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142nd Chapter. Calm Before the Storm (3)

Nebia, who came out of the waiting room, walked along the path connected to the playground.

Usually, it would only take a minute to walk this path to the podium. But for Nebia, that time felt like an hour instead of a minute.

She was still tense. If by any chance she didn’t get elected, she would be in serious trouble.

To survive, she mustn’t shy away from cunning schemes.

That’s how she had managed to survive until now.

A survival instinct so strong that she’s willing to devour others. For the arrogant Nebia, it was only natural to feel that way.

‘Yes, for now, let’s just live. Survive and find a way out.’

After walking that path, neither too short nor long, Nebia finally arrived in front of the podium.

The podium, with only a lectern on it, looked strangely odd.

Once she got up there, it felt as if they were tempting her, saying the seat of president would be an easy meal.

Determined, Nebia stood in front of the lectern.

Immediately, the entire student body, bustling with noise, came into her view. Various sounds came from her well-developed ears.

Among them, the most distinct were responses directed at her. Surprisingly, there wasn’t much negative feedback.

Even after the Cookie Incident, it was impressive how well the Royal Guard handled matters.

If they hadn’t been manipulated, they could’ve formed a great alliance.

‘What a shame.’

The voices around her were diverse.

Most of the students waiting to vote looked up at her with anticipation.

If she performed well here, she could overshadow the other candidates!

[First-year Magic Department Class A. I’m Nebia Chromag.]

As she proceeded according to the protocol for her first greeting, the murmuring among the students faded into mostly silence.

The professors seated beside the podium also quietly gazed her way.

Nebia could clearly hear their inner thoughts—filled with expectation and anxiety.

[Thank you to everyone who has come here today.]

Thanks to her saint training, this level of speech was a piece of cake.

Then, out of the corner of her eye, familiar faces caught her attention.

Jenny Chain Silver, Luska Mad Eye, Mary Ryudshiel. They continued to emit an air of hostility.

And then there was Lyman Begilius.

‘This feels ominous.’

Lyman was also negative, but something felt different. He was accompanied by an Artificial Golem.

Not quite sure why, but she decided to proceed with her speech.

[Although I am a saint before being a student, I aim to create an Academy where everyone is equal and has a stable set of rules…]

At that moment, she noticed Lyman slowly leaning in, trying to touch the golem.

And her lips moved instinctively.

[…I have no such thoughts.]

That one sentence slipped out before she could think. She didn’t even understand why she said it.

Yet strangely, she felt no regret, but rather a sense of clarity that allowed her to continue speaking.

[Because I… as a saint, and as a student, have done things I should never have.]

An inexplicable sound suddenly rang out. The already chaotic atmosphere of the playground grew even louder.

Questions of “What is she saying?” erupted from both professors and students alike.

‘What is she suddenly going on about?’

Even Lyman was visibly taken aback by this shock.

The evidence of the Royal Guard’s misdeeds led by Nebia was all stored inside the golem beside her.

Collected discreetly during the holidays without anyone’s knowledge.

Originally, she planned to subtly reveal the evidence at this moment.

But for some reason… she felt like there was no need to act immediately.

[Let me cut to the chase.]

Just as the waves of controversy began to churn, an even louder declaration came forth.

[I will resign from this position.]

That one sentence silenced the crowd.

The reactions of Jenny, Luska, and Mary were noteworthy, but Lyman too tilted his head in confusion.

Then protests sounded from all directions.

“What do you mean all of a sudden, Saint!”

“This is going too far!”

A few clerics protecting her climbed onto the podium to admonish her.

Even the leader of the Royal Guard, Slave, rushed towards her, bewildered.

“Why are you doing this after doing so well up until now? You plan to give up the position you fought so hard to attain?”

The normally arrogant Slave used respectful speech in this situation.

Seeing this, Nebia chuckled.

“Oh, fighting hard for this position? Not at all.”

“What?”

“I just happened to be chosen by the light, and happened to run for election. Just like how Instructor Jason put you in that position.”

“What…?”

Is this woman out of her mind? Slave felt dizzy.

Anyone unaware of the secret would undoubtedly react in confusion to her sudden behavior.

He wanted to calm her down, but she was already crossing the line.

“You must have turned into something abnormal with magical manipulation, just like Instructor Jason and the Royal Guard.”

“Don’t say another word!”

He spoke without using respectful language anymore.

Magical manipulation is strictly prohibited. Failing can lead to death or becoming a monster.

It was one of those secrets that shouldn’t ever be revealed.

Yet for some reason, their conversation seemed to reach everyone’s ears.

That was also Nebia’s ability. She spread her voice so everyone in the playground could clearly hear the discussion.

“Moreover, what’s so holy about contacting that zealot group, Doomsday?”

“Enough…!”

Of course, Nebia had no right to say that.

She was the one who initially fell for their proposals, ultimately leading to this situation.

But honestly, at this point, she didn’t care anymore.

Strangely, the survival instinct that had been present until a moment ago was now completely absent.

“Is it okay to do this? I could lose everything I have.”

And with it, her life was also on the line, of course.

But…

“Die now or die later. Either way, it’s the same.”

“What…?”

“Up until just now, I was thinking of trying to survive, but… in the end, I can’t do it. I suspected it ever since I talked with you guys yesterday.”

Ultimately, they would kill her at some point.

If she got elected, that just meant her death would be postponed.

The realization came from Jason.

That day, Jason had been in a strange state of mind. It felt like he could kill her at any moment.

That’s why she poured her heart out so smoothly.

‘Once this speech is over, I’ll be brainwashed.’

With a natural sense, Nebia could pick up nuances from a conversation.

Even when in a non-sane state, Jason couldn’t control the temperature of the conversation knowing her ability.

Jason’s idea was that Nebia still had value.

It wasn’t a lie.

There was a tone that hinted she would eventually be made soulless or used as a hostage if things turned against him.

“What would happen if a being like a saint were to be taken hostage?”

“What the hell are you doing this for?”

Before, she had obeyed dutifully, but now she stood confidently.

When Slave questioned her, she responded.

“Why? Because I’m a very crazy girl.”

“What?”

Another unexpected response.

But it felt oddly familiar.

It was a sentence she had surely heard somewhere before.

Yes! The girl who had carried out the Blood Parasite operation back during the holidays. The girl in the rabbit mask had left that line!

“Then, don’t tell me…!”

“Hehe… do as you like with the Archive heist.”

She realized that the mysterious girl and Nebia were the same person.

The reason she hadn’t recognized the disguise was likely because she hadn’t gone through the proper procedures to be a cleric.

“You… you…!”

Slave was bloodshot in disbelief at having been completely deceived.

But Nebia, unconcerned by his overwhelming rage, happily stepped down from the podium.

And she walked the path strewn with cherry blossoms. She looked as if she had finally been set free from her shackles.

Whoosh—

A breeze filled with the scent of spring blew. The hem of her neatly tailored school uniform fluttered.

The cherry blossom petals, dancing in the wind, brushed through her hair.

The moment a petal touched her eye, the world looked different.

The path that had been leading to the playground was transformed into a road endlessly lined with blossoming trees.

The sunlight illuminated the petals, casting a pink glow.

‘Am I dreaming?’

It felt too fragrant to simply be a dream.

‘Then is it a hallucination?’ she thought for a moment.

Suddenly glancing back, something flickered on the path she had walked.

Familiar scenes began to light up step by step.

-The chronology from the moment she was born until now.

There were no pleasant memories from her childhood.

The only good time was after she was chosen as a saint, and after that, her past turned into one of becoming a puppet.

‘Spring goes by quickly.’

The spring when she arrived at Kreuz after being chosen as a saint didn’t last. She soon realized she missed the beauty of spring after the flowers wilted.

When she had declared that she didn’t want to die, she now craved the return of spring, even if by such means.

Though short, that spring was more beautiful than any other season.

Rather than being dragged around for life and dying coldly, she would rather die in a warm, caring place.

Thus, perhaps the past lay beneath her feet.

“That was quick.”

“….”

A figure in a black uniform stood before her on the spring path.

Even upon seeing the grim reaper-like figure, Nebia smiled brightly and said.

“Here to kill me?”

Blocking her path was Jason. He asked with an anger that was almost indescribable.

“Before anything, let me ask one thing. Why have you stopped being afraid of death?”

It felt like just yesterday that she had trembled at the thought of dying, yet this immense disparity caused Jason to clear his throat.

That’s right. Nebia is a coward.

A schemer who tossed aside her own beliefs to avoid death.

Because she realized that earlier, she had given up and thus understood her own essence.

To others, she merely saw them as garbage.

However, the ‘exceptional existence’ was someone she wanted to make her own.

Having him meant she could ponder on how to live, but… what good does it do now?

This whole experience was due to no one other than…

“All thanks to you.”

-Thank you for revealing it. I won’t forget it.

The girl smiled brightly.

Cherry blossom petals soared into the sky on the spring breeze.

Even the harmoniously drifting petals were… not as radiant or beautiful as her smile.

She was no mere girl.

She was a being that truly resembled a saint.

And the saint wanted to atone with everything she had.

“Okay, now kill me.”

“You…!”

Normally, Jason would have thought to let her live and only torture her. After all, if he took the saint as a hostage, even the church would be rendered helpless.

But the saint before him would not hesitate to throw away her own life.

She had transformed from a false, distrustful saint into a truly genuine one.

“I will make it as painful as possible.”

Jason, like the day before, was not in his right mind.

The shock of discovering that the person he loved had someone else was overwhelming.

Overwhelmed with emotion, he was acting wildly without concern.

“Make it painful!”

This saint before him would not ease his troubled heart.

The answer was to discard what was useless.

As long as the Blood Parasite consumed him, there was no need to stain his hands with blood to kill her.

Swoosh—

Jason made a bizarre gesture.

With just a motion of his hand, he ordered the Blood Parasite to slowly drain her blood.

“….”

“….”

Swoosh—

“….”

“…?”

Swoosh—

Swoosh—

“….”

“…??”

Nothing happened.

Nebia, who had freely closed her eyes, opened them slightly and asked.

“Are we not there yet?”

“Why are things suddenly like this?”

Swoosh—

“….”

“What are you doing?”

This can’t be happening. The initiative of the Blood Parasite should be entirely his.

At that moment, tremors shook within Jason’s pupils as it sunk in.

“What are you doing here?”

A voice called out from behind.

It was Radon Crawler.

“Radon! What brings you here?”

“What else? I came to see how things were going… Thankfully, there seems to be no problem.”

Although Radon’s arrival was a mystery, Jason thought it wasn’t necessarily a bad situation.

Because Radon was the heir to Elder Enviel…

“Instructor, are you perhaps struggling because of the Blood Parasite?”

“How do you know that?”

“Of course I know. Because it’s in my grasp.”

Radon pulled out a small box.

Inside that box was the Blood Parasite treatment medication that had been hidden in Jason’s lab.

“Why do you have that? How…”

“This allows the owner to control the Blood Parasite at will, right?”

What did that mean?

It meant that Jason could no longer control the Blood Parasite inside Nebia.

The ownership had shifted to Radon.

“Jason.”

Radon’s lips curled into a wicked grin.

Upon hearing his tone, Nebia analyzed Radon’s intention, and… she chuckled in resignation.

“Thank you for the amusement.”

Swish! –

Radon vanished after leaving that statement. Nebia vanished along with him.

On the ground they had been standing on lay a transparent card.

“….”

Jason, staring blankly, couldn’t fully comprehend what had just transpired.

He stood there in a daze, lost in thought.

Surviving as an Academy Scammer.

 

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