Chapter 5
Chapter 5
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: A Youth Who Just Wants to Live Normally (5)
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How was the first life?
The thrilling academy days, the overwhelming newness of arriving in the capital for the first time.
The pain of those grueling days that had been harder than expected, and the solitary weight no one else recognized.
Amelia Hill's life, only blossoming into that of a hero at its very end.
It had been a life full of twists and turns.
When the second life was granted to her, Amelia sought to become a hero even sooner.
She had to be sharper. Swifter. More skilled.
She managed to become a hero faster than in the previous life.
But that alone wasn't enough.
Then the third, fourth, fifth times...
And now, back at the starting point once more.
Through those five regressions, there had always been one man blocking Amelia's path.
'Leonard Percival Blackmere.'
The second son of the Blackmere family, the one who would later hand the key to destruction over to the 'Dark Crusade' that would bring the world to ruin.
He might be utterly worthless in character and skill, but he was always a thorn in her side across five regressions.
In the third regression, she had even tried killing him from the start.
But assassinating him early on meant she couldn't track the Dark Crusade afterward, derailing her plans entirely.
Clues about the Dark Crusade were still too scarce.
Killing Leonard right from the outset gained her nothing.
She only realized this after killing him in the fourth regression and resolved to change her approach.
'I'll let him live for now.'
She would let him live now.
Until she obtained clues about the Dark Crusade.
And once she seized those clues, she would cut him down without mercy.
That had been the plan.
"...What."
An unexpected variable appeared before her eyes.
Leonard casually strolling through the academy grounds.
Up until now, Leonard's path after being expelled from the Golden Dormitory had always been the same.
Confined to Wisteria Dormitory, refusing campus service duties, and ultimately dropping out just before expulsion once his suspension ended.
That was how it had gone in every previous life, without a single exception.
Yet this regression's Leonard was different.
Different meant deviating from expectations.
If she couldn't control the variable, all her plans would crumble.
Grind―!
"Leonard Percival Blackmere..."
Amelia's breathing grew ragged.
Her feet were already carrying her toward him.
The protagonist of Academy Hero's Infinite Regression Method, Milo Hill, was unequivocally a man.
That's why he built a harem and carried on the academy power fantasy legacy.
But the hero candidate standing before me now was...
'A woman?'
A slender figure, red hair tied back and swaying down her back, and—decisively—those moderately full breasts.
The red hair and golden eyes matched what I knew, but the most fundamental aspect, her gender, was different.
Her name was different too. The original protagonist was 'Milo Hill.'
That said, it didn't seem like this Amelia was not the protagonist I knew.
The first variable I'd encountered.
The protagonist's gender was different.
No, but more than that...
"Gah!"
"Blackmere... What's your reason for wandering the academy?"
Grip―!
'What strength...'
She grabbed my collar and hoisted me up, and my body obediently rose without resistance. I hated myself for it.
My vision started to blur. Amelia's eyes glared murderously at me, still clutching my collar.
I didn't know how many regressions she'd been through, but it was clear her hatred for me had grown with each one.
She might even be linking my wandering around to the Dark Crusade.
I barely managed to grab her wrist.
"Urk. L-let go of... this first..."
"..."
After staring me down for a long moment, Amelia finally released her grip with a flick.
I nearly toppled over but caught my balance with a stagger, only for her to snap at me again.
"So, why are you freely roaming the academy? Blackmere."
"Cough! Ahem... Aren't I an academy student?"
"That's true, but you..."
"Me?"
Amelia's lips twitched for a moment.
No wonder. It must be baffling to see me up and about like this.
What would the original Leonard have done?
'Whine in his room about the director.'
Skipping campus service was a given.
He'd probably rack up unexcused absences until his attendance was on the brink, then submit a dropout notice right before expulsion.
That's how the Leonard I vaguely remembered from the original story acted.
But I was different now in every way.
I was diligently doing campus service, and I planned to attend classes faithfully once my suspension lifted.
I'd thought this was the first step in rehabilitating my image, but I'd overlooked how it might arouse the protagonist's suspicions.
That said, I couldn't not do it.
Acting like the original would leave me with nothing but the main characters' hatred in the end.
"A-anyway. Leonard Percival Blackmere. Don't wander outside Wisteria Dormitory carelessly."
"Why?"
"Why? Well..."
Amelia averted her gaze for a moment.
As if she didn't know what to say.
'Because I can't control you.'
Something like that, maybe.
She couldn't very well say it to my face; it'd feel too repulsive.
"You're creating a bad atmosphere for the other students!"
"I'm coming back from campus service."
"...You did campus service?"
Her eyes widened like saucers at my response.
No, but come on, isn't that a bit much?
I could just obediently do some campus service.
'I've changed like this.'
This might be the most crucial turning point.
Showing her my changed self.
Her reaction would let me gauge how effective my plan to redeem myself through good deeds could be.
"What scheme are you up to this time? Blackmere."
Of course, a bit of campus service didn't make her go, 'Oh my, reformed Leonard is so cool!!!'
Instead, her suspicious glare pierced me like arrows in this tear-jerking situation.
I shrugged as nonchalantly as possible and replied.
"Just want to wrap up my punishment quickly. What else?"
"Ha! If that's the case, you shouldn't have done it in the first place."
Amelia glared at me with eyes full of enmity.
I couldn't fail to understand her reaction.
In the regressions she'd endured, the massive disasters Leonard had consistently inflicted on her.
'A commoner orphan like you lacks both manners and skill.'
'...What?'
'Don't tarnish Kingswell's name—go serve drinks at a tavern. With that pretty face, you'll make good money.'
Amelia, who had lost her parents and sibling to magic beasts as a child.
He had ruthlessly trampled her reverse scale like a madman.
It was no wonder she wanted to give Leonard a thorough schooling—or glare at me now like she wanted to kill me.
This was a disaster too massive for even me to fix on the spot.
"...You're right."
"Huh?"
"I shouldn't have done it from the start."
I gave a bitter smile and said it, then turned and walked away.
Our emotional chasm wasn't something that could heal right away, and dragging out the conversation would only make things worse.
In the end, I had only one choice left.
'Let's not run into each other anymore.'
The protagonist hostile toward me?
Just 'run' away.
"...You're right."
As those words echoed lowly.
"Huh?"
Amelia visibly faltered for the first time.
A listless voice, lips curved in a poignant smile, eyes steeped in inexplicable sadness and regret.
They say you can't spit on a smiling face or curse a crying one.
With all three combined in Leonard's demeanor, she was at a loss for words.
"I shouldn't have done it from the start."
The decisive follow-up.
Shouldn't have done it from the start.
'What does that...'
In all her previous regressions, Leonard had never once hinted at anything like that.
He never admitted his mistakes, always stubbornly blaming others.
Leonard was always selfish.
Leonard was always obstinate.
Leonard never acknowledged his wrongs.
But that expression just now...
'It was as if...'
Amelia stared blankly at Leonard's retreating back, then shook her head.
'Wait... He's just acting strange for a moment.'
Leonard Percival Blackmere. The man who had always obstructed her path in past regressions.
Three times, no—five regressions of the same pattern. This time wouldn't be different.
Everything would unfold exactly as before.
Leonard would drop out, join the Dark Crusade, and hand them the key to the world's ruin.
Amelia Hill's tasks remained the same.
Pursue the Dark Crusade.
Uncover clues and eliminate them.
This time, save everyone.
And when the time came and Leonard had served his purpose, cut him down mercilessly.
'I have to.'
Amelia's hand trembled faintly on the sword at her waist.
For some reason, that final resolve shook her to the core, though it should have been ironclad.
Amelia gazed vacantly in the direction Leonard had vanished, then turned and headed to the Golden Dormitory.
'I need to figure out what he's scheming...'
The Kingswell Royal Academy on the weekend was unusually quiet.
Students with nearby homes headed back to their families, and with the semester just beginning, there was no exam pressure yet.
For freshmen fresh from the brutal entrance competition, it was the perfect time to unwind.
But not for me.
"Not much trash in sight."
"Ugh... What do we do? We need to meet the quota for service hours... Should I secretly rummage through the bins?"
"Your pure malice never fails to impress me, Vincent."
Early Saturday morning, Vincent and I—along with the other campus service volunteers—were already hard at work.
'Think positive.'
While everyone else lounged around, I was instilling diligent habits in myself.
That mindset made it not so irritating.
Though I was still pissed about Leonard's life screwing me over.
"By the way, I didn't expect the Saintess to show up even on weekends."
Vincent glanced back and muttered.
True to his words, the Saintess of Compassion, Celestina, stood behind us with piercing eyes wide open.
That wasn't the issue.
The problem was that icy stare—lips smiling, eyes not—directed straight at me.
Like she was hunting for any slip-up.
"Blackmere. Be diligent in your service."
"I am."
"Blackmere? There's trash over there."
"Was just about to pick it up."
"Blackmere. You're awfully sluggish today. Adopt the proper volunteer's mindset."
"What do you—"
"No backtalk."
And when she spotted even a tiny opening, she swooped in like a bird of prey. Her skill was no joke.
In that stifling atmosphere that made my stomach churn, we finally finished service, and the yellow-tinged world seemed bright and glorious again.
"Good work today, Vincent."
"Yeah. You too, Leonard. Glad you stayed quiet for once. If you'd caused a ruckus like before, I'd have been in trouble..."
"Talking to you makes my fists itch."
After bidding Vincent farewell amid his even more complicated gaze from Celestina, I headed back to Wisteria Dormitory.
"Huff...! Haah...!"
Climbing the stairs that never got easier, familiar faces came into view.
"You the new neighbor too?"
"No. I'm here to see Leonard."
"Too bad. Still, think about it. It's not bad here."
"Whatever. Where's Leonard...?"
"Wanna check out the vegetable patch together?"
"Where is Leonard Percival Blackmere?"
"Oh... Look at that. A squirrel."
"...Who am I even talking to right now?"
"Crispy fried cicada..."
Layla and Charlotte sat side by side at the dormitory entrance, locked in this bizarre conversation.
What the hell were they doing?