Conquering the Academy with Just a Sashimi Knife (Novel) - Chapter 96 - Finals (6)

Chapter 96 – Finals (6)

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Translated by Jinmu

Read only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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Kwa-gwang.

The sound of something tearing through the air seeped into my ears. My ears were ringing badly.

“Ugh….”

Saki barely managed to pry her eyelids open.

Blood flowing from her split forehead dyed her vision red. The little she could see was thin and crimson. She tried to wipe the blood away, but her arms wouldn’t listen.

Then Ryozo tried to slowly raise her body.

But a short groan slipped out from between her lips. The overwhelming pain, as though her whole body were being roasted, forced her to lay back down. If her throat hadn’t been ruined, a scream would’ve burst out instead of a groan.

What had happened? What was happening?

Humans sometimes lost their memories from sudden shock. Saki changed her goal from pulling her body together to waking up her mind.

With her innate intuition, Saki focused every nerve on recovering the memories she had lost. But the more she thought, the more both her eyes and brain burned. Even breathing felt murky.

Instinctively, she knew.

That she didn’t have much time left.

She began tracing it back, one thing at a time. In the consciousness that was gradually thinning away, she reviewed the situation.

Saki lowered her eyes slightly. The short dagger buried in her shattered collarbone, twisted deep inside her.

The instant she saw it, the vague outline of her memory solidified all at once.

At that moment, the sound of air being torn struck her eardrums again. Saki turned her gaze toward where the sound had come from.

‘…Leon?’

Leon was there, resisting with his body soaked in blood. Every time he threw a punch, the air shook. He still couldn’t fully control the Blessing of Miracles, but its destructive power was immense. Still, all of his desperate attacks were being blocked by a curtain of magic power.

Saki widened her view while fixing the battle into her eyes.

The scars carved here and there, the walls and floor gouged inward, all faintly revealed the struggle that had taken place. It was clear that they had fought with everything they had.

The opponent was a villain in prime condition. Leon, meanwhile, didn’t even have a weapon.

So naturally, the result was disastrous.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

“Hehe, so even if you’re a Hero candidate, in the end, Leon, you’re still human, aren’t you? This is way below expectations… It kinda feels like you might not be enough of a vessel for Lord Permash. And more than anything… this is the guy who killed Lord Agor? That professor bastard isn’t exaggerating, is he? What do you think, Paul?”

“While tearing at the flesh along Leon’s side, Erio asked the male instructor, Paul. Paul narrowed his slit-like eyes and examined Leon before answering.”

Mm. Even so, in a place like this, with an ecosystem similar to the demonic realm, he’s endured Lady Erio’s attacks for over twenty minutes. And that’s after turning in his weapon, no less. As for Lord Agor’s death, there was room for doubt… but the odds were high that, due to possessing a body in such haste, the compatibility with the vessel was poor. And the Sword Emperor was apparently at the scene as well, so the professor’s story probably isn’t entirely false.

“Maybe my expectations were too high. Still, the fact that he held out this long barehanded means he isn’t just an empty shell. Haah, if Lord Permash possesses this one and adapts well, then things should work out nicely.”

“I’m sure our new lord will be satisfied as well.”

“I hope so. After our original lord, Agor, died, he was the one who took in us, who had nowhere left to go, and even made a contract with us. Thanks to that, we-”

“As if she sensed something, Erio cut off the conversation and slowly swept her gaze around. At the end of her gaze was Saki.”

Oh? What, you were awake?

“And at last, an ominous ring appeared in Erio’s eyes. At the grotesquely gleaming light there, Saki felt her spine freeze.”

……

“Paul, let me have a little chat with Saki. Make sure Leon doesn’t stop breathing.”

“Yes, understood.”

“Apparently delighted by something, Erio came walking over with light, airy steps. The closer those footsteps got, the thicker the scent of death became. A grim shiver cut through Saki’s whole body.”

‘Is this where I die?’

Until not long ago, Saki’s life had held neither much fun nor any excitement. Repetition of a boring everyday life and a bleak home environment had layered nothing but emptiness inside her.

People died someday.

Heroes on the front lines just died earlier.

The reason Saki Ryozo had obediently enrolled in Hoakin Academy was not out of devotion to humanity, but because she wanted to find a reason for her own death.

But the current Saki no longer wanted to die. Because someone had appeared in her life who had made her grow attached to it, someone she was grateful to.

When Erio reached her feet, she stared down at Saki for a long moment, then crouched. Tilting her head, she parted her lips.

Did it hurt a lot?

“A deep dryness lay in both Erio’s tone and her eyes. With her fingernail, she poked at the end of the hilt protruding from the blade lodged in Saki’s collarbone. The pain was so intense it made Saki’s lips part reflexively.”

Guh….

“Wow, still, you’re impressive. To manifest your Blessing at that very moment and slow the spread of the poison by shifting it around. And to regain consciousness not long after. But since you’re going to die anyway, I don’t know if that makes you lucky or unlucky. Well, either way, I’ll admit you’re impressive.”

“……”

“You know, I even acted for you and everything. I was totally best actress material, wasn’t I?”

“Erio laughed and joked to herself. Saki ground down on her lower lip and forced her voice out.”

…Why… were you doing this….

“Puhahahaha-!”

“The moment Saki asked with a twisted expression, Erio suddenly burst into loud laughter.”

That sinister, ominous laughter echoed through the tower. In the next moment, her face rapidly lost all expression, and a chill settled into her pupils.

I thought you were pretty smart, but I guess you were still just a kid after all. Kids these days, really. Their minded get old quickly, but their way of thinking never changes.

“Erio brought her lips close to Saki’s ear and whispered.”

You were completely insane.

“Saki growled savagely. Erio rested one elbow on her knee, propped her chin up, and used her other hand to press lightly down on the dagger hilt.”

How was it? Hurts a lot?

“Saki let out a scream with no sound. The spasms wracking her body wouldn’t even let her open her eyes properly. Erio observed that reaction with dry eyes, then spoke in a low voice.”

You probably see me as some crazy bitch, but I was simply born differently. Ah, and the reason I stabbed you was simple. I was disappointed in you. You didn’t know me, but I’ve known you for a long time. Until recently, I even thought you and I were the same kind of person.

“……”

“You probably never noticed, but I’ve been watching you for a long time, because that uniquely weary look in your eyes felt similar to mine. But while doing that, I almost got caught who knows how many times. The one who was always around you, what was his name, Kang Geom-ma? That guy had ridiculously sharp eyes.”

“Droplets of blood dripped down the dagger hilt.”

Anyway, since you seemed to share my disillusionment with humanity, I was thinking I might introduce you to Lord Permash. Our lord was very fond of people like you who were lacking in emotion. But then what did you know? Out of nowhere, you showed me your back and told me to climb on. That was when I decided it. Ah, so this one too was ultimately just another human~.

“Erio gave a small shrug. Then she stood up from her crouched position and stretched lazily.”

I’ve chatted this much with you, so I guess the road to the underworld won’t be too lonely. Anyway, good luck~.

“Erio spun around and merely waved a hand as she left. Watching her back, all color drained from Saki’s face, and the life faded from her eyes.”

‘I want to live.’

Without realizing it, she prayed with a desperate and urgent heart.

Only now had she begun to find life interesting, and only now had someone appeared with whom she wanted to accomplish something together.

‘Please.’

She knew there was no god.

‘Anyone at all.’

But if someone was listening.

‘Help me.’

Please let this voice reach someone.

Tatadak.

At that moment, the sound of someone’s footsteps rang out. Saki barely managed to raise the head that was growing heavier and heavier. At once, her eyebrows trembled. Was this a deathbed hallucination?

What entered her eyes was the very person she had longed for and longed for again. A black-haired boy with patches of gray mixed into it. He was looking at her while drawing rough, desperate breaths.

Warm liquid ran down her cheek. Saki slowly gathered the blurring focus in her eyes and moved her lips.

…Geom… ma.

“Blackness was beginning to close in around her vision. Even so, Saki forced her vocal cords to work.”

…Save… me.

“Kang Geom-ma nodded.”

Only then did Saki give herself over to the relief crashing over her.

* * *

“Geom-ma sir! Wait for meee!”

Chasing after Kang Geom-ma’s back as he suddenly kicked off and tore across the stairs in a single rush, Choi Seol-ah set foot on the fifth floor of the tower.

Panting hard, she first steadied her breathing. She had spent all this time relying only on convenient magic, so physical training had been something she’d thrown to the dogs. Her stamina was abysmal. Her vision blurred white, and her throat stung.

“Huh? Could it be Seol-ah?”

A voice she knew all too well fell into her ears. Sweet, and yet ominous. Before she had even caught her breath, Choi Seol-ah lifted her head. With a blank face, she cut the name short.

“…Eri…o noona?”

Erio Fine. Since she too was a villain, that wasn’t her real name either. It was only that she always introduced herself by that name, so everyone loosely called her Erio.

A woman who counted as one of the senior-most villains among those who had once served the legion commander. Her seniority was high, but more than that, her skill with fire-attribute magic was nearly unmatched. After their lord died, her whereabouts had been unknown. To think she’d been disguised as a cadet.

The male instructor beside her was also a face she recognized. Paul, was it? A man with the uniquely sinister atmosphere that always clung to slit-eyed characters. He too had been one of Agor’s broodmares.

‘Why are those two together?’

At the absurd scene, Choi Seol-ah felt bewilderment rather than joy. By contrast, Erio greeted her with big claps and open delight.

“My, my, seeing you in a place like this is such a delight, girl! Have you been doing well all this time?”

“…Ah, yeah, more or less.”

Choi Seol-ah gave a careless nod. They had never really been close villains to begin with, and she hadn’t wanted to be. She quickly gathered herself and looked around.

Leon had been tossed to the ground like a broken toy, and in the distance the breathing of the pale-blue-haired female cadet was already growing faint.

Wait a second. That female cadet looked like someone who had been pretty close to Geom-ma sir in the same club, didn’t she…? Choi Seol-ah swallowed dryly and shifted her gaze.

“!”

Standing there with his back to her was Kang Geom-ma.

A presence without even the slightest expression, a force as close to colorless as one could imagine. The moment Choi Seol-ah saw it, goosebumps raced over her entire body.

Wasn’t there a saying that anger that had crossed the critical point became cold?

Kang Geom-ma’s current state was exactly that.

In the past and in the present, Choi Seol-ah wanted to live.

Wasn’t there a saying that even rolling around in a dung field, life in this world was still better? She still had many things she wanted to eat and many things she wanted to do.

And precisely because she clung so desperately to life, she could tell. The indescribable pressure weighing on her shoulders. The thick scent of death.

At least in Choi Seol-ah’s eyes, it had taken on a physical form and was billowing out of Kang Geom-ma.

At that moment, Erio’s voice floated over from the front.

“Ah, Seol-ah! Since we’re at it, do you want to make a contract with Lord Permash too? A sly little thing like you needs a new lord, right? I’ll put in a good word for you with Lord Permash!”

“……”

Choi Seol-ah stepped back slightly and stayed silent.

‘Says the woman who ran straight to sign with another legion commander the instant Agor died, and she’s calling me sly?’

Erio tilted her head with a puzzled look. Then, shifting her gaze slightly toward Kang Geom-ma, she spoke in a friendly tone.

“That black-haired boy over there. The Sashimi Sword Saint, was it? The genius cadet who beat Iron Legs. He really was something. But what a shame. No matter how talented you are, can you really handle three villains in an environment like this? Especially without a weapon. Look, even this guy Leon, who’s called a Hero candidate, has been reduced to a complete rag.”

Laughing, Erio gestured toward Leon with her eyes. A crooked smile was hanging from the male instructor’s lips as well.

“……”

While ridicule and sneers swirled around him, Kang Geom-ma silently reached one hand behind his back. Choi Seol-ah flinched.

“H-huh?”

Choi Seol-ah glanced back and forth between his palm and the back of his head. And then, right away, she understood what that gesture meant.

Swallowing hard, Choi Seol-ah forced her thoughts to move. Her brain spun around like a top.

In that brief instant, she eliminated possibility after possibility and judged where she ought to stand.

If she went by mere likelihood, then siding with the others after stabbing Kang Geom-ma in the back here would overwhelmingly give her the higher chance of survival.

After all, wasn’t Kang Geom-ma the boy who had been using her like a dog? If she wanted revenge, then now was the perfect opportunity.

And yet, what was this dreadful feeling? What was this sensation climbing up from the tips of her toes? The current in the air was growing harsher by the second until it felt like it had begun to reverse itself.

Choi Seol-ah slowly closed her eyes, then opened them again. It was the moment a certain resolve carved itself into her gaze. She plunged one hand into the subspace pouch and rummaged around.

Kiriring.

A smooth ring of steel was drawn out of the pouch. In Choi Seol-ah’s hands were two sashimi knives.

Choi Seol-ah dropped to her knees and bowed her waist. She raised the sashimi knives high above her head.

“Geom-ma sir.”

The villain Choi Seol-ah held out the blades and pleaded.

“I offer myself to you as my new lord.”

“……”

No answer came back.

–In exchange.

Kkwaaak.

Kang Geom-ma gripped the sashimi knives.