"...Hah, I see. Now I understand why the rookie died."
The chameleon beastkin with a multicolored face sighed, as if giving up.
"Kill me. I’ve lost, so do it."
"..."
What?
Why isn’t he killing him?
Yu Siwoo had only raised his sword, not swinging it to behead the villain.
"You’re not going to kill me?"
"Ugh, kuh..."
[Ah, this is it.]
The Author let out a small exclamation, as if struck by realization.
I figured out why the protagonist was acting like that too.
I really didn’t want to.
...Sigh.
A sigh escaped me.
Yu Siwoo was hesitating to kill someone.
"What’s this? You hesitate to kill a man? Did the rookie die to someone like you?"
"I won’t kill you."
"...Why not?"
"Because I need information about that organization, the Weavermen."
It was an excuse.
The Author, me, even Amelia—
we all noticed it.
So did Yu Siwoo and the chameleon beastkin.
"I’ve been trained to endure torture. You’re wasting your time."
"No, there has to be a way to get information without killing you."
"..."
The villain clamped his mouth shut, as if refusing to say another word.
Hmm, what now?
The protagonist being this non-lethal doesn’t fit the current trend.
At a time like this, he should just kill him once to see how it feels.
Ah, right.
That’s the way to go.
"W-what the...?!"
"...You’re still going?! You can’t move in that condition! Surrender!"
I manipulated some of the pre-laid threads to bind the chameleon beastkin, then forced his body upright.
The threads were so thin they were nearly invisible.
Under normal circumstances, Yu Siwoo would’ve noticed, but this wasn’t a normal situation.
His mind was probably cluttered with distractions.
Sure enough, he hadn’t noticed the thread descending from the ceiling.
Hmm, still inexperienced. Someday, he’ll have to notice things like this even in his sleep.
He should be able to dodge attacks while asleep, at least. Yeah.
"Kuh—?!"
I could feel the chameleon beastkin’s panic.
Of course he was panicking.
His body was moving on its own, even though he hadn’t done anything.
Even if he tried to move, the tightly bound threads wouldn’t let him do a thing.
He must’ve felt like he was possessed.
"S-stop! There’s no way you can win like this—!"
Suddenly, the villain flipped his script, attacking recklessly without regard for his own body. Yu Siwoo was caught off guard.
Yeah, he must’ve thought the guy couldn’t move.
And technically, he was right.
His side was turning redder by the second—looked like his organs might actually be rupturing.
Must’ve hurt like hell.
Not that I cared.
-CLANG! CLANG!
"Ugh...!"
The battle had started again.
The difference from before was that this time, it wasn’t an ambush—they were openly clashing strength against strength.
But Yu Siwoo still couldn’t easily subdue the villain.
Even when an opening presented itself, he wasn’t taking it.
He could win with a single strike.
Was he really not going to hit him? Even now?
He hesitated even when the villain exposed his throat, heart, and bleeding side—easy targets.
Did he think one hit would kill him?
Well, it would.
"Hey, if you keep this up, you’re actually going to die!"
Talking to him was useless, though.
If I let it slip that I’m controlling him, it’ll be a disaster, so I’ve kept my mouth shut.
Ah, but this is kind of fun.
It feels like I’m playing a game.
Take this! Ultimate move—horizontal slash!
…Missed.
"Ugh, kk…!"
"W-What the hell is this…?!"
I started having fun, messing around with the controls, but I got bored just as quickly.
At first, I thought it was entertaining.
Of course, all my attacks were blocked, and Yu Siwoo showed no sign of ending the fight.
This is boring.
Maybe I should wrap this up.
I’ve fought enough by now.
I manipulated the threads, making the puppet’s body move even more violently.
Yu Siwoo had no choice but to defend against the wildly swinging sword, unable to steady himself.
It was impressive how he only blocked attacks to avoid killing—maybe he was even looking for an opening to knock the opponent out?
But that won’t do.
A webnovel protagonist has to smash through every obstacle in his path with bold determination.
He can’t afford to get bogged down by trivial matters like this.
I forced the villain to swing his sword diagonally.
Naturally, Yu Siwoo would swing his own sword to block.
Good. Just as expected.
So what would happen if I forcibly twisted the arm to change the trajectory?
"…?!"
Well, the result was obvious.
Yu Siwoo seemed to realize something was off after swinging, but it was far too late.
The villain’s attack path had been forcibly altered.
Once a strike was already in motion, it would continue straight unless someone like me interfered.
The puppet’s neck was cleanly severed by the horizontal slash that couldn’t adjust its course.
"D-Did he… die?!"
Yeah, he’s dead.
Definitely.
If your head’s separated from your body, you can’t exactly be alive, right?
Ugh, that’s disgusting.
Leaving the dumbfounded Yu Siwoo behind, I turned to Amelia.
Alright, now it’s time for the heroine to comfort him with her ample, embracing chest.
"…Huu, huuuu."
Wait, what?!
Amelia was staring at the corpse, her face pale, barely able to stand.
You’re not supposed to react like that!
Why are *you* the one losing it too?!
Crap, this is bad. I thought Amelia had a strong personality and would handle it fine!
Looking at the protagonist staring blankly at his hands, it was clear someone needed to comfort *him* right now.
Amelia…! Snap out of it!
But my desperate mental scream didn’t reach her.
Amelia’s ability wasn’t telepathy, so of course it wouldn’t.
Aah, damn it. What else can I do?
I subtly felt my own chest.
…This should be big enough, right?
"Don’t worry, Yu Siwoo."
"…Arte."
"It was just an unavoidable accident. Arte Isis and Amelia were watching the whole time."
"B-But…!"
Ugh, he’s *such* a talker.
"?!"
Even I had my limits with full-on face hugs, so I settled for wrapping my arms around the back of his head instead.
Haah, life.
If Amelia had just kept it together, I wouldn’t have to do this…
I could feel my face burning.
Ughh.
…This should be fine, right?
"Everything will be okay. It’s not your fault."
"…"
"He threw himself at you. You did nothing wrong, Siwoo."
Gradually, Yu Siwoo’s trembling began to subside.
Calmed down? …He *did* calm down, right?
Good. Success.
Now his resistance to killing should be a little lower.
It’s always hardest the first time.
Once you cross a line, the next time is easier.
"What’s going on?! All this commotion… Are you all right?!"
Ah, the teacher finally arrived.
Well, with all that noise, it’d be strange if they didn’t come running.
Perfect timing.
I grinned as I watched the teacher hurriedly secure and control the scene.
[That was fun…! A perfect scene!]
Seemed like the Author was pleased too.
Total success.
"…"
I clenched my hand once.
…I could still feel it.
The sensation of cutting into flesh.
The way it sliced through easily, then suddenly stopped with a *thunk*—probably bone.
A chill ran down my spine.
I’d only meant to silence him.
But what if—just what if—
Arte didn’t seem to notice, but if she had, even by some small mistake.
If the villain told Arte that *I* was the one who’d gone through her underwear…
That’s why I had to capture him quickly.
I thought I could gloss over it.
"…Well, it worked."
Yeah.
It worked.
He couldn’t claim he didn’t do it anymore.
Because he was dead.
But I still felt uneasy.
He *deserved* to die.
Breaking into the Academy alone was already a capital offense.
But to be part of the same organization as the traitor Lyra…
If you lose, you shouldn’t expect to survive.
That’s probably why he’d urged me to kill him.
But… there *had* been a chance he could’ve lived.
In the end, *I* was the one who took his life.
"Huuu…"
I lay on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Fortunately, the gloomy thoughts didn’t last long.
Because the moment they surfaced, the next scene flashed in my mind.
"Ugh, no. Don’t think about it…"
I shook my head, but it did no good.
The harder you try not to think about something, the more it sticks in your head.
The soft, squishy sensation pressing against the back of my head came to mind.
"…Ugh!"
-THUD!
I slammed my head against the wall, trying to erase the memory.
…But it didn’t work. Being a superhuman, it didn’t even hurt much.
A wave of self-loathing crashed over me.
I’d just killed a man, and here I was, thinking about the feel of a woman’s chest.
Wasn’t that the kind of thing only trash would do?
But whenever I felt like there was blood on my hands, a whispering voice settled gently in my ear.
"It’s not my fault… is it."
What was her goal, anyway?
I was confused.
At first, I thought she was trying to kill me, but that was a misunderstanding.
So why was she watching me? What was her intention?
Did she just want to observe?
She’d sent a beastman to attack the Academy and was searching for some hidden artifact.
But what did that have to do with watching me?
I had no idea.
"I don’t get it!"
I decided not to dwell on things I couldn’t figure out.
There was no way to know right now, anyway.
If I kept thinking about it, I’d just spiral into more self-loathing, so I resolved to get some sleep.
"…Can’t sleep."
But as always, things never go according to plan.
Siwoo tossed and turned, haunted by the sensation of that soft pressure against his head and the intoxicating scent.