Conquering the Broken Heroine?

Afternoon.
Lunchtime after the new student orientation ended.
The school cafeteria was bustling with excitement as everyone got to know each other and made new friends.

“Sigh…”

However, in complete contrast, there was one girl who received tremendous attention but couldn’t make friends with anyone.
A black-haired academy female student had her head buried on the desk dejectedly.

“I’m ruined…”

Han Seoyeon couldn’t lift her head due to shame.

That’s right.
She was ruined.
And utterly so.

“I’m ruined. I’m telling you I’m ruined…”

The first impression in high school is on a different level compared to middle or elementary school.
Especially in a place like the academy that recruits students selectively, it’s even more so.
This academy was based on pure meritocracy after all.

“Now I can’t get married…”

But she blew her first impression.
Bye-bye, my beautiful academy debut.

“It couldn’t be helped, unni. You just had a bad opponent.”

A kind word came from across.
Lifting her head slightly, a beautiful girl could be seen.

Not with black hair.
But with golden hair and bright red eyes as an aftereffect of awakening her ability.

“…I’m not happy to hear such consolation from a sister who’s become a blonde delinquent.”
“I may be blonde, but I didn’t tan and I’m not a delinquent.”

The name of the blonde delinquent was Han Suho.
Unlike in [The Falling Star Swordsman of the Academy], she was Han Seoyeon’s twin sister who had awakened her ability.

“You used to have some cute aspects in the past.”

Generally, awakeners who open their eyes to abilities have their hair and eye color change.
This happens around the age of 7.
The more powerful the ability an awakener opens their eyes to, the more dramatic the change.

What’s there to hide?
Han Suho, who escaped from being a broken story protagonist, is a once-in-a-generation talent who awakened an S-class ability.

Once again, Han Seoyeon thought that the author of [The Falling Star Swordsman of the Academy] was vicious.

Because when a reader asked, ‘What would have happened if the protagonist had awakened a proper ability?’, the answer was ‘At least S-class’.

However, if that were the case, they said she wouldn’t be able to defeat the final boss that appears in the latter half.

Saying the world can’t be saved without the protagonist’s sacrifice and suffering.
Is this for real?

“What are you eating?”
“Salt, bean sprouts, and water.”
“…Was there such a menu?”
“It’s my homemade dish.”
“…”

Even though she might have gone from a broken story protagonist to a blonde delinquent, a sister is still a sister.
Han Suho was giving a look of disdain to her heaven-like older sister.

Han Seoyeon was proud even under such a gaze.
What could she do when she had no money?

She had made enough effort to earn money.
After being abandoned in the slums, until entering the academy.

To raise her level as much as possible before the main story began, she hunted monsters indiscriminately.
Focusing on monsters from gates that higher-ups had neglected in the slums.
The countless magic stones obtained from killing monsters were a bonus.

However, the problem was that even though she collected so many magic stones, there was nowhere proper to exchange them.
She could barely maintain her livelihood with prices beaten down.

On the surface, an E-class ability user.
Not even of legal age.
There was no environment to earn proper money.

Moreover, the female protagonist of another web novel she read in her previous life managed to get by just fine with bean sprouts.
She felt like giving a fire punch to the rich who don’t understand the hearts of the common people.

“Should I buy you something?”
“No.”

Han Seoyeon firmly refused.

“My pride won’t allow me to mooch off my younger sister.”
“…Ah, I see.”

Although it seemed like they were talking naturally at a glance, Han Seoyeon found this situation somewhat burdensome.
It wasn’t particularly because of the relationship between an abandoned child and one who wasn’t.

By coincidence, Han Suho was someone she had been meeting even when she was stuck in the slums.
It’s just that back then, it wasn’t such a noticeable situation.

Think about it.
To others, they’re just strangers who happen to share the same surname.
Long since removed from the family register.

Han Suho is a promising hunter who awakened an S-class ability.
In contrast, Han Seoyeon’s ability is E-class on the surface.
To others, it might look like a woman with no ability and full of bluster trying to flatter for power.

Han Seoyeon certainly had no such intention.
She just wants to change #broken and #regret to #overpowered.
If #yuri could be added to that, it would be even better.

She felt gazes.
Countless gazes.

“That aside.”

Apart from the numerous gazes, she had no intention of avoiding her sister.
Han Seoyeon was proud after all.
She was going to be busy saving the world.

“You said the opponent wasn’t good, do you know anything about that senior?”

Above all, she needed to check the variable.

“She’s famous in many ways. Senior Wittelsbach.”

No.
That couldn’t be.

“…Is that all?”

She had never heard such a name in the original work.

“She’s an S-class awakener of the elemental system. And from Europe at that.”

That explanation was completely different from what Han Seoyeon knew.
There was no mention of a European S-class awakener appearing in [The Falling Star Swordsman of the Academy].

Of course, she did exit the story in an unimaginable development right before the conclusion─.
But there’s no way such a character would suddenly appear right before the epilogue.

The status she confirmed with the status window was also different from what her sister said.
An ability of the trait system, not the elemental system.
Moreover, it was an Ex-class ability.
The fact that the word ‘sword’ was included in the ability name itself was also concerning.

In [The Falling Star Swordsman of the Academy], there should only be one Ex-class ability, belonging to the protagonist.
There should also be only one case where ‘sword’ is directly included in the ability name.

“Hmm.”

Suspicious.
It was too suspicious.
There were several possibilities.

Among them, the possibility that felt most like an academy story was─.

“Maybe a reincarnator?”
“Huh, what did you say?”
“Nothing. It’s nothing.”

von Wittelsbach.
It seemed she needed to keep an eye on her for a while.

Michaela Ernst von Wittelsbach.
There were several nicknames describing her.

The hope of Europe.
The world’s greatest promising hunter.
The successor of heroes.
Living proof that the Caucasian race is not inferior.
And so on.

However, if there was a secret about her that no one knew, it was none other than the fact that this was her second life.

A world of swords and magic, not science.
A world where heroes and demon lords opposed each other.

She died in such a world and was reborn.
Along with her sword that had been with her all her life.

Everything was different from the world she knew.
She had no sense of purpose.
Because she had lived a life with lingering feelings but no regrets.

She remained calm even when thrown into a new world.
Perhaps she could be nonchalant because it was a completely different world.

She lived an extremely ordinary life.
She lived an extremely ordinary life for others.

She wasn’t particularly smart, but at least no one could say that living to help others wasn’t right.

Before she knew it, she was being hailed as a hero.
She gained several grandiose and exaggerated nicknames.
She strived even harder in response to the excessive praise.

She killed many monsters and saved people.
Recognized for those achievements, she entered the Korean hunter academy as the first European.

Her first school life in her second life.
Her relationships with schoolmates were somewhat awkward.

Unlike in her previous life, the world had distinctions between races, not species.
Her race was different from that of the other students.
That alone created a distance.

She herself was also far from having an overflowing social personality.
Creating proper peer relationships was impossible even after becoming a second-year student.

Except for official matters, she had never exchanged a single word with other students.
Let alone exchanging words, she had been living a school life where she hadn’t even properly made eye contact.

[An interesting gaze.]

But at this moment today.
Michaela felt a gaze.
A very intense one at that.

[That girl?]

The sword rang.
More precisely, the will residing in the sword spoke.

[The child who sparred with you this morning,]

Wasn’t it Han Seoyeon or something?
Black hair rare in this country, with reddish eyes.

[Eyes that show determination.]

The girl’s gaze was not ordinary.

[Did she develop a grudge from losing the match?]

The girl from this morning was utterly defeated.
Without even swinging her sword.
Despite her confident attitude, when it came to the actual fight, she was inexplicably dazed.

[What will you do?]

Well.
For now, she planned to leave her be.
It’s not like there was any immediate harm.

There was a good chance it was just her own misunderstanding.
If anything, it might be an excess of self-consciousness.

[What a soft personality.]

It was an insignificant sneer.
She was used to such kinds of gazes even in her previous life.

Time passed.
Eventually, it was time to go home after all classes had ended.

[She’s still staring intently…?]
‘…’

She didn’t expect to be the object of such obsession.

“…You there.”

Michaela was an extremely intuitive person.
She didn’t know how to beat around the bush.

“If you have business, come out and speak. Don’t hide.”

Caught.

“You’re the new student from this morning.”
“Yes. I’m Han Seoyeon, senior.”

It was supposed to be level 70 stalking, but she was seen through far too easily.

Is this what it means to be a rare max level even in the original work?
That point further confirmed Han Seoyeon’s suspicions.

“Why have you been following me continuously?”
“Isn’t that too much of an overinflation of self-consciousness? I was just passing by coincidentally and thought I’d say hello to my heaven-like senior.”
“Don’t play dumb.”

She truly had a resolute personality.

“State your purpose.”
“Senior. In the democratic republic of Korea, there’s something called the right to remain silent. No matter how heaven-like a senior you are, shouldn’t you refrain from forcing an answer?”

Hmm.
Even to her own ears, it sounded like novel nonsense.

“So you have no intention of opening your mouth willingly.”

Michaela’s aura became sharper.
What could she do?
It’s not like Han Seoyeon stalked her because she wanted to.

“How about we make a bet?”
“A bet, you say.”

At times like this, in true academy story fashion.
In a way befitting an academy story.

“Let’s have a real sword fight.”

Indeed, in academy stories, it’s standard for students to resolve issues through duels.

“If I win, please grant one of my requests. If you win, I’ll grant any request you want. Anything goes.”

It was quite eloquent for words coming from a stalker.

“─I see.”

Han Seoyeon had confidence.

“Very well.”

If the woman before her was a reincarnator who had been reborn into a web novel like herself, she would gladly accept this ridiculous duel development.

Because that’s what an academy story is.
Nod.

“Follow me.”

Michaela led Han Seoyeon as she walked.
Eventually, they arrived at a secluded space with no people.

“It’s a private training ground. There should be no other interruptions here.”

She had no intention of hiding her strength, but this wasn’t bad.

“I’ll give you the first move.”

They both drew their swords.
One had a Japanese sword (※not actually a Japanese sword).
The other had a Western-style longsword.

“Come.”

Since she said it like that, there was no need to hold back.