Chapter 65
Chapter 65
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: #14 Their Circumstances: Karen Rel Legrena's Side
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“I’m gonna kill you. Gonna kill you. This time, I’m seriously gonna kill you.”
There are things a person should do, and things they absolutely shouldn’t.
And that jerk Lisen was always doing the stuff he shouldn’t.
Even so, out of our long-time camaraderie, I’d spared his life up until now.
But this time? He crossed the line. Way too far.
Escaped? By himself? And he’d been secretly hoarding food this whole time to keep his strength up?
When Professor Niserwin came and told us about Lisen’s escape, every single one of us was speechless.
Our brotherhood was that strong. Betrayal? It wasn’t even on our radar.
But now that trust was shattered.
This year’s academy was a place where you couldn’t trust anyone—yesterday’s ally becomes today’s enemy, and yesterday’s enemy becomes today’s ally.
But betrayal even in this situation?
And because of it, our food rations dropped by one.
Sure, the guy who’d been sneaking extra lunches was gone, so maybe it balanced out.
But that didn’t erase the betrayal.
After choking down a breakfast filled with rage, everyone started steeling their resolve.
The guy who earned the right to go to school wouldn’t skip out on coming back here, right?
Obviously, he’d attend classes and head back after school, so today we’d fight another war for that.
That’s when we’d strike.
Sorry to the other students, but no one could deny Lisen was our key player.
Still, to vent this anger, we needed Lisen’s blood.
“Time!”
“Eighth floor, straight to the eighth floor!”
“Faster than Lisen! Once we catch him, don’t let him slip away—grab him tight!”
“Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill.”
Everyone was fired up.
Lisen had to know what we were like, so he’d run for his life.
Or maybe he’d set some petty trap with one of his tricks.
But contrary to my expectations, Lisen was sitting perfectly fine at his desk in his classroom.
“Huh, Vice President?”
Who’s this guy waving at me so cheerfully?
Had he forgotten betraying us yesterday?
Or were we so shocked that months had passed without us noticing?
Yeah, that had to be it. Otherwise, why would he smile and approach like this?
“Yeah, Lisen.”
“Man, lucky my first encounter’s with the Vice President.”
I didn’t even think to summon as he approached with that genuinely happy look.
Too stunned? Or just dumbfounded?
No.
My summon was a drake, called a dragon’s descendant.
One swipe of its massive paw would kill Lisen flat.
Not that I minded him dying.
He was gonna die anyway.
But killing him in one shot was too easy.
Plus, I wanted to do it with my own hands, not the drake’s.
Still, I’d hear his last words first. Gotta let him talk.
Lisen was right in front of me now, grinning as he said,
“Sniff sniff. Yep, smells just like you.”
Words that sealed his fate even faster.
“Yeah. Sure. Now, die.”
I flashed him a smile to match his and raised my hand.
I wasn’t trained in martial arts, but right now, I could throw a punch harder than anyone.
Just like sending mana to a summon, I channeled it into both fists.
Focusing mana in one spot was tricky, but my burning desire to smash Lisen made blue mana flicker around my fists.
“And in that spirit, ta-da?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
He pulled something from his subspatial pouch.
It was awkward yet painfully familiar.
Of course it was.
Something I saw every day before, but hadn’t since losing my ‘right to attend school.’
My school uniform.
“Why do you have that?”
“’Cause I grabbed it from your room!”
What kind of nonsense was this guy spouting?
He always acted like a dog, and now he’d mastered barking bullshit in human language?
“Dorms have tight security, especially the girls’ dorms.”
“That security got breached, and I woke up at the academy, remember? Turns out it’s not that hard.”
With a flick of his wrist, my uniform skirt fluttered.
Fine. He definitely needed killing. He was trash that shouldn’t exist in society—non-recyclable garbage.
“Die.”
“Wait!”
Whoosh! My silver devil of a fist sliced through the air toward Lisen, but he dodged nimbly.
“Right, right. No way you’d hit me easily. This’ll be fun.”
“Hang on, weren’t you the hot-blooded type, Vice President? I’ll give you that, but that evil grin? That’s my character.”
“Student Council already erased your reason to exist. I’ll take good care of your character.”
My pajamas were a bit uncomfortable, but I threw in some light footwork to loosen up.
Never studied fighting, but I’d learned self-defense swordsmanship at home.
Time to mix in those footwork techniques.
“Hang on, what about this?”
Hop. Hop. As I started jumping in place, he frantically pulled something else from his pouch.
Two small pieces of fabric.
Black ones. Familiar again.
“Here, this… Gahk?”
“Yeah, let’s end this today.”
I slammed my fist into the solar plexus of the guy who’d boldly pulled out my underwear.
“Tch.”
He staggered back like an enemy, so the hit didn’t land fully.
Light impact. As I geared up to kill him for real this time,
“You seriously stink, you know? Be honest. How long have you worn those pajamas? We’ve been trapped over a week—do you change your underwear daily or what?”
“So what?”
I smell? I knew that.
Even with academy showers, we couldn’t change clothes.
Only one set, so no washing either.
The President petitioned Professor Niserwin, but got a inhuman “hurry up and escape” response.
Our pajamas were already wrecked from the intense escape attempts.
“Hang on, you’re not getting it. I brought your underwear and uniform here.”
“What’s that got to… Huh?”
I was about to snap it had nothing to do with me when my rage at Lisen vanished, rationality kicking in.
Clean underwear to change into.
Plus my uniform.
I could ditch these grimy pajamas for fresh undies and uniform.
Staring blankly at the clothes in his hands, Lisen looked relieved.
“Come on, think about it. A warm shower, slipping into clean clothes—that bliss. Lower that fist, and you never have to wear those sweat-and-dirt pajamas again.”
The moment my attack stopped, the devil’s temptation began.
My body screamed to kill the bastard, but my mind wandered elsewhere.
Stripping off the pajamas, a warm shower. Then the joy of that clean uniform.
“As if I’d fall for…”
But my anger still burned stronger, so I tried refusing…
“Ta-da! Behold!”
But then…
“Your favorite—Empire’s best, no, continent’s best dessert shop’s daily 100-unit limited strawberry cake!”
He pulled it from his pouch again.
The daily 100-unit limited cake.
Its rarity was legendary—nobles and merchants alike grabbed it first-come, first-served, never reselling even for a premium. A cake of dreams.
Thieves even ambushed buyers during sales hours.
Rumor had it the imperial family tried halting sales for causing security issues in the capital, but ministers blocked it.
I’d only tasted it three times, that dream cake right there…
“No way. You couldn’t have gotten that!”
Logically, this slacker—who skimped on everything but essentials—wouldn’t wait in line for that.
Lisen preferred nearby spots without queues over gourmet ones. Four hours minimum for maybe snagging one? No chance.
“Huh? You really think so, Vice President? See the seal on the packaging?”
“Urk… No way.”
But that sparkling special seal from afar matched the legendary packaging I dreamed of—only on rare birthdays.
“You know better than anyone it’s real. Think again. Warm shower, fresh uniform, then this ultimate cake.”
“Aah…”
Was the devil’s apprentice a devil too?
Right now, Lisen was whispering sweeter words than even Professor Niserwin.
“And with this tea…?”
“Aah!”
The brand he deftly pulled out was the continent’s top red tea—served in my family only for VIPs.
“Pairing that cake with this tea…”
I can’t win.
As a woman—no, as a dessert lover—no one could resist this devilish combo.
The seed of temptation the devil’s whisper planted in my subsiding anger sprouted fast, filling my heart.
“Wish I could give it to someone, but that fist scares me.”
“Uh, uh-huh?”
His grumbled voice pierced my heart, my raised hand slipping behind my back.
“L-Lisen? Look…”
“Man, I risked my life thinking of you all. Grabbed clothes to change into, food to eat. Up all night at dawn, ran into the silver devil. Risked everything, but you don’t appreciate it.”
He cut me off, rapid-fire lies anyone could spot.
I wanted to yell bullshit, but my mouth said something else.
“Y-Yeah? You did?”
Why was I like this?
My murderous rage moments ago had flipped to desire. Why?
“Yeah, I’d even give these to you right now.”
I wanted to demand them, but my mouth wouldn’t move.
“You’re on my side, right, Vice President?”
“Uh, uh-huh. Y-Yeah. We’re both Vice Presidents.”
His hand swayed, the cake swaying with it.
“Yeah, I trusted you. You trusted me too, huh? Glad.”
“Yeah, who else would I trust?”
Mostly in a bad way, but no need to say that now.
“Yep, only you for me.”
He approached. My clothes and cake drawing closer.
One step, another.
At arm’s reach, Lisen stopped, eyes widening like he’d just realized.
“Oh, right!”
“What!”
Irritation burst from my mouth.
“Oh, you mad now? Scary.”
I wanted to kill him for the obnoxious acting as he stepped back, but I couldn’t.
“N-No way I’d be mad at you, Lisen. Just on edge from being trapped so long.”
Suppressing my anger, I smiled and beckoned.
“Lisen? Why’re you so far away between us?”
“’Cause Karen’s scary.”
He said it with a totally unafraid face, using my first name he never did before. I endured with superhuman patience.
“No, I’m not scary.”
“You won’t hit me?”
“Of course not.”
“You won’t kill me without hitting?”
“Sheesh, not my beloved Lisen.”
“Yeah?”
Satisfied, he approached with a grin and handed over his items.
“Oh, and I grabbed your shower stuff, towels from your room. Makeup too—a few. This makeup, right?”
“Sniff… Yeah…”
Familiar things I’d ignored, but missed desperately without—now appearing one by one.
“Sniff… I love you, Lisen.”
All my pent-up rage against him melted away so easily.
I hugged him without thinking and said it…
Click.
“Uh… um… sorry for interrupting.”
The classroom door swung open. A student council officer saw us and slammed it shut.
Interrupting? What?
As if answering, the officer’s voice echoed down the hall.
“Vice President Karen confessed to Vice President Lisen!”
…Huh?