The Academy's Terminally Ill Side Character Chapter 227 227: Cherryade and Charm [3]

Nora smiled. Not one of her fake smile "But then you say things like this. And I wonder… are you really his friend?"

That caught off guard. "…What do you an?"

"I don't know. You say you're not that close to him despite the fact both of you beco freind so easy, but you seem to understand him more than anyone else." Her gaze t mine, eyes strangely sharp now. "Or maybe you just see things from the outside better than I can from up close."

I swallowed a little. That was… closer to the truth than she realized.

"Anyway, I said what I wanted to say. There's nothing for you to worry about."

Nora didn't respond imdiately.

Instead, she just sat there, her fingers now still, as if the weight of the conversation had finally caught up with her.

"…You're not like the others," she said softly.

I raised an eyebrow. "Others?"

She gave a look that wasn't exactly a smile, but it wasn't sad either. "The ones who hover around Ryen. They either want sothing from him or expect sothing of him. But you… you don't seem to expect anything."

I wanted to say sothing snarky like, Of course not, I already know how this story ends, but I held back.

Instead, I just shrugged. "Expectations are heavy. I've got enough of my own."

"Hmm," she humd quietly, then leaned back in her seat. "You know… you're weird."

"I get that a lot."

I really do. But anyways, for now this love talk with Nora Hayes cos to the end.

I never even thought that I would have love talked with Pink hair Yander.

…I guess that's just how unpredictable this world is.

One minute you're a dead extra in the prologue, and the next, you're giving emotional support to the forr female lead with a well-docunted descent into villainy.

Nora Hayes, the sa girl who once set fire to an entire noble estate just because the lady of the house dared flirt with Ryen. The sa Nora who later tried to poison Ryen's new love interest in Volu 8—and almost succeeded.

But now?

She just looked… tired. Human. And so heartbreakingly normal.

No one would expect that she is supposed to be Yander....For now atleast.

Honestly, if I hadn't read the novel, I would've never guessed what she'd beco. There was no madness in her eyes, no obsessive energy leaking from her smile. Just a quiet kind of sadness. A soft longing that clung to her like fog.

"…Thanks, Rin," she said, her voice barely audible.

I blinked. "For what?"

"For talking to . For being honest. For not treating like I'm about to snap."

I rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly. "I an… that would be pretty hypocritical, considering how I look half the ti."

She actually laughed at that. A small, genuine laugh. And for so reason, it made my chest tighten.

Just a bit.

Maybe this is what it ans to live in a story instead of just reading it. To feel things for people you once saw as lines on a page.

"I should go," Nora said at last, standing up. "It's getting late, and you probably have class or sothing."

And with that, she left.

I sat there in silence for a few seconds, staring at the spot where she'd been. Then I slumped forward, groaning into my hands.

"Ughhhh… I was supposed to avoid flags, not collect them!"

I could practically hear the author laughing at from across dinsions. That smug bastard. He probably planned this. Probably wrote into this mont just for his twisted amusent.

Whatever. I'll deal with Nora later.

I still have sothing to do.

Which was rest....One day still not over after getting rid of Avi and I have yet to rest properly which was my plan.

But now I am going to do it.

...And no will stop .

----

Now that I was finally done with that not-so-romantic heart-to-heart with Nora Hayes, there was sothing I needed to get off my chest.

Everyone must be thinking I've sohow beco the protagonist of this novel.

After all, I killed Avi—a villain who shouldn't have been defeated this early—and got my hands on a half-divine replica artifact, the [Soul-Bound Staff], which I nad Lan. I pulled off sothing not even the actual protagonists, Ryen or Leo, could manage until the second half of the story.

So, naturally, that raises a question:

Does that make stronger than Ryen and Leo?

And the answer to that is a big, fat NO.

Even with all the trump cards I've managed to collect, I'm still nowhere near their level.

Then how did I pull off a victory against a villain who was supposed to be near unbeatable at this stage?

Simple.

Because I knew everything about him. His weakness. His core talent. The way he fought. The mistake he made trying to copy soone else's talent. That arrogance? It cost him his life.

You see, his most powerful window was between 12:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. That's when shadows are at their darkest, and the sun is at its peak—conditions that perfectly amplify his main ability: Shadow Fang.

But now? Shadow Fang is just a hollow na. Thank you for reading. This was brought to you by M|V|L*EMPYR.

After detaching itself from that cursed dagger and rging with my body, it beca sothing else entirely.

Black Shadow.

Anyway, we're not talking about Black Shadow right now.

Let's rewind.

The only reason I beat that psychopath was because I stacked the deck in my favor.

First, I lured him into a fight indoors, where his relic—an artifact that manipulated wind—was basically nerfed. Indoors, it was about as effective as a paper fan in a hurricane.

I prepped. I planned. I weakened his gear in every way I could.

But above all, the real reason I won?

He was weak.

Outside of his relics and powers, the guy's actual physical abilities were trash. Even among elves—who already had higher physical stats than humans—he ranked low.

He never trained. He thought power was sothing you inherit or steal.

He wrapped himself in layers of overpowered abilities but never worked on the core: his body.

It was like fighting a glass cannon hiding behind armor. All flash, no grit.

That's why he couldn't dodge even my sloppiest attacks—the ones even rookies would react to.

Honestly, the more I think about it, the more convinced I am: the guy had zero redeeming qualities. No charisma. No real ambition. Just a freak with power and no depth.

So yeah, I didn't beat him because I'm so shonen hero. I beat him because I knew when and how to hit. I beat him because he never thought soone like could.

But why was I even thinking about this again?

"Rin, if you grip the dagger like that, your wrist's going to hate you tomorrow."

"That's right," Ryen added, twirling his wooden sword with that effortless smugness of his. "Blocking a sword with a dagger? Yeah, no. That's how you lose fingers. You either dodge or redirect. Never block."

Ah, right.

Because Ryen and Leona dragged out for training when all I wanted was a nap.

Damn it!

My body was already sore, my mind was already fried, and now I was being lectured by two people who looked like they were born with perfect technique.

Leona narrowed her eyes and took a stance next to . "C'mon, Rin. You're the one who went into dungeon yesterday. Now keep up, hero boy."

I groaned and adjusted my grip on the dagger, muttering under my breath.

"Can't I just go back to being a side character?"

But deep down, I knew.

That ship had already sailed.