Chapter 139 : Chapter 139
Chapter 139
Lately, points came in chunks of 20,000 or 30,000, so this felt underwhelming.
‘A renewed Cadet Handbook, what’s different?’
Checking it, all data had transferred to the new handbook, and the old one wouldn’t even turn on.
‘…Using this is like letting Great Sage Lukfels see everything.’
Not good.
Felt like I’d gotten tangled with something troublesome.
“For now…”
Upstairs, Lilac was waiting.
“Lilac.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Don’t let anyone into my room for a while. If I don’t come out in three days, wake me then.”
Sudden, but she’d handled this before, so Lilac bowed in compliance.
“Yes, understood, Master.”
Back in my room, I felt a tinge of regret for not greeting my family properly but began changing.
‘Great Sage Lukfels, Star Child, World Tree.’
It was going to get hectic, so I had to do it now.
Dressed neatly, I lay on the bed.
“I’ll experience Martin’s past.”
The combined skill level of Know-It-All and Wild Instinct is Lv 8. You’ve accessed memories up to Lv 6. Continue?
Nodding, my body was pulled downward.
Into the dark abyss, to experience the past of a boy steeped in pure evil…
“Martin!”
Slap!
A calloused palm struck, sending me rolling.
‘Quite a start.’
I slowly recalled the past.
Young Martin spent three years without his father, William.
To ensure his education, the Empire’s finest teachers were hired, but among them was Vistavern.
Just when Lilac’s miracle seemed to render his teachings useless, Martin, influenced by Vistavern’s ideological education, fell.
“This is the maid you brought! Your soul-bound companion!”
He brutally assaulted Lilac and Sebastian.
“And those you should respect and care for!”
He judged and disregarded commoners and nobles alike.
“What is this nonsense!”
Furious, William beat Martin all day and locked him in a cramped storage room.
“Reflect on your wrongs in there!”
“Ugh, sob!”
For Martin, raised delicately, it was a shock.
William’s harsh measures to break the ideas instilled in his young son ironically became the catalyst for Martin’s complete corruption.
“Father’s no different.”
In the dark, cramped storage room, young Martin gritted his teeth, shedding tears of resentment.
“A noble who’s not noble. A fool obsessed with his beliefs…!”
Thus, Martin.
“Master, you must study…”
“Shut up and get out of my room!”
Abandoned the path of Know-It-All, built on his prodigious talent.
“You brat, Martin! Do it properly!”
“Why should I deal with this beast?!”
Abandoned the innate Wild Instinct from his bloodline.
“I’m a refined noble.”
He discarded them.
“The world’s wrong.”
How would the world look to a corrupted soul?
“Twisted, isn’t it?”
“I’ll take what I want.”
“Hey, gather around.”
Introduced by Marquis Vistavern, he formed a Violence Circle with noble heirs, wreaking havoc until entering the Academy.
Violence, extortion, arson, vandalism—the basics.
They built a faction, had a hideout, and linked with major gangs.
“Hey, Martin. What about this guy?”
“Strip him.”
Commoners lost even their clothes if caught, while the wealthy were extorted for vast sums.
“How dare a mongrel climb up!”
When someone who’d lost everything lunged at Martin, he killed them without hesitation.
It was natural.
Lowly commoners existed for lofty nobles.
“Hey, Young Master Martin. What’s up?”
To a noble boy drinking with a girl, Martin handed a bankbook, replying dully:
“Future planning.”
To Martin, even these guys were pathetic.
He wasn’t just a thug—he was trash with twisted beliefs.
“Someday, I’ll ditch these guys and go independent.”
He hoarded extorted money.
‘So that’s why I had so much money.’
That funded my Academy tuition and coffee cart, but still.
Time passed, and Martin entered Imperium Academy.
William, banking on his childhood talent, hoped the educational environment would reform him.
“…Who’s that guy?”
“Huh? That guy? Some commoner named Gilbert.”
“He’s the next target.”
And so, the story unfolded predictably.
No need to see the rest.
“Ugh, please stop.”
“Hah! Hear that? ‘Ugh, please stop…’ Hilarious!”
“Pfft, haha!”
Gilbert’s bullying began.
Seeing it now, his guard knight Lina tried to kill Martin multiple times.
If Gilbert hadn’t stopped her, I’d be dead thrice over.
Maybe that would’ve been better.
For a fully corrupted Martin, death was the only way to contribute to the world.
“Oh, hi! Cadet Gilbert! I’m Bord, got a question about the assignment!”
Bord, the friendly class leader, approached Gilbert.
“Hey, Cadet Gilbert. Sorry to bother you, but how did you solve this problem?”
Elisha, amazed by Gilbert’s intellect, drew closer.
“Uh, h-hello…! I’m Mary!”
Mary followed her two friends.
The moment three heirs of the Four Great Ducal Families united, Martin’s downfall was sealed.
“W-What…?”
Before their immense power, Martin’s sandcastle crumbled.
His followers vanished, and he was branded across the Academy and noble society…
“….”
Opening my eyes, I saw a faintly familiar ceiling.
My room, a month after moving in.
“So that’s how it was.”
My voice confirmed I was back.
“….”
No words came, so I stared at the ceiling.
Last time my memories cut off, I was furious at Martin’s violence toward Lilac and Sebastian.
Now…
“….”
Just…
“Poor thing.”
Not excusing Martin’s many sins, deserving death.
But his life was pitiful.
His prodigious talent was crushed by corruption, his school life plummeted to ruin.
Even if it was his own doing.
‘So this… is the hint to raise Know-It-All and Wild Instinct to Lv 5.’
A prodigy called Know-It-All by Lilac.
Innate bloodline talent, Wild Instinct, meant to be honed with his soul-bound companion Sebastian.
Martin was born with both but discarded them.
‘Then, through Lilac and Sebastian… can I gain something?’
Pondering dozens of possibilities, I stopped, cleared my thoughts, and returned to square one.
‘If I’d found the answer, the system would’ve confirmed it.’
No response meant this wasn’t it.
‘If discarded, it can’t be reclaimed. It’s not an object.’
How could you reclaim lost talent?
A broken flower, reattached, doesn’t undo its breaking.
‘Talent… must bloom again.’
Not through the system… but through this body, I’d make talent bloom anew.
You’ve changed Martin’s fate. And the fates of many extras.
As if by magic, the system spoke once I reached the answer.
Now, it’s time to change the world’s fate. But you’re still far from enough, and no amount of points will get you there.
The system placed a heavy weight on my heart.
Only your, Kim An-hyun’s, twisted love can change everything. But can you bear it? The ending that awaits at the story’s conclusion.
‘Twisted… love…’
I understood instantly.
No one told me, but I’d always kept it in a corner of my mind.
It was ■■■.
‘Tell me it’s a lie.’
Slowly sitting up, I’d felt only pity for Martin moments ago, but now cold sweat soaked me from those few sentences.
‘Not Martin’s, but my, Kim An-hyun’s… twisted love.’
It existed.
Of course.
Why wouldn’t it?
But it was something I desperately didn’t want to face…
Sinking into despair, I secluded myself, watching the sun rise and set through blackout curtains.
‘The system’s never been wrong.’
It had always been right.
‘Someday, I’ll face my contradictions.’
My breath caught, heavy and stifling.
‘Frustrating.’
No hunger or bodily needs—just ■■■.
Like sinking into desert quicksand or a sticky swamp, my thoughts spiraled endlessly.
Until a knock.
“….”
No response.
“…Master, I’m coming in.”
Click.
The doorknob turned cautiously, and the door opened.
I lay there, hand on my forehead, unable to rise.
“M-Master! Are you sick?!”
“It’s not that…”
My sigh-like reply made Lilac pause.
Even to me… my voice was laden with anguish.
“…Master, today’s the third morning. The conquest success banquet is today.”
“….”
Her sweet voice brimmed with concern.
“…Right, gotta get ready.”
“….”
No energy came.
“Master…”
Lilac rushed off with a clatter.
“L-Lilac unnie! Eek! A-Are you okay?”
“Whoa, careful!”
Bianca and Nerjin’s startled voices echoed as she returned.
A familiar scent wafted over.
“Your favorite cheesecake, Master.”
“….”
No reaction, so she rushed off again.
“L-Lilac unnie?”
“Miss Lilac?”
This time, she brought my favorite Caramel Macchiato.
“Your favorite coffee, Master.”
“….”
Crash!
She went to her room and returned with a fine outfit.
“For the banquet, I made a party uniform! Grandpa Nerjin enchanted it!”
I was happy.
But… no energy to rise.
What could I do…
As Lilac moved to rush off again, I grabbed her hand.
“I’m okay.”
“Master…”
She looked at me, then bowed her head.
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“All I can do for you is this…”
No need.
Even if you had nothing, your presence alone was my comfort, my solace, my strength to move forward.
“It’s fine.”
“I want to do more…”
“Really, it’s fine.”
Lilac handled all household and coffee wagon duties.
She’d devoted herself to me more than enough, more than I deserved.
“…I’ll get up.”
As I rose, Lilac’s expression softened slightly.
“Master, you need to eat.”
“Yeah.”
Light seemed to shine from Lilac outside the door.
But, oh, how cruel the heavens were.
‘My twisted love.’
Why hide it?
‘■■■’ was ‘Lilac.’
Why twisted?
Think about it.
If this world reached its ending… what would happen to me?
‘Can I stay in this body?’
Did Lilac love Kim An-hyun… or the young Martin of the past?
If, on the journey to the world’s ending, that truth was revealed and Lilac learned it, then I…