Hero, Go To School! - Chapter 23

“What are you saying?”

What kind of life has he lived to be so full of distrust toward humanity? Ian’s beliefs seemed rock solid.

“Let’s just eat.”

“No.”

“I’ll eat.”

“Don’t you have any sense of responsibility? If you go down, who will guide me to my death?”

At Ian’s words, I stopped my hand holding the fork. Does he really want to die? He yearns for death more than anyone, but his actions are completely different. I shook my head as I looked at his firm, straight jawline and the sharply upturned nose.

“Someone who wants to die so badly sure is cautiously guarding everything.”

“Suicide is a sin. Even if it happens knowingly, it’s no different than ending one’s own life.”

The table was covered with excessively luxurious food for breakfast. Golden maple syrup flowed over the moist pancakes, steam rose from the freshly baked quiche, and the savory scent of crispy bacon teased the nose. The smell alone would make anyone’s appetite rise, even in the early hours of the morning.

I’m so hungry, damn it.

My stomach couldn’t bear the emptiness anymore and started to growl. Despite that, Ian ignored all the temptations and didn’t even glance at the food in front of him.

Since being possessed, he hadn’t eaten a single thing here. It was his obsession with avoiding poison. At this rate, he’d starve to death before getting poisoned.

Even though he must be much hungrier than I am, his clenched fist showed no sign of loosening. The veins on the back of his hand were bulging.

―Grrr-.

At that moment, a thunderous growl echoed from my stomach. The fork on the table trembled slightly. Ian didn’t turn his head, but I saw his eyes flicker for a moment. It was the first subtle reaction he had shown.

“I have built up resistance to a hundred kinds of poison,” he says.

Suddenly, some bragging.

“Since being conscripted as a child soldier, I’ve consumed numerous poisonous plants and injected poison into my bloodstream to build up resistance.”

I rested my chin on my hand and stared at him blankly. Ian, who had been staring straight ahead, finally turned his head and made eye contact with me.

“So, what I’m saying is, there’s no way I’ll be affected by poison here, so leave it to me.”

With a look that said he had the solution, he picked up the pancake in front of me. He brought it close to his nose and frowned as he cautiously analyzed the scent, looking ridiculous.

Then he took a bite from the top of the pancake. His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, and he handed me the remaining pancake.

“This one’s fine.”

“I’m about to cry from gratitude.”

“It’s nothing like that.”

He chuckled in response. Is this guy an idiot?

As I cut off the part he had bitten, I said, “But that body isn’t yours.”

“……”

“You wouldn’t have resistance to poison.”

Thud-.

The grape he had been holding dropped onto the plate. Normally, Ian wouldn’t flinch at a comment like this, but he froze for a moment and stared at me. Then, as if realizing what I meant, his face immediately turned pale.

“This…”

He couldn’t finish his sentence. He abruptly stood up, ran to the window, stuck his head out, and began vomiting the pancake he had just eaten.

“Oh my, Ian!”

Helith, who had been non-chalantly secretly watching our table, stood up suddenly, sensing something was wrong.

“Son, are you okay?!”

Ian hurriedly turned his body and glared at him, extending one hand threateningly.

“Don’t come any closer, you old donkey!”

His voice was filled with agitation. His deep blue eyes, usually calm, were now shaking with confusion.

“Don’t think just because you succeeded in rendering me powerless with poison that everything will go your way!”

Helith raised his hand and tried to calm his son.

“My dear honey bee, please calm down. Poison? What do you mean by that?”

“You’re just saying you no longer have to hide your disgusting nature.”

The air in the dining room froze at the unexpected father-son confrontation. Josefina, who always trusted her son’s words unconditionally, gathered all the kitchen servants in the room. She had them taste each of the dishes to check if they were really poisoned, collecting everything from the table.

To really believe Ian’s words… This is fantasy, not the other way around.

It turns out, Ian wasn’t the only crazy person in the Zenor family. I pressed my forehead and let out a deep breath.

Where does Ian’s problem even start? I felt a deep sense of dread at the thought of this violent K*ng Kong being sent to an academy where young intellectuals gather.

At that moment, Ian suddenly pulled me into a tight embrace. In an instant, my feet left the ground, and I was held by his side.