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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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“S-seduce Ethan?”
At first, Vivian didn’t understand.
What was Sepia talking about?
Seduce the man she loved?
But she quickly grasped Sepia’s intentions.
A heavy silence fell over the room.
“Go and pretend to like him. Confess your feelings.”
“…That wouldn’t be difficult…”
“Then… I’ll leave it to you…”
Sepia was testing Ethan’s love.
She needed reassurance.
“What if… just what if… Ethan falls for it?”
She had heard that men were weak to beautiful women. And Vivian was undeniably beautiful.
“…I don’t know… I…”
Sepia’s hand, clenched into a fist on the table, trembled.
She clutched her chest.
“I think… I’ll hate him. I’ll hate him so much that I’ll want to kill him…”
“My lady…”
Sepia looked like she was about to cry.
“Please, Vivian. I need to be sure. I’ll just test his feelings this once. I know it’s wrong. I know I shouldn’t play with his heart, but…”
“Sepia, you’ve always been my master.”
Vivian smiled.
Acting was her forte. She could convincingly portray any role, from a street beggar to an empress, from the lowest rung of society to the most noble of births.
“But, my lady, what kind of role should I play?”
“I don’t know…”
“What?”
“I… I don’t know what men like…”
Sepia mumbled.
“Then I’ll go with a classic approach.”
Vivian knew exactly what men liked.
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Word travels fast.
The news of the demon attack on the dormitory couldn’t be contained. Ethan sighed.
‘I just wanted to relax after those terrible exams…’
He had been summoned to the professors’ offices and the administration office.
He handed the demon medal to Professor Rond.
“This demon was the 61st ranked Zagan.”
Professor Rond examined the medal.
As Ethan had expected, it was the 61st ranked Zagan.
He was a demon who could transform his body into steel. His epithet was the “Demon of Alchemy.”
‘The plot has changed again. Why did Tesha break her promise?’
Ethan felt a headache coming on.
He had asked her, but she hadn’t given him a straight answer.
It was understandable. Who could openly ask someone who had feelings for them if they liked them back?
Tesha couldn’t bring herself to ask.
She just wanted to maintain a safe distance, to be normal friends.
Ethan sat on his bed, examining the skill orb.
‘Should I just absorb it?’
If he remembered correctly, the skill was Steel Transformation.
As the skill leveled up, he would eventually be able to cover his entire body in armor, like a walking tank.
‘Should I absorb it, or give it to Arthur?’
Ethan contemplated.
He didn’t want to steal the protagonist’s thunder and end up doing all the hard work. But he also didn’t want to hand over a valuable skill orb for free.
‘Ugh, I’ll just give it to him.’
It would be better to give it to him and earn some brownie points.
He was investing in the future.
“Hey, Arthur.”
“Yes?”
“Take this.”
Ethan handed the skill orb to Arthur. Arthur was confused at first. He didn’t understand why Ethan was giving him a skill orb.
Ethan explained that he had obtained it from defeating the demon. As expected, Arthur’s response was,
“Keep it.”
“Why are you giving this to me?”
Because you’re the protagonist, the one destined to save the world.
He couldn’t say that out loud.
Ethan decided to go with his original plan and mention the goddess.
“You’re a special hero chosen by the goddess. Take it. Repay me twice over in the future. Use your good fortune to help others.”
Arthur stared at the skill orb, then nodded.
“Thank you. I will repay this kindness someday.”
Ethan turned and walked away, trying to appear nonchalant.
Arthur was impressed.
‘As expected, Ethan is a true hero. He’s selfless and always willing to help others.’
It wasn’t easy to share something you valued.
But Ethan had given him the skill orb for the greater good. Arthur couldn’t comprehend the depth of his generosity.
Ethan’s communication crystal vibrated.
―Hello, Ethan. It’s Vivian. There’s something I’d like to discuss… Are you free tomorrow?
―What is it?
―Um… it’s not something I can talk about over the phone…
―Is it related to Sepia?
―No, it’s not that. It’s just… Never mind. I really want to talk to you in person!
Ethan didn’t know what it was about, but he agreed to meet her.
But he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.
Had Vivian ever contacted him personally before?
He didn’t recall any such instances. That meant it had to be something related to the Logness family.
―Okay, let’s do that.
―Then… I’ll be waiting for you at the Eastvan fountain square at 10 AM tomorrow!
Vivian was known for her stoic expression.
But even through the text message, he could sense her awkwardness.
‘Is she in trouble again because of Sepia?’
Sepia had been acting differently lately.
But people rarely changed, and human hearts were unpredictable.
‘Whatever, I don’t want to think about it.’
Ethan turned off his communication crystal and lay down on his bed. He just wanted to relax. It was his first weekend after midterms, after all.
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Buzz—
Ethan’s eyes flew open. His communication crystal was vibrating.
Sunlight streamed through the window.
“What… what time is it…?”
He grabbed the crystal from his desk and silenced the alarm.
Ethan slowly sat up, his body aching with fatigue. He had spent every night in the library during midterms.
He was physically fine, but mentally exhausted.
He checked the time on his communication crystal.
It was 11 AM.
Ethan stared at the time blankly.
Then it hit him.
He quickly got dressed and stood in front of the mirror.
Thankfully, his hair wasn’t a complete mess.
Ethan put on his boots and contacted Vivian as he left his dormitory.
But she wasn’t answering.
Ethan ran to the fountain square.
Vivian was waiting for him, a bored expression on her face. Her lips were slightly pouty.
“Huff… huff… I-I’m so sorry, Vivian.”
“It’s okay, you’re only an hour and twenty minutes late.”
Despite her words, Vivian pouted and flicked her brown hair back over her shoulder.
“An hour and twenty minutes…?”
“Yes, I wanted to arrive early and enjoy the beautiful weather…”
“I-I’m so sorry!”
Ethan wanted to grovel. He had been over an hour late.
“It’s okay! I’m sure you had your reasons.”
Vivian smiled kindly. It was a warm, radiant smile.
Ethan couldn’t tell her that he had overslept.
“But… why did you ask me to meet you?”
“Actually… there was no particular reason. I just… wanted to show you my new dress.”
Ethan finally noticed Vivian’s sky-blue dress. He couldn’t recall ever seeing her in anything other than her maid uniform.
“So, what do you think? Does it suit me?”
Vivian held the hem of her dress and twirled gracefully.
“It suits you.”
“I actually prefer this kind of spring-like outfit to my maid uniform.”
Vivian blushed, a hint of embarrassment in her voice.
“I-I’m sorry, Ethan. It’s just… I feel a little shy saying that out loud.”
“Oh, no, it’s okay. It really suits you. The dress, I mean.”
“R-really?”
Vivian’s eyes sparkled. Ethan nodded enthusiastically.
“It was worth spending all that money on it.”
Vivian mumbled to herself.
“Ethan, you probably figured it out already, but I was just kidding about wanting to show you my dress.”
“Then… why did you call me?”
“Let’s walk. It’s a beautiful day.”
Ethan felt guilty for making her wait for over an hour. He had to at least agree to this.
“Ethan… have you had breakfast?”
“Um… no…”
He had overslept and missed breakfast.
His stomach grumbled. He hoped she hadn’t heard.
“I know a great restaurant. Follow me.”
Vivian strode ahead confidently.
She occasionally glanced back to make sure Ethan was keeping up.
And she smiled at him often.
They passed the fountain square and entered a street lined with trees.
Cherry blossom petals swirled around them.
“How’s academy life?”
“It’s okay. Midterms were hell.”
“Fufu, I heard you defeated another demon.”
“Yeah, I got lucky.”
They continued their conversation as they walked. Vivian asked him about his life at the academy.
How were his new friends? How was his roommate?
Ethan answered her questions, and the conversation flowed naturally.
“Here we are! I even made a reservation. It’s a little late, but… would you like to have lunch here?”
Vivian pointed to a luxurious-looking restaurant.
“It’s my treat. Come on, they say the food here is delicious.”
Ethan observed Vivian.
What was she planning to talk about?
Vivian opened the menu with practiced ease and ordered steak. A waiter in a suit nodded and left.
As they waited for their food, Vivian rested her chin on her hand.
“Ethan, what are you going to do after you graduate?”
Ethan paused, thinking about her question.
“I don’t know… I’m not even sure if I’ll be able to graduate…”
“Don’t be so modest. I’m sure you’ll do well on your exams. You’ll graduate. You just have to be in the middle of the class to graduate.”
Vivian clenched her fists, a determined expression on her face. It was as though she were the one taking the exams.
“Haha, I hope so.”
“Ethan… you… you’re no longer a servant of the Logness family, right?”
“That’s right.”
“Ethan, then we…”
We’re practically strangers now. I don’t want to be strangers.
That’s what she had planned to say. She had even prepared a confession, hoping to subtly gauge Ethan’s feelings.
Could we… get to know each other better? Could we continue seeing each other… as equals?
She had planned to ask him those questions towards the end of their date.
But Ethan responded faster than she had expected.
“Vivian.”
Ethan’s voice, usually nonchalant, was heavy with meaning.
He sighed.
Vivian’s eyes trembled under his intense gaze.
“Did Sepia write the script?”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“I’m asking you to drop the act.”
Ethan stared at her, his gaze unwavering.
Vivian had known that her act might be discovered.
Her behavior was a stark contrast to her usual demeanor.
‘But I didn’t expect him to see through it so quickly…’
She was slightly offended. She had thought her acting was flawless. She had been portraying the role of a sweet and innocent girl, the ideal date. She had even softened her tone of voice.
She had been enjoying her role, and had hoped to extend their date a little longer… within acceptable limits, of course.
“Was it that obvious?”
“No, your acting was actually quite good.”
You could have been a salesperson. But no matter how kind you are, I have no intention of returning to the Logness family. So, you don’t have to try and persuade me.
That’s what Ethan meant. He wanted to make that clear.
But at that moment, the waiter arrived with their food.
“Here’s your steak. Please enjoy.”
Vivian’s wavering resolve solidified. After the waiter left, she folded her napkin with a sigh. The brown napkin transformed into a paper crane.
“That’s harsh… speaking so coldly like that. I’m not usually such an emotionless woman, you know…”
“I know. You have a kind heart.”
Vivian’s hand froze.
“…Thank you. It wasn’t easy for you to refuse. I understand your feelings now, Ethan.”
“As long as you understand, that’s good. I’m the one who should be grateful.”
“Right.”
They ate their meal in silence.
Vivian had tried her best to portray the role of a classic, innocent girl. She had been so immersed in her role that she had momentarily forgotten her mission.
If Ethan had asked her, “You seem different today,” she had a response prepared.
She would have claimed that it was her true personality. That her usual stoic expression was just a facade, a mask she wore as a maid.
But Ethan had seen through her act. He had said that she had a kind heart.
Vivian was also a woman.
Of course, she liked cute, pretty things.
But she was also a servant of the Logness family.
She had always played the role of a detached, professional maid. And Ethan had seen through her facade.
“Vivian…”
“Yes?”
They had been eating in silence.
“Are you interested in going on a blind date? I know someone…”
Ah.
Ethan was drawing a line, his gaze indifferent.
He was telling her not to get involved with him and Sepia.
‘This is… good.’
Vivian bit her lip.
She had accomplished her mission. She should have been happy.
But she wasn’t.
‘It feels strange… like I actually got rejected.’
This was just an act. A predetermined sequence of events. But she lost her appetite. Vivian put down her fork and knife.
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Absolutely no reason to make MC a douchebag like that. Did nothin to advance the plot.