“But what could I do? Who could have guessed the Demon Lord would suddenly pop out of there? If not for my quick thinking, several people would have died.”

[Bead: I have a lot to say… but there’s a more pressing matter, so I’ll hold my tongue for now. What are you going to do?]

The text from Bead suddenly shrank. If it was usually around 11pt, it felt like it had suddenly dropped to 5pt.

“Are you whispering right now?”

[Bead: Yes! That… that’s something the System shouldn’t hear, isn’t it?]

In other words, she was saying that the method to break through the final quest was something the System shouldn’t hear.

“Our little Bead is so naive. How will you survive in this harsh world?”

[Bead: Stop talking like a grandmother on her deathbed, you jerk.]

First playthrough or not, the System had already seen through everything anyway. Just look at the half-hearted quest description.

“I have to do it now. It’s a quest, after all.”

[Bead: Uh, are you sure you should be getting up like that? Are you in any condition to be walking around?]

No. With every step I took, my head throbbed, and my left eye was wrapped in bandages, making it hard to see ahead.

But this was an opportunity.

According to the Bedallua Academy map, the Protagonist was in the very next room, and conveniently, there was no one else around.

They must have kept their distance to avoid accidentally triggering the sensitive magic circle and causing a disaster.

If I missed this chance, I didn’t know when another would come. I didn’t have much time left.

Hiding the necessary items against my chest, I quietly slipped out into the hallway.

Then, I opened the door to the next room.

“……”

The scenery was almost identical to the room I had been in. Only the person sleeping in the bed was different.

I walked over to his side, taking utmost care not to disturb the magic circle.

‘There’s a window here.’

Soft moonlight illuminated the Protagonist’s face. He looked incredibly peaceful. Enough to make me a little worried.

‘…Did he already pass on to eternal sleep?’

I lightly placed my index finger under his nose and was relieved to feel a faint breath.

[Bead: He must have been really exhausted. Sleeping that deeply, he probably isn’t even dreaming.]

It was a pitiful sight. Well, he had likely faced the Demon Lord all by himself.

‘I feel sorry for doing this to a kid who is still recovering, but-‘

It couldn’t be helped. This was my last remaining chance.

I pulled out a battered, old sword from inside my coat. During the first playthrough, this was the blade that had cleaved through my chest.

‘This time…’

I raised the sword.

And then,

[Bead: Chris? What are you doing right now?]

thunk!

I drove it straight into the Protagonist’s chest.

“Gah, cough…”

The Protagonist’s body twitched and trembled. I felt the dull blade tearing through flesh, and crimson blood began to well up.

[Bead: W-What are you doing, Chris?! Weren’t you trying so hard to avoid this?!]

I ignored Bead’s panicked messages. I didn’t have the luxury to entertain them!

– aeaeaeng! Intruder detected! The patient is in critical condition!

A warning siren rang in my ears. As expected, countermeasures were in place. People would be swarming in soon.

I had to finish before that.

“Ugh!”

I raised the sword and inflicted a wound on my own chest as well.

It was a sword that had exhausted its uses, but even its fading blade had no problem slicing through an F-Rank body.

Then, I placed one hand over the Protagonist’s chest and the other over my own.

As warm blood spread out, I felt something react.

Yes. I had been waiting for this moment.

Ever since I broke free from the memories of the first playthrough.

“Are you planning to die, you fool?”

The note I had handed to the Martial God read ‘Exchange Machine’.

It was a failed product of the Martial God’s attempt to recreate Spatial Magic.

However, the function to swap the positions of two objects could still be activated probabilistically.

I had also demanded the components necessary to modify that object into a ‘heart’.

‘So in the Martial God’s eyes, it must have looked like I intended to give my heart to someone.’

The target, naturally, was the Protagonist.

No one could handle the Protagonist’s heart.

Everyone coveted it, everyone desired it, but the moment they obtained it, they would be destroyed. Probably even the Protagonist himself, eventually.

Why leave such a dangerous thing in the hands of my disciple?

So I would take it instead.

However, I wouldn’t let the gods erase the Protagonist’s very existence from this world as they desired.

Instead, I would swap the Protagonist’s heart with mine.

Thus, the teacher would take on the burden of bearing it.

‘I spent days without sleep just assembling the machine to ensure it would work with a 100% success rate. I can do this. It’s possible!’

hmmmmm—

The small machines held in both hands emitted a loud operational hum and began to glow.

Because of that, I felt a searing pain as if my skin was burning, but I couldn’t let go.

[Bead: W-What is this… Magic? Chris, are you using magic right now?!]

It wasn’t magic.

[Illegal Players cannot use skills.]

The grand premise—the proof that Real Chris had sacrificed herself for me—remained unchanged.

Therefore, this was merely one of the miracles of a lucky Roleplay Addict.

“Ugh…”

Cold sweat poured down like rain. I wondered how long I endured the sensation of my teeth cracking from clenching my jaw too tightly.

flash!

Like a star shining brightest just before it falls, a blinding flash pierced my eyes before slowly fading away.

“Hah, haah…”

Only then was I barely able to catch my breath. It had finally succeeded.

The gamble for the final quest.

“Ah, urgh…”

The Protagonist was letting out agonizing groans. A complete stranger’s heart had been inserted in place of his original one, causing a rejection reaction.

It would probably take quite some time for him to adapt. But eventually, it would stabilize.

Because he would always have friends by his side to help him.

“Cough!”

[Bead: C-Chris! Are you okay?!]

Failing to accept the new heart was the same for me. In stark contrast to the excruciating pain, I could feel my bloodied chest healing rapidly.

It meant the Protagonist’s heart possessed an immense power.

‘…It feels like I’m holding a massive bomb in my chest.’

But staying like this would cause me to explode from the overwhelming mana. It was only because it was Chris’s body, which had withstood an S-Rank heart, that I could hold out for a few minutes.

[Time Remaining: 03 minutes 00 seconds]

Didn’t the System window floating before my eyes prove it?

That the time you could endure that power was only this long.

“I suppose I have time for a farewell.”

I let out a faint smirk and rummaged through my pocket.

A healing bandage received as a quest reward.

‘I had no choice, but I’m sorry for hurting you. With this, it should heal without a scar.’

I carefully placed it over the Protagonist’s chest.

And the moment I stepped onto the open windowsill.

“Ugh, pro… professor…?”

I heard the Protagonist’s voice, panting in agony.

His half-open eyes lacked any light. Yet, he still reached out his hand toward where he sensed my presence.

“Do… don’t go. Professor… leaving me behind…”

He surely wasn’t in his right mind to say such things.

It touched this teacher’s heart.

But this was the optimal time for the teacher character to make her exit.

The Protagonist would likely face many more trials and suffering ahead.

But he should be able to manage well on his own now.

At least there would be no one left throwing themselves at him to steal his heart.

So there was only one thing left to say.

“Michael.”

“…Professor, Professor Chris…”

“Farewell.”

This once, it would be fine to smile. Considering the ‘Chris’ roleplay, the final scene had to be a soft smile, one I had never shown before, to be truly cool.

rumble.

Just then, the sound of countless footsteps running toward this room could be heard.

Soon, the door burst open-

“What happened! …Huh? Professor Chris?”

“Ugh, the smell of blood! Michael, are you okay?!”

Familiar faces appeared.

They must have been shocked. They rushed over because the patient was suddenly in critical condition, only to find one covered in blood and the other on the verge of fleeing in the dead of night.

‘I feel ashamed for leaving behind another mess for no reason.’

Kids have it tough. But I couldn’t say it out loud. I just gazed at them for a moment-

“Class is now over. From here on, it’s your responsibility.”

With those parting words, I leaped down and vanished.

Because that was who ‘Chris’ was.

“Ah, Professor?! Where are you going, Professor?!”

The voices of those chasing me echoed from behind, but I didn’t stop.

I disappeared right into the darkness.

* * *

“Hah, haah, hah… Cough! Hack…”

I could only catch my breath after fleeing to a distance where Bedallua Academy was barely visible.

Barely a minute had passed.

However, the body that had acquired the Protagonist’s heart went on a mad Rampage, running at a speed that practically folded the ground beneath it.

Without knowing where I was or even which direction I was heading, I had made it this far on the single thought: ‘Get away from the Academy.’

I didn’t want the kids to see me like this.

[Bead: Chris…]

[Time Remaining: 00 minutes 50 seconds]