SRS 173

However, judging by his friends’ expressions, that didn’t seem to be the case. Yohan briefly reflected. He wondered if he had been too obsessed with his grades lately. He certainly wasn’t like this at first, but at some point…

When did it start?

As he tilted his head, Suhyeok grabbed Yohan’s shoulders and laid him down on the bed.

“First off, Yohan. You need to rest. You seem to be out of your mind.”

“No… it’s not that bad.”

Embarrassed, Yohan retorted softly. The two men brought chairs and sat around Yohan as he lay on the bed.

“So, where did you go? And where is Mikael?”

“Hmm…”

The headmaster didn’t specifically tell me to keep it a secret, so it should be fine?

Yohan hesitated for a moment, but then he scratched his cheek when he recalled that the headmaster hadn’t imposed any strict restrictions when sending him out. As he recounted the story of stopping by the commercial district to buy reference books and encountering Evil Gods Contractors, Suhyeok and Kylus looked progressively more stunned.

“How did you…?”

Suhyeok, who had started to speak, let out a sigh.

“How do you get into trouble wherever you go… If this were where I lived, your nickname would have been Conan¹.”

“Conan?”

“An incredible detective….”

Suhyeok quickly examined Yohan.

“So, are you feeling okay now?”

“I do have a bit of muscle soreness, but thanks to the medicine the headmaster gave me, I feel much better than when [stolen content]I first woke up. …More importantly, I’d like to hear about what happened at school while I was gone. Could you tell me?”

“It’s not difficult.”

“On the first day you and Mikael went to the commercial district and didn’t return, the dorm supervisor came and informed us that the two of you were away on a mission.”

“The dorm supervisor? The headmaster must have told him in advance.”

“And as this news spread quickly among the other students, a riot broke out.”

“Yes, a riot… what?”

Yohan, who had been calmly nodding while listening to his friend speak in a nonchalant tone, paused. Hadn’t he just heard a very brutal word? As his golden eyes wavered, Suhyeok chimed in to explain on behalf of their less articulate friend.

“You promised to teach the students. A few of them, who trust you, incited the situation and escalated it. They claimed that the professors were making you suffer during exam season to intentionally sabotage their own… no, your grades.”

“…Aha.”

After hearing the detailed explanation, Yohan smiled bitterly. Although Suhyeok had deflected the conversation, the fragmented words alone were enough to make him guess the reason why the other first-years had staged the riot.

“I do feel a little bad about this…”

Yohan scratched his cheek in embarrassment. He could understand how they felt, no matter how things turned out, it must have been nothing short of a bolt from the blue for the friends who trusted him.

“So, what happened?”

“The riot was suppressed. It wasn’t the professors, but some seniors who came and put it under control.”

“Upperclassmen? Why? Were they fifth-years?”

“No, they looked like second- and third-years. They swarmed in, asking if we were the only ones in the school to be causing a ruckus during exam periods, and beat us all up.”

“…….”

It was an absurd story. Yet, despite that, it was so Fantasiademia that it left him speechless. After a moment of silence, Yohan simply nodded. He had chosen to accept it rather than struggle against the absurdity of the situation. Suhyeok gave him a look that probably meant “you get it”, then continued

“Anyway, the riot was suppressed, and we just took the exams obediently. The exams didn’t change much just because you or Mikael weren’t Read on there. Oh, and there was a joke going around that the students’ grades in Divine Studies dropped a bit, so the angel professor turned them all into frogs.”

That probably wasn’t a joke…

Yohan had inadvertently thought of a guess close to the truth, but he decided to keep quiet once again. In this school, sometimes being silent was more helpful than being talkative.

“After that, well… it was just like usual. Attending lectures, doing assignments, going out on patrol. The students would occasionally complain about why you weren’t coming… and at some point, the professors started ignoring questions about you or Mikael altogether. I guess they got annoyed because we asked so much. Then, the students even started looking for graduates to file a complaint against them…”

“Hmm.”

Just another ordinary day at Fantasiademia.

Yohan, who had let everything slide since there was nothing surprising, found it slightly odd that the teaching method hadn’t changed. The headmaster had handed over information about the Evil Gods Contractors to Yohan. He even had said there was no need to hide it since the plan was to inform everyone. However, judging by the reactions of the two, it seemed the students remaining at school hadn’t heard about it yet.

Will they hear about it starting tomorrow?

Or after Mikael returns?

“Anyway, that’s enough about school matters. Yohan, you finish the story about the Evil Gods Contractors. I skipped over it earlier because I was in a hurry, but are you saying those contractors are some kind of evil horde attacking every dimension?”

“He did describe them as something like common enemies of the dimensions.”

“So we are more like troops being trained to exterminate them?”

“Hmm… I suppose you could put it that way.”

It felt a bit brutal when said that way, but it wasn’t something that could be denied. Suhyeok let out a hollow laugh.

“No wonder the training was ridiculously tough… They were raising us like some kind of human weapon.”

“Well, there are other races too, so maybe not human weapons?”

“Yohan, is that important right now?”

“…No.”

Yohan quickly shut his mouth after inadvertently pointing unauthorized copyout a fact that was incorrect. He glanced at Kylus and saw the student wearing a pensive expression.

“…In that case, it is highly likely that those Evil Gods Contractors were responsible for what happened in your dimension as well.”

“It’s not just highly likely; it’s 100%. From the looks of it, people associated with the Nameless Realm only get involved in matters linked to Evil Gods Contractors, but I heard the vice headmaster stepped forward.”

Suhyeok clicked his tongue. He then moved his chair closer to the bed and lowered his voice.

“In my opinion, the powerful people living in this Nameless Realm seem more like dimensional mechanics. They usually stay here, but when a problem arises in the dimension, they take on a commission and move, something like that.”

The three put their heads together for a moment to discuss exactly what the Nameless Realm was and what role it played across dimensions.

“So, Yohan, when you graduate, are you going back to your dimension to fight Evil Gods Contractors?”

Yohan, who had been engaging in a deep conversation because it was a rather interesting discussion, was troubled by Suhyeok’s sudden question.

“Hmm… What about you?”

“Me? Of course I have to go back. I have work to do there. Since it turns out my stolen contentdeath was also connected to Evil Gods Contractors, I might as well take revenge and catch them while I’m at it.”

Suhyeok’s conclusion was straightforward.

Revenge, indeed.

Most of those who ended up in the Nameless Realm had met tragic ends. Therefore, the idea of ​​seeking revenge upon returning was not particularly surprising, but hearing it come from Suhyeok was slightly unexpected.

Suhyeok was always bright and playful, with almost no shadows in his face, so no one had ever dreamed he was harboring such fierce emotions as revenge. Yohan’s gaze turned toward Suhyeok. The latter smirked when he saw the compassion, worry, and support within those golden eyes.

“You don’t need to look at me with such tenderness. It’s not like I’m some kind of vengeful spirit. My dream is simply to get my revenge and live happily in my own dimension.”

“…I see.”

That was a relief to hear.

There were many instances where revenge was so fierce and brutal that it consumed the person seeking it. Furthermore, there were many cases where the desire for revenge was engraved so close to the soul, that the person wandered aimlessly afterward; he had also frequently seen those who made revenge the very foundation of their existence, and were tormented because of it. Many of those seeking refuge in the temple due to mental anguish were like this.

As someone who knew their fates, Yohan could [unauthorized copy]not help but feel relieved that Suhyeok had a plan for after his revenge.

On the other hand…

Yohan recalled someone who seemed to have no plan for after his revenge.

No, he thought of someone who was unsure if what he truly wanted was revenge.

Mikael. He had engraved the desire for revenge so close to his soul that he acted as if it were his identity, yet in reality, he was wandering.

Yohan’s gaze dimmed as he recalled the student who must have spent a long time here in the Nameless Realm, unsure whether he truly hated or missed the other person, wanted an apology, wanted to forgive, wanted to be angry, or wanted to grieve.

As his weighty gaze landed on the empty bed, Suhyeok and Kylus, who had naturally followed his gaze, glanced at Yohan for a moment.

Yohan smiled awkwardly as he realized that he had made the atmosphere bleak.

“I apologize.”

“It’s not your fault.”

Suhyeok shrugged his shoulders. After that, he said nothing more. Kylus remained silent just as much. Their consideration gave Yohan a bit of courage.

“…It is commendable that you have a plan after revenge. I’ve seen too many people consumed by vengeance who burned themselves out.”

“Really?”

“Yes. …So I, too, abandoned my desire for revenge.”

“…….”

“Because I didn’t want to live killing myself with such feelings.”

It felt as though he could tell them about Cheplen as well. Anticipating an extensive narrative, Suhyeok and Kylus adopted a upright posture, their countenances assuming a more solemn aspect.