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Chapter 306: Crossed Letters

"That concludes the damage report."

In the vacant faculty room, Kania gave her report with trembling eyes.

"Young Ma..."

"Are you absolutely sure there were no fatalities?"

"...Yes, that\'s correct."

I let out a quiet sigh as I heard Kania’s confirmation.

"I feel like I\'m going to lose my mind."

I couldn’t fully grasp the situation back then, as I was affected by the ‘Curse of Mental Weakness’. However, looking back at it, it was truly a close call.

Monsters invasion outside the Academy Siege…

It was a miracle there were no casualties. Had it not been for Kania, Clana, and Irina’s quick response, the situation would have spiraled out of control.

"Phew."

Fortunately, we gained quite a bit from this incident.

Firstly, Kania and Irina, who previously had limited influence in the academy, started to make a name for themselves.

Even days after the incident, their fame showed no signs of diminishing. Furthermore, the media also highlighted their contributions and spun it as the emergence of new heroes, which further boosted their fame.

Thanks to all of that, Clana’s popularity also soared in the election, while Alice’s popularity plummeted.

It seemed my plan to portray Alice as my ally had worked quite well. Of course, Clana’s performance during the incident also played a big role in this.

Given the huge gap in the votes, it was very likely that Clana would be elected as the student council president.

If things continued like this, the first main quest of the second year would be my victory.

"How\'s Ruby\'s condition?"

"She\'s currently in the infirmary. No significant reactions so far."

This incident also cast doubt among the students about Ruby\'s behavior.

Initially, the freshmen looked at me with murderous intent. But their expressions changed when I dragged out the intermediate Dark Golems I slaughtered inside the gate.

Except for Isolet, even the academy’s staff would be hard-pressed to defeat those intermediate Dark Golems. For the students, it was impossible for them to defeat it unless they engaged in a group raid.

In other words, despite my personality and character, my skills were undoubtedly proven.

"Indeed, it must be a lot of trouble."

Ruby failed to demonstrate her abilities in the incident.

She fell victim to the ‘Curse of Vulnerability’ I had cast with my special ability.

Even if her abilities were meticulously proven in the ‘Inauguration Ceremony’, her lack of contribution in the real combat scenario was a significant flaw to her facade.

Of course, it wasn’t a big issue for her at the moment, as she was resourceful and had many followers blindly following her. However, the seed of doubt had already been sown.

Furthermore, according to Kania’s reports, Eurelia had begun to investigate Ruby’s actions.

If Ruby\'s faction split or clashed with hers, the benefits were obvious.

"Sigh..."

"You\'ve been sighing a lot these past few days, Young Master."

As Kania pointed out, I found myself sighing deeply, then lowered my head, rubbing my eyes.

If only that was the end of it…

Though there were many gains, a significant problem arose.

The forced initiation of the \'Fourth Ordeal\' at the very end of the incident.

I couldn’t get that scene out of my head.

What were those tentacles and eyeball? And why did the Fourth Ordeal abruptly start?

If the Sun God hadn’t intervened… The thought alone sent chills down my spine.

"It\'s nothing."

I reassured the worried Kania, but in truth, there was a more pressing matter.

The fire incident in the annex, which was part of this scenario, changed into the erosion incident.

How did a simple fire with no casualties turn into a major invasion event that threatened the students\' lives?

Moreover, that eyeball…

"...Uck."

I felt frustrated. It felt like I was being pulled and watched by something.

I really hated this feeling.

- Bang...!!!

Unknowingly, I slammed my hand on the desk in the faculty room, and Kania looked at me with a startled expression.

"...Sorry."

Even though the Curse of Mental Weakness was ‘paused’, it felt like my mental state had truly been weakened because of it.

The feeling of everyone\'s cold gazes, and the terrible memories that surfaced every time I looked at my loved ones... it was the worst.

Honestly, I had wanted to commit suicide several times because of it. If it wasn\'t for Lulu, who felt similar impulses, I might have made an extreme choice.

This sucks.

But what was more irritating was that the curse was just \'paused.\' There was no telling when it would be reactivated.

Ruby had been under both the curse of vulnerability and honesty for a while now, so it might last a long time for me too. but when exactly would it restart?

- Bang! Bang!!

I bit my lip as I slammed my desk again in frustration. Catching on my frustration, Kania silently pulled me into a hug

"Calm down, Young Master..."

"..."

I wanted to calm down too.

But I couldn’t get the memories of terror and fear out of my head.

I hated those who mocked and trampled me. I had never felt this way before. Was I finally starting to reach the limit of my mental strength?

Hopefully, it was just an after-effect of the curse.

"Otherwise, your left arm will get even worse..."

I clenched my teeth for a long time in Kania’s embrace. I snapped out of it when I heard Kania’s tearful whisper.

"It\'s fine, my left arm is fine."

“...Irina and Ferloche said otherwise.”

"I told them not to tell you."

"I\'m your assistant."

Kania spoke through clenched teeth as I shrugged off my condition.

"They said you have to cut off your arm."

“Is that really necessary?”

"If you don\'t, it will spread toxic energy throughout your body. Regeneration and recovery magic won’t work due to the unknown energy from the core."

Kania then glared at me and said.

"Why did you have to break it with your arm?"

“I wasn\'t in my right mind at the time, and it was necessary to do more damage to Ruby. It\'s all for the future..."

"What about your own safety!"

"Everything will end within a year anyway."

I spoke with a gentle smile, and she looked at me in disbelief, angry for the first time in a long while.

"This arm, it\'s no big deal. Even if I go blind, become half-disabled, or paralyzed, as long as I\'m alive, it’s fine. The moment I put on the Hero\'s Armament, I can still fight at a hundred percent until my strength runs out."

"..."

“So… uhm.”

I spoke triumphantly at first, but then I quietly averted my gaze at Kania\'s teary expression.

"..."

Then, I noticed a note stuck on the corner of the desk, which I hadn\'t seen until now.

- Die, you piece of trash.

"...Ha."

I didn’t know who it was from, but when I read the note, I bursted out laughing.

"Hahaha... Haha... Hahaha......"

I was laughing so hard I was on the verge of tears.

It had been a while since I cried. Was it a year ago since I read my father’s letter? This probably didn’t count, as it was a tear of laughter and not sadness.

"Why are you..."

"No, it’s nothing."

Knowing that Kania might trace the note with her black magic and unleash her wrath on whoever wrote it, I quietly hid the note and slowly opened my mouth.

"...This is."

However, Kania reached behind my back and found the note.

Her expression twisted.

"..."

As she gently touched my broken left arm and started to shed tears, I involuntarily clenched my fist.

"...That proud Irina, she was hugging a pillow and sobbing yesterday."

She spoke in a low voice.

"She feels very responsible for your arm being like this."

"..."

"And so do I."

She then quietly extended her arm.

"I\'ll give you my left arm."

"What?"

"My black magic contributed to the destruction of your arm. Use mine. I only need one."

"I can restore it."

"...I\'m scared of that word now."

I told her quietly, and she grabbed my shoulder with trembling eyes, whispering.

"I\'m afraid that you’re deceiving us, and I\'m afraid that when everything is over, you\'ll suddenly disappear."

Kania began to look down at her lower abdomen.

"Honestly, if I hadn’t been carrying your child, I would have used black magic by now."

"Good thing I have ‘vaccinated’ you."

"This is not a joke."

Kania stared directly at me.

"Seriously, you\'ll be completely fine in the end, right?"

"Yes, of course."

"...I’ll trust you."

After I assured her, she stared at me for a long time before retreating with a slightly relieved expression.

Somehow, I was glad that I was on the same page as her.

“I’ll trust that you won’t turn your loyal assistant into a mother and leave her alone with a child for the rest of her life.”

"...I promise."

After making a pinky promise with her, she stepped back and returned to her usual businesslike demeanor.

"But really, I don\'t need my left arm..."

"Forget that, contact Clana."

"Miss Clana?"

Her expression quickly changed at the mention of Clana.

"Yes, I need her for the plan I’m working on."

"What plan…?"

She asked with a puzzled expression, and I clenched my fist tightly and said.

"I\'m going to take over the Imperial Family."

"What?"

Kania looked at me with wide eyes.

"Isn\'t Miss Clana\'s rebellion scenario… supposed to happen at the end of the third year? You said so yourself."

That was indeed true. Clana overthrowing the current Emperor was an event that would have happened at the end of the third year.

However, I couldn’t wait until then.

Before the end of the second year, or before the third year began, I plan to settle things with Ruby.

"This isn\'t just Clana\'s rebellion."

For this, I needed to trigger future scenarios in advance.

What I had planned was none other than the main quest \'The Heist.\'

I was going to force the occurrence of a main quest scheduled for the third year during the second year, directly challenging the system.

"This is also my rebellion."

After witnessing the attempt to forcibly start the fourth ordeal, I decided not to be dragged around by the system like a child any longer.

I witnessed the Demon God eerily smiling and interfering with my system.

However.

That meant she was just \'interfering\' with the system.

The system itself was not her. The Demon God was merely influencing it.

Then, why couldn\'t I do the same?

If I could manipulate the \'main quest\' to my liking, would she still be able to keep that smile on her face?

"Prepare thoroughly, Kania. The Emperor is not an easy target."

"...I\'ll keep that in mind."

I would not let the system stop me.

I would make them pay for daring to stand in my way.

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“...Whew.”

As Kania left the room after getting his order, he leaned back in his chair with a sigh.

“...”

He stared at the note stuck on his desk.

- Grab…

After a moment, Frey clenched his teeth and lowered his head.

"Why am I so resentful? I\'ve never felt this way before."

He shook his head and quietly stuck the note on the wall in front of his desk.

"...Hmm."

The wall was covered with countless notes.

Half of them were about the distinct characteristics of the students, and the other half were notes sent by the students.

Naturally, the notes weren\'t filled with kind words.

"...Hehe."

Looking through the notes, he found a letter stuck in the middle and smiled softly.

- I caught an Ice Dragon today! I\'m attaching a photo!

He saw an image of Glare making a \'V\' sign, sitting atop a dragon\'s head.

P.S. Ms. Rosinante sends her regards!

He looked at her warmly as if she were his sister, and muttered to himself after reading the note below.

"I was going to request an upgrade for my cloak of deception. This timing works out well."

Frey thought that the fact that the cloak was sticking out of his clothes when he was out of his mind was a problem, and that his strength was weakened when he was wearing it.

"Hmm…"

Stroking the cloak he always carried in case of emergencies, he turned his gaze and smiled again.

There were thank you letters from the children of the orphanage he established, written in clumsy and uneven handwriting.

Next to them were letters from the boy and girl he had saved in the market alley.

"Corruption, huh? Ridiculous."

Frey smiled warmly at these letters. Then he closed his eyes in frustration and murmured.

"It\'s just ridiculous..."

The final moments of the Academy Erosion Incident, and the unrest that followed, weighed heavily on Frey\'s mind.

"I need to prepare quickly. I don\'t know when the fourth ordeal will come."

Murmuring anxiously, he suddenly began to write a letter.

- Swish…

Soon, two letters he wrote were carried away by the academy\'s postal magic.

"...So, why did you come to see me?"

Frey leaned back in his chair, then he spoke calmly.

The notes and letters on the wall had vanished as if they were a mirage.

"You knew I was here?"

A flat voice came from his side.

Eurelia, with her usual calm and soulless expression, appeared in front of Frey.

"You’ve been here since I started talking about the Emperor, right? So I cast an anti-eavesdropping spell.”.

"Are you planning to overthrow the Imperial Family?"

"Even Kania didn\'t notice you. Did you know she was tailing you?"

"Are you on Ms. Clana\'s side or the Emperor\'s side?"

Her question remained unanswered for a long while.

"Are you planning to tell on me to your father?"

"I\'m naturally curious about who will hold the power in the Imperial Family. And, I have no intention of crossing you.”

"Why is that?"

Eurelia answered, looking intently into Frey’s eyes.

"Because you are more dangerous than I previously thought."

"Hmm."

"When do you plan to overthrow the Emperor?"

Eurelia’s eyes shone, contrasting her monotone voice.

"Think about why your father remains silent."

"..."

"You\'re still too inexperienced to meddle in these matters.”

Frey added, his eyes were also shining.

"I just wanted to show you that I can do this much.”

“To me? Why? You can just hate me like other students.”

"I wonder."

Eurelia seemed slightly discouraged by his response, but she persisted and continued the conversation.

"I saw the memo stuck on the corner of your desk."

"Really?"

"And I saw the look on your face when you saw that memo."

She muttered with a calm expression.

"I don\'t agree with what was written in it."

"Why\'s that?"

"Because you have the power."

Frey frowned at her words.

"Let\'s end this pretense and get to the main point."

"...My father wants to meet you."

"Really? Tell him I agree. I\'ll let you know where and when."

"Understood."

The conversation, which seemed like it could go on and on, ended abruptly.

"Well, I\'m busy. So, I\'ll be going."

As Frey stood up to leave the faculty room, Eurelia, who had been watching him quietly, spoke in a low voice.

"Your sister is coming to our class during the last period today."

“...”

Frey paused for a moment upon hearing this.

"You do care about your sister, don\'t you?"

Eurelia asked quietly, watching Frey\'s reaction.

"Don\'t meddle in other people\'s family affairs."

Frey sharply replied with a cold look. Eurelia flinched and started to break out in a cold sweat as his response reminded her of what happened inside the gate.

"The part about not agreeing with the memo."

Eurelia glanced back at Frey, who was at the door, and murmured quietly.

"...I meant it."

Whether he heard it or not, Frey didn\'t respond and left the room with a sigh.

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Meanwhile, at that time.

"...Ah?"

Lulu, who was looking curiously at the horn that grew on her head in the mirror, quietly looked down at a letter she had received.

[Do you have time tonight, Lulu? If you’re free, please respond. I need you to do something.]

- Frey

"Master...?"

Lulu looked at the letter with a puzzled expression, then started to write a reply with an innocent expression, thinking about playing late at night with her master.

"...Damn."

And at the same time.

"There\'s… too much to deal with."

Isolet was wearily writing a report on the ‘Erosion Incident’ in her dormitory when she received Frey’s letter.

[Do you have time for a ‘vaccination’ tonight? Sister? The preventive one I talked about before.]

- Frey

"I need to finish this quickly..."

But, preoccupied with the mountain of reports, she failed to notice the /genesisforsaken