Suicide Before Defeating the Final Boss

Suicide Before Defeating the Final Boss – 46

EP.46 Bishop Lea Part 1

“Despite the numerous unfortunate incidents that occurred during the semester, classes will now resume as scheduled. Grades for the first semester will be determined based on the recent retest scores. Students are advised to…”

About a day after that event, the academy announced that it would return to its regular class schedule. They gathered the remaining students to explain the direction of the upcoming classes. Under normal circumstances, this would have been enough to somewhat restore order within the academy. However, whether it was due to the scandal caused by the newly appointed chief swordsmanship instructor or the significantly reduced number of students, the atmosphere remained tense.

‘This place is a mess.’

The entire academy felt disjointed, with both students and instructors appearing lost and directionless, unable to find their footing. The situation was so dire that it seemed a miracle the academy hadn’t shut down entirely.

As Jeong-hyeon observed the chaos, a new message suddenly appeared before his eyes.

*-*

[You have cleared the Main Quest!]

– Excellent Grades.

Current Grade: 1st Place.

*-*

‘Oh, right. I almost forgot about that.’

With so much happening recently, it had slipped his mind. He was relieved to have completed the main quest, especially since failure meant death. However, the system message began to distort, warping into a strange shape.

– Ding!

[Error – You have disrupted the predetermined fate.]

– Crackle

[Unable to proceed with the second Main Quest. The Main Quest is temporarily suspended.]

Something seemed off. Despite doing nothing, the system message that announced the suspension of the main quest vanished from sight.

‘What the…’

Now it just says what it wants and leaves. He decided to focus on the phrase ‘disrupted the predetermined fate’ that had appeared earlier.

‘This was the message that appeared when Lucia stabbed Erie’s heart with the sword.’

Since he had been thrown into this game with nothing but a trailer to go by, he couldn’t predict how the game’s story would unfold. However, one thing was clear: when Lucia killed Erie, the message about disrupting the predetermined fate had appeared. The conditions for such a message to appear seemed to be…

‘It must be something that happens when the future is completely altered from a certain point onward. In other words, it’s like a branching point in the story.’

Just like how different choices could lead to different endings.

‘…But unlike with Lucia, there’s a difference this time.’

This time, the system explicitly flagged it as an error. Reflecting on this, he started to wonder if the path he was currently on was a completely new one, something even the system hadn’t anticipated. With that thought in mind, he calmly closed his eyes.

***

While attending a class, a sense of doubt suddenly swept over him.

‘Now that I think about it, do I even need to attend classes anymore?’

The main quest that required him to achieve outstanding grades was already completed, so was there any reason for him to stick around? As he pondered this, he realized there wasn’t. He began considering whether he should stop attending classes and leave the academy altogether, but then he shook his head.

‘Leaving now would be a loss.’

Whether it was by design or coincidence, it seemed that all the people he needed to exact revenge on were gathering at the academy. This made him realize that the entire flow of the story was centered around this place.

‘So, I’ll attend just enough to avoid getting expelled…’

The rest of his time would be better spent training, gathering information, or pursuing personal activities. This seemed like the best course of action, so he decided to focus on his own training after this class. Just as he was thinking this, Miria poked his arm and spoke up.

“Big news. I heard that because the number of students has gotten so small, some classes are going to be combined with the swordsmanship and magic departments.”

“…Combined?”

“Yeah, and I heard that some of the classes will be taught directly by Esich.”

Esich, Erie’s brother. Hearing this gave him an idea, and a smile crept onto his lips.

“So, if Esich is teaching directly, that means I’ll have a chance to meet him in person, right?”

“…I guess so?”

And having a chance to meet him in person meant he could request a private conversation. He began to consider putting his plan to frame Regina into motion and asked when Esich’s class would be.

“When is Esich’s class?”

“It’s in two days, but… wait, you’re not planning to?”

Miria answered hesitantly and then asked him a question. Not understanding, he asked her what she meant by “not.”

“You’re not going to stab him with a sword, kill him, or start a riot the moment you meet him, right?”

He sighed, wondering what kind of person she thought he was, and replied shortly.

“I’ll decide after I see him.”

“……”

He glanced at Miria’s gradually stiffening expression and then decided to focus on his training for a while.

***

At a church near the academy, Bishop Lea silently looked down at a blood-stained small statue of a goddess. As if mimicking a fallen hero tumbling from a cliff, she nudged the statue off the desk with her finger and watched as it tumbled to the floor. The statue shattered weakly, pieces scattering across the ground.

Bishop Lea looked at the fragments of the bloodied statue with a detached gaze, biting her lip slowly. If things continued as they were, she knew she would have to take responsibility for everything that had happened. Holding onto her body, which was still far from fully recovered, she fell deep into thought. How could she possibly turn this situation around and clear up the hero’s “misunderstanding”?

‘The simplest way would be to place the blame on the Saintess…’

The problem was that the cunning Saintess had taken her rosary, shifting all the control to the Saintess’s hands. Thus, Lea was left in a state of indecision, unsure of what to do next. As she grappled with her dilemma, someone entered the church and called out to her.

“Bishop Lea…! Something terrible has happened!”

It was a priest who had helped her before. The priest rushed towards her, spouting words that made little sense.

“Well, there was a terror attack at the auction house… the one attended only by high-ranking nobles and their families…”

What did a terrorist attack have to do with her? The overreaction to what seemed like a trivial matter was irritating, but since the priest had saved her life before, Lea decided to tolerate it just this once. However, what the priest said next was shocking.

“And the prime suspect in the attack is you, Bishop Lea!”

“…Me?”

“Yes, yes!”

She had been resting here the entire time, so what kind of absurd nonsense was this? The situation was so ridiculous that she couldn’t understand it, staring back at the priest in disbelief. The priest, trembling, continued to speak.

“…I heard that your rosary was found at the scene of the attack… so everyone is saying you might be the suspect.”

Why was her rosary there…? That single statement made her mind go blank. No matter how hard she tried, the situation was so sudden and outrageous that she couldn’t even begin to make sense of it. Desperately trying to maintain her composure, she found herself unable to speak, standing in silence.

“So, you should flee immediately! I think the investigators will come after you soon!”

“…Investigators?”

“…Yes, investigators from the central government are coming to arrest you! So, it’s best if you flee quickly!”

Investigators… The mention of them sparked an idea in her mind. Quickly erasing the panic she had shown earlier, she calmly responded.

“It’s alright. I haven’t committed any crimes, so there’s no need for me to run.”

The priest, his face flushed with embarrassment, nodded in agreement.

“Ah… Yes, you’re right. Now that I think about it, there’s no reason for you to flee… You haven’t done anything wrong…”

“Exactly. So there’s no need to worry. The truth will come out eventually. But I do have one question. Is the auction house you mentioned a large one?”

The priest looked puzzled but nodded.

“Yes. I’ve heard it’s twice the size of this place.”

With that, she realized that everything she needed was falling into place. Struggling to keep the smile from spreading across her face, she spoke in a measured tone.

“Is that so? Then that’s good news.”

“…Good news?”

The priest looked momentarily confused by her words but then decided not to dwell on it and nodded. Seeing this, she clasped her hands together and smiled brightly.

“Now then, let’s continue to pray to the Goddess as usual.”

“Yes!”

With that final word, she seated herself in a nearby spot, closed her eyes, and began to contemplate the ‘method’ she had just conceived.

‘There’s no need to overcomplicate things. The solution to all of this has been clear from the start.’

The answer was to shift the blame for everything onto the Saintess. By doing so, all the problems weighing on her would transfer to the Saintess, effectively freeing her from the situation.

‘Of course, it won’t be easy… but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible.’

For example, she could use the Church’s authority to blind the investigators. With the ongoing war being so intense, the kingdom was more reliant on the Church than ever. The entire kingdom was tiptoeing around the Church, so it would be difficult for the investigators to put much pressure on her.

‘In such a scenario, subtly hinting that there’s another suspect—the saintess—should divert their attention.’

Of course, once they realized the Saintess’s true identity, they might turn their focus back on her.

‘But during that time, I could make contact with key figures in the kingdom and the Church, ensuring that they support me.’

If successful, the investigators would be forced to follow orders from higher up, making it impossible for them to arrest her.

‘After that, I’ll subtly suggest that the Saintess has no real value and that only she possesses the power to cause such problems.’

By pinning all the blame on the Saintess, she could potentially free herself from any suspicion. With this plan decided, she heard the back door slam open. Rising slowly, she extended her arms in a welcoming gesture toward the approaching investigators.

“Welcome. I’ve been expecting you.”