Chapter 266

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“I’m sorry. Did I worry you a lot?”

I had already said it, but I apologized again.

Everyone’s atmosphere is too dark and heavy.

They try not to show it, but they can’t hide their gloomy feelings.

They looked at me as if I were a terminally ill patient with not much time left to live.

From some points of view, it’s not a strange reaction. I was kidnapped and suffered all kinds of hardships, and as a result, I was mentally exhausted to the point of attempting suicide.

Of course, the reality is not at all like that, but that’s how it looks from the outside. From the perspective of someone who doesn’t know my true nature, it’s understandable that they misunderstand.

I was already emotionally struggling, but now I’m coughing up blood and fainting.

And that’s coming from a Supernatural with the ability of Super Regeneration.

Surprisingly, they didn’t ask about the cause of my collapse. Are they trying to be considerate of me? Or do they think I don’t know either? Either way, it didn’t matter. I had already made up my mind.

I had been vaguely postponing it.

I had been hiding it, thinking there was no need to bring it up now.

I was quietly waiting for the right time, following the plot of the ‘novel’.

And finally, the ‘right time’ had come.

Seeing Alice’s clear tears flowing down her soft cheeks, I finally made up my mind.

The misunderstanding caused by my mistake is growing bigger and bigger.

If I leave it like this, it might become uncontrollable.

An ominous seed must be cut off before it grows.

To set everything right, I decided to confess the secret I had been hiding.

“I have something to tell you… Will you listen?”

Silence filled the infirmary.

The three nodded silently.

I made eye contact with each of them, examining their expressions.

They all looked determined, as if they were preparing themselves.

There’s no need to be so nervous.

What do they think I’m going to say?

I wondered what was going on in their heads, but I let it go with an awkward smile.

For reference, the only people in the infirmary besides me were Eugene, Alice, and Arin. The school nurse Alice had brought had left her seat, and Regina had gone back. She said it was enough that she had confirmed I was safe.

Not all teachers at the academy are Supernaturals.

In the case of education unrelated to battles with monsters, non-Supernaturals are sometimes invited as teachers.

However, such exceptions are very rare, and the school nurse was not one of them.

Supernatural Ability: ‘Detection’.

It’s similar to the 2nd Division Vice-Captain Ariene’s ‘Presence Detection’ ability.

She used her Supernatural Ability to assess the condition of the injured and take appropriate action.

The wounds that Belial had torn apart were completely healed by Super Regeneration.

The school nurse examined my condition and concluded that there was no problem.

Hearing that conclusion, Regina sighed softly and left the infirmary.

She must also have some misunderstandings about me, so I tried to stop her… but I felt like it wasn’t the right time yet, so I just let her go. Regina is a minion of Astaroth. Until the control of the ‘mask’ is resolved, I couldn’t carelessly reveal my information.

“What I’m about to say is not a joke or a lie. It might be a little… no, actually a lot, hard to believe. But I hope you’ll believe me.”

Hehe, thinking about it, I feel strangely emotional.

It’s strange that this moment has finally come.

The day has come when I reveal Lucia’s true nature to others.

I had vaguely thought of it as a distant future.

It’s been several months since I entered the academy, and the summer vacation when Lucia’s true nature was revealed to Eugene in the ‘novel’ is just around the corner… but it still felt far away.

Maybe it’s because I’m used to hiding it. The situation is so different from the ‘novel’ that I thought there might not be a chance until all the incidents are over.

“A lot has happened lately, right?”

I was kidnapped, attempted suicide (not really), misunderstood, and became a sickly beautiful girl… yeah, it’s amazing when I think about it. How did things get so twisted? The thread is so tangled that it can’t be untangled by normal means. I don’t know where to start.

Is this how Alexander felt when he cut the Gordian knot in one stroke? Lucia has no intention of becoming the king of Asia. No, more than that, this isn’t even Earth.

“I know what you’re all thinking.”

Anyway, if I can’t untangle the thread of misunderstanding, I can deny the source of the misunderstanding.

I clenched my fist lightly as if I were holding an invisible sword.

“So, I’ll confess honestly.”

I gave a wry smile as if I were embarrassed. In fact, I was really embarrassed. I’m revealing my sexual fetish. To friends I’ll have to face in the future. To the protagonist and heroines. Wow, Lucia is a promiscuous woman. My heart was pounding and my face was flushed. I put the seasoning of shame on my lips.

“I’m actually…”

How will they react?

Just imagining it made my stomach churn.

Will they be angry that they were deceived?

Will they be annoyed that they were worried for nothing?

Will they despise me for pretending to be pure when I’m a pervert to the bone?

Hehe, I know.

They wouldn’t react like that.

Eugene will accept it without any prejudice.

Arin will be embarrassed, but she’ll respect it as a taste.

Alice will be the same, and Frey will definitely be happy.

Enjoying the strange sense of liberation that I no longer need to hide my true feelings, I said lightly.

“…a masochist.”

Ah, I finally said it.

Hehe, this will solve all the misunderstandings.

The attempted suicide, which was the beginning of all the misconceptions, wasn’t actually a suicide.

I looked at the three with expectant eyes.

How will they react to this sudden coming out?

◈

And like a lie, there was no reaction at all.

“Ah, yeah…”

“What, um… no, never mind.”

“…”

Eugene was the first to answer. Then Arin, and finally Alice. The three reacted lukewarmly as if they had made an agreement in advance. It was so bland that I wondered if I had said something wrong.

Well, yeah.

That could happen.

They wouldn’t believe me if I suddenly said I had a masochistic fetish, right?

“You probably don’t believe me, but it’s true. Really! I actually like pain.”

I hurriedly started to explain. Even if they’re embarrassed and don’t believe me, they’ll believe me if I confess with sincerity.

“So you don’t have to worry about me at all. It was all a misunderstanding from the beginning.”

My words might be disappointing.

It was definitely a statement that would shatter the fantasy they had about the character ‘Lucia’.

But this is me as I am.

Lucia without pretense.

“It’s true that I tried to hang myself. But I wasn’t trying to die.”

“…Then why did you do it?”

I answered Arin’s question honestly.

Why did I do it? Isn’t it obvious?

“Of course, I wanted to be strangled until I suffocated…”

“Are you telling me to believe that?”

I wasn’t finished yet.

Arin frowned as if she was dumbfounded.

She looked angry, but there was no anger in her eyes.

Rather, it seemed like she was trying to hide her pitiful expression with an angry face.

“That’s enough. Don’t make jokes like that.”

“It’s not a joke…”

“I know it’s for us. I know you don’t want to worry us. But Lucia, even if it’s out of kindness, don’t lie like that. It makes me… it makes us feel more miserable.”

No, I’m telling you it’s not a lie.

It’s the pure 100 percent truth without any falsehoods?

I expected them not to believe me easily, but their reaction is more intense than I thought.

“Arin, I’m not lying…”

I swallowed the words ‘it’s not’ quietly.

Looking at Arin’s red, bloodshot eyes, I felt like no matter what I said, I wouldn’t be able to convince her.

It’s like pouring oil on a fire and fanning the flames.

“Alice, do you remember last time? When I was in the hospital…”

I spoke to Alice, or more precisely, Frey.

Do you remember? I asked you to hit me at the hospital then, right? That was actually for my enjoyment.

…That’s what I was going to say. To convince Alice (Frey) by using my experience.

But looking at her eyes flashing red, I realized. She’s about to explode. She didn’t seem to believe me.

Ah, this isn’t it. Arin and Alice are both misunderstanding. They think I confessed that I’m a masochist as a lie to ease their worries.

“Eugene…”

“…”

I looked at Eugene with the last hope, but the result was the same.

Eugene couldn’t even make eye contact with me.

Seeing him avoid my eyes helplessly, I was speechless.

‘This, this isn’t it…’

…No, don’t panic.

This is not outside the expected range.

I already guessed that they wouldn’t believe me so easily, right?

I have a solution prepared for that time.

“…Okay, I understand.”

I got up from the bed. My mental strength was exhausted from being tormented by Belial’s mental corruption, but there was no physical problem. My stamina is also perfect. I walked with light steps towards the school nurse’s desk.

“If you don’t believe me, I’ll show you definite proof.”

A cutter knife or something sharp… Hmm, there isn’t one. I thought there would be at least one. It’s okay. It doesn’t matter if there isn’t. If I don’t have a knife, I can use other tools.

I saw something suitable in my field of vision. It was a black, rugged fountain pen. It’s a common, inexpensive type. It’s cheap, but the nib is quite sharp.

“Everyone, watch carefully.”

I put my left hand on the desk, and held the fountain pen in my right hand. The nib gleamed with a cold light. The target is the back of my hand. I’ll stab the vein in one go and create a blood fountain. Before the panicked Arin and Alice could stop me, I forcefully slammed my right hand down.

“…Okay, I understand.”

But the nib didn’t pierce the back of my hand.

A thick, firm hand grabbed my right wrist.

I looked up at Eugene with a dazed expression.

I wasn’t able to react at all. Is that Leo’s acceleration? To use it so skillfully… It’s a good thing that Eugene became stronger, but I can’t purely rejoice right now.

“If you’re asking me to believe you that much… Okay, I’ll believe you.”

The fountain pen was already in Eugene’s grasp. Even though he snatched it away almost as if he were stealing it, there was no negative impact on me at all. That meant he used acceleration that precisely.

“So don’t do things like this.”

…That’s like forcing someone to kowtow.

What do you mean ‘believe’?

You don’t believe me at all!

‘What should I do…?’

This is outside the expected range.

I finally started to feel a sense of crisis.

The sword I drew to cut the tangled thread was broken.

…No, what should I really do?

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
Lucia’s karma is now upon her!

Did she really think that she could fix everything now?

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
The Gordian Knot thing is a myth and supposedly the person who unties the knot will be the ruler of Asia or something…

Why is this not in a footnote you may ask?

Well I got too lazy.