstacle. Righteousness can sometimes feel like nothing but meaningless pain.

‘Wow, you can talk normally?’

-That’s not important right now. What matters is that you heard the devil’s voice. They do not inherently grant human wishes. What you truly desire must be obtained by your own hand to have meaning.

Hmm, that was a nice sentiment, but I wasn’t interested.

Why take the long way when there was a quick and easy path?

It would be dangerous for others to use devil artifacts, but I was confident I could use them appropriately.

-You! That’s not within the realm of your—

‘Ah, shut up.’

There was no point in talking to someone who yelled in my head without basic manners.

-You are the successor of Saint’s Will. I haven’t interfered until now because you’ve walked the righteous path, even if it was a strange one, but this crosses the line…! If you listen to that devil, I will reconsider your qualifications!

Oh, that was a bit scary… but if Resurrection disappeared, it would be a problem. I didn’t really need Saint’s Will that much anymore.

-…!?

Well, it was just a ring that gave buffs to good people.

Considering that there were better artifacts later on due to power scaling, there wasn’t really any reason to be attached to it.

A ring that gave random buffs to good people versus a dagger that could potentially allow me to wield infinite demonic power under certain conditions…?

Ah, who could resist this? Lol.

Saint’s Will started saying some strange things like, ‘I can’t believe it, you playboy! I wouldn’t have given you buffs if I knew you were like this…!’ ‘I’ve been abandoned now that you’ve squeezed me dry…!’ ‘I was the first, the most devoted, but…!’ But my will was firm.

An artifact’s performance was what mattered to me the most. If it was so upset, it should increase its rank.

-That’s why I told you to join me.

-Saint’s Will claims it didn’t know its owner was such a materialistic person.

Hmm, the artifacts in my head started chattering, but it wasn’t important.

-Devil’s Touch smiles while saying that you seem to have made up your mind.

-This is betrayal…!!!!

The giant hand in front of me twisted in frustration and began to disappear beyond the dimension.

Oh, that was a convincing performance. No one would suspect a thing.

And as if the previous scene was a lie, Devil’s Touch disappeared beyond the dimension without a trace.

Yeah, I would just say that the dagger suddenly appeared on my waist as if it had a teleportation function. I would say I got it from looting the villains.

-Saint’s Will resists.

-Devil’s Touch scoffs.

They seemed to be getting along well.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

Park Ah-ram pursued the fleeing Fighting Demon and finally came to a conclusion.

She didn’t know what method he used, but his traces completely disappeared as if he had teleported without using magical power.

“Tsk, I lost him.”

The giant devil’s hand seemed harmless as long as it wasn’t provoked, so she thought it would be enough to just catch the giant man, but she didn’t expect to lose him even though he was injured.

“Now that I think about it, I think I saw him on the S-rank villain list.”

She was reminded once again of the limitations of her weakened body, but there was no point in wishing for what she didn’t have.

-Take His hand.

The voice of the man in the oni mask, who promised to get her the philosopher’s stone, suddenly came to her mind, but she didn’t know if it was true or not.

Having expectations would only lead to disappointment.

No, this wasn’t the time for such thoughts. She had something more important to take care of, so she had to go back.

The scene she returned to was busy with the transport of the surviving villains.

She searched among the working guards and soon spotted familiar faces.

“Are cadets Kang So-hyun and Kang Han-hee both alright?”

The two cadets.

Kang Han-hee was a bit unexpected, but she knew Kang So-hyun would be there.

She was able to arrive here on time thanks to his contact.

She had placed a barrier around the daycare center, but it wasn’t strong enough to withstand the attacks of those level of villains. By the time she arrived after sensing the barrier’s disruption, it would have been too late.

She was able to arrive on time because she received a call from the guard team he had deployed.

She was honestly grateful.

She truly wanted to bow her head in thanks.

Even for her, who had lived a long time, losing someone precious was a pain she still couldn’t get used to.

However, while feeling grateful, there was something she had to confirm for the children’s safety.

“First of all, thank you both. I have a connection to this orphanage. Things would have been really bad if Kang So-hyun hadn’t taken precautions beforehand. Our stubborn director has too much pride to ask me for help.”

Greetings came first.

She couldn’t get the order wrong.

She was the one indebted to him.

Actually, she didn’t really want to do this confirmation.

If it were purely for her own reasons, she would have ignored it.

But since it posed a potential threat to this place, she couldn’t ignore it.

“But tell me, how did you know?”

Something even she didn’t know. Something the director probably didn’t know either. The real reason.

“About the dragon vein. Even I, an A-rank hero, didn’t know, and the director probably didn’t know either. But the villains somehow caught wind of it, and even they didn’t know exactly what it was. So, how did Kang So-hyun know?”

That was right.

He already knew why the villains were targeting this place and what was really hidden here, and he even told her about it, albeit through a text message.

She didn’t want to be suspicious, but wasn’t it a suspicious situation?

Even if he wasn’t involved, there were widespread rumors that his father, Kang Hyun-woo, didn’t discriminate when it came to business dealings.

Kang So-hyun, upon being questioned, opened his mouth with a worried and troubled expression.

“I don’t know how the villains found out, but we received an anonymous tip.”

“…An anonymous tip?”

“Yes, I can’t really call it a tip. We received a letter. Anyway, the letter contained all the information, like the scale of the villains, the location of their headquarters, and the existence of the dragon vein here. It also said not to harm the orphanage or misuse the information.”

He cautiously looked around.

“Actually, at the end of the letter, it said to tell you the truth after everything was over and to convey this message.”

“…Yes?”

“I’ll be waiting at the park where we met before, on the promised day.”

An image of the oni mask suddenly came to her mind.

“I hope you like this date invitation.”

“Aha.”

Hearing that, she grasped the overall situation.

“Since the invitation has become so elaborate, it seems like you’ve learned how to ask someone out on a date, not just for an after-date.”

It was a very appealing invitation indeed.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

T/N – Lol, Saint’s Will is hilarious. Acting like a wife getting divorced. Also, of course the high-ranking devil was female.

If you find any mistakes, feel free to point them out in the comments.