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༺ The Meeting ༻
"Young Master, why are we heading towards the back alley?"
"…I need to buy something."
I was aware that my mental state wasn't good, so before I returned to the dormitory, I planned to stop by a psychiatrist for some counseling.
However, after seeing Serena's letter, I was so shocked that I overturned my decision because my exhausted mind had become a little clear.
I guess my mind felt clear because of the extreme shock I received after reading the letter. I could really benefit from this sort of shock therapy in the future.
Anyway, after delaying my visit to the psychiatrist because my mind became clear, I turned the carriage to the back alley where I had planned to stop by sooner or later. Now I am wearing a robe and heading to the back alley through the Market Street entrance along with Kania.
"Young Master, did Lady Serena find out the truth?"
"Hmmm… Seeing that the penalty window didn't appear, I don't think that's the case."
"But how does Lady Serena know about 'Hangul'?"
"…Perha—"
When I Unknowingly imitated Serena's mannerisms, I heaved a deep sigh as I looked at Kania with a worried expression and continued speaking.
"There are so many variables popping up these days… I feel like I'm getting more and more derailed from the scenario."
"…Scenario?"
"Yes, the 'scenario.' The only way to save this world."
Upon hearing those words, Kania's expression hardened.
"Is that… the only way?"
"Yes, I don't know whether it will be the petty sun god… or the fancy system, but I do know that such a transcendent being is the only one who can give this world a happy ending."
"....."
As I spoke composedly, Kania stopped, then looked straight into my eyes and asked.
"…Is that really the only way?"
"Huh?"
"Do you have to keep suffering while being swayed by the 'System'?"
Upon hearing those words, I remained silent, and Kania took one more step closer to me and continued speaking.
"I don't know because I haven't read the prophetic book… but surely there must be another way?"
"Another way…"
"And the Young Master tends to rely on the 'System' too much. Later on, it will prove to be problematic…"
"I have no choice."
I cut her off and said with a bitter smile.
"There is another way. But if I don't follow this route, the rest of the endings are all sad."
"…For example?"
"One of the happy endings, if you don't follow this 'route,' is to survive with only one of the 'Main Heroines' and live in a ruined world."
"....."
"Of course, there are other ways, but most of them end up like this. So, I have no choice."
Kania, who was at a loss for words, spoke to me again in a serious tone.
"Even so… The 'System' restricts Young Master's actions a lot. Besides, it's even malicious. So, don't trust it too much…"
"…On the 1000th anniversary of the death of the Demon King, the heir of the Demon King will appear and devour the world."
Then I quietly recited the phrase that was familiar to her.
"You will need a hero with the same strength as me to stop the heir."
Then Kania, who was blankly staring at me, soon realized something when I recited the following phrase.
"No way, by 'same strength'…."
"Yes, it was the 'System.' Of course, it wasn't the 'Path of False Evil' like me… but he also used a 'System.'"
I added briefly, looking up at the sun that was shining brightly above our heads.
"And with that system, he eventually defeated the Demon King."
Kania, who was staring at me with pity, also turned her gaze to the sun and muttered.
"…I hate the sun floating above my head today."
"I know."
After staring at the sun for a while, we sighed and began to move forward again when we heard complaints from behind for blocking the road.
'…Is it really the right decision to follow the system?'
And from that point on, even though I didn't express my misgivings to Kania, I became more skeptical about the system.
Doubts, such as why a convenient system that can solve everything feeds on my evil deeds. Why almost all the abilities provided by the system only help to spread evil…
However, I reserved my judgment for later, just like in the case of the prophecy last time, because I was on the verge of losing my mind. I thought I could no longer hold on anymore if I touched such a fundamental issue when my mind was on the brink of collapse.
"Excuse me…!"
As I was walking down the market street and was about to enter the back alley with listless eyes, I suddenly heard a sound from somewhere.
"Um, please give me something to eat…"
"I starved for three days…"
"Help…"
When I came to my senses and looked around, I saw children with ragged bodies surrounding both of us, begging desperately.
"…Kania, give me a pouch of gold coins."
"Then what if your good deeds get exposed?"
I felt sorry for those children, so I tried to help them, but Kania looked at me with a worried expression and pointed out the fact that my good deeds could be exposed.
That's true, it would be a colossal disaster if I make a blunder while overdoing it. Although unlike before, I'm wearing a white robe instead of a black robe… but you could never be too sure.
"That's right. Then I'll give it to you instead."
However, I couldn't turn a blind eye to the starving children, so I ordered Kania to hand out the gold coins in my place. I then endearingly gazed at the brightly smiling children.
"…There are also some kids who took gold coins back then."
Soon I noticed that most of the children who I rescued from the Succubus Queen were also mixed in with the beggars. Seeing this scene, I heaved a deep sigh and stroked my temple.
""Thank you, sister!!""
""Thank you, sister!!""
After pondering for a while, I whispered to Kania, who was smiling and waving at the kids running away.
"Kania, I can't stand this any longer."
"…..?"
At my sudden remark, Kania tilted her head in confusion.
"I want to do some charity."
"Eh!?"
And it didn't take long for her expression to turn into astonishment.
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"Young Master, please reconsider."
"…No. I've given it enough thought."
"Please, Young Master…"
As I entered the back alley, I lowered my voice as much as possible, but Kania was still pleading with me.
"Young Master, you will run out of vitality and lifespan. Please, don't do charity…"
"I'm aware of how long I will live."
"…Huh?"
I took something out of my inner pocket and showed it to Kania.
"What's this?"
"My remaining lifespan."
"…..!!!"
As I spoke in a calm tone, Kania lowered her head with her mouth agape.
"It's a lifespan gauge I got as a reward for beating Irina in the performance evaluation. It looks pretty brutal, huh?"
"Young Master…"
When I scratched my head and said so with a bitter smile, Kania took my trembling hand and looked at me pitifully.
"It's fine. I just need to stay alive till I settle my affairs with the Demon King."
As I said so, while avoiding Kania's gaze, I put the gauge back in my pocket and opened my mouth.
"Anyway, I am well aware of the importance of my life."
"Then… even more so…"
"So, I'm going to do one charity work anonymously."
"…What?"
Upon hearing that, Kania asked with her brows furrowed, and I answered with a smile.
"Orphanage."
"....."
As Kania seemed touched by those words, she took out a fountain pen from her pocket and began tapping on her temple. She then said,
"However, if you move the wealth of the Starlight family, eventually the trail will be discovered."
"I'll use my personal assets."
"Young Master's personal assets?"
"Yes, I have a lot of money."
When I spoke confidently, Kania shook her head with a bitter smile.
"I'm well aware that the Young Master has a lot of money, but no matter how wealthy you're, you still will be running the entire orphanage…"
"…Hmm."
"…..!"
But when she saw the statement I took out of my pocket, her eyes widened in astonishment, then she directed her gaze towards me and asked.
"When the hell did you save all this money?"
"I didn't save it. My father did."
"…Ah."
Upon hearing that, Kania quietly shut her mouth. I turned my eyes away from her as I watched the fading backs of the children from afar. Soon I opened my mouth again.
"I can tolerate everything else, but I can't stand the youth who will become the hope of the Empire wasting away, wandering around like beggars."
"…I see."
"And I'm afraid I won't last till the end. That's why I'm going to do it from now on."
"Ah…"
Upon hearing my words, tears welled up in Kania's eyes, but soon she opened with a determined look.
"I will put all my efforts into establishing the best orphanage in the Empire."
"Yes, of course… make sure it doesn't have anything to do with me or the Starlight family."
"Understood."
Kania nodded with a grim expression and soon began to write something down in her notebook she always carried. Meanwhile, I watched the children who already became dots far-off with a pleasant expression on my face and muttered inwardly.
'…I wonder how that little girl is doing?'
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"Ahhh… Tsk, tsk, that crazy bitch…"
Meanwhile, around that time, the Tower Master, who returned to the Sunrise Empire from the Western Continent after a day, was walking down the street while grumbling in pain.
"She asked me to cast a 'Mind-Restoration' magic spell on the last letter before she lost her memories… Does she think it's a magic spell that can be cast on a whim? Even the Emperor needs to stand in line for a year before receiving that magic spell… Sigh…"
The Tower Master, who had been frowning at Serena's abuse of power for a long time, soon gazed up at the sky with a sorrowful expression and began lamenting.
"Sigh… to think I have to go through such hardship at this age… I wish only if that demonic bitch hadn't caught hold of my weakness."
"Buy some bread!!"
"…Hmm?"
Then the Tower Master muttered with her brows furrowed when a fragrance of bread tickled her nose and a sharp cry pierced her ears.
"What sort of bread is this? It's frozen to death. I can't digest it at this age…"
Tower Master, feeling pissed off by the location and the naïve advertisement she heard, heaved a deep sigh and quickly tried to pass the bakery, but—
"Hey, don't be like that. Just take one bite!!"
"…Kid, I'm busy right now. So, get out of the way."
She grumbled in annoyance when a little girl blocked her way and handed her a slice of bread
"A-Are you busy?"
"Yes, I'm really busy."
"…I don't know what's going on, but can I be of any help?"
The Tower Master quietly watched and smiled at the adorable appearance of the girl, whose eyes were twinkling as she spoke. She then accepted the slice of bread she offered.
"This is my job as the Tower Master."
"Tower Master?"
After taking a bite of the bread, the Tower Master began speaking in a haggard tone.
"Yes, I felt a world-shaking magic around here, and because of that, the Magic Tower is in upheaval. So as the Tower Master, I personally came here to assess this situation."
"Is that so?"
"Yes, so you keep selling bread. I don't need the help of a kid who doesn't know magic."
Having said that, the Tower Master handed over the slice of bread again, then took a gold coin out of her pocket and placed it in the girl's hand. She then muttered curtly.
"Ah… it's delicious, but I can't digest it. Do I need to develop digestion magic or something…?"
"I-I'm a mage as well!!"
"…What?"
After doing a good deed to such a cute girl after a long time, the Tower Master, who was about to leave, opened her mouth with a smirk when the little girl hurriedly yelled.
"You brat, you can't lie like that. I didn't feel any mana from you. What kind of magic…"
"Look! I can use magic as well!"
"…..!"
However, when the girl emitted a radiant light from her body, the Tower Master had no choice but to keep gawking at her with her mouth agape.
– Boom!!
"…What?"
Suddenly, she disappeared from the spot.
"…Tower Master?"
– Boom!!
"Gasp!!"
The girl stared blankly at the spot where the Tower Master reappeared after vanishing for a split second. The Tower Master strode closer to her in astonishment, as the little girl dropped the bread basket she was holding in panic.
"Maybe the enormous magic I felt around here… all of it…?"
"…Umm, what's going on?"
"Kid, what's your name?"
The little girl, who had been looking at the Tower Master in confusion, soon answered with a bright smile when the Tower Master held her hand and asked her name.
"…Glare!"
"All right, you are my disciple from now on."
"…Eh?"
However, when the Tower Master looked down at her with ecstatic eyes and declared that she would become her disciple, Glare tilted her head in confusion.
And the lucky ring on her left finger that she had cherished till now glowed radiantly with the light emanating from her body.
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"…Sigh, I think I'll be able to hold on a little more."
"Young Master, you have worked hard today."
When I returned to the dormitory again after purchasing many things I needed for my future plans in the back alley, the setting sun marked the beginning of dusk.
After lying on the bed and staring blankly, I realized that Kania was looking at me anxiously.
"…Finally, the time has come for the 'Raid on the Commoners' Dormitory.'"
So when I was about to ask what's wrong, I heard what Kania said and realized why she had such an expression on her face.
"Yes, soon."
"We have already identified the students who caused the raid in the previous timeline. If you give an order, they will be suppressed immediately…"
"It's no use."
"…Huh?"
I shook my head and cut off Kania's words as I opened the system notification window floating in front of my eyes and said.
You have successfully cleared the Hidden Route!
Quest Content: Win the duel against Irina!
Reward: Lifespan Gauge
Alterations: The mastermind behind the raid on the commoner's dormitory will be random.
"Because I defeated Irina, the scenario changed."
Initially, the 'Raid on Commoner's Dormitory' occurred when Irina overwhelmingly defeated a high-ranking aristocrat in a duel during the performance evaluation.
The high-ranking aristocrat, who became a laughing stock among the commoners because of her terrifying treatment, set fire to the commoner's dormitory alongside his friends out of spite.
In the end, there were no casualties thanks to Ferloche, Irina and Kania, but.. many were wounded.
And many commoner students who were suppressing their wrath eventually exploded.
The movement, which originated from commoner students, became widespread and finally engulfed the entire Empire, giving birth to rebellion and chaos.
Of course, the Demon King, who manipulated everything from behind the scenes, will be revealed to the world in earnest from that point on.
In other words, the 'Raid on the Commoner's Dormitory' is the event that will be the cornerstone to the Empire's downfall and at the same time, it will mark the Demon King's debut.
Since it's such an important event, it must be prevented… but things got twisted because I defeated Irina.
Initially, the strategy for this event was to pretend to be the high-ranking aristocrat who was brutally defeated by Irina, and then take a few nobles and set fire to the dormitory, and eventually get caught…
However, from the moment I defeated Irina, the 'raider' became random.
As a result, it became impossible to predict who would raid the commoner's dormitory for what reason and in what way.
"…Then, it's a pretty big deal, isn't it?"
After hearing my explanation, Kania asked with a worried expression.
"I know… Kania, you're my aide so you can stay in the noble dormitory. Irina is suffering from mana exhaustion… Ferloche is strong, but I'm still a little worried about her… ."
I couldn't find a plausible solution because I was buried under a lot of work these days, so I grabbed my temple and began ruminating how to deal with this situation.
"Can't I just stand guard and keep an eye out around the dorm?"
"No, it's dangerous."
"…Huh?"
While I was pondering about it for a long time, Kania asked cautiously, but I shook my head in denial
Then Kania, who was slightly confused, opened her mouth as her body began exuding an aura.
"Young Master, I would have been uncertain about this a few days ago… but if it's now, I can subdue most of the academy students."
"But if you use black magic, there will be traces of residual dark mana remaining in the scene. It will become rather troublesome if we get entangled with the investigation squad. I can cover up other cases with bribery and Starlight family's influence… but it's hard to cover up cases related to black magic."
"I mean, I was going to use normal magic instead of black magic. To be honest, aristocratic students who aren't commoners… I can easily suppress them with my eyes closed…"
"…It's because you have no idea."
"Huh?"
I sighed and said to Kania.
"This event…might be our first hurdle."
Upon hearing those words, Kania looked puzzled as I quietly got up from my seat and continued speaking.
"In most random events… the Demon King personally intervenes."
At those words, Kania bit her lip tightly, then opened her mouth with a determined expression.
"…I still think I need to step in."
"Sigh, let's think about it later."
I felt exhausted while I was trying to persuade Kania, so I decided to put aside this matter for later and closed my eyes. I then inquired in a serious tone.
"By the way, are there any new reports? If not, let's sleep."
"…There is one thing."
"Oh Yeah…? Then tell me…"
So, my consciousness gradually drifted away in slumber while listening to Kania in a dazed state…
"…The Imperial family has sent you an invitation to the ball."
"Invitation to the ball?"
However, when I heard Kania's following words, I had no choice but to open my eyes wide.
"Yes, at that ball, Your Highness Clana's fiancée will be decided."
"…This is driving me crazy."
"…Eh?"
This is because the event that was supposed to take place a long time from now suddenly occurred.
Really, this is driving me crazy.
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"…I'll ask again, who are you?"
"I'm—"
Meanwhile, at that time, not far from Frey's dormitory.
"—a loyal servant of the Demon King."
Kania's curse had been lifted from Isabel's belly, and now she muttered with a dazed smile.
"Very well. Now I'll give you your first mission as the servant of the Demon King."
To her surprise, the crow sitting by the window gave her orders in human tongue.
"Raid, the commoner's dormitory."
The setting sun glistened Isabel's figure, as she smiled upon hearing the command.
You can read 505 episodes for $10. p.*atreon.com/Astrid02