Chapter 51
Chapter 51
“It’s done. You accepted it too easily, so it’s no fun.”
“······.”
“We’ll be companions from now on. Let’s leave everything behind and move on cleanly.”
Is he really saying that sincerely? He was so enthusiastic about crushing me just moments ago.
But my response was already decided.
“Yes, of course.”
“Good. Honestly, I could break your mind and treat you like a doll, but that would be inconvenient for both of us, wouldn’t it? Let’s keep things civil.”
That’s not just a bluff. In the original story, the teacher actually shattered Yoo Hana’s mind. If it weren’t for her resurrection, she would have been used and discarded like a puppet.
The teacher snapped his fingers with a distasteful smile, and Kim Si woo and Han Si-hyun, who had been glaring at each other in confrontation, collapsed as if their power had been turned off like toys.
“I’ll keep my promise and spare those two and the student council president, so stop whining and get up.”
“···Whining?”
“Can’t stand just a scratch on your side?”
Is he ignoring the injury he caused? Such thoughts disappeared immediately, as the pain and hurt I felt just moments ago had vanished entirely.
Not only that, but even the bruises covering my body, which made it hard to even open my eyes, had disappeared.
I realized it belatedly. It was all an illusion.
An ability that evokes disbelief. In terms of danger, it’s one of the most notable powers in the original story, even surpassing demons.
Although there are conditions, like needing eye contact and a stable mind, his sensory manipulation ability is unlike any other.
Not only sight but also hearing, smell, taste, and even touch—he can perfectly distort the human senses and manipulate them as he wishes. To the person subjected to it, it feels like a godly power over everything.
In the end, the only way to break his power is to avoid meeting the prerequisites entirely.
“···Ugh.”
The wound on my side, inflicted by Han Si-hyun, was still there. But I could handle this much pain. I endured it and got up.
“Now, let me tell you what you need to do.”
He spoke.
“Leave the academy.”
—
“···Huff!”
A terrible nightmare. Or was it not a nightmare?
Si woo opened his eyes and immediately looked around. A familiar space filled with white.
It was the infirmary, the very one where Hana had stayed before.
Hana. That name surfaced naturally as he recalled the situation before he lost consciousness.
His physical condition was relatively intact. What happened? He couldn’t quite remember his last clear memory.
He was sure he’d been fighting Han Si-hyun.
But now wasn’t the time for this. Jumping out of bed, Si woo hurriedly ran outside. Without knocking, he burst into the medical office.
Inside, Rachel was sitting with a somber expression.
“Teacher!”
“···Ah. You’re awake.”
“What happened?!”
“Sigh. That’s what I’d like to ask.”
She hesitated briefly, not knowing where to start.
“In the science lab. The teacher found three people unconscious.”
“The teacher…?”
Si woo recalled his appearance—the middle-aged man with an eye patch he’d recently seen in the hallway.
When he was running around looking for Hana, he encountered him in the corridor.
Had he casually mentioned the science lab when asked where he was heading? Perhaps that’s how the teacher found them.
But why only three? There were definitely four people there.
Si woo focused on the most urgent matter first.
“Is the student council president okay?”
“It was a dangerous situation. Although there was no injury to her heart, she lost a lot of blood, and a little later, she might not have made it.”
“···That’s a relief.”
Rachel sighed deeply at Si woo’s murmur.
“Well… Her life is safe, but there’s no sign of her waking up.”
“What?”
“We’ll need to monitor her progress, but if she doesn’t wake up soon… she might end up in a vegetative state.”
“······.”
If only he could have taken her earlier, before the teacher found them.
If only he had handled it peacefully without fighting Han Si-hyun.
But such ifs are meaningless. Ultimately, if you trace everything back, it’s all because of Yoo Hana.
That’s why Si woo couldn’t blame Si-hyun. He wasn’t blameless either.
“Han Si-hyun…?”
“She woke up before you did. She’s fine.”
That was at least some consolation. He still didn’t remember why he had no memory right before he collapsed.
If he had to guess, it would only be one thing.
That Si-hyun had overpowered him and completely subdued him.
Given her superior skills and the circumstances, it was highly likely.
But if that’s true, if that assumption is correct—
The question he wanted to ask most lingered, but he was afraid of the answer, so he had forced himself to ignore it.
Now, he could no longer avoid it.
With a trembling voice, Si woo cautiously asked.
“H… Hana…?”
“······.”
There was no immediate answer. That alone made Si woo feel as if his heart was burning.
Was it just as he feared? Had Si-hyun, unable to forgive, done something to Hana…?
He clenched his fists, trying to suppress his agitation.
When he was about to lose control, a question came instead of an answer.
“Is Yoo Hana really a demon?”
“That’s…”
“Both the teacher and Han Si-hyun have already given their statements. I’m only asking to confirm. Is Yoo Hana truly a demon?”
He recalled the scene in the science lab.
A sight still hard to believe was real.
Yoo Hana stabbing the student council president.
Han Si-hyun witnessed the scene.
The unresolved conflict.
The fight.
And Hana’s side was slashed by Si-hyun’s sword, with dark blood dripping from the wound.
There was already physical evidence. The crime scene had been discovered.
Putting aside personal attachments, it was objectively undeniable.
Yoo Hana was indeed a demon.
Yet Si woo could not bring himself to speak.
In the end, he remained silent.
“Your reaction is enough to tell. How did it come to this?”
“Is Hana… dead?”
“No. She’s alive.”
At that moment, the heavy burden weighing on his heart lifted.
Of course, he knew it was already too late.
But knowing she was still alive gave Si woo some comfort.
“She’s alive… for now.”
“···What?”
—
“Leave the academy.”
“···Leave? This place?”
“Yes. The old geezers have started to get wary. If they realize the situation has reached this point, they’ll do whatever it takes to protect you.”
Attempted murder of the student council president.
It wasn’t an issue they could just brush under the rug like last time, especially if they knew she was the culprit.
“You’ll need to make contact with the Black Goat anyway. So you’ll leave the academy and hide at our base.”
“···Are you coming too?”
“No. I’ll stay here to clean things up. Another person will guide you.”
The demon’s base. She could guess where that might be, as it was a location from the original story.
But since she didn’t know the exact location, she would need a guide.
If she left the academy, she would truly become a traitor to humanity, joining the side of the demons.
“Tonight, take the black van at the academy’s back gate. The password is ‘sand crocodile.’”
“······.”
“Now, get lost. Stay quiet until tonight. It’ll stay calm until then.”
In other words, it would get noisy after that.
Were they planning to reveal that I’d joined the demons?
That was highly likely.
Otherwise, they couldn’t explain why the student council president had almost died, and it would prevent me from returning to the academy.
I didn’t have much attachment to it anyway. The original story had long been destroyed.
From now on, the future is unpredictable.
So I would have to use the original story’s information to actively create a better future.
I was entering the lion’s den for that purpose.
There was no grand cause.
I simply felt it was the right thing to do.
And I had one personal desire.
“···I can really meet Sophie again, right?”
“Yes. It’s true.”
“If that’s a lie…”
“You can tell the Black Goat. We always keep our promises.”
I didn’t trust him.
But I trusted the Black Goat’s obsessive commitment to promises and loyalty.
No matter how powerful this man was, the demon king was still the Black Goat.
Now it was time to leave.
As I exited the chaotic science lab, I took one last look around.
My gaze lingered on the fallen Kim Si woo.
“···I’m sorry.”
It seems my fate was not to live as your childhood friend.
—
“The Messiah has sided with the demons…”
“There are three witnesses who saw her tainted blood.”
“It’s still too early to be certain. It could be a filthy demon trick.”
“However, we can’t rule out the possibility that she’s truly fallen. Given the current situation, it’s more reasonable to assume so.”
“I didn’t expect them to act so swiftly. It’s fortunate we prepared in advance.”
“Yes. With the Impostor, we can create a fake Messiah.”
“That’s only a temporary measure. It’s not perfect. Therefore, I believe recovering the Messiah should be our priority.”
“Well… If she has truly become a demon, we cannot take it lightly. If they know how to use the Messiah…”
“Our vision for a new world would end.”
“What if we eliminate the Messiah?”
“Hmm. It’s a risky gamble, but safer than letting her fall to the demons.”
“Then, how about this? Make the Messiah’s retrieval the goal, but if she resists, shift the focus to the Impostor and eliminate the Messiah.”
“It seems it’s time to bring out the weapon we’ve prepared.”
“Send the Spear of Longinus.”
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