My concentration, shaken by my master’s urging.

 

As a result, Winterer’s sudden attack.

 

A fatal strike aimed at my carotid artery, and I…

 

-Chup. Chewing.

 

[Effect of the trait ‘Indomitable’ reduces damage by 90%.]

 

“……?”

 

I wasn’t particularly hurt.

 

My ‘Indomitable’ is a scam-level trait that even endured that Douekshini’s full swing with a bat.

 

Even if she bit down as if to kill, it would only leave slight teeth marks on my skin.

 

However, the effect was tremendous.

 

-Thump.

 

‘This position is extremely dangerous.’

 

A posture with her legs wrapped around my waist, biting my neck.

 

Frankly, it was a face-to-face sitting position.

 

Aside from touching here and there, on the surface, it looked like a pose only close lovers would do.

 

It was the kind of skinship that my master despised.

 

Actually, it seemed that way too, as I heard a sharp intake of breath.

 

“Hut!?”

 

“……!!!”

 

‘I need to explain quickly…!!!’

 

I hurriedly opened my mouth.

 

This isn’t what it looks like. It was a serious exchange.

 

For such an explanation.

 

———However,

 

-Ding!

 

[The caster’s ‘???’ is in close proximity to the target’s soul. The souls are strongly connected!]

 

“……!!!?”

 

A notification both familiar and unfamiliar.

 

The sensation of hypnosis arbitrarily invading her soul.

 

What happened two weeks ago when I freed Haru from brainwashing struck me.

 

‘This time I didn’t even hypnotize her, so why….’

 

-Humm….

 

I didn’t even have time to understand what was happening.

 

[You are assimilating with the target.]

 

-Paat.

 

My vision turned gray.

 

* * *

 

When I came to my senses, I was inside Winterer’s memories.

 

“It hurts, it hurts….”

 

“I, really did it!! Major General Lee Won-ho!!”

 

“Didn’t I tell you!! It would work!!”

 

A blood-soaked operating table visible at the edge of my vision. Mana swirling around. People hugging each other in joy.

 

And lastly,

 

“The first experiment is a success. At this rate, surely…!!”

 

People calling me ‘No. 1’ while looking down at me.

 

Thanks to that, I quickly understood the situation.

 

I was currently experiencing the pinnacle of hypnosis, ‘Assimilation’.

 

Retracing the past through Winterer’s eyes.

 

Just as I did with Haru two weeks ago.

 

I got goosebumps.

 

‘Wait. The position I was in with Winterer at the end…?’

 

Setting everything else aside, there was one serious problem.

 

Until just now, I had been locked between Winterer’s legs.

 

Additionally, my neck was being chewed on.

 

Which means, in reality, Winterer and I were entangled with each other right now.

 

…And this was all happening in front of my extremely conservative master.

 

‘If this doesn’t end soon, I’m dead!!’

 

I started to panic.

 

The time spent in assimilation was extremely short.

 

When I retraced all of Haru’s memories leisurely, it only took about 1-2 seconds.

 

But to my master, 2 seconds?

 

It was enough time to mince two lovers doing something indecent and clean the knife afterward.

 

I couldn’t afford to be leisurely experiencing assimilation.

 

I had to escape immediately to save my life.

 

‘Hypnosis release….’

 

[The skill ‘Complete Hypnosis’ is currently unavailable.]

 

‘Of course, it’s not working. I’ll have to speed through it.’

 

However, I was in a situation where I had infiltrated her soul via hypnosis.

 

Escaping with hypnosis was impossible here.

 

I had no choice but to finish ‘Assimilation’ quickly and escape.

 

‘I have no choice. I have to be a skipping master!!’

 

-Paat.

 

I focused my mind as much as possible.

 

To find the most important points in her memory and move to those parts.

 

If I skipped through the sequences, I should be able to escape. Surely.

 

The scenery in front of me changed rapidly.

 

“Is it okay to eat this…?”

 

“Of course. You are our pride and will become the blade of our Lieutenant Colonel.”

 

Small hands busily moving in front of a prepared meal.

 

“Kuhh… you said you’d treat me well.”

 

“We’ve already had 10 failed experiments. We need a research specimen. I’m sorry.”

 

“Grkk…!!!”

 

A scalpel and various syringes thrust over a body tied to an operating table.

 

“No. 1, raise your hand. Lower it. Turn halfway. Sit.”

 

“……”

 

“Hooh. This brainwashing thing is more useful than I thought.”

 

Moving like a puppy in front of a person wearing a star on their clothing.

 

It was the exact brainwashing education Haru had gone through.

 

The difference from Haru was,

 

-Clang.

 

“I’m human. Damn it. I’m human….”

 

Winterer resisted the brainwashing, unlike Haru.

 

Whenever her mind would get foggy, she would block her ear holes with ice.

 

Freezing her own flesh little by little.

 

Those days continued for years.

 

My vision was gradually turning gray.

 

“Heehee, heeheehee….”

 

“……”

 

‘Wow. Someone is going crazy in real-time. Poor thing.’

 

An increasingly higher viewpoint as years passed.

 

Eyes turning more and more bloodshot.

 

Madness induced by unreasonable violence.

 

Even I felt pity for a moment, thinking, ‘Should I clean her up?’

 

But,

 

“Today is the real deal. Now. Fight that villain.”

 

One day I reached while skipping.

 

It must have been an exceptionally important day to her, as skipping wasn’t possible on this day.

 

I had no choice but to watch it all…

 

And my thoughts about Winterer changed again.

 

“……?”

 

“Why? You may speak.”

 

“Hurting people, you shouldn’t.”

 

“Ah. You mean we shouldn’t use our abilities, but it’s okay for that villain.”

 

“Is ‘villain’ that person’s name?”

 

“No. We’ve decided to call monsters who only think about killing people by that name.”

 

In the middle of a small training ground, a villain chained up.

 

The first time hearing an explanation about villains.

 

———Immediately after, my gray vision turned red.

 

-Kwaang!!

 

“……!!!? No. 1, the brainwashing.”

 

“Haha, hahaha. So, I’m a villain too. I didn’t know why I wanted to kill everyone. I guess it’s because I’m a villain. Hahaha. Hehe!!”

 

“Major General Lee Won-ho, get out of here!!”

 

“Why are you doing this to me. Krr.”

 

An arm extending towards a researcher, not a villain.

 

My blood-soaked hands trembled with joy.

 

“I guess I really am not human.”

 

-Kwoooong!!!!

 

Then came the explosion.

 

The decayed madness blossomed into ice flowers, brimming with red life.

 

The black-and-white world turned blue and red.

 

“Whew, thanks. I thought I was going to die when the military bastards found me.”

 

“There’s another lab. Follow me.”

 

“Ugh. No thanks. I’ll run.”

 

“Do you want to kill people, or die by my hands?”

 

“I’ll come with you!”

 

After decimating one lab, we moved to another one a bit farther away.

 

And then came explosions. Explosions. Explosions.

 

A scene of mass slaughter unfolded before my eyes.

 

“Eek. A, a villain…!”

 

“Now! Run, Dahye!”

 

-Udadadadadada.

 

“…Aren’t you going to kill those girls? There’s a certain joy in killing young ones.”

 

“Shut up and follow me. We’re in a hurry.”

 

The only survivors left in her path of ice were a few children awaiting transplants. Or real civilians who happened to be passing by.

 

“Follow your sister. It’s an ‘order.'”

 

“…….”

 

Lastly, only Haru.

 

Thanks to that, my mind became complicated.

 

‘Seeing only the slaughter, she’s no different from a villain… Ugh. It’s ambiguous.’

 

Even in the midst of madness, she deliberately spared the innocent.

 

She only killed those involved in the ‘Awakener Proliferation Plan,’ showing there was room for rehabilitation.

 

But still, it was a massacre.

 

No matter how objectively they were trash, killing them all was a different story.

 

Right away, Haru’s father, who was supposed to be, also got caught up and died.

 

A justifiable cause, but an unforgivable sin.

 

After contemplating for a while, I decided to scrutinize her memories more closely.

 

If Winterer had continued killing, I would abandon all hope and throw her into the ‘Abyss.’

 

“Winterer, can I go kill someone?”

 

“Hold back. Do it later when we’re not being tracked.”

 

“I don’t think we’ll get caught.”

 

“You’re too stupid to know. Just shut up and eat.”

 

…After observing for about a year, she didn’t.

 

She even prevented others from killing.

 

‘The massacre should be atoned for, but this much is…’

 

Thanks to that, my heart felt a bit lighter.

 

Enough to quickly skip through again.

 

Swoosh, swoosh. Relatively peaceful scenes passed by.

 

Most were memories related to Haru.

 

“Winterer, if you’re not going to eat that spam, can you give it to me? I’m hungry.”

 

“I’m saving it for that girl.”

 

“Is this part of your plan to make her a pig or something? Both you and I are about to starve to death right now. Rather…”

 

“Shut up. It’s my choice.”

 

While starving herself, she took care of Haru.

 

She dressed her, gave her problem sets to study, and calculated in her place.

 

She slept hugging Haru every night to protect her from harm.

 

“You want me to find a way to undo the brainwashing?”

 

“Yeah. It would be more fun to torment her after freeing her.”

 

“That’s impossible. If it was something we could investigate and solve, it would have been undone a long time ago, and she would have run away.”

 

“……I see. That’s too bad.”

 

She even tried to free her from brainwashing.

 

Even while I was diligently skipping, I couldn’t help but slap my forehead at this part.

 

“Good grief. She’s really a villain sympathizer, isn’t she?”

 

Even with short skips, it was clear.

 

She cherished and treated Haru like her own little sister.

 

She called herself a villain and hypnotized herself, so her words were a bit strange.

 

But her actions were like that of a young guardian.

 

Thanks to that, I made up my mind.

 

‘I can’t undo what’s been done… but she took good care of Haru. I should help her a little.’

 

Her sins were extremely heavy, but even so, there was room for redemption.

 

Let’s reveal the truth and make her pay for her sins accordingly.

 

That was the conclusion I reached after examining her memories.

 

-Sss….

 

‘Ah. It’s almost over now.’

 

As I was thinking that, my vision gradually grew hazy.

 

Passing through long memories, I felt my soul slowly being pulled back out.

 

The last thing I saw was,

 

“Aren’t you going to retrieve the doll girl?”

 

“That kind of toy should be discarded now….”

 

“Don’t lie. You stare at the place where you left her for at least 10 seconds.”

 

“…….”

 

The academy, lingering in my retina as if there were regrets.

 

Haru, moving in the arms of the chairman, barely visible through the broken walls.

 

“…Yeah. Let’s go.”

 

-Swoosh.

 

Only then did Winterer turn around and leave.

 

* * *

 

And so, I returned to reality.

 

-Tightly.

 

“…….”

 

“…….”

 

As soon as I regained consciousness, Winterer’s crown greeted me.

 

As expected, we were in a position close to hugging each other.

 

I didn’t feel much emotion.

 

‘If I felt something after seeing that, it would be a problem.’

 

-Swoosh.

 

Rather, I unconsciously patted her head.

 

Winterer, while hugging me, trembled all over.

 

She leaned against my chest, as if burying her cheek in it.

 

Her trembling limbs entangled around me.

 

-Tight.

 

“Hee, heek.”

 

“……?”

 

‘What’s wrong with her… Ah.’

 

It was my fault.

 

Remembering old memories must have triggered PTSD.

 

Filled with pity, I stroked her even more gently.

 

-Pet, pet.

 

“It’s okay. If you stay still, you’ll soon feel better….”

 

​

 

​

 

“———Disciple?”

 

“Hik.”

 

That wasn’t it.

 

I, too, began to tremble.

 

The reason I hurriedly skipped.

 

The reason I got distracted by Winterer’s past and forgot about it, was now heard right in front of me.

 

I cautiously lifted my head.

 

“S-sir….”

 

“Disciple.”

 

“What are you doing with a villain?”

 

The symbol of extreme anger. Facing my master who used ‘~nya.’

 

TL NOTE: Please don't skimp on the stars for the translation - it inspires me and gives me the strength to write more. Thank you~!

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