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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: Übermensch
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"Raise your swords. Today's lesson begins."
[Ugh, what a boring teacher. So annoying.]
Why are you like that to the teacher...?
Well, it's not wrong that the class is boring.
But there are all kinds of teachers, aren't there?
As the Writer, who should be pursuing entertainment, it seemed that teacher wasn't to your liking.
Indeed, it's to the point where even heroines abandon swordplay classes because they're boring.
"Alright, alright. Let's stop talking about the teacher and move on to the student. She was the one, right?"
I looked at the student who was a former heroine candidate.
She was a female student with an impressive purple ponytail.
The weapon she was holding... was it a longsword?
As expected of a student in a swordplay class, her well-trained, sturdy physique was quite attractive.
True to a former heroine candidate, she had something that drew the eye more than the other students.
[Hmm, but there's one thing that's a bit disappointing...]
"What's disappointing?"
[It's that. When I thought about how she could have infiltrated the academy, nothing came to mind.]
Ohh.
To think the Writer is starting to care about plausibility.
There's no real need to care about plausibility; we could just gloss over it by saying someone hacked their way in.
But I was happy that the Writer was starting to pay attention to such minor details.
Wouldn't you eventually figure out solutions on your own, without me even having to advise you?
Imagining a happy future, I decided to give the Writer some advice.
"Then how about we add a little plausibility? It's not that difficult."
[Huh? How? Is there a way to breach the world's best security...?]
"She wasn't a villain when she enrolled, but became one after enrolling."
[...!]
"An explanation for how a spy infiltrated can be done like this."
Right, there's no rule that a spy has to be a spy from the moment they infiltrate.
What if it wasn't an infiltration to begin with?
She could have been an ordinary student when she enrolled in the academy, and then become a villain after admission.
A student who silently repeated her practice.
Believing her talent would one day blossom, she immersed herself in training without missing a single day.
Even with diligent effort, training every day until her hands bled, her skill simply refused to improve.
Yet, she kept pursuing her path, believing her approach wasn't wrong, until she suddenly crumbled.
The reason... right, how about this?
This year's incoming students are the protagonist's generation.
In any academy novel, the protagonist's generation is always filled with talented students.
To keep up with the protagonist's growth, and not to hold them back.
The generation the protagonist enrolls in is always a golden generation. It overflows with brightly shining, talented individuals.
But where there is light, there is also darkness.
And it's only natural for some to feel jealous.
"Witnessing the astonishing talent of her fellow classmates, she feels jealousy. Then, by chance, she encounters an evil organization, hears words like, 'Do you desire power...?' and defects immediately. How's that?"
[A-amazing! That's incredible!]
"The academy's security is excellent, of course, but if one of its members betrays it, a loophole is bound to appear. It's a classic, but isn't it interesting?"
[I knew it! I wasn't wrong! You're a god!]
You're the god.
...Well, I didn't mind being praised so much.
[Okay, the setup is complete! A student who feels inferior about her own talent, and ultimately defects to villainy out of jealousy for others' talents! Kyah, delicious!]
After hearing the Writer's words, I looked at the student and could feel something had changed.
Her movements, which had been like any other student's while swinging her sword, now felt imbued with a frantic impatience, as if driven by malice.
Even I, who knows little about swords, could feel it to that extent, so naturally the teacher must have felt it too.
The teacher, who had been observing other students, paused her.
"Laila. That's enough. Didn't I tell you before? Don't be so impatient."
"Hoo, hoo... B-but! I can do more!"
"No, you can't. Your body isn't that strong. You need rest."
Whoa, the disconnect is no joke.
To think the girl who was just swinging her weapon normally a moment ago is suddenly struggling like that.
It wasn't the first time I'd seen a character's settings change directly, but I couldn't shake the sense of discrepancy.
...Indeed, it's not like a person.
That strange sight makes it difficult to perceive the people of this world as actual people.
"It's an order, Laila. Take a rest."
"Ugh..."
At the teacher's words, her momentum faltered, and her head drooped.
It seemed she wanted to practice more, but she reluctantly acquiesced.
"Don't be impatient. You are growing sufficiently. Don't worry."
"...Yes."
Laila watched the teacher's retreating back after he offered her words of encouragement.
Her face was so cold, it was as if she were a different person from before the settings changed.
When you think about it, she *is* a different person.
Her past has changed, after all.
"Excuse me, are you alright?"
"...Go away. I'm fine."
Her reaction is a bit cold.
Even so, I can't back down.
Because I need to confirm if the settings really changed properly.
If the Writer made a mistake and changed it to a strange setting, it would be a disaster.
"By the way, you're amazing. Your persistence. I envy it."
"...What are you trying to say?"
"I'm envious of that amazing talent. They say diligence is also a talent, you know. Could we become friends?"
...!
Oh, how scary.
If I hadn't anticipated her reaction, I would have been startled.
To think such a pretty face could contort like that.
Well, it makes sense, I suppose.
Because one of the phrases people without talent hate the most is 'the talent for effort'.
'Effort is also talent'?
Ha, truly, people without talent would gladly kill the person who first uttered such a sentiment, if they could.
Whether one puts in effort or not is ultimately a matter of one's own will. It has nothing whatsoever to do with talent.
It was obvious she thought the same way.
...Should I check a little more?
Pretending not to notice her expression, I decided to prod her a little further.
"I'm a bit lacking in persistence myself... It's always been hard for me to stick with something for a long time. I'd be grateful if you could tell me your secret."
"...Get lost."
"Huh?"
"I said, get lost!"
Her voice, which had rung out loudly, drew the attention of the other students.
Naturally, the teacher also rushed over.
"Is there a problem, Arte?"
"No, Teacher. It seems I said something wrong. It's nothing serious."
"...Alright. I'll be watching, so don't fight."
"Yes. Don't worry."
The teacher's suspicious gaze stung a little.
Seriously, he doesn't even know what happened.
Laila was the one who yelled, so why am I the one being suspected?
Fortunately, Laila was also quite flustered and didn't take any further action.
It seemed she hadn't expected herself to shout like that.
"Well then, Miss Laila. I'll see you again. Heh heh, I hope your worries will be resolved by then."
Since I've confirmed that the Writer's settings have been properly applied, her current worries will be resolved.
True to an evil organization, they'll be able to bestow strength upon you.
As for side effects, I'm not sure.
I don't think what an evil organization gives you would be a proper method of enhancement.
It's like that everywhere, isn't it?
Because there's no such thing as a free lunch in this world.
To gain something, you must always sacrifice something.
Even to take something that's given for absolutely free, you need the time to take it.
If even free things require that, then a method to quickly become stronger, handed out by an evil organization?
There's no way it wouldn't have side effects.
As for new worries arising then...
Well.
Let's think about that when the time comes.
"Oh, by the way, Writer. The evil organization... doesn't it need a name? Do you have one in mind?"
[I do! You see, all ability users are superhumans, aren't they? So the name I thought of was...]
Hearing the name the Writer had come up with, a laugh escaped me.
"That's good. Let's go with that, then."
Writer, you're better at naming things than I thought.
***
"...Found it."
Siwoo was certain.
That woman.
That female student Arte approached personally.
He was sure that student and Arte were connected to some kind of scheme.
Arte had never personally approached a student before.
But at this timing, she approaches a female student she's never met?
"I'll have to talk to Amelia."
In Siwoo's mind, a happy fantasy emerged.
A vision of him thwarting Arte's plans and enjoying a normal academy life.
Siwoo smiled brightly, thinking it might just be possible.
***
"Haa..."
Laila sighed on her way home from the academy.
Was I too harsh?
...No, I wasn't.
It's better this way, actually. That woman, to mock me like that.
The monster attack that happened during the entrance ceremony.
I even personally saw her receiving an award from the academy, being hailed as the one who resolved that incident, and what?
'Lacking persistence'?
'Struggles to stick with something for long'?
Then what am I?
What about me, who held a sword every single day, regardless of blisters or injuries on my hands?
Could I defeat a Grade 3 monster?
Laila wasn't sure.
If a woman who single-handedly defeated such a monster claims she lacks persistence, then just how overflowing with talent must she be?
Am I really that devoid of talent?
I wanted to become a hero who saves people. I wanted to be useful to someone.
Squeeze.
As she clenched her fist tightly in misery, blood oozed from her hand.
"Right, what is there to worry about? They said they'd give me power."
She pulled out the pill from her pocket, which she had found too suspicious to take and had intended to discard.
An ominous black color.
It was as if she was looking at that woman's hair, and rage instantly surged within her.
Immediately after she chewed and swallowed the pill, filled with resentment.
A sensation like her heart being crushed washed over her.
"Ugh, ugh...?!"
S-save me.
I don't want to die.
All I wanted was to be someone who could help others.
As she flailed her hands in the air in pain, she heard the sound of someone approaching.
"S-save..."
"You've taken it. It seems you've decided to join us."
Ah.
This voice, I remember it.
The one who gave her the pill.
The one who approached her, promising power.
"Ü-Übermensch..."
"Yes, we are the Superhumans. The Übermensch."
Laila felt as if the man in the white coat had smirked.
"Remember this well, for this is where you will belong from now on."