Chapter 19 : If you made a mistake, just apologize (2)

Carmilla’s mother.

Ms. Lazerita.

Unlike her damn brat of a daughter, she was a highly reasonable intellectual.

“I heard the cause of this incident is my daughter.”

“That’s correct. If you don’t believe me, we can base it on the testimonies of the children who were in the classroom at the time…”

“No. We’ve already assessed the situation. I truly apologize.”

“…What?”

She made a clear distinction between personal and public matters.

She immediately apologized for Carmilla’s wrongdoings.

Then, she said they would take full responsibility for the incident.

We, the three of us, were dumbfounded by how easily the situation was being resolved.

“Carmilla, what are you doing?”

“…!”

“You should apologize.”

Even though her daughter’s face looked battered and bruised, she could at least give her a glance.

Was she being strict?

Maybe.

Listening to her mother, Carmilla stood up, with a deeply sorrowful expression, and bowed down to apologize in front of us.

“I-I… I’m sorry…”

“Uh… no… it happens…”

“Hey! If you’ve done this to someone else’s face! You should at least get one punch from Jang Hoon!”

At that moment, our lady.

Maybe she hadn’t calmed down yet, or maybe she wanted more apologies, but her voice grew louder.

Whispering.

“Lady, I’m fine now, but…”

“Ugh, no! It looks like she won’t even get expelled. Since this has happened, let’s crush her spirit beforehand and make her Jang Hoon’s lackey!”

Hoshino-sama…

School isn’t a place where you rank people like that.

Did you watch some weird webtoon?

She never even attended school, but now she acts like an expert, even blinking one eye.

As I was about to ask her to stay quiet,

“That’s true.”

“Huh?”

“…What?”

With the same expression she had when we first met.

Ms. Lazerita, who had been smiling kindly, nodded as if she understood something.

Then she said,

“So the name is… Jang Jang Hoon, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Right. Jang Hoon. I heard he lost a tooth while fighting with my daughter. How many did he lose?”

Suddenly?

What is this?

Maybe she’s offering to pay for the dental work?

“Just one.”

Since it was a baby tooth, I didn’t think there would be any implant costs, so I hadn’t mentioned it.

But she asked first.

What is going on?

…I wasn’t in the wrong, so I told the truth about who was to blame.

Then she said,

“Okay, then it’s fine to do the same to her.”

“…What?”

“Huh?”

“Mm?”

Thanks to the situation easing, the tension in the principal’s office was suddenly shattered, freezing cold.

“…What did you say?”

Did I hear that wrong?

She said it was fine to do the same.

So, what exactly does that mean?

She can’t possibly mean to beat her up and knock her teeth out, right?

Thinking about it, the foul monster-like smell that used to emanate from Ms. Lazerita had completely disappeared.

I remember it was quite overpowering when we first met.

‘…What is going on?’

A person who smelled like a monster.

She had just given permission for her daughter to do the same thing to me that I had endured.

Of course, it wasn’t exactly a welcome suggestion.

It was so bizarre that it sent chills down my spine.

Right then,

“Aha, looks like you don’t want to do it yourself.”

Ms. Lazerita, who had misinterpreted my shocked expression, stood up and approached.

She lowered her gaze and grabbed her trembling daughter’s head—Carmilla’s nape—kindly but firmly.

Then,

Slam!

“Ah?!”

“Crazy…!”

“Hey, what the hell?!”

Without hesitation, she slammed her daughter’s face into the table in front of her.

Her face, already bruised from being beaten by Hoshino-sama, was slammed onto the surface.

As blood spread across the table, Ms. Lazerita smiled and picked something up.

“Ah, here’s the tooth!”

We were all in shock as she proudly showed her daughter’s tooth to us.

“Now, with this, Jang Hoon and Princess Hoshino will forgive our daughter, right?”

“Uh, uh…”

Of course, there was no way I’d forgive her.

Even with over 30 years of life, including my past life, the scene before me made my legs shake.

But soon, Carmilla, who had lifted her head from the table, started bleeding from her nose again.

She didn’t even let out a groan, as if she were used to it, and wiped her nose.

Facing her, I wondered how much more flustered Hoshino-sama must have been.

“Are you… okay?”

“…Yes.”

She was a girl who had just started elementary school, and she was covered in blood, not from a stranger, but from her own family.

Seeing that right in front of me…

“…I’ll forgive you.”

“Heh, thanks, Jang Hoon.”

I wanted to end this situation as quickly as possible, so I responded that I forgave her.

Immediately after, Ms. Lazerita gave a bright smile and pretended to be a caring mother once again, bowing with her daughter in front of us to apologize.

“Let’s go.”

“…Yes.”

Carmilla, with a lifeless, dead-eyed expression, was led out of the principal’s office by her mother.

On the passenger seat, Carmilla was sitting next to her mother while heading home.

Despite the situation being resolved, she was still restless.

Naturally, it was because of her left side.

She had been with her mother since lunchtime instead of seeing her only at dinner.

“Your wounds will be blamed on the monster. You understand the meaning of this, right?”

“Of course.”

“I’ll make sure it works out. You just have to play your part, understand?” her mother said.

“Yes, I understand, Mother.”

Even though she was frightened, Carmilla responded without hesitation to her mother’s words, as she had been trained.

But if they got home, she would be dragged into the ‘basement’ for punishment as part of her training.

To become a great hero…

No, to become the strongest hero.

That’s when Carmilla’s eyes, already filled with fear, grew even duller.

It was surprising enough that she had caused an incident in front of people, but there was an unexpected figure in the school too.

“An unexpected… person?”

“The princess. Was she also enrolled in Almighty Elementary like you?”

Even without looking her mother in the eye, Carmilla answered quickly.

“I know Princess Hoshino came to school because of the boy I hit.”

“Really?”

“Then, the boy you hit… Jang Hoon is the princess’s weak point, huh?”

“…Yes?”

Immediately after, an unbelievable story reached my ears.

“Use that boy as ‘bait.'”

“Bait?”

“That’s what I mean. The princess will be a big obstacle for you to reach the top. So, you need to nip it in the bud now while she’s still immature.”

Nip it in the bud.

In other words, kill her.

Normally, I should respond right away to Ms. Lazerita’s words, but…

“Ah, ah…”

At the command to essentially ‘kill,’ Carmilla started sweating cold and couldn’t bring herself to answer immediately.

“…Answer.”

“Eeek?!”

Finally, when her eyes met hers, she trembled, clenched her teeth, and nodded vigorously.

“I’ll try! Um, somehow…”

“Anyway, your mother will tell you exactly what to do. You just have to do as I say.”

“…Yes.”

To kill a person.

Now, not only am I thrown into the middle of monsters, but I’m also about to kill someone.

However, Carmilla didn’t even have the chance to lament her own situation.

Ding-ding.

The phone ringing in Lazerita’s pocket.

She immediately answered the call, and for a moment, stopped the car that was in motion.

“They say a monster has appeared in City E.”

“A monster?”

The sudden appearance of a monster.

Moreover, the location was in City E, where they were. She signaled with her chin to prepare Carmilla to be thrown out of the car.

“The Hero Association just contacted us. The monster that appeared is a level 3 danger, a ‘Drunken Monster.'”

“Drunken Monster…”

“Luckily, the location is right in the middle of the road we’re driving on.”

“…Does that mean I have to fight right now?”

“The broadcaster says it will take about 10 more minutes to get here, so Carmilla, for now, don’t fight the monster. Just stall for time.”

The car started moving again.

At the same time, Carmilla unbuckled her seatbelt and sat silently for a while.

But soon, she mustered the courage, hugging her aching body tightly.

“U-Um, mother… but I’m really in pain.”

“I fought too much with Princess Hoshino, and I’ve lost some blood. I think I have a fever…!”

She was really struggling now.

Her face felt hot, her mind was hazy, and most of all, her head, which had gotten a bit warm, begged her mother to let her rest just this time.

But…

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

Naturally, the only response to her words was ruthless violence.

After about a minute of being hit…

“S-Sorry! I’m sorry!”

The confident Carmilla from school had completely disappeared. She was now begging with her hands clasped.

The blood that had dried on her face mixed with her tears as she no longer dared to say anything her mother would dislike.

And then, when they arrived at the scene…

“Good. The Drunken Monster should be visible soon.”

“…!”

The Drunken Monster.

According to the records, it was a bloated, giant monster, at least 5 meters tall.

Thinking of the appearance of such a monster…

‘S-Scary… Please, someone help me…!’

The time had truly come for her to face it.

“I’ll be back…”

As her body continued to heat up, Carmilla reluctantly got out of the car, dragging herself out as her mother had told her.

Then…

Boom.

“Huh?”

Something fell straight down in front of her.

The object that hit the ground with a loud thud was none other than the severed head of a drunken monster.

Thud.

After they arrived, Carmilla stood dazed for a moment, staring at the dead monster.

A figure, likely the one who had defeated the Drunken Monster, landed in front of her.

It was a monster, but…

Why did it seem familiar?

“…Dad?”

Instead of feeling danger, Carmilla, seeing the monster who resembled Jang Hoon, thought of someone she would never see again—her other parent.

Her father, who had been her only pillar in the past.

Thump. Thump.