Chapter 10
Chapter 10
I’m Not Trembling Anymore.
Crash!!
Lillian hurled the silver washbasin in her hands directly at the mirror.
But the mirror did not shatter. Instead, the basin crumpled upon impact and rolled across the floor.
“ Fuck…… fuck……!! Why won’t this disappear!!! ”
Lillian collapsed before the mirror.
Her forehead was swollen red and covered in scabs.
For the past several hours, she had desperately tried to erase the two characters 「Idiot」 branded physically onto her forehead.
She washed it with holy water.
Scrubbed it with polishing agents, and eventually even tried peeling off the skin itself using a steel scourer.
But even as blood flowed and flesh tore apart, the ink mark not only remained—it glowed even more vividly atop the ripped skin.
“ This…… isn’t ‘magic.’ ”
Lillian muttered while trembling violently.
If it had truly been “magic,” her own innate magical power would have resisted or purified this curse-like debuff spell.
Which meant that quack bastard……
Was using some kind of unknown power?
Or perhaps…… an overwhelming level of magic?
“ Just what the hell……! ”
That damned quack had humiliated her using an unknown “power” that completely ignored the world’s magical immunity.
Quietly, Lillian stared at the mirror.
At the center of her bleeding forehead, the word 「Idiot」 mocked her.
For the first time in her life, what filled her eyes was not rage—
But fear.
“ They said he was talented, but…… no matter where that bastard crawled out from……. ”
One thing was certain.
“Assassination” would not work on him.
That quack bastard……
Used “laws” beyond the reach of her own power.
She briefly considered dropping a meteor and obliterating both Elara and the entire mansion from existence……
But doing so would destroy the very “plan” that had brought her here.
Furthermore, even if she gathered every ounce of her power against an unknown existence like him, she had to consider the possibility that he would retaliate with something even stranger.
“ In that case…… if force won’t work…… ”
Lillian’s eyes gleamed sharply.
That mysterious teacher constantly hovering beside Elara—the so-called 「Mental Counseling Teacher」.
“ Right…… counseling. ”
The corners of Lillian’s lips twisted upward.
Finally regaining her composure, she bit down on her pipe once more.
Hiss…… haa.
Exhaling cigarette smoke through the pipe, Lillian grinned viciously.
“ Thinking about it, that quack bastard is trying to restore Elara’s sanity…… So if he wants to play at counseling…… then I’ll simply turn Elara’s counseling sessions into hell instead. ”
Lillian no longer looked at the mirror.
“ Elara, that pathetic bitch…… what’s her weakest link? Self-loathing. ”
Always muttering nonsense about gray, black, and white like some lunatic.
She simply needed to pierce directly into that heart and tear her mentality apart.
“ Good. You quack teacher. I’ll show you exactly how mentally weak that pathetic bitch Elara really is. And I’ll make you regret turning me into an idiot. ”
Lillian no longer held mere malice.
She held conviction.
“ Just wait, you bastards……. I’ll break every last one of you. ”
♣
Night came once again.
Elara’s affection now seemed to be steadily piling up more and more.
「Affection 33」
If I could just complete the remaining 67%, I would surely achieve the happy ending.
“ So now…… I just keep farming affection through counseling again? ”
The smoothly progressing plan filled me with satisfaction.
Clasping my hands together, I waited quietly, feeling the counseling hour draw near.
But strangely enough, even after one minute passed, the old butler still hadn’t arrived.
Normally, he should’ve appeared at the exact same time, with the exact same knocking sound.
So why?
I temporarily activated the gallery.
♥♥♥
[Discussion] Hey gallery bros, something’s weird.
The butler hasn’t come today?
It should already be counseling time, I’m supposed to head to work.
What’s going on?
[5 Comments]
BlondBigBoobsDaisuki: Yep you got fired gg
KangkangRobot2nd: Did you properly grind affection? Why isn’t the butler coming?
Already hit 33 affection.
KangkangRobot2nd: ? Already? What the fuck? You lying?
I’m serious.
♥♥♥
I eventually uploaded a screenshot from the interface and replied again.
After attaching the image as proof, another gallery user commented.
WhiteMage: Wow...... it’s real. This bastard’s seriously an endgame veteran.
BlondBigBoobsDaisuki: Probably because the skill’s insanely broken?
KangkangRobot2nd: Maybe another event got activated. Just wait a bit.
Another event?
That might actually be true. That woman Lillian definitely didn’t seem like the type to stay quiet.
Being forced to walk around for 24 hours with “Idiot” branded across her forehead must’ve been humiliation beyond humiliation.
Hmm... should I prepare items in advance?;
KangkangRobot2nd: Just wait for now.
While debating what to do—
Suddenly, a knock echoed at the door.
Knock knock.
“ ……? ”
— Teacher, my apologies for being late.
It was the old butler.
I immediately typed another gallery reply.
Hey the butler’s here. Says he’s sorry for being late...... heading out now.
Closing the gallery, I stood up.
The old butler had arrived at my room a full ten minutes later than the scheduled time.
Naturally, I opened the door for him.
— Creeeeak.
“ ……Teacher. ”
Despite his perfectly pressed suit, anxiety was written all over his stiff face.
“ Did something happen? You’re much later than usual…… ”
“ ……A ‘guest’ has arrived. ”
“ A guest? ”
“ Lady Lillian formally requested an audience and is currently…… inside the room with my mistress. ”
“ Excuse me? ”
I let out a scoff.
A formal audience while still wearing the 「Idiot」 mark?
This was definitely revenge.
And rather than targeting me directly, was she trying to attack Elara instead?
I sighed.
“ I see. But if the Hero Party’s mage is here for an audience, then surely counseling with me is unnecessary, so why exactly am I……? ”
At my cautious question, the old butler answered with a grim expression.
“ The moment Lady Lillian arrived, she ordered us to ‘bring the Teacher immediately.’ ”
“ …… ”
Being caught between those two women definitely meant nothing good would happen.
“ Understood. Please lead the way. ”
At my answer, the old butler silently walked ahead through the corridor.
“ …… ”
Soon enough, we once again arrived before Elara’s bedroom door.
Tonight, there was no need to knock.
From beyond the doors, sharp and ice-cold voices were already leaking out.
The old butler frowned slightly, glanced toward me once, then quietly opened the door.
The room was far from peaceful.
Elara stood stiffly by the window.
Opposite her, seated in the armchair, was Lillian with her pipe between her lips.
Dressed in the formal attire of the Hero Party’s “mage.”
Her face was colder than ice, yet the glowing 「Idiot」 mark on her forehead remained completely visible.
“ ……Teacher. ”
Elara looked at me with troubled eyes.
“ Oh, counseling time already, Quack? ”
Crushing the pipe into the ashtray, Lillian looked up at me with a twisted grin.
“ Perfect timing. I was just about to show you exactly how your ‘counseling’ ruined this bitch. ”
Without even looking at me, Lillian glared back toward Elara.
Then she pointed toward the 「Idiot」 mark on her own forehead.
“ Know what this is? It’s the brand you put on me. You black piece of shit. ”
“ When exactly did I put that on you? ”
“ Bullshit. ”
Lillian exploded furiously.
“ Because you allowed that ‘quack’ inside! Your weakness dragged in that rat bastard, and now he dared do this to me—the Hero Party’s mage and your former comrade! ”
Bzzzzzzzt……
I could hear Elara’s emotions trembling violently.
“ N-No, I…… ”
“ Running around criticizing us about gray and black, and in the end you’re exactly the same. Secretly scheming with some pathetic counselor behind our backs. You’re responsible for this mark. That quack bastard won’t die because I kill him. You’ll kill him yourself. ”
Lillian sneered.
“ You know it too, right? The price for insulting a ‘Hero.’ Your counselor will pay for it with his life. ”
Ding!
[ Crisis: Lillian is stimulating Elara’s core trauma. ]
[ Affection has decreased by –30. ]
God fucking damn it……
The affection dropped too. All the progress I worked so hard for……
And as though Lillian could somehow see my system window, her timing was perfect as she smiled victoriously.
“ See that, Quack? Your patient’s still completely insane after all. Guess you haven’t cured her hypocrisy yet, huh? ”
This was definitely an event.
……And if I lost here, it was over.
Everything I had done so far would become meaningless.
Once again, I steadied myself.
“ Haa…… Miss Lillian, with all due respect……. ”
Lillian’s words were cut off by my cold voice.
“ ……What? ”
“ Could it be…… this is truly the Hero Party’s idea of revenge? ”
I slowly walked toward Lillian as though completely bored.
“ Is provoking Lady Elara’s trauma really the best you can do? While claiming she herself is filthy too? ”
“ T-Teacher…… ”
At Elara’s trembling voice, I gave her a small smile before looking back toward Lillian.
“ Hey, you quack bastard……! Do you even know who I am? I’m—! ”
Before she could continue, I cut her off entirely.
“ Miss Lillian. ”
“ ……! ”
“ You lost. ”
“ Hah……? ”
Lillian laughed lowly and shook her head in disbelief.
“ Lost……? Lost what exactly? ”
“ You claim to be the Hero Party’s mage, yet you were publicly humiliated by my little prank. Your magical immunity has already been pierced by me. Isn’t that proof enough? ”
I pointed toward the 「Idiot」 mark.
At once, Lillian’s eyes widened and veins bulged in her neck.
“ You bastard…… shut up!! ”
“ Hmm, so I got to thinking. ”
Pretending to ponder deeply, I rubbed my chin.
Thoroughly, intentionally provoking her.
“ Since brute force failed, you came to target Lady Elara’s weakest point instead—her mind. ”
“ W-Who said brute force failed?! T-This is……! ”
I stepped directly beneath Lillian’s chin and stared straight into her eyes.
“ Hmm? If that’s not defeat, then what exactly is it? ”
This time, Lillian stopped breathing not from anger—
But from panic.
Ignoring her completely, I turned back toward the shaken Elara.
“ Elara. ”
“ T-Teacher…… ”
“ What did I tell you last night? ”
“ Which part do you mean……? ”
“ I told you that you were different. Elara, what color did I say you were? ”
The words I had once spoken to her.
Smiling gently, I quietly waited for her answer.
“ White…… ”
“ Exactly. Even now, as someone white, you suffer because you refuse to be stained by that filthy blackness. ”
“ …… ”
I lightly flicked the 「Idiot」 mark on Lillian’s forehead with my finger.
“ Ngh! Y-You……! ”
“ You already won. You overcame this person’s violence. And now, she hasn’t come here for revenge. She lost a battle of self-defense and returned simply to vent her frustration. I suppose you could call this…… jealousy? ”
“ W-Who’s jealous, you fucking bastard!! ”
Lillian screamed.
But calmly, I lowered myself to her eye level and continued speaking softly.
“ You’re saying all of this is Lady Elara’s ‘fault’? Correct. ”
Then I continued.
“ Thanks to Lady Elara, your illegal assassination attempt failed. Thanks to Lady Elara, you learned humiliation. And thanks to Lady Elara, now that force no longer works, you’ve resorted to childish psychological warfare instead. ”
I smiled toward Elara.
“ Therefore, Lady Elara, this is not a ‘threat.’ It’s merely the desperate tantrum of a loser. ”
“ ……! ”
Ding!
[ Elara establishes a new logic! ]
[ Elara overcomes her fear of Lillian! ]
[ Self-loathing is transforming into confidence! ]
[ Previously reduced affection has been restored! ]
[ Affection +20 increased! ]
[ Total Affection: 53 / 100 ]
Elara was no longer trembling.
After letting out a slow breath, she stared toward Lillian as though looking at someone pitiful.
“ ……Teacher. ”
“ Yes? ”
“ That person seems in urgent need of treatment. ”
Speaking sarcastically, Elara gave a slight smile.
“ What the fuck are you talking about!? You black-and-gray obsessed chuuni bitch! ”
“ Her forehead…… no, her mind should be fixed first. ”
Elara looked far more confident than before.
Satisfied, I smiled toward Elara before looking back at Lillian.
“ ……Well, there you have it, Miss Lillian. I’m not sure what kind of audience you intended to have with our client, but now that your tantrum is over, would you kindly leave? It’s time for me to spend time with Lady Elara now. ”
“ You sons of bitches……! ”
“ Or…… as I mentioned yesterday, would you like to schedule a counseling appointment? Your impulse control disorder is absolutely a legitimate counseling issue too. ”