ALL NOVEL Chapter 66
Only about 2 to 3 weeks left until the finals.
It’s tight, but surprisingly, there’s plenty of time.
Since it’s not me who has to execute this plan.
The preparations need to be handled by the Sowan Gyo-dan, and I’m just involved in the process, so I don’t have much to prepare. At least, I can discuss things after Sowan Gyo-dan makes the first contact.
So, after having a breakfast prepared by the protagonist and enjoying some apple juice for dessert, I could afford to be a bit relaxed.
But more than that.
“How did you arrive?”
“Was the food to your taste?”
“……It was delicious.”
“I’ll make it for you every morning from now on.”
Awesome!
No, that’s not it.
“I didn’t inform you in advance, Ruth student, but the way to my dormitory is…”
“It’s our dormitory, right?”
“The way… to our dormitory changes every time. How on earth did you arrive?”
Come to think of it, didn’t he bring his luggage along? And did shopping too? How on earth did he manage that?
Getting here isn’t just a matter of a different route. It involves knowing which alleys to turn in, where to change direction, and where to wait for a bit—all that changes. There’s absolutely no way you could stumble upon it by coincidence.
A student walking through the alley suddenly stops for 15 seconds at a fork, takes a step to the right, then goes left, and walks with his eyes closed for more than 10 seconds?
Of course, you can’t help but think the protagonist must have some trick up his sleeve.
Surprisingly, the protagonist was calm.
“……It was intuition.”
“Pardon?”
“I knew how to go by instinct.”
Does that actually make sense? Normally, you’d tell someone to stop talking nonsense, but given that he’s the protagonist of the [Dark Kingdom], it suddenly seems plausible.
What’s more, the protagonist is Rank 6. The Headmistress assured me that no one could come to this dormitory, but honestly, I have my doubts about whether anyone would actually come here.
But is it really intuition that works?
“……It’s also familiar to me.”
“Familiar?”
“I’ve been through this kind of maze before.”
A maze? Was it at that level? That seems a bit much.
Isn’t calling it a maze a grandiose term? It’s just that the ways to navigate through a few alleys change periodically.
Anyway, if he says so, what can I argue? If it’s the protagonist, I could believe it, so I decided to just let it slide for now and ask the Headmistress later.
“Well then, I should inform you in advance that no other students around───”
“No need to inform anyone. Absolutely not.”
“That’s reassuring.”
Besides security and everything, just the fact that faculty and students are living in the same dormitory could stir up some rumors. You might wonder what difference it makes since they are both guys? If that includes a Finance Director and a new Rank 6 student who’s already the talk of the town, it would be odd if no rumors spread.
There’d be all sorts of talk about fraudulent admission, leaking exam questions, bribery—how unfair! Those kinds of things are only for customers who pay the proper bribes.
With a serious tone that confident, I suppose he’ll keep my secret. What if he spills the beans? It’s fine. Officially, I have a different dormitory. Additionally, using the Finance Director position, I could spin things around before the student opinion blows up too much.
Anyway, I had no worries. That apple juice really is tasty.
“……Would you like another glass?”
“I feel bad asking, but yes, please.”
But how did he know I like apples from what I said yesterday? It’s quite impressive. Does Rank 6 allow for such insights?
As I handed him the glass with a smile, he hesitated for a moment before taking it.
Then he pulled out an apple.
Crack!
……Squeeze it?
“Here you go.”
“Ruth student? Did you make this yourself?”
“Yes.”
Uh, hmm.
Isn’t it rude to ask if he washed his hands properly here? After all, he made breakfast for me first.
Drinking apple juice made literally by hand—how should I put it? It felt really strange.
Being a guy too, wouldn’t it be better if a girl made it? But given that it’s made by another guy, it feels a bit awkward.
‘Eh, whatever.’
He already prepared breakfast for me yesterday, and lunch and dinner were the same today. It wouldn’t be right to blush over it, especially since I’ll be living here until I graduate due to the rent.
So, I just closed my eyes and drank it. The taste is surprisingly good.
Ah, right.
“Ruth student, do you happen to be thinking of preparing dinner today as well?”
“I told you yesterday, right? I’ll take care of meals… Are you not keen on it?”
“No, no, that’s not it. But you don’t need to prepare for the next two weeks.”
“Pardon?”
“Final exams are coming up. I think I’ll end up living in the office due to the busy schedule. I probably won’t be able to come to the dormitory in that time.”
“………….”
Even though I said I was moving here, I thought he’d appreciate having some alone time.
The protagonist, who heard my words, seemed frozen for a moment before turning those dead eyes towards me.
Scary.
“……Is it because of the Headmistress?”
“Excuse me?”
“Nothing… Never mind. But please visit sometimes.”
“I understand.”
I won’t have any reason to come until the terror plan is finished, but I didn’t need to mention that.
When I smiled casually at him, he turned his head. It seemed like he was tidying up the dishes.
However.
Was it just me, or did the atmosphere behind him feel strange?
‘Why do I feel so creeped out since earlier…’
Is the heating not working? It may look old on the outside, but it shouldn’t have issues in this regard.
With Rank 6, this sort of thing wouldn’t probably faze him. I suddenly felt great about being Rank 1.
‘Speaking of which, doesn’t the Sowan Gyo-dan have the Dark Sword?’
I know how to acquire it from strategy guides, but can’t I use that power like that Daeju-gyo suspected?
Anyway, asking the church for a favor means that if things go well, I could get stronger, although it’s a pretty daunting approach.
Still, just in case, I planned to probe Millia when she made contact.
“……Ah.”
“Millia student?”
“I want to kill myself.”
“Student?”
What’s going on? Why are you like this?
*
Millia, to be precise, Pope Millia, was in despair.
The fact that communication was through letters instead of a communication magic tool.
Living in such a small dormitory due to lack of funds.
The fact that Sowan Gyo-dan itself was declining.
And most importantly, what was truly despairing was.
“The Dark Sword…?”
The most important relic of the Sowan Gyo-dan, the power that defines the very existence of the organization.
Right, the Dark Sword suddenly… vanished.
‘Does that even make sense?’
If someone had stolen it, at least I could understand. Just like in my previous life, that whore was probably the culprit.
But according to this bishop’s letter, the Dark Sword had completely vanished. Without any signs.
Moreover, it was impossible for someone to steal it. After all, the Dark Sword was being created slowly. Furthermore, there were always Rank 7 members of the church guarding it—how could one possibly sneak in and steal it?
A sword that grows by consuming human blood and grants wishes only when fully complete.
It’s a conceptual artifact that rivals the ‘Holy Spear’ that the Holy Kingdom possesses. It simply exists in this world.
That the Dark Sword vanished so suddenly?
‘…No, no. Can something be done about the Dark Sword itself?’
In actuality, the Dark Sword wasn’t her primary concern. While it would be a lie if she said she wasn’t interested in a sword that grants wishes, Millia trusted her abilities, so she didn’t see a need to rely on such artifacts.
She was already almost successful once. The true savior of the continent, the Pope of the New Era, was about to reign. Although she had failed, wasn’t another opportunity given?
Thus, the Dark Sword itself didn’t matter to her.
The issue was that without the Dark Sword, the Sowan Gyo-dan would collapse.
‘That can’t happen!’
The Sowan Gyo-dan must maintain its prestige, even for Millia to exploit. To challenge the hegemony of the continent, she needed to use the Sowan Gyo-dan as a force.
And the essence that binds the Sowan Gyo-dan is the Dark Sword, along with the lesser wishes formed by its remnants.
Yet the Dark Sword had completely disappeared, making the collapse of the church a foreseeable future. Millia feared that the church might collapse before she even graduated from this academy.
Click.
Unconsciously biting her nails, Millia read and re-read the bishop’s letter, her eyes bloodshot.
Whether the Dark Sword exists or not, the Sowan Gyo-dan must continue to exist for Pope Millia. She understood well what was necessary for that.
A substitute that could bind the church in place of the Dark Sword.
And just a hell of a lot of money.
With those, anything could be done. Millia had experience in leading dozens or even hundreds of thousands of believers, so she knew this fact by instinct.
‘A substitute, and money.’
Her head hurt. Why the Dark Sword suddenly disappeared, and why had the reality changed from the past Millia knew?
But one thing was clear.
That Finance Director kid’s terrorist plan had become more crucial than she thought.
‘A substitute?’
The sacred relic that the Headmistress has would suffice. It might not completely replace the Dark Sword, but Millia trusted her abilities.
‘Money?’
That… could be earned somehow. Similarly, if it was church relics, then things would unravel much more smoothly.
In conclusion, there is only one answer. Help that Finance Director bastard, play along, and retrieve the church’s sacred relics from the Headmistress.
And in a way, this was also an opportunity.
‘In this time of chaos for the church, execute the terrorist plan and solidify my standing.’
In history, crises are often opportunities. Pope Millia, grinding her teeth, began to write a reply to the bishop.
About the terrorist plan and how it could stabilize the church in chaos, and even marketing herself.
Now, the Grandis Akademi terrorist plan had become something that Millia had to succeed in without fail.
Thus, when approaching that Finance Director again, she planned to intentionally play it low.
“So, you’re saying the church will actively participate?”
“Yes, the church is willing to put in all of its resources.”
“Hmm.”
The next day after receiving the letter from the bishop, the Finance Director frowned at Pope Millia’s attitude, as if suggesting something significant.
“Indeed, it is Sowan Gyo-dan, quite impressive.”
“Overly flattering…”
“Seems like you have good reason to ‘discuss’ the terrorist act first. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have accepted it at all.”
“……Pardon?”
Discussing terror first? Us?
Before I could shoot back with “What nonsense?” the desperate Pope Millia managed to smile.
“What do you mean…? If we’re talking about terror, it would be the Finance Director who…”
“When did I say that?”
“Huh?”
“I was just questioning the connection between you and Sowan Gyo-dan when suddenly, you started talking about terror.”
What?
Panic rose in Pope Millia’s face as she recalled yesterday’s events, turning pale.
Somehow, in a sudden waking moment with no awareness of the situation, she accepted a terrorist act based on ‘previous memories.’
It seemed that while he thought of the terror in the same way previously, the order of discussing it shifted.
A slip-up caused by an unfathomable regression.
The Finance Director shamelessly seized and latched onto that mistake.
“Wow, do you have any idea how shocked I was? I never considered terror at all, only for you to suddenly mention something so terrifying. I was genuinely frightened.”
“……Finance Director.”
“But then, after contemplating it thoughtfully, I suppose it might not be a bad idea. However… I think my ‘minor’ opinion should be reflected.”
“Th-That!”
“It’s perfectly fine if you wish to refuse. I will step out of here as well.”
“……”
“I’m only suggesting that if I cooperated with the ‘proposal’ of your church, it’s only natural for my opinion to be considered, right?”
Pope Millia understood.
This Finance Director, whether he was a natural genius or a master of negotiation, or simply exceptionally quick-witted.
While his abilities are outstanding, he is still only Rank 1, and compared to true geniuses, he’s infinitely lacking.
Nevertheless, after the Academy crumbled, the one who could burn the continent was this guy, so Pope Millia couldn’t let her guard down around him too.
‘Damn hyena bastard…!!’
He decisively understands the opponent’s weaknesses and earnestness, thoroughly digging into them.
Closer to a torturer than an advisor. He sneaks in and sees who’s really in control in the relationship, focusing on even the slightest gap.
In a brief dialogue, he deduces how desperate Pope Millia is in this current plan, and while with a ridiculous pun, he grins.
“……Ah.”
“Millia Student?”
“I want to kill myself.”
“Student?”
She revealed her greatest weakness to the one person she couldn’t allow to discover it. Having clashed frequently with this individual, she knew how wicked he could be.
In that moment of reality, the despondent Pope Millia whispered.
The Finance Director, that wicked demon,
Laughs.
“What do you mean?”
“……”
“At the very least, you should kill yourself after completing the terrorist act.”
Pope Millia felt her head spin.
She would have to continually bow and scrap to this demon until the terror was complete and even afterwards to regain the sacred relic?
It’d probably be easier to kill one more Rank 8 than endure that line of work.
All that was left for Millia was a sigh of resignation.