Chapter 386: Amusement Parks are Irresistible (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 386: Amusement Parks are Irresistible (5)
And so, lunchtime arrived.
Everyone was smiling as they unpacked the lunches they had prepared—everyone, that is, except for Ga-eul, who looked like her soul had left her body after missing out on the wish ticket right before her eyes.
Well, even though I say “everyone,” the ones worth looking forward to were already decided; the rest were just there to fill out the ranks.
Since Ha-ni and I prepared ours together, I’ll skip that. As everyone showed off their lunches, the menu seemed even more extravagant than back at the Rose Festival, perhaps because there were more people this time.
Cathy Noona’s lunchbox showed an incredible amount of effort, featuring bite-sized hamburg steaks and omurice shaped like fried tofu rice balls.
Lee Yu-na and Ju Ri-ra had also prepared dishes tailored specifically to their boyfriends’ tastes.
As for Ga-eul, perhaps because I had praised her eggs before, she opened a lunchbox consisting entirely of egg-based dishes—braised eggs, fried eggs, omelets, and more—which made everyone burst into laughter.
I had an image of the Chairperson being a vegetarian, but surprisingly, she had brought meat skewers. Professor Park A-ram went with the safe and classic choice of kimbap.
And then there was my sister.
“I figured everyone would bring a meal, so I prepared dessert.”
To be honest, I hadn’t prepared any dessert because I thought we could just buy something simple, but Noona had prepared chocolate-covered fruit.
Combined with the tea Rose had brought, the balance was perfect.
Mm, everyone really does have great sense, one way or another.
Finally, when it was Aisha’s turn…
We were all a bit taken aback.
Aisha’s lunch was of such high quality that it felt wrong to even call it a “lunchbox.”
Using a thermal lunchbox, the first tier held soup to keep the rest warm. The second tier was filled with colorful side dishes, including lean steaks with the fat removed, corn, and sweet pumpkin salad. The third tier featured rice balls wrapped in bacon and grilled.
It was a lunch that clearly didn’t look like the work of a beginner.
Honestly, the quality didn’t fall behind the lunch Ha-ni and I had made. The problem, however, was that Aisha’s own reaction to the food she brought wasn’t exactly positive.
The reason for that was…
‘Wait, was everyone supposed to make these themselves…? I just ordered mine…?’
They say a rich family lasts three generations even after a fall.
Though the AG Group had collapsed disastrously, it didn’t mean Aisha had become a beggar. Because she had cooperated in capturing her own grandfather and played an active role in the war against the demons, her private property hadn’t been confiscated.
Well, for Aisha, who had always eaten food prepared by others, the concept of “cooking” as something one does personally probably didn’t even exist.
“Wow, Aisha, you’re a good cook? I’m seeing you in a new light.”
Of course, the others, who had no way of knowing the circumstances, naturally assumed Aisha had made it herself.
I mean, it wasn’t like we had made a pact that everything had to be handmade. And honestly, it’s better to buy something than to bring a failed kimbap-like mess like Lilac or Cheon Yu-hak did.
‘…They won’t know anyway, so should I just say I made it?’
However, lying about it wouldn’t be a very good look.
…If I didn’t know, I wouldn’t have to think about this. Every time this happens, I realize that being able to see into people’s hearts isn’t always a good thing.
“…Ah, um. Actually, I didn’t make this.”
Surprisingly, Aisha honestly confessed that she hadn’t made it herself.
If it were the Aisha I knew from the past, her pride would have forced her to insist she’d made it.
“I mean, well. I’ve just never cooked before. It felt natural to ask someone else to do it. I’ll try making it myself next time.”
Seeing her like this made me feel proud, thinking she had grown quite a bit. But then…
‘No, this is a trap! If I act all cool and say I made it, the “Devil’s Proof” will begin! They’ll definitely say, “Oh, really? Then make it again right now!” When I fail to prove it, I’ll be branded a liar and So-hyun will look at me with contempt… wait. That actually doesn’t sound too bad.’
…No, it sounds very bad.
‘No, anyway! I won’t be fooled! Life would never give me a chance that easily! Being honest will earn me more points than being a liar in front of So-hyun! O-ho-ho!’
Wow, Aisha even laughs like that in her head.
Anyway, while Aisha’s confession was a proud moment for me, it wasn’t a big deal to the others, so they just let it slide.
Only Ga-eul excitedly reached out to Aisha, seemingly intent on making her an ally.
“Ah~! I thought it looked way too professional. But if you’re interested, you should join the Cooking Research Club too!”
“Huh? Hasn’t the club application period already passed?”
“It’s fine. You can participate in the Cooking Research Club even if you’re not an official member. The seniors will love it!”
Mm, everyone’s getting along so well.
* * *
“Is this the right way?”
“Yeah, I’m sure of it.”
Meanwhile, as they were enjoying themselves and sharing their lunches, a dark shadow was falling over Leilan Academy.
After Chairperson Leilan revealed her true identity, she had been rapidly solidifying her base of support. To stop her, the Association had chosen a very classic and, if successful, foolproof method.
They had hired assassins from an unsanctioned guild that handled illegal work.
The duo consisted of one person in charge of infiltration using a ‘Hades’ Helmet Replica’ and another who used a ‘Intangible Poison’ created through their talent to weaken the target.
The two were quite famous in the underworld. Even as they slipped into the Chairperson’s office, they thought this mission would be as simple as any other.
The Intangible Poison created by the talent was colorless, odorless, and tasteless.
While its immediate effect wasn’t incredibly powerful, that was exactly why it was so dangerous; it was difficult to realize one had been poisoned until the symptoms actually manifested.
Sprinkling this Intangible Poison on the target’s frequently used tableware, tools, common areas, or private rooms to slowly weaken them—that was their method of assassination, and it had boasted a very high success rate.
The combination of a near-myth-grade artifact that was top-tier for hiding one’s presence and a poison that was impossible to detect until it was too long was practically unstoppable unless one knew about it beforehand. From their perspective, it was only natural to think it would be easy.
“Alright, it’s open. Go in, spray it, and get out.”
“By the way, for someone who claims to be a High Elf, Chairperson Leilan is surprisingly negligent. A regular lock, not even an artifact, is the only security?”
“Well, the stronger people are, the more they tend to let their guard down in small things. Don’t waste time, just get in there and spray it.”
When his partner didn’t reply, he assumed the work had begun and decided to keep watch as usual, unfolding a map to check the next point.
It was only after some time had passed that he realized something was wrong.
“Hey, why are you taking so long? It’s not even that big. You’re not wasting time stealing things again, are you?”
His partner was skilled but had a kleptomaniac streak that occasionally almost ruined jobs, so he assumed that was the case this time as well.
However, even when he pressed for an answer, there was no response. Feeling a sense of unease, he peered inside the Chairperson’s office.
His partner was standing there blankly, muttering something and laughing. Despite the ominous feeling, he slowly approached his partner.
“Huh?”
The moment he blinked, he found himself in a place he had never seen before.
He had clearly been inside the Academy building just a moment ago. What on earth was happening?
“Oh my, did you come with this gentleman too?”
Raising his guard, the assassin drew a poisoned knife. He almost let his guard down for a moment at the sight of the cute women who had suddenly appeared and were looking at him.
“Hey, what took you so long? Come here, quick.”
If he hadn’t felt the dissonance from seeing his partner looking at him with vacant eyes, he might have been fooled.
“Get it together, you idiot…! This is obviously a trap!”
“A trap? We just want to do something nice with you boys.”
“That’s right. Let’s do something that feels good, okay?”
Their numbers grew. At first, there were only about ten, but soon, pink-colored gazes filled the surroundings until they crowded the area.
Haha, so the security wasn’t lax; they had prepared a trap?
I’ll have to demand more pay when I get back…
He managed to keep his sanity and entered a combat stance, but his resistance didn’t last long.
“Ah…?”
The moment he saw the impossibly beautiful pink-haired woman who appeared shortly after, the man’s reason completely melted away. All he could think about was wanting to be held in her arms.
“Mm, you endured well. How admirable. Since you held out so long, you’ve earned a reward, haven’t you?”
“A reward…? A reward?”
“Yes, come here. In this place, there is no pain, no sadness—only pleasure exists.”
The light of intelligence finally vanished from his eyes as he stared at the pink-tinted space. He slowly walked toward the woman beckoning him.
One step, then another.
Even after his final step met empty air and he realized he had thrown himself out of an open window, he still reached out toward the beautiful woman watching him.
“The reward…”
Because he had lost his mind, he failed to use any fall-breaking techniques or mana reinforcement.
Even at the moment his neck snapped and he died…
“Everyone. This is a rare treat, so make sure to eat it cleanly without leaving a trace, okay?”
“Yes!”
…A reward…?
He was lost in the sensation of his brain melting into a sludge of pleasurable pain.
Perhaps an assassin who had only ever dealt with humans was simply no match for a Succubus Queen and her legion.
“It’s far too little compared to the grace I received that day, but I hope this was of some help.”
Thus, the dark shadow that had fallen over the Academy devoured the wicked assassins and vanished with a smile.
* * *
Ah, they caught them?
While we were sharing lunch, I received word from the Succubus Queen.
I wondered if these bastards would try something, and sure enough.
Their tactics never change, do they?
In the 1st timeline, when the Association’s situation worsened and they began suppressing superhumans under a dictatorship, a new group of heroes rose up against them.
Naturally, superhumans aren’t idiots; they’ll rise up when their rights are infringed upon.
Back then, the Association solved it by hiring criminals to assassinate the hero who was the focal point of the new group.
They really were insane, but ridiculously enough, that method worked quite well, and no new hero organizations could be formed.
Well, even without that specific incident, assassination was a method they frequently favored.
So I figured they would move if they saw an opening like this.
The problem was that there wasn’t just one or two assassins, and since I didn’t know who would come, setting a trap was quite tricky.
However, if the target was the Chairperson and they were the type to move when an opening appeared, I had a few candidates in mind. Since most of them weren’t physically powerful, I prepared a countermeasure, and it hit the mark perfectly.
“Everyone’s cooking skills are excellent. Most restaurants wouldn’t even be able to compete.”
Thanks to that, our Chairperson was enjoying her food with such a peaceful and satisfied face.
Could she even dream that she had just been under threat of assassination?
“Hehe, try this too!”
“Ah, thank you, Cadet Ga-eul. Seeing your skill, you must make this often. You seem to really like egg dishes.”
“Ah, yes! Well! You could say that!”
Well, the Chairperson needs to rest sometimes too. She said herself that things have been hard since she revealed her identity.
“Leilan. Aren’t you being a bit too relaxed~? What will the cadets learn from watching you?”
“I think I can relax a little in front of our honor students. I’ve been so tired lately.”
“Haha, that’s true. Ah, by the way, this is really delicious. I don’t think I can go to restaurants anymore~. Maybe I’ll drop by the dormitory for dinner sometimes…”
“Unnie.”
“Ah, geez! I didn’t say I was going to Kang So-hyun’s dorm!”
“Then where were you planning to go?”
“To Kang So-hyun’s dorm, obviously. I’m sure So-hyun would like it too! Luna and I are super close, you know!?”
“So-hyun would be uncomfortable! And I’m closer to Luna than you are!?”
Everyone burst into laughter at the sight of the Academy’s popular professor duo bickering, and the Chairperson laughed the loudest of all.
“To think those two would fight over a single man. I’ve truly lived long enough to see everything.”
Watching the Chairperson step in to settle the situation while looking at the two professors like they were cute younger sisters, and seeing her laugh so joyfully, made me feel that protecting her was the right choice.
I can’t help but feel a bit proud.