Chapter 287
Chapter 287
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 287
Chapter Title: How to Steal the Protagonist's Woman
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“I am begging you… please… kill me.”
“...”
It wasn’t merely the submissive attitude of someone bowing their head to make a difficult request of a peer. The man who had been wearing a bright, youthful smile as a carefully crafted mask until now had finally cast it aside, his face filled with an ancient, crushing despair as he made a genuine and heartbreaking… plea for his own end.
“To suddenly ask a student like me to take your life…”
“I… I am just so incredibly tired now, Suho.”
He began to explain the heavy burden of his existence. Everything he had ever attempted in his long life always went smoothly, almost as if by design. If there was an unstable element in his path, he grew rapidly to stabilize it; in dangerous situations, impossible luck would appear to save him; in moments of absolute, final crisis, miracles would descend from the heavens to resolve everything in his favor. At the time, he had arrogantly attributed all these miraculous events to his own superior abilities. That was how he had realized from the moment of his birth that the entire world literally revolved around him.
Even kings who could sway the fate of entire nations with a single word would bow and tremble before him in fear. Even when he committed acts that would outrage both heaven and earth, the nobles would hush it up and let it slide without a word of protest. His arrogance, which couldn’t even be captured by a word as weak as “hubris,” began to cross all known bounds of morality. But his unchecked arrogance eventually triggered a cataclysmic shift in the world. He, who had always thought himself the sole center of the universe, learned that there was another center—a symmetric point of equal power.
Once that being became known to him, the world split in two: good and evil. But the definitions of who was good and who was evil remained undecided for decades. The victor would be enshrined in the annals of history as the eternal face of good, while the loser would be branded for all time as eternal evil. Even as the world was laid waste by a brutal war spanning over fifty years, none of the suffering mattered to him. Only winning. Only the act of ripping out the enemy’s heart. That was the singular driving force and destiny that propelled him forward.
And… the victor was finally decided. The one whose name is still recorded in history books, the one still active today as a living saint, was the dean currently standing before my eyes: Ludwig Ripenstein. But at the same time he achieved his victory, he had realized one crucial and devastating fact.
“I was a puppet… I was ultimately just a well-crafted puppet for their amusement.”
“...”
“If I had only died in that war… I wouldn’t be forced to live this hellish, unending life.”
After the fires of the war finally ended, he was at last able to look back at the world he had helped destroy. What remained for the man who had charged ahead without looking back was a ravaged world and a broken people living lives far worse than death. He, who had lived for hundreds of years, realized for the first time that everything about his existence was wrong. He struggled desperately for centuries to rebuild and change the world as an act of penance. But even after such fervent atonement, the sense of futility piling up within his soul only continued to grow. His future lifespan was infinite, but his desire for a future life had come to a definitive end.
“I created this peaceful world because I didn’t want to be alone… but I ended up completely alone anyway.”
“But don’t you have friends and colleagues by your side right now?”
“...Soon, even the friends who stand by me now will leave… they will die, and I’ll be forced to meet new ones. But that… that is the definition of true hell.”
The past version of me never would have thought that way, but now his words struck a deep, resonating chord in my heart. To befriend people while knowing with absolute certainty they will pass away long before you? Armonia, Viola, Luna, Lena, Sua, Seo-hyun, Ha-yeon, Bom… just listing them off made me realize how many people I had allowed into my life. These women dying within my lifetime? Not from violence or illness, but naturally growing old and leaving me behind?
That is hell. I can’t die even if I want to, yet the people I love keep leaving me one by one until I am the only one left in the dark.
“They… they seem to understand my feelings to an extent, but they have absolutely no intention of letting go of my life.”
“...”
To Zodiac right now, the dean was the one meaningful lifeline and asset they had left in this world. Especially since they’d nearly taken a massive corporate hit just from him briefly slowing down time. There was absolutely no way they’d let their star pupil die. But one logical question arose here.
“Why is it that you can’t simply commit suicide?”
“...The very abilities they gave me prevent me from causing myself any fatal harm.”
“Ah… I see.”
I wasn't exactly sure of the mechanics, but I got the gist of it. Enel… Zodiac had probably used it to make the dean’s body entirely impervious to harm from his own hand. They had likely jacked up his magic resistance exponentially and greatly increased his physical durability to the point where even his own legendary magic couldn’t break through his own skin.
“...”
“...Is it truly too much for me to ask of you?”
This man who’d lived through half a millennium was ultimately just a speck of dust in the vastness of the universe. Even if he possessed sage-like knowledge, it only yielded valid results within the confines of this single planet. But… I found that I actually wanted to help him. It was a strange mix of altruism and pure selfishness on my part. His life was objectively pitiable, but more importantly, if I didn’t help him resolve this now, there was no telling what kind of desperate measures he might take later.
“If… if you won’t help me, then I’ll have no choice but to turn to someone else who might.”
“Sigh…”
I instantly knew exactly who he meant. Louis. Unable to kill himself, he’d probably try to raise Louis as his successor specifically to kill him instead. Zodiac’s current financial woes made further developing the dean impossible, but if Louis grew at his current rate, he’d soon match the dean’s power level. Then the dean would surely choose death at his hands. The problem was what might happen to my own missions… and to Luna… I realized I had no other choice but to accept.
“Understood. I'll do it.”
“Really… you’ll really do as I ask when the time comes?”
“But I cannot do it right now.”
The dean offered a solemn nod and spoke with a hint of relief.
“How long will it take for you to be ready?”
“...At least three years.”
“Until your graduation, then.”
I couldn’t just kill him outright while I was still under contract. Armonia and I were in Zodiac’s employ, after all. If we found some way to kill the dean at will, NTL Corporation would be in serious danger of breach of contract. My plan was to complete the current commission appropriately and then find a way to kill him discreetly when the corporate eyes were elsewhere.
“First… there is one thing I’m curious about. Is our conversation completely cut off from their surveillance right now?”
“Yes. I developed this specific magic circle after building Schutra because I sometimes find myself hating their constant gaze and wanting a moment of pure peace.”
“Haha… you're full of surprises.”
He explained that it was a magic circle he’d perfectly calculated in his head over decades, grasping the subtle clues of their monitoring signals in case of a system failure.
“Above all, I carefully chose a time for this talk when I knew they wouldn’t be watching me closely.”
“Huh? But you used magic right in front of them.”
“That was to minimize the variables. But I guess I was just a frog in a well myself; I can’t forget the raw power of what happened earlier.”
He admitted he hadn’t expected Lena to appear and suddenly attack him with such ferocity. The dean then reached out toward me and asked a favor.
“I value trust above all else. May I engrave a small mark of our secret promise on you?”
“...?”
“It’s a simple, harmless magic circle.”
It meant engraving a magic circle directly onto my palm. He explained that it would act as a gag, preventing me from ever divulging the details of this specific conversation to others.
“...It doesn’t happen to explode if I accidentally break the promise, does it?”
“Hahaha!”
The dean suddenly burst into a fit of genuine laughter, then barely composed himself enough to speak.
“You have a more radical imagination than I thought. I like that. But I assure you, I value trust. It only prevents the act of divulging the conversation.”
I knew that at my current level, disassembly of such a spell was impossible because I couldn’t even see the magic circle with the naked eye.
“...I can’t see it at all.”
“Please, consider it a necessary insurance policy. It won’t harm you in any way.”
I wondered for a moment if I should truly trust him, but I realized that not trusting him would just tire me out. Worrying if there was a hidden curse on this circle would only exhaust my mental energy. And it showed just how incredible his magical depth truly was. My subordination spells were made with advanced alchemy, but this guy had developed a functional, invisible magic circle purely through theory. Anyway, the situation was sorted for now, but I had no intention of leaving the room empty-handed.
“Um… Dean?”
“...?”
The dean paused while trying to dispel the isolation circle and turned back to me. I decided to make one final request of him.
“Before you go, may I ask one small favor of you?”
I slowly walked toward the podium at the dean’s call, my mind still processing the weight of our pact. As I stared blankly at the skin of my palm, Armonia contacted me again, her tone full of worry.
‘Yeah, I’m perfectly fine, Armonia. Please don’t worry too much about it.’
Ever since the incident in the tower room with the dean, Armonia had been repeating those same words all day long. Thanks to his unique magic circle, I couldn’t even begin to tell Armonia the details of our talk, and I had already confirmed that I couldn’t even show her written notes on the matter.
‘I'm just curious, that’s all. I'm wondering exactly what kind of circle he managed to put on me without the system detecting it.’
‘Got it. I'll keep that in mind.’
Armonia was undoubtedly frustrated by her lack of information, but there was no reason to waste my hard-earned Enel on something as benign as this secret-keeping spell. On my way to the podium, one specific man caught my eye. It was Louis, sitting bowed over in his seat, looking as though he had just lost his entire world. As I passed by his desk, I reached out and patted Louis on the shoulder, leaning in to whisper.
“Hey, you should probably sit up. Your back’s going to give out if you stay like that.”
“...”
“And one more thing…”
Louis lifted only his head while his body remained slumped, gazing up at me with a hollow, dead expression. I simply smiled back at him with genuine amusement.
“You’re currently blocking the path to the stage. Why don't you bend over to the side instead?”
“Wha… what did you just say?”
“See ya around, buddy~”
I flashed him a cheerful, mocking smile, left Louis behind to stew in his own misery, and climbed onto the stage podium. Upon my arrival, the dean greeted me with a warm, knowing smile, handed me my official certificate, and extended his hand for a shake. As I took his hand, he murmured quietly so only I could hear,
“I truly hope you manage to see the world clearly next time as well…”
“Thank you, Dean.”
I could tell his words carried multiple hidden meanings regarding our deal. I offered a polite bow in thanks and moved to stand beside Luna. Even then, Luna was staring up at me with a completely dumbfounded expression. I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye and whispered,
“You got the top score in the written exams… congratulations, Luna.”
“Ah… th-thank you, Suho. But how in the world did you…”
“Shh, not here. We'll talk about it later.”
Occasional whispers from the other students could be heard echoing through the auditorium, but I knew nothing should interrupt the dean while he was presiding over the ceremony. It would only get us marked as troublemakers by the other professors.
“O-okay. And Suho…”
“Yeah?”
“You got the top score in the practicals… congratulations.”
“Thanks.”
I replied verbally, and Luna responded to my gratitude with a small, proud smile. And in the center of the auditorium, Louis watched our exchange with a face consumed by pure, unadulterated despair. The podium where Luna and I stood was physically separated from where Louis was sitting, making it feel as if we were now in completely different worlds…
Then the dean finally began the announcement for the overall top students for each academic year. Cheers erupted throughout the hall for the third-years and then the second-years, and finally, it was time for our class.
“And now, I will announce the overall top student for the first-year spring semester. I consider this particular award to be of vital importance.”
Even before announcing the name, he gave a lengthy, grand speech elevating the prestige of the first-year award, a courtesy he hadn't shown to the upper years.
“The student I am about to call has demonstrated a level of significance that cannot be ignored.”
The dean continued with a broad, pleased smile.
“I believe the top student is like a sprout that blooms first among a garden of fresh buds just learning magic, giving hope and motivation to everyone around it. Now, this year's top spot goes to…”
As everyone in the room held their breath, focusing entirely on the dean's lips, he looked down at his paper, smiled even wider, and spoke.
“Seong Suho and Luna Staatfeldt!”
“...Yes?”
Excluding the senior professors who already knew, the students began buzzing with intense surprise, and even Luna looked at me with a face full of total shock. Announcing two separate names out of nowhere for the singular top spot— of course they were going to be stunned…
“This year’s first-year overall top honors… belong to both of you equally.”
Clap clap clap clap clap!!
After a fleeting moment of confusion, everyone in the hall seemed to understand the dean's logic and responded with a thunderous round of applause. I gently patted the still-dazed Luna’s shoulder and whispered,
“Let’s go up together.”
“Uh… um… okay…”
“Come on, move quick.”
I gently tugged on Luna’s shoulder, and we both approached where the dean stood waiting. The dean smiled warmly and began handing us our official certificates.
“You have both worked incredibly hard this term.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Th-thank you very much…”
Luna humbly accepted hers while still looking a bit out of it, and after receiving mine, I took a moment to look back at Louis, who was still standing dumbly in the center of the auditorium. He looked like the literal incarnation of despair.
‘Eh, I actually thought he’d at least throw a public tantrum once, but he’s being far too quiet.’
‘A guy like that won’t resort to a cheap-shot from the back…’ I reasoned. He might if he were truly pushed to the brink, but given Louis’s usual obsession with his family honor, he wouldn’t easily do something that might tarnish it. Though… if he believed he could do it secretly, I knew he would totally go for it and then some.
The dean finally finished awarding us our certificates and addressed the entire student body one last time.
“Everyone, you have all worked exceptionally hard. Please go and enjoy your well-deserved summer break, and I will see all of you back here for the fall semester.”
The students responded with a final, massive wave of cheers and applause. Amid the noise and the celebration, I could finally turn and speak properly to Luna.
“Congratulations on taking first place, Luna.”
“Ah…”
Luna looked up at me, finally grasping the reality of our shared victory, and offered me a bright, radiant smile.
“Congratulations to you too, Suho… on taking first place.”
We exchanged our congratulations, and under the cover of the crowd, we interlocked our fingers together like a single person’s hand, smiling where others couldn’t see. and among the throngs of happy students, Louis stood pathetically like a forgotten extra, his eyes endlessly staring at our linked hands.