Chapter 284

R‍eａ&d; õｎ K‌ɑtRe​ａ​d̃iηĝＣ&a;f​e

“Hehe, Regina will like it, right?”

Seri strolled down the hallway with a light step.

Her pigtails, tied into two, swayed lusciously.

In her hands, she carried a large cake box.

She moved carefully, lest the contents be damaged.

It was a special chocolate cake tailored to Regina’s sweet tooth.

A specially made product reserved from a famous confectionery. Of course, that confectionery didn’t have a reservation system, but that was irrelevant to Seri. If it didn’t exist, she could just create one.

For this, she had traveled to a downtown area far from the academy. If she had taken the bus, she would have had to transfer several times. Of course, Seri hitchhiked comfortably both ways. There were so many kind people in the world. If they weren’t kind, she could just make them be.

“Heehee, looks delicious…”

Seri swallowed her saliva. Although tightly sealed, she couldn’t block the sweet smell. Not as much as Regina, but she also liked sweet snacks. She should hurry and eat it with Regina. Seri hastened her pace even more.

Recently, Regina had not been feeling well. Even though her attitude in class was poor, Regina, who had faithfully attended school, had been refusing to come for several days.

If a Supernatural was sick, there were usually two reasons: they were injured, or their heart was ill. Regina had no external injuries, so it must be a problem of the heart.

She wondered what had happened.

The subtle changes in Regina had started about a month ago.

The symptoms had worsened recently.

She was curious, but since Regina refused to talk about it, there was no way to find out.

She had even considered hypnotizing her, but quickly gave up.

Regina was her friend. She shouldn’t just hypnotize her friend. That was a rule Seri had set for herself.

“Ugh… if possible, I’d like to eat with our puppy too… Ah, can I give chocolate to a dog? Can’t I? Hehe, I don’t know!”

She thought of another friend. The always taciturn gray wolf. It had been quite a while since she had seen his face. Almost a month, maybe. Not even a single call, how insensitive.

Seri suddenly felt gloomy. She didn’t like the recent situation. Regina was holed up in her room, and Carlos wasn’t coming to the academy. She was alone in Class D. She really hated that fact.

She liked Class D. It was often disparaged as a class for problem children, but she didn’t care about other people’s reputations. Let them babble as they pleased. She could just listen with one ear and let it out the other.

Everyone hated her anyway. They feared Seri. She was so used to gazes of disgust that they were boring.

Hypnosis. A Supernatural power that interfered with the mind.

It was commonplace to be avoided because of this ability. Not only ordinary people but even Supernaturals with mental barriers were wary of Seri. Because they couldn’t be trusted. In front of Seri, they couldn’t even trust their own thoughts and feelings.

Because they might be fabricated.

An ability that could even rewrite memories.

Even if it was a fabricated false memory tailored to Seri’s taste.

The person involved couldn’t tell whether it was false or true.

Even obvious common sense was questioned.

Doubt sprouted in everything.

Therefore, they were afraid.

Because of that, it was unsettling.

No one approached Seri.

Even if she approached first, they refused and ran away.

Seri was always alone.

Until she entered the academy.

It was the first time.

Someone who didn’t hate her.

Someone who didn’t push her away even when she approached.

Someone who liked her even without hypnosis.

Regina praised her, saying it was a useful ability.

Carlos didn’t care in the slightest from the beginning.

Seri really liked Class D.

Human relationships formed without relying on ability.

Class D, made up of three people, was her mental refuge.

“Haa.”

A stuffy sigh escaped.

That refuge was creaking these days.

Her steps became heavier.

Seri drooped her shoulders.

Then, with a “Heup.” she raised her head.

When she felt gloomy, sweets were the best. Seri wrapped her hands around the cake box. Imagining Regina’s happy face made her stuffy heart feel a little more comfortable.

‘Now that I think about it, it’s almost time. I should ask Regina while eating the cake.’

Astaroth’s Red Fox Mask.

A terrifying artifact that brainwashed the wearer’s mind.

Seri was being dominated by that mask. Usually, she wouldn’t even realize that she was being controlled, but Seri was a special case.

She overwrote the brainwashing with hypnosis.

Before being completely brainwashed, she hypnotized herself.

Thanks to that, Seri could temporarily break free from the brainwashing after a certain amount of time.

Of course, it was only for a short time. The mask’s brainwashing was not at a level that Seri’s Supernatural power could break free from. She desperately struggled every time she temporarily released herself from the brainwashing, but all ended in futile resistance. That was because Seri in the brainwashed state realized when the hypnosis would be activated.

Seri really felt pathetic about herself. Why was she struggling so hard? It would be easier if she just accepted it. Crying and screaming for help, it was utterly pathetic.

‘Before the hypnosis is activated, I should tie up my limbs first, and ask Regina to put the mask back on… Huh?’

As she walked while organizing her thoughts, she arrived in front of Regina’s room before she knew it.

Seri couldn’t hide her puzzled expression. She tilted her head and looked around. It was to check if she had come to the wrong place. The result was as expected. She had come to the right place. This was in front of Regina’s dormitory room.

“Who…?”

There was a boy leaning against the door with his arms crossed.

Hair as dark as obsidian.

Golden strands sparkling like a night sky.

His eyes were tightly closed as if asleep.

He wasn’t wearing a school uniform. The dark gray uniform was far from a school uniform. She wondered if it was another academy’s uniform, but that wasn’t it either. That was the uniform of the Celestial Corps.

A person from the Celestial Corps? Why is he here? What business does he have with Regina?

Various thoughts rose and fell chaotically, then quickly subsided. Seri’s eyes turned cold. She finished preparing to activate her ability. A strange light flickered in her ruby-red eyes.

Seri and Regina had a secret that must never be revealed.

A significant secret that must be eliminated by any means if someone tries to uncover it.

If that’s why the Celestial Corps sent someone…

No, it’s too early to jump to conclusions. Let’s grasp the situation first and then think. If necessary, she could just erase their memories. Regina’s drugs and her hypnosis were incredibly compatible. We’re invincible together. Even the homeroom teacher is helpless, what’s different about a Celestial Corps member?

“Hey.”

Then, the boy spoke first.

He opened his closed eyes. Surprisingly, his eyes were a mix of blue and gold. Seri was momentarily speechless at the spirit that seemed to suck her in.

“Red hair and red eyes… hmm, I see.”

The boy looked Seri up and down and muttered to himself. Seri frowned. His face felt somehow familiar. 

‘Where have I seen him before? That’s strange. I have no connection with Celestial Corps members?’

At first, she dismissed it nonchalantly, but the more she looked, the more she felt an unknown sense of incongruity.

“Are you Seri from Class D?”

“Huh? You know me?”

“Good. You’ve saved me the trouble of looking for you.”

“…?”

The boy unfolded his arms.

The golden light became even more intense.

Seri unconsciously took a step back.

Her instincts were warning her.

The boy in front of her was dangerous.

“Ah.”

Seri’s eyes widened.

Her pupils trembled like a candle in the wind.

She dropped the cake box.

A loud thud echoed.

But Seri didn’t care.

She finally realized the identity of the familiarity. 

That face. I’ve seen it. Yes, I’ve seen it. This was the first time seeing him in person, but she had seen him countless times in photos or media. A person who could be said to be the most famous in the world. 

That’s why she couldn’t believe it. Why is that man in a place like this?

“C-Commander…!”

“Don’t worry. It’ll be over soon.”

Radiance dyed the hallway.

A torrent of light flooding in an instant.

The last thing Seri could see.

Was a firm grip filling her vision.

◈

Even crying consumes quite a bit of energy.

She had already suffered a lot of mental anguish.

She had even been prepared for death, so how could she not?

She had been forgiven by me and freed from the mask’s brainwashing.

That fact was incredibly joyful and moving for Regina.

Regina cried and cried and cried again.

As if the dam that had been closed all along had collapsed.

Until the tears she shed for joy outnumbered the blood she shed from self-harm.

I hugged Regina and patted her back until her crying stopped. After a while, the sound of crying subsided. When even the sound of her sniffing could no longer be heard, I released the arms that were holding Regina.

Regina was asleep.

Her eyes were swollen.

Her face was a mess with tears and snot.

But her expression was more comfortable than anyone else in the world.

Frey had also fallen asleep crying before, and Regina was the same. I had no intention of waking her up. She must be tired, so let her sleep as much as she wants.

I picked up Regina and laid her on the bed. It was really amazing that the blood that had stained her clothes had evaporated. The perfume smell that had filled the room had also been completely erased. What exactly is the principle?

Yoo-seong’s Supernatural power is a power comparable to the authority of God.

In fact, it was a mystery that transcended even the category of Supernatural abilities.

It was a privilege as a chosen one.

Since it was an ability that even interfered with causality, it seemed that this was also possible depending on how it was used.

I covered her with a blanket and stroked her hair with my fingers. With this, Regina’s problem was solved. It was like passing through one gate. But there are still many gates left.

Next is to solve Seri’s problem. First, I need to know where she is… Should I get help from Theresa? There were few people who could be compared to her when it came to finding something. At best, maybe the 2nd Division’s Vice-Captain, Ariene.

But finding her without any clues would take a lot of time.

If Regina were awake, I would have asked her where Seri often goes…

“Should I go back to Class D? Maybe she’s back in the meantime.”

I looked at Regina one last time.

I smiled and stroked her head.

When you wake up again, you won’t have any more nightmares.

“Lucia.”

Then, the door opened.

Yoo-seong, who had been waiting outside, peeked his face in.

“Yeah, it’s over now. I’ll be out soon.”

“No, that’s not it.”

Yoo-seong let out a heavy sigh. When I looked at him with a puzzled expression, Yoo-seong moved into the room. His hand was holding someone else’s wrist. Without resisting, she was led into the room by Yoo-seong’s hand. I gaped at the sight.

“Seri?”

The person I was looking for was right in front of me.

With a vacant expression as if her soul had left her body.

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
Today’s author’s note is also… service is ending.

Huh…?? eh…?

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Yeah I don’t get it either (again)

But hey, two in one deals are nice.

Now go do some correction and punishment on their unconscious bodies.