Chapter 290
Chapter 290
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 290
Chapter Title: How to Steal the Protagonist's Woman
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‘Phew… I really need to focus on building up my physical stamina and core strength.’
All the way from my dorm to the cafeteria for breakfast, I found myself walking with a slight wince, naturally clutching my waist as a dull ache radiated through my midsection.
‘No, it’s not that it actively hurts in a medical sense… How should I put it? It’s more like a combination of psychological fatigue and phantom muscle strain, I guess?’
[…?]
The sharp pain I’d briefly felt yesterday during the heat of the moment still lingered in my mind like a phantom agony. I’d never once thought that lifting someone of Luna’s build would be a significant strain on my body, but after absolutely abusing my waist and lower body in that specific standing position, I finally understood just how physically demanding standing sex truly was. It was a sobering moment that confirmed my sense of reality had been significantly dulled from only ever witnessing such scenes in games or movies.
‘I definitely need to practice this position a lot more with Seo-hyun later when we finally get our chance to do it together.’
I considered the logistical challenge of asking the ultimate heroine, Cho Seo-hyun, for standing sex practice… Come to think of it, I wondered what kind of shocked expression she’d make if I suggested such a thing, especially since it hadn’t even been that long since my actual first time. I’m genuinely curious to find out!
Grinning mischievously to myself, I continued my trek toward the cafeteria, where I spotted a group of guys gathered along the route. They seemed to have met up early in the morning specifically to chatter away busily about something. That’s what I initially thought as I passed them, but then I noticed them glancing at me and heard them starting to murmur my name in hushed, suspicious tones.
“That’s him, right? That’s Seong Suho?”
“Yeah, the guy who somehow managed to get first place in the practicals after being gone for a month…”
“Do you actually think that’s for real, or is there something shady going on?”
What exactly is ‘that,’ you bunch of otakus?
I was curious to know what ‘that’ referred to, but I’d already passed them and didn't want to make a scene, so I simply shrugged it off and kept moving. But those weirdos weren’t the only ones paying attention to me. The next group of girls I ran into, and even the boys walking behind them, all snuck subtle peeks at me while whispering my name. The problem was that I had absolutely no idea what kind of rumors they were currently spreading…
Is this just because I got first place and suddenly became the academy celebrity?
It felt nice getting this much attention deep down, but I realized that if it happened every single day like this, it would quickly become an exhausting burden. I figured the hype would probably die down once everyone left for summer break. With that hopeful thought, I finally arrived at the cafeteria entrance, and Armonia immediately pinged me via the internal comms.
‘Ah… about that…’
After finishing our intense session yesterday, I’d briefly considered heading straight back to home base, but after safely dropping Luna off at her dorm, I’d unconsciously flopped into my own bed and crashed from pure exhaustion. The real reason I hadn’t returned to the ship immediately, however, was quite simple.
“Well, good morning, Louis. Looking a bit tired today?”
“…”
I had stayed specifically to thoroughly mess with Louis one last time before leaving. I spotted him loitering near the cafeteria entrance like he was waiting for someone, so I walked up, tapped his shoulder, and asked with a grin,
“So, how did the final results go for you? Did you actually manage to do well on the exam?”
“…Hmph.”
…The reaction is significantly blander than I expected it to be?
Truth be told, I’d delayed my return specifically because I wanted to see Louis’s face turn a violent shade of beet-red with rage as he threw a spectacular fit at the mere sight of me. But Louis just stood there, glaring calmly and letting out a dismissive snort, showing absolutely no outward sign of fury. This was ruining the whole reason I’d stuck around in the first place… I’d have much preferred it if he’d blown up so bad he went prematurely bald from the stress. I decided to prod him again.
“Hey, I asked you a question. How was the exam? Aha, I see… are you already expecting to be treated like high royalty? Do nobles normally just ‘hmph’ their way through conversations with their peers?”
“You little commoner trash…”
Mentioning our bet finally managed to get a visible rise out of him. Since his pride was his defining trait, I figured enough verbal poking would eventually make him snap, so right before breakfast, I planned to grind him down completely—but then something incredibly weird slipped from Louis’s mouth.
“You think you’re so special, don’t you? Trash like you doesn't belong here.”
“…?”
“Cheating your way to the top of the exam and now you have the audacity to strut around like you earned it? Do you feel no embarrassment at all?”
The students gathered at the entrance—and even those already sitting inside—began to pour out into the hallway to gawk at the confrontation as Louis spoke. I stared at him in genuine disbelief and asked,
“What are you even talking about? Cheating?”
“Yeah, don't play dumb. Do you really think the whole school doesn’t know the truth by now? Everyone has already heard that you somehow stole the exam questions in advance just to snag that first-place spot.”
“Haha… wow.”
I could only let out a short, hollow laugh at the sheer absurdity of his accusation. But as I scanned the growing crowd, I could gauge just how serious this rumor had actually gotten in a short amount of time.
“He definitely stole and peeked at the exam papers, right? There’s no other way.”
“I mean, he got suspended for a month, so what else could possibly explain such high scores…”
“Maybe he’s just always been a good student? I heard someone saw him studying late in the library every night.”
“What, so you’re saying the rest of us were just slacking off? Don’t be ridiculous.”
A few lonely voices tried to defend me, but they were quickly drowned out by the vocal minority. The rumor was sweeping through the student body like a fierce wave, devouring any dissenting opinions and rapidly spreading as the accepted truth of the situation.
Well, technically it is true, so I don’t really have a moral defense here.
The plain truth was that I had used the leaked exam data to secure my first-place ranking, so yeah, I didn't have much of a leg to stand on. But I couldn’t just let this social assassination slide. If I brushed it off here with a simple “Don’t spout nonsense,” Louis would undoubtedly use the rumor as a convenient excuse to void our bet. I’d planned to spend the summer break lording over him at his prestigious family home, and this scandal threatened to derail everything I’d worked for.
I won that bet fair and square—in my own unique way—and I’m not letting it go that easily.
I looked Louis in the eye and asked calmly,
“So, tell me, what actual proof do you have that I stole the exam questions?”
“Does such a blatant situation even need physical proof? If your final score doesn’t match your actual magical skill level, shouldn’t you have the decency to confess on your own?”
Louis rattled off his accusations with an air of authority, as if he were stamping them with official approval.
“If you confess now, maybe the dean will be lenient and you’ll just get another suspension. I hear that if you get caught for real, it’s immediate expulsion. You should confess right now if you want any hope of saving your skin.”
“Haha… you really are something else.”
He was clearly pulling out all the stops to cement my status as a cheater in the eyes of the public. As I was pondering how to overcome this sudden shift in momentum, a sharp, authoritative woman’s voice rang out from behind the crowd.
“What exactly is everyone doing gathered here like this?”
Pushing their way through the circle of gawking students were three elderly professors. The sharp voice belonged to the old woman professor walking in the middle.
“What is the meaning of all this commotion at the cafeteria entrance?”
“Ah… well… Professor Magerta…”
I reached up and scratched my temple awkwardly, about to offer an explanation, when Louis quickly preempted me.
“Professor, I have something very serious to report regarding this student’s blatant cheating on the exams.”
“Cheating, you say?”
Not just the old woman— the other two senior professors raised their brows at me in unison, their expressions becoming severe.
Damn it, this is rapidly getting incredibly annoying…
***
The reaction from the faculty was far more intense than I had originally anticipated. While most of the professors initially dismissed the accusations as baseless student rumors, the sentiment had spread uncontrollably among the general student body. Louis was eventually summoned to a private room and grilled by a panel of senior staff. His argument was frustratingly simple: the surrounding circumstances and my suspicious behavior made Seong Suho’s cheating a near mathematical certainty. The professors found the lack of evidence ridiculous, but they realized they couldn't ignore the matter entirely, as so many students were now echoing the suspicion.
If it were just Louis making the claim, they’d have likely called him delusional and moved on—but the public pressure was mounting. Watching him with a critical eye, the old professor spoke up.
“Let’s assume for a moment that you are correct and this student did indeed cheat. Where exactly is the physical evidence to support such a claim?”
“Well… I don't have it on me right now…”
Louis hemmed and hawed, unable to provide a concrete answer. It was clear that voiding the bet was his top priority, and he didn't care if he had evidence or not.
“So you are bringing these grave charges with absolutely no proof?”
“I don't have proof of the act itself, but… there is a definitive way to prove his lack of knowledge.”
“A way to prove it? What are you suggesting?”
Louis cautiously proposed a specific method to verify my alleged cheating to Professor Magerta. But she immediately shot the idea down with a loud, indignant tone.
“That is absolutely ridiculous!”
“But Professor, that is the only way to silence the rumors once and for all…”
“Do you even realize how absurd and disrespectful that sounds? What on earth gives a student the right to judge another student’s…”
The other professors began to whisper among themselves at her outburst.
“This is quite a tricky situation for the academy.”
“Yeah, the students waiting outside seem to be getting pretty riled up as the news spreads…”
Hearing their concerns, Professor Magerta closed her eyes in deep thought. The exams were officially over, regardless of any lingering suspicions. However, branding the new top student as a cheater based on mere doubt in the middle of this chaos could backfire spectacularly over the summer break.
If he is actually innocent and we let these rumors fester, it will be a disaster for the school’s reputation as well.
The idea of a top student returning after the break already labeled a cheater would permanently tarnish both his future and the school’s image. Seeing the shift in her expression, Louis allowed a small, triumphant smirk to grace his face.
Seong Suho… you think I don’t know the truth? You think you can just walk away with my pride? Just you watch.
..
..
“So, that is the current situation we find ourselves in, and we have called you here to hear your side of the story.”
“Ah… I see.”
Professor Magerta had summoned me to her office immediately after and explained the faculty's dilemma. She made it clear that she understood my position was incredibly awkward, but letting the rumors fester over the summer would only make things worse for everyone. She admitted the proposal was so outlandish that she wouldn't force me to participate.
“Of course, you have every right to refuse this request. We are not in any way trying to coerce you into compliance.”
“Hm… I suppose it’s a reasonable suspicion for them to have, given the circumstances.”
“So, what is your decision?”
“Can you first tell me exactly how they proposed to resolve this?”
Professor Magerta offered a slow nod.
“One of the complaining students—the one who seems to be the ringleader of this movement—has confidently offered to personally create a set of difficult magical problems for you to solve in a controlled environment.”
“And my task would be to solve them right in front of everyone?”
“Exactly. Honestly, we professors hate the very idea of students sitting in judgment of their peers.”
It was clear that Louis’s impressive second-place ranking was the only reason this proposal had even reached this far. If he’d ranked lower than fifth, his claims would have been dismissed as an instant demerit for jealousy.
This entire situation is dangerously ambiguous… he might have actually cheated, but it could also be a case of the other student framing him out of spite over the rankings…
If I hadn’t been suspended for a month, I knew Magerta wouldn't even be entertaining this madness. But returning from a month-long absence to take third in theory and first in practicals? It was hard for even the most objective professor to swallow. I looked at Professor Magerta with a puzzled expression.
“If it’s not too rude of me to ask… wouldn’t it be far more convincing and professional if you professors were the ones to make the problems?”
I had a very strong point. A student-vs-student evaluation was almost laughable in an academic setting; problems crafted by professors would silence every rumor instantly.
“Student Suho… it is well-known that you are quite close with Professor Sonya, correct?”
“Uh… yes, I suppose so.”
Caught completely off-guard by the sudden mention of her name, I felt my composure falter for a second. The professor looked visibly exasperated.
“This is incredibly awkward for me to have to say, but the ringleader suggested that you used that specific personal connection to leak the exam questions in advance.”
“No! That is absolutely not true!”
Forgetting myself for a moment, I shot up from my chair to protest the slander, but Magerta quickly waved me back down.
“We are aware of the logic. We do not personally believe that is the case at all. Adjunct professors have absolutely nothing to do with the drafting or handling of exams anyway.”
“Ah… I apologize. It was just so absurdly false that I lost my temper for a second.”
“It’s fine, I understand. So… what is your final answer?”
I offered a slow nod and flashed a brief, confident smile.
“To ensure no further harm or scandal comes to the school’s reputation, I will accept the challenge.”