Chapter 67: Don't Look Down on Me Just Because I'm a Boy!!!!
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 67: Don't Look Down on Me Just Because I'm a Boy!!!!
Normally, taking them out was forbidden, but for Camel—who had already snatched Im Su-yeon’s answer sheet—retrieving mine wasn't exactly a difficult task.
"That’s strange. They said they shredded it as soon as the grading was finished."
I couldn't help but let out a hollow laugh when even Camel—who had extraordinary connections in the education sector, or rather, was a powerhouse of connections herself—said she couldn't get a hold of it.
The Dragon, and everyone else present, seemed to feel the same ominous vibe. Mom let out a long sigh, followed by a sharp, dry laugh.
"...First of all, it wasn't me," Morian spoke up first.
If she were going to do something, she would have leaked the exam papers beforehand; she wasn't the type to pull a petty stunt like this.
"...Is this a game of Mafia or something? And what’s with that reaction?" Mom growled.
I gripped Mom’s hand tightly, feeling like I couldn't breathe properly.
"For now, we don't know anything about this. This is absurd. Then what exactly happened?"
I could see Camel trying to get a handle on the situation. I was finally able to breathe a little easier.
"Hindel."
"I really...!"
I simply called out to the person who could help me the most, the one who could bring back the most accurate information. Hindel looked truly aggrieved as she tried to say something. I shook my head. The Dragon shut her mouth tight.
"Can I ask a favor?"
"...You may."
"Find my answer sheet. Even if it was shredded, you can do it with magic, right?"
"I can."
The Dragon Lord replied calmly. I looked at Im Su-yeon’s answer sheet. That crazy bitch had solved the problems incredibly well. She left a few blank, likely because she didn't know the answers, but everything she did solve was correct. There were a few questions I had been unsure about, but I could tell that brat had gotten them right.
The gap between first/second place and third place was quite large. Even if I had gotten a few wrong, there was no way I would have fallen below third.
"Son..."
Mom crouched down beside me and stroked my back.
"Did I win just because I'm a boy?"
"...."
Lord Dick can't be beaten~! A male can't be defeated~! In any other situation, I might have happily thought, I'm glad I'm a male!
But this... this felt incredibly, profoundly disgusting.
"Here is the answer sheet. They shredded the whole thing. I’ve restored it with magic."
Hindel handed me a bundle of papers. It looked like she had recovered every single scrap and pieced them back together. I searched for my name in the pile.
As expected, most of my answers were correct. I had missed some points in the short-answer section just as I’d thought. Even with partial credit, it would have been my victory.
I looked at the final problem. Alicia crouched down next to me to look at the question.
"Here. In the final substitution formula, the surface resistance coefficient is cubed, not squared."
"....I got it wrong."
I hadn't won by three points; I had lost by three points.
If I had just lost from the beginning, I wouldn't have been this angry. But being subjected to this kind of "favor" just made me laugh. I picked up the trophy. I had complained about how heavy it was, but it wasn't even that heavy. No, it felt light as a feather.
Seeing a trash can not too far away, I tossed the trophy inside.
"Ah, no... you still won an award..."
Alicia seemed to think it wasn't a big deal.
And sure, maybe it wasn't.
None of the people here had pulled any strings. That meant the examiners themselves were the ones who did it.
Im Su-yeon and I were the same age, in the same grade, and from the same background. There were differences in our personal lives and families, but as far as the examiners were concerned, the only visible difference was our gender.
The atmosphere turned somber.
"What do you want to do?"
I saw Morian’s violet eyes. She was crouching, looking at me.
"Jeong Yong-hwan, you..."
"What am I supposed to do?"
Her violet eyes curved into a gentle smile. I wanted to scream. First and foremost, I wanted to rage. But the adult mind I possessed suppressed that urge.
"That’s why I’m asking. What do you want to do?" Morian asked again.
I was so frustrated I felt like I was going crazy, but the tears wouldn't come.
"We could punish the examiners. It could even be a legal matter, though it would be a hassle. But aren't you in first place? It’s the first time you’ve beaten Im Su-yeon."
The violet eyes questioned me as if she truly didn't understand the problem. Yes, it was the first time. The first time I had beaten that girl, Im Su-yeon. But not like this.
"...This isn't right."
My voice trembled. I tried to hold back the tears, but I couldn't stop them.
"The effort... the effort I put in... isn't some cheap thing to be pitied by others."
I couldn't accept this. I wanted to scream in frustration. I couldn't stand that my hard work was devalued just because I was a boy, or that I was being given "sympathy."
"Even if I lose, even if I'm defeated, that is my result. You can sympathize with my feelings, but you must not touch my results."
"I see."
Morian looked incredibly composed.
She seemed detached from the others, who looked even angrier than I was.
It’s cold, I thought.
"Even if I lose to Im Su-yeon, it’s because I was lacking. That loss belongs entirely to me."
I tried not to cry, but my eyes began to well up. My vision blurred.
"If I have to be pitied just because I'm a boy... then what was all the effort I put in until now?"
Tears fell, but Morian didn't wipe them away. She just stared intently at me. It was cold. The temperature was dropping.
Behind Morian, I saw a vending machine freezing over. I looked around. Everything was freezing. Starting from her feet, everything was slowly turning to ice.
As if she were going to freeze everything except for Mom and my sisters.
"What does Yong-hwan want to do?"
"I hate losing. But I hate winning like this even more. I hate it to death."
My breath came out in a white puff. Morian stroked my hair.
"You’re going to grow into a wonderful man, I’m sure of it. I’m truly proud that I gave you the Ice Essence. Sincerely. Being honorable is far more important than being talented."
"But I won this way. I’ve become dishonorable."
Morian covered her mouth and let out a small laugh.
"No, not at all. You see, in this world, most things are forgiven just because you're a man. Whether you make a mistake or do something wrong, most of it is overlooked."
"Morian."
"Stop it, Morian."
Most of it, Morian added. Mom and Hindel tried to say something, but Morian held up a hand. For that moment, the two of them stepped back.
"That’s why everyone hates men. They’re cowardly, they’re petty. People are jealous. That’s why they hate them even more. They despise them... but they also like them, so they just hurl insults. Everyone is cowardly. Me, your mother, everyone."
"What are you talking about...?"
"It was too difficult for you, wasn't it? It’s okay if you don't understand."
Morian seemed to think I simply didn't grasp what she was saying.
"I just wanted to say it. I wanted to tell you that you’re the most wonderful child."
I wanted to ask about the philosophy or the background behind her words. Not some common reason for simping.
It was a matter of perspective, but Morian stood up, signaling the end of the conversation.
"Where are you going, Morian? Don't act rashly. I'll handle—"
"If you guys handle it, it’ll just get loud and messy. I can solve this properly and cleanly, so leave it to me."
Morian gave a light laugh as if it were no big deal.
"I just need to coax and prod them a bit. I’m scheduled to meet the Empress this week anyway..."
"Exactly. If you two move, you’ll just cut everything to pieces and cause a scene, whereas I can excise the problem precisely and delicately, like a surgeon."
Morian winked at me.
"I’m just putting everything back to the way it should be, normalizing it. That’s all that matters. Right, Yong-hwan?"
"...Can you do it?"
"Who do you think I am?"
Morian Siador. Her violet eyes looked at me softly.
"I’ll see your mother tomorrow."
"How unexpected, Hindel. You’re actually worried about me?"
"Because you said... you’d do what I was going to do."
"Then goodbye for now. See you at the hot spring trip, my cute little brat."
Morian chuckled. After walking a few steps, she froze solid, then shattered into ice dust and vanished.
"...Son, let’s go home for now. Do you want to sleep with Mom tonight?"
"I sleep with you every night anyway..."
"Still!"
Mom seemed to want to comfort me. I didn't know what Morian would do, but I suddenly felt exhausted by everything.
A week later, news of a correction to the award reached the house.
"What a shame. You almost beat Su-yeon this time."
"Mom, why are you calling Im Su-yeon so familiarly?"
"Huh...?"
My elf mama, with her massive tits and huge ass, seemed to be losing her mind. Lately, she hadn't just been cleaning inside my foreskin when we bathed, but had started lingering and fiddling with it more. I’d been ignoring it, but it seemed she was getting bold.
"Mom, go be Su-yeon’s mom then! I’m going to make Hindel my mom!"
"Ack, ack, ack! Mom was wrong! Yong-hwan, please be Mom’s son!"
"I don't know~! I'm sulking! I'm going out to play with Grasha!"
"If... if you take Grasha too... M-Mom will be lonely!"
I kicked the door open. Today was the day to play with the pets at the fitness center, so the muscular sisters there would take good care of our youngest.
I had lost to Im Su-yeon, but I felt refreshed.
After all, my victory had simply been pushed back to the next midterm exam.