NOVEL NEXT Chapter 16
Shinozaki Rin told the protagonist about the duel promise.
I had already considered such a possibility.
It’s not really surprising news.
She urged the protagonist.
“Get to the point.”
“You might already know this, but I wanted to give you some advice anyway.”
This is the problem with light novel protagonists.
They always beat around the bush.
I could feel my irritation starting to rise.
While I was pondering the pointless thought that Olivia is at least pretty…
“…..Be careful of Shinozaki Ichiro.”
The protagonist’s warning pierces my ears.
My heavy eyelids, weighed down by fatigue, snap wide open.
Shinozaki Ichiro.
I know exactly who he is.
The strongest active hero in Japan.
The one who uses Shinozaki Rin as a tool and the former second-in-command until he died from a New World League terrorist attack—my father, a swordsman.
Having never surpassed the swordsman in his life, he harbors an obsession and mixed feelings toward the Kurosawa family beyond imagination.
“That’s why Ichiro, despite carrying the Kurosawa surname, despises the F-ranked protagonist.”
The core of the second volume’s story is about the protagonist being acknowledged as the swordsman’s heir through a duel with Shinozaki Ichiro and ultimately liberating Shinozaki Rin from her fate as a tool, ‘saving’ her.
Once Ichiro acknowledges the protagonist, just like in any light novel, he’ll switch to the good side at the end of volume two, doing some laundry and selling emotions, but that’s a story for another time.
“Right now, he’s indeed a dangerous man according to what you said.”
Shinozaki Ichiro holds the title of President of the Japan Hero Association.
Thanks to today’s relic exploration, there’s a high chance my information has reached him.
And to make matters worse, I’m now involved through Shinozaki Rin.
With Ichiro’s twisted pride, I can’t rule out the possibility of some mischief.
The protagonist, Kurosawa Yuji, threw this advice at me considering all these possibilities.
“Looks like you can give some decent advice after all.”
They say even a pile of dog poop has its uses.
“I’m glad my unsolicited advice helped, but… really, be careful.”
He urges me.
I nod.
Though it all sounded grand, even if Shinozaki Ichiro tries something funny, this is Shuo Hero Academy.
With the principal being a peer-level powerhouse, there’s a limit to his scheming.
Excessive tricks wouldn’t be permitted by Ichiro’s distorted pride either.
At most, he’d use Rin to press down on me.
That much, I could handle.
“Alright. I’ll do that.”
“Yeah.”
As I hear the protagonist’s reply, I turn off the lights and close my eyes.
A long day has finally come to an end.
*
The next day.
Sixth period class.
Maybe it’s because it’s spring, but a languid breeze flows in from the window.
Rami enters by the window.
“The interdimensional species can be broadly divided into two types: ordinary interdimensional species and advanced interdimensional species. Ordinary interdimensional species from F-rank to S-rank can be dealt with solely using hunter powers. However, advanced interdimensional species starting from Z-rank have strong magical barriers, making it impossible to defeat them without an entity that can penetrate all magical barriers…”
I can hear Mayuzumi-sensei’s lecture.
This basic concept is something I already know from the reference book.
Still, there’s no harm in listening again.
After all, I don’t have a status window. Damn it.
Scratch, scratch.
I summarize and take notes.
At that moment.
My smartphone on the desk lights up.
Upon unlocking it, the identity of the notification is revealed.
It’s a message from Olivia.
[Class will be ending soon.]
[Is there something you need me to do today?]
Being overly dedicated to her role as my maid again.
[No.]
I really don’t have anything for Olivia today.
I have other things to do.
[Why not? Isn’t there some outing like yesterday?]
[Not to any ruins!]
The message keeps flashing.
I pinch my forehead.
This is a familiar pattern by now.
Naturally, I know the strategy too.
[If I must say,]
[I do have one thing.]
[What is it? Is it something I need to do?]
Olivia’s reply comes back swiftly.
[The White Flame Sword Technique.]
[That’s… ]
Olivia’s message suddenly cuts off.
[I’m still thinking about it.]
[The deadline is tomorrow.]
[I know that much!]
At this point, it’s sufficient.
Given Olivia’s personality, she will now be deep in thought over the White Flame Sword Technique without any other distractions.
I pretend to stretch while glancing around.
Olivia, sitting diagonally behind me, pouts while staring at her phone.
‘So annoying.’
I can see her mouth forming shapes.
Just when I was about to chuckle at this absurdity, I feel a gaze from the side.
I turn my head.
I lock eyes with Nishizawa Eri, my classmate, who has striking orange twin tails and is set up as the top-ranked beautiful girl in the city.
Her orange eyes tremble.
“I’m feeling uneasy.”
Nishizawa mutters softly, sliding her desk a bit.
But wait a moment.
Wasn’t our desk supposed to be separated?
I recall Nishizawa Eri’s background.
Raised in a single-parent household, the school idol, the greatest beauty in the world, became averse to men due to childhood abuse from her father, yet she yearns for strong women.
The character she most idolized in the original story is…
‘The Black Prince’s heir, the platinum knight princess, Olivia Napoleon Bonaparte.’
The contents of the reference book come vividly to mind.
That explains it.
It’s so typical of her to abruptly close the desk and sneak peeks at my messages.
‘I’m losing it.’
Just as my head starts to spin.
The class bell rings.
Today’s lesson is over.
“…See you in the next class, cadets.”
I stand up while listening to Mayuzumi-sensei’s farewell.
There’s nothing much I need to do today.
A quintessential cliché of a Japanese school-themed story.
It’s time to join a club.
Birth of Unit 2.
I grab my bag and exit the classroom.
It feels like Nishizawa Eri is glaring at me from behind, but whatever.
It’s pretty obvious what she’ll do since she’s a big fan of Olivia.
‘She’s probably trying to keep me away from Olivia like in the original story.’
The early part of Volume 3 is mostly that kind of storyline.
Nishizawa Eri, unable to accept the close bond between the protagonist and Olivia forged through the episodes in volumes 1 and 2, eventually challenges the protagonist to a duel to separate him from the man she idolizes, Olivia.
To keep the man at bay, she challenges the protagonist to a duel.
The timing might seem a bit rushed, but there’s nothing to be done about it.
‘Thanks to Olivia claiming to be my personal maid, Nishizawa’s boiling point has undoubtedly dropped to an all-time low.’
She already dislikes men due to childhood trauma.
But now, her precious noble French princess has been reduced to being the personal maid of a mere academy student from a small country?
She must be furious, secretly watching the blend of sweet innocence and deception unfold between her long-time friend and a blond tanning thug, tears as ridiculous as chicken dung streaming down her face from the closet.
‘Anyway, it’s time to prepare for Nishizawa Eri as well. Slowly.’
Preparing isn’t that difficult.
Although it sounds serious, given the light novel atmosphere, it’s not really that serious—just a comedic episode.
But it’s true that an annoying situation has arisen.
‘Both of them are making me want to die.’
If it weren’t for the New World League, that bizarre apocalypse fanatic cult.
I would’ve cut ties with everything long ago and indulged in a blissful reincarnated life while looking for a way to return to the original world.
However, to take down the New World League and the final boss, Messiah, I absolutely need all the supporting characters.
Not a single one can be left out.
Because in the realm of light novels, the final boss is something defeated by the warmth of friendship, effort, youth, bonds, love, and the human spirit from the protagonist and heroine along with their companions.
Damn!
‘It feels like the balance is utterly destroyed, with the villains and final boss being ridiculously strong compared to the heroes.’
There’s not a single appealing aspect.
If the world I reincarnated into were a web novel!
I’d exploit the web novel trait of hogging all the opportunities 200% for some sweet satisfaction, devour all the connections prepared for the protagonist, and slice through the final boss in one swift move.
But this is a classic kingly battle light novel world, dealing with themes like ‘If it hurts, it’s a trial’ and ‘You must shake a thousand times to become the protagonist,’ which are practically forbidden in web novels.
In this infuriating world, where the protagonist gains strength through sheer effort without any opportunity, quick victories and lucky breaks are nothing but luxury.
Just finding this much is already impressive.
‘No wonder light novels are in decline in Korea these days.’
Lacking satisfaction, that’s the problem.
Still, it was pretty fun to watch.
Life is, after all, a comedy when viewed from afar and a tragedy when seen up close.
“Damn it.”
A sigh escapes without warning.
It truly feels like I have to squeeze every ounce out of the harem members, allies, and supporting characters just for it all to balance out.
That’s how it has to be.
That’s why I came into this first annex filled with clubs in the first place.
Entrance bulletin board of the first annex.
Promotion posters for extracurricular activities are haphazardly plastered all over.
I scan through posters of varying qualities.
‘There it is.’
In a corner of the bulletin board.
A small note, smaller than a Post-it, is neatly written in calm handwriting.
[Reading Club]
[Looking for comrades to frolic in the sea of books together.]
[Those wishing to join, please come to Room 121 in the first annex.]
I’ve found my target.
I tear down the poster, stuff it in my pocket, and head towards Room 121.
I open the door to the reading club room.
A bookshelf empty beyond its name.
A PC in one corner, a table in the center.
And there, reading a book, is a beautiful girl.
With a tidy white headband in her neat long purple hair and eyes sparkling like amethysts filled with stars, she looks pure and mysterious—a true beauty.
The heroine of volume 4.
“The Witch of Starlight,” Hoshino Kasumi.
Her nickname in the fandom is ‘Kasumi-senpai.’
Her nickname is ‘Kasumi Senpai.’
I lock eyes with her as she reads a book with a cover wrapped around it.
“Oh, look. It’s junior!”
Kasumi gives a smiling wink.
She probably noticed my yellow name tag, realizing I’m a freshman.
“What brings you here? Did you accidentally come looking for the literature club?”
Her warm and gentle voice wraps around my ears like a cozy blanket.
A sunny smile, a kind and friendly demeanor, and an impressive chest.
She looks like a healing-system older heroine, but in reality…
‘She’s a byproduct of a secret experiment attempting human transplantation of otherworldly genes and a puppet planted by the New World League at the academy.’
As is typical in light novels, in volume 4, she reluctantly betrays the protagonist under the pressure of the New World League, leaving readers frustrated.
But ultimately, she gets ‘saved’ in the last part of volume 4 by the protagonist, who figures everything out.
That’s right. Another rescue.
Anyway, no one knows that fact yet.
Except for me.
So, I need to deal with the sweet potato in front of me and create some cider.
Rattle.
I pull the chair and sit down.
“No, I came to the right place.”
I place the note I was holding on the table.
“This, you put it up, didn’t you?”
I slide the note toward her.
“Yep, that’s right. I put up the poster.”
As Hoshino Kasumi looks at the note, she smiles again.
“So, why is our junior trying to join the reading club? There’s really just me in the club, and if you see the club room, it’s not even a real reading club!”
She hands the poster back to me.
A soft tone, but a polite rejection.
Well, it makes sense.
The reading club is just a facade made by Hoshino Kasumi to spend time alone — a ghost club with just a name.
The poster is discreetly pinned up in a corner with a tiny note to formally comply with the club activity recruitment requirement.
There’s no way she’s going to accept new members.
“It doesn’t matter. I’m actually interested in you, not the club.”
“Wha, what!?”
Hoshino Kasumi’s face turns red.
She hides her face behind the book she was reading.
“Th, th, thank you for saying that, but… it’s our first time meeting today…”
With her cheeks flushed, Kasumi starts babbling.
Right.
It was my mistake to expect normal communication in this world.
“I didn’t mean that… I’m just interested in you, Hoshino Kasumi, the New World League’s spy with dragon genes. I find you intriguing.”
The moment I recite her character profile, Kasumi’s face drains of color.
The delicate hands holding her book tremble slightly.
“Hahaha… I don’t really understand what junior is talking about…”
“I’d appreciate it if you stopped trying to play dumb since I already know everything.”
While seated, I fold the note she returned into a paper airplane.
Seriously, everyone is a terrible actor.
“What gives you the right to… say such… hurtful things to me?”
Instead of answering, I launch the paper airplane infused with a decent amount of magic.
The blackened paper airplane flies straight towards Kasumi’s face.
“What the…?”
Just as Kasumi straightens her face and deploys a magic shield, I secretly activate my gift.
Kasumi’s shadow transforms into a spear and shoots toward her neck.
“Eek!”