Episode 459. School Starts

My vision is blurry.

I feel like I’m floating.

For some reason, I felt good. I surrendered myself to the warm energy enveloping my body.

“Ughm….”

A soft sofa enveloped my body.

Perfect for a nap.

I closed my eyes right there.

– Honey….

…?

I frowned.

Familiar voices echoed in my ears.

I opened my eyes slightly, and familiar women appeared before me.

They wore sad expressions as they drifted further away from me.

“Honey, I told you I was a virgin….”

“I really trusted my student.”

“Daddy. Even so, having 10 women isn’t good for the child’s education….”

“As expected, that’s trash behavior.”

Baek Ahyoung looked down at me with sad eyes, while Im Sol turned her back with a cold gaze.

Rebecca shook her head, and a silent Scarlet took Rebecca and disappeared.

“W-wait a minute. Where is everyone going?”

Startled, I tried to get up, but the soft sofa held me captive, refusing to let go.

Where the heroines disappeared, other heroines appeared.

“Hoyeon-ah, I only had you…”

“Hoyeon-ssi. I-I’m okay. It’s just… so sad… sniffle sniffle…”

“What are you talking about, Lumi! That scoundrel.”

“You promised you’d take responsibility, Hoyeon…”

Nam Daeun collapsed in tears, while Lucy and Lumi held each other, comforting one another.

Moon Surin tore up my picture with a sorrowful expression.

“W-what’s wrong, everyone? Guys!”

I reached out, but couldn’t touch them.

I gaped, watching the women drift away.

My chest ached.

Why? Why is this happening all of a sudden…

“I’m sorry, but even for you, there are limits.”

“…That’s why I told you not to get caught. I didn’t know there’d be this many, though.”

Alice and Irene looked down at me with cold eyes.

Everyone’s figures blurred, leaving me alone in the darkness.

“Ah, ah…”

What the…

I… I…

“What am I supposed to do…?”

My eyes welled up.

I reached out desperately to grab the departing women, but couldn’t.

The soft sofa binding me kept me immobile.

– Hey. Are you… okay?

Slap. Slap.

I slapped my own cheeks with both hands.

It’s all my fault. If only I had done a little better.

No, what should I have done…?

Was there a better way?

It was impossible from the start.

Dating 11 women.

That damn God of Betting.

He should have given me something I could actually do.

Still, I did my best…

– Hey! Wake up!

“Ugh, ughh…”

Just then, a sharp voice and a stinging pain made me open my eyes.

Before me, bright purple eyes looked at me with concern.

“You finally came to your senses. Why are you crying alone in your sleep? Did you have a nightmare about me leaving?”

“Ah…”

It was a nightmare.

Feeling the cold sweat soaking my back, I looked at Liliana’s face.

Liliana was straddling my body.

So that’s why I couldn’t move.

“Heh. Your surprised face is amusing.”

Liliana poked my cheek, then broke into a playful smile.

Her smile was playful, yet filled with affection.

Seeing that smile, all my anxiety vanished.

Without realizing it, I pulled Liliana into a hug.

“Nn…? My heart is pounding. Master, are you okay?”

Liliana, held by me, blinked and then hugged me back.

Come to think of it, Liliana wasn’t in the dream.

…Could it be because Liliana and I had sex last night?

‘No way.’

I listened to Liliana’s steady heartbeat, calming my emotions.

They say men only cry three times in their lives, so wasting one cry on a meaningless dream like this felt like a huge loss.

“Ahem. Thank you. Liliana.”

“You had a nightmare. I’m sorry, Master. If I had been awake, I would have changed it into a good dream, but I woke you up as soon as I heard you groaning.”

“It’s okay. Just that alone is enough. But did you happen to slap my cheek while waking me up?”

“Yes. You weren’t waking up easily.”

“…Thank you.”

No wonder my cheek stung.

Feeling my throbbing cheek, I buried my face in Liliana’s chest.

There’s really nothing better for finding peace.

“Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.”

I took deep breaths in Liliana’s embrace.

Liliana stroked my head, looking pleased.

Normally, she’d scold me for being cheeky and pinch my chest or something, but I’ll let it slide today.

“You can suck if you want. Or should I suck you?”

“…I’ll just touch.”

Maybe because of the nightmare, my lower half wasn’t responding.

Holding Liliana’s soft body, I regained my mental and physical stability.

How much time had passed?

I was held until Liliana left the room, saying she smelled delicious breakfast, so it was quite a while.

“Sigh, why are dreams so scary?”

Usually, you forget dreams once you wake up, but I couldn’t shake off that dog-like dream I just had.

To think I’d dream of being abandoned by women.

“…I really need to prepare now.”

It’s been a week since I spent a passionate night with the Alice and Irene sisters.

The break is ending soon, and the new semester at the Academy starts tomorrow.

When the Academy starts, the heroines will naturally gather.

“…Hmm.”

Lee Hoyeon checked the ring on his right ring finger.

The Hell Fairy Tale Ring, which can summon a black pillar.

For now, let’s summon the black pillar first.

*

A secluded spot near the dormitory on the Academy grounds.

Victoria Park, where nature is preserved for the cadets’ strolls and hobbies.

It’s an Academy landmark, maintaining its natural state with rare plants and even cute animals protected by magic.

Access was restricted for maintenance during the break, but once the new semester begins, it will be bustling with visitors.

Inside that park, a man stood.

Lee Hoyeon, having trespassed into the park marked with a ‘No Entry’ banner, slowly took out the ring.

────────────

[Hell Fairy Tale Ring]

▶ Legendary Grade

▶ A ring containing an unknown sense of ominousness.

▶ Upon use, summons a black pillar that proceeds with the Hell Fairy Tale. The black pillar emits the aura of the Underworld and absorbs the Earth’s magic. Humans near the pillar are unable to use magic properly.

────────────

Honestly, directly summoning a black pillar that proceeds with the Hell Fairy Tale feels a bit sketchy, but… it can’t be helped.

Hundreds of pillars have already appeared worldwide, so adding one more won’t make a noticeable difference.

“I just need to infuse the Underworld’s magic here.”

I chose this spot because it’s a restricted area with many tall structures, making it unlikely to be noticed immediately.

Lee Hoyeon poured a generous amount of Underworld’s magic into the ring.

The ring, greedily swallowing the Underworld’s magic, made a horrific sound as it slipped off Lee Hoyeon’s finger.

– Geureuk. Eudeudeuk.

Emitting an ominous aura, the ring fell to the ground and quickly melted, absorbed by the soil.

The black pillar was large and thick enough to be seen from afar.

Thanks to the trees and structures in the park, I won’t be discovered immediately, but being in a restricted area when the pillar appears is too suspicious, so I’ll have to flee right away.

“…What is this?”

I only intended to confirm the black pillar’s normal appearance, but Lee Hoyeon stopped upon seeing the summoned pillar.

Something like a bamboo shoot that just popped out of the ground.

It was too small to be called a black pillar… a very small, rock-like protrusion was summoned.

It was definitely a black pillar, judging by its Underworld magic and its suppression of human mana, but the suppression level was too low.

“It’s smaller than I thought?”

Lee Hoyeon activated mana detection and observed the mana gathering around the pillar.

“So it absorbs surrounding mana to grow.”

Not all black pillars are like this.

Perhaps only the black pillars summoned by the ring are like this.

“This means… it’ll take some time.”

Since I customized the magic circle to fit the black pillar, I can’t summon the dungeon until the pillar grows.

Still, thinking about the advantages, I can safely entrust it to the Iris Guild’s investigation team.

As soon as the pillar appears, if the Iris Guild takes charge of the investigation, it can naturally lead to the investigation of the dungeon.

Lee Hoyeon immediately left the park and sent a message to Irene.

*

A few hours later.

Lee Hoyeon checked the news in his room.

– New type of black pillar discovered at the Academy branch. Iris Guild to conduct sole investigation.

– Victoria Academy grants investigation rights to Iris Guild, which preemptively secured the black pillar during routine patrols…

“Good, good…”

Everything is proceeding as I expected.

Upon receiving the contact, Irene immediately dispatched an investigation team and negotiated with the Academy to take over the investigation rights for the black pillar.

If it continues like this, the Iris Guild will naturally handle the dungeon investigation as well.

“Irene-ssi. How did it go?”

– Yep. Just like you said, the Iris Guild handled it first. But how did you really know? And those strange words last time… you really did something, didn’t you…

“I told you. I found it while taking a walk. How could a person summon a black pillar like that? It makes me a little sad that you still don’t trust me, Irene-ssi.”

– That’s true… Sorry. Thank you for informing the Iris Guild first.

I smiled at Irene’s reaction and continued speaking.

I heard she’s trying hard to get along with Alice.

Since Alice hasn’t been responding since that day, I haven’t seen her directly, but I’ll be able to check at the Academy tomorrow.

“Speaking of which, what’s the reaction at the Academy? Is the semester being postponed or anything?”

-No, nothing like that. It’s quite far from the Academy, and the black pillar isn’t that dangerous.

This is also as expected.

The dangers of the black pillar have mostly been proven.

It’s difficult to use mana around it, and it causes nausea and headaches.

It’s quite dangerous, but that’s all there is to it.

Meaning, unless you’re attacked by a thug next to the black pillar, it’s not dangerous.

However, those people wouldn’t have expected me to create a massive dungeon encompassing the pillar and force people into its range.

Lee Hoyeon looked at the magic circle arranged on his desk, licking his lips.

I don’t know how long it will take for the black pillar to grow, but it’s finally time to use the magic circle I prepared.

The black pillar, which was initially like a bamboo shoot, had grown to about 1 meter by the time Irene discovered it.

It probably won’t take that long.

With the Underworld’s magic and the black pillar’s appearance, the magic circle has changed significantly from the initial plan.

The plan is not just to lure the heroines, but to draw in everyone from the Academy.

The more witnesses there are, the higher the dungeon’s credibility will be.

Of course, I’ll never do anything that threatens their lives… but judging by our actions, there’s no difference between me and the Demon King.

“…Still, involving the entire Academy is a bit much, sigh. No. I have to steel my resolve.”

I don’t have time to worry about others right now.

Yesterday’s nightmare is still vivid.

If I want to prevent that from actually happening, I need to be absolutely sure.

I must deceive everyone perfectly.

“Right. It’s not like I’m killing them, so what’s wrong with kidnapping?”

If things go on like this, I’m going to die, what am I supposed to do?

Either way, if I can’t defeat the Demon King, everyone dies.

Isn’t cooperating in times like these the duty of a citizen?

“Mm. That’s right. It’s certain.”

Lee Hoyeon nodded and continued preparing for school tomorrow.