-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: A Beastly Reputation
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Eve stared blankly at Barkov, who had been burned to a crisp.
It was only natural, considering she had just incinerated a man.
But I, on the other hand, wanted to praise Eve.
"You saved someone. That man was truly on the verge of death."
I didn't want to turn Vinesha into a murderer.
She still needed to be active within the Jerion Academy.
"Haa."
Despite my praise, Eve let out a long sigh.
Then she returned her sword to her hip and turned back to me.
"...Hanon Airey, I really don't understand what you're thinking."
To Eve, I was a figure shrouded in questions.
Someone impossible to get a read on.
That's precisely why I must have seemed dangerous in her eyes.
A person who wielded ancient dragon magic, and whose reasons for being near Iris seemed impure.
"And I still believe the ancient dragon magic you possess must be erased."
"Eve, you saw with your own eyes that I wield ancient dragon magic."
"Yes, and that's precisely why I know it's not perfect. More than that."
Eve squinted her eyes and stared at my hand.
"You're not just wielding ancient dragon magic, are you? From divine artifacts to mysteries and things similar to them.
There's more than one unusual thing about you."
Only now did I realize why Eve had rushed her transfer even more.
"Hanon Airey, I don't know what you're doing this for, but you are in a more dangerous state than you can imagine.
Every single power you're touching carries inherent risks."
Just as she said, everything I dealt with came with a price.
'She's looked into me quite a bit.'
After what happened between us, Eve must have gathered information on her own.
And from the information she gathered, she drew a conclusion.
All the powers I wield came at a cost.
Whether it was today or later.
Ultimately, it would come back to me like a boomerang.
"I don't know what you intend to do."
Eve clenched both her fists and stared at me.
"But at least you have to stay alive."
From beginning to end, Eve had stepped forward out of concern for my life.
She was consistently kind-hearted.
"Eve."
I gave a bitter laugh.
"I don't particularly intend to die."
The main reason I was trying to prevent the bad ending was to preserve my own life.
My life was important to me too.
'More accurately, I'm walking a tightrope.'
The emotions of love, dulled by the Veil of Bandages.
That included my own.
Still, it seemed my life was barely clinging to its importance.
"Everything I'm doing is to stay alive."
"...What on earth is that work?"
"Saving the world?"
Eve shot me a glare, telling me not to be glib.
I was serious, but she didn't believe me.
It was disappointing.
"Tell me properly this time. Then, depending on the situation, I'll help you."
Just like the protagonist of a side story, she offered to help me even after all I'd put her through.
"That sounds tempting."
I desperately needed Eve's help.
But I didn't know how much she would believe me.
'What can I make her understand right now?'
I could inform her about the existence of the Evil Lord, who was about to engulf the world.
However, there were too many eyes here.
"I'll explain soon. I need your strength too."
I would tell her gradually, so she could understand.
"My darling!"
At that moment, Vinesha's voice came from behind.
I turned my head, and there was Vinesha, running towards us with all her might.
She had been observing the situation through evil spirits when she noticed me and came here.
"...My darling?"
At that moment, Eve's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Hanon Airey, I heard you were engaged to Sharin Sazaris?"
She looked at me with calm eyes.
Reflected in her eyes was a rake, toying with women.
"No, this is–"
"Oh, my darling, you really are! You caught that pig in my stead! You love me so much."
Eve's eyes began to grow even more murderous.
"What is your name, ma'am?"
Eve directed a question towards Vinesha.
Vinesha blinked at the question, then tightly hugged my arm.
"I'm Vinesha, your darling's wife!"
Who's your wife?
But if I denied it now, I didn't know how Vinesha might react.
Vinesha was needed for Act 4, so her mental state needed to remain stable until then.
As I remained silent, Eve let out a breath of disbelief.
She had asked for a name as a test, and a completely different person claimed to be my wife.
And I wasn't even denying it.
I could well imagine how I looked in her eyes.
"You beast."
In an instant, I was treated like an animal.
Eve looked at me with contempt, then turned around and walked away.
"Are you a beastly man, my darling?"
I really wished Vinesha would just be quiet.
***
Afterward, Vinesha, Eve, and I dragged Vice-Professor Barkov back into the academy.
Dorara had quickly fled the moment he saw the dangerous situation.
He was certainly good at looking out for himself.
Vice-Professor Barkov was going to be referred to a disciplinary committee.
Barkov had committed an irreversible act.
After all, I was currently being put forward by the White Grandmaster as a hero candidate.
So slandering me was like tarnishing the White Grandmaster's reputation.
No matter how much Barkov had the backing of the Count Deblizhu, he couldn't dare to cross the White Grandmaster.
He would clearly be discarded like an old shoe.
Before seeing the end of Vice-Professor Barkov, I first guided Eve to the girls' dormitory.
Normally, it would have been Vice-Professor Barkov's job, but Barkov was in this state.
So I decided to show her the location of the girls' dormitory myself.
Of course, Eve, who was being guided, remained silent the entire time.
Occasionally, she didn't forget to show me a look of contempt.
This was because Vinesha was clinging to me all day, whispering sweet nothings.
It was only natural, considering a guy engaged to Sharin was now cavorting with a vice-professor.
But I couldn't push Vinesha away.
Vinesha was an important figure in the remaining Act 4.
If my relationship with her went awry, there was no telling what unpredictable things might happen in the future.
I felt wronged in many ways, but there was nothing I could do.
"Eve, this is the girls' dormitory."
Under her piercing gaze, we safely reached the girls' dormitory.
After guiding her, Eve glanced at me, then walked away without a word.
"See you in combat class."
I tried to speak to her kindly as she walked away, but received no reply.
It seemed I was thoroughly being treated like a beast.
"My darling, why do you keep paying attention to her?"
Vinesha asked, sounding jealous.
"I want to be friends with her."
"For my darling, isn't it enough to have a girl who is both your lover and your friend?"
Looking at it this way, I once again wondered why Vinesha liked me so much.
After all, Vinesha and I had only known each other for about a week.
'No matter how much she has an affection deficit.'
Vinesha's affection seemed excessively strong.
"Vinesha."
Just as I was about to ask my question and call out to Vinesha.
"You, why don't you just go around spreading rumors that you're parading women all over town."
A familiar voice reached my ears.
When I shifted my gaze, there was a girl with sun-kissed hair emerging.
Isabelle Luna.
She had coincidentally come out of the girls' dormitory at that moment.
From her attire, it seemed she was planning an afternoon training session.
Still, she didn't seem to be overexerting herself.
She appeared to be consistently training at her own pace.
Isabelle's eyes landed on Vinesha.
At that, Vinesha, who had met Isabelle's gaze, pulled my arm even tighter.
My arm felt like it would break soon.
Isabelle had caused a few concerning incidents in the past.
Perhaps because of that, I felt my body tense up without realizing it.
Isabelle stared at Vinesha for a while, then turned her head to look at me.
Then she smiled faintly.
"Hmm, that should be fine."
What did that mean?
I wore a puzzled expression.
"You, just don't feel empty later after giving your heart away."
Isabelle said something meaningful and also gave Vinesha a hint.
"Vice-Professor Vinesha, trying to fill what cannot be filled will only lead to emptiness."
Vinesha's shoulders twitched.
Normally, Vinesha would bare her teeth at any woman who approached me.
But for some reason, Vinesha avoided Isabelle's gaze and subtly hid behind me.
It was as if she felt Isabelle was very uncomfortable to be around.
"Well then, I'm busy with training."
Isabelle walked away with steady steps.
I stared blankly at her retreating figure for a moment, then shook my head.
I mulled over what Isabelle had just said, but no clear answer came to me.
"My darling, that girl, something, something about her feels bad."
Vinesha shivered.
Vinesha had a look of someone who had encountered something extremely unsettling.
I thought Isabelle had only spoken with a kind smile, but I couldn't quite understand it.
"Vinesha, what is it about me that you like?"
More importantly, I decided to ask the question I had been about to ask earlier.
Vinesha, upon hearing my question, clasped her hands together and her eyes sparkled.
"Everything."
Her eyes were scary.
"But if I had to pick a better part, it would be this: my darling is the only one who has ever filled this maiden's emptiness."
Vinesha placed her hand over her chest.
Her long, nail-art adorned fingernails stood out.
"This maiden has always felt hollow inside. But after meeting my darling, it was the first time I felt this inside being filled."
"All you and I did was talk and eat meals together."
I knew well that Vinesha's preference was for younger men.
Moreover, with Vikamen's face, I thought it would be easy to exploit her affection deficit.
The process of how she and I met was nothing particularly special.
Vinesha had been pickpocketed by a passing man.
I saw it as a chance to make a good impression and rushed at the man, retrieving her bag.
There was a scuffle during the process, but I had experience in combat.
I managed to evade everything and tire the man out first.
The man must have realized I was no ordinary person, as he took off running.
I then returned the bag to Vinesha.
"Y-you got my bag back for me. Would you like to have a meal?"
And before I could even say anything, Vinesha offered to have a meal with me.
At the time, I thought, 'This must be the power of good looks.'
But Vinesha fell for me faster than I expected.
So much so that a week later, I felt it would be dangerous to stay any longer and made a swift escape.
"There were many men in this world who approached this maiden."
Vinesha had a natural attractiveness.
A beauty that could charm any man.
That's why many men approached Vinesha.
"But my darling, you seemed to want absolutely nothing from this maiden."
At that time, my mind was very complicated.
It was completely consumed by the thought of having to prevent the bad ending immediately.
That's why, even before I used the Veil of Bandages, I didn't even have time to harbor personal feelings for her.
I had seen Vinesha's face daily in the game.
More than anything, I had the preconception that she was the Mad Sorceress.
However, this ironically became a huge advantage for Vinesha.
"And you diligently listened to all of this maiden's uninteresting stories."
Vinesha was a mid-boss level character in the game.
While I knew her circumstances, I didn't know much about her personal story.
So, listening to her stories was surprisingly interesting.
It felt like seeing the backstory of a game I loved.
"It was the first time. To this maiden, all men were drooling beasts, only interested in my face or my chest."
I'm sorry, but I'm not much different from other men.
Before using the Veil of Bandages, my mind was too complicated to care, and now...
'Damn it.'
Suddenly, I felt a little down.
Sadness, at least, remained strong.
"So this maiden thought! I must marry this man!"
Vinesha hugged my arm tightly, smiling happily.
The soft feeling was comforting.
"So I decided to become my darling's wife."
Vinesha gave an eye-smile, flirting.
Even after hearing Vinesha's story, I still questioned her love.
Then, I suddenly mulled over the words Isabelle had left behind.
'...Trying to fill what cannot be filled will only lead to emptiness?'
My gaze fell upon Vinesha again.
She was still looking at me with loving eyes.
'What cannot be filled.'
At the same time, I gradually realized one fact.
Vinesha didn't want to be loved.
What she wanted was not to receive love, but to give love.
She knew that no matter how much she was loved, she could never be filled.
Because the love she desired had already been shattered and disappeared in the early evening.
That's why she was wary of those who gave her love and kept them at a distance.
But conversely, her eyes were drawn to those she could give love to.
The human mind is unstable.
That's why sometimes, even when people love themselves more than anyone, they still self-harm.
The self-harming behavior of a narcissist is like that.
In this way, people sometimes act in ways that completely contradict what they desire.
Knowing that she couldn't be filled, she self-harmed by giving instead.
She was forcibly scraping out an empty vessel, self-harming.
I, who didn't desire love from Vinesha.
To her, I was the most suitable person to scrape out her own insides for.
'Ah.'
What was important to her wasn't a week of love.
She simply needed someone to pour her unfillable affection into, a form of self-harm.
Vinesha's and my eyes met again.
She smiled happily.
But I now knew that the emotion in her eyes was not simply love.
Yet, I still couldn't push her away.
She was an important character in this scenario.
'Now I understand.'
Why Isabelle had advised me not to give too much affection.
And I quietly touched my arm.
'Isabelle, how did you see through all that at once?'
Isabelle was becoming more and more frightening in many ways.