#333
A Dangerous Invitation
Out of nowhere, an invitation to a house?
In Japan, unlike Korea which treats the Lunar New Year as New Year’s Day, the Gregorian calendar’s January 1st is considered New Year’s Day.
It’s not quite the massive homecoming chaos like in Korea where the highways get jammed, but Japanese New Year is one of the biggest holidays too.
Similar to Korea, during New Year’s, families in Japan also gather, eat rice cake soup, and enjoy giving and receiving New Year money.
Just like Korea’s New Year holiday, Japan often enjoys a break from December 29 to January 6, known as the year-end and New Year’s period.
Of course, year-end and New Year’s is an essential event in Japanese academy-themed tales.
The content from the original volume 16 takes place during this festive season.
It starts with Shinozaki Ichiro inviting the protagonist to the Shinozaki Mansion under the pretense of celebrating the year-end and New Year’s together.
But in reality, Ichiro’s true motive is to set up the protagonist as his son-in-law, leading to a chaotic scenario when the oblivious protagonist brings all the heroines to the mansion—this would be the story of volume 16.
As the daily events unfold, it takes a wild turn in the last chapter when Messiah appears, trying to steal the Black Stone hidden in the Shinozaki family’s vault, flipping the mood 180 degrees.
That was how it was supposed to go…
However, Messiah is making no move, Ichiro didn’t send any invitations—and instead, Yuji invited me to his house.
[Partner, what are you thinking so hard about? Isn’t Yuji a friend of yours?]
The voice of the Black Prince echoes in my head.
[When a friend invites you, just accept it.]
The Black Prince advises me.
I have no intention of following his advice, but honestly, there’s no need to overthink this.
Whatever plot Messiah is cooking up is none of my business.
I’m not going to passively respond to his plans anymore.
Now, I will take the initiative and actively spring a trap on him.
It’s the refreshing feeling that comes from taking proactive actions instead of being reactive.
Isn’t that the essence of a web novel protagonist?
Regardless of what happens in the original volume 16, or what Messiah is up to behind the scenes, I will do my own thing.
If a real emergency arises within the League, Undertaker will contact me through Han Seo-Jin.
With the safety net of Undertaker, I can confidently go forward.
Thinking like that, I replied to the Black Prince.
‘I’ll accept it.’
Yuji is the original protagonist.
Even if the original story has become meaningless, his munchkin talents and colorless magic are still the real deal.
To face the final boss, I need him.
So it’s also important to build a friendship with Yuji.
Since there’s nothing to do during the year-end and New Year’s season, accepting the invitation isn’t a bad choice.
With that thought in mind, I touched my smartphone screen to send a message.
[I’m coming over to your place.]
[Really? Thanks for accepting the invitation, Kim! I’ll contact you with more details tomorrow.]
[Sure.]
Was it really necessary to thank me for this?
Wiping away a fleeting doubt, I ended the conversation with Yuji and found Beatrice’s number in my contacts to call her.
[Ugh… worthless human… What is it that you seek from me…?]
Beatrice’s voice echoed in my ear.
“Hey, Beatrice. We’re still on the cooperation deal, right?”
[For now, yes… but it is an honor for a worthless human like you to have made a connection with a saint of the Scarlet Flame.]
Beatrice continued with her emo lines.
If I let her go on, this would never end.
I cut her off mid-sentence.
“Then you need to do a job for me.”
[What kind of job?]
“…Just get me a Soul Gem from the Cult’s warehouse.”
Of course, the Soul Gem I’m talking about is Damian’s.
The Grand Elder keeps the Soul Gems labeled with the names of their original owners, so accessing the warehouse shouldn’t be too hard if we can get in.
It’s just that only the saint and the Grand Elder have free access to the warehouse, but since the saint is on my side, it’s not an issue.
Sure, sneaking the Soul Gem out would push the Cult’s internal conflict, which is part of the story in volume 17, sooner than planned, but I have a plan for that.
[If you take that, it won’t end as a simple incident… You may have to confront that man.]
Beatrice hesitated and spoke in an unusually serious tone.
Triggering the Cult’s internal conflict.
In a normal world, it could take long convincing and negotiations through marathon meetings, but this is a light novel world.
Such complex persuasion and negotiation aren’t needed here.
“Anyway, for you to gain freedom, you’ll have to fight and defeat the Grand Elder who’s trying to puppet you, right? Partnering with me is also to get you to confront the Grand Elder.”
[Hi, hiii! H-how did you know that?!]
Realizing I’d seen through her intentions, the saint dropped her mid-emo lines and became flustered.
Did she think I wouldn’t notice?
[I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to hide or deceive you… Please forgive me!]
I could hear her sniffling through the phone.
What’s going on with her?
I was trying to apply some pressure, but her overly submissive response is more surprising.
“You don’t need to apologize. I was planning to take on the Grand Elder anyway. So just this once, play along with your little scheme. I’ll confront the Grand Elder just as you planned.”
An S-rank powerhouse like the Grand Elder alongside the Messiah in the final arc?
Nothing could be worse.
The Messiah alone is terrifyingly strong, and if the Grand Elder joins in, there’s really no way out.
So before the final arc starts, I have to find a way to take down the Grand Elder, no matter what.
Damian’s Soul Gem is like a bait with a dual effect: drawing out the Grand Elder and persuading the Undertaker at the same time.
[Are you serious?! You’re really… going to confront that man?!]
I could hear Beatrice’s shocked voice from the phone.
“Yeah, I’m serious.”
[…Ugh… Uuuu…]
Hearing my words, Beatrice started crying through the phone.
Why is she suddenly like this?
I let out a sigh in my mind and spoke.
“Stop crying. Let’s talk. Now.”
[O-Okay… *sniff* I’m sorry… And thank you… ]
“Ohhh… and thank you so much…”
Beatrice replied, swallowing her tears in response to my words.
Looks like she’s ready to have a chat now.
I spoke into the phone, directing my words to Beatrice.
“For that, the first priority is for you to infiltrate the Cult and steal the Soul Gem I mentioned earlier. You can handle that, right?”
[Yes! Yes! I can definitely do that! Whose Soul Gem should I bring?]
Beatrice asked me enthusiastically.
“Damian Heisenberg. After stealing Damian’s Soul Gem, tell Evangelin to inform the British royal family for protection, and make sure to conceal the fact of the theft with their help. I’ll give you the next instructions after that.”
[Ah, got it! I’ll do as instructed! Mr. Kim Deok-Sung!]
“Right. Good luck.”
Click.
I hung up on the call with Beatrice.
The die has been cast.
After Beatrice steals the Soul Gem, she will lure out the Grand Priest soon.
But the Grand Priest is excessively cautious.
If he’s given a location that screams trap, he probably won’t come out.
Damian’s Soul Gem is something important to the Grand Priest, but it’s not as important as his own life.
In fact, in the original work, the Grand Priest acted like a shut-in, refusing to step outside his domain, the Cult, and ultimately the protagonist Yuji had to infiltrate the Cult directly to face the Grand Priest and save the saintess.
However, unlike Yuji, I have no intention of letting the Grand Priest fight on his home turf.
So, unlike the original work, in order to draw him out, I need to pick a stage where he would think it’s okay to be cautious.
And I already know where that optimal stage is where I can shine.
‘Korea.’
The country with the weakest hero power.
If the saintess who stole the Soul Gem is together with me and the other heroines in Korea, the Grand Priest would definitely come without hesitation.
If we secretly gather everyone in Korea, supported by the National Intelligence Service and the South Korean government, and set up a trap, we could take down the Grand Priest.
And I already have a reason to gather everyone in Korea.
‘I can just suggest a ski trip to my resort in Gangwon-do.’
Ski trip.
An event that’s practically mandatory during winter breaks in Japanese school-themed stories.
If I suggest everyone go on a ski trip together, nobody would miss out.
In the original volume 16.5, there’s an everyday event involving Christmas and ski trips where the protagonist and all the heroines go skiing in Hokkaido.
Moreover, since it’s my own resort in Gangwon-do, we can also avoid civilian casualties.
‘The timing to announce the ski trip to everyone will be… It would be good to do it when everyone gathers at Kanda Myojin for New Year’s prayers, just like in the original.’
New Year’s prayers.
In the original story, this event took place after the Messiah took the Black Stone, wrapping up the year-end and New Year’s season for the protagonists with the heroines.
It’s an event that hints at returning to daily life, but also suggests the approaching climax of breaking down the academy.
However, unlike in the original story, I will use this New Year’s prayer to gather everyone to fight the Grand Priest.
Because that’s what I’ve been rolling for this whole time.
Having neatly organized my plans, I called Han Seo-Jin.
Now that the outline is complete, it’s time to establish a practical plan through her.
Shuo Hero Academy Dormitory Lounge.
In the midnight lounge, empty and quiet, a pair of young people sat while heavy snow fell outside.
A handsome guy with striking black hair and black eyes, Kurosawa Yuji, was next to a beautiful girl with a two-tone hairstyle of black and red, tied in a side ponytail, Kurosawa Haru.
“Onii-chan? Did you get a reply from Deok-Sung Oniichan?”
Haru squinted her eyes.
“Not yet…”
Yuji scratched his head awkwardly at his sister’s question.
On Yuji’s phone screen was the New Year’s Eve invitation message he had sent to Kim Deok-Sung.
Yes, the reason Yuji suddenly invited Deok-Sung to his home was because of Haru’s orders.
“Remember, Onii-chan. No matter what, you have to invite Deok-Sung Oniichan to our house for New Year’s Eve. This New Year’s Eve is the perfect chance for me, the super cute gyaru little sister, Haru, to capture Deok-Sung Oniichan all by myself! Nisishishi.”
Haru laughed mischievously while covering her mouth.
The metal bracelets on her wrist jingled together.
On the surface, Haru was laughing, but inside she was a bit anxious.
Although she was holding her ground in the rivalry race, she had realized that Han Seo-Jin had decided not to ignore her feelings for Deok-Sung during this Christmas date.
‘Han Seo-Jin is a character that didn’t even exist in the original. I have no idea how to deal with her. So I must quickly create an event with Deok-Sung Oniichan to make some progress…’
The anxiety felt by Haru, as the previously non-existent character Han Seo-Jin emerged as a dark horse, was the real reason she had urged Yuji to invite Kim Deok-Sung to their home.
New Year’s Eve is a holiday meant to be spent with family.
Other heroines should be spending time with their families on that day too.
But Kim Deok-Sung, who has no family in this world, has no one to share the holiday with.
So, let’s invite him home and spend the holiday together.
Without interference from the other girls.
‘Nisishishishi… During New Year’s Eve, I’ll stick to Deok-Sung Oniichan… and totally do stuff together! Kyaaaaa!’
The plan was to seduce him during that time.
That was the content of Haru’s carefully crafted plan.
While Yuji looked at Haru, blushing and fidgeting, the sound of a vibration from his phone reached his ears.
“Uh?”
“What? Did you get a reply?”
Haru leaned closer to Yuji as they checked the phone screen together.
[I’ll go to your house]
The reply from Kim Deok-Sung lit up on the screen.
Seeing that, Haru’s face turned bright red.
Thump, thump.
Haru’s heart began to race wildly.
“Onii-chan! What are you doing! Deok-Sung Oniichan replied! If you saw it, hurry and reply back!”
Splat.
Haru slapped Yuji on the back.
“Okay, okay…”
Hearing Haru’s prompt, Yuji replied to Kim Deok-Sung.
[Really? Thanks for accepting the invitation. Kim! Then I’ll contact you with the details tomorrow.]
[Sure.]
The conversation ended with Kim Deok-Sung’s reply.
Haru’s fiery red eyes ignited while staring at Yuji’s phone screen.
Thump, thump.
Her heart continued to flutter.
“Nisishishishi…”
A laugh escaped from Haru’s lips.
The invitation was accepted.
Now all that’s left is to seduce Deok-Sung Oniichan.
‘Haru, this New Year’s, I will totally become Deok-Sung Oniichan’s favorite character!’
Haru thought to herself, clenching her fist tightly.
And so, the night of shared dreams deepened.
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