How ridiculous could it be?
In the midst of disbelief and absurdity, I was left speechless.
“No way! Eri was supposed to be my partner in this love triangle! This is invalid! Invalid!”
With a start, Eri jumped up from her seat.
She protested, fists balled up and hanging down at her waist.
“That’s right! I’m that fool’s exclusive maid! Of course, I deserve to be his love triangle partner!”
Snap.
Next, Olivia raised a hand to her chest in objection.
“Ugh… I should have taken the seat next to Deok-Sung…”
Rin bit her lip.
“Grandma Sera… that’s too much. As the elder, you should have given that spot to your cute JK little sister, Haru!”
Haru voiced her dissatisfaction.
“Ziiiiiiii…”
Makoto made a Ziiiii sound with her mouth.
“What’s going on? A lovers’ quarrel already?!”
“The competition for the Black Beast is so fierce!”
“Thank goodness I’m not the partner of the Black Beast.”
“Is the Black Beast going to conquer even Sera-tang?”
Murmurs filled the air as extras chimed in.
Watching this, a smile crept onto Sera’s lips.
“No take-backs! Once the draw is made, it can’t be reversed. Right, Teacher Mayuzumi?”
Swish.
Sera closed and opened her black lace fan, using it to hide her face as she spoke.
How could she be so brazen while employing such tricks?
Her nickname isn’t “Raccoon Chairman” for nothing.
At this point, isn’t she more of a shameless scoundrel?
[Partner. Come on… Let’s just let it slide…]
The Black Prince’s pleading voice echoed in my head.
True, Sera had acted deceitfully, but the method she used was a capacity of high-level magical control that couldn’t be detected unless one had EX rank.
No matter how much I testify, there would surely be no evidence or validity.
I really wanted to avoid this love triangle relay with the heroines if possible.
But now that it’s come to this, there’s no way out.
With the Black Prince’s request lingering…
‘Alright.’
I decided to just stay out of it.
“Huh? Yes…”
Teacher Mayuzumi nodded at Sera’s remark.
Seeing this, Sera beamed triumphantly.
“Hmph. This time, it’s just my luck. For those of you eyeing the little one’s spot, just wait for the next opportunity.”
The heroines’ faces stiffened at Sera’s words.
“The Chairman has won the Black Beast contest.”
“No, it’s not the Chairman, it’s Sera-tang!”
“Sera-tang is so cute.”
“Oh my… How can this be?”
“No, Sera-tang! Don’t fall into the clutches of the Black Beast… Ugh… Not you too, Sera-tang!”
“I can’t let the cute Sera-tang be taken by the Black Beast!”
The whispers of the extras filled my ears.
For today, I didn’t mind their murmurs at all.
It should’ve been Yuuji or Ishihara as my partner instead of these heroines.
Damn it.
[Sigh, big sister. How could it come to this… even using such methods…]
The Black Prince’s sympathetic voice resonated in my mind.
Looking at this scene, Mayu awkwardly laughed.
She laughs mischievously.
“Then Seira-chan, please return to your seat.”
“Got it, teacher.”
Swish swish.
Seira returns to her seat with light footsteps.
As Seira, sitting in the back, whispers into my ear,
“Then in this three-legged race, I’m counting on you, little one.”
She fans herself while giving a deadly wink.
[…Our sister may be like that, but let’s do our best, partner.]
The Black Prince finally speaks in my mind.
It’s not like I’m asking for a favor from a caregiver at an old folks’ home.
At this point, there’s nothing I can do.
Just have to go along with it.
The thought of what might happen at the Sports Festival already fills me with dread.
*
Tokyo.
New World League Japan Branch.
A massive facility located underground in an old mansion on the outskirts of Tokyo.
A basement with no light.
Under the flickering fluorescent lights, a beautiful girl with ivory-colored hair sits in a chair, breathing heavily.
It’s the Undertaker.
“Whoo…”
Thump, thump.
Another heart within her chest. The artifact Immortal Heart activates, healing her body bit by bit.
“…Association President… Not an easy opponent…”
The Undertaker bites her lip.
A wound that takes so long to heal, even with the Immortal Heart’s capability to heal most injuries within a day.
This was a first.
The title of Japan’s representative hero wasn’t just for show.
“Whoo… But it should be healed soon…”
The wound will be completely gone.
Thump.
The Undertaker’s second heart, the Immortal Heart, beats.
Just then, as the Undertaker closes her eyes…
Beep, beep.
The sound of a heavy door opening reaches her ears.
Whoosh.
The Undertaker channels magic into the floating obelisk-like artifact, Necronomicon.
Flash.
With a flash of light, a robe envelops her body.
Poof.
The Undertaker pulls her hood deep down, hiding her face.
Boom.
Accompanied by a heavy sound, the branch door opens.
The Undertaker turns her head.
There, she sees…
“…Professor.”
“Long time no see, Undertaker.”
A bespectacled handsome man smirks.
“You look like a sick chicken; it’s quite a sight.”
The Professor’s sleepy eyes widen.
Clap.
The branch door closes.
The Professor hangs his hat and coat on a rack, saying,
“Is it from the wounds inflicted by the Black Beast and the Demon King?”
“…Shut up…”
The Undertaker responds with a voice full of noise from voice modulation.
Seeing this, the Professor chuckles.
“I can’t believe you were taken down by the likes of the Japanese Hero Association. You’re making the title of the League’s number two look bad. That position should rightfully belong to me.”
The Professor’s sleepy eyes slightly open.
In the League, his rank is third.
He’s just one step below the Undertaker, ranked second.
Thus, the Professor was quite unhappy about being stuck in his current position.
His loyalty to the Messiah was unwavering, but that just made it unacceptable for him to see the Undertaker, whose loyalty to the League was in doubt, ranked above him.
But the hierarchy in the League was decided solely by strength.
That’s why the weaker Professor had no choice but to remain a perpetual third.
“Whoever it is… you can’t just…”
The Undertaker says, seemingly annoyed.
“The fact that someone like you, questioning Master’s ideals and loyalty to the League, ranks above me is extremely unsettling!”
Bam.
The Professor slams his hand on the table.
He firmly believed in the Master’s ideals, the vision of the New World.
A world without gods or demons, only humans existing.
He believed that the mentor he admired and loved could only find happiness in such a world.
Therefore, he must swiftly realize the New World here on this earth.
I had to do it.
At first, the League was for my master, but now, with time passed, the Professor had become the second master I believed in and followed after him.
I admired that man so much, I even imitated his behavior and speech.
So, the Undertaker, who had little interest in the New World, was an eyesore to the Professor.
The Professor’s crazed eyes turned toward the Undertaker.
“…If you don’t like it… Come at me…”
Zap!
An ivory spark flew from the Necronomicon.
To the Undertaker, the Messiah wasn’t an object of loyalty.
She provided strength to the League, and in return, the League fully funded Damian’s revival research.
It was purely a bilateral contractual relationship, nothing more and nothing less.
The Undertaker was somewhat interested in the New World plan.
The Messiah had said that if the New World became a reality, she could be with her resurrected brother in that new world.
That was her reason for helping with the New World plan.
If there was even a slight possibility of Damian coming back, she had to try everything, no matter what the method was.
However, unlike the other apostles and the Four Horsemen, the Undertaker didn’t fully trust his words.
The Messiah wouldn’t lie, she thought.
But she might have cleverly concealed some truth.
That’s what she believed.
In reality, the specific processes and outcomes of the New World plan existed solely in the Messiah’s mind.
It was top secret, even unbeknownst to the close aides, the Four Horsemen.
‘It doesn’t make sense to hide it unless there’s something…’
Thus, the Undertaker couldn’t completely trust the Messiah.
“…”
The Undertaker’s magic pressed down on the Professor.
Sssssssss.
From the Undertaker’s elongated shadow, the shapes of puppets gradually began to emerge.
Drip.
Cold sweat ran down the Professor’s forehead.
‘What a monster…’
Despite being weakened from injuries, the pressure was immense.
The Professor instinctively felt it.
Even if he fought the Undertaker in her current state, his chance of winning was 0%.
It would be a certain defeat.
“…As much as I’d like to, unfortunately, I’m here not for a personal visit, but rather to deliver a command from the Master. Internal strife is not good.”
“…Running away…”
The Professor flinched at the Undertaker’s words.
He tried to ignore her and said, “…Your orders from the Master are to immediately move to Beppu, investigate Kim Deok-Sung’s magical traces left behind, uncover the identity of the mysterious EX-rank ally assisting him, and report back. If necessary, eliminate that ally. This is the command from the Master.”
The Messiah.
He was convinced that an unidentified ally was helping Kim Deok-Sung.
That’s why he wanted the Undertaker, who was in Japan, to uncover that ally’s identity and take them down.
“Is that all…? Why did you come…?”
“Just to deliver commands.”
The Professor smiled.
But contrary to his words, the Messiah had passed him another secret order.
To monitor the Undertaker.
However, this time, the Professor decided to disobey the Master’s orders and take action first, then report back.
‘If it’s for the quicker arrival of the New World…’
For the greater good.
If the result was favorable.
A slight procedural defect arising in the process could be overlooked.
The schedule for Shuo Hero Academy popped into the Professor’s head.
The Shuo Hero Academy Sports Festival was about to start.
He would open a gate with the prepared Omega-rank otherworldly species and ambush them.
Then, if he destroyed the Academy, opened the entrance to the underground ruins, which was the core of the New World plan, defeated the Son of the Sword Master, and captured Kim Deok-Sung alive…
That man would surely praise him.
I will praise you.
The arrival of a New World where my respected first teacher can live happily will be drastically accelerated.
If only that could happen.
I could save Seira.
I could fulfill her ideals.
The Professor’s body trembles with ecstasy.
“You do your job. I will definitely save my teacher this time…”
“Do you think… she would want your salvation?”
The Undertaker’s casually thrown words narrow the Professor’s eyes.
“That’s unnecessary meddling, Undertaker. And that applies to you too.”
The Professor’s sharp words pierce the Undertaker’s heart.
The Undertaker bites her lip.
She falls silent.
The resurrection of her brother Damian.
Was that truly what her dead brother wanted?
Now that her brother is gone, no one could provide an answer to that question.
“Well then, I’ll be going.”
Leaving the confused Undertaker behind, the Professor exited the branch.
Thud.
The heavy door of the branch closed.
The Undertaker, left alone, bites her lip.
She pulls a pendant from her robe.
Click.
Inside the pendant, a photo of a handsome man with brown hair and a beautiful girl with ivory hair is revealed.
Her family photo taken when her brother was alive.
The Undertaker gently caresses the photo inside the pendant.
“I will… I will save you…”
For sure.
The Undertaker swallowed her later words and bit her lip.
*
Shuo Hero Academy.
Annex.
A corridor filled with club rooms.
There, a silver-haired beautiful girl walked with sparkling silver eyes.
On her arm was a band indicating her as the Student Council President.
Saionji Aris.
“Kyaa! It’s Senior Saionji!”
“President! You’re so pretty!”
“Her waist is so slim, and her silver hair shines! She’s like a real doll.”
“Being from the countryside adds to her charm! Totally attractive!”
The students around her buzzed upon spotting Aris.
Originally, she was the most popular at the academy, but her popularity soared even more after the cultural festival.
The fact that the once mysterious and cold flower atop a cliff was actually a country girl was a surprising twist that added to her appeal.
While patrolling for discipline checks, Aris walked down the corridor, feeling the surrounding gazes.
“I hope there aren’t any scoundrels engaging in misconduct…”
Swoosh.
The scenery beyond the window comes into Aris’s view.
Tea club, literature club, calligraphy club, drama club, etc.
The sight of students engrossed in their club activities.
A satisfied smile spread across Aris’s face.
This sight was the daily scenery of Shuo Hero Academy that she loved.
“Good.”
Just as a satisfied smile lingered on Aris’s face after observing the students’ activities without any issues, a club room draped with blackout curtains—a room that looked suspicious at first glance—caught her attention.
Aris’s expression hardened.
“What is that room?”
Her silver eyes turned toward the sign above the entrance of the room.
The name on the sign read Cooking Club.
It was the club to which Kim Deok-Sung and the heroines belonged.
The moment that thought crossed Aris’s mind, all kinds of unsavory rumors about the Black Beast and his harem members swirling around the academy surfaced in her mind.
Rumors that in their after-school club activities, they engage in such and such things.
A flush spread across Aris’s face.
Her heart raced.
“If something inappropriate is happening, such conduct as a Student Council President cannot be tolerated!”
Thus, she had to check.
With that thought, Aris fiercely opened the door to the Cooking Club room.
What Aris witnessed beyond the opened door was…
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