Chapter 378

(TLN: We got DMCA nuked So all korean novels will be removed this week If you want to get updated on What might happen join the discord or Kofi If you can Regarding This Novel Ill finish it All today just give me some time )

“The president?”

“Yes, the semester is about to resume, and the student council has a lot to prepare for. It seems like the president has something to discuss with you.”

“I see, Senior.”

Armin nodded at the senior student council member’s words.

It was true that the student council couldn’t just sit back and relax until the semester resumed.

They had to work with the school to ensure a smooth reopening.

However,

‘Heh, it seems like my hard work has earned me their trust.’

Armin chuckled inwardly.

Elaine, the current student council president…

She was a genius mage, and definitely someone the organization had to be wary of.

But Armin could see her weakness clearly.

Her kind heart.

He was confident that he could gain her trust as a student council member and then betray her at the crucial moment.

To do that, he had to play the role of a diligent and capable junior perfectly.

“So I should go to the student council room? What time?”

“Yes, the student council room. She said to be there by 1 o’clock.”

“Alright, I’ll be there on time.”

“Okay, I’ve delivered the message. Good luck.”

The senior student council member left hurriedly.

Armin was left alone.

He muttered to himself, “So it’s finally time.”

The resumption of the suspended semester…

Honestly, he didn’t mind life at the academy.

In fact, he even enjoyed it.

Everything was a new experience for him, who had grown up as a beggar in the slums.

But it was all just child’s play.

He couldn’t help but laugh when he saw them enjoying their youth and love, oblivious to the fact that the world was on the verge of destruction.

“No, I should enjoy it too. It’s the last time I’ll be able to.”

A meaningful murmur.

The Heavenly Lord had ordered them to suspend all activities for a while, so the academy would be peaceful.

At least for this semester.

But they wouldn’t even dream,

That this was their last moment of peace.

Next year…

“Pfft.”

He laughed.

A mocking laugh.

“Well, I’ll play along until then.”

He started walking leisurely.

And some students who recognized him called out to him.

“Oh, Armin, long time no see!”

“You’re back? Did everything go well back home?”

“Yes, Senior. It’s been a while. How have you been? Hi, Seido. Of course everything went well.”

He responded to their greetings with a friendly smile, like a model student.

* * *

“Are you nervous?”

“Huh? N-No, I’m fine.”

Elaine tried to sound confident.

But she couldn’t hide her nervousness.

I was sure she would do well in the actual situation, but I couldn’t help but worry.

‘It must be hard for her.’

It wasn’t in her nature to set a trap for someone.

Especially not a junior from the academy who she had been getting along with.

Even if she knew he was an enemy spy, it couldn’t be easy for her.

That’s why I was here.

As a human tranquilizer.

It was time for me to do my job.

“It’s okay. It’s natural to be nervous. I would be too.”

“Y-You too, Max?”

“Yes, I’m human too.”

I smiled gently and took her hand.

…Sorry, Elaine. This was unavoidable.

It was an emergency. Please understand.

“E-Eeeeek?!”

Her face flushed bright red.

She was embarrassed, but I could also sense her affection.

My heart skipped a beat.

But I quickly composed myself and spoke before the atmosphere could become too awkward.

“But even if we’re nervous, we can still do what we have to do. That’s what makes us human. So I’m not worried. I know you’ll do well, Elaine. I trust you.”

“A-Ah…”

…She seemed speechless, her mind short-circuiting from my words and the fact that I was holding her hand.

W-What? Was that a bad idea?

I quickly tried a different approach.

“Ah, r-right, deep breaths! Take deep breaths. It’ll calm you down. Come on, breathe.”

I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly to show her how to do it.

She followed my lead obediently.

*Inhale… Exhale… Inhale… Exhale…*

She took deep breaths.

Thankfully, it seemed to be working.

I could feel her calming down.

“T-Thank you. I feel better now.”

Her voice sounded more stable.

“That’s good.”

I smiled and continued, “Whenever you feel too nervous, just remember that I’m here for you.”

This was a dangerous mission.

That’s why I had asked Elaine personally, instead of using the student council meeting as a cover.

She was more than capable of protecting herself in a dangerous situation.

But her opponent was no ordinary person.

Even she could be in danger.

So I had decided to hide in the student council room, just in case.

In the closet behind her chair.

Honestly, it was a risky decision, even for me.

There was no guarantee that I wouldn’t be discovered.

But two things had made me decide to do it.

First, Elaine’s safety.

Second, one of the new hero abilities I had unlocked after clearing Regina’s route.

<hero’s>

– A hero doesn’t always have to stand tall and proud in the spotlight.

– Sometimes, a hero needs to hide from the world.

– A hero who is determined to hide will be difficult to find.

Honestly, I had thought it was a rather useless ability, compared to the other hero abilities I had obtained.

I wasn’t a thief or an assassin.

But every skill had its uses.

And this one would be very useful for this mission.

‘I won’t be discovered.’

I had already tested it on Regina.

When I activated Hero’s Concealment and hid, even she couldn’t sense my presence unless she focused her senses.

Even Armin, the second-in-command of Red Rain, wouldn’t be able to discover me unless he was paranoid and searched the entire room thoroughly.

I was confident.

“Y-Yes, I’ll remember that.”

She squeezed my hand.

Her gaze was firm.

This was enough.

She would do well, as long as she didn’t get too nervous.

“Just stall him for ten minutes. That’s all you need to do.”

“Alright, leave it to me.”

Her reply was reassuring.

I smiled and then stood up, entering the closet.

And I waited for the right time.

* * *

“President, I’m here. It’s Armin.”

“Ah, you’re here. Come in.”

The door opened, and Armin entered the student council room.

Elaine greeted him with her usual gentle smile.

“You’re right on time again.”

“Haha, I like to be punctual.”

He smiled.

It was exactly 1 o’clock.

This was all part of the plan.

Everyone knew that Armin was obsessed with punctuality.

So the target time was 1:10.

She just had to stall him until then.

“You’re drawing the curtains again, President.”

“I don’t like strong sunlight.”

She replied with a natural smile.

From 1 to 2 p.m.,

Strong sunlight streamed into the student council room.

So Elaine always drew the curtains during that time.

And that habit was also part of the plan.

It would prevent Armin from seeing the encirclement that was closing in on him from outside.

It was a meticulous plan, worthy of Max, the undefeated legend of the Imperial Civil War.

And then Elaine threw in an unexpected line.

“Shall I open them? I’m willing to accommodate my guest.”

Max, who was hiding in the closet, was shocked.

‘W-What are you doing, Elaine? That wasn’t part of the plan!’

It was a dangerous line.

If Armin asked her to open the curtains, the entire plan would be ruined.

“Haha, no, it’s alright, President. This is your space. I should be the one accommodating you.”

Fortunately, Armin smiled and waved his hand dismissively.

‘Phew.’

Max let out a sigh of relief.

It had been close.

But they had managed to avoid disaster.

And it had even had a positive effect.

It had lowered Armin’s guard even further.

‘She must have been confident.’

Elaine wouldn’t have said that without thinking.

She must have said it because she knew Armin’s personality.

Anyway, it was a good thing that he seemed completely relaxed.

“Have a seat.”

“Yes, President.”

He sat down on the sofa.

She asked, “Tea or coffee?”

“Ah, I’m sorry, but I’m full. I’ll just have water.”

He refused.

‘Ugh, how much did he eat?’

Max grumbled.

They could have stalled for another minute if he had accepted her offer.

But that minute was gone now.

“Ah, I see. Then let’s get down to business.”

If she acted differently than usual, he would definitely get suspicious.

So she had to get straight to the point, without wasting any time.

The same went for the drinks.

She never drank alone.

So she had to sit there without taking a sip.

“Yes, President. I’m all ears.”

He smiled at her, like a model student.

She spread out some documents on the table.

They were documents related to the resumption of the semester.

“First of all, about the number of school days. It’s going to be a tight schedule, since we lost some days in the first semester.”

“Ah, yes, that’s right. The semester was suspended before we could finish it. So what are we going to do?”

“We’re going to extend the Saturday morning classes to the afternoon, just for this semester.”

“Wow, that’s tough.”

“It is. But it can’t be helped. Anyway, we need to get the students’ consent.”

They started discussing the matter.

Time continued to pass.

But it felt agonizingly slow for Elaine and Max.

‘Ugh, it’s only been six minutes?’

Max frowned, counting the minutes in his head.

‘Please, just hold on a little longer, Elaine.’

He prayed.

His prayer seemed to have worked, as the clock soon showed 1:08:30.

Only one and a half minutes left.

It was then that,

“Huh? Wait a minute.”

Armin suddenly widened his eyes.

It was a surprising situation.

But Elaine remained calm.

“What’s wrong?”

“This isn’t my department.”

The student council had different departments.

It seemed like she had accidentally handed him a document that wasn’t related to his department while she was focusing on stalling him.

“Ah, sorry. I got mixed up. I’ll give this to someone else.”

“Huh? You got mixed up, President?”

He tilted his head in confusion.

It might not have seemed strange on the surface.

But Max realized,

That Armin’s suspicion was starting to grow.

‘Damn it, he’s so sharp.’

He gulped nervously.

“Yes, I got mixed up. I’m human too.”

It was a flawless response.

But then Armin said, “Ah, I see. Well, I’m going to use the restroom for a bit.”

He stood up.

‘Damn it, where are you going?!’

They didn’t have enough time yet.

The encirclement wasn’t complete yet.

Max’s throat went dry.

But he was trapped.

If he tried to stop Armin, he would be discovered. And if he let him leave, he would be discovered as well.

…There was no solution.

It was then that,

“What the hell? Are you kidding me?”

Elaine suddenly blurted out, her voice rough and harsh.

It was something a delinquent would say.

Coming from Elaine, who was always kind and gentle, it seemed to have short-circuited Armin’s brain.

“…H-Huh?!”

“Ugh, seriously. I try to hide my true nature, but I can’t stand being looked down on by a nerd like you. It’s driving me crazy.”

…Elaine, you’re the definition of a nerd.

Max was also speechless.

What was going on?

“W-What… W-What are you talking about?!”

Armin stammered, his face filled with confusion.

He seemed completely bewildered by the unexpected turn of events.

Meanwhile, time continued to tick by.

That was why Elaine had suddenly started acting out of character.

*BAM!*

She slammed her hand on the table.

She glared at him.

“Don’t get up. Sit down. Endure it. If you can’t, then fight me here.”

“W-What?! What are you talking about?!”</hero’s>