Suicide Before Defeating the Final Boss

Suicide Before Defeating the Final Boss – 31

EP.31 Uncomfortable Encounter Part 1

When introducing a new direction within any group, the first step is crucial. The beginning must be executed flawlessly to set the right tone. However, Marquis Marpe had managed to botch it in the worst possible way.

‘……’

Princess Charlotte, the First Princess, watched the scene unfold, clutching her throbbing head and forcing a serene smile.

‘Oh… I just want to crawl under a desk and hide.’

Why had she given him the ring? She considered this one of her top two most regrettable decisions. Covering her face with both hands, she resolved to give Lee Jeong-hyeon a good smack on the back when he returned.

‘… This will definitely cause a stir. Not only did the 2nd Knight Commander lose to a student, but he also attempted to kill him with all his might. Is he really fit to be an instructor?’

Of course, since this was a major initiative by the kingdom, few would openly criticize it. However, among all the students who witnessed it and others who watched, such questions would surely arise in the corners of their minds.

‘And those doubts will resurface every time Marquis Marpe makes a mistake or the kingdom makes a wrong decision.’

Questions like whether it was right for the kingdom to appoint all the academy staff would keep coming up.

‘Sigh…’

If it were just a mess among themselves, she wouldn’t care. The problem was that, as the First Princess, she was likely to get dragged into the mud fight. Having given up the throne and fled to the academy, this was all just stress for her.

‘The more I think about it, the angrier I get.’

Just smacking his back wouldn’t be enough; maybe she should grab him by the collar… No, that might be too much. Charlotte thought that if it weren’t for the eyes on her, she’d mess up her hair and scream. She suppressed her frustration, forcing a serene smile, when a thought struck her.

‘But that strength… Is it even possible?’

Looking at the results alone, Lee Jeong-hyeon had lost to Marpe. However, the process leading up to that result was so impressive that it was hard to focus solely on the outcome.

‘For instance, how he lightly countered Marquis Marpe’s sword aura…’

Despite Marpe’s serious efforts, Lee Jeong-hyeon had pushed him to his limits, forcing him to use techniques usually reserved for real combat. Everyone who witnessed it could agree that Lee Jeong-hyeon’s martial prowess was extraordinary.

‘… Well, it’s clear that things are going to get pretty chaotic from now on.’

With Marquis Marpe, who came to establish order in the academy’s swordsmanship department, having fallen apart so completely, it was expected that those who had been merely biding their time under the kingdom’s authority would start vying with each other.

Charlotte pondered how she could avoid getting entangled in this situation and continued to awkwardly maintain a forced smile.

***

Pretending to faint after getting hit by Marpe, Lee Jeong-hyeon had actually fallen asleep. When he opened his eyes, he found himself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling.

“Ugh… Jeong-hyeon, I knew you’d end up like this from the moment you started training, but I didn’t expect it to be this bad.”

It wasn’t a distant voice, but Lucia’s tearful one.

As he stared blankly, he noticed the distinctive smell of the infirmary.

‘Looks like Lucia has taken over the infirmary again.’

Thinking about how remarkable she was, Lee Jeong-hyeon shook his head and decided to slowly get up.

‘I haven’t slept this well in a while.’

He thought about taking advantage of being hit by Marpe to use the infirmary as an excuse for more rest if needed. However, Lucia’s tear-streaked face suddenly came into view.

‘Why is she crying so much?’

It looked as if she really thought he was dead. Confused, Lee Jeong-hyeon wondered what could have happened. Lucia, seeing him sit up, screamed in shock.

“… A ghost!”

“A ghost? Really?”

Wasn’t that a bit much? He shook his head and spoke to Lucia.

“So, what’s going on now?”

He had intended to stay unconscious to observe what was happening, but due to his exhaustion and pretending too convincingly, he had accidentally fallen asleep.

When he asked Lucia what was going on, she looked confused.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

Of course, Lucia wouldn’t know.

‘Guess I was foolish to expect anything from her.’

Determined to find out from Miria later what had happened, Lee Jeong-hyeon decided to get out of bed. However, he realized that lying in the infirmary for too long would only worsen Marpe’s situation.

To avoid looking too eager, he decided to stay in bed for a while. But the temptation of the devil’s whisper that suggested he could increase his stats if he trained at this hour kept nagging at him.

‘Ah.’

He couldn’t afford to lose stats. As his whole body itched and he felt an almost addictive restlessness, he struggled to get out of bed.

“Rest.”

Lucia spoke with an unusually serious tone as she gently guided Lee Jeong-hyeon back onto the bed.

“After treating you today, I found that your body is more exhausted than expected. You absolutely need to rest today.”

Though Lucia had repeatedly advised him to rest before, the urgent matters pressing on him had made it impossible to heed her advice. Even now, with so much still to be done, he couldn’t afford to relax completely.

“I won’t say anything if you start training again tomorrow, but at least for today, don’t think about doing anything and just rest.”

It was the first time Lucia had spoken so seriously, so Lee Jeong-hyeon decided to follow her advice. Ignoring it and pushing through could lead to worse consequences, forcing him to rest for several days later.

“On another note, Princess Charlotte was making a scene outside the infirmary a short while ago, threatening to kill you. Did something happen between the two of you?”

“……”

“I blocked her from entering with the excuse that only priests are allowed in. If you’ve done something wrong, it might be best to apologize quickly.”

“Apologizing might actually get me killed.”

“I don’t know the details, but it seems like you did something wrong.”

Lee Jeong-hyeon wondered which side Lucia was really on. He sighed and asked Lucia to call Miria.

“Miria said she had something to check and went somewhere.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes. She mentioned it was something that had to be confirmed, but she didn’t give any details, so I’m not sure.”

Seeing Lucia’s foolish smile made him feel oddly reassured.

‘What should I compare her to? A drifting seaweed? A fish swimming in an aquarium? Falling sand?’

She had that calming effect, making him feel more relaxed the more he looked at her.

Suddenly, Lucia exclaimed, “Oh!” and spoke to him.

“Oh, and Princess Charlotte said she wants to see you as soon as you recover. She insisted that you must come to her.”

“Really?”

“Yes. She also left these fruits for you.”

Lee Jeong-hyeon accepted the fruit that Lucia handed him and nodded.

‘Well, it’s not all bad.’

He had given Marpe a proper hard time, significantly weakened the kingdom’s position, and he would certainly secure good exam results.

He took a bite of the apple, finding it so sweet it felt like it might rot his teeth, and stretched his body.

***

Bishop Lea returned to the academy with a somewhat stern expression. She had thought that finding a replacement for the hero would restore her position and allow her to return to her original rank, but…

Contrary to her expectations, the church displayed little interest or curiosity about her finding.

‘Why?’

At a time when a hero was missing, it was crucial to find a substitute to prevent the world’s destruction. She couldn’t understand why they were not seizing the lifeline she had brought.

‘Am I missing something?’

It didn’t make sense otherwise. She bit her nails, deep in thought, but no matter how much she pondered, she couldn’t figure out the reason.

‘Well, it doesn’t matter. Once the urgency sets in, they’ll have no choice but to accept this proposal.’

Determined to manipulate the “hero substitute” to her own advantage until then, she decided to undermine his autonomy and make him act solely according to her wishes.

‘First, I need to meet him…’

Previously, it seemed as though every misfortune in the world was conspiring against her, creating obstacles whenever she tried to meet him. Though she had previously given up on meeting him due to these obstacles, she couldn’t afford to give up this time.

‘This time, I cannot afford to back down.’

With no room to retreat, she decided to find him, even if it meant putting herself at risk. Her first destination was the training room. It was the most likely place to feel the strong presence of divine power, so she went there, convinced it would be the right place. However, all she found was the residual traces of divine power—nothing more.

She frowned deeply and asked a nearby student.

“Do you know where Jeong-hyeon is?”

“Oh, Lee Jeong-hyeon? He’s probably in the infirmary. But I’m not sure which one.”

“Thank you for your help.”

To her surprise, she found his location easily. Without hesitation, she headed to the nearest infirmary, a calm smile forming on her lips.

‘There’s definitely a strong flow of divine power in the infirmary.’

She headed straight there, determined to meet the hero’s substitute this time, no matter what.