Chapter 51: I Became the Delightful Mastermind in the Academy Novel My Friend Wrote.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 51: I Became the Delightful Mastermind in the Academy Novel My Friend Wrote.
The piece of trash, who had spent his entire life inflicting pain on others but had never known it himself, lay sprawled on the ground, coughing up blood.
“Ugh… cough…! What… urgh…!? What the hell is…!”
“Hurts, doesn’t it? That’s why you shouldn’t go around copying other people’s talents when you don’t even understand them.”
“You lunatic! How the hell are you enduring this?! What kind of monstrous willpower do you have?!”
Well, it’s not exactly willpower that’s getting me through this.
But I had no obligation or reason to answer him.
“Up we go.”
I retrieved the Ruyi, which I had lightened just before he threw it, and shifted its form into a familiar-looking knife.
“Wait… wait a minute. Fine, let’s join forces.”
“Ho? Don’t you hate humans? Didn’t you think of us as inferior creatures?”
“How… how could I think of someone as strong as you as inferior? Yes. An executive. You might not know this, but I’ll make sure you’re recruited as an executive in our organization. A much brighter future awaits you there than simply becoming some lowly hero.”
“Oh, that sounds tempting.”
An executive position in the Twelve Zodiacs? The group where everyone except the leader dies by the latter half of the Academy arc?
I took a step forward, showing absolutely no interest.
“Wait…! Ugh… Fine, if you don’t like the organization, then Elves! I’ll introduce you to Elf women. You humans go crazy for Elf slaves, don’t you?”
“Haha, now that actually sounds nice. But no thanks. I don’t feel like getting stabbed by Lilac later.”
Lilac is a good kid; he hates things like slavery.
“Wait, just wait a second! Dammit! Tell me what you want! There must be something!”
“Nothing. To be precise, there’s nothing you can give me.”
Since he had pushed his Innate True Qi to its limit, he wouldn’t be able to use mana, let alone his artifacts. Most artifacts require energy to operate.
“Why are you doing this to me in the first place?! What did I ever do to you?!”
“Well, if we’re counting, there are a few things. I almost died at the entrance ceremony, for one. But that’s not really why I’m doing this.”
“Then why…!”
He shouted as if it were terribly unfair, but I just found it absurd.
To be honest, I was killing him for a somewhat ridiculous reason, but he was the last person who should be complaining about fairness.
“It’s because you’re too tacky.”
“…What?”
“Just think of it as your type of villain not being popular these days. Third-rate villains are one of the biggest reasons readers drop a series.”
“…Fuck, what the hell does that even mean?”
“Wow, you’re even swearing now. If it feels that unfair, look at it this way: as long as you’re around, the Academy will never be quiet. These kids are going to be working their asses off after graduation anyway. Isn’t it a bit much that they can’t even go on a school trip, take their exams properly, or even experience romance in what’s supposed to be an Academy story?”
“…?”
The man looked like he couldn’t understand a word I was saying. Or perhaps he just couldn’t accept that he was dying for such a reason.
“I told your first love this too, but I’m going to save the heroes. I’m not just going to save their lives; I’m going to make sure they can enjoy the things they deserve to enjoy.”
“I get it! Then I won’t set foot in Leilan Academy ever again! I’ll live quietly while I recover! No, if that’s not enough, I’ll give you all the information I have on the other members of the Twelve Zodiacs!”
“Don’t need it. I already know everything. Besides, a third-rate villain like you would definitely try to get revenge if I let you live, wouldn’t you?”
“No! I don’t know why you keep calling me third-rate, but I’ll keep my word on my honor as an Elf!”
— I promise on my honor as an Elf. I won’t lay a finger on your comrades.
“Pfft…! You really are a consistent bastard.”
That consistency gave me all the confirmation I needed.
In the original novel, you said those exact words before beating Kang Ha-ni to a pulp and throwing her at Lilac. You offered a deal to Yu-na, who was trying to protect Lilac, and then put a hole in Lilac’s stomach anyway. You even mocked them by bringing up the deceased Professor Cathy.
“Please…! Please spare me…!”
Yes, this is how it should be.
This is the death that suits you.
A villain who is nothing but a nuisance should exit the stage lonely, before anyone even has the chance to hate them, without leaving any impact on the story.
I raised the knife and drove it down, exactly as I had practiced so hard.
The sensation that traveled up my hand was remarkably similar to what I had felt during my practice in VR.
The only difference was that he didn’t shatter into particles of light.
As he gasped, unable to even scream, the life slowly faded from his eyes.
It was a pathetic end for a villain who was supposed to turn the Academy upside down and plunge the world into chaos.
[Achievement Unlocked: You have hunted future villains on behalf of the protagonist. The title ‘Dark Hero’ has been created.]
…Who’s a dark hero? Fuck.
I didn’t feel as cheerful or refreshed as I expected.
Even though I had finally cut out the first cancer cell of this novel, I felt strangely uneasy.
I wanted to crack a joke like usual, but even that wasn’t easy.
[The Will of the Saint strengthens your willpower.]
“…Thanks. Yeah.”
Let’s think positively. I’ve bought some time with this.
There are no traitors left in the Academy, and the incident where the Chairperson suddenly retires won’t happen now.
— Are you alright?
I heard Sun Wukong’s voice from inside the Ruyi Bang.
“Why wouldn’t I be? Even if I’m not, I have to get used to it.”
— Is that so? If you say you are fine, then so be it. But do you know this?
“Yes?”
— Surprisingly, even if one feels they are fine, they often do not truly know if they are.
“…What are you talking about? Don’t say such ominous things.”
Regardless, I couldn’t just stand here. For the sake of my future plans, I had to take what I could from him.
Most of the artifacts he possessed were bound to the user and couldn’t be stolen, but a few could be used if a new contract was established.
Most notably, the Black Shadow he used as his main weapon was something that could be contracted to a new master. I could also take the ‘Undecaying Doll,’ an artifact he had hidden away to turn the Chairperson of Leilan into a puppet.
And above all, the item I wanted to take from him most was, fortunately, tucked away safely in his coat.
The dragon-shaped mask of the Twelve Zodiacs. This mask, which possessed a perception-blocking effect, was the thing I wanted most among the items I intended to seize.
Well, they said the design could be modified to whatever form I wanted, so that was fine. Honestly, I didn’t really want to wear a mask, but perception-blocking effects are hard to come by otherwise.
Why did I need this?
I’d been thinking about something for a while.
Is it really okay to leave things like this?
I mean, because I’ve killed them all or sent them to prison, the early-game villains are completely gone.
My goal is to fix the novel in an interesting direction, not to rob the protagonist of every opportunity to grow.
It’s good that they’re enjoying academy life, but this is the point where they need a villain to provide a moderate amount of stimulation.
It’s even more necessary when considering the world after graduation.
But even if I wanted to find a charming villain or someone to help them grow right now, there was no way such a person would just appear.
I dusted off the mask and put it on.
It didn’t feel like anything had changed, but fortunately, I had an artifact nearby to test it.
— Ho, how fascinating. It feels as if you are not yourself. Because of the alien energy, no one unless they possess extraordinary insight would be able to see through it.
“That’s a relief.”
So, just for a little while. Until I find and nurture a decent villain.
“From now on, I’m the mastermind of this neighborhood.”
I plan to play the role of the Academy’s delightful mastermind.
I’ve already put some thought into the new recruits I’ll bring in as subordinates.
Of course, I wasn’t going to start right this second.
I tucked away the bottle containing the liquid-state Undecaying Doll and looked at the last remaining item, the Black Shadow.
Coiled like a black serpent, it had already emerged from its previous master’s body.
Hmm, I was actually a bit hesitant about contracting with this thing.
It wasn’t an artifact with a massive penalty, but contracting with it leaves a very prominent mark on the body.
Once you form a contract with this artifact, a chuunibyou-esque pattern appears somewhere on your body that is absolutely impossible to explain away.
“Is this really the time to be picky…?”
To act as a villain, honestly, just Reinforcement and the Ruyi weren’t enough.
The Black Shadow was a fairly powerful artifact even in this state, and it was a special artifact capable of Awakening. As long as it didn’t reject me, it was right to contract with it.
Honestly, I half-hoped it might reject me, but the moment I cautiously reached out, it coiled around my arm as if it had been waiting.
Uh, fuck, not the arm…! It’ll be visible when I wear my summer uniform…!
Whether it cared or not, the thing seemed to like my left hand. It opened its mouth wide like a snake and bit down on the back of my hand.
After a brief sting of pain, a small tattoo appeared on the back of my hand, signaling the successful completion of the contract.
I wasn’t particularly fond of the design—a winged serpent—but at least it wasn’t too large.
“That’s everything worth taking.”
Now I just had to hide the evidence. Fortunately, the Black Shadow I just acquired had the perfect function for that.
“…Black Shadow.”
The black shadow settled within my body squirmed as if answering the call.
“Eat.”
A massive maw emerged from the back of my hand and, without hesitation, devoured what had been its master until just minutes ago.
To the shadow, it was simply following its new master’s orders, but I couldn’t help but feel a slight chill.
Predation.
The Black Shadow’s authority to manipulate shadows resets every time its master changes, but it grows stronger each time it is fed.
Perhaps satisfied with its first meal, the shadow resembling a black snake rubbed against me as if acting cute, but honestly, it was more terrifying than cute.
* * *
With every step closer to the dormitory, fatigue washed over me.
It felt like the exhaustion I’d been holding back had finally hit me now that the big task was done without a hitch. Or perhaps the burden of having killed someone with my own hands for the first time was heavier than I thought.
Of course, it was a conclusion I had reached after much deliberation.
Whether to kill him instead of restraining him, or to deal with him now instead of catching him safely later—I had agonized over all of it. Yet, the questions still surfaced.
If it were Lilac, would he have killed him?
Was there really no way to solve this without killing him?
And the answer to those questions remained the same.
He had to die, and there was no other way.
If he had been even slightly more sincere about his love, maybe it could have been resolved. But his base possessiveness had long since overtaken any love he felt. If I had spared him, he was the type to feel resentment rather than gratitude.
“Oh my.”
“Oh.”
On my heavy-footed way back to the dorm, I ran into a familiar face.
Chae Yu-jin.
She was a girl I strangely kept running into whenever something big ended. In the original story, she was likely an extra who would have died along with Kang So-hyun.
“Where are you coming from at this hour?”
“Just… around.”
“…You look a bit exhausted. Are you okay?”
I wasn’t even that close to her, so for her to say that, I must really look like a mess right now.
“Listen. Honestly, I don’t know what happened, and I know I’m meddling, but don’t regret it too much.”
“…What?”
Ah, my response came out a bit sharp, even though it wasn’t her fault.
She could have been offended, but she just gave a little giggle and continued.
“It’s already done, isn’t it? If you were going to regret it, you wouldn’t have done it in the first place. Didn’t you do it because you thought it was the best choice at the time?”
It was a bit surprising.
She couldn’t possibly know what had happened, yet her comfort pierced right through to the heart of my situation.
“Like I told you before, observing people is my hobby. You just looked uglier than usual, so I thought I’d meddle a bit.”
“…Ah, man. I was almost touched for a second.”
“Is that so? I think it’s a bit early to be touched, though.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that making you feel touched is someone else’s job, not mine. You probably won’t regret it, you know?”
Her voice was too full of certainty to be mere consolation.
“…How would you know that?”
“You see a lot of things when you observe people. So-hyun, you seem to think that if you don’t do anything, everyone else just stands still. But while you’re doing something, other people are doing things too.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“I’m saying you should hurry back to the dorm! Any more than this would be a spoiler, so I’ll stop here!”
She turned around with the same exaggerated gestures she’d used when we first met, laughing as she walked away.
“…What’s at the dorm?”
* * *
The moment I arrived at my room, I smelled something delicious.
“Oh? So-hyun, hurry! Come here! Quick!”
“Oh, wow. You look a bit better than you did this morning.”
“…What are you guys doing?”
“We thought it might be a bit much to invite the other girls to the boys’ dorm.”
To put it simply, Lilac was wearing ridiculous glasses and a hat while holding a cake, and Kang Ha-ni was busy cooking various dishes.
“We bought this with the others because you seemed down. Are you surprised?”
“Dinner’s almost ready, so wait. If you eat the cake first, you won’t be able to eat your meal.”
Honestly, I was surprised.
I knew they’d noticed I was feeling down, but I didn’t expect them to prepare an event like this.
“Professor Cathy and Yu-na chipped in for the cake too.”
“Really?”
I could understand the secret friend, but the Pink Chihuahua spent her own money on me…?
Did she just buy it because Lilac asked her to…?
“Oh, Yu-hak said you’d be fine and overcome it on your own without something like this.”
…Ah, man.
It hurt my pride.
It strangely hurt my pride to be touched by such a cliché development.
“…Thanks.”
Yeah, for now, this was enough.
For the sake of the classic, cheesy happy ending I wanted to see, none of these people should die.
I should be satisfied with having been able to protect them.
“…Uh.”
“…Whoa?”
But the two who heard my thanks were stunned.
“…You can actually say thank you while smiling?”
“The others won’t believe me if I tell them tomorrow, right?”
I mean, these guys… after I finally went out of my way to thank them.
“…Seriously, I’m letting it slide just for today.”
Still, it wasn’t a bad feeling at all.