SSS-Class Sui**de Hunter - Chapter 93

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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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Episode 93. Falling Through (3)
5
Romance Fantasy Principle 3
“Do you wish to nurture love between two people? First, make them hate each other.”
“Hatred is lightning. Affection is thunder. When lightning blinds the eyes, the thunder of affection begins to roar.”
6
“How do you fare?”
The School Entrance Path of Solmeuwin Academy.
“Quite well, thank you. I slept soundly. And yourself—did you rest well last night?”
“Splendidly, thanks to your concern. I had such a pleasant dream that I’m in remarkable spirits. This morning I intend to eat two slices of toast.”
“How delightful! I do wish to hear of your dream. Might we take breakfast together?”
“My, what a wonderful notion!”
“Hehe.”
The students exchanged pleasantries with stately grace, their smiles luminous. Magnolia blossoms lined the white path, and “how delightful” and “hehe” rippled gently along it.
Peace. Serenity.
Not even a chorus of nestlings gathered in harmony could achieve such tranquility, nor could a blooming tulip garden surpass this calm. It was the sort of sight that purified the soul merely to behold. There were moments here that sparkled like diamonds.
“Ah, Geum Sa-mae. I trust you are well?”
And the diamond was merely rather tarnished coal.
Set alight, it burned magnificently.
“Not at all! I am decidedly unwell!”
“Oh?”
The Heresy Inquisitor smiled brightly at the young noblewoman who had greeted her.
“How could I possibly be well? I was attacked by assassin’s whelps last night and nearly died. I haven’t slept a wink, and here you come asking if I’m at peace—do you have a brain in that skull of yours?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“No, of course you don’t. If you did, you’d never ask ‘how do you fare’ to someone who might have perished last night. Ahahaha! It’s not I who needs to be well—it’s your head that needs peace! Is your skull safe? Are your brains in good health?”
“Y-yes… eh? Yes?”
“Ah! My, your head must be broken if your mouth is twisted like that. Never mind. I understand! A healthy body houses a healthy mind. How could your mind be intact when your head is damaged? Do run to the Infirmary at once. Or better yet—vanish from my sight!”
“…A-ah…?”
Stagger.
The young noblewoman swayed and collapsed. Only her servant’s quick catch prevented her from tumbling down the path itself. The students who had been exchanging warm greetings let out screams.
“Baek Nan-hwa! Are you all right!”
“Goodness! She’s gone so pale…”
“Someone, fetch the school nurse at once!”
“Breathe! Can you hear me? You must breathe!”
“Geum Sa-mae! What on earth did you just say…!”
Murmuring. Chaos.
The nestlings had fled the peace they’d sung of, and a bomb had fallen upon the tulip garden’s serenity. The diamond burned brilliantly now. The noble maidens tended to their fallen schoolmate with practiced care, yet could not hide their shock.
The Heresy Inquisitor grinned.
“What is all this fuss? I merely asked after the state of someone’s head, since she so tactlessly asked after my wellbeing!”
A noblewoman nearby gaped.
“Y-your… head is… well…?”
“Ah. You have such fine red hair. Quite striking! Could it be your skull has cracked and your brains are leaking out? Ahahaha. What a shame—your already regrettable intellect is in danger of further decline. Do collect yourself!”
“H-huh…”
Stagger.
“Miss!”
“Kyaaah! Mae Hwa-cho!”
“Where is that nurse!”
“That wage-thief!”
“Someone get water!”
“Security! Security!”
Chaos had arrived. The sight of apocalypse itself. The world had not yet fallen, but the School Entrance Path of Solmeuwin Academy was being most enthusiastically laid to waste.
“Ahahaha.”
The Heresy Inquisitor, who had single-handedly reduced a twenty-meter radius to ruin, stood grinning with not a trace of malice on her face. Dark circles shadowed her eyes from a night spent in Attribute Tutoring, but that hardly dimmed her smile.
“Four Kings, you are supreme! My Focus truly has not risen in the slightest!”
You are supreme yourself.
The effects of Yeom Je’s one-on-one tutoring were extraordinary.
“I shall place my complete trust in you going forward! Your methods are truly reliable, Four Kings!”
I bowed at precisely the angle befitting a steward.
“Thank you for the praise, miss.”
“Not at all! But tell me—is stepping on my foot also a method to hinder my Focus? My big toe is beginning to ache.”
“I can’t help it if I’m going to play the role of a disreputable butler. You’ll have to bear with me.”
“I understand completely!”
That morning, fourteen young noblewomen were admitted to the Infirmary at Solmeuwin Academy.
The incident that had unfolded in front of the Female Student Dormitory spread across the entire school in an instant.
It was what they were calling the “Your Head Okay?” incident.
7
The Cafeteria, the Main Building, the Garden.
Wherever you went, students were whispering about what had happened.
‘Geum Sa-mae, daughter of the Count, has lost her mind.’
‘Ever since the attack yesterday, she’s been a different person.’
‘A demon has possessed her.’
‘Two young noblewomen and one young nobleman who departed bravely to investigate the rumors and uncover the truth still haven’t returned.’
‘Doesn’t that make things even more intriguing?’
‘So who ordered the assassination of Geum Sa-mae?’
‘The unofficial Solmeuwin club, the All Older Sisters’ Younger Siblings Gathering, welcomes the current changes. We urge our fellow students to undergo a shift in consciousness.’
‘Geum Sa-mae’s butler was spotted mixing salt into her tea. There are many witnesses.’
‘It’s dangerous.’
‘An assassination attempt.’
‘The Crown Prince himself is supposedly handling the matter.’
‘She’s gone mad.’
‘I’m losing my mind.’
‘Proper salt intake is good for your health… salt in tea is wellness?’
‘Geum Sa-mae…’
The rumors snowballed into urban legends.
“Geum Sa-mae! You have insulted your master’s honor!”
But regardless of whether the rumors had turned into urban legends, the fact remained that fourteen young noblewomen had collapsed. Naturally, the servants of these young ladies had every reason to be furious.
Though they didn’t dare confront the noble ladies themselves, they could easily challenge a fellow servant like me to a duel. When lunchtime arrived, the angry servants came streaming forward in a line.
“For our mistress’s honor and the reputation of our house, we cannot ignore this. Please permit us to duel with the young noblewoman’s servant!”
“Ho ho.”
The Heresy Inquisitor nodded her head.
“I understand! If you all wish to settle this amicably…”
“Wait a moment.”
I stepped on the Heresy Inquisitor’s foot discreetly. She let out a small yelp.
“What is it?”
“If you’ve committed to playing a disreputable role, you have to see it through to the end. Don’t just accept what others say at face value. That’s not disreputable enough.”
“Ah, I see. Of course. So what should I do to be more disreputable?”
“Just do as I say.”
We exchanged whispered words between ourselves. The servants who had requested the duel simply stared at us with bewildered expressions. A moment later, the Heresy Inquisitor opened her mouth with the look of someone who had just grasped a profound truth.
“Very well! You may duel with my servant as you wish.”
“Ah, thank you for granting permission. Then right here and now…”
“But! If you want to duel, you’ll have to pay me!”
The servants blinked in confusion.
“…Pardon?”
“If you want something from me, you have to pay for it. That’s what I’m saying.”
The Heresy Inquisitor settled onto a garden bench and crossed her legs. Her playful face radiated an imposing presence. If young children saw her like this, the word “sister” would probably burst out of their mouths automatically.
“My butler belongs to my family. Since I’m the only one here from my household, she belongs to me as well. If something of mine gets hurt during a duel, what then? Will you take responsibility?”
“Um, um, um…”
The servants from noble families were taken aback. Pay money for a sacred duel? Wasn’t that far too ruffian-like?
“Um, how much would you need?”
“Five gold coins will do!”
“…….”
“Aah hah.”
The Heresy Inquisitor delivered the final line exactly as I had taught her.
“Surely your loyalty to your young mistresses isn’t worth less than five gold coins, is it?”
“…….”
The servants began pulling out gold coins. Watching them, I felt a bit sorry for them. Some of them had expressions of distress on their faces.
Their faces showed concern about whether it was truly honorable to purchase a duel for the sake of their mistresses. A look that seemed to ask, ‘Is this really right?’
But there was no backing out now. Once one or two of them started handing over gold coins, the rest of the servants fell in line with the tide.
“H-here you go. Young noblewoman.”
“Yes!”
“I’ll have some too…….”
“Of course! Much obliged!”
“Ah, forgive me. I’m afraid I only have silver coins at the moment. Would you accept change……?”
“We’ll take everything!”
The Heresy Inquisitor squeezed the diligent servants for every coin. The poise of a young noblewoman granted a Distinctive Name by the Emperor himself vanished without a trace beneath the jingling music of money.
Servants take after their masters.
“Hmm.”
I rolled my neck side to side like a common thug, just once in each direction.
More than ten servants stared at me in awkward silence.
“Just checking something, if you don’t mind.”
“What, what is it.”
I picked up the Holy Sword, scabbard and all.
“Has anyone here gone hungry for more than a week?”
Joyful sounds of impact rang out across the garden. I became a percussionist of sorts, dropping the servants one by one like a skilled drummer, beating them until the dust rose. I didn’t hold back.
“Ugh!”
“Hack—cough!”
The servants shrieked as countless students watched. Looking around, I saw shock written across their faces. Behind me, the Heresy Inquisitor rolled the coins in her palm, humming contentedly.
Shrieks, astonishment, the sound of money.
Three melodies forming a perfect trinity.
“Tch.”
Then, through the crowd of onlookers, someone rushed forward urgently.
“Sylvia! What in the world is this commotion!”
The ramen noodle—or so to speak, the carbohydrate—of this Apocalypse world. It was the Crown Prince.
Blonde noodles looked thoroughly flustered. Seeing that puffy, bloated face reminded me of the bewilderment he’d caused us last night. Today, I’d returned the favor in perfect reverse.
“I heard troubling rumors of a sudden disturbance, though I’d dismissed them as malicious gossip as always. But now, attacking fellow students—what in the world… You there!”
The Prince muttered in confusion, fixing me with a glare. His eyes burned with surprising coldness for a bowl of soup.
“What are you doing! When your master grows weary, a servant must exert all effort to dissuade them! Drawing a sword and acting recklessly—as a steward you’re third-rate, and as a servant you’re unfit! Unfit, I say!”
“Forgive me, Your Highness.”
I fastened the Holy Sword to my belt and lowered my head.
“I accept judgment from no one but the young noblewoman. Should she call me third-rate, then third-rate I am; should she deem me unfit, then I shall withdraw. But as long as she does not, I shall remain a faithful steward.”
“You… you’ve caused such a disturbance, and yet you dare to be so shameless…….”
The Crown Prince’s lips moved soundlessly before he fell silent. He shook his head firmly. He’d decided that exchanging words with a servant like me was pointless.
“Sylvia, have I not told you many times? You mustn’t keep such a man as your steward. The palace has several promising eunuch candidates carefully groomed for service. If I petition His Majesty, I can bring one of the most capable. It’s fine! Don’t worry. My father already holds you in such high regard.”
Wow.
The watching students let out soft gasps. Several young noblewomen wore expressions of sweet rapture. The Crown Prince had expressed his affection with such utter transparency.
The young noblewomen sighed wistfully, whispering among themselves.
“What will happen? The Crown Prince’s betrothed is Princess Eun Baek-hap…….”
“But they were bound by contract before either was even born, weren’t they? That’s ancient history. We’ve long heard that His Majesty is fond of Young Noblewoman Geum Sa-mae, so perhaps…….”
“Oh, what shall we do!”
Even as they lamented their uncertainty, the young noblewomen’s eyes gleamed.
No scandal burns hotter than royal romance.
When your own family’s diamond catches fire, you mourn the waste. But when someone else’s diamond—especially the Empire’s most brilliant one—burns brilliantly, you’d pay any price to witness it.
“Sylvia, what do you say?”
The Crown Prince approached and took the Heresy Inquisitor’s wrist.
“Will you grant my earnest request?”
“…….”
The Heresy Inquisitor regarded the Crown Prince.
I felt the tension in that moment too.
Which would burn brighter—the love of Geum Sa-mae, the [female protagonist], or the self of the Heresy Inquisitor, playing the role of [wayward noblewoman]? I did my best to reinforce the latter, but in the end, it was the Heresy Inquisitor who bore the weight of that inner struggle.
We could lose this gambit.
“…Your Highness.”
The Heresy Inquisitor opened her lips slowly.
“What fragrance are you wearing today?”
“What?”
“I apologize for the bluntness, but it’s rather unfamiliar to me.”
A bright smile bloomed across the Heresy Inquisitor’s face.
Snap.
The Heresy Inquisitor smoothly withdrew her wrist from the Crown Prince’s grasp, then produced a fan and opened it. Above the fan, her half-lidded eyes blossomed in amusement.
“Have you identified the masterminds behind the assassins who attacked me yesterday?”
“Ah, no… the investigation is still ongoing.”
“If my steward hadn’t been at my side last night, I likely would have suffered sabotage! If Your Highness truly cares for me, I earnestly ask that you show my steward the same respect. Doesn’t my steward protect not only my life in the small sense, but also the academy’s honor in the greater sense?”
“…….”
“Your Highness, I trust my steward above all others!”
It was the moment ramen began to boil across the Crown Prince’s face.
And the Heresy Inquisitor spread her fan wide and laughed.
“Oh—ho ho ho ho!”
It was the most romantic laughter in all the world.
S-Rank Hunter: One Must Die to Live (Serial Publication)
Author │ Shin Noa
Publisher │ Kim Ju-hyeong
Published by │ J Plus Media Co., Ltd.
Marketing │ Han Jae-hyeok
Address │ 204, 288 Digital-ro, Guro-gu, Seoul (Guro-dong, Daelung Post Tower 1)
Email │ [email protected]
Website │ www.jayplemedia.com
ⓒ Shin Noa 2019
※This work is published by J Plus Media Co., Ltd. under contract with the copyright holder. No part of this work may be used in any form or by any means without permission from the publisher and author.
Violation of this prohibition may result in criminal and civil legal liability.

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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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