I’m Sick of the Kind Protagonist, so I Might as Well Just Die - Chapter 45

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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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#45
The azure letters filling the empty air were so vivid they stung my eyes. As I gazed down at them in a daze, I suddenly furrowed my brow.
‘Premium observation round, finest banquet, viewing and intervention… This isn’t a guide for us at all.’
The explanations were bizarrely detailed and blatantly explicit. Every sentence that filled my vision reminded me once more that this world was a meticulously arranged stage for someone’s voyeuristic pleasure.
‘Grabbed by that enormous hand and dragged away—I suppose I’ve been ordered to do this.’
Glancing sideways, Leonas Hagpethar Yuletanis and Bilateia Fernichiosa Venisike’s expressions weren’t much different from mine. Bilateia’s knuckles had turned white as she gripped her fan with force, while Leonas was struggling to maintain a sinister smile, his jaw clenched.
I felt a measure of relief in their expressions. It meant I wasn’t alone in failing to hide my bewilderment before this blatant system’s interference.
“The Grand Duke is merely the consort of the Imperial Princess and the Emperor’s proxy—he cannot exercise authority equal to that of the great Empire’s master.”
Perenustus spoke without hesitation in a clear voice, as though the letters floating in the air were completely invisible to him.
“This is a summary of the entire Nobility Assembly’s opinion. Concise, wouldn’t you say?”
Having finished his pointed report, he bowed respectfully. In this room filled with pink lace, his utterly businesslike demeanor alone created a chilling sense of incongruity.
Leonas Hagpethar Yuletanis, who had been glaring at the floating text while mulling over Perenustus’s words, shot back.
“Have you forgotten that I bestowed your title upon you?”
The audacity of a creation telling its Creator, ‘I made you.’ Real anger, not performance, threaded through Leonas Hagpethar Yuletanis’s voice.
“Is that bastard insane, daring to speak to the Creator like that!”
Bilateia Fernichiosa Venisike, who had been struggling to maintain her haughty expression, hastily hid her face behind her fan and spat out a curse. She seemed to have completely forgotten that she’d just struck the Creator’s hand with that very fan.
“Remember this: I am the one who granted your title, and I am the one who can take it away.”
Leonas Hagpethar Yuletanis added in an even more solemn voice. Perenustus looked him up and down as though impressed, then tilted his head with a curious expression.
“Hmm. Is such a thing possible? You just told me the Grand Duke cannot exercise authority equal to the Emperor’s.”
“….”
Leonas Hagpethar Yuletanis’s pupils trembled noticeably. Perenustus then laughed and waved his hand dismissively.
“A jest, of course. How could I forget such kindness? I am grateful every minute, every second. That I sit in this excessive position as a Duke is entirely thanks to the Grand Duke’s boundless magnanimity.”
“…I’m relieved you haven’t forgotten. Though it seems you’ve forgotten that a joke must entertain the listener to be successful.”
“Oh dear. If it wasn’t amusing, I do apologize.”
His tone was smooth, but Perenustus’s voice was filled with mockery sharp as a honed blade. Leonas Hagpethar Yuletanis’s eyes twitched slightly.
“Your business is concluded. Withdraw.”
“I had hoped to take a walk with my wife, if I may.”
Perenustus’s gaze turned toward me. Leonas Hagpethar Yuletanis gestured coldly at my feet, covered only by a thin layer of stockings.
“Unfortunately, that won’t be possible. As you can see, she is not permitted shoes.”
“For an affectionate couple, the presence or absence of shoes is hardly an obstacle.”
Perenustus approached me with a smile, not blinking once. He lightly but firmly brushed away Bilateia Fernichiosa Venisike’s hand, which had been gripping the back of my neck, and lifted me into his arms. My perspective shifted in an instant.
“Then I shall take my leave.”
With a respectful bow, Perenustus left the chamber. Beyond the closing door, Bilateia Fernichiosa Venisike and Leonas Hagpethar Yuletanis’s gazes clung persistently to his retreating figure.
“Have you ever stepped outside this place?”
I shook my head, entranced by the genuinely tender question. Though I had died and been resurrected countless times beyond counting, this was my first time crossing the threshold of this room.
“The Inner Palace has a most beautiful Garden. Especially at this time of year.”
As we passed through the Corridor and emerged onto the open Terrace, a dazzling sunlight and a Garden I had never seen before spread before me.
“Wow….”
A gasp of wonder escaped me as I turned my head in every direction. The world beyond the room filled with lace and sweet fragrance overflowed with brilliant light and color. The water streaming from the Fountain, shattered into jewels by the sunlight, and the nameless flowers filling the Garden—all of it was dazzling to behold.
-Shall we wager? Whether my excellent students will follow us, or if they’ll hold a tactical meeting among themselves.
As I glanced around like a child encountering the world for the first time, Perenustus’s voice echoed in my mind. I did not respond.
‘I suspect Leonas and Bilateia will seize the first opportunity to slip into the Dark Space. They’ll find some secluded corner where no one can see them, put their heads together, and curse Perenustus while they strategize.’
I quickly changed the subject before he could read my thoughts.
‘It was written in the status window. That sentence: “Enjoyable observation and active intervention are recommended.”‘
Perenustus merely tilted his head slightly and walked slowly down the gravel path while holding me.
‘The omitted subject would be those Ancient Gods, wouldn’t it?’
He only nodded briefly again. Dissatisfied with every location, Perenustus wandered through the Garden for quite some time before spotting a pristine white Gazebo tucked away in one corner, and immediately headed toward it.
Stepping into the fragrant shade created by flowering vines, he carefully set me down upon a pure white iron table.
“From here, we should have a reasonably good view of that room from earlier, shouldn’t we?”
He murmured thoughtfully, gauging the distance to the building. I looked up at him in confusion. The moment our eyes met, Perenustus carefully wrapped his arms around me as if cradling the most precious piece of glasswork. To any observer, he appeared to be the most affectionate of husbands.
‘…Do you really need to overact like this? It’s unsettling.’
-Of course. Those Ancient Gods must be grinding their teeth, so I should put on a good show.
‘You could have just guided me through my thoughts, but since you came here directly, now they’re grinding their teeth! Didn’t you say direct intervention by administrators is forbidden?’
-I came in with permission and full confidence.
‘Ah… Is that so?’
-I’m not Aurelia, and I don’t cause such massive incidents without authorization.
His point was irrefutable, so I merely clicked my tongue once and averted my gaze. Though no matter where I looked, I was still nestled in his embrace.
-I hope those old fools become even more irritated. They can’t drag me around as they please because of the words they spoke, so I can only imagine how their insides must be churning. The thought alone makes me laugh.
‘…Your personality really is—’
-Fitting, wouldn’t you say? I’m simply repaying them for tormenting Aurelia.
‘What…?’
-Who else would take responsibility for my mission if not me? Don’t be so startled.
Suddenly, heat rushed to my head. Perhaps it was from the mental conversation we’d been exchanging. My entire body felt saturated with the resonance of his voice. While a fever spread through my body, the outside world was touched only by his cool temperature.
‘How much longer are you going to hold me…?’
-Until a reaction comes.
Perenustus replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, and now he even began humming softly while brushing my hair aside. Each time his long fingers grazed my ear or seemed to slip along the nape of my neck, the fever inside my body felt as though it were flowing outward.
‘Come to think of it, Perenustus’s touch feels far more natural than when Leonas touches me.’
I was marveling at his focus, which rivaled that of master craftsmen, when Perenustus whispered into my mind once more.
-While we’re occupied like this, the Ancient Gods will make contact with Leonas and Bilateia.
My eyes widened.
‘Why? Why would the Ancient Gods seek them out?’
-Didn’t you see those sentences I planted earlier? I’ve already set the stage for active intervention.
‘Ah…’
-Since I, who am nothing but an eyesore, am attached to Aurelia, the most certain card those old fools can play to strangle us is—
‘…Leonas and Bilateia.’
-Exactly.
My pupils, which had been fixed solely on Perenustus as if the world contained only the two of us, shifted toward the distant room. Perenustus, his brow furrowed in displeasure, cupped my cheek in his hand.
“When you’re with your spouse, do focus on your spouse, my dear.”
He uttered the exasperating remark without the slightest concern, then gently caressed my flushed cheek. His touch was persistent and meticulous, as if he meant to erase every trace of where Leonas had touched me with his own cool temperature.
-This world is a stage for observing how those old fools react when I commit actions beyond a certain degree. As a bonus, I can also test how susceptible my Academy’s top students are to temptation.
‘They dug a trap this elaborate?’
My lips parted without my consent. Perenustus, pleased by my expression, laughed aloud. Then, tilting his face at an angle, he pressed his nose against mine.
As I held my breath in shock, his cool whisper seeped through the gap between my parted lips.
“So please, trust no one but me, Aurelia. You have only me as your ally.”
Perenustus’s jewel-like eyes gleamed with a crystalline transparency that made my breath catch.

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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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