-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: My Master's Obsession
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Warm sunlight, a babbling brook.
And even a monkey monster being disciplined by a werewolf.
In this peaceful daily life, I lay in a hammock, reading a weekly magazine.
----
"Fran van Gallanthus, the next hero candidate..."
"Saint Lily de Baroque, currently enrolled at Arden Academy, has embarked on a pilgrimage during the holidays..."
"Dian van Ranunculus, formerly of the Hero's Party, has been appointed to Arden Academy..."
"Dukes Armand and Astrea are vying to support Arden Academy..."
----
A strange feeling came over me as I read the weekly.
It had already been seven years since I transmigrated, yet the contents of the magazine felt entirely familiar.
"Damn it."
Well, I suppose I was *that* serious about the game to end up transmigrating.
"Nothing's changed."
The reason I'd been checking the weekly all this time was just in case.
If a different story from the one I knew was unfolding elsewhere, I'd need to prepare countermeasures.
"Guess I just need to go, then."
Reading today's weekly confirmed it.
The flow of this world was identical to the main episodes I remembered.
So, after escaping Daphne, all I had to do was stop Fran, the original protagonist, from forming his "harem" at the academy.
If only that happened.
I could easily prevent the destruction of this damned world.
And I could live like a real man.
"And cause a bit of a ruckus while I'm at it."
I had no intention of going to the academy and acting like some hidden powerhouse loser.
Instead, I planned to step forward confidently and actively intervene in the main episodes.
The reason was simple. The plot of [Harem Academy], the game I used to enjoy, was an absolute slog.
A story full of frustrating elements, as if it had terminal lung cancer, lacking any satisfying resolutions, with heroine candidates falling into corruption or dying off like dominoes.
I don't even remember how much I coughed up blood while playing that game.
That's why. That's why I wanted to change the frustrating and gloomy original story to my liking.
Honestly, the process probably wouldn't be smooth.
But even so, I wasn't worried at all.
Because...
"I'm damn strong."
Although I was only about 10% as strong as my master.
I still believed my stats and traits were more than enough to achieve my goals.
Just as I was musing to myself.
"What's strong?"
A sudden sweet voice in my ear made me flinch and stand up.
I turned my gaze to the source of the sound, and there was a girl with rose-red hair, smiling brightly at me.
"Ah, Rose."
Her true identity was Rose, who was originally destined to be the villainess, but was now my friend.
'She's grown so much.'
It felt like just yesterday she was walking around with parfait smeared on her mouth.
As time passed, her curves became more pronounced day by day, and before I knew it, she was a proper young lady.
Looking at Rose, who had grown in many ways.
I frowned and said,
"I told you not to come here."
"Why?"
"My master doesn't like it."
Rose pouted, puffed out her cheeks, and continued,
"Hmph, well, I don't like your master either!"
"..."
My hand instinctively went to my forehead.
Because my master, who had placed eavesdropping and warding spells everywhere, couldn't possibly not know Rose was here.
Strangely, my master disliked Rose immensely, and whenever I met Rose, like today, she would throw terrible tantrums at me.
"Besides, this is *my* territory. Who are *they* to tell *me* where to go? That old hag!"
This time, my head nodded on its own. No matter how I thought about it, every word she said was right.
"Anyway, that aside. Camell, I have something I'm curious about."
As I tilted my head, Rose grinned slyly and parted her red lips.
"What was it that Camell said was strong? Oh, was it *that*?"
Rose's large eyes slowly drifted down towards my lower body.
Following her gaze, my own naturally fell below my navel.
"..."
I almost answered. *Yeah. This is damn strong too.*
"You're asking for it."
"Ow!"
Embarrassed, I flicked Rose's forehead, and she let out a sharp yelp.
"Oh, why! What's wrong with it, it's just the two of us."
"What does it matter that it's just the two of us?"
"They say if a man and a woman are alone together, a baby can appear even while sleeping."
"...Who the hell told you that?"
Perhaps because it wasn't entirely wrong. My words trailed off, and my voice became smaller.
Did she think she'd gained the upper hand because of my reaction?
Rose wore a triumphant expression, then began chattering like a chirping bird.
"No, Camell. Don't you feel anything when you see me? Other guys always get 'bulgy' in front of me."
"..."
"If it's hard to hold back, I can help you, you know. I'm pretty useful, even if I don't look it!"
"Useful in what way?"
"Look. Aren't these pretty substantial?"
*They are big. No, how did she end up like this?*
A deep sigh escaped me as I watched Rose push out a certain part of herself, bringing her shoulders together.
Did she see my reaction?
Or was she embarrassed by the silence that followed?
Rose's cheeks flushed, and she opened her lips again with a crestfallen expression.
"Camell. I'm leaving soon."
"Huh?"
"It's almost time for the academy's new student recruitment. I'm going to go prepare early."
"Oh, I see. But someone like you could easily pass without preparing, you know? I think you could easily snag second place, if not top honors."
"Really?"
When I answered, Rose's crestfallen look vanished, replaced by a wide smile as she replied.
Watching Rose, I gave a confident nod.
'No way she'd fail.'
Rose never missed a top-tier rank in the original story either.
But now, Rose had also been learning swordsmanship and magic from me in her spare time.
So, there was no way Rose could possibly fail.
Oh, and by the way, I didn't teach Rose just because I was bored. I simply had something to gain by making her stronger than she was in the original story.
"Camell, aren't you sad? You're letting such a pretty girlfriend go without even touching her."
Rose subtly tried to place her hand on my thigh, and I gently pushed it away as I answered.
"Not really. And since when were you my girlfriend?"
"...Didn't work."
"Of course it wouldn't."
Rose then suddenly looked crestfallen, dropping her head and beginning to murmur in a barely audible voice.
"Hmph, he was flirting about being my escort knight, and now he's putting up a wall. And he's not even sad."
Her appearance was quite cute, making me feel an urge to pat her head, but I didn't.
I was scared of how Rose might react, and more importantly, I wasn't sad at all.
'I'll see her again at the academy anyway.'
I hadn't revealed to anyone that I was going to the academy.
Because, to completely escape from my master, I needed to keep it a secret.
And preparations for this were steadily underway.
****
The first step in preparing to escape Daphne was to create a perfect alibi.
If I escaped clumsily, there was a high chance I'd face a tragedy greater than the world's destruction.
So I had to disappear perfectly, without a trace, like the wind.
So that she couldn't even guess where I'd gone.
To prevent such a thing, my master had implanted a tracking spell on me and never forgot to check it regularly.
'But you see...'
Daphne wouldn't be able to imagine this.
That my magical skills had grown enough to transfer the tracking spell implanted on me to someone else.
"Whity. Come here."
"Grrr!"
When I called, a werewolf came rushing over.
Watching Whity, I placed my right hand on my chest.
"Just stay still."
After concentrating for a moment, I extended the hand from my chest towards Whity.
A palm-sized magic circle was drawn out, then began to glow on Whity's chest.
"Whity, why that expression?"
Did he perhaps mistake today for his last day?
Whity was sweating, looking nervous.
Softened by his appearance, I soothed Whity and placed my hand on his chest.
"Whity, stay still unless you want to die."
"Whine."
After saying that, I removed my hand from Whity's chest, who was gritting his teeth and squeezing his eyes shut.
The magic circle that had been imprinted on Whity was drawn back to my hand, and re-imprinted on my own mind.
"Grrr, growl!"
Even though he didn't know what this was.
Whity, belatedly opening his tightly shut eyes, was howling as if in joy.
"Thanks, Whity!"
I was just as delighted by the success, so I shared a celebratory high-five with Whity.
-*Crack.*
It was a little off, but that was fine.
'This will do.'
I planned to soon transfer this tracking spell to an adventurer who was about to embark on a journey to the northernmost part of the continent.
Since he was a very grateful person, I also intended to tell him about a few places with hidden pieces.
****
The second step in preparing to escape Daphne was acquiring funds.
The incredibly expensive academy tuition,
And living expenses I'd need until graduation.
I needed to earn as much money as possible, and this part was surprisingly easy to solve.
"Welcome, Camell!"
As I entered the largest cafe in the Viscount Darmiang territory, Mr. Jaquel welcomed me.
Seeing the bright smile of my business partner, who was diligently running the cafe, a pleased smile naturally formed on my face.
"What's this week's revenue?"
When I greeted him, Jaquel rolled his eyes for a moment, then answered confidently.
"It's 400 gold. So your share is 160 gold. Shall I get it for you now?"
160 gold, a huge sum equivalent to 1.6 million won in my previous life.
I couldn't be prouder. To be able to earn this much money even before officially entering society.
Thinking that, I smiled brightly and began to survey my surroundings.
Various expenses recorded in the ledger,
Remaining stock in the supply room,
And the interior of the cafe, where it was hard to find an empty seat.
There was no need to calculate in detail.
All I had to do was utter one sentence.
"Are you kidding me?"
"My apologies."
I collected the 400 gold and leisurely exited the cafe.
****
The third step in preparing to escape Daphne wasn't something I did.
"Spring has arrived already."
My master was helping me.
Daphne, sipping her tea, spoke to me in a gentle voice.
She said she'd be away from home for about a week to see old friends.
"Has it been that long already?"
I, who had been waiting for this very day, answered calmly, sipping my tea without showing any emotion.
"Please, have a safe trip."
"My disciple."
Then my master called me in a warm tone.
*Yes. This is a normal conversation.*
Thinking that, I raised my head.
"What kind of dog-shit scheme are you cooking up?"
My master was smiling, her eyes like axes.
'Calm down, stay calm.'
No matter how much my master suspected, all I had to do was not tremble.
Hadn't I prepared a lot? No matter how ghost-like my master's sharpness was, as long as I didn't give anything away, the chance of her figuring out my intentions was close to zero.
What's important is an unyielding spirit.
So.
I just needed to stay calm.
Having steeled my resolve, I took a breath and calmly opened my mouth.
"Hiccup."
*Ah.*