Chapter 2
1. The Male Lead Doesn’t Need Trauma (2)
The leave of absence application I submitted right after helping with my classmate’s secondary manifestation.
Word of me submitting the paperwork saying I was going home must have spread throughout the entire main building in less than half a day.
That’s what happens when the administrative office has loose lips.
Don’t they know about respecting privacy? Why are these people so obsessed with other people’s personal business?
It meant that news of my sudden outrageous act had reached my advisor’s ears, and I’d been summoned.
“Why on earth…?”
The professor, whom I was seeing again after just half a day, was busy scrutinizing my face inch by inch, her expression filled with worry, as if wondering if some problem had erupted.
“Lipi, did you feel any abnormalities in your body or mind during the guiding process?”
“No, I’m perfectly fine.”
“Then, was there any insult or violence from Didier during the secondary manifestation that disregarded your wishes?”
“That didn’t happen either. There’s nothing for you to worry about, Professor.”
“But then why… a leave of absence?”
It wasn’t like I’d impulsively done this without any thought, possessed by the idea of ‘I’m going to twist the original story, I need to meet the male lead right now.’
Of course, arranging a meeting between Acteon and Milia was something I needed to hurry along.
To meet those two who haven’t even enrolled yet, getting out of this hellish Estra Military Academy was the priority.
But more than anything else…
“I miss my little brother.”
“Huh? What?”
“My little brother has been living alone ever since it became known that I have manifestation potential.”
“Ah, right. So you’re doing this because you’re worried about your brother?”
“Since we’re the only family we have left, it makes me even more concerned.”
The professor, who had been silent for a moment, nodded as if she understood. I could see exactly what she was thinking.
Twenty years old.
That’s the minimum age to enroll in this military academy, assuming you’ve gone through primary manifestation.
Since I’d awakened as a decent B-class guide, there’s a chance Hiakin could manifest too. She wouldn’t waste the opportunity to potentially bring in Hiakin as well.
But she wasn’t the type to openly reveal such calculations.
Despite training cadets and shoving them onto the battlefield, she feels a twinge of reluctance about directly mentioning it, thanks to whatever shred of conscience she has left.
So, to make use of even her meager conscience, I decided to lay some appropriate groundwork.
“Besides, once I graduate, I’ll be deployed immediately and end up living at a garrison.”
As expected, the professor didn’t refuse my request, which had slipped out so naturally.
“Ah, I see what you’re getting at now. You want to spend time with your only family before that, right?”
I just smiled faintly and didn’t bother to explain further.
I’d boldly submitted the leave of absence application right away, driven by the thought of changing the original story immediately.
‘But the most urgent issue right now isn’t Acteon.’
The reason I’d made such an extreme decision was, above all, because my little brother’s situation—Hiakin’s—was the most pressing.
Hiakin.
Hiakin Ortis.
This guy, the villain in the original story, had lost both parents in the war but grew up under the sponsorship of a noble family, thanks to his sister becoming a cadet at the military academy.
That’s because if you have a manifestor in the family, the chances of other family members manifesting are extremely high.
Those who test high for manifestation potential receive sponsorship from noble families as part of national policy.
Then, if they manifest, they’re placed in the military academy or various administrative institutions linked to the royal palace and the state, under the pretext of managing them as national assets in advance.
That’s right.
It’s national support on the surface, but in reality, it’s a way to monitor and secure potential new manifestors ahead of time.
Sponsorship from noble families, my foot—it’s essentially an order for the nobles to groom these reserve manifestors in advance and put collars on them.
Using the already manifested family member as leverage, holding them hostage.
‘Where did all the respect for human rights go? Someday, I’m going to overhaul all of this.’
In this system, my younger brother, Hiakin, who in the original story was the extra character Liliope Ortis—meaning, thanks entirely to me—ended up receiving the care of some noble family, but…
‘The original Liliope had no idea. That the family treated the yet-to-manifest Hiakin like a useless parasite and abused him. Right up until the moment of death.’
That support was by no means a good thing for Hiakin.
In this era where the emergence of Transcendents and Guides had intensified wars between nations, no matter how diligently they managed potential manifesters, it was impossible to watch over every single one with care.
On the contrary, with the royal capital’s attention focused on Transcendents, Guides, and the war, various crimes flourished in the gaps.
All the more so because the sponsoring families were actively covering up such facts.
These future manifesters, who would grow up to be wielded like weapons.
Some sponsoring families coveted their immense power, forcing obedience to the family over the nation, or conversely, feared that power and abused them even more to suppress any signs of it.
Hiakin was a victim of exactly these kinds of things.
‘…So I need to hurry over there and bring the kid out first.’
In the midst of such suffering, for a child who had been waiting only for his blood relative—the one who promised to earn lots of money and make him happy—the news of her death must have been utterly devastating.
His sister, who died in an unexpected accident during the rank assessment of an S-class Transcendent.
The death of the original Liliope.
Hiakin, who had no choice but to curse and hate Acteon, used those dark emotions and his shattered mind as fuel to manifest.
Normally, he would have had to go through the first and second manifestations separately, but he skipped that process and awakened directly as a Transcendent.
And not just any— one of only eleven, no, now twelve S-class across the entire continent.
Hiakin’s sponsoring family never imagined he would awaken not as A-class, but as a full S-class, and without any proper response, they were mercilessly slaughtered.
‘Transcendents possess immense power, but in exchange, if their minds become corrupted, they lose control of themselves and turn into monster’s.
There must have been aftereffects from skipping the divided manifestation stages of first and second, but even after some Guides clung to him belatedly and barely stabilized him, a corner of Hiakin’s heart was completely broken.
Meanwhile, the royal capital, which had to clean up this mess, became blind to everything else upon the successive emergence of yet another S-class.
‘Suddenly, two incredibly precious S-class Transcendents appeared, so it’s understandable.’
The royal capital covered up Hiakin’s crime of turning his sponsoring family into a wasteland, and the crown prince even adopted the now-orphaned Hiakin as his own son.
Without caring at all about the child’s actual state.
Just to use him as a weapon.
Afterward, Hiakin, hating Acteon for killing his sister, threatens the lives of Acteon and the female lead Millia, only to ultimately die at Acteon’s hands.
‘…Thinking about it makes me angry.’
Liliope’s death wasn’t a horrific memory only for Acteon.
It became a shocking event for Hiakin as well.
So, to prevent the impending tragedy, I need to move quickly.
“I’ll approve your leave of absence for now.”
The professor generously approved the application I’d brought.
“Thank you. For being so understanding even though this is so sudden.”
If this hadn’t worked, well, I was planning to just ditch anyway.
Whether she knew about my reckless thoughts or not, the professor fortunately promised smooth processing.
“But if something like this happens again next time, I won’t tolerate it. You’re not just any student. You’re talent meant for the battlefield. You’ll be leading units or directly carrying out officers’ orders, so don’t act impulsively.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Those people aren’t the type to let things slide easily, so absolutely no reckless actions.”
“Yes, I won’t.”
Even though I nodded obediently to her words, the professor seemed unconvinced and added one more thing.
“And any unauthorized guiding will be immediately reported to me and the monitors through your control stone bracelet. Don’t cause any trouble—just rest quietly and come back.”
How did she know I was planning to cause trouble? I’ve been well-behaved in school so far.
“Uh, um… I will.”
“…This isn’t something you should hesitate over.”
“You’re right. I’ll try my best, at least.”
“……”
Seeing the professor starting to agonize over whether to revoke the approval, I quickly stood up.
“Well then, Professor, see you in half a year.”
“Lili, this might be getting old by now, but I mean it. I truly hope I don’t hear a peep from you.”
“Don’t worry too much. I’ll come back without any incidents.”
The professor nodded dubiously.
Even though it was a sudden leave application, I’d smoothly gotten approval, so I dashed outside right away. Then I headed straight to the dorm to pack my things.
There weren’t really any friends worth saying goodbye to.
This place is a jungle rife with classism and hierarchy anyway.
As soon as I left the military academy, I booked a mana-powered train and headed straight for the sponsoring family where Hiakin was.
And where was that…
“Hello. I’ve come because there’s someone I want to meet.”
Dressed in an ordinary blouse and skirt so as not to look like a cadet, I flashed a bright smile at the servant of the Lorraine County household.
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