I’m Sick of the Kind Protagonist, so I Might as Well Just Die - Chapter 29

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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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#29
-Aurelia? Can you hear me?
‘I can hear you, I can! I was just screaming to myself for a moment, that’s all!’
-I… I understand.
‘Understand? Leonas has completely regressed into a child, and you understand? The boy looks like he’s barely ten years old!’
Perenustus’s sigh deepened. He, who had been breathing long, whirling sighs into my mind like a cyclone, added in a weary voice.
-Would you check on Bilateia’s condition as well?
‘Why Bilateia again?’
Grumbling inwardly, I stepped closer to see the face of the one gripping the sword.
“Don’t come any closer! That’s a warning!”
“Ugh… I’m losing my mind. I knew something was off about that voice pitch from the start.”
The moment I drew close enough for clear identification, my eyes snapped shut.
At best, she looked barely seventeen years old. The original Bilateia had been a beautiful woman brimming with seasoned, mature charm, but the one before me now was practically a girl.
‘Bilateia has regressed too. She always looked a bit older than her years, so I didn’t notice at first glance. At least she’s not as young as Leonas… that’s something.’
-As I suspected…
‘You’re saying the same thing again! This is, this is insane—what kind of mess is this? When we’re deployed into the Worlds, aren’t we supposed to enter bodies of similar age with the best compatibility? How is this even allowed?’
-It seems they were both affected during the Worlds’ balance adjustment process.
‘Balance? Don’t tell me this is also because of that total quantity of comedy and tragedy? Is this darkness consuming my vision happening because Perenustus poured all the comedy cylinder into me? Is this my fault?’
-It’s not because of the total quantity. It’s because of Aurelia… that part seems accurate.
I rubbed my face vigorously with both hands.
-There seems to be an error in the basic inherent logic given to the Training Stage.
‘Could you explain it in terms my level can understand?’
-…When the scenario deviates, it’s been set to adjust its balance appropriately on its own. But… that ‘appropriately’ seems to be applying excessively.
‘That sounds entirely like my fault, doesn’t it? Because Perenustus gave me freedom.’
-I can’t deny that. So this isn’t Aurelia’s fault—it’s entirely mine.
Only then did I realize this was Perenustus’s way of apologizing and offering comfort. I closed my mouth, as if to say ‘go ahead and vent all you want,’ and after a long sigh, he continued.
-In the original scenario, Crown Prince Leonas was an adult. But the ‘Worlds’ adjusted the difficulty after witnessing Aurelia’s performance. And of all things, they had to touch the sibling relationship between Bilateia and Leonas… sigh.
‘I’m the one who should be sighing right now! I came looking for reinforcements, and instead of support, I’ve just gained two more children to protect!’
With a sigh, I looked at Leonas again. And with another realization, I drew in a sharp breath.
‘Wait, wait, hold on! Young Leonas looks way too much like the current Emperor… the one I came here to destroy…’
-Ah. The current Emperor is Leonas’s father.
‘What did you just say?’
-Well, a secret birth is a common cliché, after all.
As I stood speechless, Perenustus began laying out an even more astounding truth.
-The Former Empress had an affair with the current Emperor and bore Leonas. Just before the late Emperor could act on discovering this, the current Emperor made his move first to protect his child and the woman he loved.
‘Wait, I don’t understand. He committed treason and seized the throne out of love, to protect them? Then why is the current Emperor trying to kill Leonas? That doesn’t make sense.’
-He’s not trying to kill him. He’s trying to place his precious son—born from the woman he loves—on the throne as safely as possible. The more he plays the villain, the more legitimate Leonas will appear as an heir to the crown.
I completely lost control of my expression, my mouth falling open. Estella, who prioritized family honor above all else, trembled with rage and humiliation, leaving me with my mouth agape and lips quivering in an absurd display.
A few steps ahead, Bilateia glared at me as if I were mad, raising the tip of her sword. The way she heightened her guard made it clear I must look absolutely unhinged right now.
‘What is this! Then the Grand Duchy is just a sacrificial pawn for that tearjerking performance!’
Watching my grumbling helpers with their expressions growing stern, I suddenly understood why I had been placed in Estella’s body.
‘I thought it was a curse—why I ended up in a body so incompatible with me. But there it was: the common thread of being sacrificed to the greater narrative and forgotten.’
Perenustus fell silent. I sighed at an affirmation stronger than a hundred words and shifted the subject.
‘What about Bilateia? Does she know that the younger sibling she’s so desperately willing to die for was born from an illicit affair?’
-Of course she knows. Those two are set up as a forbidden love pairing.
‘What? Ah, wow, seriously, what is with that bizarre taste, really, ugh!’
-It’s not bizarre—it’s a reflection of universally demanded secret desires.
I couldn’t even comprehend what he was saying. I hurled unspoken curses at Perenustus while taking in the sight of Bilateia. The young girl playing at adulthood narrowed her eyes even more sharply.
‘Alright… let me piece this together. Bilateia knows that Leonas Hagpethar Yuletanis is actually the current Emperor’s son, yet she’s acting like this to protect her younger brother. And then the two of them are supposed to engage in this forbidden love business, right?’
-Precisely. Protecting Leonas Hagpethar Yuletanis is Bilateia’s destiny.
“I ordered you to explain—why are you silent! Are you fabricating some plausible excuse?”
Unable to bear the weight of the lengthening silence, Bilateia cried out again. Snapping back to attention at her words, I looked up at the sky.
‘The sun’s position tells me considerable time has passed. The massacre of the Keldrian Grand Duchy must be long finished by now, and they’re likely searching the territory.’
I couldn’t afford to stand here vacant-minded. If this self-balancing system Perenustus mentioned was already in motion, our escape would certainly not be smooth.
I shook my head sharply to clear my mind, raised both hands, and stepped closer to Bilateia.
‘Right now we need to manage these two and flee—we can talk later.’
-Very well. I’ll provide support. Though technically I shouldn’t be intervening like this.
‘With me, Estella, and Perenustus all chattering inside my head, at least I won’t be bored.’
Sighing in unison with Perenustus, I regarded Bilateia with fatigue as intense as when I’d captured the dragon.
“The Emperor massacred the entire Keldrian Grand Duchy under the pretext of searching for the Crown Prince. I’m the only survivor.”
“Show proper respect, you insolent creature!”
Bilateia’s face hardened as she cried out. The small fist of Leonas Hagpethar Yuletanis, clinging to Bilateia’s leg, clenched with sudden force. I let out a scoff toward the two children, whose anxiety mingled with an equally intense wariness.
“The truth is, our house had no reason to suffer this fate—and you, of all people, know that best. How can you demand respect from someone who knows everything you know?”
“….”
“That stricken expression tells me your conscience isn’t entirely absent.”
Estella, who had initially been startled by my informal speech and kept her heart tightly guarded, now clapped her hands as if relieved. The moment I reached a dramatic accord with my body’s owner, I declared openly.
“So I won’t be using formal speech. Because of those two, our house was obliterated overnight—logically speaking, you and I are enemies, aren’t we?”
“Enemies, you say.”
“Listen to what I’m saying. And yet, for the honor of our house, I will stake my life to protect you both.”
“What?”
“It feels like I’m getting a terrible deal, so don’t complain.”
Bilateia’s brow furrowed slightly.
“I do not trust you.”
“Are you really in a position to weigh and judge right now?”
As if to support my words, acrid smoke rose from the sky. I pointed at the black smoke with my fingertip, pressing Bilateia.
“Look at that. Your uncle or father—whoever it is—is burning this entire Sacred Forest just to find you two.”
“….”
“You can be honest about it. Say you’re afraid to run again, that you’d rather hide here and die. Then I won’t push you further.”
“How presumptuous!”
“Presumptuous? That’s rich. You’re not even worthy of my begging on bended knee to protect you.”
Bilateia Fernichiosa Venisike couldn’t move her sword, which trembled violently despite her iron grip. Leonas Hagpethar Yuletanis, clinging to her leg, called out to her softly.
“Sister.”

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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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