Eve Meitner.
The character who appears most frequently among the characters in Academy Swordmaster, an S-class hero, and after the Yoon Se-ah incident, she takes on the role of the protagonist’s mentor to provide special training, adjusting to the absurd difficulty increase.
Then, upon judging that the protagonist is not ready for the premature appearance of the final boss, she sacrifices her life to seal the gate where the final boss lies dormant, extinguishing her eternal-seeming flame of life.
In other words… she is one of those characters who must die for the protagonist’s growth.
“Father’s matter turned out to be rather unfortunate.”
“It’s alright. I didn’t spend much time with Father, so I don’t feel overly saddened by it.”
‘Why won’t you just go already?’
With the tiresome funeral now over, I need to quickly head to Yoon Seong-ho’s lab to hastily fabricate hidden pieces for the protagonist’s party or discover some rare resources that have evaded notice.
‘And there’s the press conference I need to get back for.’
By now, Mr. Kim Deok-bae must be working hard in the president’s office to handle the influx of journalists’ calls and interview requests.
‘Anyway, since the structure of the Yuseong Group is rather simple, once the press conference is over, things should wrap up fine even without me.’
After all, most of what the Yuseong Group does is rather straightforward—it’s akin to a cottage industry. We make potions, check inventory, examine for defective products, and then distribute them to the guilds.
The problem is that the scale of the business has now grown to that of a large corporation.
Most of our employees are researchers responsible for potion development and improving existing potions.
Yoon Seong-ho handled all the transactions with the guilds. Despite the poor impression he gave in other respects, he was quite adept at financial matters, so I’m sure he handed over all the transaction ledgers to Mr. Kim to date, ensuring a smooth transition.
‘I also gave Mr. Kim a hint about improving efficiency.’
At the very least, Mr. Kim is now showing the efficiency of someone with at least 40 years of experience managing a large corporation.
Thinking of this, I suddenly regretted wiping out the entire team of nameless orphans who had been secretly researching for me.
‘I should’ve kept three or four of them alive. After decades of working there, they would have been useful as lab assistants.’
There’s a limit to how much alchemical knowledge I can memorize alone, even by using in-game synthesis formulas.
‘The most I can craft right now… are the Magic Enhancer and Elixir.’
Hmm, those two should be sufficient.
‘The rest… well, I’ll just have regular employees churn through them one by one.’
“Looks like you’re quite focused.”
“Ah, I apologize.”
Let’s just conclude this quick recap of the Yuseong Group here.
Her smiling face…
<><><><><><><>
<Info>
<Name: Eve Meitner>
<Age: ??>
<Tendency: Good, Neutral>
<Skill List>
<Suppression(S)>
<You can freely handle thunder and lightning.>
<Source of Magic(S)>
<Mana is endlessly generated.>
<Insight(S)>
<You can enter a transformed world of the target's memories in the form of inquiries. You can discern the truth or falsehood of the target's statements.>
<Abilities>
<Strength: B+>
<Defense: D>
<Magical Power: S+>
<Health: B>
<Agility: A+>
<Luck: C+>
<><><><><><><>
(Proficiency stats have been changed to Luck stats.)
After all, if I make even the slightest mistake, they’ll snatch all the information about the original story from my mind and brand me as some sort of lunatic.
…
…
…
“Hey, isn’t that S-Class hero Eve Meitner?”
“Tch, why would Eve Meitner be here at this time… huh?! Wow, who else could wear that outfit so confidently?”
“Should we ask her for an autograph?”
“Nah, it seems like she’s consulting with a cadet. Just be content with seeing her.”
“Hehehe, such good kids. I was planning to kindly roast them if they approached rudely.”
The meeting with Eve ended up lasting longer than I expected.
Usually, she’d ask about my relationship with Father and offer a brief condolence that I needn’t grieve excessively. But it seems Yoon Se-ah mentioned this issue to Eve before I transmigrated.
It seems Eve is fully aware of how much of a bastard Yoon Seong-ho is.
‘…When will this end… wait.’
Listening to these lectures for much longer, and I might just drift off to sleep.
“…Does Director Eve have any particular interest in my eyes?”
“Hmm? While I’m still pissed that the bastard Yoon Seong-ho shoved a monster’s eye into yours, at the same time, you’ve admirably endured the pain. And, well… I want to study it.”
Eve’s eyes gleam with curiosity.
‘Hm… if Eve knows Yoon Se-ah has the Evil Eye, then why didn’t she stop her from using it?… No, I understand now.’
Yoon Se-ah had reported her suffering from the Evil Eye’s pain to Eve, but Eve was unable to find a solution. Eventually, Yoon Se-ah was brainwashed by Yoon Seong-ho… that’s about the gist of it.
‘Considering Eve’s discretion, she’s sure to keep any secrets about my eyes confidential. Maybe she’ll be able to research their practical applications.’
“Ah, of course, if it offends or discomforts you, I won’t pursue the research. For you, it might feel like a curse mark…”
“Director, I don’t see my eyes as a mark of shame.”
“Hm?…”
In response, Eve seems to grow serious and quickly casts a sound barrier around us.
“My eyes are a lotus flower blooming from the mud of the abuse by the man called Father. I don’t quite know what he intended to do with this, but I want to use this power to protect more people.”
“….Alright, this conversation will be simple then.”
Eve paused for a moment before digging into a subspace pocket and pulling out something to hand me.
“Take it, it’s my phone number. I have classes, but I’ll meet with you every Saturday to conduct research on your eyes. Does that work?”
“Yes, I’m actually very grateful.”
‘Great, so is that it?’
I’ve found a way to gradually research the uses of my eyes. Now, all that’s left is…
“Ah, are you heading to the press conference?”
“Yeah.”
“Alright, here’s a parting gift for today’s meeting.”
Snap!
“?”
The moment Eve flicks her finger, my vision tilts as if my waist were bent backward.
Clang!
“Kuh-!”
“Aaah, Miss! Are you alright?!”
“Ugh… I’m fine. Quite surprising how forceful you can be.”
When I regain my senses, I’m already in the chairman’s office of the Yuseong Group.
…
…
…
Hummmmm…
“Have you read the documents?”
“Yes, I’ve already changed the phone number, so all private calls from other guild leaders have been blocked.”
On our way down to the press conference hall in the elevator, Kim Deok-bae and I have already synchronized our story.
1. With the sudden death of Yoon Seong-ho, the position of chairman needs to be determined. However, because I’ve already absorbed 100% of Yoon Seong-ho’s shares, there is no longer a need.
2. Although, according to regulations, I could immediately take over the company, since I’m judged academically insufficient, I’ve decided to leave the chairmanship to Kim Deok-bae, who has served loyally as Yoon Seong-ho’s assistant.
3. Once I graduate from the Academy, I will officially take over the chairmanship.
“Pretty easy, right?”
“Yes, it’s quite straightforward.”
Among the broadcasting stations invited, there’s one owned by the Kim family that will undoubtedly throw impolite questions my way.
I’ve already prepared to handle everything perfectly.
Alright, let’s start the press conference.
…
…
…
“Senior, is this the right place?”
“Yeah, the prior message said the press conference would be held here.”
Reporters from the broadcasting station owned by the Kim family.
“Wow… look at the intensity of these questions.”
“Frankly, I don’t think this is the kind of work we’re paid to do.”
Still, they had a long list of highly offensive questions, such as whether Yoon Se-ah, who lacks the common trait of red eyes and white hair among the Yoon family, was truly Yoon Seong-ho’s biological daughter, and if she was fit to inherit the Yuseong Group.
“What can we do, if we don’t ask these, we’ll get fired.”
“Ah… that’s truly unfortunate… uh… KYAAAA?!?”
BAM!
Suddenly, a dull thud sounded beside me, and the junior reporter collapsed.
“Wha- what is this? You guys… KYAA?!?”
CRASH!
The senior reporter tried to resist but was quickly subdued by men in black suits who placed some sort of device on his face.
As they were walking, concerned for the mental trauma the young girl might endure…
“Yes, we’ve secured them, Miss.”
[“Thank you for your hard work. Please escort them to the private room at the main house. I’ll come there right after the press conference. Please wait for me?”]
“Mmm-Mmm!!”
“Hnn-Hnn! Mmm-Hmm!!”
The two were forcibly bundled into a black van and driven off to an undisclosed location…
