Chapter 35
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: The Possessors
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Empire Academy girls' dormitory. Dain's cozy fortress lay in ruins in a mere three seconds.
The cookie crumb clenched in her mouth dropped with a plop onto the blanket.
'Gotta bail.'
An air raid siren blared in Dain's mind.
She needed the agility from her past life—sneaking down the emergency stairs at 5:50 p.m. on a Friday to dodge the section chief's gaze. But after far too long fused to her bed, her body refused to obey.
Kasian halted by the bedside and picked up the book from the floor.
"What the hell is this..."
He glanced at the cover, then looked down at Dain.
"Anemia treatment that's very original. Lying around reading novels must boost blood pressure and crank out red blood cells, huh?"
"......"
Dain racked her brain desperately.
'Stay cool. Still got a shot. I'm the frail lady. Just shock-frozen for now. Crumble here, and my sweet life's toast.'
Time to channel her past life's method-acting prowess from dodging after-work drinks by playing drunk. She raised a trembling pale hand to her forehead, fluttering her eyelids in the world's most pitiful expression.
"Who... who are you...? *Cough*. *Cough*."
She forced out dry coughs.
"My chronic condition's flaring up... I need rest... if you barge in like this... *Cough*!"
"Cut the act."
Kasian tossed the book onto the bed and shut her down cold.
"Wha-what...?"
"No medical text says a patient's got that glow and mana popping like yours. Heart rate's perfectly normal, and your color's better than mine."
He bent at the waist, shoving his face right in hers. Her terrified reflection stared back from his crimson eyes.
"And for anemia... your mana pool's way too massive. Looks bigger than all the academy profs combined. Thought you could hide that?"
"Th-that's... a congenital defect... a rare disease where excess mana overwhelms the body...!"
"Bullshit."
Kasian scoffed like it wasn't worth hearing more.
"Your ancestor Kyle's weeping in the afterlife. He had a justice obsession, not laziness like you. What a waste of bloodline."
"......!"
Dain's eyes quivered. How did this guy know about the Hero?
'Status window!! Status window!!'
Dain screamed internally.
📛 Name:???
⚠️ Danger Level:????
❤️ Affinity:■■■
What the hell!!
Dain shrieked inside, but the window spat out the same useless response as yesterday.
"Get up. Check-up's over—time for discharge."
"N-no! I really hurt! Can't move! I'll puke if I do!"
Dain yanked the blanket to her chin, clutching the pillow like a pupa in a cocoon.
Outside the blanket: danger. The moment she emerged: hell.
"Won't get up?"
Kasian's eyes narrowed.
"Fine. If the patient's immobile, guess we'll teleport the whole bed."
"What? What're you...!"
He'd planned it all. Before coming, he'd marked the training grounds—right next to Erendel.
Masses of lifeforms were tricky, but one bed and its clingy occupant? Easy.
Same principle as clothes teleporting with you. Just register bed-and-Dain as a set.
Kasian placed a hand on the bed frame and snapped his fingers.
Fwosh-!
"Huh...? H-huh?!"
Dain's view flipped. The dim, cozy dorm ceiling vanished in an instant.
Instead...
Murmurs swelled.
"Huh? What?"
"Isn't that a bed?"
"Lady Dain?"
"In her pajamas?"
Blazing sunlight and kicking dust in the training grounds' center. Hundreds of sweat-soaked students and professors—mid-beating from Erendel—gaped slack-jawed at her.
"......"
Dain blankly glanced sideways.
Yuria's gaze locked on Dain's messy hair, chocolate-smeared lips, and death-grip pillow.
"Wow....."
Yuria marveled.
Suffocating shame crashed like a tsunami. Kasian waved from bedside, chuckling.
"Class already started. Rise and shine, Lady. Sun's high noon."
Dain's mind went white-hot. She'd rather beg the gods for instant heart failure.
"Hey, Erendel."
I crouched by the bed, pointing at blanket-huddled, reality-evading Dain.
"Quote?"
"......"
Erendel alternated bewildered glances between bed and me. Then, pro-like, she squinted and scanned Dain.
Equations whirred in her golden eyes. Moments later, a scoff escaped.
"Hah... insane."
"How is she?"
"Makes sense? Human body? Heart's a mana engine."
Erendel clicked her tongue.
"Born swimming in high-density mana solution. Breathing builds mana. Affinity and capacity? Absurd."
She added:
"Doesn't lose to me. Potential might top mine? True Hero blood."
"Told ya. My eyes don't lie."
I grinned, satisfied.
Bingo.
She's a talent bomb. Super lazy raw diamond buried in mud.
"Um... ex-excuse me...?"
Murmurs swelled louder.
"What? Lady Pendragon?"
"Pajamas?"
"Bed dropped from the sky?"
Hundreds of eyes pinned Dain. She squirmed under the blanket, desperately hiding. Ears beet-red—she wanted to bite her tongue and die.
But I yanked the blanket clean off.
"Kyaa! No!"
Dain shrieked, curling up. Baggy pajamas, tangled platinum hair, pillow-hug. No battlefield goddess—just a holiday shut-in.
"Professor."
"Yes, Inspector!"
"Fresh air and exercise best for anemia, right?"
"Y-yes... I suppose?"
The prof glanced nervously, mumbling.
"Get up."
I nudged the bed with my foot.
"Five seconds. Or I burn it. 5, 4..."
"I-I'm up! Getting up! Please block the people...!"
But I shook my head with a merciful smile.
"Nah. Audience sparks motivation."
I called Yuria, blankly staring at Dain.
"Yuria."
"Yes, Youngw—no, Inspector."
"Test time. Fireball her. Full power."
"Huh? For real?"
Yuria's eyes bulged. Fireball a defenseless classmate?
"No hold-back. Full murder vibe. Max output."
"But... no weapon? Pajamas? What if she dies?"
"Don't worry. If I'm right, not a scratch. Know her ancestor—your concern's a luxury."
Yuria hesitated, eyed her master Erendel. A nod, and Yuria's gaze hardened. Permission granted—no more doubts.
Whummm-!
"Lady! Dodge!"
No mercy. A crimson fireball spawned at her staff-tip, rocketing straight for Dain's face.
"W-wait! Fuck, you crazy bitch! Warn before firing...!"
Dain yelped, but the fireball was nose-close. Scorching heat engulfed her.
BOOM!
Massive blast, thick smoke billowed. Bed feathers snowed everywhere. Students screamed, retreating.
"Kyaa!"
"Even the Lady like that..."
Smoke cleared. Jaws dropped worldwide.
"......"
Burnt bed wreckage atop: Dain unscathed.
Precisely—she'd swatted Yuria's fireball with a golden-aura hand-chop.
"......Huh."
Yuria blinked, stunned.
"Bare-handed...?"
Students couldn't aura-blade with swords; this slacker lady swatted it like a fly—pillow-hugging, pajama-clad.
"Ah...."
Dain belatedly eyed her hand, oops-face. Too perfect block. She staggered, faking agony.
"Ow... anemia... head spinning..."
"No acting. Saw it all."
I grinned through drifting feathers, approaching.
"Told ya. Monster confirmed."
"......"
Her face rotted like a world-weary soul.
"Alright, Lady Pendragon."
I clapped her shoulder.
"Health: check. Reflexes: check. Talent: check."
Then turned, bellowing at students:
"Saw that? How nuts she is. You swing swords; she palm-slaps mad-dog spells. Fourth-year top prestige."
"......Don't wanna."
Dain whined, resisting tearfully.
"I just wanna live quietly... please leave me be... I hate fighting..."
"Talent like yours too precious for quiet. Bed-rolling only? Duty neglect."
I snatched her pillow, chucked it.
"No!"
Ignoring her flailing hand, I whispered in her ear:
"Welcome. To hell."
The hellish sampler eval wrapped.
Training grounds: literal corpse field. Dust-caked students groaned sprawled; some carted to infirmary.
For reference, Dain panted but stood mostly intact amid the carnage. Even rotten fish has flavor—or Hero bloodline holds.
"Then I'll head out, feeling rough... good work, everyone..."
As she bolted for the exit...
"Hold up."
My voice snagged her nape.
"Lady Pendragon. Busy, I get it—but see me a sec?"
"......!"
Dain's shoulders jolted. She turned robot-slow. Forced smile: pathetic.
"In-Inspector? I showed plenty today. Blocked fireball, anemia's back..."
"Nah, not training. Personal curiosity."
I strolled up. Secluded tree shade, no students. Arms crossed, peered down, smirked.
"That was impressive."
"Pardon? Ah... the fireball block? Pure instinct..."
"Not that."
I tapped my lips.
"That pronunciation. Accent spot-on."
"......Pardon?"
Dain blinked, baffled.
"Hometown?"
"Hometown? Naturally... Pendragon estate in my lands. Born and raised Empire..."
"Lies."
I bored into her eyes, murmuring low:
"Imperial has no word where 'shi' and 'bal' glue with that rhythm."
"......!!"
Dain's pupils quaked like an earthquake. Blood drained from her face.
That fireball moment. Her short, guttural yelp.
Impossible in this fantasy tongue.
"Th-that's..."
Cold sweat beaded as she backed up.
"An... ancient incant fragment! Crisis mana amp—first letters...!"
"Incant?"
I scoffed. Mana-boost chant. Creative BS.
"Fascinating theory. Word I know spikes blood pressure, not mana."
"Y-you're mistaken! Ancient depths interpretive..."
"Oh?"
One more step. Her back hit tree. Nowhere left.
"Dorm mutter: 'ggeokul.' What? Honeybee summon? Dog eats honey?"
"Gasp.....!"
Dain froze.
"Spill. Where from? Your spot mirrors mine—asking. Rolled twenty years early, myself."
"Mirrors...?"
Eyes widened. Brain spun; horror dawned. Suspicion hardened to certainty.
"Th-then... you...?"
Swallowed dry, cautious:
"Kimchi...?"
"Love it. None to eat."
"History's finest king...?"
"King Sejong."
"Ah....."
Dain's jaw dropped. Ironclad proof. No fantasy local knows Korean kings.
"What you're thinking: correct."
"Wow..."
Legs buckled; she slid down the tree. Noble mask shed, trembling mutter:
"Jackpot...."
First isekai compatriot who clicked.
Though one grinds, one flees.