Chapter 99
Chapter 99
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 99
Chapter Title: Not a Legend, But a Legend (3)
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#3 Their Circumstances: The Circumstances of a Certain Student Council President.
"I'm sorry."
I bowed my head deeply, but the other party's anger didn't subside.
"What is this, revenge? Is it revenge?!"
Professor Harian's shrill shout shook the tent.
The cause was me talking about Professor Niserwin during today's match against Arsia.
Thanks to my story, Professor Niserwin had become a monster who could take on gods, spirit kings, and a thousand students, drawing all the attention from the imperial nobles.
But...
"I just stated the facts, didn't I?"
No, if anything, I downplayed it.
Not only the students but even the professors couldn't beat that silver devil!
It was only natural, but when the devil came to hit the professors under the pretext of healing them, the professors had desperately tried to flee.
Once they'd been hit once, that devil became a being of terror.
But no professor, not even Professor Muam or Professor Harian, had been able to escape the silver devil.
If this fact got out, the empire's interest in Professor Niserwin would explode!
"It's not about whether it's true or not, you idiot!"
"Ugh!"
I thought it was a perfect defense, but what came back was Professor Harian's fist!
"You idiot, do you know what's happening right now? Every noble in the empire is storming in, demanding we hand over Professor Niserwin!"
"C-Can't we just hand him over?"
"That's the problem—he vanished without a trace!"
From what I gathered, the nobles had rushed in to urgently call for Professor Niserwin, but he had already fled.
Even when we explained it diligently, the nobles wouldn't believe us!
They were accusing Yuglasia of hiding Professor Niserwin to monopolize him.
And the result of that.
"That's why they're taking it out on you, the cause of all this!"
"Eek!"
Explosive punching power bursting from that small frame!
But unlike before, this time I perfectly guarded against Professor Harian and turned toward...
"Gah!"
"I'm here too!"
The blow to my side was all too familiar, yet one I could never get used to.
"The master said to tell you: you're done for."
"Ugh!"
In an instant, five spots across my body were struck.
My mind grew hazy. It begged to pass out quickly, but my body wouldn't oblige.
It hurts. It hurts, but my mind kept sharpening.
"Ugh, eek? Hah!"
"Heh heh heh. How's it feel? Feels good, right!"
"S-Stop... haa!"
"President, look at this. He says stop, but his body loves my touch. Come on, how is it!"
"Th-This tent isn't soundproof! There are nobles around besides the familiar students!" Professor Harian, flustered by the lewd moans from my mouth and the devil's words, tried to intervene.
"Wanna get hit too?"
"A mere student council president is fair game to beat anytime!"
It was a pathetic resistance.
"President, the master's really pissed. Says you're making things annoying, and it's fine to finish you off."
"P-Please spare me..."
"You know it! I'm a kind goddess who doesn't kill anyone!"
"Just kill me instead!"
"Hahaha! As if! You've got to work hard through the rest of the Imperial Tournament, President!"
"Eeeeeek!"
"I'm off now... Take care!"
Professor Harian, eyes squeezed shut at my screams, left, but the silver devil ignored it and kept pounding my body.
No matter how much I apologized for my wrongs or begged for mercy, the devil's violence didn't end.
I wished I could just collapse and pass out, but the silver devil wouldn't even allow that.
In the end, for a long while, I cursed my past self who, after facing Arsia's hundred students, got cocky about my strength and flapped my gums.
"Huh?"
When I opened my eyes, the dark night sky came into view.
I was definitely in the tent—no, before that, there seemed to be a blatant blank space of about a page, like an editing error!
"No, what am I even saying..."
"What else? Everything you've been saying lately is bullshit, isn't it?"
"Gasp!"
The sudden voice was one I heard often.
But from the tone onward, the atmosphere itself felt like a completely different person.
"P-Professor Niserwin..."
"Yes, Nerkia. Nice night to die, isn't it?"
"I-It's night, so I can't really tell the weather!"
I really felt my life was in danger and shouted desperately, but it was no use.
"Exactly. Most people die without knowing much. Perfect weather for your death, no?"
"If I die, our academy will—"
"Win the tournament. Honestly, you think we can't win without you?"
"No..."
Honestly, Yuglasia wouldn't fail to win without just me.
Everyone was going all out to eliminate night self-study!
But I had to survive first!
"P-Please spare me..."
"Yeah, sure. I'll let you live."
Pat.
Professor Niserwin patted my shoulder a few times, then crossed his legs on a chair that had appeared out of nowhere and looked down at me.
"I won't kill you."
At Professor Niserwin's gesture, a streak of silver light emerged from the darkness...
"Eek!"
"J-Just kill me!"
"As if!"
"Y-You hit me earlier! Twice a day is too much!"
"I'm a bad girl, a naughty girl! I already did it twice!"
"Ugh!"
A tiny foot slammed into my side.
They say impact is proportional to mass and velocity, so why did this small, slow kick hurt so much?
"Why? Because this body is the great Goddess Arcadia!"
"Uh... ugh!"
"How'd you know? Because this body is the great Goddess Arcadia!"
"So that's it!"
In that instant, pain shot through eighteen spots on my body.
My fingers stretched like tentacles, pummeling my entire body, and my mind crossed between hells three times over.
The silver devil's attacks held no heaven.
"Stop."
After experiencing several hells, Professor Niserwin finally halted the devil's assault.
"K-Kill... me..."
I knew this hell would end when the Imperial Tournament did, but enduring this pain now was too hard.
I'd rather die, but this cursed state where I couldn't even do that terrified me.
"No, the reason I stopped the attack? To hit you more. If we keep going like this, even this iron-bodied fool would reach his limit."
"Please..."
"This guy's pain doesn't end that way. It's because the blessings overlap too much, and his body can't take more. So, make his body able to receive blessings again."
"Uh?"
"Just hit him with normal blows. Don't worry. This body remembers how to hit someone to make it hurt without real damage—I used to wield clubs myself when this guy wasn't around."
"Uh. Uh... S-Stop..."
Honestly, Professor Niserwin's attacks didn't hurt.
It just felt like being thumped.
Yuglasia students, having surpassed human pain tolerance from the devil's beatings, barely felt ordinary attacks.
But according to Professor Niserwin, these attacks extended the time against the silver devil.
Thinking I was taking these hits to endure more from the devil made each blow flood me with dread.
"Please stop! Every hit means more hits!"
"You've already crossed the point of no return."
Professor Niserwin spoke as if I had no more chances.
But who am I?
A member of Yuglasia who survived the silver devil by giving my all!
If I convince Professor Niserwin before the devil starts again, I can live.
So why was Professor Niserwin so angry at me?
Professor Harian came first, furious about the hassle.
Was Professor Niserwin the same?
Probably not.
With Professor Niserwin's personality, he wouldn't act for the same reason.
So, excluding that, there must be another reason for his rage?
Why?
I had only raised Professor Niserwin's value!
A professor who could take down over a thousand students alone—what an unparalleled ability no other academy had!
It was my achievement that naturally revealed Professor Niserwin's true power, beyond his known intellect!
'Wait, is it this?'
If Professor Niserwin was this angry about revealing his abilities?
No need for whys.
Asking would backfire into more beatings.
So, I had to take this as the answer and beg for my life.
"I have a way!"
"Yes, there's a way. Your death."
N-No, not that!
"There's a way to reset my mistake. During the Imperial Tournament, have someone else draw attention to Professor Niserwin!"
"Oh? That's a good idea."
I'm saved!
"But of course, that's your job. And I need something to vent this anger."
Not saved?!
Professor Niserwin, who had stopped his hands at some point, glared at me coldly, as if the students' joke—that he was a villain from Howling—was true.
"Since you've reflected, I'll forgive you."
"Th-Thank you!"
Still unable to control my body from the silver devil's attacks, I barely bowed in gratitude for the mercy.
"But I'm not satisfied with what I've done so far... Aru. Beat him to the limit."
"N-No!"
Like a prisoner sentenced to death, my face paled as I screamed...
"Yay!"
"Gaaaaaah!"
If there was mercy, it wouldn't be a devil.
"Hah!"
"You're awake."
"Honestly, I thought we'd have to fight without the president today."
"You survived."
"As expected of our academy's president. Respect for that sturdy stamina."
When I opened my eyes, it was the next morning.
Rising from bed, I saw the other student council executives looking at me with disgusted expressions.
"What happened?"
"What happened? The silver devil beat you up yesterday and dumped you here."
"Honestly, drool pouring from your mouth with 'heh heh heh,' eyes rolled back white. Asked the devil, and it said, 'The master was pissed, so I kept hitting!'"
"Even figured we'd fight the final day without the president?"
"Yeah..."
I could imagine the state I returned in and sighed deeply, but my ordeal wasn't over.
"You can fight today, right? After causing such a scene yesterday, skipping today would look suspicious?"
"Uwaaaaaah!"
I clutched my head and screamed.
"Lisenn, how much time until the matches?"
"Why, still hurting? First match in an hour, last in about an hour forty."
I had told Professor Niserwin.
That I'd draw attention to him today.
But that was just desperation to survive; I hadn't planned the details.
Honestly, what could draw more attention than beating gods, spirit kings, and a thousand students!
"Lisenn, I'm asking you because you always come up with the craziest ideas no one expects..."
"What kind of question is that? Wanna fight? Is that it?"
"No, my life's on the line."
"Oh? Then bye."
Lisenn waved me off like usual.
But there had to be a way to change her mind.
"The silver devil."
"Give me a sec."
Even wild Lisenn had enough loyalty to help with devil matters!
"Yeah, that's it!"
I nodded at Lisenn's words.
That would really draw everyone's attention.
Only Lisenn could think of something that insane!
And on match day, spotting the target, I boldly stepped forward.
Ignoring the tense Arsia students at my solo advance, toward one sole goal!
"Nerkia Ri Deirarap hereby declares!"
Tension rippled across the Arsia students' faces.
The guy who beat them alone yesterday shouting like this would be nerve-wracking, but don't worry! It's not that!
"Arsia's..."
This was truly dangerous.
Really, really dangerous.
But to survive, I had to say it.
"Vice President, Arieta Rule Meire! I love you so much!"
This enormous act of public confession!