episode_0029

The evening sky was tinged with red. The red light created by the setting sun sometimes appeared orange and other times golden. Each viewer would perceive the color differently.

The man was gazing at the sunset.

His eyes seemed to be dazzled, but he was staring straight at the sunset. Perhaps he was captivated by something other than the sunset. His hair, reflecting the sunset, looked darker than usual.

As his hair fluttered in the wind, his straight forehead was revealed. He seemed oblivious to the wind, perhaps lost in deep contemplation. He was looking towards a small building erected in the direction where the sun was setting, made of white bricks. It was the Magic Potion Lecture Hall.

The building housed a warehouse for storing and processing medicinal herbs, research spaces for professors, and practice spaces for students. Currently, new students of the Second Class of the Department of Magic were taking classes there.

Due to the small size of the building, classes were divided in half for each session.

It was the last class of the day, so everyone hoped it would end quickly.

Just another peaceful class…

Today would likely be just another ordinary day among many.

But today was different.

For the students inside the building, today would be an unforgettable day. Except for a few who would survive, it would be the last day they would see the sunset outside the windows.

Today was the day the tragedy of the academy would unfold.

Karl Mayner knew that.

That’s why he was gazing at the Magic Potion Lecture Hall as the sun set, with an inexplicably melancholic feeling.

An incident that occurred in the original work he read before possession.

An event that Karl Mayner from the original work couldn’t prevent.

An incident where half of the Second Class of the Department of Magic died or were seriously injured.

The pitiful students who became sacrifices for Eligos…

Kim Se-jin, who used to be a reader, had the ability to prevent this tragedy. However, she… no, his will was unable to make a decision due to internal conflict.

“……”

His steps didn’t come easily. After the possession, his first principle was always not to disrupt the original development. It seemed like the only way to preserve the valuable life he had finally obtained as the protagonist.

However, turning a blind eye to the death of innocent lives goes against human nature. Living as Karl Mayner, he thought his nature had dulled due to experiencing murder, but now the situation was different.

Conscience… The minimum sense of guilt inherent in humans was testing him. Turning away from the building in front of him would be complicity and consent to the dreadful events that would unfold.

When he closed his eyes, cruel scenes described in the original work came to mind. The magic potion lecture hall in the original where no intact bodies could be found. There were even students he had greeted just this morning.

His feet shuffled.

He thought he had shed his weak former self after the possession…

He had vowed to become ruthless to live as Karl Mayner, but as the moment of choice approached, an inexplicable torment arose. His inner conscience was tormenting him.

For a moment, there was a voice in his head.

“Sainthood Academy.”

Tricksey…

No, Beatrice de Daria.

The variable he first encountered after the possession. A woman who created two twists different from the original. For some reason, meeting her and creating this dilemma seemed to have started it all.

If it hadn’t been for her, he wouldn’t have agonized so much.

“I’ve already confirmed that I’m different from the original, so wouldn’t it be okay for me to act differently?”

All the agonizing began with that question.

Beatrice had given him an extremely difficult test. It was almost time for the decision. The time to write the answer sheet was approaching.

The price of a wrong answer would be harsh.

The crimson sun had almost set. The earth spider was carrying it. His golden hair, which had shone in the sunlight, was gradually being engulfed by darkness.

Thud-

He finally lifted his foot. Just as if heading towards the disappearing sun on the horizon, he walked steadily towards the Magic Potion Lecture Hall.

He made up his mind.

Would it be too late to worry in vain?

As he entered the building, darkness had already fallen thickly.

Come to think of it, he had spent too much time outside. Perhaps a disaster had already occurred. If so…

He wouldn’t be able to forgive himself. Because of this anxiety, his steps quickened slightly. As he neared the practical lecture hall, a powerful mana was felt from within. As expected.

His heart raced. It wasn’t because of being in front of him, but rather the worry that he might be late.

He reached for the doorknob and forcefully pulled it open.

Thud-

“!”

He couldn’t believe the scene unfolding inside the lecture hall.

The disaster hadn’t happened yet. The terrified students were huddled in one corner of the classroom, cowering.

However, beyond relief, his gaze was fixed in the middle of the classroom. His heart began to beat even faster.

The culprit was there. And…

His pounding heart seemed to interfere with his understanding of the situation. In addition to the figure he had expected, the one who shouldn’t be there was also present. Yet, it was someone who should not be there right now.

Unknown.

He recognized him.

Not because of the Unknown’s appearance in print and illustration, but because of the overwhelming presence that pierced his skin, and the overpowering mana emanating from the Unknown…

It wasn’t just the quantity of mana that was the problem. It was an alien mana. As if claiming superiority over all other mana. That’s how he knew. The author was the Unknown.

When the door opened, the Unknown also turned his head. He looked surprised when he saw Karl and stood still.

The Unknown was staring at Karl. The only exposed part of his eyes in the helmet shone brightly. A turquoise light came through the gap in the helmet. Just as he had seen in the novel.

“It’s you! You’re the Unknown…!”

He summoned the Holy Sword in his right hand and exclaimed, “Why are you here…!” He didn’t care whether other students noticed him or not. As the Imperial Studies major, he remained indifferent even when they looked at him in amazement as he suddenly summoned a sword from thin air. Cha, who was already confused by his own worries, was now even more perplexed. He had come to save the students despite the risk of deviating from the original work, but to encounter an unknown entity… The most fearsome archenemy had already appeared, and it was within the academy! It wasn’t the fear of confronting him early that troubled him; it was the fear of the stark difference between the reality he faced and the original story he had read. The worldview of [Becoming a loyal subject of the empire under false pretenses] from the novel was no longer on Cal’s side. The knowledge he possessed could no longer make him omnipotent. It had deviated too far from the original work. Cal Mayner, the transmigrator, finally felt the harsh reality of being thrown into the cruel world of the novel. It was now impossible to portray Cal Mayner with the confidence of knowing the future. The time had come to reveal his true self without the mask. Kim Se-jin, who used to be a reader. Had Kim Se-jin truly changed? From his weak past?

Three days earlier.

“Beatrice is so lucky.”

“…Huh?”

“We eat the same, but how come her waist is so slim? She drinks just as much alcohol every night in the dorm!”

“…I don’t know?”

She replied with a spoon in her mouth. Was she giving me hints about eating too much..?

On a lazy afternoon, I took Leticia and Yuria out for dessert. The sorbet at the academy’s cafeteria was really delicious. It was exactly as they say, it melted in your mouth. That’s why we came here often.

Leticia looked at me with her usual bright expression and asked. It was definitely out of pure curiosity, considering her usual demeanor.

“Is it because you use your body a lot as a Knight major..?”

“Well… that could be one reason.”

“Last time, I borrowed her skirt, but it didn’t fit my waist. She’s taller than me, so how does her waist..!”

“….”

Was my waist really that thin..?

I couldn’t gauge how it would feel to see myself through others’ eyes once I got used to this body.

Compared to when I was a man, everything from my hands, feet, wrists, ankles, and even my height was smaller. But I just thought, “Oh, it’s a woman’s body, so of course it’s smaller.”

To me, Leticia seemed slim enough. However, she was casting envious glances at me.

I absentmindedly touched my waist. It was a smooth waist without a trace of fat. When I tried to estimate with my hand, I didn’t really know, but it felt like a man’s arm could easily wrap around it.

For example, like the handle of a knife…

Ah!!

…What crazy thought is this?

I mentally scolded myself while lightly slapping my cheek to snap out of it. Leticia and Yuria were looking at me with surprised eyes.

“Ahaha~ Suddenly felt drowsy and wanted to wake up.”

To dispel the awkwardness, I forced a smile and lightly slapped the other cheek.

It seems that as I get used to a woman’s body, I lose my mind. If I don’t finish this revenge quickly and return to reality, it might be dangerous…?

But if I finish the revenge and give the original ending, can I go back…?

I don’t know. When the time comes, the damn author will probably show up again and babble something.

“Leticia, how’s the Second Class in the School of Magic?”

“Huh? Oh, everyone is so kind! They treat even a commoner like me very well!”

“That’s a relief. You must have been worried a lot.”

“Yeah, coming to the academy feels like a great decision!”

Leticia brightly replied to Yuria’s question.

Before coming to the academy, the small world called the United Nations oppressed her, just because she was a commoner.

But here, she is free. Mingling with Second Class students with similar abilities, her talent will finally blossom. The Imperial Academy was truly a fair land in many ways. Seeing her innocent smile, I couldn’t help but smile too.

I want to protect that smile.

I brought up the question I had put off.

“Leticia, are you taking the basic magic potion practical class?”

“Yeah! If you’re a freshman, you have to take it no matter what.”

“By any chance… is it a morning class?”

“No? I have an afternoon class, the last one of the day!”

…

It became certain.

The reason she wasn’t even mentioned in the original work. Surely, she was a cute, bright, and lovely character, yet the reason she didn’t even get a passing mention.

She is a sacrificial victim caught up in the early Eligos incident in the novel.

An extra who easily dies to the point of being empty.

Leticia.

I won’t let it be like that.