Chapter 72

### Chapter 71, Part 3: It's Not Just Riders Who Transform! (7)

* * *

Ten minutes after the "Treasure Hunt" began.

"Hey, Yumir. Do you know who I am?"

"No?"

Ermyna Sternpercht, a sharp-featured girl with golden buns, frowned and waved her finger in front of Yumir, who was smiling innocently.

"You don't know me?"

"I just came to Korea this year. You don't seem like a freshman..."

"Of course not! I've been living in Korea for three years now! I came to King Sejong Island when I was 15."

"Okay, so what?"

"Okay, so what? Didn't you hear what I just said? What about the name Sternpercht?"

"Isn't your name Ermyna?"

"No!"

Ermyna thumped her chest at Yumir, who tilted her head innocently.

"What are you doing? You don't know me, someone who's famous in the A-class?"

"Well, I'm in the university department, and I'm not German."

"Still, you should know who I am!"

"Hmm...."

Yumir scratched her cheek and smiled at the fuming Ermyna.

"You might be a bit too full of yourself."

"What did you say? A-class, and yet...!"

"A-class, but I'm older than you, and we're on the same team now. Really, why did the academy pair us up with high school students for this event?"

"Treasure hunts are usually done without considering such things."

"Is that so? I see."

"No, really...!"

Ermyna clenched and unclenched her fists in frustration, but Yumir just smiled warmly.

"That's why newbies are no good! I came in 7th place at the Sejong Academy 'Competition' last year!"

"Wow, that's impressive. Congratulations. You're amazing."

"...Are you making fun of me?"

"Why would you think that?"

"This is serious!"

Ermyna grabbed Yumir's collar.

"Are you laughing at me? Huh?"

Because she was wearing a uniform, her shirt almost tore, but Yumir didn't lose her smile.

"Listen up. You just need to follow my lead. As an A-class, you should obediently follow my instructions. Got it?"

"Why should I?"

"Reason...? Ha, of course! When you enter society, you E-class will naturally take orders from A-class field commanders!"

"Is that so? But."

Yumir didn't flinch even with her collar grabbed.

"We're on the same team for the treasure hunt, right? Trying to do everything yourself? I don't mind, but did you know that if team members are more than 200 meters apart, they're disqualified?"

Yumir pointed to her Taeguk Watch.

Both of their Taeguk Watches had "Gangwon-121 Team" engraved on them.

"Your grabbing my collar just now was probably recorded by the academy's monitoring station. Is that okay? You might lose popularity if you grab E-class students like this."

"Insane. You really can't see what's in front of you?"

"I don't understand why you're being so sharp with me."

"Don't you? Let me tell you."

Ermyna released Yumir's collar and poked her chest sharply.

"I hate it when incompetent E-class students like you act all special. Got it?"

"It's being recorded live by the Taeguk Watch."

"Hah. So what? Are you trying to blackmail me with that?"

"You're quite reckless. Is it because you're still young? Do you know that every word you say could become a big chain around your neck later?"

"What? Take care of yourself. Or is it because you're so useless that you can't even take care of yourself?"

Ermyna openly mocked Yumir.

"An extra with no presence at all."

"......"

"If this world were a novel, I would be the protagonist, and you, an E-class, would just be a device to highlight me. Got it? A human device to highlight me!"

"That's quite an extreme statement. It's a good thing there's no one else around... or is it because there's no one else that you're saying such things? Really...."

"Hmph. Do you think I'll be held back by a lowly E-class like you?"

Ermyna stepped back and grabbed her neck, where the Taeguk Watch was.

"Ermyna Sternpercht is verbally abusing me. I'm going to report her, sob sob sob."

"......!"

Yumir frowned.

"Why? Surprised?"

Not because of what Ermyna said, but because the voice that came from Ermyna's mouth was unmistakably Yumir's.

"Planning to squeeze the juice out of me later in front of everyone? Using the recording to expose me and say, 'Ugh, Ermyna is such a trash.'? Ha, don't delude yourself. This conversation won't be recorded on the server. Even if it does, there's no evidence that I verbally abused you."

Ermyna tapped her Taeguk Watch.

"Someone like you needs to be shown directly to come to your senses."

She adjusted a few apps and pressed the record button.

"E-class trash, just stay in your room and suck on maple syrup."

"...Recording yourself, what are you trying to do?"

"Idiot."

Beep.

Ermyna played back the recorded insults.

Static.

[...Recording yourself, what are you trying to do?]

"...!!"

"My voice can't be recorded by electronic devices, moron. I always use my ability when I speak."

"......"

"So, just follow me. If you don't want to be dragged around like a dog on a leash. If you get more than 200 meters away from me, I'll really kill you."

Ermyna issued a warning and turned to leave.

Yumir watched her go, and only when Ermyna was about 100 meters ahead did she move her hand to her mouth.

"......Hmph."

Was she trying to hold back tears?

Or was it laughter?

One thing was clear: Yumir's lips, hidden behind her hand, were twitching.

Whether she was trying to stop crying or laughing, Yumir picked up the dropped bag.

The bag assigned to Ermyna, like her own, was empty.

Completely empty.

"Just because you don't want to carry this, you treat people like this. This won't do."

Yumir picked up the bag and fiddled with her Taeguk Watch, smiling.

"Usually, people like her are good at sucking up to those more capable than themselves. Hmph, it would be quite a sight to see her fall for a stronger and more handsome guy. ...Ah."

Yumir clasped her hands and smiled widely.

"Thankfully, the teacher is a non-ability user."

* * *

I saw it.

Ermyna getting angry at Yumir, trying to make her carry the bag, and then storming off after a fit, fuming and grabbing Yumir's collar.

'A lady in front of men, but a fake in front of women.'

Why do such people exist?

People who are endlessly rude and have terrible personalities when with their own gender but show a saintly, kind side to the opposite sex.

Ermyna is no different.

She showed a very rough side to Yumir.

'I'll have to listen to Yumir's complaints later.'

With such a personality, a title heroine?

Sometimes, authors make big mistakes.

They think their heroine is the best and force-feed her to readers, but while the author thinks she's great, readers might think, 'How can this be a heroine?'

Ermyna is one such case.

She spoke harshly to the protagonist, acted like a spoiled brat, and even showed discriminatory behavior based on ability, so her initial likability was rock bottom.

Some people enjoy seeing such a character fall in love with the protagonist, but many find it unpleasant.

I was one of those people.

If there's a scene where someone is humiliated, I think the humiliation should be repaid in kind, or even more.

It's not that I wanted to kill her before she became a heroine or that she became a background heroine.

Most likely, she was initially planned as an antagonist and then 'drifted' into a heroine role.

I don't know if the author intended to push Ermyna as the main heroine or if, during serialization, they couldn't control the volume of the first book and ended up making her the title heroine when she fell in love with the protagonist.

My current interest isn't whether Ermyna is a heroine or not.

I'm following Ermyna, but she's not my goal.

My goal was to become the 'male' partner of Ermyna.

'Why is Yumir, who isn't the protagonist, Ermyna's partner?'

Why.

Why.

'Why did Yumir become the target of the crazy plot where Ermyna, after accidentally finding mana powder, tried to sprinkle it in the protagonist's food to make him a mana powder user before the competition organizers found out?'

I can't understand.

Ermyna's actions can be understood from a 'villain' perspective.

She's just a trash who did trashy things and became a heroine.

But the person who should have been the target of those trashy actions should have been a male, not Yumir.

'What's wrong? What's off?'

I followed them in my ethereal form.

Just in case, to deal with 'villain Ermyna' if