SSS-Class Sui**de Hunter - Chapter 98

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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 98. Your Heart (2)
The Silver Lily Young Lady spoke. “Listen.”
“For one week, until the world comes to an end, you must become my personal attendant—not the servant of the Geumsamae Young Lady, but mine alone.”
“Your personal attendant…….”
“Yes. I know only my own heart; I have never taught love to another soul. There is no way but to show you, raw and unfiltered, how I love. So you must stand beside me, watch closely, and learn well. Watch. Learn.”
……
“Now that I’ve said it, I feel as though I’m the one losing out. No—I certainly am. Am I not laying bare my shameful private life for you? Count yourself thrice blessed, from past life through present and future—all three existences combined, commoner.”
What an utterly haughty noblewoman.
2
From the next day onward, my double contract life began.
I now served not only the Geumsamae Young Lady but the Silver Lily Young Lady as well.
“Hmm, you’ve come?”
“Yes.”
The Silver Lily Young Lady received me in the Dressing Room.
Five in the morning.
She was already awake. Four attendants swarmed around her simultaneously, attending to her preparations. Ordinarily, stepping into a powder room—a dressing room—would be a grave breach of propriety, but the Silver Lily Young Lady herself had dismissed such concerns with a wave: “Tedious. Don’t worry about it.”
The moment I stepped inside, she spoke.
“Show me.”
“Yes, miss.”
The Gray-Haired Servant produced a board with a snap. Lily blossoms adorned it, and a graceful cursive script inscribed a passage across its surface.
+
LESSON 1. (Fundamentals)
Love begins with experiencing a bastard.
+
……
“I deliberated last night. What method should I employ to teach you about love? I’m not so leisured as to focus solely on you, nor can I go about finding your first love. Isn’t that so?”
While I stood there dumbfounded, the Silver Lily Young Lady spoke on, her tone matter-of-fact. Around her, attendants with the same blank expression as their mistress filed her right hand’s fingernails.
“So I resolved to teach you, step by step, the truths you must understand beforehand. Listen well. Repeat after me. Love begins with experiencing a bastard.”
“L-love begins with experiencing a b-bastard……?”
“Yes. A bastard. Perhaps several bastards, at that.”
The Silver Lily Young Lady drew open a fan with her left hand. Whisk! It unfurled with a crisp, clear sound. The peacock-like Young Lady covered her lower jaw with the fan.
“There exist lovers in this world—there must exist—who shared a perfect meeting from their first love. Who knew how to cherish and love from the start, and who shared romantic love from that first glance until they were buried in their coffins. But that will not be you.”
……
“Your lover will almost certainly be a bastard—ninety-nine percent probability. Even if they aren’t a bastard now, they will become one eventually. Why? Simple. It is nearly impossible for any human to avoid being a bastard throughout an entire year. By the same logic,”
Snap.
The Silver Lily Young Lady folded her fan and gestured toward the Gray-Haired Servant. He, as though he had prepared for this moment long ago, flipped the board over without hesitation. Words were inscribed on its reverse side as well.
+
LESSON 1. (Advanced)
You, too, are a bastard.
+
“There is a strong likelihood that you yourself are a bastard.”
……
“But do not think too negatively of it. Humans are creatures of experience. Those who have suffered at the hands of a bastard need not suffer so again. Those who have been a bastard to another may learn not to be one next time. To understand [what kind of human is a bastard], [when I become one], [how I can avoid becoming one]—that is the lesson.”
My head felt numb.
“C-couldn’t I do it right from the start?”
“Butler.”
The Silver Lily Young Lady’s expression remained blank.
“Do not hold expectations of humans.”
……
“Humans forget what they have said. They resolve, then abandon. Forgetfulness and abandonment—know these two words as the iron laws of love. If you truly wish to love well, you must learn the opposite: to [remember] and to [hold fast to your resolve].”
“S-so remembering and resolve must be learned too?”
“Utterly childish…….”
The Silver Lily Young Lady sighed. What have I done wrong? I truly have no idea.
“Seeing once is worth more than hearing a hundred times. I shall show you directly.”
Show me directly?
How?
“And yet you see nothing even with your own two eyes.”
The Silver Lily Young Lady rose from her chair. The attendants, who had clung to her like kittens, withdrew in unison. Escorted by her retinue, she spoke with unmistakable confidence.
“I am the one who loves the greatest bastard beneath heaven.”
Wait.
Why is that so cool.
“Come on.”
The Silver Lily Young Lady walked, and I followed. Not just me—the servants trailed behind as well, though I couldn’t fathom why they were all carrying water buckets.
We arrived at the Academy’s most lavish quarters—where the Crown Prince was staying.
“M-madam duchess.”
The Crown Prince’s attendants greeted us in confusion, clearly flustered. Their spirits seemed utterly crushed; no matter how high-born a duchess might be, she shouldn’t outrank the imperial household—and yet everyone seemed unable to meet the Silver Lily Young Lady’s gaze.
“Have you… eaten?”
“Yes, I have.”
“But dawn has scarcely broken…….”
“Has His Highness been coughing? It is the duty of a ruler’s morning to come earlier than his subjects’.”
“That is to say…….”
“I’m sure he hasn’t. Show me in.”
The Crown Prince’s attendant trembled.
“His Highness has issued strict orders…….”
“What manner of orders? Never mind. I can guess well enough. He must have commanded that should I visit, I am never to be admitted. Is that not so?”
“I regret to say it is…….”
“When His Majesty sent the Crown Prince to this Academy, he summoned me in particular. He instructed me thus: ‘The Crown Prince’s life may grow indolent and reckless, so you, as his betrothed, must take care of him.’ I attend to His Highness by the Emperor’s direct command. You are the Emperor’s servant, not merely his. Tell me—are you the attendant of the Crown Prince, or are you the subject of His Imperial Majesty?”
“Y-young lady.”
“Do you dare refuse the Emperor’s decree by claiming to serve only the Crown Prince? How delighted His Majesty will be to hear of this.”
The situation was resolved in a single minute.
Not one of the imperial servants dared stand in the Silver Lily Young Lady’s way. The duchess crossed the garden, traversed the lobby, and at last reached the Crown Prince’s bedroom.
“Your Highness.”
Three knocks.
“Are you coughing?”
“Do not come in!”
“Indeed you are coughing. I shall enter.”
The Silver Lily Young Lady produced a key as if it were the most natural thing in the world and opened the door. Click. The Crown Prince’s bedroom swung open to welcome us—though its actual occupant was trembling in his bed like a leaf.
“Eek?”
“Your Highness, dawn has broken and you still lie abed? This will not do. His Majesty rises at four o’clock each morning to attend to the Empire’s affairs. How can the Crown Prince, destined to inherit such great responsibilities, be more idle than that?”
“Listen here! Is there no one else! Someone help me——”
“Close the door.”
Bang. The door shut. Not a single imperial attendant remained in the bedroom—only the Silver Lily Young Lady’s servants stood in emotionless formation. The Crown Prince’s shoulders had begun to shake worse than before.
The Silver Lily Young Lady opened her lips.
“Butler.”
“Y-yes, yes.”
“I shall impart to you a second lesson.”
The Young Lady gestured toward the Gray-Haired Servant with a tilt of her chin.
The servant promptly lifted up a prepared wooden board.
+
LESSON 2. (FUNDAMENTALS)
If you cannot avoid a bastard, enjoy it.
+
“En-enjoy it…….”
“One day you too shall fall in love. And with that first love, you will meet a true bastard. Let me give you this counsel: if it is inevitable, then by all means enjoy it.”
The Silver Lily Young Lady snapped her fingers.
“And there is only one way to enjoy such an encounter with a bastard.”
The Gray-Haired Servant deftly flipped the board over.
+
LESSON 2. (ADVANCED)
Become an even greater bastard than he is.
+
Splash!
The servants hurled the contents of the water buckets onto the bed. They had carried those buckets all this way for precisely this moment. “Gah!” The drenched Crown Prince thrashed and sputtered. Instant noodles swelled plump with water.
“…Romance with a bastard is war.”
The Silver Lily Young Lady regarded the soaked prince with perfect composure.
“If possible, war should be avoided. Peace is the highest good. If the other person is kind, then you too should be kind. If they are virtuous, then you must be virtuous as well. But if the other is an unavoidable bastard, remember this.”
The Silver Lily Young Lady drew out a fan. It was a different fan from before. Remarkably, this one too bore inscribed words.
+
Today’s Motto:
Do not be kind to a bastard.
+
Insane.
“Do the opposite. Don’t become good.”
“R-right, don’t become good.”
“Humans are creatures that crave approval. Some wish to appear impressive, others to seem knowledgeable. And still others want to be seen as virtuous. From what I can tell, you belong to that last category. Restrain yourself.”
But the Young Lady did not restrain herself. Not in the slightest.
“Open the door.”
The servants pulled open the door. In the corridor beyond, the imperial attendants stood shifting nervously on their feet.
“What are you all doing there?”
Silver Lily Young Lady spoke as if nothing were amiss.
“The Crown Prince has gotten himself soaked. Even if spring’s warmth is gentle, I fear the Heir to the Throne might catch cold. Come now, help him change out of those wet clothes.”
“Y-Your Highness!”
The imperial attendants rushed forward in a flurry. As if they’d expected precisely this, each produced a towel. What I could gather from this was that this wasn’t the first time Silver Lily Young Lady had deployed her water-dumping strategy.
“Mark my words well. This is the equation of romance.”
Silver Lily Young Lady stepped slowly into the corridor.
“The beautiful lose to the clever. The clever lose to the dog-like. Therefore, those who reach the summit of love are beautiful dog-like geniuses. Butler, you must awaken to this truth and dedicate yourself to refining who you are.”
“I, um…”
Looking back, the Crown Prince’s bedroom was still in chaos.
“This isn’t quite what I imagined love to be like. I thought it would be something more…”
“More romantic?”
“Yes, and…”
“You believed love was felt by the heart, not the mind.”
“Yes…”
“That too is true.”
Silver Lily Young Lady tossed her fan. Whoosh. The Gray-Haired Servant caught it with practiced ease and tucked it into his robes. We walked toward the Reception Room as we spoke.
“But that depends entirely on your fortune. Meeting someone who makes your heart race at first sight—this is no simple matter. Whether your heart stirs when you see another depends on what kind of life you have lived. Love at first sight, in truth, happens when another person’s entire life history is laid bare before your eyes in a single glance.”
“That’s rather difficult to grasp…”
“It is.”
Her crimson eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
“If it proves too difficult, shall we test it?”
A test.
“What sort of test?”
“Whether your heart might race for me.”
“…How would I make my heart race?”
“By performing a commendable deed.”
A commendable deed.
“What constitutes a commendable deed?”
“Must I spell out every detail? Why not simply find your lord and present him to me? Think for yourself, deliberate, and find your own answer, Butler. You are clever enough that you may well succeed.”
…”
“I’ll tell you whether you’re right or wrong free of charge.”
We arrived at the Reception Room. Though it was clearly the Crown Prince’s quarters, the Duchess’s daughter walked through it as casually as if it were her own chambers. She dismissed all the other servants and settled into a chair.
A room laid with a crimson carpet.
Eyes the same scarlet as the floor regarded me quietly.
Hmm.
“Haaah…”
I drew in a deep breath. The air traveled down my throat and lodged in my lungs like a solid stone. Though it was merely a breath, I chose to take it as proof of my resolve.
I pulled out a card from my pocket.
+
[Face Blindness Card]
[What a coincidence? Critical Secret Eavesdropping Card!]
[Oops! Shouldn’t have said that! Accidental Slip-Up Card!]
+
Before entering the Apocalypse, the Bookworm Librarian had given me these as a gift, saying they would become “ten thousand soldiers at my back.” These were cards originally meant to be used on this floor.
Silver Lily Young Lady tilted her head.
“…? What are those?”
“Cards the Bookworm Librarian gave me.”
And.
“If what you said is true, then these would be a type of strategy guide as well.”
Rip!
Without hesitation, I tore the cards to shreds.
The torn cards scattered like fine-colored sand, leaving not a trace behind.
[The Bookworm Librarian is astonished by your resolve.]
Perhaps those cards would have truly aided me greatly in clearing this stage. But showing sincerity to the person standing before me mattered more.
At least, that’s what I believed.
[The Bookworm Librarian recognizes your true intent and offers his applause.]
A reward is only a reward.
A shortcut is meaningful only when it remains a shortcut.
There’s no reason for me to cling to rewards, nor any reason to place value in a path that has ceased to be a shortcut.
“…Hmm.”
The Silver Lily Young Lady rested her chin on her hand, gazing at me.
“Indeed.”
Her crimson eyes gleamed as if they held blood within them.
“Most commendable.”
The Silver Lily Young Lady gestured lightly.
“Come here.”
I stepped forward.
“Your chin is too high. Lower your head.”
I bowed it.
The Silver Lily Young Lady whispered in my ear.
“Well done.”
She drew a Glass Bottle from her bosom. At first I didn’t know what it was. But the moment the stopper came free with a soft pop, I understood. Blue fragrance. A perfume bottle.
The Silver Lily Young Lady removed her Gloves.
She traced the rim of the perfume bottle with her little finger.
“Let me be clear from the start.”
She reached toward the back of my neck, and with a smooth motion, marked a point behind my ear.
“I will not take responsibility for you.”
Fragrance.
A powerful floral scent that made the world swim, dizzyingly sweet.
……
The smell of white lilies.
My head reeled in an instant.
“Does it please you?”
The Silver Lily Young Lady took my right hand in hers. I realized only a moment later that our fingers had interlocked. The fragrance was interfering with my thoughts, making time stutter and lag.
“Yes……”
“Does it suit your taste?”
“…Yes.”
The Silver Lily Young Lady’s red eyes curved upward.
“It pleases me as well. It’s the fragrance I treasure most. My favorite scent.”
Her voice dropped to a whisper, crawling across the back of my neck.
“Since you confess your secrets to me and break them yourself, I find my mood is not displeased. Continue to serve me. Tonight, I too shall reveal to you one secret.”
My heart pounds.
[Your immersion with this individual deepens.]
This is bad.
[Your current Immersion Rate is 15%.]
I think I’m going to fall for this person.
SSS-Rank Hunter: Living Only Through Death (Serial Publication)
Author │ Shin Noah
Publisher │ Kim Ju-hyung
Published by │ J Plus Media Co., Ltd.
Marketing │ Han Jae-hyuk
Address │ 204, 288 Digital-ro, Guro-gu, Seoul (Guro-dong, Daelung Post Tower 1st)
Email │ [email protected]
Homepage │ www.jayplemedia.com
© Shin Noah 2019
※This work is published by J Plus Media Co., Ltd. under contract with the copyright holder, and the contents may not be used in any form or by any means without the permission of the company and author.
Violation of this 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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