I’m Sick of the Kind Protagonist, so I Might as Well Just Die - Chapter 13

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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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#13
I held Perenustus’s piercing gaze without flinching. Whether it was dissatisfaction or approval, his crimson lips curved into a long arc.
‘What is this? Why is he staring at me like that? As if I’ve said something I shouldn’t have.’
The madness that lurked behind Perenustus’s languid, gentle mask gradually receded. Only when complex emotions remained in those clear, sky-blue eyes did he nod.
“Let’s try it.”
“No, not such an ambiguous answer. Promise me directly. You said contracts can have problems over a single speck or word. I read it in a book.”
He furrowed his brow as if struck by my point, then nodded with a resigned expression.
“I promise. If you balance the total of comedy and tragedy, and successfully overturn the chorus of those old men above, I will personally restore your Village. I’ll even guarantee that the villagers can live long and happily.”
“And don’t forget to erase me from the villagers’ memories too.”
I nodded along with him and added carefully. Perenustus furrowed his brow deeper and nodded. I extended my hand.
“I’ll do my best. I promise to work hard.”
“….”
Perenustus stared down at my hand with furrowed brows, hesitating for a long moment. His gaze traveled from my hand to my face, then back to my hand.
He acted as though this simple handshake meant something far greater than a mere promise. After lingering much longer, he removed his gloves and took my hand very slowly, very carefully.
‘Oh….’
His bare hand, touching mine for the first time, was far colder and harder than I expected. It felt less like the hand of a living person and more like the hand of a marble statue.
“Your skin feels just like Silpi’s scales. It’s pleasantly cool and smooth.”
I blurted out something random to ease the awkwardness, only to make it worse. Just as I laughed nervously and tried to pull my hand away, Perenustus gripped it harder.
“I have one more question.”
His cool hand squeezed mine firmly. It didn’t feel like a challenge, but I didn’t want to lose either, so I squeezed back with equal pressure.
“What would you like to know?”
“Why do you go so far for people who betrayed and stabbed you? I simply cannot understand it.”
Bracing myself for what might come, I let my shoulders drop and laughed softly.
“I don’t think the villagers betrayed me. They chose the best answer between two options: killing me or disappearing together. How can I call people who were forced into such a choice traitors or perpetrators?”
“Then who do you consider the perpetrator?”
“I don’t know. It doesn’t seem very important anymore.”
Perenustus’s eyes flickered subtly, as if he’d heard an unexpected answer. I stared at him, turning over the question in my mind, then shrugged.
“Honestly, I’m just feeling pretty embarrassed about how irritated I was with Bilateia and Leonas earlier.”
“….”
“Just as the villagers had their reasons for stabbing me, they must have had their reasons for resenting me. What’s the point in dividing ourselves into perpetrators and victims? That’s why I apologize for before.”
With that said, I turned to apologize to Bilateia and Leonas. Bilateia waved her hand dismissively, as if urging me to just finish what I was saying.
“Meaningless…, indeed.”
Perenustus, whose brows had furrowed even deeper, let out a genuine laugh. It was a smile I’d never seen before—a truly human expression.
The moment I saw that smile, a strange feeling washed over me. It felt like I’d just passed some crucially important test.
‘I don’t even know what test I just took. From what I can tell, this is a man whose mood is impossible to read—whether he’s pleased or displeased.’
So I simply laughed along with Perenustus and quietly withdrew my hand. This time, he released it willingly.
“So where do I go now? The next Training Stage?”
“No. I’m thinking of sending you to the real Worlds.”
“Oh, so I’m finishing training in just one go?”
“No. I’ve determined that a significant level reduction is necessary for training. Based on your answer just now.”
“….”
“While I repair the Training Stage, Aurelia, experience the true Worlds firsthand. Go to the places that have stalled because of you and do your best.”
Just as I was nodding with confidence, I caught sight of Leonas Hagpethar Yuletanis and Bilateia Fernichiosa Venisike with their mouths agape and expressions frozen. Noticing something in their faces, I drew a sharp breath.
“Wait… Are you saying not just the World I lived in, but all the Worlds have stopped?”
“That is correct. Given the severity of the error, I determined it safest to halt them until we either identify the error with certainty or learn how to utilize it properly.”
I stared at him with my mouth hanging open before nodding.
“If the entire World has stopped because of me… I need to get there quickly.”
“Hey, hey, wait! Professor, could I borrow her for a moment?”
Bilateia suddenly hurried toward me. Perenustus raised one eyebrow, demanding an explanation. Bilateia, who seemed to have no intention of being interrupted, even grabbed Leonas Hagpethar Yuletanis by the arm while pointing at me.
“Aurelia has no foundational knowledge she needs to understand before being deployed to a World. Speaking from the perspective of someone who experienced the Training Stage with her.”
“Ah. So Bilateia will provide attribute tutoring? Directly?”
She hesitated slightly at Perenustus’s rather intimidating question before nodding. Perenustus gave a short approving nod. At the same moment, my body, Bilateia’s, and Leonas Hagpethar Yuletanis’s were pushed to the far corner of the Classroom.
“Since it appears you’ll be teaching tricks the Professor shouldn’t hear, I’ll allow it.”
“…Thank you.”
Bilateia bowed respectfully and lowered her voice further as she pulled me closer.
“Listen carefully, Aurelia. Remember that Dark Space that cunning bastard took you to before?”
“Yeah.”
“If you find yourself in over your head in the World you enter, just hide there. It’s a blind spot beyond the Administrator’s reach—time doesn’t flow there, and there’s no danger.”
“…But then nothing gets resolved.”
“Are you stupid? When you’re in over your head, it means you should focus on escape, not on solving it!”
“Oh….”
Just as I was about to ask how to escape, Leonas Hagpethar Yuletanis, shielding us both with his body, whispered very quietly.
“If it comes to that, enter the Dark Space and use Basilect.”
“How am I supposed to use a holy sword in a place with nothing?”
“It’s a blade that cuts anything. ‘Anything’ means it can cut whatever the user wants to cut, so use it however you see fit.”
I let out a short exclamation and swung my right hand. A gleaming silver flash appeared, and the blade materialized. Leonas Hagpethar Yuletanis chuckled softly.
“You’ve grown accustomed to it incredibly fast. Keep practicing whenever you can once you enter the World.”
“Thanks.”
“According to legend, the holy sword Basilect can change its form freely according to the wielder’s will, so practice that transformation as well.”
I nodded with a serious expression and dismissed the blade. The moment Basilect vanished in a flash of light, Perenustus called out to me.
“Aurelia. Are you finished with your secret student conversation?”
“Probably…?”
“By the way, I myself do not know which World Aurelia will be sent to.”
“What? If the Professor doesn’t know, who does?”
Bilateia, who had been pondering what else she needed to tell me, asked in surprise. Perenustus answered calmly.
“We must entrust it to fate.”
“…Fate? You’re sending such an anxious girl alone to a World on fate?”
“My Aurelia is such a tremendous variable that even the creator of the Worlds cannot predict her. I wish to guarantee her the maximum degree of freedom.”
“Freedom? Freeeedom?”
This time, Silpi gasped and raised her voice in alarm.
“Are you insane? No matter how much you’re the administrator of the Worlds, granting freedom to an Error isn’t just a simple regulation violation!”
“It’s not that big a deal. I’m simply devoting myself to my research as I always have.”
Perenustus shrugged his shoulders. The blue eyes of the man feigning indifference turned toward me.
“Usually, when you allow entry this freely, one naturally gravitates toward the World with the best compatibility. So even Aurelia shouldn’t face any significant difficulties.”
“What is it, then? Are you saying you trust me or don’t trust me?”
“Whether I remain eternally anxious about Aurelia or come to trust you somewhat—prove it yourself this time.”
At those words about proving myself, my heart suddenly began to race.

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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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