Chapter 289

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To cut to the chase, the happenings of that day were smoothed over reasonably well.

Even now, thinking about it makes me feel like everything’s going dark.

The little ball I set rolling became a snowball, growing uncontrollably.

Even as the snowball got bigger and bigger, I thought too lightly of it and missed the golden opportunity, which eventually escalated into a massive avalanche. Who knew a self-inflicted hanging would become such a big deal?

Even as I watched the avalanche that started from a small ball, I didn’t come to my senses. I thought everything would be resolved if I just hit the brakes.

It was only after I stepped on what I thought was the brake, only to realize it was an accelerator disguised as a brake, that I understood. I should have just kept my mouth shut; that would have been halfway there. What on earth was I thinking, declaring myself a masochist? Am I out of my mind?

I belatedly realized the urgency of the situation, but it was already too late.

It had gone far beyond what I could handle.

Misunderstandings were disguised as truth, and the truth was covered in lies.

The truth that no one believes is as light as a feather, and if everyone believes it, a lie becomes heavier than anything else.

It felt like tap-dancing in a minefield.

I would have happily stepped into a real minefield instead.

It was the worst because it wasn’t my body exploding, but other people’s emotions.

Even if I told the truth, no one would believe me, and misunderstandings only accelerated, making me frustrated to the point of madness. Was this how the shepherd boy in Aesop’s fable (collection of moral tales attributed to Aesop, a storyteller)felt? No matter what I said, it turned into a lie, and there was nothing more I could do.

So, the last resort I chose was to ask for help from someone trustworthy. Even if they don’t believe my words, they’ll believe someone else’s, right? If it’s the renowned commander of the Celestial Corps, they’ll have to believe it.

“I solved Lucia’s mental corruption. She should be fine now, so you don’t have to worry too much.”

Yoo-seong cautiously brought up those words. Directly mentioning it could backfire, so he said it in a roundabout way. That alone was enough. They would take all my actions so far as eccentricities caused by mental corruption.

Of course, the suspicion won’t be dispelled at once.

It depended on how I conducted myself from now on.

Until the suspicions are cleared, I must refrain from any actions that might be suspicious.

Yes, no self-harm for the time being. A forced life of abstinence.

‘Ugh.’

…Taking away the meaning of life. Was I asking for too much? I just wanted to hang myself occasionally, cut my wrists, cut open my stomach, and show off my organs… I only wanted those little things. It’s really too much. But it’s all my fault, so I can’t say anything. 

Ah, this is karma. I never thought the saying “you reap what you sow” would resonate with me so much.

Well, anyway.

That day was a really busy day.

Eugene and Alice found out about my suicide attempt (fake), I was ambushed by Belial, I declared myself a masochist and made the atmosphere cold, I met Yoo-seong, I released Regina and Seri from their brainwashing… 

Listing them one by one, it’s endless. It was a really hectic day.

And the next day.

The weekdays ended, and the weekend arrived.

Even the Academy doesn’t have classes on weekends. The Academy’s curriculum is more like training soldiers than students. It’s that physically demanding. No matter how exceptional the physical strength of the Supernaturals, there was a limit. 

Moreover, Supernatural abilities consume mental energy. If they spent the weekdays diligently, most of them would collapse from exhaustion on the weekends.

But that doesn’t mean they can rest easy; it varies from student to student.

The students of the Academy are the future members of the Celestial Corps. Some may belong to the Sacred Knights instead of the Celestial Corps, but the fact that they are jumping into the heart of war remains the same. They had to build up their skills when they had time. The sweat they shed today would replace the blood they shed tomorrow.

I am also a student of the Academy.

A member of the golden generation, led by Eugene.

I am constantly training to avoid falling behind.

Of course, I wasn’t being lazy just because it was the weekend.

Due to the nature of my abilities, I don’t have physical fatigue, so my condition is better than other students.

Since being discharged from the hospital, I have been steadily working to make Lucille’s enlightenment my own, and I was planning to lock myself in the training room all weekend.

“I didn’t expect you to start right away after just one day.”

My plans were disrupted this morning.

Suddenly, I got a call from Yoo-seong.

He told me that he had time, so come to take the lesson.

It was a bit unexpected.

Yoo-seong is always busy as the commander.

He was like a model of noblesse oblige.

Having a lot to bear means having a lot to be responsible for. Even Eugene and Alice, who became disciples first, only received teachings for a short time in a month. Perhaps Yoo-seong’s training is a blood-soaked ordeal in order to teach as much as possible in a short amount of time.

I thought he wouldn’t be able to make time for a while because of the urgent issue of Astaroth’s Mask. But to have a schedule set for the very next day. Could it be that he squeezed time out of his schedule? The God of War is not swayed by personal feelings, but in front of me, he is always Yoo-seong… Hmm, I’m worried. If he’s overdoing it, I’ll have to force him to rest.

“I-I’m really happy to be with Lucia from… from now on.”

“Yeah, me too. I’m really happy to have more time with Alice.”

“Ehehe.”

Alice grabbed my sleeve and smiled brightly. The reddish eyes had already turned blue again. Her speech started to stutter again. But it was much better than before, so it was nice to see. It seemed like she would be able to correct her stuttering habit soon.

“But…”

The expression disappears from Alice’s face, who was smiling without any worries. Frey abruptly pulled my sleeve. I lost my balance from the sudden attack and staggered. There was no unfortunate fall because Frey was holding me, but the hand of the girl who was holding my other sleeve flailed in the air.

“Why are those losers following us?”

At the end of Frey’s irritated gaze were the girls. Purple and red. Students from a different class than Class A. The children of Class D, who are classified as troublemakers in the Academy. They have been trotting after me since early this morning.

“I-I guess we’re a nuisance… Yeah, it must be a nuisance…”

Regina fidgeted with her fingers, looking restless.

The way she avoids Frey’s gaze was somehow familiar.

Yeah, Alice used to feel like that.

She had been like that since last night.

After waking up, she had been lingering around me all the time.

I was so embarrassed when I found her wandering outside the dormitory door in the early morning.

When I approached her, she would be startled and run away.

Then, after a while, she would wander around nearby again, watching my mood.

It was the same just now. She was following me closely, but as soon as she was discovered, she ran away immediately.

The reason she’s not running away now is because another person is stopping Regina from running away.

“Mommy? Are you abandoning us? I’m cold…”

It was Seri.

She was holding Regina’s wrist with one hand and my sleeve with the other.

“Mommy, my foot! I haven’t even called her that… No, why is Lucia your mom!”

“Lucia was the woman who might have become my mother…”

“Is this kid really okay? Isn’t the brainwashing still not undone?”

Frey looked up at me with a dumbfounded expression, as if she was dumbfounded.

I had already explained their situation. When she witnessed Regina lingering around me, she threatened her with a heat ray, so I urgently told her. Thanks to that, she was somewhat turning a blind eye to the two people’s antics, but… It seemed like her patience was gradually reaching its limit.

“Don’t monopolize Mommy. I’m going to report you for violating the Mommy Monopoly Law.”

“What the hell is that crazy talk, you crazy bitch!”

“Heeing, Mommy…”

“Ah, come on!”

Frey pushed Seri away irritably. She hugged me in her arms and peeped like a chick flapping its wings. She looked at me, blinking her glowing red eyes. It was a look that said, “Do something quickly.”

I smiled awkwardly. Her mind had been in a strange state since she was released from brainwashing, and somehow it seemed like her condition was getting worse as time went by. 

A chick that hatches from an egg considers the first thing it sees to be its parent, so is that why Seri is like that because I was the first thing she saw after the brainwashing was released? 

Regina lingered around me like a child with separation anxiety, and Seri was experiencing infantile regression.

“Okay, okay, Frey. Calm down first.”

“Ah.”

There is a secret technique to calm Frey down whenever she gets excited.

I hugged Frey’s small body and lifted her up. She’s still light. I rubbed Frey’s cheek against my cheek. The warm, bouncy pudding-like texture made me feel good. The first time I did this, she strongly refused, but these days, she just relaxes and accepts it.

“Heueu…”

Frey let out a groan. The red light slowly subsided. After confirming that she had calmed down, I smiled and put Frey down. I looked at Seri again. She was looking at me with a very envious expression.

“I was captivated by the overwhelming maternal love. This feeling… it’s definitely love!”

“Seri, but you have a mom, right?”

“I do have a mom who would disown me as soon as the hypnosis is released, though.”

“Oh…”

I have nothing to say when you put it that way.

“You know, I hypnotized my parents too. They were always fighting. They didn’t care about me at all. If I hadn’t been a natural Supernatural, I would have starved to death a long time ago. It wasn’t just once or twice that they taped my mouth shut because my crying was annoying, locked me in the closet, forgot about me, and left me there.”

I knew it, but it was the first time I heard it from Seri’s mouth.

Frey closed her mouth, speechless at Seri’s confession.

“I hypnotized them to get along. I hypnotized them to love me. Thanks to that, I don’t get locked in the closet or go hungry anymore. I was curious about what would happen when the hypnosis was released, so I briefly released the hypnosis once, you know? Do you know what they said to me then? They got angry, calling me a dirty witch. I guess they were upset that they were being controlled by hypnosis. Yeah, of course they would be.”

“…”

“I’m going to go release my parents’ hypnosis soon. I’ll probably be an orphan from that day on. Well, I don’t care. I don’t want parents like that.”

Seri took a step forward.

She looked at me with sparkling eyes.

“When I was held in your arms, I felt warmth for the first time. This feeling is love… maternal love… mom… mommy… mooom…”

“I’ll apologize for her. I’m sorry. Seri is not in her right mind…”

“Regina! You know it too, don’t you?! The overwhelming Mommy Power… It’s literally 530,000 Mommy Power… Ugh, the scouter broke!”

“I’m really sorry. It’s all because of me… If I hadn’t handed Seri over to Astaroth…”

“Mommy… I’m cold… It’s summer, but I’m cold… Hold me…”

“Machines are fixed by hitting them when they break… I wonder if hitting her head with a hammer would fix her? I’ll get a sledgehammer first…”

“Eeeek…!”

It was a complete mess.

What should I do with these kids…?

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
Seri is a baby.

You have to protect her.

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Triple the Alice, triple the alliance power vs Eugene.

Now crush his balls and covet them for dinner.