Ch.14Education Makes the Person (1)

A true three-day wonder.

No, the Sword Monster’s reign lasted even less—a mere one-hour wonder.

“Phew, took care of that.”

After defeating the villain who had tried to send Miss Hoshino’s future down a path of ruin, I immediately released my monster transformation.

The situation was resolved in an instant after that.

Well, I had essentially made the troublemaker vanish in the blink of an eye.

First, there was Lady Makoto, who had been carried down the mountain on the young miss’s back.

“Princess!”

“Over here, Princess!”

“Huh? The doctors…?”

It seemed Lady Makoto had been safely rescued by the 119 emergency responders I had contacted before my monster transformation.

In the original story, Lady Makoto’s death at the hands of the Sword Monster was a foregone conclusion.

Knowing this future, I had made an emergency call in advance, even invoking the Okami family name, requesting as many ambulances as possible to be sent to the estate.

Thanks to that, Lady Makoto was able to reach the hospital much faster than if she had remained on her daughter’s back.

“The surgery… thankfully ended successfully.”

“Ah!”

“I see.”

“Yes. If we had been even a little later, there would have been permanent disability, but at this rate, she should be able to move normally again soon.”

She was able to receive perfect treatment without any aftereffects.

“Waaaaaah! I’m so relieved, so relieved!”

“Congratulations, Miss.”

“No! I should be thanking you, Janghun.”

Outside the operating room, Miss Hoshino embraced me tightly—I had somehow become “the savior of her mother’s life.”

Even the family members who had evacuated were all praising me.

I had actually been prepared to be scolded for using the Okami family name without permission.

‘Well, everything worked out fine in the end. So I guess it’s okay?’

The incident of a humanoid monster, estimated to be Danger Level 1 or higher, appearing in the middle of D City.

However, perhaps because it vanished within an hour of appearing, by the next day, the only news being reported was about Lady Makoto’s injury.

There was barely any mention of the Sword Monster.

A perfectly ordinary situation.

Even the burning Okami estate—perhaps due to the downpour that night?

By morning, the fire had been extinguished, and reconstruction had already begun.

They said it would be fixed within a week or so.

“Zero casualties… it’s truly a miracle.”

For a Level 1 monster appearance, the damage was historically minimal.

In fact, apart from Lady Makoto, not a single person had suffered any serious injuries.

“No, I might have hurt some people…”

Miss Hoshino, who had been briefly possessed by the Sword Monster, said she had harmed several heroes on her way to the estate.

But those heroes, true to their profession:

“We’ve already recovered.”

“But you’re proper heroes, not extras to be dismissed so easily.”

Miss Hoshino was deeply dejected.

Aware of her state, the heroes visited her the next day to show that they had already recovered.

Apparently, because she had unconsciously controlled her power, they had only suffered minor injuries like broken ribs.

‘Isn’t a broken rib a serious injury…?’

Anyway.

With that, the future where Miss Hoshino would become the broken, desolate character from the original story completely disappeared.

It was literally a happy ending.

There were still 10 years left until the original story’s prologue, but I was already handling things too well.

Even for a veteran who had played a doomed game for over five years, I was impressed with my own abilities.

So I was secretly laughing a bit arrogantly to myself.

[Next, as we wish Lady Makoto a speedy recovery, we move to our next story.]

“Oh! Janghun, look! That’s the monster I told you about!”

“…What?”

In Lady Makoto’s VIP hospital room.

As we watched TV, after the news about citizens wishing for the Lady’s recovery:

[This is the image of the monster believed to have injured Lady Okami!]

My face was plastered across the TV screen.

More precisely, it was me in my monster form, and the false report claiming I was the culprit who had harmed Lady Makoto.

My mental state was being shredded in real-time.

“…Huh?”

“That’s a lie! He saved my mother!”

Well, Miss…

While that’s true, I think my concern is something else entirely.

Whether I had harmed Lady Makoto or not, such false accusations were meaningless because I was a monster.

Just like an escaped tiger from a zoo is a target for elimination whether it killed someone or not.

My face had turned pale not because of the false report, but because my existence had become widely known throughout Hero City.

‘I’m screwed… there’s going to be a bounty on me.’

In “Monster Frontline,” monsters that appear once and aren’t eliminated are usually registered as targets for subjugation, permanently archived on the Hero Association website.

And the longer they remain uneliminated, the higher the bounty on their heads.

With the original story set to begin in 10 years…

When I should be focusing on clearing the main story to prevent humanity’s extinction by monsters.

I suddenly found myself in a situation where I’d have to deal with both monsters and humans simultaneously.

‘Ugh, how annoying. I can’t even kill humans… should I practice knocking people out now?’

The classic neck chop.

I’d only seen it in movies and comics, so I wasn’t sure if I could do it properly.

But I had no choice but to learn it now.

I couldn’t help but sigh.

I thought everything would end well, but unlike the original story, I was going to be the one preserved in infamy instead of the Sword Monster.

And the report was completely false.

Those trash journalists who don’t even know the facts.

If I ever transform into a monster again, I’ll definitely visit the broadcasting station in D City and wreak havoc.

Meanwhile.

“These bad people! That monster mister is good!”

CRASH.

Miss Hoshino, whom I had saved.

She seemed even angrier than I was, expressing her opinion by smashing the wall-mounted TV with one hand.

…How does such a small body produce such monstrous strength?

“Excuse me, Young Master Janghun.”

“Ah, yes, Nanny.”

Just then.

Miss Hoshino’s nanny, who had somehow started calling me “Young Master” as if I were part of the Okami family.

The old woman who always gave me delicious snacks when I played with the young miss was looking for me for some reason.

“What is it?”

“Well, this was something Lady Makoto was supposed to tell you herself…”

“…?”

The nanny seemed to hesitate for a moment.

She explained that before the Sword Monster appeared, Lady Makoto had been working on “something” related to me.

She was supposed to tell me about it today, but unfortunately, Lady Makoto was currently unconscious in her hospital bed.

She needed rest, so normally this would have remained a secret until she regained consciousness.

However.

“It’s about time now. So regrettably, I will deliver Lady Makoto’s message to you in her stead.”

“Ah, I see…”

A time-sensitive secret?

The nanny reluctantly decided to speak. At her words, not only I but also Miss Hoshino, who had been fighting with the TV, turned to look at us, wondering what was happening.

The nanny began unwrapping a bundle she was holding.

“This is a gift for you, Young Master.”

“Oh, this is…”

“Isn’t that a school uniform?”

Just before Lady Makoto collapsed.

The item she had intended to give me as a gift was none other than an elementary school uniform.

It was clearly a high-quality children’s uniform from a prestigious school, made of exceptionally fine fabric.

“Lady Makoto has always been concerned about you, Young Master, with your amnesia. She wanted you to receive as much education as possible.”

“But this looks like a uniform from a very expensive school…?”

“Hohoho, don’t worry. The tuition and other expenses have already been paid by our family.”

Wait…

Wasn’t I just the young miss’s playmate?

And now I was being given the opportunity to attend not just any school, but a prestigious elementary school.

Moreover, in the world of “Monster Frontline,” elementary education wasn’t even mandatory like in my original South Korea.

In the original story, there were characters who became heroes with only elementary education or less due to poor family circumstances, and they earned money specifically to go to school.

“Can I really accept something like this?”

Originally, my plan for my human life was to get my education through equivalency exams after turning 20.

If I stayed beside the young miss who didn’t go to school, I would naturally become a child who didn’t attend school either.

I had prepared myself for that, but as expected of Lady Makoto.

S-Class Rank 3 Hero, Flash Fox!

I will praise you until my dying breath.

“Thank you very much, Nanny.”

“Hohoho. It’s nothing, Young Master.”

“……”

Meanwhile.

Miss Hoshino had become noticeably gloomy behind us at the news of my school enrollment.

Come to think of it, I was still her attendant, and this meant we would be separated, even if temporarily, because of my education.

I suddenly felt guilty.

But as if this too had been planned:

The nanny whispered to me what would have been Lady Makoto’s request.

“Oh, and Young Master. I haven’t finished yet.”

“Yes? Oh, yes…”

“Lady Makoto asked if you could subtly persuade the princess to go to school as well.”

“The young miss…?”

Take Hoshino to school?

Even the broken Hoshino from the original story had one regret—not going to school.

“Looking back, I’m glad I was swinging a sword instead of going to school.”

She wanted me to twist the original story again.

Honestly, this had a higher chance of failure than the combat situations.

But Lady Makoto had shown concern for my education.

For her kindness, I should at least try my best.

“Yes, leave it to me! Nanny.”

“Ah, yes! Young Master.”

And so, in order to send our hikikomori young miss to a school with children her own age.

I exchanged burning glances with the nanny behind her back.