NOVEL NEXT Chapter 74
The Principal of Shuo Hero Academy.
The moment the White Empress, Yoshizaki Seira, descended on a parasol like Mary Xpins, I was alive.
Isn’t that something to be proud of? (Illustration Included)
Seira’s red eyes, wide open on her parasol, gaze down at the clones of Ritsuko filling the staircase.
[Y-You are… You are…]
Ritsuko’s voice trembles.
The clones of Ritsuko, filling the staircase, break into a cold sweat simultaneously.
White Empress, Yoshizaki Seira.
The Great Cataclysm of thirty years ago.
When the gate opened and the monsters from another world first appeared at Ground Zero in the Kanto region, thus beginning the age of disaster.
Ritsuko wasn’t foolish enough to not recognize the face of the great hero who saved humanity from the brink of extinction.
“Hoho? That dazed face of yours seems to recognize my splendid self.”
Seira’s lips curl upward.
But her blood-red eyes weren’t smiling at all.
[How are you… How on earth!!]
Ritsuko lets out a piercing scream.
Only the same kind of mind’s image can confront another.
With Seira’s mind, the World End White unfolding, Ritsuko could do nothing.
Just meaningless thrashing.
Even now, her body shrinks at the overwhelming sense of the whole world being hostile, her magic drained away.
[This can’t be happening. This can’t be!!]
Just when Ritsuko was about to make a desperate attempt.
Seira injects magic into the parasol she holds.
Brilliant white light fills the black parasol, releasing a dazzling flash.
Click, clack.
The moment the black parasol turns pure white, full-body gloves in the form of a white Himerori dress cover her gothic dress.
The parasol-shaped weapon, Amaterasu Oomikami.
The transcendental battle mode of the weapon named after the Japanese sun goddess unfolds.
The pure white Empress, dyed from head to toe in white, descends to the ground.
“I don’t know nor want to know the name of a dirty woman like you. It holds no value in my memory. However, you’ve made a grave mistake.”
Seira coldly declares.
Woooooo.
The Amaterasu Oomikami, infused with white magic, shudders.
A translucent woman with black hair, adorned in a dazzling halo, appears like a ghost behind her.
It’s Amaterasu, the spirit of Amaterasu Oomikami.
[Shall I handle it, Seira-sama?]
Amaterasu asks with a sweet voice.
Seira nods.
“She is a woman who dared to lay hands on my lovely students. Treat her appropriately.”
[I will obey your command.]
Amaterasu snaps her fingers.
Flash!
A world filled with white, the white flash descends from the sky.
“Gah!”
“Gwaaaah!!”
With every flash that strikes, a clone disappears rapidly.
Flash! Flash!
After countless flashes fall.
“Cough!”
Ritsuko, left alone in the white world.
She spits out a chunk of flesh.
Her clones forcibly released, damaging her true self in the process.
The clone was forcibly released, striking the original body in the process.
On top of that, in this hostile mental world, even moving was a struggle.
“Is it over now?”
Pinguru.
Seira twirled her parasol.
Amaterasu pointed her finger at Ritsuko.
“Heavenly Sun’s Flash Strike”
Bright light.
A white ray shot from Amaterasu’s finger and hit Ritsuko head-on.
“Kyaaaaaaaah!!”
Ritsuko let out a desperate scream.
The breakdown of her full-body gloves shattered, instantly deactivating her battle mode.
Degurururu.
Her signature weapon, the Imanotsurugi, tumbled onto the white floor.
“Guhhhh······.”
Ritsuko foamed at the mouth and fainted.
“Huuh.”
Seira lightly furrowed her brow.
She swallowed down the blood that had risen to her throat.
Pain surged in her chest.
A wound from the Magic Core inflicted by a traitorous disciple ten years ago throbbed.
White magic began to leak out.
‘That was close.’
Right now, Seira couldn’t use her full power unless she was in this mental world.
A half-baked EX Rank.
If her opponent were a complete EX Rank and not just S Rank, it would have been her defeat.
That was Seira’s situation.
Of course, she could return to her peak form, a complete EX Rank rather than a mere half, but only for about 15 minutes.
The cost would be overwhelmingly high.
‘Good thing I didn’t use my peak mode.’
But she couldn’t show weakness.
No matter what anyone said, Yoshizaki Seira was the only surviving member of the Five Crowns and the principal responsible for all the students of Shuo Hero Academy.
That was her sense of duty as a hero.
As Seira swallowed the blood, she clapped her hands.
Clack, clack.
The battle mode was deactivated, and Amaterasu’s figure vanished.
As the white parasol returned to black, the once-white world began to regain its original colors.
“Hmph, heh heh heh ♪”
Seira hummed a tune, spinning her parasol.
Her gift, telekinesis, imbued the parasol, lifting her into the air.
Seira, who had flown up, gently landed on Ritsuko’s waist.
Thud.
As she snapped her fingers, a teacup filled with black tea—avoiding the aftermath of the battle—flew into Seira’s hand.
Slurp.
She took a sip of the tea.
“After all, tea after a battle is the most special.”
Seira smiled.
Watching her, Rin, Olivia, Nishizawa, and Makoto’s eyes shook.
They witnessed the overwhelming presence of the principal right in front of them.
‘So cute.’
Seeing the reactions of the four women, Seira’s gaze turned towards Kim Deok-Sung.
Black hair, black eyes.
Seeing him resembles the man she loved made Seira’s hand tremble.
Memories of a nightmare from ten years ago resurfaced in her mind.
The mansion of the Kurosawa family burned down due to the monster’s attack, and the swordmaster Kurosawa Akira met his end that day.
Only his son Yuji was the sole survivor of that day.
Seira had been unable to rush to his aid.
Because of her disciple’s betrayal.
“······.”
Seira bit her lip.
She couldn’t even protect the man she loved.
That fact pierced her heart, making it unbearable.
That’s why.
As soon as she received the message from Han Seo-Jin that Kim Deok-Sung was in danger, she rushed to Tokyo Plaza.
And this time.
‘──I could protect him with my own strength.’
Kim Deok-Sung was not the man she loved.
She knew that in her mind.
But just the fact that she had saved a man who resembled him made Seira’s heart react.
The nightmare from that day began to fade just a little.
A slight feeling of ‘salvation’ washed over her.
‘It’s troublesome how my heart continues to waver…’
Thump.
Seira’s cheeks flushed pink.
Trying to hide her racing heart and reddened face, she forced a captivating smile.
She flashed an enchanting smile.
“I’m so glad my lovely disciples are safe.”
With that, Seira’s gaze was fixed on Kim Deok-Sung.
*
With the appearance of Yoshizaki Seira, Ritsuko’s struggles came to a futile end.
Rather than being sent to the Association’s prison, the subdued Ritsuko was forcibly injected with a next-generation nano-machine bomb developed by Saori, becoming Yoshizaki Seira’s secretary and slave.
On the surface, it was a justification to make Makoto feel firsthand what she had done.
But in reality, it was just Seira, who already disliked working, bringing Ritsuko on board as her dedicated work slave.
A twist not found in the original story.
“But it’s not so bad.”
In a gentle world, Ritsuko had no reason to betray, and after being overwhelmingly suppressed by Seira, she obediently followed the chairman’s orders.
The position of the Kamiya clan’s leader naturally fell to Makoto.
A mere student became the boss of the Japanese underworld overnight.
After the incident, Saori completely removed the nano-machine bomb from Makoto’s body, which was a bonus.
This was part of the original story.
“My lord, the position of the clan leader is less valuable than being your first blade.”
Makoto said this with a smile.
The fact that Makoto was a girl, not a boy, eventually became known throughout the academy.
Thanks to her shedding her disguise.
“I am Kamiya Makoto. Not Kamiya-kun, but Kamiya-san. I apologize for deceiving you. I hope you will still take care of me…”
She was quite anxious about this fact, but in a gentle world, no one raised any fuss about her gender.
“So it wasn’t Kamiya-kun, but Kamiya-san, huh?”
“Still kind of like a prince, right?”
“I heard she’s an assassin? That’s so cool! The boss of the underworld!”
“Totally awesome!”
“I want to call her ‘big sister Kamiya’!”
“I’m totally okay with that!”
On the second day of transferring from a male student to female student status, Makoto gained the new title of ‘Assassin Prince.’
What is this, ‘Assassin Prince’? It’s like a black beast or whatever nonsense. I can’t help but sigh at the terrible naming sense of this damn world.
And what I gained from this was:
[Kiddo. This incident with Makoto was definitely my mistake. (; ω ; )]
[I can’t believe I didn’t notice the assassin from the Kamiya clan was disguised as a boy… (╥﹏╥)(╥﹏╥)]
[So to apologize and congratulate you on your achievement this time, I’ve decided, with my authority, to grant you a single-person exclusive suite in the dormitory. ヽ(*´∀｀)八(´∀｀*)ノ]
[I hope you enjoy the suite. Hehe. ✿◕ ‿ ◕✿✿◕ ‿ ◕✿]
I had received a single-person exclusive suite, a privilege usually reserved for top students like Olivia, Rin, and Nishizawa.
The cramped double room life was over.
Happiness was about to begin.
Humming a tune, I scanned my student handbook against the door lock assigned to me.
Beep.
As soon as the heavy, luxurious doors swung open, a spacious room rivaling a hotel suite came into view.
A sunlit terrace, a plush queen-sized bed, and a high-quality wooden table.
The interior was so lavish it made me wonder if this was even the same dormitory.
“Welcome, Mr. Kim Deok-Sung.”
Han Seo-Jin, a beauty with ash-colored bobbed hair dressed in a black suit, bowed gracefully to me.
Wait a minute, Han Seo-Jin?
“What are you doing here?”
“I received permission from the chairman to stay by your side as an attendant.”
She saluted.
Her gray eyes were focused on me.
An attendant?
Is she like Olivia’s personal maid, Bella?
This was an unexpected situation that made me a bit flustered.
“If my presence is uncomfortable for you… I can leave right away.”
For the first time, her voice trembled.
Her usually calm gray eyes were shaking.
Her gray eyes shake.
She waves her hand.
“No, it’s fine. No need to go out.”
In this crazy world filled with light novel characters, I don’t really need to turn down the only competent person who’s almost sane.
Han Seo-Jin’s eyes tremble at my words.
Tsk.
She snaps back into a military salute.
“Thank you! Mr. Kim Deok-Sung! I will pledge my body and soul to loyalty!”
It’s not even a retro version of the salute to the flag.
I have no idea why she’s doing that.
My head hurts.
“Don’t overdo it. Just be reasonable.”
“Understood, Mr. Kim Deok-Sung.”
Leaving her to salute again, I head towards the terrace.
The same terrace that always shows Olivia’s room in the anime.
I sit down at the table there.
The view of the academy stretches below me. A refreshing breeze blows.
Yeah, this is it.
“Here, it’s cold cola, Mr. Kim Deok-Sung.”
Han Seo-Jin sets down a glass of cola with ice so cold it’s sweating.
I take a sip of the cola she placed down.
The fizzy carbonation rushes down my throat.
Yeah, this is the taste.
Cola is the best.
“And this is a comprehensive report summarizing the domestic reactions to the recent Tokyo Plaza incident involving you, Mr. Kim Deok-Sung.”
She places a tablet PC down.
I grab the tablet absentmindedly.
And there it is.
[“No Japanese hero can even come close to Mr. Kim Deok-Sung? The disgraceful envy of Japan towards K-hero Kim Deok-Sung’s actions at the Tokyo Plaza! The wounded pride of the so-called ‘Heroic Nation’! Meanwhile, K-hero Kim Deok-Sung has become a model for heroes! The world is learning lessons from Kim Deok-Sung! ‘Now it’s Japan’s turn to learn from Korea.'”]
[“The world is in uproar over K-hero Kim Deok-Sung’s actions at the Tokyo Plaza incident! The newly emerging heroic nation of Korea is now receiving requests for help from around the globe! ‘What kind of country is Korea that has produced talent like Kim Deok-Sung?’ A renowned American scholar is astonished by the culture that nurtured Kim Deok-Sung!”]
[“(Warning: Anger!) The absurd reactions of Japanese netizens who are infuriated by K-hero Kim Deok-Sung’s actions at the Tokyo Plaza! / Some Japanese people even praise Kim Deok-Sung!”]
[“The Tokyo Plaza incident was thwarted by cadet Kim Deok-Sung… The nation is in a frenzy over his endless achievements abroad…”]
[“President Kang: ‘I can’t help but admire cadet Kim Deok-Sung’s achievements. He is the hope of South Korea. The government will continue to provide full and ongoing support to cadet Kim Deok-Sung.'”]
[“(Today’s 5-Minute News) President Kang, during a statement at the Blue House, couldn’t hold back tears due to overwhelming emotions… ‘The long-standing sorrows of Korea are being resolved by the emergence of Kim Deok-Sung. As a citizen, not as a president, I genuinely respect him.'”]
[“(Exclusive) An interview with Kim Deok-Sung’s high school teacher. ‘Deok-Sung? Just looking at him, you could tell he was going to be someone. He had potential. I could see it! I’m not lying.'”]
[“K-pop idol Yoo Se-Ra’s shocking confession. ‘I am a huge fan of Kim Deok-Sung. He is my ideal type. If I were to get a boyfriend, it would be someone like Kim Deok-Sung. I want to meet him once and give him my album.'”]
A damn comprehensive gift set of national pride is laid out in front of me.
I feel dizzy.
Who’s this high school teacher again? From what I remember, all my teachers were just jerks!
My face is really burning.
I turn off the tablet screen.
Why is she suddenly showing me this? Is she trying to assassinate me?
I shift my gaze towards Han Seo-Jin.
“What do you think, Mr. Kim Deok-Sung? Aren’t you proud of your achievements? Honestly, it fills my heart with joy every time.”
Han Seo-Jin speaks with rare fervor.
Her gaze hits me like a cultist adoring their cult leader.