Adopting the Male Protagonist Changed the Genre - Chapter 46

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 46

* * *

“What’s this little scrap?”

Those words were nothing more than a tiny gear.

But I realized like a bolt of lightning that it was a very important piece that organically connected all the gears that had been spinning uselessly in their respective places.

The moment the title that the Magister of 【Hirome】 used to call the Protagonist came from Chaser’s mouth when I met him at night, I realized I had been making a huge mistake all along.

“What is that painting?”

“I’ll specially tell you my name, little scrap who has become my first disciple.”

The interior of the Magic Tower and the heroic painting that differed from the game illustrations.

The Magister’s disciple who shouldn’t exist.

Why had I been so certain that the current Magister would be the Magister from 【Hirome】 who kills Belinda?

Without even having met the Magister.

With my expression completely hardened, Vivian carefully confessed about the past.

“It was about 8 years ago. Rumors spread among the fellow mages that Chaser had sleepwalking disorder. Every night at 12 o’clock, no matter how much we called him, Chaser wouldn’t respond and would rush out of the Magic Tower, only returning when dawn broke, but he couldn’t remember what happened the night before.”

“But I couldn’t think it was sleepwalking. Because… I saw it.”

Vivian held her breath for a moment as if recalling that day, then continued speaking.

“I saw Chaser’s brooch soar up to 9th Rank. And just once, I had a conversation with Chaser at night, and he couldn’t even read, so he asked me to read the contents of some note for him.”

“His way of speaking, his memories, and even his drastically changed magical power. It looked exactly like… someone else had taken over Chaser’s body.”

It looked like someone else had taken over Chaser’s body.

With those words, I felt like I could hear the gears in my head clicking into place and turning.

I immediately contacted the Magic Tower with talk of a large investment, and the Magister responded to my contact right away.

I had ended up in the position of going to meet the Magister I had tried so hard to avoid, but it was worth the risk.

If my guess was correct, the current Magister was…

“My disciple must have pleased you quite a bit. To promise such a large investment, hehe.”

Not the Magister who appeared in 【Hirome】.

I swallowed hard as I faced the Magister who, far from hiding his face, had it fully revealed.

This person would retire for some reason soon.

And the mage who would newly occupy the top of the tower. That person would be the patron who kills Belinda.

It was still just a hunch, but I thought I knew who it was.

That’s why I needed evidence to support my speculation.

Only then could I know exactly who would kill Belinda and me, and prepare defenses.

I took advantage of Chaser being away from the tower for Leo’s lessons to examine Chaser’s room with the Magister’s tacit permission.

Anything would do. As long as it could serve as evidence that Chaser, or rather, borrowing Vivian’s words, ‘that person’ who took over Chaser’s body every night, was the next Magister.

And discovering that bundle of letters was heaven’s luck.

The content of the first letter, which never once received a reply, was very fierce.

Get out of my body.

It was that note Vivian had mentioned.

“He asked me to read the contents of some note for him.”

“I read the note’s contents for him, and Chaser looked so distressed then…”

I recalled Vivian’s words as I read through the following letters.

You bastard, you deceived me! You said my brother had run away!

Biological Fusion Report of Subject A and Subject B

Don’t worry, brother. I’ll definitely find a way.

It was a secret that Chaser couldn’t confess to anyone and an accusation against the vile Magister.

As I organized the letters and miscellaneous materials back to their original state, my hands trembled.

I barely managed to steady my breathing.

“What I want is to kill a certain soul.”

Now I could finally see Chaser’s real purpose and plan.

Like pulling blocks from a precariously stacked Jenga tower, I sorted out what I could interfere with and what I must never touch.

And…

“You said you’d tell me the truth. But I have to do this kind of studying?”

I decided to teach Kiss, who came to find me through the window like a night visitor, how to prop up supports for the dangerously swaying tower.

* * *

I had thought several times that the Magister of 【Hirome】 was petty like a child.

But now I see the Magister wasn’t petty but was truly just a child.

His waking hours were barely four hours or so.

Because he had significantly less time awake than others, Kiss’s mental age was still only at a child’s level, unlike Chaser.

“And then, and then?”

Perhaps that’s why. Though he pretended otherwise, his face listening to the fairy tale reading showed faint excitement like Leo’s.

I had learned from teaching Leo that the best way to teach reading was to spark interest with books that matched their taste.

After selecting and organizing simple sentences for Kiss to copy today, I wrote a short question at the very top.

What do you want for a snack.

Kiss immediately traced the question I had written with his fingertip, then wrote a crooked reply.

Something sweet. What sister was eating.

It had only been a week since he started learning to read, but his speed was surprisingly fast.

By the way, what had I eaten before Kiss came? It was past midnight, so I hadn’t touched anything since it felt burdensome to eat at that hour.

When I didn’t answer, Kiss pointed to his own lips knowingly and glanced at me.

“Your lips smelled sweet. You definitely ate something delicious by yourself. Give me some. Let me eat some too.”

My lips smelled sweet?

Only then did I remember that what this little kid who knew nothing about the world was pointing out was the lip balm I had applied for moisture.

Come to think of it, it did seem to have a sweet scent.

Suddenly feeling mischievous, I dabbed some moisturizing balm on my thumb tip, then beckoned with my index finger for Kiss to bring his face closer to mine.

And I playfully pressed my thumb tip firmly against Kiss’s lips as he defensively stretched his head forward.

“…!”

“How is it, as sweet as you thought?”

“Th… this… sh, shameless!”

“What?”

It was just a simple prank, but Kiss turned red not only in the face but all the way to the nape of his neck, trembling before suddenly standing up.

“I’m leaving!”

“Kiss.”

“I don’t care! I’ll never come to see you again, sister!”

And with that, he really opened the window and left.

“….”

I estimated Kiss’s mental age to be around twelve years old.

Come to think of it….

“Is he at the age where he’d be going through puberty?”

But I wasn’t too worried.

Because I knew Kiss would come again tomorrow anyway.

I could vaguely sense it.

That the reason Kiss came to see me every night wasn’t to learn the truth, but simply because he needed someone to talk to as Kiss, not as Chaser.

And as I expected, Kiss visited the Blanche Estate annex the next day too.

Though he had a sulky expression like a spiteful cat.

Thanks to the steady night tutoring, he was soon able to read quite skillfully.

To be honest, since I relied on the Belinda translator to write, I wasn’t a very good teacher.

So in this case, I’d have to say the student was exceptionally excellent.

Sister, tell me about Chaser.

After he grasped the basic rules of writing, we were having conversations through written notes to help him learn to read quickly.

When I saw Chaser’s name that Kiss had written for the first time, pressing down hard with his pen, I instinctively knew the time had come.

Chaser and Kiss shared one body but had never once communicated with each other.

‘No, they did communicate exactly once.’

Kiss, who had opened his eyes in Chaser’s body, spent each day with slight guilt about occupying his younger brother’s body, yet with the expectation that Chaser would welcome him, and relief that Chaser was safe.

The first note from Chaser that reached him through Vivian was,

[Get out of my body.]

It was enough to tear Kiss’s heart to shreds and make him tremble with betrayal and anger.

I knew how the years of silent accumulation bred misunderstanding, and what kind of tragedy that misunderstanding could create.

I couldn’t write any response until the ink that dripped from my pen nib left scattered traces on the paper.

Kiss, who had been lying with his head on the desk at an angle, seemed bored of waiting and opened his mouth.

“Sister, why don’t you use magic?”

Who is he trying to tease? Not everyone can naturally cast magic.

“Because I don’t have magical power.”

Just as I was gently moving my pen, having finally thought of an answer to Kiss’s written question.

“But that thing around your neck, it’s a magic-sealing stone, isn’t it?”

Kiss said, flicking his own earring once.

I glanced at all the various accessories Kiss was wearing.

Unlike my ruby-red one, the gems on the earrings and rings he wore were all a dull dark red color.

A magic-sealing stone. It was the first time I’d heard of such a gem.

Come to think of it, I had just assumed it might be a ruby based on its color, thinking on my own without having it appraised.

I asked without stopping my hand.

“Is it an expensive gem?”

“Rather than expensive… I’d say it’s rare enough to be hard to obtain even with money.”

Ah, so it’s a limited edition item. Indeed, something Belinda would possess.

Kiss seemed about to say something more, but as soon as he saw the paper I held out, he closed his mouth.

Final assignment. Check Chaser’s letters in the dormitory at the Magic Tower.

After a long while, when Kiss spoke again, his voice was filled with suppressed anger.

“Final lesson? Why is it the final lesson?”

“Because now you know the truth and have gained the power to deal with it.”

Instantly, Kiss’s expression twisted savagely like the day we first met.

“The truth that Chaser is trying to kill me? Is that the obvious thing you’ve been calling me here every night to tell me?”

I wanted to say that wasn’t it, to immediately tell him the future I knew, but I held back and kept my mouth shut.

This was a deep misunderstanding that could only be resolved if they faced each other completely.

All I could do was give Kiss the means to communicate with Chaser.

Therefore, I spoke with a firmness that seemed almost cold.

“It’s the final assignment, Kiss. Make sure to check it and don’t disappoint me.”

Kiss glared at me for a long time, then left without even saying goodbye.

The next day, Kiss didn’t come to see me.

Not the day after that, nor the day after that either.

And a week later.

“Sister, wasn’t that final assignment too difficult? I really cried while doing my homework.”

When Kiss came to see me again, I instinctively knew from his expression that today would be the last day I’d meet with Kiss.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————