The Curse of Being Hated Has Been Lifted

6 – Unnecessary Expectations

Rumors about Logan were slowly spreading in the academy.

It was a rumor that perhaps that troublemaker wasn’t so bad.

Of course, no matter how favorably one looked at him, due to the instinctive disgust emanating strongly from his body, his reputation didn’t improve. However, the story of him not losing in a bet that even involved a magical oath was famous.

Was Logan really not a bad guy? It was certainly not a rumor that circulated naturally.

Just one of the wandering gossip.

That’s why Logan’s story didn’t spread widely.

The hot topic dominating the academy now wasn’t Logan’s bets but the Empire’s announcement that they had identified the headquarters of Stella, dubbed the worst witch.

“Do you believe that? Would the worst witch expose her location so easily?”

“They say influential figures from the Empire are all involved. They’re not all fools, and there must be information they are confident is real!”

In reality, it wasn’t just the academy’s concern. It was a story that everyone in the Empire, if not all of humanity, was focused on.

Stella, the worst witch.

It was truly hard to believe that the lair of that devil who had tormented humanity for a long time had been revealed. However, considering the current state of the Empire, there were analyses suggesting that the statement might not be false.

And it wasn’t just anyone; even the formidable Geom-sung Yoo was involved.

She, who had been searching the entire Empire for Stella, vowing to capture her since about ten years ago. If the information provided by the Empire lacked credibility, would she have participated?

“Geom-sung-nim is also participating? Then, isn’t Stella already a dead woman?”

“If the information provided by the Empire is true, then yes.”

Although Stella was called the worst witch, it didn’t mean one could easily follow Geom-sung with brute force. Geom-sung was a monster born from humanity. There was no thought that she would be defeated by someone who had been suppressing seasoned inspectors since the age of ten.

It was just a matter of whether the Empire could find Stella. Since Geom-sung’s participation was confirmed, the Empire no longer recruited people. They were arrogantly confident that once found, she would be killed for sure.

While the Empire was burning with the bait of Stella, the bet between Anna and Logan also came to an end.

To be precise, it was the ‘last chance’ that Anna offered to Logan.

Logan, of course, didn’t cause an accident.

While it wasn’t entirely peaceful, everything stayed within the limits Anna could tolerate.

“But, so what changes now? Are you going to acknowledge me or something?”

Sunday evening,

In front of the dormitory at the academy, filled with students despairing over the fact that tomorrow is Monday, Logan asked abruptly.

As Anna said, Logan didn’t cause any accidents in the past week.

Moreover, it was revealed that a considerable number of incidents he had caused so far were not actually his fault.

“…”

Anna closed her mouth.

In her mind, she knows what she should say.

Maybe she was mistaken all along.

That she will look at him differently from now on.

But Anna couldn’t easily open her mouth in the uncomfortable aura still emanating from Logan.

“I knew it. In the end, nothing really changes.”

Logan turned away casually, as if he expected that.

From his perspective, who has experienced countless betrayals, this was not something worth being hurt over.

-Ding, ding, ding

As Logan, intending to walk to the dormitory feeling the release of Mana’s oath, a powerful Mana wave began to be felt behind him.

If it’s enough for someone with almost no talent in Mana like him to feel this kind of momentum, it must be an extraordinary spell.

‘If you can’t acknowledge it, just say you can’t.’

What could be the reason for wanting to use such powerful magic?

‘If it hits, it’ll be deadly, right?’

That’s why people shouldn’t try to change themselves.

After living a little more docilely, they immediately find themselves in a life-threatening situation.

As Logan humbly closed his eyes, ready to accept death, he heard a loud noise from behind.

Fortunately for Logan, it wasn’t the sound of powerful magic created by the gathering of mana.

“I’m sorry. I’ve been thinking poorly of you all this time.”

As Logan slowly turned around, he saw Anna, who was tightly wrapped in mana.

“Logan, maybe you’re right. Maybe you haven’t changed at all.”

Just because Logan swore not to lie doesn’t mean he only speaks absolute truths.

If he genuinely believes it, then the oath of mana will deem his words as true.

But Anna thought differently.

What if Logan really hasn’t changed?

What if the only ones who have changed are the others, including themselves?

“You… are you sure about this?”

Wiiiiing.

The sound of the mana heart spinning rapidly reached Logan’s ears.

The rotation of the mana heart provided the power needed to use stronger magic, but if it moved at excessive speed, it might malfunction for a while.

“This is bad, Logan. If you don’t do it like this, you won’t even be able to do something like apologize.”

Keiiiiing!

The sound wasn’t actually audible,

But it was more realistic than real sounds.

Disgust emanated from Logan’s body, intensifying in an instant.

‘What’s happening?’

That was Anna’s last memory.

******

When Anna woke up again, she was lying in the infirmary.

“You shouldn’t have pushed yourself so hard; that’s why these things happen.”

It would have been appreciated if it was someone else’s voice expressing concern, but the problem was that the origin of that voice happened to be Logan.

“Why are you next to me?”

Logan hesitated as he faced Anna, who exuded an atmosphere saying, ‘I dislike you,’ from head to toe.

“I was next to you when you collapsed…”

“Just because you took the last chance doesn’t mean I view you favorably. So, please, could you leave?”

Seeing Anna gathering mana as if ready to cast magic even in pain, Logan couldn’t easily step away.

‘I had unwarranted expectations.’

Was it because the opponent was Anna?

Or was it because, in addition to the behavior shown over the past week, her last act of enveloping her entire body in mana and apologizing left a lasting impression?

Unexpectedly, Logan found himself expecting something.

Always betraying, engaged in futile actions.

“Fine. I’ll leave.”

Logan let out a deep sigh and turned around, heading outside.

The next day, a rumor spread around the academy.

Logan did it again.

As soon as the bet with Anna ended, he immediately made Anna a patient in the infirmary.

No one was focused on how Logan, with his meager mana and a magical talent bordering on despair, managed to defeat Anna. Rather than making rational judgments, it was much easier for everyone to just curse Logan first.

While everyone was cursing Logan and ensuring Anna’s well-being, Anna found herself entangled in complex emotions.

“Why did I suddenly get angry?”

Logan didn’t do well, but still, he went a week without causing any accidents.

But why did she treat Logan more harshly than before?

The human brain quickly extended self-justifications for such intentions.

Because Logan, despite being able to avoid accidents, was garbage for causing accidents, and it didn’t suit her to apologize to herself.

It could have been a rationalization she could accept, but there were still many uneasy aspects.

Yet, she couldn’t get close to Logan.

If she approached him first, it felt like she would be engulfed in even darker emotions than before, unlike anything she experienced in the past.

This morning, while gathering mana to playfully splash water as before, she unintentionally suppressed the mana preparing a lethal spell.

“Was I such a contradictory person?”

Thinking to the extent of considering harm to others just because things didn’t go as she wished?

No matter how much she thought about it, Anna couldn’t come to a conclusion.

For now, she decided to keep her distance from Logan, resorting to only temporary solutions.

Today, Logan was once again expelled from class as usual.

Unusually, perhaps because he had eaten yesterday, he felt strong and unsheathed his sword after a long time.

Today, without Anna and her reliable shield, the academy’s dining hall was not an option.

“Are you Logan Asrian?”

Approaching him was a woman with emerald-green hair.

“You handle the sword better than I thought.”

“It’s thanks to meeting a good teacher.”

There are truly diverse types of people in the world.

People who take interest in trivial matters usually leave when given a proper response.

“But your mana seems lacking.”

Is she picking a fight, too?

“If you’re here to pick a fight, then get lost.”

Logan could tell.

If he were to fight this woman, it would be a defeat.

Judging by her name tag, she seemed to be a year below, but Logan, who lacked mana, wasn’t a match for her well-trained body and the intense aura emanating subtly.

Nevertheless, Logan stood his ground firmly.

It was better to show off than to appear weak for no reason.

“I’m not here to pick a fight. I just became interested in you. Maybe you’re not…”

Logan’s arm, swinging the sword, stopped at the woman’s continuing words.

“I thought you might not be trash after all.”