Extra Lessons to Become Stronger
Professor Park Kyu-sik's class was one that vividly displayed scenes from the field without any mosaic censorship. "Ugh!"
Students who had yet to grow accustomed to the horrific corpses appeared on screen. Their faces twisted in disgust, and they looked as though they might vomit at any moment. Yet all of this was a trial that those aspiring to become heroes had to endure.
However, the subsequent scenes caused several female students' complexions to turn deathly pale. Although the faces were mosaicked, images of people being brutally disemboweled were scattered throughout. Of course, these photographs were used with the consent of the victims' families, with the intent of widely publicizing the villains' atrocities so that even one more hero, enraged by these images, might eliminate more villains in revenge.
"Heroes must face not only monsters but also villains. And these villains particularly favor academy girls like you. Mana awakeners are far more enjoyable to have sex with than ordinary women."
Indeed, mana awakeners had no impurities, so they would be much more pleasurable to enjoy. Furthermore, since mana awakeners fundamentally lacked impurities and thus possessed good skin, their beauty held many advantages over ordinary people.
'Of course, not all of them are beauties, though.'
While not every mana awakener was a beauty, the proportion of beautiful women among them was considerably higher.
"Hic!"
The female students who had nearly been raped by villains turned pale, just as they had the day before. Lee Se-na's complexion also looked unwell, the same as yesterday. In contrast, Arian Liberin trembled slightly at the memory of nearly dying, yet she remained calmer than the previous day. Now that she had become my woman, her resolve had grown firmer, and since she had decided to become even stronger starting today, this was merely one more hurdle for her to overcome. At least, that was what she had resolved to believe.
'Besides Lee Se-na, there were two other female students I saved.'
The names of the pale-faced girls were Han So-mi and Isabella. As their names suggested, one was a Korean woman and the other a Spanish woman, though Isabella was a Korean-Spanish mixed-blood with many East Asian features. While their appearances could not compare to Lee Se-na's, their decently pretty looks had led the villains to capture them for rape. They had been rescued by me before their panties were even removed.
Those who received my help could not easily forget it, and as a side effect, the memories of nearly being raped kept surfacing faintly. 'Even if the terror of that moment gradually fades beneath the gratitude of being saved by me...'
They would never be able to treat it as though it had never happened. Yet the same would hold true even if they failed to remember that I had saved them. That was how great the shock had been.
'I'll have to watch how things develop from here.'
I needed to observe with some interest whether they could overcome those nightmarish memories or whether it would prove impossible. Since helping only Lee Se-na would seem strange anyway, I might end up helping these two as well while I was at it.
* * *
When lunchtime arrived, Seo Moon-hyun kept staring at the table where Arian Liberin, Yee Eun-chae, and Yoo Eun-chae were seated. More precisely, he was glaring at Seo Moon-jin, who sat among them.
"Hyun-ah, wouldn't it be better to stop looking over there?"
Lee Se-na, who had been eating across from him, spoke cautiously.
"...All right."
Lee Se-na felt relieved when Seo Moon-hyun nodded in response to her words. She had been worried that he might cause another incident like he had in the morning.
'Why am I suddenly worrying that Hyun might get into trouble?'
Lee Se-na suddenly realized that her own thoughts would have seemed absurd to her just a short while ago. Of course, this did not mean she was dissatisfied with looking after Seo Moon-hyun. As his childhood friend, it was only natural for her to help him when he was lost or struggling. What her past self would have found absurd was the very notion that Seo Moon-hyun was someone she needed to take care of.
'I never imagined Hyun would wander like this.'
Even in today's class, Seo Moon-hyun had demonstrated outstanding ability. Unless it was Seo Moon-jin, Seo Moon-hyun's skill was such that he likely had no equal among those of similar age. To her eyes, his prowess remained impressive and always worthy of admiration. The instructors probably felt the same way. If not for the overwhelming wall that was Seo Moon-jin, Seo Moon-hyun might well have been called the greatest genius in the history of the National Hero Academy. This was not mere exaggeration or metaphor but the simple truth. Seo Moon-hyun's abilities already surpassed those of active heroes, and no matter how talented the other students were, they could not compare to him. Even his growth rate was on a different level from others, something Lee Se-na, who had watched him since childhood, knew all too well.
'His constant attempts to approach Princess Arian, Eun-chae, and Hyun-ah... must stem from the sense of defeat at being overshadowed by Seo Moon-jin.'
Even if his actions were abnormal and incomprehensible outbursts, when viewed this way, they were not entirely beyond understanding. Mistaking them for friends was likely because he had been unilaterally pushed aside by Seo Moon-jin and had begun confusing his own position with theirs.
The only thing that bothered her was Seo Moon-min-hye.
'Why is Min-hye keeping such distance from Hyun while getting along so well with Seo Moon-jin...? I still can't figure it out at all.'
She had briefly wondered whether Seo Moon-jin might be a close relative of Seo Moon-hyun, but since Seo Moon-hyun himself claimed to know nothing, she could not confirm it. Thus, she had tried to investigate whether someone named Seo Moon-jin existed in the Seo family, but the information she could obtain with her own power was nonexistent. At best, her limit was calling home and asking them to look into it. Her family was not a massive corporation like the Seo clan, and her parents were unremarkable awakeners. Rather, she herself was the rising star of her household.
'I only ever saw Hyun's confident side. But Hyun is human too, so he's flustered and confused by suddenly encountering an insurmountable wall.'
Lee Se-na believed that even if Seo Moon-hyun created several dark chapters while wandering, he would eventually overcome it. And supporting him from the side so that he could do so was her role. If he resolved to grow stronger through his competitive spirit and put in the effort, she would stand by him as his childhood friend, healing and helping him while cheering on his desire to become stronger.
* * *
I already knew from the original story what thoughts Lee Se-na harbored toward Seo Moon-hyun. But knowing how her devotion would go unrewarded in the end, once Yee Eun-chae and Yoo Eun-chae became my women, I intended to take concrete action to make her my woman as well. Until then, for now, I would steadily plant the seeds.
'Seo Moon-hyun, your downfall will come in a form that looks entirely self-inflicted.'
As I thought this, a message reached me.
- My lord, this is Satan.
It was a direct contact from Satan.
- Yeah, it's lunchtime. You contacted me in a hurry. What's going on?
While seated beside Arian Liberin and facing Yee Eun-chae and Yoo Eun-chae during the meal, I sensed that something important had occurred upon receiving Satan's sudden message.
- Yes. Kang Mi-hyun and the bandit group she leads have begun to move.
- Is that so?
The surveillance on Kang Mi-hyun, one of the tasks I had assigned to Satan, was apparently still ongoing.
- What exactly did Kang Mi-hyun do that prompted you to contact me so urgently?
- Yes, my lord. In truth, Kang Mi-hyun is currently planning an insane scheme to travel to Africa, steal a large quantity of jewels, and massacre everyone at the scene to silence them. I thought you would not approve of this.
Indeed, that was the case. While I had no intention of righteously stepping forward to stop all villains, it was difficult to turn a blind eye to something so conspicuous. Even people who would not normally go out of their way to help others would lend a hand if someone in need appeared right before their eyes, would they not? My feelings were exactly the same.
Sierra Leone, a country bordering the Atlantic coast of West Africa. There, Kang Mi-hyun was plotting to steal diamonds on a massive scale, and it seemed her bandit group intended to rob the diamonds while killing everyone in the vicinity under the pretext of silencing witnesses.
- I can't move freely right now, so I'll give orders. Move in a way that Kang Mi-hyun and her bandit group don't notice your existence. Don't go smashing everything just because you're angry. And since we can't kill them yet, make sure no innocent victims appear. Handle it naturally so they don't die in a way that would seem suspicious to Kang Mi-hyun and her group. If you need help from others for this, that's fine. If anyone refuses, tell them it's my order.
- Yes, I understand. I will live up to your trust.
Kang Mi-hyun and her bandit group could not be killed yet. However, at the very least, I would ensure that no innocent people died by her hand.
'If they died, it would feel unpleasant, as though I had allowed it to happen.'
It was merely an act of self-satisfaction, and I had no intention of denying it.
'I really don't understand why they chose to whitewash that kind of woman and make her a main heroine in the first place.'
Even at the ending, while Seo Moon-hyun abandoned all the other heroines, he had shielded Kang Mi-hyun from every crime she committed and married her. Even her subordinate bandits received no punishment whatsoever, using Seo Moon-hyun as their backing to gain amnesty and brazenly operate in the open. That was the kind of absurd conclusion it had been.