HTACS 97

Chapter 97

While Wolfram was playing pitch-control games with the curse using his Stamina 2 body—

Darkness also came to the top floor of Glastheim Dormitory, where Eve von Lohengrin resides.

Deep curses lingered in the room, slowly trying to eat away at Eve’s mind—

*FWOOSH!*

The talisman Wolfram had given her emitted light, and Eve’s sleeping face—which had looked pained just moments ago—softened considerably.

“What is it.”

Eve’s eyes snapped open immediately.

Being intoxicated by sleep is a luxury for her.

Zefflin is an inherently complex and bizarre place, and for Eve—standing at the pinnacle of its students—there was no such thing as preparation time.

Eve, who must split every 24 hours into minute-by-minute increments. The weight of managing hundreds of thousands of immature students does not allow for the state of being lost in sleep.

That’s why she’s always converting mana into stamina, and never unleashes her full 22 mana at full power. If Eve converts too much stamina and collapses, despair would descend upon Zefflin that day.

So, sensing an ominous presence lurking in her room, she opened her eyes on the spot.

This is Glastheim Dormitory—with perfect security. And the student council president’s private room at that.

Feeling an energy that wasn’t her own was an extremely unpleasant experience.

“This place being breached means we might need to change security contractors, don’t you think? I’ll have to suggest that to the Imperial Family.”

In that moment—as a company boasting the merit of protecting Zefflin and the Imperial Family with its countless employees was about to face bankruptcy—Eve frowned at what stood before her.

‘…Eve. Eveeeee!!’

“Wolfram…?”

Eve frowned as she sensed Wolfram von Lohengrin standing before her—pupils dead black, arms hanging limp.

“What are you doing crawling in here at this hour? Are you insane?”

If there’s a most annoying situation in the world, it must be this very moment.

However, Eve didn’t immediately embroider Wolfram’s head with a Light Spear.

Wolfram is an idiot, a fool, a bit lacking, and a loser—but the matters Wolfram brings are quite important.

Originally, to meet Eve von Lohengrin, you’d need to make an appointment a month in advance—but Wolfram was almost always granted immediate passage. Not because Wolfram von Lohengrin is an imperial family member, but because he had the potential to become the faction leader who could most threaten the student council, and the matters he brought were that important and weighty.

So Eve held back from firing the Light Spear.

“This isn’t a security company issue. What are you doing at this hour?”

It was the moment when thousands of small business owners—who had nearly lost their jobs in an instant—had their livelihoods saved.

‘I curse you! Don’t you know what happened to me because of you!’

“…What?”

‘You stole my position, and you dare. You DARE! Unforgivable! Because of you, I’m still a vengeful spirit wandering the nine heavens!!!’

“…”

‘You are incompetent. Give that position back to me! Eve! Eve von Lohengrin!’

At those words, Eve frowned.

Incompetent.

Yes. Right now, Eve von Lohengrin is “just a fool with high stats.”

Considering the pollen incident she handled, the improvements in student convenience, and her future-oriented actions—Wolfram von Lohengrin is overwhelmingly more suited to be student council president.

She is incompetent. Useless.

And that—Eve von Lohengrin knows better than anyone.

‘Give it back!’

“…If that’s what you think…”

At that moment, something on the desk emitted light.

“…Ugh?!”

Eve clutched her throbbing head.

Why did that fortune cookie Wolfram gave her flash? Amid those countless questions, a memory surfaced—words Wolfram had once said to her, casually mentioned while having lunch together in the student council garden.

[“I am here. Wolfram von Lohengrin is here.”]

That phrase struck her mind forcefully.

Wolfram von Lohengrin is here? What does that—

Ah.

‘Behold my death!’

“You’re alive, aren’t you.”

‘…’

“…”

‘I’m wandering!’

“Hmm. He was always this stupid… I mean, he was, but even so…”

‘Receive my grudge. My death. My hatred! I, I…!’

“…”

Only then could Eve realize.

This isn’t Wolfram. Everything about it looks “exactly like the Wolfram I imagine”—but the Wolfram now is “less stupid than that.”

“It’s fake.”

Eve is wise. She has weaknesses when accepting new information or dealing with informational confusion, but she possesses an innate talent for deriving answers from the information she already has.

“If that’s a blessing—a real blessing—then let’s assume it tried to invade my mind.”

‘Give it baaaack!’

“Ah, be quiet for a moment. I see. Is this black magic? No—mere black magic couldn’t penetrate my magic defense… A curse. I see. So this is a curse. Aha. Wolfram foresaw this? A curse targeting me? …Hmm. There’s a lot to think about. I’ll have to squeeze the truth out of him later about how much he knows.”

With that, Eve loaded five Light Spears and smiled brightly.

‘Die… dieee…’

“Before that, you die. It happens to look exactly like Wolfram, so it should be fun to beat up. **[Light Spear: Single Shot: Focus Fire: Sure Hit: Double Tap]** —Die.”

And Eve precisely thrust a single Light Spear toward Wolfram’s head.

—

Taking advantage of the late-night darkness—darkness also came to Ayla Triesta.

A young girl wearing Ayla’s own childhood face stared blankly at Ayla’s sleeping face with hollow eyes.

Cradling a worn-out teddy bear in her arms, the curse spoke to Ayla.

‘Di…’

“Hehehe…”

‘Di…e?’

“Wolfram… Fufu. Yes. Our rebellion… Hehehe.”

‘…Uh, excuse me…’

“We, you see, truly the best… Hehe.”

‘Excuse meee…’

Of course, Ayla was asleep.

Because it was past 10:30.

‘E-eek. D-die.’

The moment the curse tried to touch Ayla—it made contact with the fortune cookie she was holding in her arms—

‘KYYYYYEEEEK!’

And so the curse perished gloriously.

—

Honestly, I think I’m a good person.

After all, I lived my life as Lee Young-jin to the fullest, and I worked really hard to run that convenience store.

But the gazes surrounding me. The schemes. The conspiracies. The false accusations and injustices!

Despite all that, I did my best, and I pride myself on having survived.

“But don’t you think crossing the line to send a curse at me is a bit much?”

‘Ghhk… kikik… gok gok gok.’

Now tired of throwing, I was rubbing the weakest fortune cookie against the curse’s body.

*Crunch*—one fortune cookie dissolved, tainted by the curse. The curse had won in the clash between blessing and curse.

‘Kihihihiii…’

“What are you laughing at? That happy? Wait. I’ll get you a fresh one.”

‘Kihihik!?’

But there are still plenty left. Fortune cookies? I’ve got about a hundred of those at my place.

Having cornered the immobile curse into a corner like herding a rabbit, it looked just like a punching bag—and my heart felt healed.

“I wonder if the caster is vomiting right now, crying, having their intestines twisted, or getting diarrhea?”

The more a curse is blocked, the more burden it places on the “caster.”

And if you torment them this persistently, naturally the burden becomes horrific.

Not that it would kill them—usually.

Like I said earlier—abdominal pain, vomiting, or in severe cases, diarrhea? Not my problem.

“Nice. This is fun.”

Being able to counterattack like this in Episode 2, where you’re usually on the receiving end—it gave me the thrill of blazing an unknown route, and I felt great.

‘H-hii… D-die.’

“Huh?”

‘D-die…’

“Ah, you want to die?”

‘…Hiii.’

The curse said nothing.

Its movements slowly dulled.

‘…Someday… you…’

“Ah.”

This is the reaction of the curse disappearing.

**[Act 2 Cleared!]**

**[Blocked the massive curse!]**

**[Congratulations! For a perfect resolution, a bonus is awarded to you!]**

**[Imperial Bloodline activated!]**

**[Only speech and behavior befitting the bloodline is permitted!]**

Hmm. So it’s really resolved, one way or another. Opening my mouth, I felt that familiar sensation.

“…A message that didn’t appear in Act 1, but appears from Act 2 onward. So it’s really resolved.”

That means my perfect scheme resolved Act 2.

The rewards you get here are quite substantial. But now isn’t the time for that.

**[Would you like to check the bonus?]**

“No. Hold.”

**[Held.]**

I pushed the system window aside slightly and took in the disappearing curse with my eyes.

That might have been Wolfram’s despair.

Walking a dirty path, knowing countless people are trying to kill him.

And yet, powerless, he could do nothing. He had no means of defense.

That’s why he was obsessed with power. Pretended to be stronger than he was.

He was a man who lived with that kind of despair.

And yet, he also had a side that desperately supported artists.

Act 2 is originally an episode about learning the heroines’ stories—but at least for Lee Young-jin, that wasn’t applicable. Not a single one of the existing heroines is Wolfram’s heroine, and I don’t have heroines anyway.

All I could perceive was the lingering echo left behind by a man named Wolfram von Lohengrin.

‘…D…ie.’

“I see.”

I faced Wolfram’s despair.

Yeah. I’ll live on as Lee Young-jin. Whatever your life was like, I’ve seen it well. Then, goodbye.

“But letting you go that easily—wouldn’t that be a shame for me?”

‘…?’

With a small smile curling at the corner of my mouth, I grasped a black stone in my hand.

2-1.

The Yin Black Stone I’d obtained during the expedition with Eve.

“This stone’s basic effect is the same as a mana stone, but the difference is that it has an attribute attached. To be precise, think of it as a curse-specialized mana stone.”

I held that Yin Black Stone in my hand and brought it to the curse.

Instantly, the curse’s body began to swell.

And yet, the curse couldn’t break through the wall of fortune cookies—simultaneously proliferating and self-destructing.

‘Hh ghhk. gik, gok, gok, gak, gh, ungk, ung, giik.’

“Created and destroyed simultaneously. Birth and death at the same time—so it’s life itself.”

Honestly.

Honestly, I was pushed around by the Act 2 boss so damn much.

How many times did I have to run Emily’s route because of this bastard?

“Emily Heymelody’s route can be opened as early as Act 1… so I always had to have insurance.”

The reason I saw Emily’s route a thousand times was because this guy kept messing up the heroine routes.

So—you probably don’t remember, but I suffered for 20,000 hours because of you.

“I use the Yin Black Stone to strengthen the curse, then trap the curse itself.”

Next—

“I build a barrier of fortune cookies to cage it.”

Next—

“I occasionally throw fortune cookies to burn it.”

‘G-GYAAAAAAAAAH!’

The curse caster is probably feeling the agony of twisted intestines right about now.

“This is Eve’s share. This is Regina’s share. This is Isolde’s share. This is…”

Uttering the names of countless heroines, I threw fortune cookies one after another.

“This is Lee Young-jin’s share. This is also Lee Young-jin’s share. This is also Lee Young-jin’s share.”

In the end, my share was the largest.

‘S-save me…’

Now the curse was begging for its life.

For the first time in a very long while, I was able to wear the smile that Lee Young-jin would have worn.

“I’ll save you. Don’t worry—I’ll definitely keep you alive.”

‘…G-gik?’

“So that whenever I’m bored. Whenever I’m annoyed. Even when I’m happy. Even when I’m suffering. Whether business is good or bad—I’ll throw fortune cookies at you and burn you. Until that Yin Black Stone turns to ash. Consider yourself roasted.”

Later, when I meet the boss, they’ll be a hassle—and I suffered for all 20,000 hours—so this much should be forgivable, right?

You won’t forgive me?

What can you do.

I suffered that much.

“Now. The night is long.”

If you have a problem, come find me.

Wolfram’s Convenience Store’s fortune cookies are ready to welcome you.