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138th Episode. Say You Want to Live!

At the southern edge of Aligieri Town, there exists a vast lake.

That lake, known as ‘Bezire,’ lies just in front of a hill that serves as the village’s boundary.

Water flows into the lake from a valley split between the sloping terrain.

The beautifully scenic Bezire Lake is also one of the landmarks of Aligieri.

It is said that various emotions bloom alongside the flowers there.

Pink flowers represent joy, blue flowers symbolize sorrow, and green flowers denote pain. Other flowers also embody different emotions.

Today, many people gathered to admire the flowers blooming in the sky.

They formed lines around the shoreline, setting up their spots along the river that flows from the lake.

Moreover, some people went out of their way to find distant high spots just to catch a glimpse of that lake.

Gathered to enjoy the fireworks launched from the lake were various individuals.

The young lady of Delaware Upper House, recently discharged from the hospital, and the son of a border commander.

The quirky head of the Newspaper Department and the consistently glowing head of the Art Department.

A robust professor from the Combat Department and an oddly particular professor from the Infirmary.

And even the chief student from the Alchemy Department, who showed interest only in mechanical work.

Sometimes together, sometimes alone.

Everyone was gazing up at the night sky.

*

“Only trash, as expected.”

Nebia also settled down alone to watch the fireworks.

Thirty minutes before the fireworks were launched.

She saw people gathered beneath the hill where she sat.

Soon, splendid flowers will be embroidered across the serene night sky. These were individuals drawn together to behold that beautiful scene.

Yet, to Nebia’s eyes, they still did not look human.

“I thought they’d look a bit different by now.”

People’s perspectives do not easily change.

She didn’t feel the need to ponder how she came to possess such a view.

Her disdain for others remained unchanged.

Even after undergoing various experiences while being infected by the Blood Parasite, it was still the same.

Realizing this fact, Nebia found herself at a loss about what to do moving forward.

At that moment, she reacted to the sound of footsteps approaching her.

“Hey, are you here, sister?”

Though addressed as such, her companion was indeed a man.

Radon Crawler shot back at Nebia, who called out to him.

“I’d prefer if you didn’t call me that.”

“But you were incredibly beautiful back then. I wanted to make you my sister.”

“Then shall I continue to call you sister?”

“That wouldn’t be bad.”

“….”

Radon narrowed his brow.

At that moment, despite the humiliation of being dressed as a woman, he could hardly feel good about being called beautiful.

“I’ll stop with the jokes.”

“Good decision.”

Radon felt satisfaction return to Nebia’s speech, which finally resembled that of a saint.

Then, Nebia noticed something odd about Radon’s face.

“But what’s that black mark on your face?”

“Oh, this?”

A large bruise stained Radon’s left eye, resembling a panda. It appeared he had been hit by someone considerably large.

He briefly explained about the bruise.

“I got hit by a gorilla on my way here.”

[Decline in Erosion Rate: -4%]

[+400 Credits]

“A gorilla… you say?”

“Yes, it seems there were many pet owners around because of the holiday.”

It’s common to see people with dogs or cats, but never a gorilla.

To anyone else, it would only appear as a lie. In fact, Radon’s heart rate spiked when he spoke those words.

“Lies won’t work on me. Speak the truth.”

“….”

Radon was internally startled and clicked his tongue.

Nebia Chromag had excellent hearing from birth, allowing her to sense others’ heartbeats.

Though she couldn’t read thoughts, she could accurately discern the emotional waves rippling within someone.

Before a scammer like him, she was certainly a bothersome being.

– What if it were pure 100% like in the main story…?

“If you find out who it is, are you planning to take action and punish them yourself?”

“Wouldn’t it be a basic courtesy to make such an effort to draw a senior under my wing?”

Was he truly intending to take revenge if she disclosed the identity of the person who hit him?

Radon deliberately chose not to disclose it due to the potential of it being a genuine possibility.

“I’m really fine. After all, I got hit because of my own fault.”

“Hmm….”

Nebia concentrated her hearing on Radon’s chest.

After confirming his inner feelings, she soon felt reassured and spoke.

“I hear that might actually be true… ugh!”

Suddenly, Nebia experienced a headache. Radon could roughly guess the cause.

No matter how good her hearing was, there were limits. Forcing her hearing to reach another’s thoughts would burden her.

Thus, the frequency of usage was limited. Especially in chaotic surroundings, the risk increased significantly.

“Are you alright?”

“You don’t need to worry. After all, I…”

Faltering, Nebia hesitated in what she was about to say.

Though she had been smiling and enjoying herself throughout the holiday, her expression turned bitter again.

She recalled the time they shared a meal, and she inadvertently spilled food, requiring him to clean her clothes.

Nebia had seemed joyful then, yet something felt off about her.

“May I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

Nebia pulled out the handkerchief from her pocket as she spoke.

“If I were to die, what kind of expression would you have?”

“Haha… such thoughts coming from someone who’s a saint?”

“If that were to happen.”

With earnest eyes, Nebia asked.

Caught off guard by her sudden serious demeanor, Radon was momentarily surprised.

In such a manner, he couldn’t respond hastily.

“I’d probably be quite saddened.”

“Really?”

Startled, Nebia leaned in closer, her face almost touching his.

It almost unveiled the face of someone obsessing over something.

The longer he looked, the more he sensed a hint of madness.

“Of course, anyone would be saddened if someone like you, a saint, were to pass away.”

Certainly, from my personal standpoint, it would be true sadness.

If she were to leave this world, losing the clue to lift the curse would indeed bring deep sorrow.

Yet it would be impossible to express that to her.

Fundamentally, my silence restricts my words.

“Is there no other reason?”

“….”

In terms of another reason, there was nothing beyond mere regret.

Suddenly reflecting her passionate feelings toward him, she felt like a ticking time bomb, unpredictable in her reactions.

“You don’t have to say if it was intrusive. I must have been too greedy.”

“No, it’s something anyone could ponder.”

Nebia calmed her fervent heart, regaining her composure.

Then she continued speaking.

“Originally, it’s a feeling a saint shouldn’t possess, but I don’t see people as people.”

“Then what do you see them as?”

An astounding response tumbled from her lips.

“Trash.”

“….”

It wasn’t an unexpected answer, yet being acknowledged from her own mouth was quite astonishing.

If an uninformed bystander heard that, they would undoubtedly be greatly shocked to learn that a saint regarded others as trash.

Especially if a cleric were to overhear it, they would likely faint on the spot.

“Isn’t it surprising? A talentless individual sitting in a glorious position. This is the current state of the saint of this generation.”

Moreover, she had not even made an effort to sit in that seat.

Just a girl who had won the lottery in life, bearing terrible wounds and darkness.

If others discovered this truth, they would collectively shout:

– God is dead.

“Someone with such a nature as mine would certainly fail to pull in allies effectively.”

Even the superior clerics beneath her were merely contractual relationships.

Once they became useless, they were discarded. Many clerics had been dismissed and punished due to such whims.

“Then how do you see me, saint?”

By her words, it should be normal for me to appear as trash in her eyes.

However, Nebia paused for a moment before softening her expression further.

“If I say it, you might be shocked, are you sure you want to know?”

Nodding, I expressed that I was okay.

After confirming my intent, Nebia forced a smile and began to speak.

“As I mentioned before, I look down upon all humans. But naturally, there are exceptions.”

I immediately recognized that the exception was standing right in front of her.

After all, using her special sight, she had peered at my feelings numerous times before.

“Of course, that exception hasn’t been frequent. I’ve only seen one in my lifetime.”

“….”

“Everything else is the same kind of trash, but it’s only natural that I would take an interest in the one who stands out.”

But she hadn’t always been kind from the start.

She merely found that irregular to be pleasing. At first, she had categorized them in the same way as the trash.

Yet, as expected, that irregularity resisted being categorized under her, which piqued her interest even more.

“Because of that interest, I fell apart and ended up in a rough situation.”

“A rough situation?”

“That’s what it was.”

This referred to the ordeal of being injected with the Blood Parasite.

The root cause was essentially that irregularity, yet Nebia still held interest in that being.

“Because of that incident, I reached my mental limits. I wanted to feel even a bit of relief, but pain was all that came my way.”

Every time she tried to remove the Blood Parasite, she was subjected to torture.

Even trying to provoke Angela into battle to eliminate it proved useless.

When she thought everything was futile, feeling despaired by the lake—

“But then, that guy approached and said.”

– I will help you.

It was none other than his words.

It felt as if she had stumbled upon an oasis just before dying of thirst in the desert.

Yes, there was no one else. He was the only one who could quench her remaining hunger.

“The moment I heard that, my rationality flew away. And I realized, the only medicine to heal me pushed to extremes… was that guy!”

“….”

Nebia’s eyes shone brightly.

Bang!—

Then fireworks burst in the sky.

The two events coinciding shocked her thoroughly.

The sound of the explosive broke the air, and Nebia recoiled from the energy enveloping her.

“Then, could it be…?”

『Congratulations, you fool. Look at that woman’s gaze.』

The focus had disappeared from her eyes.

Typically, such individuals are often in a state of near insanity, making them ones to avoid.

Yet her body wouldn’t move.

It wasn’t that she restrained him with some weird Sacred Magic. Muto hadn’t immobilized his body as a joke either.

It was simply instinct; his legs trembled and refused to budge.

“Yes, that person will likely know who he is… Radon-senpai.”

“(gulp)”

Gradually turning her head, she drew ever closer to him.

Crawling slowly, raising her face like a fox.

Even without using her special sight, he could sense it. It was ‘obsession.’

In that moment, he swallowed dryly.

“Senpai is different from other trash. Even when I was going through a tough time, I always thought about you, thus I endured… That’s proof you are special to me.”

“Um… can you calm down…?”

“Calm? Do I look calm right now?”

Finally, Nebia seized Radon by the shoulders and lunged at him.

He wanted to shout to let go since it was extremely inappropriate at the moment, yet having glimpsed her face left him speechless.

“Hahaha… Do you see it? What happens when someone pours their affection… for the very first time on just one person.”

She was smiling.

Not in the playful, devilish way but with a fixed, drained smile filled with powerlessness.

Simultaneously, the fireworks erupted, casting a red glow.

Nebia’s frenzied smile became stained crimson.

“If only you were here, I could find joy in life. If only you were here, I could forget all those bad memories.”

His mind raced, struggling to respond to her mad ramblings.

There was no longer any communicating. Just as he thought that—

Drop—

Something fell onto his face.

It wasn’t rain. After all, the fireworks were a planned event in accordance with the weather.

“If only you had been here… I could have seen people as people.”

Pop pop—

Various flowers dotted the sky.

Red flowers representing madness, blue flowers symbolizing sorrow, green flowers denoting pain.

And yellow flowers representing fear.

“I don’t want to die.”

With the yellow flower being the final burst, the fireworks temporarily ceased.

Nebia’s hand gripping his shoulder trembled with complex emotions.

Only after all the lights dimmed… did he realize it was tears.

“So say you want to live.”

Surviving as an Academy Scammer.

 

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