Deadline Is Raining in the Status Window - Chapter 63

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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#Eugene Brandenburg’s Death Upon Withdrawal from Imperial Crowell Academy (1)

“How can we end the war with the dragon-kin?”
“If we knew that, my family wouldn’t have suffered through generations of it.”
As expected. I knew it was a meaningless question, yet I asked anyway, just in case.
“How do wars typically end?”
“One side has to be annihilated.”
“Is there no way to end it without annihilation?”
“We usually call that a ceasefire. Rest and then fight again.”
This war-loving murderer has nothing but fighting crammed into his skull. The thought flashed through my mind, but since I’m a person with manners, I kept it to myself and simply let my expression sour.
“What’s wrong?”
“Just thinking how extraordinary murderers truly are.”
“Evan. I’ve told you countless times—I’m not a murderer.”
“How many people have you killed so far?”
“Do you remember how many loaves of bread you’ve eaten?”
Murderer.
At such a young age, if he’d killed that many, he wouldn’t even remember them anymore. I remember every single person who died by my hand. That’s what a normal human life is.
“Has the Third Princess arrived yet?”
“Since there’s been no messenger from the club meeting, it doesn’t seem like she’s here yet.”
“Then we’ll talk about it then.”
I had things to discuss with Princess Sera anyway, and it seemed like she’d know more about peaceful solutions than Eugene. There was no point in prolonging this conversation.
“What are you going to do after this?”
“Look into any freelance work available, review my course registration form, and then secretly tail Seian Crowell.”
“…Alright. Have a good time.”
“If you get bored, you can tail him with me too.”
“No. That doesn’t seem like something that would work well with me.”
“Fair point.”
With your volume, we’d be discovered before we even got started. I accepted this and extended my hand to Eugene. The man, who had been shaking it firmly, suddenly seemed to remember something and smiled faintly as he spoke.
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For worrying about me in your own way. You’re the first person to say we should try to prevent this war.”
“I wasn’t worried about you. I was worried about myself.”
“Haha.”
After we shook hands, Eugene clenched his fist, so I gave him a fist bump in return and went my own way.
The work the Magic Practice Professor introduced me to was a suspicious human experimentation project, but since it paid well, I agreed to it readily. With only a healthy body to my name, I should use it wisely. Apparently, most of the work involved consuming suspicious drugs or wearing suspicious equipment and getting beaten for durability testing, so I figured I could earn skill experience points too.
The fact that I took this job is a secret from everyone. Especially from Reina—a secret at all costs. When I told the professor conducting the suspicious human experimentation, he acted as though it was obvious and made a zipping motion across his lips before drafting the contract.
I clutched my precious employment contract to my chest, stopped by the Administrative Office to obtain my course registration form, and then rushed to Seian Crowell’s House like the wind itself.
I rushed past the General Department and arrived at Seian’s House before anyone else could scream, vaulted over the fence, and pressed my ear against the front door. I waited five minutes, but heard no sound of anyone stirring inside. He wasn’t home.
“Tch.”
Then the Library came next. If he wasn’t home, he’d gone to borrow that embarrassing harem-founding chronicle just by looking at its cover. I climbed the fence and jumped, scaling walls as needed toward the Library. The Academy didn’t seem to have mountains, yet strangely the paths had many inclines. Even the General Department building required a considerable walk uphill from the Common Grounds.
“It’s been a while, you workers.”
“Evan, it’s been so long!”
I exchanged pleasantries with the Librarians and asked if Seian had come by. When they told me that the Crown Prince—all appearance and no substance—had merely loitered outside the Library doors throughout the entire break without ever stepping inside, my eyes grew hot.
Just lay down some steel plating and go borrow books—what, can’t you even see the books you want to read?
But that’s precisely what I loved about him. For the sake of his own trivial, insignificant, worthless, small, and adorable pride, Seian would walk with his gaze fixed skyward to keep tears from falling, his nose held high—he was truly my Seian. His actions were irritating, yes, but the fact that my favorite character hadn’t suffered a personality collapse was infinitely more important. So that was that. I wouldn’t give up on this fruitless search; I would simply track Seian’s location again.
“Is the Dining Hall open now?”
“Of course it is. There are professors staying even during the break, and graduate students too.”
Poor graduate students. I would never attend graduate school, even if it killed me.
I ended the conversation with a request for their continued support this semester and headed toward the General Department’s Dining Hall. Ivy clung to the walls, and the ceiling was a glass dome. As I entered the beautiful building that looked like it belonged in a fairy tale, there sat Seian—looking like a fairy tale princess with her long hair flowing—in the student cafeteria, heaping free shredded cabbage onto the cheapest omelet set meal available. That wouldn’t be enough for someone her age. No wonder she’d become so gaunt eating like that.
“Seian.”
“Kyaaaaaaah!”
I’d intended to simply observe, but seeing Seian eating such a meager meal, I couldn’t help but interfere and call out to her. She screamed as if she’d seen a ghost, then hurled her fork at me.
Since Seian possessed combat ability equivalent to an inflatable doll, no one of consequence would be struck by the utensil she threw. I caught the fork with ease.
“Let’s go to the Magic Department.”
“You crazy woman, appearing out of nowhere spouting nonsense!”
“There are foods more abundant than what your meager living stipend can afford. Under my protection, you won’t face any danger.”
“W-who are you treating like someone who can’t even eat a proper meal!”
“Eating only eggs and cabbage daily causes nutritional imbalance.”
“I don’t eat only this every day!”
“Your skeletal frame is evidence enough. I could snap you like a twig.”
“You’re lucky you’re fat, you pig!”
“Thank you. But I still have quite a way to go before reaching my goal.”
“What are you even saying!”
When I quickly devoured the omelet to keep her from lingering any longer, Seian shrieked again and threw soft, padded punches at me. They carried far less force than when she’d first struck me. What on earth had happened during the break to strip away even her muscle? A cat’s punch would hurt more.
My eyes grew hot again at how pathetically weak Seian’s fists were, and I pinched the bridge of my nose. The man startled in alarm, flustered, and gripped my hand tightly.
“W-what is it? Does it hurt? I was hitting gently.”
“It felt like a butterfly landing.”
“Are you mocking me?”
“No.”
Now that you’ve thrown your tantrum, let’s go eat, Crown Prince. I grabbed Seian’s arm and dragged him along, but he sat down on the floor, putting his full weight into resisting. At this rate he’d get hurt—should I just carry him?
“!”
That’s when it happened. With a deafening crash, the air suddenly felt sucked away, and I quickly scooped Seian into my arms and retreated. Strangely, his body felt heavier than usual. Shards of the broken glass dome plummeted to the floor with abnormal speed.
“Evan! I need your support!”
I heard the Department Head Professor’s voice. Next, a wounded Eastern-style Dragon crashed to the ground, and I saw the Common Professor descending through the air with leisurely, graceful steps. Backlit against the light, he looked like a scene from a movie.
Of course, the professor was on the villain’s side. Not a single hair out of place, his trench coat billowing as he descended from the heavens like an angel—no matter how I thought about it, he only looked like a villain.
“Professor!”
“What is it!”
“Professor, you seem like an even bigger jerk, so I can’t bring myself to hit you!”
“In a fight, morality is as meaningless as it gets!”
“Fair point!”
Whether the Professor had cast magic or not, the Eastern-style Dragon couldn’t move an inch, sinking deeper and deeper into the ground. Not just the creature—the surrounding earth was caving in as well, as if buried beneath some colossal boulder.
Telekinesis? No, given how my own movements had grown sluggish, it was likely gravity magic.
“Skill. Guided Freezing.”
Regardless, I was nothing but a powerless student who had to obey when the Professor commanded. As I cast the skill at the dragon, ice spikes materialized—far more potent than any Rare spell—and shot forth like arrows. White breath escaped from my lips simply from standing nearby. The cold was far more intense than before.
“Grraaaaaahhh!”
The screams sounded distinctly human rather than a monster’s death cry, which only confirmed the Professor was the real villain here. Yet what could I do? The dragon was probably innocent, but I couldn’t afford to make an enemy of the Common Professor. I was Evan Laef, after all—someone who became helplessly weak in the presence of the strong.
“Professor! Must you kill it?”
“Why are you asking?”
“Because I keep a lizard!”
“How touching.”
Bastard.
“The defense isn’t breaking at all. Is that really all the output you can manage?”
Son of a bitch.
The Professor, who had just asked for my support moments ago, now began lecturing me the instant he had breathing room, increasing the intensity as he methodically crushed the ground beneath his power.
“Cancel.”
I poured everything I had into forming a massive ice construct, shaping it into a drill before spinning it above the dragon and driving it down with all my might.
“At least you can manage that much.”

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