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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: The Story (2)
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Having left Deren's carriage, I was on my way to the library to read the novels Envy supposedly wrote when she was Celestina.
'I hope it helps.'
Envy, the Sin of Jealousy, was one of the trickiest bosses in the original game.
Not only did she possess the overwhelming stats befitting a Sin, but despite being a boss in a game, she had absolutely no discernible patterns whatsoever.
If it had only been in combat, it would have been fine.
I was the most seasoned veteran among veterans, so no matter what tricks or whims she pulled, I was confident I wouldn't lose in a fight.
However, the biggest problem lay elsewhere.
It was the incredibly difficult process of reaching the stage where one fought Envy.
How the game operators implemented this remains a mystery.
At any rate, Envy was a very special boss.
An unpredictable entity that presented different situations and trials to every player, an existence for which no strategy guide could possibly exist.
Only one thing about her was predictable.
That someday, somewhere, she would inevitably target the protagonist.
Apart from this, all her actions were random.
Sometimes she would create unavoidable situations and launch surprise attacks.
She would brainwash the protagonist's companions, who seemed entirely incapable of betrayal, into betraying him.
She would infiltrate the player's surroundings as an unexpected character and then ambush them.
She would also secretly kill all the heroines and surrounding characters the player had invested in.
It would have been easier if one could at least detect Envy's presence.
She was one of the best at stealth in [Harem Academy], so finding her first was an almost impossible feat, like plucking stars from the sky.
Unpredictable behavior patterns,
and stealth abilities that made her nearly undetectable.
Envy was such an existence.
An existence I, who had grown strong enough to cut down a Sin single-handedly, still couldn't predict or find.
That was why I intended to read all the novels she had written.
Most authors, by nature, unconsciously project themselves onto their creations.
I thought that by reading her novels, I might be able to somewhat predict her ideologies and plans.
No, to be honest, I was desperate enough to grasp at straws.
'But when will I ever read all of these?'
Having arrived at the library, I pulled out a note from my pocket and re-examined the list of novel titles.
----
-[Out of the Work]-Vol. 6 (Complete)
-[The Holy Emperor Loves Me Too Much]-Vol. 3 (Complete)
-[I'm the Crazy Bitch of This Academy]-Vol. 4 (Complete)
-[Only I Can See Ghosts Well]-Vol. 2 (Complete)
-[The World's Strongest Man's Best Friend]-Vol. 5 (Complete)
-[Smashing the Hero Party]-Vol. 3 (Serialization Discontinued)
----
Examining the note, I had to be impressed again.
Good heavens, the empress was an author with five completed series.
Given that her last work was discontinued, it seemed Celestina hadn't put down her pen until the war broke out.
Incidentally, I planned to borrow two of these novels today.
First was [Out of the Work].
I chose this book because it was the only adult novel she had written.
It wasn't because I wanted to see explicit scenes, absolutely not. I merely thought that as an erotic novel, it would best reveal Celestina's desires.
Next was [Smashing the Hero Party].
This novel's title alone clearly showed Celestina's desires.
Dian, who belonged to the Hero Party, and Celestina, who was jealous of the Hero Party.
And the fact that it was the last novel Celestina wrote before heading to the battlefield.
In many ways, it seemed like the novel that would be most helpful.
"Are you looking for a particular book?"
As I hesitated in front of the desk, the librarian, who was moving a stack of books, asked.
"Narita-sensei's [Smashing the Hero Party] and… uh, Out of the… Cre-…."
I answered confidently about one, but hesitated to speak the title of the other novel.
Because the novel [Out of the Work] was a spicy story about a progressive woman from a fictional work coming out into the world and seducing attractive men in various ways.
"Ah, [Out of the Work], you mean? But for a student like you, sir, it might be a bit…."
I had clearly hesitated and not fully uttered the title.
Yet, how did this female librarian, suddenly blushing and wearing a sly expression, immediately guess the title of the book I was looking for?
"[Yongpattae] is on the second shelf of aisle K over there. You're lucky. It was just returned today."
"Yongpattae?"
"It's short for [Smashing the Hero Party]. Didn't you know? That's common knowledge."
Why on earth was that common knowledge?
As I was lost in my bewilderment, the librarian spoke with a regretful expression.
"But what a shame. [Out of the Work] has already been borrowed. Narita-sensei's works are so popular, you see…"
"What? Could I ask who borrowed it?"
Completely unprepared for this turn of events, I frowned and asked the librarian.
"Since it was borrowed by a lady… I'm afraid I can't tell you."
The librarian, for some reason, looked resolute and firmly refused.
'What kind of lewd woman…'
…would borrow such a novel?
I had my reasons, but it was utterly incomprehensible.
'Well, it takes a while to read a book anyway.'
I'll just borrow another book until that lewd woman returns it.
Thinking that, I took [Smashing the Hero Party] from the shelf and began reading it right there.
"…"
As I read, I felt my eyes grow tired, so I rubbed them and looked around.
A moment ago, I was clearly standing.
Why was I sitting at a desk now?
"Anyway…"
I muttered, closing the book cover.
"Why is this so interesting?"
Having read all three volumes in one sitting, I cursed the author for discontinuing the serialization without writing the rest of the story, and then I stood up.
Regardless of the novel's entertainment value, reading it allowed me to realize one thing.
The protagonist 'Lani' in the novels written by this woman is intensely imbued with Celestina's desires.
'Lani' in the novel was a character who would stop at nothing to achieve her goals.
Even if it meant selling her soul to a demon,
If there was someone she wanted, she would kill everyone around them to get them.
A character who absolutely had to acquire what she wanted and achieve what she wished for.
****
Only a few days ago, she was a woman strolling through the village streets with a happy expression, arm in arm with her lover.
Envy, having stolen that woman's life and even her appearance, was walking through the academy grounds in an excited mood.
The first place she visited was the library.
She took out the books she had published under the pen name 'Narita' from the shelf and examined them. Each one was well-worn.
Envy felt pleased that her stories still seemed to be loved by the students.
On the other hand, Envy regretted that she had one story left unfinished.
So she borrowed that book, reread it, and imprinted it in her mind.
Since she was here anyway, she thought she might as well complete the rest of the story.
New characters were to be introduced into that story, such as the vessel of sin, the next hero candidate, and women who would tragically die.
After returning the book, Envy walked through the academy grounds to personally observe the people who would serve as motifs for the new characters in her novel.
First was the black-haired boy, who would be the core material of the story.
A handsome and capable child. This child, regrettably, carried the fate of being a 'vessel' and was destined for a tragic end.
Envy also saw the beautiful red-haired girl who accompanied the boy.
The girl gazed at the 'vessel' boy all day long. Her large, beautiful eyes, enough to make one jealous, were filled with the tender emotion of love.
Regrettably, the girl probably didn't know.
That because of her, the man she loved would be unable to escape sorrow.
Next, Envy observed a magic doll named Sage.
There was a beautiful but somewhat lacking elf in Dian's hero party, and Sage was the magic doll created by that elf.
Greed, that foolish girl, tried to take that child and was defeated by this child, Camel.
Indeed, that magic doll possessed a beauty worth risking one's life to save, enough to naturally incite jealousy.
In short, she was the kind of child that would be satisfying to break.
Next, Envy's eyes fell upon a cute child with light golden hair.
Envy couldn't help but let out a chuckle at the sight of the child.
Because the child Envy saw was the daughter of the man who had confessed to Envy and been rejected.
I should go easy on her.
Thinking that, Envy walked in front of the temple within the academy.
Regrettably, she did not see the Saintess of this era.
It didn't matter. Because the child inside was practically the possession of the Sin of Lust, that woman.
Even if she didn't intervene herself, the child was clearly destined to be broken before long.
The last place Envy went was a training ground in a secluded spot.
A man was seen there, tirelessly swinging his sword and sweating profusely in the empty training ground.
The next hero candidate, Fran van Gallantus.
A key figure who would provide 'conflict' in her story.
Envy, with a smile, slowly began to approach him.