Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Obsession with Human Society
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“Do whatever you want.”
A short voice echoes through the fog, reverberating several times even in the mist.
Sophia currently felt like she'd been smacked right in the back of the head.
‘My Charm Eye didn't work?’
Her pupils trembled like there was an earthquake in them. One thought dominated her mind.
Why?
Sophia was special. On a completely different level from other vampires. From birth, she was destined to reign over them.
That's why her Charm Eye was a dimension above the rest. She thought only dragons and demons could resist her Enchantment. And yet, a human had resisted her Charm Eye.
It was a considerable shock. Especially since he stood there perfectly fine!
But aside from that, the biggest problem right now was...
She'd spouted off rudely, assuming her Charm Eye had worked. She could feel the image she'd carefully built up crumbling in an instant.
‘What do I do?’
Sophia was playing the role of the good girl at the academy. Pretending to be an ordinary human. Pretending to be the sweet kid everyone loved.
She couldn't say why, but that's what she was doing.
And yet, in front of that guy just now, she'd let her true nature slip. She'd scowled and laced her voice with clear displeasure.
What if he went around telling everyone at the academy? What would happen to her school life? To the image she'd built up over time?
“Seong-hoon.”
“What.”
Sophia smiled at Lee Seong-hoon, who had switched from polite speech to casual in an instant.
“How about we pretend we never met here?”
At those words, Lee Seong-hoon rested his hand on his chin as if pondering deeply, then lifted the corner of his mouth.
“Nah, don't wanna.”
The moment she heard that, a whirlwind of thoughts flashed through Sophia's mind.
All her efforts so far—memorizing every classmate's name, plastering on fake smiles to get close, putting up with obviously see-through guys with a laugh. Her past self flickered by.
‘Should I just kill him?’
It'd be simple. Even if her Charm Eye didn't work, he couldn't possibly be stronger than her. He was ranked 1028th, after all.
The weakest person at Justitia.
Yeah. Kill him and use Enchantment on everyone at Justitia to make them forget Lee Seong-hoon.
The thought crossed her mind briefly, but how could she? It was too much hassle and complication.
“Weird. You were glaring at me like you wanted to kill me a second ago, and now you're all polite? Huh?”
“...”
It pissed her off. She wanted to rip apart Lee Seong-hoon right then, with his cheeky expression and attitude.
‘He just sensed I was a vampire and came to kill me, that's all.’
How had things ended up like this? Sophia inwardly wiped away tears at her utterly rotten luck.
“Is this the real Sophia? The one who doesn't mingle well and never smiles? That thing from earlier? It's burned too deep into my head to forget. What now? Ah~ It won't erase~ Guess I'll need something to wipe it away~?”
“...”
Should she just kill him after all? Sophia clenched her hand into a fist, suppressing her murderous urge as she watched Lee Seong-hoon flail dramatically.
─If you want to live in the human world, you have to follow human rules, dear.
Recalling the words from her childhood, Sophia forced a smile.
“What are you talking about? I just got heated for a second—”
“No way.”
“...What do you want?”
Whew, beating around the bush wasn't working. It always worked on normal guys.
“That's for you to figure out.”
“A, a date maybe?”
She had no idea what she was saying herself, but Sophia was that desperate. Guys who wanted to date her were a dime a dozen. She was exhausted from turning them down every day. This should be enough, she thought.
Lee Seong-hoon's expression was indescribable.
Like he'd heard something he wished he hadn't. Like, Me? Why? With you? He shook his head vigorously—
Fine. Time to kill him.
As mana began flowing from Sophia's heart—
“Huh? What're you doing?”
Isia's arrival ended the situation.
“I nearly died. I saw the River Jordan. My grandpa who passed when I was little was waving from the other side. I'm telling you, my shirt's soaked with cold sweat.”
“Yeah, yeah. Enough already, go to sleep. You're being loud.”
“You wouldn't get it since you were asleep. How I feel. But lately, don't you keep collapsing at the worst times? Doesn't that make your existence pointless? Why'd you even come along? Wouldn't it be better to go back to Heaven Realm?”
“Seong-hoon. You just said something you shouldn't have.”
“I just said what's true. Wait. No pillow. I can't afford to replace it. Put it down. Don't throw it. Don't. Hey!!”
I dodged the attacking Raphael as she swung a pillow and calmed her down. Lachesis next to me wasn't even trying to stop her—just yawning lazily. Was there no one on my side in this house?
As I thought that, I organized what happened earlier.
Isia's arrival ended the tense standoff between me and Sophia. Sophia's parting words of ‘See you later’ were a bit scary, but she wouldn't kill me, right? When her mana swirled at the end, I really thought I was done for.
Still, recalling Sophia's setting of being obsessed with human society led to my quick thinking, and it turned out pretty well, didn't it?
“...”
Anyway, after safely escaping the fog, Sophia said, ‘I have to report this,’ and headed to the academy, while Isia said she was going back to rest and left.
Thanks to Isia going first, I could carry Raphael back to the dorm.
And that's how I'm here now. Yep. The end.
Man, things have been so rough lately. I don't want to roll with the punches, but situations keep forcing me to. Being shoved into dangerous spots against people I can't even properly fight is exhausting.
Thus, my motto for getting even stronger from today onward.
Interference comes from Kim Tae-hyun, and so does the rolling.
“Alright then.”
I survived the vampire, got my smartphone, so there's one thing left to do.
Watching Raphael munch on the snacks I gave her to calm down while chatting with Lachesis, I sat on my bed and turned on the phone.
It was thrilling turning it on for the first time since buying it. Ahh, time to evolve into a 21st-century civilized person.
The moment I pressed the home button, unwanted text appeared on the screen.
“It's God.”
“God? Where?”
I shoved away the damn blonde poking her face in with her sharp ears and turned off the screen. But it turned back on by itself.
“What?! What's this?!”
What was this sneaky gift? I smacked my forehead and picked up the phone. I hated God, but it wasn't polite to refuse a gift.
I turned the angle toward Raphael, who was tilting her head. And then
Click—
A cheerful sound rang out as the photo snapped. It was a total candid shot with no prep, but it came out insanely good. Was this what they called photo magic? The world was so damn unfair.
“What is it!! Seriously!!”
Ignoring her, I looked at the photo, and soon the screen changed.
“What the hell is this?”
I couldn't shut my mouth. What were these cheat-level stats? All her skills were EX, and her lowest stat was High.
And she'd just watched from the back with power like this? Infuriating, but I remembered she couldn't use her full power without her wings.
But what caught my eye wasn't her absurd status.
It was the notes below. The description of Raphael. I turned to her, where she was pouting because I hadn't answered her.
“Hey.”
“What.”
“At least you're lucky to be down here in the lower world with me, right?”
“Huh? What do you—”
“Because you can't even exchange a word with other angels all day.”
She jumped up, saying How did you know? But I didn't stop. No reason to.
“At least I chat with you. Respond every time? You should feel grateful to me. Repeat after me. ‘Thank you, Seong-hoon, for chatting daily with a wretch like me who can't even talk to other angels her whole life.’ Come on. Don't just sit there? Let's go~”
“...”
And then... well, the combat gorilla with Supreme Strength charged at me.
2.
It might seem like a small number to others, but when lives are on the line, it's different.
Isia had faced mortal danger twice in the short time since enrolling.
Her head spun. For complex reasons.
Self-loathing, like: The Magic Association Chairman's daughter. The next chairwoman, exposed to threats this often? Unable to handle them alone?
And another: The person who saved her every time danger struck.
The first kidnapping barely registered. She'd been asleep.
Honestly, she even doubted if that human had really saved her.
But today's crisis was undeniable. If he'd been 30 seconds—no, 10 seconds late—
Thinking that far, Isia gripped her arm. Goosebumps. She still remembered vividly.
The terror of immobility, the prick of fangs, the gushing fountain of blood, the flying head.
And in the midst of it, the black-haired man standing there.
“Ah, seriously.”
The first time, she'd struggled just to say thanks. And now she had to do it again.
No excuse like a phone this time. Just say it outright—but would he even reply?
“But that time...”
That moment.
When the biting head vanished and she saw that man's face.
“...It might not have been so bad.”
I'll try saying it tomorrow. Whatever.
The next morning.
Damn morning run. I hated this time most. Who starts their day with jogging?
My 25 years of life always began with the sound of my computer booting up. Switching to runs was killing me.
“Chat buddy.”
“Still sulking?”
“No? Not at all?”
“Then what.”
“Today's the first day for club activities. Ready? You're gonna eat the vice president spot, right?”
“Oh.”
Already that day? I kept running without stopping and stuck out one finger at Raphael.
“Tch. With the Magic Research Club's vice president taken, who's next? All first-years anyway, so Isia's the top candidate. But whose maid is that maid's master?”
“Gasp!”
Raphael covered her mouth in realization. Finally grasping my brilliant mind, huh? I held my head high, finished the last lap, and flopped down nearby.
Eating the club vice president spot has big merits. Boosts influence at festivals or sports days, and useful for interfering with Kim Tae-hyun.
Of course, I'd just take the title. Isia does the work.
“You only make that trashy face when you're thinking something awful.”
“Shut it.”
As I pondered how to mess with Kim Tae-hyun going forward, two shadows fell over me.
One with long straight black hair, one with short silver bob cut.
They seemed to bump into each other by chance, stared, then offered me a water bottle.
“What is this situation?”
I seriously had no idea.