Chapter 1
1. The Male Lead Doesn’t Need Trauma (1)
Crack! Crunch!
The sound resembled thin glass cracking, a brittle shattering. It would have been chilling in any ordinary situation, but right now, it felt especially eerie.
And for good reason.
This was a kind of warning that I might die soon.
‘No, it’s not just a warning. If things continue like this, I’m definitely fated to die.’
My death, as nothing more than an extra in the original story—a vague, B-grade demise—was merely an unfortunate incident to kick off the plot.
It was just a passing episode, yet I still reached out my hand. At the same time, the control stone on my wrist, sensing the esper’s mana, shattered without mercy.
“Acteon.”
After swallowing dryly, I yanked the collar I’d barely grabbed, and his clouded eyes looked down at me.
They were sunk in such profound gloom that I couldn’t even guess what had driven him to this state.
As expected, this guy hadn’t snapped out of it yet. That much was clear.
If he had even a shred of sanity left, there might have been a glimmer of hope. But it seemed hopeless. I was angry, yet I couldn’t understand why I was throwing myself into this deadly situation.
I should have just ignored this meddlesome nonsense and turned a blind eye to him—then I wouldn’t be facing such a dog’s death. …Why did he have to do something that caught my eye like this?
Overwhelmed by a surge of injustice, I whispered to the guy who probably couldn’t even hear me right now.
“You… if you really kill me, I won’t let it slide. If I die, Hiakin will be alone. He’ll resent you, and you’ll crumble even more under that hatred than you are now.”
So, at least notice that I’m right in front of you.
Gritting my teeth, I made contact with his mana, and even though I’d just touched it, I could already feel the unstable, tangled flow. At the same time, his expression twisted savagely in plain view. He was clearly trying to shake me off.
But I couldn’t back down just because of that. I gripped his collar with both hands, pouring strength into them, and forced my way into guiding.
Stabilizing an esper’s mana is a guide’s duty. But had I ever wished so desperately for the esper in front of me to regain his senses?
The terrifying mana, as if it could tear me to shreds at any moment, refused to subside. Instead, as the guiding progressed, it began to take shape like reflected light, flickering even more ominously.
It felt like I was cradling a time bomb with my whole body. The moment I let go, it would swallow the entire school.
And with just a grip on his collar, the mana wouldn’t stabilize easily. Now, I had only one option left.
I pulled that familiar face toward me with all my might and said, for something I might regret deeply later:
“If you try to claim responsibility later, saying it was my first kiss or whatever, I won’t let you off easy.”
Then, I lowered my head, and our rough lips met.
* * *
Why did I have to remember right now, of all times, that this place was inside a novel?
“…This is driving me insane.”
The numerous control stones embedded lavishly as a precaution against any danger sparkled painfully bright. Normally, I’d think of this as a pretty, luxurious place where money had been poured in generously, but right now, I couldn’t afford to.
This was the Garden of Oaths, one of the three symbols of the military academy.
It was used as the site for measuring the ranks of espers and guides—and the place where I was supposed to die.
Frozen in the center of it, still holding my classmate’s hand, the professors and a few officers outside looked at me strangely. But I had no time to care about their gazes.
‘No, seriously, this is insane… Of all the extras, why Liliope?’
The reason I’d come here today was to help my classmate with his second manifestation.
Manifestors and awakeners.
Those who undergo the first manifestation possess the potential to become espers or guides, they’re called ‘manifestors’ and enroll in the military academy.
Then, through the second manifestation, they finally divide into ‘espers’ or ‘guides,’ and together, they’re referred to as awakeners…
‘Transcendents who exceed human limits, wielding wondrous abilities through mana. Guides who control or stabilize their mana, which carries a high risk of rampage… Yeah, something like that.’
Summarizing the basic setup of this world in my mind, I released the hand of my classmate I’d been holding. At the same time, the researcher announced the measurement results through the voice amplifier.
“Didier Til, you’re C-rank.”
The professor seemed to have expected my classmate’s rank wouldn’t be that high.
Even so, he couldn’t hide his disappointment at the predictable outcome.
But right now, the rank measurement of my classmate, who had just awakened as an esper, didn’t matter to me at all.
I mean, I’d only just found out myself.
It seems I’ve been possessed into a book.
An extra guide who dies, unable to endure the power of the S-grade transcendent male lead.
As Liliope Ortis.
The male lead, Acteon, is the illegitimate child of a family that has produced the most transcendents in this country, growing up tormented by severe trauma from a childhood incident.
Due to his unstable transcendent nature and that trauma, he lives a life as barren as a drop of water falling in a parched wasteland, slowly going mad—until he becomes obsessed with the female lead, the S-grade guide Milia, and engages in intensely explicit acts under the guise of guiding….
That was the plot of <Taming the Catastrophic Transcendent>.
It would have been nice if it started with romance and ended with just romance, but like any typical romance fantasy, this novel has a hidden antagonist and villain.
‘And that’s my little brother? Damn it.’
The villain, having lost his only blood relative, intentionally provokes the male lead’s rampage in an attempt to kill the female lead, only to meet a miserable end as befits a villain.
Insane— even if he’s a rotten little brother with no prospects, he still dies.
I get that my death has a big impact on the original story, but is that really important right now?
Having recalled all of this, it was only natural that my face had gone pale.
“Lili, are you okay?”
Guides are valuable assets.
Perhaps worried that something might have gone wrong with my body during the guiding, the professor in charge asked.
“Ah, I’m fine. All we did was hold hands for the guiding, anyway.”
“Good to hear…. Didier, since she’s okay, you can head out now too.”
At the professor’s words, I snapped back to reality and exchanged a quick nod of farewell with my classmate Didier, who had just been confirmed as C-grade.
And then I felt relieved.
‘Whew, if I hadn’t remembered this, I would’ve just died….’
Is it because the original Liliope died, unable to handle Acteon’s second awakening?
‘To suddenly recall these memories during a guiding for a classmate’s second awakening, of all times.’
It’s oddly unsettling yet fortunate that I learned about my future in a similar situation.
‘I almost tried to handle Acteon’s power without knowing a thing and ended up dead for sure.’
The confusion was brief, once the storm of past-life memories whirled through my mind and fully merged with my life as Liliope, I actually felt much calmer.
Though exhausted from the mental drain, I managed a bitter smile and thought positively: At least I know now— that’s lucky, right?
‘As the head of the household, I can’t die and leave behind my cunning but adorable little brother.’
I was letting out a secret sigh when the professor, having checked my condition, gave permission to leave.
“If any aftereffects show up later, come see me right away, just in case.”
“Yes, I will.”
“And remember, guides are far fewer in number compared to transcendents, so your body isn’t just yours alone.”
Plus, you’re B-grade.
I held back a hollow laugh at the professor’s added remark.
Even if this world’s view treats kids who aren’t even adults yet as potential weapons, isn’t that a bit too blunt?
Given that national power depends on how many high-grade transcendents a country has, yet subtle protests for human rights still simmer— yeah, I’m definitely a pitiful modern soul possessed here.
Having gotten permission to go, and seeing the professor and researchers busy chatting among themselves, I turned to leave— but then the professor grabbed me again, like training some stray dog.
“Lili! Before you go, you need to log the guiding record.”
“Ah, right. I forgot.”
I held out my hand, and the date and time of the guiding were recorded on my control stone bracelet, which proves my status as a cadet.
“Good. Now you can really go rest. The energy drain must be significant, so don’t overdo it.”
“Thank you for your concern. I’ll be off then.”
With the habitual greeting ingrained in me, I stepped outside and immediately quickened my pace.
‘What should… I change first?’
My mind spun rapidly at the unexpected turn of events.
The original story? Who cares. Not when I’m about to die.
Trauma? The male lead doesn’t need trauma. Being healthy is always better.
Fortunately, there’s about half a year left until his enrollment.
That means plenty of time to handle a lot of things. As I walked hurriedly, a few goals quickly took shape.
First, bring my little brother home right away.
Second, find our female lead and create a connection between her and Acteon in advance.
Third, on the enrollment ceremony day in half a year, make sure it’s the lovely S-grade guide Milia who guides Acteon, not me.
That way, I won’t have to die, and Acteon won’t suffer even worse trauma.
To that end, what I did upon entering the main building was…
“Um, I’d like to apply for a leave of absence.”
Submit the leave application.
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