The Academy's Terminally Ill Side Character-Chapter 317: Master

My reason for wanting to save her wasn't anything grand or admirable.

I just… liked her. At least, the version of her described in the setting book. I thought it would be nice — convenient, even — to have a homunculus among my villain comrades.

But if I'm honest with myself, the biggest reason was simpler. Her situation reminded me of someone from my past.

Being trapped here.

Unable to leave.

Always waiting for someone who might never come.

That kind of loneliness leaves a mark on anyone, and I guess it stirred something familiar in me.

"Master, do you perhaps dislike me?"

Her question snapped me back to reality.

Her voice held no accusation, only quiet uncertainty.

"No, it's not that I dislike you," I said, scratching my cheek awkwardly. "But… why am I your master?"

"In the forbidden books," she said in all seriousness, "most men liked it when a beautiful woman with a good figure called them Master."

Oh my god.

She really didn't need to resemble that part of my past too…

I suddenly remembered an old friend — the kind who was practically glued to his room and survived through the internet alone. His sense of proportions between reality and fiction had been utterly ruined.

—In doujinshi, this kind of scene usually leads straight to bed.

…Why did that memory surface so clearly?

And why does my head suddenly hurt?

My body had been recovering, but this kind of dizziness was new… unsettling. It felt as if someone — a resident of that chaotic internet world, someone who had consumed way too much questionable information — was standing right in front of me, whispering nonsense into my ear.

"Have you perhaps heard of the word common sense?"

"Yes, but didn't you suggest we become secret friends? So I naturally thought you were admiring my body…"

"…Huh?"

For a moment, I couldn't tell if I misheard.

Was this… partly my fault?

I mean, okay—

I was a little surprised, but it wasn't exactly unpleasant.

Having a beautiful character call me Master in an academy story?

Yeah, that was… honestly kind of nice.

The real problem was that I had no idea what she actually felt about me.

How was I supposed to judge the personality of a character who never even appeared in the original story?

The setting book only told me so much, and nothing about how she behaved in private.

"Aha, I understand now," I said slowly. "You're… suspicious of me."

"It's not that I'm suspicious," I corrected, scratching my cheek. "But you're following me a little too easily. Anyone would question that."

"I see."

She lowered her head slightly, her tone softening.

"That's my fault. I was too focused on my own perspective and didn't explain properly. But I'm sincere, Master."

The ground trembled faintly beneath us. Dust scattered from the ceiling.

"First," she continued, glancing at the walls, "this secret room is about to collapse. Let's move outside. I'll explain everything afterward."

She said it with complete confidence—calm, composed, certain it wouldn't be dangerous.

And strangely…

I found myself believing her.

The setting book never mentioned anything about her being violent.

If anything, it said the opposite.

She was supposed to be too pure—someone who adored humans, just like the soul she was modeled after.

So the plan was simple: get outside before the dungeon collapse started.

Safe. Quiet. Controlled.

…Or so I hoped.

"Oh."

"Oh?"

The moment we stepped out, I locked eyes with Leona

"Who's that?"

Her voice rang out loud enough for the whole group to hear. And sure enough, the others began drifting over, one by one. From the looks of it, they had already swept through the reward room and were now arguing over who deserved what.

Oh, shit.

This was it, wasn't it? 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

That kind of scene.

The kind where she'd casually call me "Master" in front of everyone.

The kind that would immediately put me on the express train straight to hell.

But instead of ruining my life on the spot, Villain Comrade Candidate No. 3 just… looked around calmly. She scanned each face, hesitating—then her expression shifted.

She flinched.

Her lips trembled.

And in a small voice, she said—

"Are these the people you were talking about?"

Thankfully, she didn't suddenly call me "Master" in front of everyone.

And I wasn't dense enough to miss what she was trying to do — she was following my lead.

"Ah, yes," I said quickly. "These are the heroes I mentioned. You've been safely rescued now, so you can relax."

She didn't know who I really was yet.

Considering that, her answer — "the people you were talking about" — was brilliant. Neutral, flexible, impossible to misinterpret. Honestly, that alone deserved a 150 out of 100.

"Rescued?" Professor Lena's eyes narrowed. "Cadet Rin, who exactly is she?"

I had expected that question.

"She seems to have memory issues," I replied calmly. "I think she's a victim who was dragged into the dungeon. She was trapped deep inside the reward room, so I brought her out."

Around us, most people seemed satisfied enough with the explanation.

Most — but not the important ones.

Professor Lena still looked wary, and my sister didn't loosen her grip on her weapon even for a second. Their expressions said: We don't trust this.

"Cadet, please step back," Professor Lena instructed, voice firm. "I'm sorry to the victim, truly. But since you were found in the reward room under unusual circumstances, and we have no one to confirm your identity, we'll need to conduct a brief examination."

Honestly, it was reasonable.

Anyone found inside a dungeon could be dangerous — even if they looked human. There were monsters capable of speech, shapeshifting, even mimicking emotions.

So of course they'd be cautious.

I exhaled slowly, pretending to be disappointed but understanding, while she — the girl I had just pulled out — simply tilted her head, calm and unreadable.

This… might get complicated.

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Author Note:

Thank you for reading the chapter. I hope you continue to do read more in future.