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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 68
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68. A Future Completely Twisted
***
"I'm, I'm sorry...!"
Luna's face, as she shouted, was visibly flushed crimson.
It was clear to everyone that saying such words felt incredibly awkward and unfamiliar to her.
"..."
As Cheonsung watched her, greatly flustered himself, Millia, ironically, felt a sense of relief.
'It's a good thing she apologized properly.'
The rumor, inflated by Luna's misunderstanding, had spread rapidly, ultimately causing trouble for Han Cheonsung.
That had weighed heavily on my mind. Luna, too, had seemed subtly apologetic towards Han Cheonsung.
So, I had spent the entire weekend trying to persuade Luna.
That it would be best to properly apologize to Han Cheonsung.
The Luna I knew wasn't a twisted or bad kid at heart. She was just a close friend who was very clumsy with people.
"..."
I could tell that just by looking at Luna now, her head bowed low after offering her apology.
Even her hesitant lips and inability to meet anyone's gaze were reactions she couldn't have shown if she weren't truly sorry.
Then, my gaze also shifted to Han Cheonsung.
"Are you perhaps apologizing about the previous rumor?"
When he asked if that was it, Luna faintly nodded instead of replying.
Seeing her hesitate and stammer, I felt it was my turn to step in.
"Yes. The rumor that spread because of Luna's misunderstanding. I know it's very late now, but Luna still wanted to apologize in person, so we came to find you like this."
"So that's... what it was."
"It really bothered Luna a lot, what happened with you. Like how Instructor Kali treated you coldly last week, I actually thought this was something we really needed to tie up properly."
As I spoke on Luna's behalf, my heart was utterly calm.
In truth, this wasn't the first time such a situation had occurred.
There had been quite a few instances where Luna's misunderstandings or judgments had caused harm to someone. Each time, I had stepped in to mediate the situation.
Just like now.
"..."
After that, Han Cheonsung silently watched Luna strangely, as if her attitude was unexpected.
And even that reaction. I found it perfectly natural.
'Because it's Luna.'
Luna, beautiful and overflowing with charm in anyone's eyes.
However, Luna also possessed a sharp personality that more than overshadowed her charm, acting as a significant drawback.
Due to her self-righteous or self-centered thinking, no one dared to approach Luna easily. And those who did approach her were treated roughly like a rose with thorns or hurt with sharp words. She rarely got along with anyone except me.
...And precisely because of that. It was very rare for Luna to offer an apology.
So, I had expected it. That Han Cheonsung would react this way.
"Alright. For now... thank you for apologizing, even like this. It's not something I was overly concerned about anymore, but receiving an apology... it does make me feel a bit better."
When Han Cheonsung accepted it more easily than I expected, I looked at Luna rather than replying myself.
This moment was important.
Because a tangled relationship needed to be straightened out quickly to resolve smoothly. And the important words shouldn't come from me.
They would only have true meaning if Luna spoke them herself.
"..."
As Luna continued to hesitate even after Han Cheonsung's words,
*Swish.*
I gently held Luna's hand, encouraging her.
As I softly met her gaze as usual, Luna finally nodded.
"Back then. After our spar... I'm truly sorry for only saying what I wanted to say, and for misunderstanding you so arbitrarily."
But I was a little surprised inside by how clean the apology was, more than I expected.
'Had Luna grown, too?'
Or perhaps, my persuasion over the weekend had brought about a significant change in her heart. Still, Luna's willingness to speak made me even more satisfied.
She apologized properly and looked directly at Han Cheonsung.
Luna, blushing crimson and looking shy, seemed attractive enough even to me.
So, involuntarily... my gaze went to...
Han Cheonsung, who was looking at Luna.
"..."
Han Cheonsung, blinking for a moment, was different from before.
As if Luna's appearance was utterly unexpected, while also showing a bewildered expression.
And at the sight of Han Cheonsung...
My heart trembled greatly.
"..."
A corner of my chest throbbed. It felt like a sharp pain for no reason.
A formless pain, as if someone were repeatedly gouging my chest with a knife.
That... was so strange.
I wanted to set things right for Han Cheonsung, who had been harmed by my close friend's misunderstanding. So I had poured my heart into persuading Luna all weekend.
'I really did...'
But why was my heart trembling so much?
It was a very good thing for the two of them to clear up a misunderstanding.
It was clearly a good thing.
So why was I suddenly... starting to dislike it?
***
The night was deeply dark.
*Click.*
Cheonsung, having returned to his dorm, leaned his back against the door. Then, he swept a hand over his face and regulated his breathing.
"..."
He slowly exhaled, then inhaled again, calming his chaotic mind.
"What in the world... is happening?"
He was feeling a greater sense of crisis than ever before.
The spar between Gerard and David today. The confusion he experienced after getting to know Adelia—none of that was truly important.
Such things could be dismissed as mere happenings of the moment.
They had ended well, after all.
But. Luna apologizing to him at the training ground was a far greater matter than anything that came before it.
'Because it was impossible.'
Luna's apology was something that shouldn't have happened. If someone else had gotten entangled with him in such a matter and apologized, he would have accepted it without a second thought.
But if it wasn't anyone else, it was 'Luna' who shouldn't have done that.
The Luna he knew was a heroine with an arrogant, self-centered, and dictatorial personality. The impression he got when he first encountered her at the entrance ceremony had certainly been that.
So, when he saw Luna's attitude towards him, he had felt relieved, even if it was unpleasant, because it was the personality of Luna he had expected.
"Why did she suddenly change her attitude? There was clearly no catalyst for such a change..."
It was true that he had been harmed by the rumor that spread due to her misunderstanding. But even so, Luna shouldn't have shown such an abrupt change of heart.
Because Luna's 'proper transformation' was too premature to appear now.
That was purely Leonhardt's role. He was supposed to correct Luna's personality and guide her onto the right path.
That was the decisive turning point that would later lead Leonhardt and Luna to develop a romantic relationship.
The protagonist of this world was Leonhardt, and Luna was his heroine.
But today... that was broken.
He felt a strong sense of crisis, almost bordering on certainty.
The biggest turning point event, one could say, for Luna to become involved with Leonhardt, had vanished today. This was not about whether he felt good or bad. It was something that truly needed to be taken seriously.
"What... should I do?"
As he let out the suppressed words, even his vision seemed blurry.
The massive crisis Leonhardt would face in the future. And when he fell into critical condition from unavoidable, severe injuries.
'Who will heal him then?'
He was acutely aware of Leonhardt as the protagonist, having thought of him as such hundreds of times over.
Because the 'protagonist' of this world, who would overcome the first crisis soon to strike this academy, and all the subsequent catastrophic incidents, was him.
If Luna wasn't involved with him, all of that would be ruined.
The foundation of this world that he believed in—his faith that Leonhardt would overcome all trials—was deeply shaken.
"..."
The significant turning point event, one could say, where Luna truly became aware of Leonhardt, was her self-awareness.
That she shouldn't act this way. That there was someone who would correct her and guide her rightly.
As Luna was the main heroine, her emotional descriptions were depicted with great detail within the story.
How much resolve she gathered, how she made up her mind to apologize... all of it.
Because Luna's proper apology came from a significant development where she truly acknowledged her self-righteous thoughts, values, and mistakes, and was ready to move forward.
He had to numbly realize it again in his thoughts. That the most important turning point for Luna to be involved with Leonhardt had completely vanished.
*Swish.*
Even as he roughly unbuttoned his cadet uniform, his chest suddenly felt endlessly constricted.
He had vaguely sensed it all along.
That the world of Groa he knew and this world were gradually diverging. But Luna's apology made it a clear realization.
"...The future is completely changing."
Could there be anything more unsettling for him right now?
Knowing the future of this world, he had somewhat planned out the attitude he should adopt.
From the moment he grew during his spar with Leonhardt, he had thought he should resolve relationships amicably with main characters and help them whenever possible.
Because only then would this world function properly and safely overcome various disasters and incidents.
As it was a matter directly tied to his own safety, he genuinely believed that was what he had to do.
That's how important he viewed the main characters of Groa.
It wasn't about discriminating against anyone; it was simply that without them, this world could truly be ruined.
"Grand Royal Academy..."
He numbly murmured the name of this world, and a hollow laugh escaped him.
Based on the title, it could be seen as a common, run-of-the-mill academy novel involving multiple heroines, but in reality, it was a story where a precarious tightrope walk continued, almost akin to dark fantasy.
Of course, there were some absurd developments that led many readers to curse.
Nevertheless, the reason many readers followed the novel Groa was because they were curious how Leonhardt would overcome the endless crises.
Crises came without cease.
*Thud.*
He sank onto the bed, sighs continuing to escape him.
'It's different.'
He now believed he needed to clearly recognize that the Groa he knew and this world were different.
Luna, one of the main heroines, who was supposed to be a core figure in overcoming future crises...
Today, the biggest turning point for her to be involved with Leonhardt had vanished. He felt like he was facing another new reality.
Now, he could no longer rest easy.
The crucial fact that he could no longer entrust the future of this world to Leonhardt...