No Dark Secrets In This Book

Episode 35

Anyway, that wasn’t what was important. Actually, I wanted to get down too. Why would I want to keep sitting on someone’s forearm just because it’s soft? And it’s the muscular arm of a guy at that.

However, Ryuseong stubbornly refused to put me down. You son of a b*tch. I’m already furiously kicking your back with my toes to put me down, are you pretending not to notice? Doesn’t it hurt? How do I make you realize that I’m a person who can walk on my own feet, huh?

As I felt my anger gauge rising, suddenly my body floated up and then was safely caught by his forearm again.

Sh-shit, unlike in real life, Cassis doesn’t have a fear of heights, but I almost puked again.

“…What are you doing all of a sudden? I’m not a little kid who likes being bounced up and down.”

“First of all, why don’t you let go of my hair? Unless you want to see a balding lover.”

“I was so startled by you that my hands lost strength and won’t move.”

“What did I do? And if you lost strength, shouldn’t you let go of my hair too?”

“I’m talking about you throwing me up earlier. I thought you were going to drop me.”

“I was just trying to hold you better. Let go of my hair. Before I drop you.”

“Aha, it seems like your arm muscles are gradually losing strength despite their impressive appearance, so why don’t you obediently put me down? No matter what, isn’t it a bit unseemly to drop your lover due to lack of strength?”

“How could I possibly lack the strength to just hold you? I didn’t know your future aspiration was to be a withered mummy. You act all tough on your own, but you’re so thin you seem like you’ll break if touched.”

“No, I’ve lived well like this. Your body is excessively sturdy.”

“You’ve lived well like this? Congratulations. Let’s adjust your diet so you can continue to live well in the future.”

“Hey, are you even listening to me? Please realize that the dog-like lover I chose is not a trainer…”

At that moment, laughter burst out from the front. Wondering why there was a sound as if they saw something fun at this timing, I glared at them venomously. 

Judging by Lee Hyang covering his mouth and shaking his head, he seemed to be the culprit. However, Hae Yuna exclaimed with a disgusted expression faster than my personality lashing out.

“You really fell in love. I can’t believe you’re making that expression…”

Huh? What are you saying, you guys? Don’t tell me you felt like the conversation we had sounded like a loving couple?

‘If this is love, romance is dead.’

I don’t know why they started misunderstanding that a couple who insults each other to piss off each other and grabs each other’s hair is love. I was just hoping that bastard would get really annoyed, but I was dumbfounded to suddenly achieve the feat of successful acting. What’s with Ryuseong’s expression? He just looked really pissed off and about to snap. But they seemed flustered as if they saw something they shouldn’t have.

Ryuseong must have also found it absurd, as his hold loosened a bit. That was an opportunity. If I wanted to achieve my intention when following him out, it was easier not to miss the given opportunity.

I swiftly bent my knees and stomped on Ryuseong’s forearm with my shoe heel. As I jumped up like that, my coat fluttered as if cutting through the air, and I landed with an elegant falling technique and grinned.

Did you think I wouldn’t know your true intentions, bastard?

“Anyway, now that we’re outside, we should take care of business. It seems like you have a lot to say to your friends, so I’ll look around nearby. Go ahead. I’ll be fine.”

“…”

You brought me along to avoid being questioned by your friends, right? Right? Ha! Did you think you could use me as a shield? I won’t fall for it! I’ll avoid anything for your sake!

However, I had no intention of not listening to their conversation. Because I have no conscience. I focused mana on my ears while strolling around as if taking a walk, pretending not to hear anything. I was excitedly waiting to see what kind of gossip would come out of the mouths of the protagonist and friends.

“Won’t they hear us from that distance?”

“W-well. Let’s try cursing once first. If they flinch, it means they can hear.”

“Ca-Cassis idiot.”

“…Sea squirt, sea anemone, sea cucumber.”

Those words themselves weren’t funny, but I almost burst out laughing at the sight of Ryuseong looking down at his friends as if they were pathetic. If you’re going to provoke, do it properly. Throwing such soft words at me tickles instead.

It tickles and feels weird.

Should I say it’s striking that these kids, who still possess the freshness and innocence that can only be described as students, died so terribly on the battlefield?

‘Oh, I’m getting disillusioned with reality.’

The problem is that I’m the only one who knows they all die. Just because they appeared in a hardcore dark fantasy original work, these lively and cheerful college-aged kids slowly lose their laughter, go through countless crises of being broken, and desperately try to hold onto hope to survive. And in the end, they show their corpses to Ryuseong, who told them not to die before him.

How was Cassis Demillang smiling at Ryuseong after staining his hands with the blood of his friends?

‘That scene is my favorite.’

Why did I have to be possessed by this novel of all things? I can’t purely like it like before without any worries… Damn it, it’s not like I don’t have any thoughts at all. I’m pretty sure that if I don’t do anything and stay still, things won’t escalate. No matter how hard the named characters try to destroy the world, they won’t be able to do anything without the final mastermind who brings them together and leads them.

‘Then it’s settled.’

That’s right. I’m someone who was struck by a bolt from the blue. Since I’m possessed, I’m trying to live well, but I don’t particularly intend to work hard at anything! As long as I can live. To be precise, as long as I can live luxuriously, flexing and living leisurely. I don’t want to do anything more than that. So I pushed away the sense of debt that sprouted up like disgusting mold for no reason.

“I think they probably can’t hear? …I even said that much and there’s no reaction.”

“Right, right? …There’s no way he would tolerate us saying that…”

That’s a sense of debt that can be forgotten. Because all I did was read a book and raved about it. Did I ever think that their lives would be the one and only true universe? What’s wrong with consuming the misfortune in fiction as enjoyment? I just enjoyed what was fun. That’s all.

‘So let’s live our own self-reliant lives!’

Life is self-service. Water is self-service too. Let’s live on our own and eat on our own. Having returned with a clear head like that, I belatedly focused on the conversation of Ryuseong’s friends again. What were they talking about, kids? I couldn’t hear a single thing because I was thinking about something else.

“You know the clan association is in chaos right now. We need to coordinate our explanations at least. Cooperate with us to that extent. We’re all still young, so if we make up appropriate words to the adults, we can buy you some time.”

“Yeah, man. You must have been surprised too. How could you end up with such a guy… No, no. Pretend I didn’t say that. Just, I hope you’re fucking happy…”

…What, what?

Why are they suddenly taking Ryuseong’s side? Wasn’t there no particular virtue to do that? Ah, don’t tell me they really think we’re in love?

‘Did your romance genes all die…?’

You don’t know because you haven’t lived life as romantically as me, kids? Of course, objectively speaking, my life is closer to promiscuity than romance. But your level is too much. Thank you for helping out so much just because we fought, it makes you look like pushovers. Please continue to live as pushovers in the future.

Looking at this, it seems like the situation will be resolved quite smoothly. It will be easier to wage a public opinion war if Lee Hyang and Hae Yuna, who are close with Ryuseong, step up.

Speaking of the power structure on the Korean Peninsula, the Jeonju Lee clan of Joseon is a clan with a long history on the Korean Peninsula, and the Hanra faction of Jeju is the same. However, the only difference is that Lee Hyang, as the representative of the Korean Peninsula, finds it difficult to openly express hostility towards the Demillangs, unlike the Hanra faction.

Hae Yuna uses Korean nationality following her father, but her grandmother is an elder of the historically significant Haenam faction in the martial arts genre and is Chinese, so it would be very troublesome if she openly declares her stance.

That’s precisely why it’s tantamount to betrayal or treason for Ryuseong, who is considered the next leader of the Hanra faction, to date a Demillang.

But now we can control how far we define a traitor here.

Is the entire Hanra faction a bunch of d*ckheads who surrendered to the Demillangs, or will only Ryuseong be a f*ckhead? Will we seek a third path?

We’ve come to be able to control this.

Through Lee Hyang and Hae Yuna.

‘Lee Hyang is practically a prince of the Korean Peninsula, so it goes without saying, and Hae Yuna being able to sway foreign media is also a huge merit.’

If they cooperate with Ryuseong, we can move forward on a slightly better path.

So I lightly hopped while still strolling under the clouds with my hands behind my back.

There’s a technique called Zhu Ji Fa (shrinking earth) among Taoist arts. Of course, there are plenty of techniques to gain speed in magic as well, but Zhu Ji Fa is particularly stylish, so I learned this. Cassis rocks with mana embedded in his dantian. Thanks to that, my life is legendary as I can learn Taoist arts, spells, and magic.

Like that, I reduced a distance of several tens of meters in one step. Without giving them time to discern when I arrived, I stuck my head forward, and Hae Yuna and Lee Hyang on either side, who belatedly noticed me, were startled and fell backward on their butts. I slightly frowned at the loud screaming.

“I heard your valuable opinions well.”

“Y-you heard? Everything? All of it?”

“Yes, of course.”

“…”

Oh, strangely the kids turned pale. Is it because I frowned? So I decided to smile brightly at them.

“I express my gratitude for your words that you will strive for our relationship.”

“…”

“Please continue to cooperate by all means…”