Chapter 56
Chapter 56
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: I Lost
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“You’re awake?”
Opening her eyes to that emotionless voice, Shin Ga-yeon stared up at the ceiling. It was a familiar one.
The ceiling she always saw first thing in the morning upon waking. The two-person dorm room where her little sister had given up a higher-grade dorm just to live with her.
Why am I here? The thought flashed through her mind for a moment before her memories came flooding back.
“Ah.”
“What’s wrong?”
“...”
She had unleashed a mana rampage in front of all those people. It was the first time since entering the academy that she’d felt such a burning desire to do well.
Should’ve just used swordsmanship.
Even with swordsmanship, she wasn’t sure she could’ve won. That opponent had been that strong.
There had to be a reason they picked him for me!
As the image of Lee Seong-hoon’s infuriating smirk crossed her mind, Shin Ga-yeon yanked the blanket over her head.
“What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know.”
The reason was simple.
She remembered. The man who had slowly approached her, scythe in hand.
Walking leisurely through the crowd of people who couldn’t do a thing because she was inside, casually suppressing her mana rampage and pulling her out.
“─!!!”
“Unnie. Are you crazy? Is it embarrassment?”
“No─!!!”
It was embarrassing. Insanely so. But that wasn’t why Shin Ga-yeon was burying her face in the blanket and thrashing around wildly.
What do I do?
Her heart was pounding like mad. It just wouldn’t calm down.
She could feel it. Her face had to be beet red right now. Not just red—bright crimson.
After a while of wreaking havoc under the covers, Shin Ga-yeon suddenly went still.
“Chae-yeon-ah. What do I do?”
“You’re not gonna die from one little mana rampage. Dad’ll put up with it once or twice.”
“That’s not it...”
Now somewhat calmed, Shin Ga-yeon peeked her face out from under the blanket. She looked pitiful, gazing at her sister in a plea for comfort.
But her sister’s expression was icy cold. She just sat there beside her, reading her book.
“Why.”
“...Never mind.”
She couldn’t help but feel annoyed at her sister like that. Even making a sulky face didn’t get a reaction.
Sticking her tongue out─
She shoved her face back under the blanket.
“Unnie.”
“What.”
“Your opponent was just bad. I would’ve lost too.”
“...Liar.”
“It’s true.”
Thud─
The sound of the book closing lifted the blanket Shin Ga-yeon had wrapped around herself. Soft light from the bedside lamp filtered in.
“So don’t be so embarrassed. Everyone goes through a mana rampage at least once.”
“...Ugh, yeah.”
She’s actually being thoughtful. Shin Ga-yeon felt a twinge of guilt at this rare show of sisterly concern.
But she couldn’t say it out loud.
She couldn’t admit that her face was this flushed and downcast because she’d failed to become a certain man’s maid.
Her sister would probably look at her with contempt, so she just couldn’t bring herself to say it.
Let’s just play it off as frustration.
That should work. Or whatever.
Good is good, right?
But seriously, what do I do?
I want to be his maid─!! Shin Ga-yeon thrashed around under the blanket once more. Her sister shot her a sharp glare, but that wasn’t enough to stop her.
The next day.
Sophia had said, “Things are going well. As long as you stay away, she should fight fine tomorrow.”
Since yesterday? That’s too harsh on me. And anyway.
Shin Ga-yeon is such a pain.
I saved her cleanly, and she lost in the ranking match too, so we’re strangers now, right?
We don’t even know each other anymore, right?
“Today’s the day! The moment our future home gets decided!!”
“You’re way too excited. What if you lose?”
“If I lose, nothing I can do. Ask Isia to buy us a house and commute? Warp gates are free anyway.”
Wow. How does she say that so shamelessly? I stared at her while stashing the runes Raphael and Lachesis had carved overnight into my inventory.
With a look like she was some weirdo.
Maybe not the reaction Raphael expected, she started sweating bullets, covered her mouth with her fist, and cleared her throat.
“Ahem!! I was just kidding! Just joking!”
Yeah, yeah, sure. Ignoring her talk about how excited she was for the new place and buying tasty food after moving, I organized my inventory and headed out.
As I opened the door and stepped out, she followed like a baby bird, chattering nonstop, so I ruffled her neatly groomed hair wildly.
Every time, she’d freak out, but this girl’s hair—what’s it made of? Even if I messed it up a bit, it’d snap right back.
Magic hair or something?
“Anyway, if you lose today, I’ll push two beds together and sleep there, so you take the couch. Unless you win! Got it?!”
Whatever. When I didn’t answer, she took it as agreement and scampered off happily.
She jumped in front of me, clasped her hands behind her back, talked to me, put Lachesis on her head, and spun around.
Is moving in that exciting? Walking with an angel already sipping kimchi soup before even winning.
Something weird caught my eye from afar.
Leaning against the wall, waiting for something.
Blue hair, blue eyes, ponytail. Staring blankly at the flowers nearby, then hearing footsteps and turning this way with a bright smile.
“Ah. Headache.”
I clutched my temple at the migraine already starting. Raphael stopped walking and tilted her whole body in curiosity, which was apparently the trigger—the girl started waving frantically and running over.
“Ah. She’s here again.”
“Seong-hoon-oppa~~”
“Oppa?”
The headache intensified. What the hell is this? Frowning and standing still, she arrived in no time.
Then she fidgeted, looking up at me. What was I supposed to do?
“We had a promise, right?”
“What promise?”
“You said I could be your maid if I won. We promised, didn’t we?”
“Ah!”
Clapping as if she’d just remembered, Shin Ga-yeon grinned goofily. But her next words made even me smack my forehead.
“You said no to maid, but not to following you around!!!”
Oh my god. What invincible logic is this? Fair point. Did she borrow Napoleon’s famous quote?
I immediately grabbed Shin Ga-yeon’s shoulder. From two days of experience, she listened well to orders.
“Hey.”
“Eep! Y-yes!!!”
“Stay right here for ten minutes.”
“Yes? Yes!!!”
She didn’t even ask why. Just yes. Driving me nuts. Where does this loyalty come from? Even our elite maid would start with “Why?”
I left the frozen-smiling girl behind and kept moving.
“What’re you doing? Seong-hoon! Prepare for your match─!!!”
I grabbed Raphael by the scruff and bolted. Once out of sight, I dashed through alleys randomly so no one would know where I was going.
“Where are we going?!”
“No idea!!”
“What’s that supposed to mean!!!”
I really didn’t. After ten minutes of sprinting through complicated paths, I collapsed in some roadside bushes.
“She won’t find us here.”
“Why drag me into this?!”
No clue. Shut up. Catching my breath, I headed to a nearby vending machine. Thirsty from all the running.
“What do you want?”
The blonde drink answered cola, and as I went to buy my water with a bill—
A pale white hand beat me to it. Watching my bill get sucked in, I looked up.
A bad feeling hit me, but nah, couldn’t be. Isia maybe? I thought, lifting my head.
“Water, right? And cola? But why’d you tell me to stay put for ten minutes─ Kyaa!!”
I nearly fell over in shock but grabbed her shoulder to steady myself. Glaring at the flushed-faced Shin Ga-yeon who’d chased us, I said.
“H-how’d you get here? No. Not that. Doesn’t matter. This time, twenty minutes. Stay put for twenty.”
“Huh? What game is this?”
It’s a game for you, torture for me─!! I grabbed the sprawled-out damn blonde’s scruff again and ran.
“Thirty minutes this time?”
Next one too.
“This is getting fun!! It’s like hide-and-seek!!”
And the next.
“This time I’ll be the seeker─ Huh?”
Finally collapsing on the ground, I got smacked by Raphael.
She was yelling “Stop it already─!!” but I felt too bad to argue.
“Hey.”
“Yes?”
Panting heavily, I called out to Shin Ga-yeon. She wasn’t even out of breath. What unfairness.
Shouldn’t have saved her yesterday─ Shaking off the thought, I opened my mouth reluctantly.
I’d die like this. No way to keep dodging. Might as well drain her marrow. Or something. People say exhaustion kills rational thought, and damn if it wasn’t true.
“I give up. Be my maid. Just... please. Do it.”
“For real? Really?!”
Too wiped to reply properly, I just nodded vaguely. As she squealed in delight behind me, I caught my breath.
Then the announcement blared. It echoed throughout Justitia, impossible to ignore.
What the hell.
Isia and Lucy’s match was about to start soon, so I left Raphael with Shin Ga-yeon. Naturally, I headed to the investigation room.
On the way, I thought about it. Investigation room, not the teacher’s office.
Sophia and me.
Only one thing came to mind. That guy I killed back then.
The one who got bitten by Silvia (probably) and turned into a lesser vampire.
Pretty sure now, I knocked on the investigation room door. Then heard the heavy door open and stepped inside.
There were three people waiting.
Homeroom teacher Shin Ki-ha. Some uncle I’d never seen. Pale-faced Sophia.
The uncle gestured with his chin to where I should sit, so I took the chair.
As soon as I sat, I felt it. Trembling. Sophia next to me was shaking like crazy.
Her face pale, red eyes quivering like there was an earthquake. No life in her gaze, head nearly buried in the ground.
“You know why we called you, right?”
“Yes.”
I answered Shin Ki-ha’s question. The friendly-smiling Shin Ki-ha drew back with a wry grin at the uncle’s restraint.
Looks like the uncle’s in charge.
“Straight to the point. One of your classmates from the same class vanished. After the apostle attack.”
Sophia flinched and shuddered. Her eyes darted restlessly.
“At first, we thought the apostle got him. Get bit by an apostle, become one. Civilian casualties were no joke either. Just cleanup paralyzed all of Justitia’s operations for a day.”
I listened quietly. Sophia glanced at me, then the floor, fidgeted with her fingers, tried to bite her nails—I stopped her.
“But something felt off. A Justitia student taken down by a mere apostle? So we dug around. Turns out there were witnesses. Someone saw him fighting you two while fleeing.”
He said it and eyed us. Like, Did you kill him in the chaos?
Sophia fidgeted, about to speak. I could tell from her lip movement.
She was gonna say We didn’t do it!! or something.
“I killed him.”
So I cut in first. All eyes turned to me. Shocked Sophia. Deadpan uncle. Ambiguous expression on Shin Ki-ha.
I flashed Sophia a V-sign with my hand. Grinning was bonus.
“Killed him. He’d turned vampire and was attacking Sophia. Decapitated him with one strike from behind.”
Said it flatly. Before anyone else could speak.
Not even lying, so nothing to catch me on.
I laid it all out. He’d become a lesser vampire for some reason. Red eyes not his original color, sharp fangs. Attacking Sophia for blood.
Passed by and killed him.
End.
After that, just answered their questions truthfully, wrote a few reports, done. Sophia looked flustered at how easily it wrapped up, staring at me with wide eyes.
“Why’d you do it there? I told you it was fine to kill.”
“Panicked...”
Leaving Sophia fidgeting guiltily with her fingers, I walked out. They didn’t buy it right away, of course.
Kept questioning, and since my answers stayed consistent, they gradually believed.
I got Sophia’s feelings. I’d panic too.
“It’s fine. Isia’s match’ll be late. Let’s go. Oh. Can’t I watch?”
“Of course you can. Let’s go.”
Ah. That smile again. Do it more often.
I went with the beaming Sophia to watch Isia’s match.
“Tch.”
Isia was in a really foul mood right now. Chant Disruption was working fine. No idea why. It only ever failed when Lee Seong-hoon got close, so she’d told him to stay away, and it was working perfectly.
“Doesn’t mean you skip coming to watch.”
Scanning the area from the arena, she couldn’t spot the black-haired guy in black.
She had seen him. Just wasn’t Lee Seong-hoon. Felt like she might cry a little.
“Idiot. Dummy.”
Pouting as she walked to the center, laughter rang out. A woman covering her mouth with a fan right in front of her.
Purple hair, purple eyes, purple fan.
Could call her Purple Doll, laughing loudly. Already pissed, now picking a fight?
“What.”
“Oh? Did that guy not show up and now your lips are sticking out like that?”
“What? No? Just in a bad mood?”
Seeing Lucy say something like Shall I make it worse for you~? Isia muttered.
Really not that.
Tch.