Chapter 19

In school stories, the rooftop is practically a meeting square, even if it’s locked with a padlock. It’s said that the chances of encountering the heroine at lunchtime are highest, but there’s also a possibility during break times or even class hours.

In order to find the person he was looking for, the boy, who often spent time on the rooftop, once again agreed to a favor from a teacher and was about to head up with the key he received, when he overheard a conversation between some girls and paused to listen.

It was a conversation between the girl who was most beloved by the main heroine of this world and another girl who had briefly tormented the boy during their first year.

Perhaps surprisingly, she wasn’t asking this girl to torment others on her behalf. Rather, she seemed only curious about the one who had previously tormented her. The conversation proceeded slightly roughly but managed to continue smoothly.

The Queen of the School.

This does not refer to the student council president, who officially holds the highest position in the school. It also doesn’t refer to Yoon Inna, who is the most popular among people in the school. And it didn’t refer to the most famous idol in the school who didn’t even attend it.

Until the end of the first year’s second semester, a woman—Kang Yoo-ri—exerted a frightening level of influence over the school. People called her the Queen of the School with a mix of fear and respect, but that title didn’t last long. Many students, including the student council president and Yoon Inna, joined forces to bring her down.

The boy, who was one of the participants in toppling the school’s queen, was now watching from where she and her companion were visible, using part of his ability, [Absorption] and [Stealth].

In a world where having even one supernatural ability is considered extraordinary, it was unlikely anyone would notice the power of combining two impossible abilities. The boy listened to their conversation while blending into the world.

“So now what are you planning to do? Hit me just because I tormented you a bit? If you do, I’ll report it to the police first. Do you think I’m vulnerable just because my ability faltered for a moment?”

‘That was a lie about calling the police…but it must have been so effective?’

The holder of the ability related to lying solves problems with lies. It’s practically the standard strategy in all games.

Although it was unlikely to work on the queen who has grown more powerful, the boy no longer needed to rely on the old methods since he had other abilities now.

Nevertheless, it seemed the old queen was still rattled by the talk of police, even months later.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but knowing who the queen is should be enough. I had a plan once I found her, but…”

“I don’t care to do it. It’s like the boy is looking at some kind of system window in the air.” With a blank look into the distance, the girl walked past the queen and disappeared.

Showing complete disinterest, she held no sense of retaliation or anger against the one who had previously intended to physically harm her.

While it might be the right thing to do when dealing with certain people—,

[Queen’s Conquest Keyword: The more indifferent you are to bullying, the more they’ll be obsessed with you. Be bullied! Then ignore it! The worse the bullying gets, the more they’ll only think about you and become obsessed.]

[Love and obsession aren’t that different. Her obsession will ultimately turn into love. She’ll protect you from others since you should only belong to her, and she might occasionally be kind to ensure everything you react to is directed at her.]

The old queen’s expression was unreadable.

Because the ‘promise’ that had restrained her from acting as a villain had lost its significance, her face now showed no trace of concern for it.

[The subject has already become an object of obsession.]

[The only way for the current obsession to be resolved is through an S-battle with the queen. Whether the queen wins or loses, the obsession will cease.]

[The current object of obsession is Erica.]

Even a message indicating she was the target of bullying.

“Stop right there. If you don’t, you’ll regret it.”

Her voice was filled with seething anger. Even without using any special abilities, it had the power to stop someone in their tracks, but Erica merely glanced back.

“There’s no reason to listen to someone trying to torment me. I don’t know what I’ve done to you, but let’s call it quits here. If you want to continue, go ahead, but I no longer care.”

As the girl continued walking down the stairs, looking only ahead, the old queen seemed determined not to let the situation end with just words.

The boy revealed himself and blocked her path.

“Stop this, Kang Yoo-ri. Didn’t you promise me you wouldn’t torment her?”

“Hah, you’ve been eavesdropping on me again?”

Leaving her unchecked from here on out would be an absolute danger. Even though the boy stood in her path, the queen’s gaze remained focused beyond the wall where the girl had disappeared.

[The subject is no longer a heroine. No viable approach exists.]

A woman who was once a heroine but is no longer. A woman who now only existed as a villain was targeting “the promise.” To borrow the power of the main heroine to find the person he was looking for, the only option was to stop her here.

There was a glimmer of golden light in the boy’s hand, a power he hadn’t shown during the takedown of the queen. But perhaps aware of its strength even without it being used, a trace of tension appeared on the queen’s face.

“You know this? That person, since the moment they found out I was the queen, they wouldn’t even see me as a human. They treated me like some object with their eyes alone. Just because I lost to you guys doesn’t mean I should endure that kind of treatment, right?”

“…Isn’t that a misjudgment? That doesn’t sound like her.”

It was indeed wrong to try assaulting with just a look. But the boy, who well knew Erica wouldn’t give such a glance, was perplexed.

It had only been a few days since their last encounter. Yet, the idea of treating people as objects… Though Kang Yoo-ri had always been perceived well by others, the boy had the ability to detect lies, making it hard for her words not to sound deceptive.

Still, this was not a situation conducive to lying.

The boy, already pondering the difficult angle from which to see Erica’s gaze, heard a voice.

“I’ll k*ll you.”

The girl shouting at seeing herself behind the student council president, calmly saying she’s started dating someone else. Simultaneously, the sight of bl**d spurting from her wrist, which had been protected by some unbreachable force. And then the memory of taking a three-day rest afterward.

Could that experience have changed her disposition? The boy, who smiled bitterly, was momentarily caught off guard by the unusual energy flowing around the queen.

“I don’t care about any promises anymore. If you want to stop me, stop me. If you want to destroy me, go ahead. That person is okay with me tormenting her completely, so now I’m genuinely curious. How much torment will it take for her to fully see me in her eyes? How much torment until she begs me to stop through tears? And how arrogant can she be to give me that kind of look?”

The golden light swirling in the boy’s hand did not reach out despite hearing the woman’s words. The supernatural energy she wielded was false.

The ability to create reality by negating what you think is false—an extraordinary reality manipulation power.

He was able to overcome it before due to the wisdom imbued in him, but honestly, if the woman focused purely on escape rather than battle him, there was no way he could catch her. And in a world where supernatural killings are forbidden, he couldn’t k*ll her.

“This time, I’m not tormenting her just to see your reactions. I’m genuinely curious, so I’ll move without thinking about your reaction every step of the way.”

With that, almost muttering to herself, her body began to fade. By believing that her current self was a “falsehood,” she could teleport herself elsewhere—an ability with versatile applications.

The obvious result: over the past year, not only he and the heroines have grown stronger, but the villains had as well.

The girl, who once depended on the help of others during their first year, now stronger, disappeared announcing her intention to target someone other than him. In her place, only gray powder remained.

[The school queen has re-entered the main story. She is evil. Your heroine-to-be has zero potential now. The embers of evil that were once quelled have grown as they began obsessing over someone. Eliminate her before she regains strength and becomes the queen once more. That’s your path to victory.]

As a new window obstructed his view, the boy turned back, only to find the white-haired girl standing there frowning, supposedly already gone ahead.

Did she hear everything? If so, things would progress quickly. A declaration interwoven with the queen’s obsession needed to be crushed before it grew too large. The solution was to address the aspects of the queen’s obsession.

The problem was that the queen’s obsession already had a defined resolution. Moreover, it aligns with the main heroine’s desire to renew her connection with Erica in the future.

“The queen’s matter will be handled by me, so you don’t need to worry.”

Ultimately, the boy had no choice but to make an empty declaration that he would take care of it, without offering any advice.

Fighting someone who could turn everything into a lie was always a confidence-shaking experience, and advising her involved some intense matters. Given that the girl had feelings for someone, there were ethical reasons preventing him from suggesting anything inappropriate.

“Two names were mentioned… Was it including this one?”

Still, the words out of the girl’s mouth were completely unexpected. Though it was more of a mutter, the boy’s heightened senses picked up her voice clearly.

Who had noticed his stealth? If it was two people, including “this one,” it was impossible not to suspect that someone had been observing the whole situation.

The boy retracted the light shimmering in his hand and hastily utilized abilities related to vision and hearing, but whoever had been watching had already retreated, leaving no trace.

“I have something to say to you, Kim Ha-neul. Can you spare some time?”

With the girl’s invitation for a conversation,

Ding-dong-dang-dong.

The bell signaling the end of the break rang.

“Even though the bell has rung?”

“It was a conversation for later…”

With a laugh, the boy’s voice tried to hide his embarrassment, but the girl quietly blushed at the edges of her ears.