A High-Stakes Gamble

“Come to think of it, hasn’t your injury healed yet?”

After the Pink Bear left for the interrogation meeting with a look of utter dejection, Glen dismissed the other teachers and turned to Professor Planck.

“A wound from a holy sword shouldn’t be that easy to heal.”

“There’s still about a third of the holy light remaining in my body, not yet dispersed. My chest still hurts,” Professor Planck said, looking down and gently touching his right chest. “But a full recovery is only a matter of time. Although I’m old, I’m not so old that I’ll be taken down by something of this level.”

“Hoho, your body is tougher than I thought.”

Professor Glen raised an eyebrow. “After all, that’s one of the five holy swords of the Church of Life. I thought you’d be lying in bed for at least ten days, but I didn’t expect you to be up and about after just a few.”

“My body wasn’t tougher than you imagined,” Professor Planck said softly. “Rather… the holy sword was weaker. It has, in fact, been sealed this entire time.”

“What?” Glen was slightly taken aback.

“Berena… before the God of Love completely took control of her, she managed to seal the holy sword.”

A complicated expression appeared on the old Professor’s face. “It was a trigger-style magic seal, designed so that any attempt to forcibly break it would result in the holy sword being destroyed from the inside. So even the God of Love was powerless to interfere and had no choice but to wield the holy sword with the vast majority of its power sealed.”

“She tricked the God of Love because it doesn’t understand magic,” Glen said with a sigh. “You have a good student, Planck.”

“Who’s to say she isn’t?”

Professor Planck turned his head, as if he could see her again, the young girl who had smiled and disappeared after that brief greeting, waving at him.

“She has always been my most prideful student…”

“…”

“Speaking of which, it seems Instructor Meradomir has disappeared since then.”

Professor Glen brought a cup of tea he had personally brewed and placed it in front of Professor Planck. “It was a rare opportunity. I wanted to ask her some questions about ancient potions.”

“Don’t bother Meradomir. She’s very busy right now.”

Professor Planck sighed. “After resolving the Evil God problem, she immediately asked me for the specific information of all the current students.”

“Student information? Don’t tell me…”

“Probably.”

Professor Planck picked up his teacup and took a sip.

“That is, after all, Instructor Meradomir’s lifelong pursuit. She can’t possibly give it up. It’s just that… she’s in such a hurry this time, it makes me a little uneasy.”

“Did we… somehow affect her by waking her up early?”

“Don’t say such depressing things now. The Instructor wouldn’t be happy to hear that.”

Professor Glen rolled his eyes and then said excitedly, “What I’m more curious about is, who will be the lucky one chosen by her?”

“Lucky one? That’s not necessarily the case.”

Professor Planck stared at the tea leaves floating in his cup and said with a bitter smile, “That is a path of insanity. If an ordinary person were to step on it, they would most likely end up with not even their bones remaining.”

…..

“I feel like… everything has suddenly become so peaceful.”

In the quiet infirmary room, Ewan turned his head and looked out the window, through the light-colored curtains.

The sun was shining brightly.

From time to time, the sound of laughter, full of youthful energy, could be heard from not far away.

The entire academy seemed to have recovered from the previous incident and had regained its vitality.

“Has it really been so many days?”

After that incident, Ewan had been sent to this infirmary for treatment and “quarantine” because of his injuries, and also because he had been in close contact with that monster corrupted by the God of Love.

Professor Glen’s initial care was merely a quick magical treatment. Because a Crown One was involved, the academy still carried out a full set of physical examinations to make sure he wouldn’t suffer any lasting side effects.

To Ewan’s relief, it seemed that apart from that white-haired little girl, no one else could detect the “blessing” of the Withered King on him.

Come to think of it, compared to the simple and direct power given by the gods, a god’s blessing, which was the manifestation of a god’s authority, was naturally harder to detect. Otherwise, Anne, who was also one of the God-Chosen, wouldn’t have been able to stay in the ducal estate for ten years without his cheap father noticing anything.

The fact that the white-haired little girl could see through him at a glance was not normal. It should be an exception.

Otherwise, what Ewan would be facing now would not be a beautiful woman with a big chest and small waist, but the empire’s special organization that dealt with Evil God incidents, the [Silencers].

Those gloomy guys who hid in black robes all day wouldn’t care about his status as a duke’s son. If he fell into their hands, he definitely wouldn’t have a good time.

Thankfully, the worst-case scenario had not happened.

And during this time, apart from the doctors and the professors from the academy who had come to ask him some questions, no outsiders were allowed to contact him.

Ewan had also taken advantage of this almost complete solitude to sort out his thoughts.

The conversation he had with the black book was still fresh in his mind.

“So, in the end, is it all because I’m too weak?”

Having mastered a new martial art, Ewan had defeated Ryan, who was considered one of the best second-year students. Everything, Ewan believed, was finally moving in a positive direction, suggesting he could at last avoid the tragic fate of a blond villain.

But now it seemed that he had been too naive.

If the black book hadn’t used the Evil God to forcibly push the world’s destiny off its original track, he would have faced a certain death.

“To think that I have to mess up the entire world’s destiny just to avoid a ‘game over.’ How much does this world hate me?”

Ewan looked at his hands and muttered to himself.

“And in the end, is the solution still this simple and crude?”

Not strong enough.

This was the crux of the problem that left him at the mercy of fate.

If he could be stronger, as strong as the protagonist Ariel, or even stronger.

The in the original timeline, he would have survived, even when confronted by the Saintess under the God of Love’s control.

But this was just a “what if.”

Ewan knew that for the current him, it was impossible to gain that much strength in just one year.

Ariel was already so far ahead of him, and she had the Mary Suet’s plot armor, cheat items, and even a mysterious, ancient magic-wielding big sister’s soul in her ring to teach her. On the road to becoming stronger, she was a bona fide “rich second generation.” How could he, a “poor bastard” with nothing, who could only get beaten up in the black book every night, possibly catch up to her?

The black book also knew it was impossible, so it had chosen to directly interfere with fate itself.

But Ewan knew very well that this level of interference could not happen a second time.

The next time fate’s malice came for him, he could only rely on himself.

And that time was probably not far off.

Hadn’t the second prophetic dream already given him the answer? He would die one day in the future, his heart ripped out.

So…

“Is there any way for me to get stronger, faster?” Ewan couldn’t help but let out a salted fish’s dying wail.

“Oh, you want power, boy?”

A cold voice sounded. On the chair beside his bed, where Hathaway had just been sitting, a small, white-haired, red-eyed girl had appeared at some point.

“Huh?”

Ewan was startled, but when he saw who it was, he froze for a moment, and then a fawning smile appeared on his face. “Boss? What are you doing here?”

“I came to see you. Can’t I?”

The girl twirled a strand of her pure-white hair around her finger, her expression a little lazy, as if she had just woken up from a nap.

“Of course you can. It’s just…”

Ewan scratched his head, choosing his words carefully. “I don’t think I’m worthy of a personal visit from you, Boss.”

Ewan didn’t think that just because he had woken her up and pinched her cheek, this final boss in the shape of a little girl would suddenly want to get close to him. This wasn’t one of those harem light novels where all the female characters would just fall for him for no reason, alright.

So, her visit definitely had a purpose.

“Smarter than I thought.”

The girl’s amber-like, clear eyes, which seemed to be able to see through everything, glanced at Ewan, and then the corners of her mouth curved up. “So, as I was saying, do you want power, boy?”

“Eh?”

“I’ve been in need of a personal disciple lately. I would teach the one who accepts this position my power and knowledge, without holding anything back. What do you think? Are you interested, boy?”

“A personal… disciple.”

Chewing on the meaning of her words, Ewan was stunned for a moment.

The little girl in front of him… she wasn’t just a girl, but a top-tier final boss who had been sleeping in a special space in the academy for who knows how long, and who could even repel an Evil God.

In the original plot, she should have appeared much later. But because the black book had disturbed the world’s destiny, she had been forced to enter the stage early.

Clinging to her would be the ideal outcome for him… a perfect scenario with countless advantages and absolutely no downsides. It might even be his way to avert his predetermined, tragic end.

But…

How could he, Ewan Campbell, was the one to receive such a gift from fate with such undeserved ease?

“So… why?”

Ewan came back to his senses, his lake-blue eyes fixed on the white-haired girl. “Why me? Is it because of the Withered King’s power within me?”

“The Withered King? Mm… that’s part of the reason.”

“Part of it? Then the other part…”

“Hehe…”

The girl suddenly smiled.

But that smile made Ewan’s blood run cold.

She suddenly raised her hand and pointed a finger at him.

A sudden, intense feeling of dread and an overpowering premonition of death, a nauseating crisis, instantly flooded his consciousness. The world, in that same moment, was bathed in a shocking blood-red light.

All Ewan could see in his eyes was the sudden, demonic ferocity of the girl, coupled with a very real and present killing intent.

“What’s going on? She actually wants to kill me?”

He had no time to dwell on the thought that had briefly crossed his mind.

Because the  slender finger had already descended.

A crushing pressure, immense as a great mountain, threatened to overwhelm Ewan.

“Cough, cough…”

Severely injured, Ewan instantly coughed up blood mixed with fragments of his internal organs. Death was upon him.

In that final moment, he felt something cold and hard press into his palm—a familiar short sword. Without a second thought, Ewan gripped the sword and lunged at the grotesque, white-haired girl.

“Insolent.”

The girl sneered in disdain. “Do you think you have a chance of survival?”

Before the blade could touch her, Ewan’s arm, from the elbow down, went instantly light.

He stared in a daze, seeing his arm had simply vanished. This was no clean detachment, though. It had, impossibly, exploded. Ewan’s entire lower arm, hand, and fingers had instantaneously atomized into a fine, bloody mist.

The overwhelming, intense pain immediately crashed over him.

Ewan’s face contorted into a look of savage intensity. He ignored the agony that would have incapacitated an ordinary person; the countless times he had been tortured in the black book had long since hardened him to this level of suffering.

Quickly, he reached out with his remaining arm and snatched the falling short sword.

And then, he swung it again!

Bang!

Inevitably, his other arm, again from the elbow down, also exploded into a mist of blood.

“Why do you resist?”

The girl’s expression was one of pity. “If you had just given up, I could have let you die without any pain.”

Why do I resist?

Why don’t I just die?

A volcanic rage surged within Ewan as he met the girl’s pitying gaze.

He had endured so much. He had faced countless deaths recorded in the black book. He was accustomed to pain, familiar with death, perpetually focused on gaining strength.

Hadn’t all of his struggles been for one purpose: to evade the path that led to true demise?

So, you want me to give up?

You want me to just die?

f*ck… you… you… son… of… a… whore!

Even if you’re a final boss, even if you’re strong, you don’t have that right!

Ewan’s body suddenly shot forward, and like a wild beast, he bit down on the hilt of the short sword.

His eyes were blood-red, and a low growl rumbled in his throat. Without any hesitation, he lunged at the enemy he couldn’t possibly defeat.

Even if I die, I’ll…

In an instant.

The world snapped back into focus. The terrifying image of the girl’s face vanished instantly, as if the whole ordeal had been a fleeting nightmare. Bright sunlight pierced the curtains, casting spots of light on Ewan’s still-contorted features and forcing his eyes shut.

“This is…”

The short sword in his mouth was gone, and his hands were still intact.

It was as if that terrifying scene had never happened.

Ewan was still in that lunging posture, but his movement was frozen, making him look not like a predatory beast, but rather…

Like a lolicon, about to make a move on an underage girl!

“That’s right. This is it.”

The girl appeared unfazed by Ewan’s aggression. She cupped his face, her expression one of satisfaction as she gazed at his still-contorted features, as if admiring a masterpiece.

“I desire this: this hidden ferocity and savagery beneath a meek exterior; this recklessness and insanity born of an intimate acquaintance with death, despite a deep love for life. Only this combination can truly achieve what I seek.”

“Eh?”

Ewan was still a little confused.

But he seemed to have realized something. The girl’s killing intent just now was just an illusion she had created. She just wanted to test him.

But even if you’re the final boss, you shouldn’t have toyed with me like that!

Ewan was furious. “What in the world are you trying to do?”

“Hehe, are you angry? Well, that’s normal.”

The girl said with a smile, “But since you’ve asked, I’m not one to beat around the bush. I’ll be direct.

—I want to use you, Ewan Campbell.”

“What?”

Ewan was stunned again.

Because the girl’s directness… was a little too direct.

“So, you want me to be your disciple, also because…”

Ewan’s mouth twitched.

“Indeed. I will be your teacher, fulfilling all the duties that entails. However, in accepting this tutelage, you will also become the exclusive subject of my experiment—a tool to be used entirely by me to fulfill a certain….”

Despite her appearance, a stark fanaticism blazed in the girl’s eyes.

“A certain… lifelong wish of mine.”

“I feel like…” Looking at the girl, who seemed to have become a different person, Ewan narrowed his eyes and asked, “You’re going to use me as a guinea pig.”

“Mm, a guinea pig? That’s a very apt analogy. But unlike a simple guinea pig, although the process is indeed a little bit dangerous, as long as it succeeds—”

The girl chuckled. “Ewan Campbell, you will obtain the power you’ve always dreamed of!”

“The power I’ve always dreamed of…” Ewan swallowed hard.

Those words, indeed, held a great attraction for him.

And Ewan believed that with this final boss’s dignity, she definitely wouldn’t lie to him.

But…

“If I may be so bold as to ask, your so-called lifelong pursuit… what’s the probability of success?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“Because the thing I want to accomplish is unprecedented. I don’t have any experience to refer to. Therefore, the probability of success could be one hundred percent, or it could just be zero percent.”

The girl looked at Ewan with a serious expression, “Until the very end, not even I know if this path is viable .”

“In other words…” Ewan was dazed.

“That’s right. This is a high-stakes gamble. For me, I’m betting on the path I’ve been pursuing, on whether you, the one I’ve chosen, have the ability to bear it. And for you, you’re betting on whether I’m reliable, on whether the result will be good or bad. So—”

The girl held out her hand to Ewan, her clear red eyes burning with a fire that should not belong to an ancient being, full of a hot-blooded passion. “Do you want to join this high-stakes gamble, boy?”

“…”

Faced with the girl’s invitation, Ewan fell into a deep thought.

He didn’t think this final boss was just trying to trick him. Because if she had any ill intentions toward him, she could have just crushed him with a finger in the sea of flowers.

So…

As she said, this was a high-stakes gamble that even she couldn’t see the end of. She valued him only because he was suitable.

Should he accept this gamble—a path murky and uncertain, leading to a fate unknown?

Ewan paused, contemplating, but the answer was already clear. The cryptic black book had already told him what to do.

He existed outside the bounds of conventional destiny. Consequently, forging an unconventional path was necessary to shatter the constraints of that expected fate.

And, just as the girl had said, he really, really, really, really, desperately wanted—to gain power.

That brief illusion just now had made him even more convinced of his powerlessness.

So there was nothing to hesitate about.

Ewan was given a “choice,” yet from the moment the white-haired girl appeared and began casting her subtle, irresistible lures, he knew refusal was impossible. He was drawn to her like a moth to a flame in the dark…a desperate creature willing to fly toward the light, even if it meant his ruin instead of salvation.

“I’m willing to join… huh?”

Ewan’s hand grasped only empty air, as the girl had already pulled hers away. A meaningful smile played on her lips.

“I’m glad you have this idea. But I’m sorry, boy. I don’t teach idiots.”

“Huh?”

Ewan was shocked by the girl’s sudden insult. It was as if he had been playing with a cute cat, only to be suddenly hit by an uppercut.

His mind was reeling.

“Id… idiot? What do you mean?”

“I saw your grades before I came here. You only scored a three on your last ‘Introduction to the Basics of Magic’ exam, didn’t you?”

Her gaze turned glacial, utterly dismissive, as though the person before her were a mere piece of trash. “A score like that,” she sneered, “is something you’d get just by stepping on the answer sheet and leaving a dirty mark.”

“Th-that’s just because I was slacking off last semester.”

Ewan looked away in embarrassment. “As long as I work hard from now on, I can definitely catch up.”

“I believe you can. But I can’t wait for you to slowly catch up. I don’t have as much time as you think. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been in such a hurry to find you.”

With a small sigh and a glance at her hands, the girl set a single condition: “I can only give you one month. You must pass the ‘Introduction to the Basics of Magic’ exam during the monthly assessment. It is the fundamental basis for everything.”

“One month?”

Ewan’s expression froze. “The first-year’s monthly exam?”

“The second-year’s monthly exam,” the girl said, her expression blank.

“But how is that possible?”

Ewan’s eyes widened. “To learn a whole year’s—no, a whole year and one month’s worth of material in just one month… no matter how you look at it, that’s too difficult.”

“That’s your problem. All I can say is… good luck, boy.”

The girl stood up and turned her head to look to the side.

Her gaze passed through the layers of walls, and she saw another… flat-chested girl, who had been wrapped up like a mummy just a few days ago, but was now alive and well, playing with her childhood friend.

In her vision, that flat-chested girl’s body was also exuding an extremely unusual aura.

“You are special, but you are not the only special one. I can’t pin my entire life’s pursuit on you alone. So for me, you are just one of the choices.”

The girl turned back, her gaze as cold as before.

“In one month, give me your answer with your actual grades, Ewan Campbell. This is also your test.”

The girl turned, as if to leave.

“Wait.”

But just then, Ewan called out to her. “Your name? I can’t just keep calling you ‘Boss,’ can I?”

“My name?”

The white-haired girl had a look of melancholy on her face, and she sighed. “That’s something I threw away in the long river of time long ago. As for what to call me— Meradomir. That is my last name. You can call me… Teacher. Yes, Teacher Mera.

“I’ve grown tired of the title ‘Instructor’.”