I Need the True Ending to Graduate - Chapter 32

“……”

I silently pressed my forehead with my hand. It was hot, maybe from anger. I felt like I needed to put a wet towel on my head.

‘Calm down. Calm down. Nothing will be solved by getting angry. It’s already over.’

My emotions were out of control, my hand trembling as I patted my chest, trying to regain my reason.

After some time passed with my mind blank, the emotions that had erupted like a volcano slowly subsided, and the other feelings buried under the anger began to rise.

‘I should have killed him with my own hands, not just left him to go bankrupt and be dismissed.’

I glared into empty space as if Karl Evenhart were there, murderous intent filling my gaze.

Of course his ruin was something to celebrate, but it burned me that it hadn’t been revenge accomplished by my own hands.

Having his fortune confiscated and his life ruined to the point where he had nowhere left to stand didn’t feel like enough.

Besides, Calypse Magic Academy was a four-year program.

Karl Evenhart, before being a professor, had also been Lucia’s patron, so from the moment of admission, or even before, she must have been stuck with him.

‘At least three years or more, she must have breathed the same air as that trash.’

With a man who would steal her research and present it as his own.

Just imagining it made my chest tighten and my vision darken.

How had she endured such a long time? Lucia’s patience, for letting that bastard live unharmed, was astonishing.

‘No wonder she suddenly wanted to write her graduation thesis on a different topic.’

It was only natural that she’d be sick of it all and turn to another field.

After all, no one would want to continue research only for the professor to take all the credit and reward.

And yet one question remained.

‘Why dimensional transfer magic, of all things?’

Even if she deliberately chose a field that Karl Evenhart wouldn’t covet, one with no promise or prospects whatsoever, I still wondered why it had to be that one.

There must have been a reason I didn’t know.

Just as today I had learned of the evil Karl Evenhart had committed against me, I was convinced there were hidden settings waiting to be uncovered.

‘Then… does Jeran Ennessy also have some past connected to me?’

Since Ruad was set as my only friend, it was natural that he had a past connection. Evan Bell, though cold like a stranger, I had already confirmed there was a point of contact with him.

But Jeran Ennessy… honestly, I’m not sure.

Looking back on the conversations I had with him, there didn’t seem to be any real connection. It didn’t seem like we had been particularly close.

The sense of discomfort I had felt from him came simply from the fact that he knew what Karl Evenhart had done to me.

Since he had taken on a student who’d been through such a fucked-up experience, it was only natural that he’d treat me carefully.

And besides, Jeran Ennessy was just a kind person by nature.

So what did it matter?

‘Whatever past there is, it can’t be more shocking than having my thesis stolen by a thief.’

Having reached a state of resignation, I gave a self-mocking laugh as I looked at the five theses I had found, half sorted, along with the neatly categorized documents.

“First, let’s put these papers away.”

I had worked hard to organize them, so I couldn’t just leave them scattered on the floor.

Though I wasn’t in the mood for cleaning, I slowly put the documents into the drawer at the bottom of the bookshelf. I stuffed the crumpled theses in there as well.

‘Come to think of it, both Jeran Ennessy and Ruad knew what Karl Evenhart had done to me.’

It made sense that Ruad would know, since I could have told him directly as a friend.

But the fact that Jeran Ennessy knew suggested that my being exploited by that bastard was practically an open secret.

The semester had only just begun, and already word of that bastard being dismissed from the Academy had spread. It wasn’t even surprising.

Just humiliating.

‘At least I don’t have to attend any of his classes, I suppose?’

That was the only silver lining.

Even just imagining people whispering behind my back, saying I was Lucia Even, the student whose thesis had been stolen by her professor, was exhausting.

I got up from my seat and slumped onto the bed, checking the time.

5 p.m.

I had visited Jeran Ennessy’s office at 1 p.m., and after cleaning and raging, it was already evening.

My original plan had been to stop by the dormitory after visiting Jeran Ennessy’s office, grab a dinner box, then head to the library to study new research texts.

Or rather, now that I had agreed to present at the conference in two months, preparing for that should have been my priority.

But I wasn’t in the mood to read a single letter.

Even though, practically speaking, I hadn’t lost anything, the emptiness pressing down on me was unbearable.

And at a time like this, there was only one thing I needed.

I reached for the pull cord.

Soon after, when a servant knocked on my door, I said, “Bring me a bottle of liquor. Something strong.”

【 Petty Quarrel 】

Two days after Karl Evenhart’s shocking atrocity, after I had drunk myself unconscious and collapsed, I barely managed to shake off the shock and get back up.

Thanks to a horrendous hangover, the impact of that day had somewhat dulled, but my mood was still far from pleasant.

Even though I had holed up in my dorm room all day doing nothing but lying down, the lingering hangover was still there.

But the biggest reason was that what that bastard had done wasn’t something that could vanish after a single bout of drunkenness and a hangover.

I realized it would take more time to accept the fact that Karl Evenhart had stolen my thesis.

The simple reason I forced myself to rise despite my unpleasant mood and prepare to go out to the library was this:

‘No matter what, I still have to write my thesis, and I still have to prepare for the conference presentation.’

That had nothing to do with my mood.

Jeran Ennessy had said I didn’t have to present if I didn’t want to, but somehow that didn’t sit right with me.

So with my meager knowledge, if I wanted to prepare for the presentation, I had to stop wallowing and get moving.

That was why I stood in front of the mirror, changing clothes.

Lucia’s face reflected in the mirror was worn down with exhaustion, lethargy, and emptiness.

She looked like a student ghost who had haunted the Academy dorms for 300 years.

At least the sunlight streaming through the large window, shining warmly on my face, gave a little comfort.

“Haa.”

I let out a breath that was half sigh, half deep inhale.

It was a measure to lift my sunken mood a little.

‘Sitting around sulking won’t change anything. That Karl Evenhart is still a bastard who deserves to be torn limb from limb, but that’s separate.’

Besides, I had a mission: to clear this game, see the True Ending, return to my original world, and finish writing the thesis that awaited its review.

“Right. I need to have sex the capture targets and return to my world…”

I muttered under my breath at the mirror, then shouldered my bag stuffed with a lunchbox, notebooks, and books.

‘It would be perfect if Evan Bell called me today.’

I could raise his affection, have a good time being tormented, and forget the bad memories while drowning in pleasure.

But unfortunately, today my mailbox was quiet.

‘When Evan Bell needs me, he can call me anytime, but when I need him, I can’t reach him.’

Isn’t that unfair?

Thinking such absurd, meaningless thoughts, I left the dormitory.

***

Outside, it was already full spring, as if to say the weather had nothing to do with my mood.

Unlike the winter wind that had once flayed my face raw, the breeze was now warm and soft.

Where once the scenery had been barren all winter, flowers now bloomed in full, dazzling colors. Watching the blossoms swaying in the spring breeze was unexpectedly pleasant.

‘Spring is nice.’

With dead eyes, I suddenly found myself appreciating the spring scenery.

Perhaps because I wasn’t in the frame of mind to find the world beautiful, all the sights I normally ignored came into sharp relief. And strangely, they gave me comfort.

It felt more bearable than being stuck inside my room.

‘Right. What’s the point of raging over something that’s already over? That son of a bitch already lost his entire fortune, went bankrupt, and got dismissed, so I’ll never have to see him again.’

Still, I vowed that if he ever crossed my path, I’d kill him.

No grad student’s pride would allow them to stand idle in front of such a cancer to academia.

As for Karl Evenhart, I decided not to think of him any further.

Walking down the street lined with trees, I pondered what face I should make when I saw Ruad at the library again today.

The moment he saw my worn-out face, he was bound to ask what had happened.

‘Better not say I drank.’

If I said that, he’d ask why, and then answering would get tricky fast.

At this point, saying I was upset and angry about Karl Evenhart and drowning myself in booze didn’t make sense.

To me, it was a shocking new revelation, but to Lucia, it was something that had happened long ago, nothing surprising.

‘I’ll just say I caught a cold.’

That was the safest answer. No need to be pressed, and I’d only get a little sympathy in return.

Impressed with my own perfect excuse, I was lost in thought when I suddenly felt an intense stare burning into me.