I Will Not Fall For the Villain’s Flirtations - Chapter 48

“Hey, where are you going? Du!”

Ignoring Leila’s shout, I moved my legs like a person possessed. I needed to confirm whether my usually clumsy roommate had seen it wrong. No, I wanted to know if this was all just a dream.

First place. First place.

First place. Not Primis Starring, but me?

The person who gets the highest score in the ordination exam was, of course, the protagonist Prim. At least in the novel, that is. I couldn’t remember if Duna Valorem’s grades were mentioned or not, but even if they were, she would have been below second place. That was the position fitting for a rival supporting character.

“…It’s true.”

However, at the top of the noticeboard at the entrance of the dormitory, my name was clearly written.

[Summa Cum Laude: Duna Valorem

Magna Cum Laude: Primis Starring

Cum Laude: Reitz Blancet, Tannon Sios, Herina Ots]

The honorable title given to the top five students, ‘Cum Laude’. Those who received the praise of the gods could stand in the front row at the ordination ceremony.

Among them, Summa Cum Laude meant ‘with the highest praise’. I stood there blankly for a long time, staring at the familiar full name written above ‘Primis Starring’.

Was ‘Duna Valorem’ really me? Did I really beat the protagonist and become the top student?

But I… Clearly, I…

“Duna, that’s amazing! I see you in a new light!”

“I expected you to pass with Cum Laude. You always did well.”

“Wow, Duna could get a job at the royal palace even if you leave the temple!”

My classmates who had been standing in front of the noticeboard found me and praised me. One of them was Reitz, who had earned Cum Laude, his cheeks flushed with joy. However, there was also an unmistakable hint of envy in the way he looked at me.

As the classmates who had showered me with all sorts of noisy compliments entered the dormitory, I was left alone and fixed my gaze on the noticeboard again. My eyes were on the wall, but my mind was on Reitz. More precisely, on the expression he had when he looked at me.

A bit of joy and a bit of regret. And much more, a lot of envy.

A shiver ran through me. It was something I was very familiar with.

[Congratulations, Mihyun. I heard you got into Korea University.]

It was the expression I always wore. Even in this damn world.

“Annoying.”

“……”

I turned my head towards the sudden angry voice. A pink-haired woman, whose presence I hadn’t noticed, was glaring at me sideways.

“You must have gotten help, right? Life is so easy for you.”

“……”

What is she talking about?

I was so dumbfounded that her words didn’t even register properly in my brain, and Prim turned away sharply. Thud. Thud. Her unusually forceful steps seemed to convey her displeasure.

Recalling her deeply distorted face, I quietly turned my gaze back to the noticeboard. Amidst the letters that still felt unreal, a hypothesis suddenly emerged.

Maybe, I can do it too?

I mean, something like that. In some novels I read in my previous life, there were those kinds of stories. Ones where the extra character takes over and changes the plot instead of the protagonist.

In the original, a character who occupied only a single line of importance ends up winning over the male protagonist instead of the female lead, solving various big and small incidents, and eventually becoming the new protagonist themselves.

As confidence built on the timid thought that had lifted my head, hope began to take shape.

Yeah, it could be something like that. Why can’t I do it? I just did it. I grabbed first place, unlike in the original.

What if this world is also such a world?

Maybe Primis Starring is not the real protagonist, but just the original female lead of an extra’s story. Whether main or supporting, if she is just a character planted with a specific purpose.

Maybe I am the real protagonist.

The once distant and shabby world suddenly became brilliant. Even though it was just a single ray of light, it became blindingly bright.

“…I really hate being second forever.”

Tears almost came out. This kind of slightly lacking success, I wanted to avoid it at least in this life. I wanted to break free from the delusion of being the protagonist and truly become the protagonist.

The crushed yolk image I saw in my dream gradually faded, and the remnants were swept away by the surging waves of excitement. At that moment, when I couldn’t even answer myself what I was expecting or why I was so happy.

“Wow, you really got first place?”

A familiar, unexpectedly pleasant voice was heard.

“…Keene.”

The secretive man who surprisingly suited the white priest’s robe. The fact that he was a spy from the Magic Tower was meaningless at least for now. The man in front of me was just the number one contributor who brought me the current honor.

Maybe that’s why. My paralyzed brain ordered me to hug him.

“I, I passed as Summa Cum Laude!”

“……”

I felt the neck and shoulders I embraced stiffen. He was someone who seemed like he would never know what being flustered was, but maybe because I wasn’t looking at his usually nonchalant face, I could clearly feel his surprise.

Surprised by my unconscious action, I quickly let go of him, and our eyes met as Keene stared blankly at me.

I thought his expression would be relaxed and confident as usual. But even after putting some distance between us, he still looked surprised, which made my cheeks blush instead.

“S-sorry. I was so happy I didn’t realize…”

“……”

Fanning my face to cool the heat, I tried to compose myself. Even during that time, he continued to look at me with an expression I had never seen before.

Embarrassed by his persistent gaze, I rubbed the back of my neck and grumbled.

“W-what are you staring at…”

“Is it really that good?”

“……”

When I looked up again, I saw his face looking at me with a faint smile. Even his low voice carried a hint of amusement.

It was like he was looking at a child going crazy over a trivial toy. Standing in front of the altar as the top student representing my classmates at the ordination ceremony was indeed a tremendous honor that would make anyone dance with joy, but that was from the perspective of people from the Holy Kingdom. To this man, it was probably as meaningless as dirt under his nails.

The late-blooming shame made me want to explain. Sure, being the top student was great, but I was also happy because I beat that annoying female lead for the first time!

“No, there’s this annoying classmate who always picks fights with me? She laughed at me last time, saying I was behind her, and she’s really skilled, so I thought she’d definitely be the top student…”

But as I rambled on about things he hadn’t even asked, I felt even more self-loathing than before. Especially since he continued to look at me like I was some mysterious creature.

“Uh, it’s a bit childish, right?”

“……”

“But she’s really annoying. She said weird things earlier too… If you saw her, you’d understand.”

Too embarrassed to even meet his eyes, I hung my head low. I got excited and hugged him for no reason, and now I was just rambling on…

As I scuffed the marble floor with the toe of my shoe, Keene spoke kindly.

“I can tell it’s something worth celebrating. It’s the brightest expression I’ve ever seen on you.”

“…Not really.”

“Is there somewhere you want to go?”

At the sudden question, my head automatically lifted. Somewhere I want to go? Why all of a sudden?

“We should celebrate this occasion at a nice place. Don’t you want to?”

There was one place that came to mind.

As I thought of that place, I carefully observed him, whom I had only glanced at earlier.

“……”

The plain white robe, neatly ironed. Unlike usual, he was dressed as a priest. Despite being from the Magic Tower, he looked like he had spent at least ten years living in the temple.

What had he been doing to be dressed like that? It was probably related to the holy relic.

The dark thoughts were fleeting, and the hypothesis that had warmed my heart earlier resurfaced.

If I can really change the course of the original story. If I can continue to create such miracles…

“Alright. Take me there.”

The person who could make that possible was none other than this man.