Chapter 80
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 80
Chapter Title: Unraveling My Ex's Past
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I blocked off all my senses and entered the mental world.
A sort of comatose state where I'd temporarily halted all physical activity, so now it was time to trust my comrades.
Floating aimlessly in the dark space, I played around with 'Assassin Pro' for the first time in ages...
I also analyzed the weakness of that insanely tough pureblood Dullahan...
And I gave some thought to that guy called the 'male protagonist'.
The more I pondered, the more absurd the situation seemed.
'The butterfly effect from my own actions...'
The first thing that came to mind was the war that had broken out in the north.
I'd acted in ways that never happened in the original story, and as a result, events that weren't in history had come to pass.
'Looks like I need to drop by the church.'
No need for deep thought on this one—it felt like something to ask the goddess directly.
'Will she even answer...'
And even if I'd evented the male protagonist as thoroughly as possible, there might be black magic techniques for body-swapping, so I needed to prepare countermeasures.
I hoped it wouldn't come to that, but if we crossed paths again, I planned to utterly crush him.
'Maybe I should research curses too?'
One thought led to another, tangling my mind into knots and making it increasingly complicated.
'That crystal orb that spawns those monsters... I need to quietly put out a bounty for it.'
As my worries piled up day by day, I swallowed a sigh—then a warm light burst in my mental space, and the scenery began to shift.
I'd diligently honed my mental world in the meantime, but getting invaded like this without warning was bound to throw me off.
"Wh... what the hell."
The moment I focused my mind to grasp the anomaly, I spotted Lea sitting on an academy bench.
Her eyes wide with sparkling excitement, Lea watched the academy scenery with a thrilled expression.
'That's...'
I approached her familiar yet unfamiliar figure and demanded an explanation.
"Lea? Did you come into my mental world?"
"This is... the academy...!"
"Lea?"
Something felt off, so I waved a hand in front of her face and reached out to touch her shoulder, but...
"..."
My hand simply passed right through her shoulder without touching it.
Observation only, it seemed—no direct intervention possible.
'So this is Lea's past?'
Her past suddenly replaying out of nowhere piqued my curiosity, and with no other options, I decided to just watch blankly.
She gazed at the academy with her pretty face shining for a good while, heedlessly flaunting her stunning looks, and as a result...
"Hello there, miss. Might I have the pleasure of your name...?"
The bugs started swarming.
A sleazy gang of punks with a greasy, cocky vibe.
But she was a romance fantasy heroine—oblivious to their lecherous intentions, she laid bare the flower field in her head.
"Ah! Hello! I'm Lea. No family name since I'm a commoner!"
Thinking she'd made new friends, she greeted them brightly.
The punks exchanged glances and snickered.
"What? A commoner? Thought she was some noble... Eh, let's toy with her for fun, boys."
Their tone flipped in an instant, rough hands clamping onto her wrist.
Caught off guard by their pure malice, she panicked.
"Kyaa! Why are you doing this?!"
"Shut up and come along, cutie..."
"That's far enough."
All eyes turned toward the source of the low voice.
"Ha... Lancelot, that fucking bastard... where the hell is he?"
Standing there amid the stares was a white-haired man brimming with irritation.
"Tsk, as expected of a dark fantasy—why are there so many pieces of trash...?"
"Cr... Crown...!"
-Snap!
-Crack!
"Gaaahhh!"
"Crown what."
With just a flick of his finger, their wrists and ankles shattered, sending the punks flying.
And just like that, the heroine—surrounded by thugs—and the Crown Prince locked eyes.
Bright sunlight illuminated their faces, and for a moment, they stared at each other in a daze.
After a long silence thick with tension, Lea broke it.
"Ah... um... th... thank you..."
"Fuck... you're a girl?"
"Pardon?"
-Snap!
The Crown Prince vanished in an instant. Lea reached out in confusion, but the space was already empty.
All that remained on the academy walkway were the punks and Lea, her face flushed beet red.
The academy's first class.
Lea, who had barely slept from excitement, woke up unusually early that day.
"Ah... guess I'll wash up first?"
The inn she stayed at was a rundown cheapie, used for its affordability.
An old lady ran it for students who couldn't afford dorms.
Service was minimal, sure, but...
No inn near the academy matched this price, even if you scoured with a magnifying glass.
With extra time, she leisurely prepared and strolled to the academy, arriving to find...
An empty classroom, with the Crown Prince leaning against the wall in deep concentration.
"Huh? That guy from before...?"
The Crown Prince, drenched in cold sweat, widened his eyes and gaped wordlessly.
His pained expression drew a sigh from Lea as she approached.
"Oh my god! You're soaked in sweat! Are you okay!?"
"Um... concentrat... ing..."
"Pardon? What? Oh... what do I do... To the infirmary first!"
The moment she tried to move him.
"Hng...!!!"
The Crown Prince's eyes bulged as he held his breath; veins popped at his temples, then his strength gave out, and he began to slump.
"Hey! Kyaa!"
Lea instinctively caught him, her face draining of color.
"Infir... mary..."
"No... way..."
"What? You're drenched and saying that?!"
"My... mana..."
Seeing his desperate look, Lea just helped him into a chair.
"Ugh... my head..."
"You okay?"
"..."
The Crown Prince leaned against her with eyes closed. She'd been too flustered to notice, but suddenly his scent wafted strongly into her nose.
Unable to shove away someone in pain while supporting him, her chest tightened.
As she fidgeted helplessly, the classroom door slid open.
-Slide...
In walked a gray-haired young lady with a sharp air about her.
Their eyes met, and the gray-haired lady scowled.
She strode over and crossed her arms.
"And who might you be, cozying up to His Highness the Crown Prince like this?"
Blunt hostility without so much as an introduction left the naive heroine speechless.
"Cr... Crown Prince? I... I didn't know..."
"Hah! Whatever! Your Highness! On the very first day at the academy..."
The Crown Prince furrowed his brow and straightened up.
His voice dripped with annoyance.
"Shut up..."
"Wh... what did you say!?"
The weight lifting from her body left Lea inexplicably wistful.
Glancing aside, she saw the Crown Prince pressing a hand to his forehead, face twisted.
His decadently alluring look left her staring blankly until...
"I said... don't do that..."
"Hah! The imperial family's dignity is in tatters! So rude! Seducing an innocent young lady on day one..."
Irritation filled his face, then fury flickered across it.
"Imperial family, you say...?"
"Y... yes! As a noble lady, I can't just stand by and watch such..."
"Ella Arseine."
The air grew heavy in an instant.
Looking toward the suffocating pressure's source...
"Shut your reckless mouth before I rip it out."
"Wh... what..."
"Know your place, or get lost... before I destroy everything propping up your pathetic life."
"......"
Ella fled, face ashen.
"Hoo..."
In the tense aftermath, Lea rolled her eyes, sorting her thoughts.
'Wh... what do I do?!? H... he's the Crown Prince? Ap... apologize! Gotta apologize first!'
As panic-stricken Lea opened her mouth to speak...
"S... sor...!"
"Sorry about that, miss! Let me apologize for my rude friend in your stead!"
"Eek!"
The pained man was gone; now the Crown Prince grabbed her shoulder and shouted.
His sharp eyes now softened into droops, giving him a...
'C... cute...'
"It won't happen again, I guarantee it!"
"Ah? No, Your Highness! If anything, I'm sorry for my rudeness all this time!"
"Nonsense, no need! Right, is there anything you want?"
"Pardon?"
"Anything at all! I'll make it happen."
His muddled brain from the massive spellcasting turned the Crown Prince into a babbling mess.
Lea gaped, then mustered her courage.
"Um... then, will you be my friend?"
"Friend...?"
His face soured instantly. Had she overstepped? Lea's expression darkened.
"Sorry... I was too forward...?"
Her lovely face crumpled into a pout, and...
"Friend... maybe not..."
Suddenly, his eyes widened.
"Wait, no? ...Yeah, friends! Friends are great! Ahahaha! From now on, we're friends!"
"Yes?"
Watching the erratic Crown Prince, she wondered if he'd lost it...
-Thud!
"Huh?"
He shot up and extended his hand.
"From now on, we're the best of friends! I'm Liam Luminaria—nice to meet you!"
A cheerful smile lit his face as a fragrant spring breeze slipped through the window.
Too mesmerized by his face to notice the hand, Lea looked up at him endlessly.
Her beautiful cheeks flushed as she returned a lovely smile.
"Yes! Nice to meet you! I'm Lea!"
The first male hand she clasped was hot and rugged.
She forgot all about her pounding heart.
"Right, Lea! Call me by name too!"
"Pardon? That's a bit..."
She flinched—too much, even for her—but he fidgeted awkwardly with their clasped hands.
"Ah... right...? Ahem... sorry, I don't have many friends..."
In that moment, Lea saw the continent's pinnacle loner.
"I'm fine with it, but Your Highness..."
"I'm fine..."
His drooping eyes tickled her heart.
Feeling like she was looking at a pitiful puppy, she couldn't help but...
"Nice to meet you, Liam!"
His face practically screamed 'Score!'
"Yeah yeah! Uhahahaha!"
His goofy laugh was so endearing.
She struggled to hold back her own giggles.