“I’m done!”
I held up the ring proudly.
Isn’t this a bit hard to grasp?
Sing, with a frown and a puffed-up face, urged me on.
“Show it to me.”
“I can’t here. Too many eyes watching, it’s embarrassing…”
“You guys. I’m borrowing Oknodie.”
Consider it known.
Sing turned away after unilaterally informing me.
Naturally, that couldn’t be called a conversation.
A conversation style fitting for Sing, who had received nothing but notifications from their family for a lifetime.
Titosso, shrinking back and only observing, while Hestia, having learned the mercenary’s way of speaking, where one splits heads if treated rudely, raised a hand to her axe.
“Who do you think you are? What do you plan to do with Oknodie? That kid is already living a life that’s complicated and hard enough without you. Don’t even dream of doing anything stupid.”
“Who says I’m being stupid?”
“What are you trying to do by taking someone who’s embarrassed about being watched to a place where no one can see them? Spill your filthy intentions!”
Suddenly, a fierce atmosphere shifted, causing confusion.
“Everyone, don’t fight because of me!”
“Who’s fighting because of you?!”
“It’s probably because of your filthy sexual desire for the child!”
“Do you want to die, you little…?”
“Hestia, stop it. Why do you keep provoking Sing with bad words? It’s not okay to bully someone who’s already been stung and has a puffed-up face!”
“I wasn’t stung! I was cursed!”
Unable to hold back her anger any longer, Sing drew her sword.
In response, Hestia also grabbed her axe.
One side, a deadly swordsman.
The other, a chapter boss.
A crazy swordsman and a frenzied butcher.
If they clashed, it wouldn’t end nicely.
At least one arm, or maybe a head, might be lost in what could be a spectacular matchup!
Just when it seemed like chaos would erupt, unexpectedly, it came to an end.
Swish
A ghost, the fake Lin, emerged from the ring.
She became clearly visible to the onlookers.
“A- a ghost?!”
“Lin. Go back.”
It’s dangerous here.
As Sing spoke, Lin clutched onto her pants leg, as if to say, “Please stop this fight.”
With a hesitant posture, Hestia lowered her axe.
Her fake younger sister was clinging to her leg.
Even Sing, who had been fiercely antagonistic, reluctantly sheathed her sword.
“Oknodie. Can you explain? What’s that ghost about?”
“Ah, well, that’s actually…”
“Stop.”
Sing warned in a low voice.
“Don’t drag in outsiders. I may trust you, but I can’t trust others.”
Just moments ago, Sing had been barking like an angry dog, but now, the silence was even scarier.
The animal that’s silent and stares is far more terrifying than one that barks.
It felt as though she was saying, “Do not make me draw my sword, or I’ll kill you if you step over the line.”
It was a preparedness for murder.
There was no stopping or pulling back now.
Ugh. It really stings a lot
I can feel it.
Sing’s [Premonition of the Murderous Impulse] was warning me with a much stronger intensity than before.
Ghosts are inherently monsters.
They are beings that harm humans.
While they protected my secret, others would argue that they couldn’t allow a dangerous ghost to stay nearby and would insist on exorcizing the fake Lin.
If that happened, chapter boss number one wouldn’t be a crazed Hestia but a crazed Sing.
Isn’t this way scarier?!
Hestia isn’t that scary unless the berserker switch is flipped, but Sing is already scary.
What if a normally intimidating human totally snaps and goes on a rampage like a crazy berserker?
If she goes on a rampage, it might wear her out, but what if she starts coldly calculating mechanical slaughter?
The Academy would go to ruins!
From the moment a student dies, the atmosphere of the Academy would start decaying rapidly.
Interference from the outside would intensify, and as they find loopholes, the Evil Organization would start to run rampant, too.
Professors would probably start acting strangely, trying to strengthen the students, and there’d be a chance the principal would feel a sense of ennui over the Academy’s operation.
Finally, if the principal just completely leaves the Academy…
The principal’s assistant would have to run the Academy, encountering external interference so intense that they could never have even imagined it along with the changes in the campus atmosphere.
This is definitely an unavoidable trigger for disaster!!
Absolutely cannot let it slip.
The relationship between the fake Lin and Sing must remain a secret.
It can’t be known that the fake Lin is a dangerous ghost that might harm people.
So, I need an explanation.
One that everyone can accept.
“Oknodie. Could it be…?”
“What? What is it?”
But I hadn’t expected this.
“You’re carrying around your friend’s soul?”
“Huh??”
“To save your friend from the pain of being stuck in a plant’s body by the Foundation, you pulled out the soul, right?”
“Plant’s body? Oh no, did he come into my room?”
“…I got to know because I saw the door open when I went to give something the other night.”
I had learned that Hestia saw the Goo Mandragora.
And the fact that she made a huge misunderstanding about it.
“You got found out by Sing too, huh? So that pedophile is trying to make you do something embarrassing, as a favor for keeping his secret?”
What should I say?
If Hestia is right, then Sing and the fake Lin’s relationship can be perfectly covered, but…
Wouldn’t Sing end up treated way too pathetic?
Maybe Sing felt the same as she froze momentarily.
In the brief eye contact, intense inner conflict flashed before her before a light of acceptance shone through.
“That’s right.”
A fake younger sister, not even the real one.
To protect the fake Lin who mimics being a younger sister, Sing willingly took on the stigma of child molestation.
In a moment of heart-wrenching self-sacrifice from one man, I almost teared up.
Sing, you guy…
I thought you were a cursed murderer character, but you truly care about your sister!
“Don’t cry, Oknodie. It’s okay now. We’re here for you.”
“Oknodie, here’s my handkerchief. Wipe your tears with this.”
“Thanks, Titosso… Hic!”
“Ah, wait! Not your nose! Your tears… Hic!”
“Oknodie. You can’t hit that guy, can you? If you do, the identity of your ghost friend will be exposed at the Academy, and it’ll get exterminated from reports by other students or professors.”
“Y-yeah…?”
It seemed like the fake Lin just realized she was in danger.
As she clung tighter to Sing’s leg, Hestia’s face turned fierce, as if even the worst evil would be scared away.
“Sing, you bastard. Utilizing Oknodie’s friend, pleading as she clings to you, to satisfy your sexual desire…! I can’t forgive that. You’re less than human!”
“…Shut up. If you cross me, this kid’s life is forfeit. You’d do well to avoid ruffling my feathers.”
“You better watch yourself. Oknodie might have played into your hands, but I’m different.”
Veins bulged on Hestia’s forearm.
“For Oknodie’s sake, I might even expose your criminal acts, knowing that your ghost friend is at risk of being exorcized.”
Ultimately, due to Sing’s cleverness fitting into Hestia’s misunderstanding, both Hestia and Titosso came to think that their misconceptions were real.
It’s a blunder not realizing that Hestia, who has no friends, treats monsters as after-meal toys, despising the weak and favoring the strong, has a severe misconception.
[Understanding of character [Hestia] increases.]
━━━
Hestia’s Understanding
No Friends (Understanding 10) – Hestia, having taken on the Berserker class, has lived a life without friends.
Monsters as Toys (Understanding 20) – The Berserker, who has gained strength inversely proportional to friendships, treats monsters others find troubling as mere after-meal exercise.
Favoring the Strong (Understanding 30) – Growing up witnessing how weak people are envious and jealous of her, Hestia despises the weak and, conversely, favors the strong.
Serious Misunderstanding (Understanding 40) – Having been given many missions revealing the depths of humanity, Hestia often takes all situations seriously and falls into misunderstanding.
━━━
[Understanding of character [Hestia] has exceeded 40.]
[Secondary Privilege [How Could Something So Severe Happen] is granted.]
[How Could Something So Severe Happen]
Category – Hestia’s Secondary Privilege
Description – Hestia, who has been performing horrendous mercenary missions touching the depths of humanity, tends to interpret even minor phenomena as being connected to the darkness of humanity.
Effect 1 – Chance of receiving Hestia’s worried care increases drastically.
Effect 2 – When accommodating Hestia’s misunderstandings, you can receive voluntary protection from her for a certain period.
Effect 3 – If Effect 1 is abused too much, you might unknowingly turn into a Goo corrupted being that feeds off others’ care.
Effect 4 – If Effect 2 is abused too much, Hestia’s overprotection could become severe enough to threaten daily life.
Each turn, a random trait changes.
I never thought this round would lead to such a terrifying twisted privilege!
I initially thought it was a convenient privilege that would allow me to use a chapter boss’s immense power at will, but the side effects are far from trivial.
As expected from a chapter boss. Even without the rampage trigger, I can never let my guard down!
Considering that the swollen face must be from the curse while trying to jump out of the bushes to snag Oknodie, Hestia fired off some insults.
Having to endure her one-sided verbal assault, Sing turned on her heel in frustration.
“It’d be best to take care of that little brat unless you want to see something you’ll regret.”
“That bastard. He even declared he would kidnap my ghost friend? A ghost is still a child, so you plan to commit crimes against her, you horrendous child molester!”
“…….”
As she felt the weight of the consequences of sparring with her words, Sing’s retreating figure was pitiful.
