[Kyahhhhhhh!!]
Against the backdrop of the terrifying magical pulse emitted by the Yatagaras, all the cadets who participated in the mock gate training gathered, leaving only me and Nishizawa.
“As explained in the emergency message, contact with the outside is currently cut off.”
The cadets began to murmur at Aris’s cold words.
She had long since switched to combat mode.
The mysterious silver full-body gloves highlighted her glamorous model physique.
Holding a long Japanese-style spear, the Otegine (御手杵), Aris looked around at the cadets with a blank expression and declared.
“Therefore, from this moment on, I, Saionji Aris, the site supervisor, will exercise full command authority. Yatagaras is a Gamma Rank Otherworlder.”
Aris’s silver eyes sparkled.
“While it is a top-tier Otherworlder, it is the weakest among the top tiers, so if you all stay calm and follow my instructions, we can defeat it without any trouble.”
The third-year students of Shuo Hero Academy are veteran cadets with experience comparable to active duty, constantly going on field practice and dispatching cadets.
Among them, the strongest Aris is evaluated to surpass active heroes and is the academy’s top talent.
Her way of speaking is also the most normal among the people I’ve met so far, alongside Shinozaki Ichiro.
“Just as expected from the Student Council President······!”
“If it’s you, Senpai, we can do it······!”
“Saionji-senpai! You’re amazing!”
Cheers erupted among the cadets.
It seems like no matter how serious the situation is, the over-the-top reactions are a must in this world.
Normally, that would be enough.
But now, with another variable at play, unfortunately, things won’t flow smoothly as Aris intended.
[Ahem. Microphone test. Microphone test.]
A distorted voice echoed throughout the mock gate.
Aris’s expression hardened.
[Greetings. Shuo Hero Academy cadets. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed your cute operation establishment, it is I, the Mad Hatter, who bears witness. Hyaa-hya-hya-hya-hya!]
Why is it that every villain that shows up has a voice that begs for a slap on the back of the head?
I sigh.
[Especially you, Saionji-chan? With such cool judgment and command, truly worthy of being everyone’s role model. As expected of the Student Council President! Hya-hya-hya-hya-hya! But with me, the Mad Hatter around, I can’t let that happen. No, no, no! Absolutely not!]
Saionji Aris’s cheeks twitch.
[So, I thought I’d spice the game up a bit. Everyone’s cool with that, right? Huh? Isn’t that right? I, the Mad Hatter, love a fair game! Hya-hya-hya-hya-hya!]
The mock gate trembled with his words.
Beyond the horizon, other magical pulses rose beyond the Yatagaras.
A multitude of ordinary Otherworlder hordes emerged.
[Kyahhhhhhh!!]
Fwooosh.
The Yatagaras erupted in flames from its black wings, rampaging.
Normally, these minions would be no match, but in this situation where we must face the rampaging Yatagaras, even a small mishap could skew our chances of victory.
Aris bit her lip.
[This should be fair, right? I, the Mad Hatter, also have orders to follow, you see. It’s absolutely essential that I do not let any of you cadets go free. So, I hope you understand! Hya-hya-hya-hya-hya! But, if you want to stop the game, there is one way.]
“You can never be let go, you know. So, I hope you understand! Hahaha! Ah, but if you want to stop the game, there’s one way.”
The Mad Hatter’s greasy voice fills the model gate.
“Hand over Nishizawa Eri to this Mad Hatter!”
Everything goes as expected.
Not surprising at all.
That crazy guy did the same in volume three.
“Then, I’ll let the rest of you go. Transmission ended. Hahaha!”
Thud.
The broadcast cuts off.
The cadets start to stir.
“Hand over Nishizawa-san?”
“If handing over just one Nishizawa means we can live, isn’t that a cheap price?”
“To be honest, it was annoying. We’re not even close.”
Whispers of the agitated cadets.
Nishizawa Eri standing next to me flinches.
“Everyone, quiet. Please, quiet…”
Aris flinches, clearly struggling to suppress her Kansai dialect.
Now’s the time.
“Chairperson.”
I raise my hand.
“What is it… Kim Deok-Sung cadet?”
Her silver eyes turn to me.
I take a deep breath.
From here on, I need to deliver a line that makes my limbs cramp up, to convince everyone.
Damn, if only this wasn’t a light novel world.
“I have… a way to save everyone, including Nishizawa.”
“Go on.”
Instead of answering, I draw Durandal and manifest my gift.
The Magic Core and the Black Stone resonate, and the rising magic transforms into darkness, bursting forth through the blade of Durandal.
The rising darkness shifts into a massive dome enveloping the entire area.
Mad Hatter.
I’ve blocked the visibility of that unpredictable guy.
“What Mad Hatter wants is Nishizawa. So, as a pair, I’ll lure Mad Hatter out with Nishizawa, and we will defeat him. Meanwhile, Chairperson, you lead the remaining forces against Yatagaras.”
I don’t know where Mad Hatter is.
But knowing his obsession with his daughter, he’ll definitely show up if I dangle Nishizawa as bait.
That’s how light novel villains are.
“But that is too reckless. The Mad Hatter is a B-rank villain. He’s not an opponent that two first-year cadets can face. If things go wrong, both of you could be in danger.”
“That’s exactly what I’m aiming for. If only I and Nishizawa go out, the Mad Hatter will let his guard down and reveal himself. We’ll seize that opportunity to take him down.”
Technically, there’s Bella hiding in my shadow as well, but there’s no need to reveal that now.
In order to deceive the enemy, you must first deceive your allies.
Mad Hatter will unknowingly fall into the trap I set.
I never bet on a losing board.
“But…”
Aris bites her lip.
If she were a character from a domestic web novel, she would have immediately given her consent without question, but this is the overly kind light novel world.
Like many other characters, she’s hesitating over the option of sacrifice.
I take a deep breath.
I need to deliver another cringe-worthy line, so I prepare my mind.
I look at Aris and say, “To defeat Yatagaras, we’ll need nearly all the cadets’ powers. If I draw in any other forces besides Nishizawa and myself, the other cadets will be at risk. I will definitely defeat him together with Nishizawa.”
Aris’s gaze wavers.
Is she still undecided?
This permission is taking too long.
Just as my patience is about to run out.
“Chairperson, please trust Kim and let him go. He is a reliable person and… my friend and roommate. I believe that Kim will save us all.”
From behind me, I hear someone’s voice.
Kurosawa Yuji, the protagonist.
“Chairperson, I’m a crude delinquent, but I know he’s not an ordinary person. Please trust him.”
Next up is Ishihara Daiki.
His delinquent tone rings in my ears.
“I feel the same. Kim Deok-Sung is the only man worthy of having Noble French Princess Olivia Napoleon Bonaparte as his exclusive maid. Please let him go, senior.”
The one and only man worthy enough to have Olivia Napoleon Bonaparte, the precious French princess, as his personal maid. Send him over. Senior.”
*Clack.*
Olivia places her hand on her chest and spins around.
Honestly, it’s still embarrassing, but—
Yeah, I’m getting used to this.
“I agree with Bonaparte. Kim Deok-Sung will become my husband. I believe he will surely return alive.”
Shinozaki Rin speaks stiffly after me.
Oh, I can’t take this.
Wait, what? Husband?
Is she out of her mind?
Who would marry you?
My insides are boiling.
‘Rin, that crazy girl. We’ll settle this later.’
Under normal circumstances, I would have unloaded a verbal barrage of over 5,700 words.
But since this is an emergency, I have no choice but to let it slide.
Once the four of us finish speaking, silence blankets the open area.
A typical light novel-style, senseless persuasion relying solely on “I believe.”
However,
“Very well. I grant permission for the operation. Cadet Kim Deok-Sung.”
Here, such persuasion works.
Sufficient to sway Aris’s heart.
Thank goodness.
Aris steps closer to me.
*Tap.*
She gives my shoulder a light pat.
“Instead, you must not die. This is an order. I wish you good fortune.”
In true light novel fashion, Aris expresses her kind concern in a solemn voice.
My favorite character, now right in front of me, alive and moving.
Conflicting emotions whirl inside me, but there’s no need to show it.
“Sure.”
I nod instead.
Now, it begins.
*
In the middle of a forest filled with gnarled trees.
“Mad Hatter! As promised, I’ve brought Nishizawa Eri! Show yourself!”
Kim Deok-Sung’s voice saturated with magic echoes through the woods.
Beside him stands a beautiful girl with orange twin tails, Nishizawa Eri, biting her lip in anxiety.
‘You can do this, Eri. You can do this.’
It’s a rare opportunity to be on a mission solo with my master.
The perfect chance to prove I’m better than that muscle-bound cat burglar, Shinozaki Rin.
‘Did she just say husband? That thief Rin… Ugh, I’m so annoyed.’
Nishizawa Eri’s heart swells with jealousy.
Since that day on the way to school, Eri has not liked Shinozaki Rin at all.
She hates that they call her by her name in front of my master.
It’s cowardly to pressure me using her physical advantage that I don’t have.
Not that I’m small either.
With well-filled B cups, Eri thinks that’s a decent size.
Plus, she’s a galaxy-ranked beauty, after all…
‘I’ll show my master that I’m useful beyond just my looks…’
Just as Nishizawa Eri grips her chain scythe, fired up for battle.
*Flash.*
With a burst of light, a man wearing a mask that’s half white and half black, topped with a silk hat and black suit, appears.
“Wow, I really didn’t think you’d bring Nishizawa Eri before the Mad Hatter!”
The Mad Hatter speaks in a greasy voice.
“If I offer only her, you will let the others live, as promised?”
Kim Deok-Sung asks in a serious tone.
The Mad Hatter responds with a casual tone.
“Promise! I really like that word, but if that happens, it would be unfair to Nishizawa, or rather, Eri-chan, wouldn’t it?”
Eri-chan?
Nishizawa’s expression slightly twists.
That name sounds familiar…
Just as Nishizawa’s thoughts reach that point.
“It’s been a while.”
The Mad Hatter tosses aside his mask.
There, an adult man with orange hair resembling hers and an unsettlingly similar face to Nishizawa is revealed.
“You, you are…”
Nishizawa stutters as she recognizes the Mad Hatter’s face.
An unforgettable face.
The image of her mother being abused by this man, her father, flashes in her mind.
Terrible memories replay in her head.
Her hands tremble slightly.
“My daughter.”
“Shut up.”
“Ugh.”
Nightmares come flooding back.
Nishizawa Eri tightly shuts her eyes.
She doesn’t want to hear this.
Mad Hatter speaks in a gentle voice.
“I’m sorry about that time. Your dad had his reasons.”
“Shut up! Just shut your mouth!”
“But hearing that you’re being bullied at the academy and are on the verge of expulsion… I simply couldn’t take it. Even a worthless dad like me couldn’t stand idly by. So here I am. You can blame me for everything. But I just want to give you a new opportunity.”
Mad Hatter moistens his parched lips.
Nishizawa Eri.
Though she is his daughter, she’s a student with remarkable potential, ranking third in the entrance exams to Shuo Hero Academy.
If she were to be corrupted into a villain, not only would Master praise him, but he might also rise from being a lowly League member to a higher position—perhaps even become one of the top executives in the 13 Apostles.
“Hehehe.”
Mad Hatter hides his dark intentions while pretending to be sincerely saddened, tears streaming down his face as he speaks with a sorrowful voice.
“Those students who bullied you, the student council that brought you before the disciplinary committee with outrageous excuses, your backstabbing friends, the men who harbored disgusting desires for you, and lastly… Kim Deok-Sung, who humiliated you and put you in this situation with that collar!”
The moment Kim Deok-Sung’s name is mentioned…
Nishizawa Eri’s body flinches.
Her hands stop trembling, and her breathing steadies.
Seeing this, a smile creeps onto Mad Hatter’s lips.
Kim Deok-Sung.
Surely his presence is the switch that triggers his daughter’s trauma.
Mad Hatter thought to himself as he said, “Especially Kim Deok-Sung! He’s surely the one who pushed you into the abyss. I saw it too—the humiliating sight of you forced to wear a collar and bowing down… Ugh.”
Mad Hatter feigns tears.
“That very person who led your bullying has now brought you to me to sell you out! How utterly shameless! Don’t you want to get revenge on him?”
They’re almost there.
Nishizawa Eri, who has been brought before the disciplinary committee and suffered the humiliation of a collar and bowing, is on the verge of breaking.
Just a little push, just a tiny bit more, and he can recruit her into the League.
“Thank you, Mr. Kim Deok-Sung. It’s truly fortunate that you brought my daughter here. Truly, this Mad Hatter is lucky.”
He chuckles inwardly.
Kim Deok-Sung coming with Nishizawa is a stroke of luck.
Mad Hatter continues, his voice slightly more excited.
“I’ll give you the chance to take revenge on all of them, a chance to take revenge on Kim Deok-Sung. It’s fine if you hate me. But even if you do, don’t miss this chance for revenge, my daughter. Join the New World League…”
“Don’t speak about my Master so carelessly.”
Nishizawa Eri interjects, cutting off Mad Hatter’s words.
She raises her head.
Her orange eyes, welling with tears, blaze with the fire of rage.
“Trash. You make me sick. You’re the worst, the lowest. Who do you think you are… What do you think you’re doing?”
Nishizawa Eri bites her lip.
Her orange eyes lose focus.
“How dare you bring up the precious relationship between Eri and my Master! Die!”
SWISH!
Her chain scythe flies up.
Mad Hatter’s eyes tremble.
“My Master, you say?”
A flustered voice spills out of his lips.
What kind of nonsense is this?
I need a smoke.
Everything was as expected.
I expected Mad Hatter to use me to persuade Nishizawa Eri.
Now, all he needed to do was unleash chaos, and then I could use her as a meat shield to take down Mad Hatter.
That’s what I thought.
“How dare you bring up the precious relationship between Eri and my Master! Die!”
But I didn’t expect Nishizawa Eri to react like that.
Couldn’t she just drop that ‘Eri’ nickname?
Are you trying to be the observer here?
