Chapter 155

Bright sunshine, classmates with ever-present smiles, and a beautiful landscape. Truly, a peaceful world it was. And because of that peace, the girl loved this world. But who could’ve ever imagined that this serene and tranquil world would soon be drenched in despair?

The sunlight turning navy blue, citizens with downturned mouths, and a never-ending sight of blood and slaughter. The realm of humans is invaded—what humanity had built so proudly is now being ravaged by unwelcome guests.

The girl held no good memories of such a world. From that moment on, she became a traitor, and everyone would point fingers at her, calling her a cowardly hero. Though her sincerity wasn’t entirely turned away from, people still failed to understand her true intentions.

It was understandable. After all, it was because of how she acted. The girl didn’t blame others; instead, she blamed the world.

A world that inevitably made one evil. A world that inevitably made one despicable. A world where all traditions and rules were shattered after the demon invasion.

Frey preferred the bright, peaceful days before such a world arrived.

But why?!

“Ugh…!”

An unplanned variable has appeared to torment her! In this bright world, a dirty, foul impurity has shown up!

The strong girl, the indomitable hero, Frey Dr. Siegfried trembled at the already-too-familiar voice.

She may not have experienced school bullying, but she now understood why victims suffered so much.

‘Did he just say “crew”? He’s asking me to join their crew… hic!’

“Hero! Aren’t you gonna answer?”

“A-ah…no…”

“It’s me, Aru, and Maria too! Right now, we’re three! All we need is you, Hero!”

But Frey couldn’t take a step forward. She had no other choice but to comply.

Even if she tried to run, she’d still be within Evans’ reach. Besides, Oscar’s words had caught her attention.

“What…? M, Maria too…?”

‘If this is Joker and Maria’s crew—a big variable unseen in my past life. With Joker’s unpredictable nature and Maria’s untainted purity, there’s a 90% chance they’ll cause chaos. I need to observe closely… Being in the same crew as Joker… ugh. My stomach…’

Though she’d taken a potion to heal her stomach wound, it wasn’t as effective as Maria’s divine healing power. Frey approached Evans, feeling sharp pain in her abdomen.

“Will you join us too, Hero? This is great!”

“Eh, er…”

‘Damn it… Maria…’

Frey sighed, foreseeing ominous events to come. Of course, it was a meaningless lamentation that no one else could hear.

Slap!

“Good thinking! You won’t regret this!”

‘I’m already regretting it, you devil…’

Evans patted Frey’s back, causing her to jump in surprise. Misinterpreting her reaction, Maria happily chattered.

“Miss Frey and Mr. Evans have gotten really close without me noticing!”

“A… uh, yeah…”

“That obvious, huh? We are pretty close though!”

“It’s because Mr. Evans is so approachable! I wish I could be like that too.”

“No worries. I’ll make up for the hundred friends I don’t have by taking extra care of you, Maria.”

‘Ugh… things are getting sticky. That guy is definitely the same Joker from my previous life…’

Frey recalled meeting Joker during her last timeline.

The underground hell where only the most wicked and savage beings from the continent were gathered.

Babel Tower.

Its lowest level, Tartarus.

The Joker Frey saw in Tartarus was completely different from the one she knew now—almost unrecognizable.

A suffocating malevolence that overwhelmed you just by getting close. An oppressive presence that felt like invisible tentacles wrapping around your entire body. Piercing red eyes that seemed to see straight into your soul.

He was the epitome of a villain. But what about now?

Although he’s still cruel to Frey, he’s become surprisingly friendly. He blends in perfectly among regular students, leaving no sense of unease.

All thanks to Frey’s friend, Maria.

‘Of course… Maria. You truly are amazing. To change someone like Joker…’

Frey praised Maria internally, though the girl currently seemed blissfully unaware.

‘…I’ll endure. No matter how painful, I’ll bear it to ensure Joker doesn’t uncover our plan.’

******

“Huh? What kind of crew is it anyway?”

Aru might be clueless, but he’s not dumb. I realized that from his question.

See, since I explained what a crew was last time, he didn’t ask again this time.

“Crew name? Or activity details?”

“Both.”

“The crew name is Magic. Activities? Still undecided! We’ll figure it out as we go!”

“No plans? Huh?”

“There’s a famous movie director who said, ‘The most perfect plan is no plan.’”

“I see… didn’t know that! So what’s the reason?”

“Think about it. Expectations lead to betrayal—it’s the same principle. If you don’t have a plan, there’s nothing to ruin, right?”

“Woof! Got it!”

Apparently moved by my conversation with Aru, Maria clapped her hands. Her beautiful face was filled with admiration.

“Wow…! Expectations lead to betrayal—such profound wisdom! I’ve never thought about it that way!”

Looks like my words gave her some grand epiphany.

“Even Lord did that, hoping the people of Israel would walk the righteous path, but they kept choosing Baal. He must’ve been deeply disappointed, leading to His judgment on Israel.”

“Uh…? Was… it?”

Oh dear, I just blurted that out absentmindedly, like how I normally talk to Aru. Let’s not go down that weird path.

“Still, the idea of no plan being the best plan makes sense! While it’s a different context from the earlier example, the world is full of unforeseen variables and randomness. Instead of arrogantly assuming you know everything, stay flexible in every situation. Right?”

“Hmm… Indeed, Maria… you’ve interpreted my meaning perfectly… unlike some poop-eating dogs out there.”

“Of course…!”

“Huh?! Woof! I’m not a poop-eating dog!”

Thanks to Maria’s usual deep reflections on philosophy and life attitudes, she somehow fully understood my ramblings. Meanwhile, Aru, whose origins lie in wolves, seems to have grasped it in his own canine way.

“Anyway… is that really correct…?”

For some reason, Frey looked troubled while listening to our conversation.

“So ultimately, the conclusion is no plan, right?”

“Exactly. But as Maria pointed out, having no plan can itself be the most perfect and adaptable strategy. Thus…”

“…”

Frey seems uneasy about our crew. She keeps fidgeting with her fingers.

“Hey, Frey.”

“Y-yes?”

“You don’t like our crew?”

“No, it’s not that…”

“If you don’t like it, you can leave. I won’t stop you.”

“No! I won’t leave! Please let me stay!”

“So, you clearly agree, right?”

Despite looking uncomfortable, Frey insists on staying with our crew. Why’s she doing that? If she doesn’t like it, she could just leave.

There are plenty of academy students besides Frey. I have no intention of forcing anyone who dislikes it to stay.

Is it because of Maria, the saint? But there’s no rule that says a hero and a saint must stick together.

In fact, Frey used to feel inferior to Maria academically, so joining Pantera, which offers better practical scores, would’ve been more beneficial. We’re just starting out—a literal baby crew.

Clearly, something’s off about Frey. There’s something I don’t know.

“Ugh…”

Still, I don’t like the way she looks at me like that.

We’ll see. Soon enough, I’ll give them a magic show that’ll make everyone gasp in awe. Midterms? Practical assessments? Whatever it is, it’ll happen soon.

No matter what, I’ll create a scene that’ll leave everyone speechless.

“Alright, so now we’re four… Maria, Aru, do you two wanna head to the cafeteria first?”

“Huh? Aren’t you coming with us?”

“I need to talk to Frey for a bit. Is that okay?”

I asked Frey, who reluctantly nodded.

“…Yeah.”

“Mmm… Alright then. Don’t be late!”

“Woof! White human! Let’s go! I’m hungry!”

Tap tap tap—the wolf girl who looks like a girl and the genuine girl sprint off in sync. I was worried if the 500-year-old Aru could get along with other students, but seeing this, my concerns were unfounded.

Needless to say, Maria loves people, and Aru also seems to enjoy himself. After all, he originally got along well with everyone—Beatrix, Langwang, Uriel, Meta. Thanks to me, he’s built quite the rapport.

Ah, reminiscing makes me miss those days.

What are Uriel and Meta doing right now? Are things going according to my plan?

But life, as always, demands focus on the present. A life that doesn’t worry about the future or cling to the past is exemplary.

So, let’s concentrate.

On our suspicious hero, Ms. Frey!

“Urgh… Evans…”

“Alright, Frey. Lift your shirt.”

“…”

“For the next week, I’ll only punch your stomach until you talk. It’ll hurt, sure, but after a week, I’ll move on to real torture. Excited yet?”

“…!”

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