It’s an Academic Fact That Rankers Are Model Students – Chapter 125

Chapter 125: How to Delay a War (3)

『Luxemb, under attack by mutant monsters.

Afterward, people in Luxemb die every day from an unknown disease.

It does not discriminate between its own people and outsiders.

Even the envoys of Francois and Deutsch dispatched to Luxemb are dropping like flies.』

“It’s roughly like this, what do you think? The beginning is pretty good, right?”

“P, People are suddenly dying…… What in the world is…… Could the mutant monsters really have such a plague…….”

“No, it’s not that. It’s just, what do you call it, when you don’t know how to start, they say you should just kill people off first, right?”

“……..”

Firma couldn’t answer Kyung-joon’s nonchalant words.

“Ah, and it’s not just the people of Luxemb who are dying. The envoys from Francois and Deutsch are dying too, you know? This is important, so don’t miss it.”

Thump, thump.

Firma’s heart beat faster and faster.

Firma’s mind began to race.

What in the world was this Kyung-joon up to?

‘Could it be. Could it be…….’

A chilling 『Unique Bow』 came to mind.

But he couldn’t give an answer.

Kyung-joon’s story wasn’t over yet.

“You’re speechless, so I guess the beginning is okay? Then I’ll keep talking.”

Kyung-joon smiled meaningfully and continued his story.

『Eventually, more and more envoys from Francois and Deutsch refused to be dispatched to Luxemb.

Rumors spread like wildfire that Luxemb was cursed by the ‘Demon King’s Curse’.

Francois and Deutsch also judged that Luxemb would gradually wither away from the disease.

They no longer paid much attention to Luxemb as they used to and turned a blind eye.』

“……Is that how you buy time?”

“Hmm? Ah, that’s right. You seem to have a good idea.”

Kyung-joon stopped his story and immediately agreed with Firma’s sudden question.

Firma’s breathing was a little ragged.

“What is the Demon King’s Curse in the first place? If what you’re saying is true, we in Luxemb should be preparing for it instead of worrying about Francois or Deutsch……!”

“Calm down, calm down. I told you it wasn’t true, didn’t I? And it’s not over yet. You have to hear the whole story.”

“Then the Demon King’s Curse doesn’t exist…….”

“Hey, just listen.”

Kyung-joon looked a little annoyed and narrowed his eyes.

“……Alright.”

Whether it was true or not, Firma couldn’t tell from Kyung-joon’s story.

For now, Firma decided to listen to the whole story before making a judgment.

“So where were we?”

Kyung-joon smirked.

“Firma-nim turns out to be a spy for Francois and Deutsch, gets cursed by the Demon King, coughs up blood, and dies?”

“What are you talking about……!”

“Haha, I’m kidding. You don’t seem like a spy from your reaction. Actually, if you were a spy, this whole story would fall apart.”

“Sigh…….”

Firma couldn’t calm down because Kyung-joon kept toying with him.

“Anyway, let’s continue.”

Nevertheless, Kyung-joon nonchalantly continued his story.

『But if you look at the facts, it’s a little strange.

All the people who died from the unknown disease in Luxemb were either criminals who had committed serious crimes or wicked nobles who were of no use to the country.

Ordinary citizens and nobles who lived righteously were fine.

Naturally, the same goes for Foreign Minister Firma and the lord here.』

“See? I told you I was kidding. So cheer up. You’re going to get wrinkles.”

“……Continue with your story.”

“Yes. This is the interesting part, so pay attention.”

『Afterward, Luxemb became an even better place to live due to the unintentional eradication of corruption.

Not only that, but since the nobles who were in league with Francois or Deutsch all died from the ‘Demon King’s Curse’, there was no need to worry about spies anymore.

Of course, the loyal subjects who were loyal to Luxemb and the talents who would lead the future were all safe.

Later, when Francois and Deutsch realized this, they tried to protest to Luxemb, claiming that they had orchestrated the whole thing.

But Luxemb was already prepared for war.

And the rest, as they say, is history…….』

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

“…… In about 2 years? Well, let’s talk again around then.”

By then, the college entrance exam and all the admissions procedures would be over, so it would be a relaxing time.

For now, it was enough to keep dropping hints.

He could reap the rewards then.

“……..”

Firma stared intently at the desk, his fists clenched.

His suppressed breathing could be heard.

Kyung-joon smiled at such a Firma and said,

“They say even if you plan out the story in detail, it all changes later anyway, right? So let’s just leave it at this for now.”

Firma couldn’t say anything.

“This concludes our meeting. I trust it’s alright for me to start preparing things right away? Well then.”

Kyung-joon got up from his seat, saying he enjoyed the meal.

He had a lot to do from now on.

He had to prepare the prologue of the 『Story』 that would begin tomorrow.

Creak, slam!

Firma was left alone in the conference room with the door closed.

He was still there, head bowed.

“Gasp, huff……”

His breathing, which showed no signs of calming down.

And not just his breathing.

Thump, thump.

Firma’s heart was beating so fast that he couldn’t even properly see Kyung-joon off.

At that moment.

Thud!

“Huh?!”

The conference room door opened again.

“Ah, I forgot to mention this.”

Kyung-joon, who poked his head in through the door, added what he had to say.

“They say that to write a good story, you should always have the ending in mind, right?”

Famous novels or comics.

That’s what the writers always say.

A story is a process of constantly running towards a predetermined end.

“So, I’ll give you a little hint about the ending.”

Creak.

Kyung-joon slowly walked into the conference room, opening the door slightly.

However.

This time, he headed not for his own seat, but for Firma’s.

He noticed the steak lying on the table, half-eaten.

Rustle.

Kyung-joon, who was standing behind Firma before he knew it.

Firma couldn’t even bring himself to look back, and could only keep staring at the unfinished steak.

Thump, thump.

Firma’s heart pounded.

Kyung-joon whispered softly to him.

Like a demon whispering in his ear.

The young devil spoke of the story’s end.

“The fall of the Kingdom of Francois and the Kingdom of Deutschland. And their incorporation into Luxemb. What do you think? Isn’t it a dreamlike ending?”

The Devil.

Or the Whispers of the Demon King.

Before that sweet, sweet temptation.

In the end, Firma made a deal with the devil.

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

An unknown plague spread through Luxemb overnight.

Those infected felt a sudden dizziness, followed by weakness and vomiting blood.

Their entire bodies would then flush red, accompanied by coughing up blood and constant fatigue.

The name of the disease, its cause, remained a mystery.

Only the symptoms were known.

And then.

A baseless rumor began to spread among the people that the Demon King was using magic to turn people into mutated monsters and spread a curse.

Baseless, but utterly convincing.

“Sir Firma! I will be returning to my home country for a while! What?! Everyone, pack your things!”

Ludwig, turning his back on Firma, urged his servants to pack their belongings.

“Sir Ludwig! Before you go, shouldn’t you sign the document we discussed at the last meeting?”

“Later! Let’s postpone it!”

“Then at least the body of the late Sir Turd……”

“L,Later! I’ll tell Francois to take care of that later!”

Hurriedly!

Ludwig left Luxemb as quickly as possible.

Originally, Ludwig had planned to use Turd’s death to extort more from Luxemb.

But that too was postponed indefinitely.

As soon as he heard that Turd’s death was caused by the Demon King’s curse, and that it was currently spreading through Luxemb as a plague, he decided to leave immediately.

More important than national interests were, of course, his own interests and his life.

Firma, watching the scene from behind, couldn’t help but think.

‘……He’s a truly frightening man.’

The frightening man here was not Ludwig, but Kyung-joon.

Things were going exactly as he had described in his 『story』.

So far, all those who had died from the ‘Demon King’s curse’ were criminals or vermin who were nothing but a burden to the country.

Others, suddenly afraid of the money plague, never contracted it.

On the contrary, they began to pay more attention to hygiene.

Public order in the town improved, perhaps due to fear.

In some areas, people even rejoiced at the death of an evil nobleman.

Of course, there was some economic damage, such as a sudden contraction in consumption, but in the end, there was no real damage, so it was bearable.

Rather…….

『The greedy and sinful will have their souls devoured by the Demon King.』

……As such rumors spread, people became more honest, upright, and devout.

Of course, this too was part of Kyung-joon’s plan.

‘What kind of curse is he using?’

The Demon King’s curse used by Kyung-joon, or 『Radiation Exposure』, was completely unknown to them.

Even with the priests’ healing magic and purification, the disease could not be cured.

The symptoms disappeared temporarily, but after a while, various complications recurred.

At first, they thought it was poison or a curse.

But there was no trace of any poison or curse.

Nevertheless, if treatment was not given periodically, hemoptysis and congestion recurred, and the patient became weaker and weaker.

It was truly the curse of the Demon King itself.

In the end, Kyung-joon gained this title.

[You have acquired the Unique Title 『The Curse’s Mastermind』.]

[The Curse’s Mastermind]

▶The plague ‘Demon King’s Curse’ that began to spread in Luxemb. However, there was no such thing as the Demon King’s curse, and it was all orchestrated by the player Kyung-joon.

▶Infamy +100 to those who know the truth of the incident

▶When a member of the demon cult learns of this fact, their favorability will start at 50 (Friendly).

▶Title Type: Regional (Luxemb)

▶Title Grade: Unique

Firma, who knew the truth of this story.

He once asked Kyung-joon what kind of trick he had used.

To which Kyung-joon replied.

━Hmm…… To explain it simply, the initial radiation exposure causes the sodium-23 in the body to turn into sodium-24. Sodium-24 is a radioactive material.

━But the only difference from sodium-23 is that its mass is exactly 1 higher. All other properties are the same. This is called an isotope in technical terms, and since priests don’t know this, no matter how hard they try, they won’t find any traces of poison or curse. Well, I don’t know about fairies like Rina or skilled elves. No, I wonder if they’re immune to mana radiation in the first place?

━Anyway, in addition to sodium, various substances in the body are converted into radioactive isotopes, and because of this, no matter how much you treat them, they are exposed to radiation again. In other words, their body itself becomes a poison emitter.

━Treatment for radiation exposure?

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