Chapter 274

Ｒëad ̈öｎ​ ̀KatR̂​e​a​&d;іṅ​gC​α​fe

After finishing my consultation with Assistant Homeroom Teacher Si-ul, I left the faculty office.

It was still class time, but I wandered the empty hallway. Everyone was probably sweating away, honing their Supernatural Abilities. Even on a hot summer day, the students’ passion couldn’t be dampened.

The first reason was that Supernaturals were naturally resistant to heat, and the second was that the academy was known for its intense academic fervor.

Under normal circumstances, I would have been engrossed in class too. There’s a unique exhaustion you feel only when you push your body to its limits. 

Your entire body feels heavy, your heart races as if it might burst, and your uniform clings to your skin, soaked in sweat. The rising heat escapes through the gaps in your clothes like steam.

Though I could recover from physical fatigue with super-regeneration, I never did. It felt like a waste. This kind of pain was different from injury—it was a unique pleasure that couldn’t be achieved through self-harm. The feeling of your body becoming healthier was just a bonus. It was like eating organic vegetables after a diet of unhealthy instant food.

But right now, I wasn’t drawn to it at all. Healthy food tasted bland. Even if it was good for the body, it wasn’t good for mental health. What I craved now was unhealthy instant food. To be specific, I wanted to take a cutter knife and slice myself from my neck down to my groin.

My chest felt heavy.

Overwhelmed, I let out a sigh without realizing it.

“What should I do…”

I couldn’t bring myself to go to class, nor could I return to the infirmary. I just stood awkwardly in the hallway, staring at the sky. Beyond the window, the world was a cloudless blue, but my heart was filled with dark clouds.

“How do I fix this…”

How could I resolve the misunderstandings of the three? Who would have thought confessing to being a masochist would backfire so badly? The master key I thought would unlock everything ended up breaking the lock instead. No, it wasn’t a master key to begin with. I had just deluded myself into thinking it was.

Everyone now thought I was mentally broken.

The fact that they suggested I take a leave of absence said it all.

To solve a problem, you need to know the cause. I already knew the cause. Knowing the cause, you need to find a solution based on it. But that solution didn’t work. It only made things more complicated. I had no idea where to even start.

“Ugh, I’m such an idiot…”

I muttered softly, leaning my forehead against the window.

I already had so many tasks to deal with—what was I even doing?

I needed to prepare for the impending all-out war with the devil gods…

I had to free Regina from the mask, help Eugene grow, and grow myself… There was so much to do. Yet, I was getting distracted by something entirely unrelated.

“Lucille, what should I do?”

The hallway during class time was eerily quiet. There was no sign of life. In a normal school, the noise from classes would be deafening, but the academy was a special institution. Practical training was prioritized over theoretical lessons. Though loud noises came from the sports field and gym outside, the academy’s soundproofing was excellent.

“Should I become shameless… or just give up…”

I had two options left.

The first was to grow a thick skin. Act as if nothing had happened, pretending to be calm and composed. I could insist that my masochistic confession was just a temporary mental breakdown.

I even had a plausible excuse. I could blame the Belial inside me. Say that her mental corruption made me lose my judgment and spout nonsense. Yeah, I don’t even know why I said that. If I argued that way… I might be able to resolve things for now.

But the aftermath was the problem.

If I ever revealed my masochistic tendencies later, no one would believe me.

I couldn’t even self-harm.

I had to avoid any behavior that would raise suspicions.

The second option was to simply give up. Stop hiding and stop trying to convince them. If they didn’t believe I was a masochist, I’d show them through my actions until they had no choice but to believe.

If I repeatedly did things no normal, shameful human would ever do, wouldn’t they have to believe me? Do you know what a naked bunny girl stroll is? No? Then I’ll show you.

Of course, this method had its own problems.

The psychological impact on the three of them. 

Lucia has the ability to learn, you know? People learn from experience. If I revealed my true nature, what would they think?

‘Ah, so Lucia was a degenerate masochist from the start.’

…They wouldn’t think that, would they?

More likely, they’d think: Lucia must have gone through so much hardship and trauma that she’s mentally broken. Even if it wasn’t the truth, it would become the truth for them. And they’d surely feel heartbroken.

“The first option makes me suffer… the second makes my friends suffer…”

I let out a bitter smile.

Summarizing my options made my heavy chest feel a little lighter.

Whichever I chose, there would be side effects. A price had to be paid. The question was who would bear that price. Either I would, or my friends would.

“Sigh, there’s no other way.”

Because Lucia is a masochist.

I can’t make others suffer.

This is all my own doing.

The seeds I planted have grown and sprouted.

“From today, Lucia will grow a thick skin.”

Huh? I said I was a masochist?

Hehe, just kidding. It was all a misunderstanding.

Lucia hates pain, you know!

“It’s not like this is the only chance I’ll get.”

As time passes.

When enough time has passed that I can laugh about today’s events.

I can casually bring it up again then.

Ugh, I won’t be able to self-harm for a while.

Even the slightest attempt at self-harm will be detected by their danger sense.

Yeah, I can endure it. A little frustration is nothing. I’m the blessed saintess’ successor, after all. I can’t tarnish Lucille’s image. Mom, watch over me!

That leaves the method of convincing the three.

Even if I said it was nonsense caused by mental corruption, it would be a headache if they didn’t believe me.

When I confessed to being a masochist, they thought I was lying to avoid worrying them, right?

If they misunderstood something similar this time, it would be troublesome. Why wouldn’t people believe the boy who cried wolf? Because he lied before, right? Even though I’ve never lied, if the person receiving it thinks it’s a lie, then it becomes a lie.

And now I really have to lie.

To make them believe my lie, I need trust. I need credibility. I need evidence to back up my words.

A few words alone aren’t enough. Without concrete evidence, my credibility will be low. Hmm, what should I do…

“Huh? Yoo-seong?”

I was leaning against the windowsill, lost in thought.

My gaze was fixed outside, so I noticed a small dot falling from the sky. The “Yoo-seong” I mentioned wasn’t the hero Yoo-seong. It was literally a meteor—a streak of light from space burning up in the atmosphere.

Hehe, it’s pretty. A meteor in broad daylight—how strange. You usually can’t see them during the day because it’s too bright. I never thought I’d see a meteor close to noon. But are meteors golden? I’ve never seen one in person, so I’m not sure. And it’s getting bigger—is it going to crash into the ground?

“Huh? Yoo-seong?”

I repeated what I had just said.

The same words, but this time, they carried a different meaning.

Not a meteor from space, but the hero Yoo-seong.

The faint golden dot became a line. A trail of light followed, forming a long tail. The golden light took on a human shape. A person enveloped in light. Did I see wrong? No, I saw it clearly. It was Yoo-seong. I thought it was a meteor, but it was Yoo-seong. Though still high in the sky, my vision was accurate. It was definitely Yoo-seong.

“Why is Yoo-seong at the academy…?”

He was skydiving without a parachute, but I wasn’t worried. Who would worry about whom? Worrying about the strongest Supernatural in existence was a luxury. Even if he crashed into the ground, he’d walk out of the crater nonchalantly.

“Ah.”

A good idea came to me.

I thought of the perfect solution.

If my words lacked credibility, I could bring in a credible witness. And the best candidate was falling from the sky right now. A true gift from heaven. Lucille, you were watching over me after all! Thank you! Mom really is the best!

I watched the direction Yoo-seong was falling. This direction… good, it’s the rooftop! I quickly started running toward the stairs. Taking two steps at a time, I hurried to the rooftop. But when I was just half a flight away, I stopped.

“Come to think of it, this is the first time we’re meeting since that day at the hospital…”

It wasn’t that long ago, but it felt like an eternity.

Will it be okay? Will I lose control like the last time I saw Yoo-seong? Even though all of Lucille’s emotions that had built up inside me had been released, the instincts imprinted in my body remained. Yeah, instincts. Lucille’s instincts. What if those instincts go wild when I see his face again?

Ugh, I don’t know.

I shook it off quickly last time.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts and stepped through the wide-open rooftop door.

The boy was there. His hair, black like obsidian, shimmered with tiny lights like stars in the night sky. Even his back was familiar. He seemed to be talking to someone, but I didn’t care and shouted.

“It’s because I’m Lucia’s…”

“Brother!”

“Yeah, because I’m her brother… Wait, what?”

A dazed voice made me laugh involuntarily.

Yoo-seong turned around, his blue eyes wide.

I waved energetically and said,

“It really is you, big brother! Hehe, I thought I was seeing things when you fell from the sky.”

I was worried it might not be him. Yeah, I’m glad. Overjoyed, I skipped toward Yoo-seong. My feet got tangled, and I almost fell, but I managed to hug Yoo-seong before I could. I looked up at him with a bright smile.

My hero!

Please become my witness and spread the truth!

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
I’m tired…

I’ll sleep.

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Yoo-seong’s name quite literally translates to meteor, so that’s why Lucia said that pun.

I could have named him meteor but I thought that it wouldn’t fit.

Well, even if I did change it now… there would need to be a lot of chaps that need revision…

Yeah, it’s staying as Yoo-seong after all.

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