-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: The Assassination Plot
-----------------------------------------------------------------
After finishing my student council duties,
I started walking back to the dormitory.
As I headed towards the dorm, I spotted a familiar back in the distance.
Hair like a bristly broom.
It was Poara, a first-year, contractor of the Spirit Lord.
It seemed he was just leaving school.
"Poara."
When I called out to him, Poara turned his head towards me.
Then, with a bright face, Poara bowed to me.
A polite junior is always welcome.
"Senior Hanun, hello!"
"Yes, are you on your way to the dorm?"
"Ah, I'm on my way to the Great Forest of Spirits."
Going to the Great Forest of Spirits even after school?
He's truly dedicated to spirits.
"You're diligent."
"Ahaha, actually, I'm not going to study. I heard something strange from the Spirit Lord."
The Spirit Lord said something strange?
My interest was piqued.
"Is it something you can tell me about?"
"Ah, yes, in fact, I wanted to ask for your advice, Senior."
"What is it?"
"It's about the Mystery that once covered the Great Forest of Spirits."
The Empress of Steel.
It was a Mystery that granted me Steel Skin, my most important ability.
"Why that?"
"The Spirit Lord said they felt the presence of a Mystery again."
My eyebrows furrowed slightly.
Mysteries are beings that contain many dangers.
Wicked entities that failed to become gods for some reason.
Therefore, the re-emergence of a Mystery's presence meant that something dangerous could happen.
"But this is a bit strange."
"Tell me in detail."
"Ah, yes, I can definitely feel the aura of a Mystery, but it's faint, as if it's veiled by something."
"Faint?"
Mysteries are closer to the form of failed gods running rampant.
Beings that can't control their power and unleash it everywhere.
That is a Mystery.
For such a Mystery to be felt faintly was a contradiction in itself.
"Yes, I don't know the exact details either, but the Spirit Lord said so."
Poara also knows about Mysteries.
It wasn't strange for him to feel that something was amiss.
"So you asked for my advice because I've defeated a Mystery before."
"Yes, Senior, you wield the power of a Mystery, don't you?"
Poara, who had contracted with the Spirit Lord.
He must have heard everything I did in the Great Forest of Spirits through the Spirit Lord.
I didn't deny it and nodded.
"Fighting bare-handed in the previous battle was also thanks to that."
"I thought you might know a bit more, Senior, so I wanted to ask for your opinion. The Spirit Lord is uneasy."
The Spirit Lord had once had the forest taken over by the Empress of Steel.
It was understandable for them to feel uneasy upon sensing the presence of a Mystery.
"Alright. I'll look into that myself, personally."
"Wow, thank you! That's just like you, Senior!"
Poara's eyes sparkled as he genuinely thanked me.
Was it because I'd only shown him my impressive side?
It seemed I had become a highly trusted senior to him.
"Then I'll be going now."
"Alright, good luck."
After seeing Poara off, I fell into thought for a moment.
A Mystery that suddenly appeared.
Was there any event related to Mysteries supposed to happen around this time?
'Not in my memory, at least.'
If so, what overlaps with the timing of this Mystery's appearance?
Just one thing.
Jerion Academy has undergone an unprecedented change.
'Nia Cynthia.'
My eyes shone with a chilling light.
At the same time, I recalled Iris telling me about Nia's assassination.
Why would Iris tell me about Nia's assassination?
'Iris knew I had dealt with the Empress of Steel.'
One of the student council members was Iris's confidant.
So, out of consideration for me, he must have tipped Iris off about the Empress of Steel incident, which had been kept hidden within the student council.
In other words, Iris knew I was connected to Mysteries.
A conclusion formed in my mind.
'However it was done, Nia's assassination is connected to a Mystery.'
Mysteries are unpredictable beings.
If it's a Mystery, Nia's assassination is possible.
And as an accidental death, without any messy repercussions.
My face hardened.
'Damn it.'
I immediately chased after Poara.
Before long, I found Poara, who was heading towards the Great Forest.
"Poara, I've learned something about the Mystery, so could I possibly meet with the Spirit Lord?"
I didn't know what kind of Mystery was involved in Nia's assassination.
As such, there was a need to gather more information.
Fortunately, Poara readily agreed to my request.
The Great Forest of Spirits.
As we entered, Poara began his preparations.
Soon, in response to his Spirit Empathy, a hazy form began to appear above the forest.
What appeared was a colossal jade-colored bird.
With the bird's appearance, the wind swirled as if dancing.
It felt as if the blessing of wind enveloped the place.
But within the wind.
Just seeing it made the instincts etched into my body involuntarily recoil.
My hands and fingertips trembled.
Goosebumps rose all over my Steel Skin, which was imprinted on my body.
I tried hard to suppress it.
I realized anew just how great the Spirit Lord's majesty was.
[ It has been a long time, child. I thank you for helping our forest back then. ]
It was a belated thank you.
[ As you lacked Spirit Empathy, I could not reveal myself to you then. For you could not see me at that time. ]
So that's why not a single spirit was visible that day.
It seemed I couldn't see spirits themselves because my Spirit Empathy was despairingly low to begin with.
'Even so, did it linger near me for a while after being defeated?'
My memory of that time was also hazy, so I wasn't sure.
In any case, thanks to that, the Spirit Lord was fortunately very kind to me.
Although I couldn't even converse without Poara's help due to my lack of Spirit Empathy,
The Spirit Lord was well aware that I had saved the Great Forest of Spirits.
Thanks to this, I was able to ask the Spirit Lord a few questions without difficulty.
[ The Mystery is felt within Jerion Academy itself, child. ]
The Spirit Lord said the Mystery was already inside Jerion Academy.
But as mentioned before, a Mystery is an uncontrolled surge of power.
If it had entered Jerion Academy, anyone would have noticed it by now.
"Does that mean it might be in a form similar to mine?"
I hold the Mystery in the form of Steel Skin.
Although the Empress of Steel's consciousness had vanished,
The power of the Mystery she possessed was clearly residing within me.
[ Indeed. Now that I observe, there is a similarity. ]
The Spirit Lord agreed with my question.
As expected, rather than the Mystery itself entering, something was holding the power of a Mystery.
'Is the assassin who will kill Nia holding a Mystery?'
However, according to student council information, no new individuals had entered.
Given the risk of Nia being assassinated,
I had meticulously examined the student council's records during that time.
But the records showed that Nia was the only new person to enter the academy this year.
'If it were an existing individual capable of assassinating Nia...'
Frankly, there was none.
I had played the Flame Butterfly arc countless times.
I knew all the main characters' personalities, characteristics, and pasts inside out.
'Of course, it could be an extra I don't know at all, but...'
Nia was an active-duty magic knight.
Even if someone possessed a Mystery, being assassinated by an extra-level character was hard to accept.
'Then.'
My head lifted.
"Spirit Lord, forgive my persistence, but I have one last question. When did you first begin to feel the Mystery's presence?"
[ It was a week ago, child. ]
A week ago.
It coincided with the time Nia arrived at Jerion Academy.
"Thank you."
As soon as I realized this, I turned around, left the Great Forest of Spirits, and began to run.
Just as Steel Skin was imprinted on my body,
Objects imbued with the power of a Mystery also exist in this world.
It was just a guess, but
There was a high probability that Nia herself possessed an item related to this.
And one particular item came to mind that fit that description.
'That staff.'
The staff Nia said she had recently acquired through an acquaintance.
It was a staff so meticulously crafted that even Nikita reacted to it.
Was it a coincidence that she obtained a new staff at this very time?
Nia's original staff was broken.
Coincidentally, the staff artisan was injured in an accident.
An acquaintance recommended a new artisan.
An ominous aura filled the air.
Nia's assassination was inevitable.
If so, there must have been something at work to create that inevitability.
A result born from stacking coincidence upon coincidence, so that even Nia wouldn't notice.
The moment I realized this, my legs moved faster and faster.
Before I knew it, the Magus Studies building of Jerion Academy came into view.
I didn't know when Nia's assassination would occur.
Furthermore, even if I prevented the assassination this time, there was no guarantee she wouldn't die.
And considering the original history's storyline, it was correct to let her assassination happen.
Nevertheless, my legs didn't stop.
Someone was going to die.
Knowing this, I couldn't just stand by and watch.
'I said I'd do anything for the original history, and yet...'
Now that the situation was upon me, my body moved on its own.
I was a foolish idiot.
I needed to be ruthless for the ending, but I couldn't.
If the story didn't proceed according to the original history, the world would most likely be destroyed.
And I would die too.
If I didn't want to die, I had to somehow get the scenario back on the track of the original history.
However.
There was someone who would grieve Nia's death more than anyone else.
During my playthroughs of the Flame Butterfly arc.
Nia's assassination, which I could never prevent no matter what I did.
And the subsequent blackening route for Nikita.
For the next act, and the one after that, the preceding events were absolutely necessary.
Nikita would be killed as the boss of Act 3.
From the moment Nia's assassination was confirmed, Nikita's blackening was an unavoidable route.
My fists clenched tightly.
I was someone who had played the Flame Butterfly arc countless times.
I was definitely an old hand among old hands.
'At this point, with even Lucas dead.'
The direction of the original history had diverged early on, and I was merely force-soldering it back to the proper path.
Yet, I was struggling like this, trying to avoid the bad ending where the world is destroyed.
I was doing this to see a happy ending for the Flame Butterfly arc, even without the protagonist.
'If Nia isn't assassinated, will I be unable to guide this world to the original history?'
No.
I can do it.
I, of all people, can definitely do it.
Because I've seen countless endings of the Flame Butterfly arc, I can do it.
I've already patched things up countless times, and I'll keep patching.
If something's lacking, I'll just patch it again.
'Since I've already aimed for a happy ending.'
My eyes blazed fiercely, filled with resolve.
'In the Flame Butterfly arc, there should be at least one...'
...happy ending where all characters conclude with smiles on their faces, right?
I changed my goal today.
If I'm going to reach the ending without the protagonist, then
I might as well create the most ideal happy ending.
Strength surged back into my legs.
As my resolve solidified, my legs moved even faster.
I sprinted up the stairs of the Magus Studies building and soon arrived at the Magus Studies faculty office.
The moment I hastily tried to find Nia.
*Slide-*
An familiar face emerged from the opened door.
With hair like a captured galaxy, she tilted her head when she saw me.
"Hanun, why are you running so much?"
The one who asked, with a languid expression, was Sharin Sazalis.
She was the second-year top student in Magus Studies.
"Hoo, huff, Sharin."
Gasping for breath with my hands on my knees from running so hard, I looked up at her.
I was too out of breath to speak properly.
"It's troubling when you look at me with such fiery eyes, you know~"
"Hmph, cut the nonsense. Is Associate Professor Nia inside?"
Sharin shook her head.
"No, she left."
Damn it, did we miss each other?
Having caught my breath, I straightened up.
"By any chance, do you know where she went?"
"She probably went to the Magic Palace? She said she finished preparing for the magic exam."
The moment I heard that, I immediately turned around.
Nia's assassination was already underway.
Of all the luck, the timing couldn't have been worse.
Just then, I felt a sensation of floating.
As I flailed my legs in the air, Sharin flew after me.
"I don't know what it is, but it's urgent, right~?"
It was beyond urgent.
A person's life was at stake.
"I'll help you."
With those words, Sharin immediately changed direction.
The direction she turned towards was the window.
*Whoosh!*
The window flew open due to Sharin's wind magic.
Then, holding me, Sharin soared straight out the window.
The scenery below began to rush past in an instant.
It was a speed incomparable to my running.
I realized anew how incredibly useful magic was.
"To the Magic Palace, right?"
"That's right. Thanks for your help."
"Next time, I'll ask for curry bread."
Was she helping me just so I'd buy her bread?
"When this is over, I'll buy you cream bread and red bean paste buns too."
"Whoa, I guess I'll have to try even harder~"
Sharin increased her speed, her face looking excited.
Then, the Magic Palace, which had been at the distant edge of the horizon, rapidly drew closer.
The colossal gates of the Magic Palace, gaping as if to swallow the sky.
Seeing that, I prayed I wouldn't be too late.