Her mind raced through the events that had just transpired.
Kim Deok-Sung.
She couldn’t read his thoughts.
Yet, that was precisely why she felt certain.
The High Priest.
No, the mastermind lurking behind him, the leader of the League, Messiah.
The only one who could stand against him was that man, whom she also couldn’t read.
Only Kim Deok-Sung.
“He truly is an extraordinary man…”
Beatrice placed a hand on her ample chest.
“I must have him. Ah, no, ahem. I must indeed have him.”
She corrected her tone with a cough, her cheeks flushing.
To seize the cult and confront the League,
she needed to have him.
Beatrice bit her lip.
Thump, thump.
Her heart raced.
It felt as if his touch and warmth lingered on her lips and chest.
He did have a point.
She owed him her life.
She could have drowned in the pool, after all.
But not only had a strange man stolen her first kiss, he had also seen her true self.
For someone who had only encountered the outside world through books, it was an overly provocative situation.
“Am I really destined to never marry… to have my purity stolen…?”
The thought of all those romance novels made Beatrice’s face turn red.
Her purity was taken.
Now, she couldn’t marry another man.
Ideally, this should feel repulsive.
But perhaps because she owed him a debt of gratitude, a strange thrill continued to swirl in her heart.
“Ugh…”
The chest compressions she received were painful.
Yet, oddly enough, that pain felt good.
She used to think all humans were the same.
No man could look at her, the beloved saint and beauty, without harboring ulterior motives.
Not even her knights, armed with their sincere faith, were exceptions; they all had their lustful thoughts.
But he was different from those other humans.
Even after stealing her ample chest and lips, he showed no signs of lust.
As if it were just a normal act for saving a life.
A stark contrast to Messiah, who hid his dark intentions behind a benevolent smile.
‘What in the world is this feeling…?’
Thump.
Beatrice’s heart raced.
An incomprehensible emotion surged from a corner of her mind.
As she felt the first waves of this unknown emotion in her life,
“How dare you take a lady’s purity… I will make you pay for this… Kim Deok-Sung…”
She cupped her ample chest with both hands.
In any case, she had achieved her objective.
Kim Deok-Sung had claimed cooperation and verified his qualifications, so all that was left was to play along until the end of this farce.
With that thought, Beatrice rose from her seat.
Whoosh.
The night sea breeze wrapped around her body as she stood on the beach.
*
Soviet Union, Moscow.
Kremlin Palace. The Secretary-General’s office.
Across a desk with a steel globe, a middle-aged man in a suit sat.
It was Vasily Kuznetsov, the Soviet Secretary-General.
“I’ve pinpointed the Saint’s current location through KGB reports.”
“She’s been located.”
*Thud.*
The secretary places a document down.
“Take a look.”
“Yes, Comrade Secretary!”
*Snap.*
A middle-aged man in a Soviet military uniform, adorned by white hair, stands at attention and quietly reads the document.
“The Saintess is currently infiltrating St. George Academy, participating in joint training with Shuo Hero Academy, and residing in Okinawa, Japan······.”
“The goal of this ‘hijacking’ operation is to infiltrate Okinawa, capture the target, the Saintess, and safely return her to our homeland. It’s a mission to penetrate enemy lines alone, but······”
The secretary’s eyes gleam.
The Saintess.
If they can secure her, they would be able to put a leash on the League, which has been going wild like a rabid dog.
“I trust you, Comrade Ivan, Commander of the Spetsnaz Unit 3.”
He notices the name tag on Ivan’s chest, “Ivan Antonov.”
Ivan Antonov.
The famed commander of the Soviet Spetsnaz Unit 3, known as the ‘White Tiger of Siberia’ and an EX-rank hero.
Thus, the secretary didn’t even consider the possibility of failure in the hijacking operation.
A smile creeps onto the secretary’s face.
“Understood, Comrade Secretary.”
“For the great Soviet and its people.”
“For the great Soviet and its people.”
Ivan and the secretary salute each other with solemn expressions.
Ivan’s eyes receive the target information and photo of the Saintess, just as the White Tiger of Siberia is about to set off to Japan.
* * *
The morning after conversing with the Saintess.
Finally, the reconnaissance training began.
The coral beach, being Japan’s largest marine erosion area, was dotted with numerous coral islands and volcanic islands in the blue sea.
The so-called island-dense sea.
The beach area where the cadets played, with its sandy shore, temporary classroom, and beach hotel, was a safe zone limited to general public access.
The reconnaissance training was taking place in the island-dense sea, a hazardous area where otherworldly beings roamed freely, and access was banned for civilians.
A terrain completely different from the real Okinawa.
In volume 6 of the original work, it had been simply mentioned that the terrain changed due to the phenomenon of otherworldly contamination caused by erosion, but the reasons for that remain unclear.
In any case, the reconnaissance training aimed to select one deserted island from among the many and spend a week honing survival skills against otherworldly creatures, but, as is typical of light novel events, it was simply a swimsuit camping event substitute for being stranded on a deserted island.
Furthermore, it was unrelated to the original content.
A motorized rubber boat slices through the blue waters towards the designated deserted island.
Inside, wearing life vests, are me, Rin, Evangelin, and the Saintess Beatrice.
“Ahem. Hey there, Contractee. If you have any knowledge about Kim Deok-Sung, please share it with her.”
“Oh my. Is Miss Trixie also interested in Mr. Kim Deok-Sung? That’s wonderful. As the president of the Kim Deok-Sung fan club ‘Deok-Sung Love’ British branch, I’ll tell you everything!”
Wearing a rose eyepatch on her left eye, Beatrice glances at me with her healthy right eye while Evangelin beams at me.
The fan club is named Deok-Sung Love?
Even in the height of summer, a chill runs down my spine.
And what’s with the British branch?
It takes talent to make me nauseous with just that short combination of words.
“Mr. Kim Deok-Sung is the only hero of Korean nationality, the hero of all of Korea, and the guardian of the free world who thwarted the Soviet plot. Recently, he thwarted William’s schemes, saving my homeland, England, as well as France, and me—my life savior and a true gentleman who can charm a lady’s heart as easily as cake······.”
What did he save?
What about cake?
Just listening makes my stomach twist.
And can we ease off the gentleman and lady chatter a bit?
[Oh, the British princess’s ardent pursuit. Partner. You’re totally hitting the jackpot now, but don’t forget that I’ll always come first!]
The Black Prince mutters nonsense in my head.
Hitting the jackpot, my foot.
Thinking about how to ditch Evangelin is already giving me a headache.
Luckily, after summer school, I won’t have to see her for a while, but still, it worries me.
“Ugh······. W-what can possibly be good about a beast like that? Is there something wrong with your eyes, Contractee? This is something beyond common sense······.”
“W-What’s so good about that kind of brat, being a gentleman and all… contractee, are your eyes broken? This is something that can’t be understood with common sense.”
Just as Beatrice shook her head in disgust, our eyes met.
“Y-You there, don’t look at me… I mean, p-please don’t look at me!”
Beatrice quickly shifted her third-rate speech into a typical middle schooler style while hiccupping.
She hides behind Evangelin.
Beatrice’s earlobes turn red.
“Oh? Trixie, weren’t you also a great admirer of the illustrious Mr. Kim Deok-Sung?! How could you say your eyes are broken? Mr. Kim Deok-Sung is the most quintessential gentleman every Brit desires!”
Thud.
Evangelin clasps her hands together over her grand bosom, sounding all romantic-like as she speaks.
“W-Who, who would ever admire th-that lowlife… G-gah! Anyway, no! I just found it interesting because we’re in the same group, so d-don’t get the wrong idea!”
Beatrice shrinks back when our eyes lock.
Her face turns bright red.
It’s one thing to apply pressure to cooperate, but the effectiveness is way too high.
The middle schooler fashion dump is the ending key character, huh?
Just thinking about it gives me a sigh.
I turn my head.
“Hm, fine. Since I’m with him and there’s no other rival… I’ve got the ultimate weapon with me, so it should be fine. This time, let’s see the results of the Shinozaki-style Bride Training…”
Rin is mumbling while hugging her survival backpack.
I can’t help but wonder what in the world they’re teaching at Shinozaki Academy.
First it’s ‘feminine power training,’ then bride training, and now the ultimate weapon too.
What on earth is the Association President thinking?
I already feel a chill creeping in.
I’m starting to get scared of what’s inside Rin’s survival backpack.
I can’t shake the image of Ichiro from my mind.
Just thinking of the cold-blooded Association President becoming a double fool for his daughter after being brainwashed with the hypnosis called ‘salvation’ is terrifying.
So, you definitely shouldn’t just save anyone.
“K-Kim Deok-Sung!”
Did Rin finally notice my gaze? She jumps in surprise, her face turning crimson.
She waves her hands while saying, “I-I didn’t say anything just now! Y-You didn’t hear, did you?”
Looks like she’s aware that talking to herself is embarrassing. Thank goodness.
Honestly, Rin seems to be the most normal one among this bunch.
She’s way better than Evangelin, who’s a clueless British princess with that ‘Huh! I’m the best!’ attitude, or that middle schooler-style saint who wears an eye patch.
Maybe just seeing her often has made her seem a bit cute.
Wait, did I just think she’s cute?
Is it just me getting influenced by this light novel world, or am I losing my mind?
“Since you didn’t hear anything, stop saying useless stuff.”
“O-Okay…”
Rin lowers her head.
She gives a small smile.
Swoosh.
Rin sticks to my side.
Despite the pressure from the life jacket, her marvelous assets are clearly visible in my line of sight.
With a red face, she murmurs, “…Thank you. You’re just so kind…”
So kind, huh?
Hearing that in real-time makes my hands and feet curl up.
Looking around, I see Evangelin smiling and Beatrice hiding behind her.
What on earth is going to happen?
Moreover, it’s worrisome that Beatrice ended up assigned to my team.
There’s a high chance—no, it’s 100% guaranteed—that a villain aiming to make use of Beatrice’s value will crash our deserted island exploration training.
It sounds like a typical academy cliché, but this is a world full of such clichés, with no personality—that mass-produced light novel world.
‘Better safe than sorry, with a high-risk character like a saintess among us, we must prepare for any possible emergency.’
[Just like our partner. Even when pretending, they’re quite thorough in their preparations.]
As I take in the Black Prince’s praise, I pull out a device that resembles a walkie-talkie from my pocket.
It was the communicator Han Seo-Jin had handed to me before our exploration training began.
According to Han Seo-Jin, it’s a device that can send a signal to her, cutting through any communication interference, in case we fall into a dire situation.
“Kim Deok-Sung is the only hero in Korea. If there’s even a 0.0001% chance of something happening, we can’t afford to be unprepared for it. Especially since incidents have become more frequent right after starting our external training at the academy lately, this communication device is essential.”
I recalled what Han Seo-Jin had said.
She wasn’t wrong.
It’s statistically ridiculous that so many incidents occur regularly in our academy life.
From cherry blossom viewing to model gate drills, Imgan School, the Kyoto Exchange Tournament, saving Makoto, and the fiasco of the French engagement.
Objectively speaking, I’m experiencing events that a regular cadet might encounter once in a lifetime, yet they happen to me all the time.
In fact, it’s strange that in a safety-ignorant light novel world, incidents occur repeatedly without any countermeasures; I should say it’s quite reasonable to have some follow-up measures in place.
[That girl is something, sometimes she can be overly protective.]
As the Black Prince glanced at the communication device Han Seo-Jin handed over, he chuckled.
Either way, I can just use this if something goes wrong later.
While I was lost in thought, I heard Rin’s voice.
“Kim Deok-Sung, I see an island over there.”
I tucked the device away and looked up.
Beyond the thick fog, a large island covered in jungle appeared.
We had finally reached our destination for the erosion site exploration training: a deserted island.
I ironically couldn’t wait to see what might happen over the course of the week.
One thing was for sure.
The days of relaxing and enjoying some sweet downtime were long gone.
What a bummer.
The deserted island, featuring impressive white sand beaches and dense green palm trees, unfolded before us—like something straight out of an anime.
It was like a picturesque tropical paradise, evoking thoughts of a resort.
But then the terrain felt strangely familiar.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be the same deserted island my protagonist Yuji’s party had explored in the original work.
It looked exactly like the visuals from the anime, so I was certain.
It seemed like William’s butterfly effect had changed everything from our team composition to our destination.
Should I consider this luck or misfortune?
The blazing summer sun beat down on us.
“The sun of the southern country is scorching, but the girl is just fine! This dreamt-of life on a southern deserted island! And with Kim Deok-Sung by my side, I can go anywhere!”
Why is she so triggered by her fantasies?
It’s absurd.
Thud.
Evangelin approached me with sparkling eyes and clasped her hands together.
I had no idea why she was continuously doing that.
“We didn’t come here to play. Stewart, be cautious,” she said, trying to stick close to me.
Just then,
“Clack.”
Rin interjected coldly, positioning herself between Evangelin and me.
Good job, Rin.
How many times do I have to reassess this situation?
As the wise saying goes, “Old things are the best.”
By my experience, when an argument arises in light novel worlds, the other party usually retaliates.
I already had a headache thinking about what kind of dizzying retort Evangelin might throw at Rin.
“I understand. For others, it might be different, but if it’s the word of Shinozaki Kou, Kim Deok-Sung’s closest aide, I’ll gladly follow.”
However, what came out of Evangelin’s mouth was unexpected.
But, “closest aide”?
She shot a sparkling glance at Rin.
“Ahhem, thank you for thinking highly of me, British Princess.”
“You’re welcome. I always feel grateful not just to Shinozaki Kou but to everyone who helped Kim Deok-Sung thwart William’s scheme back then. It’s truly appreciated.”
Evangelin bowed gracefully.
Rin’s lips twitched at the compliment.
Looks like she’s pleased.
If this continues, we might end up in an endless relay of compliments, so I decided to cut in.
“We can save the greetings for later; let’s set up the base camp first.”
The main purpose was the exploration training, and since we’d be camping for a week, it was essential to set up a base camp instead of sleeping on the bare ground.
Where did the protagonist set up their camp in the original again?
Just as I was trying to recall the anime scene…
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