Suicide Before Defeating the Final Boss

Suicide Before Defeating the Final Boss – 103

EP.103 Preparation

Before heading to the Demon Realm, there were three key tasks to complete.

‘First, ask the former principal how to use the magic circle.’

Initially, Jeong-hyeon had intended to reach out to the former principal through Miria. However, Miria had mentioned that she hadn’t been able to establish contact.

‘With Karina’s name, though, the odds of getting through are much higher.’

While the importance of this task had diminished now that he understood the nature of the magic circle, Jeong-hyeon still lacked critical details about its usage. Reaching out to the former principal for clarification was still a prudent move.

‘If the former principal knows how to use it…’

He could potentially weaponize that knowledge to undermine either the Church or the Kingdom.

‘Second, prepare for my absence and that of my companions to avoid raising suspicion.’

While Jeong-hyeon, Lucia, and Miria could disappear without much fuss, Charlotte’s situation was far more delicate. As the first princess, her sudden absence would almost certainly cause an uproar. It was imperative to take precautions to ensure her prolonged stay in the Demon Realm wouldn’t spark suspicion or chaos.

‘Whether through her royal authority or some magical intervention…’

Jeong-hyeon concluded that discussing the matter with Miria would be the best course of action.

‘Lastly, solidify the rebel forces Karina has been nurturing.’

Among the many orders Jeong-hyeon had given Regina was one to secretly contact the scions of influential noble families and quietly establish a network of rebel forces.

‘Until recently, their numbers were too insignificant to be of any real use. But according to the latest reports…’

Their growth had been substantial, to the point where they could now be deployed as a weapon against the Kingdom.

‘Before leaving for the Demon Realm, I’ll need to provide them with significant resources to ensure they can start dealing tangible blows to the Kingdom.’

With the first two tasks delegated to Miria, Jeong-hyeon decided to focus solely on the third. He approached Miria, who lay sprawled on the couch looking utterly drained, and outlined the tasks before making his way to meet Karina.

***

Jeong-hyeon sat with crossed legs in the principal’s chair—an imposing position reserved only for the head of the academy—as Karina stood before him.

“Long time no see.”

Karina’s expression shifted through a kaleidoscope of emotions the moment she saw him.

‘Is that happiness? Anger? Resentment?’

Her face betrayed a swirl of feelings too complex to parse, and Jeong-hyeon wasn’t particularly concerned about deciphering them. Whatever Karina felt, it didn’t matter to him.

‘After all, she’s nothing more than a disposable pawn.’

He decided to use her without hesitation and got straight to the point.

“Let’s skip the pleasantries—we’re not here for small talk.”

The bluntness of his words made Karina’s expression shift again. Her lips trembled as if she wanted to retort, but eventually, she nodded and replied.

“… Understood.”

Jeong-hyeon chuckled lightly at Karina’s reaction and smoothly returned to the main topic.

“I have a favor to ask. Regina has already gathered heirs of influential noble families into a rebel faction, but…”

He trailed off mid-sentence, a spark of amusement flashing through his mind.

‘Wait. There’s a better way than forming a rebellion.’

The idea came to him like a revelation: instead of binding the group together under the banner of rebellion, why not unify them through religion?

He smirked as the thought of the Demon King, currently lounging in his quarters, crossed his mind.

‘The founding principles of this cult would be something like this: A world ruled by the Demon King is far better than this starving, decrepit realm governed by the Kingdom and the Church.’

With that, he could christen it something along the lines of Demon King Cult and indoctrinate the group into becoming devout members. This method offered far greater control than merely establishing a disjointed rebel faction.

‘Unlike rebels who each think for themselves, cult members follow the leader’s will without question.’

He nodded in satisfaction. The risks were high, but Jeong-hyeon wasn’t worried. He had already planned to pin any fallout on Karina, minimizing his own exposure.

‘And even if it somehow traces back to me, what could they possibly do?’

With a carefree attitude, Jeong-hyeon outlined his plan to Karina, who, upon hearing the term Demon King Cult, pressed her fingers to her temple in visible frustration and sighed deeply.

Watching her, Jeong-hyeon found himself stifling a laugh.

‘She’s just like Miria sometimes.’

However, his amusement quickly shifted to seriousness as he snapped at her.

“So? Don’t want to do it?”

“…No, that’s not it.”

“Then do as you’re told. Don’t waste time nitpicking unless you’re eager to get tortured.”

Karina fell silent immediately, prompting another smirk from Jeong-hyeon. To him, she was no more than a disposable toy, something to break when the time was right. Her obedience only added to his twisted amusement.

“Well then, I’ll leave it to you. Work hard on setting up the cult, and make sure to submit regular reports like before.”

Just as he turned to leave the room, Karina called out, her voice uncharacteristically louder than before.

“…Wait, I have something to say.”

“Something to say?”

Jeong-hyeon raised an eyebrow and gestured for her to speak.

Karina hesitated, conflict flickering in her eyes, before finally speaking slowly.

“…If I continue carrying out your orders… will you ever forgive me someday?”

The word forgive sparked an old memory for Jeong-hyeon—a cruel statement Karina had made to him during his time as the so-called Holy Power Bomb.

‘You should be grateful that I’m making someone like you—trash—useful.’

The recollection made his grin widen. With mock sincerity, he replied, “Of course I’ll forgive you. No need to worry.”

Karina’s expression brightened at his words, and she nodded earnestly. Watching her reaction, Jeong-hyeon muttered a single word under his breath, unseen by her.

‘Idiot.’

He shook his head in silent amusement.

‘She fell for it again. Well, I suppose she can’t help it, not knowing how I operate.’

Jeong-hyeon smirked at the renewed vigor in Karina’s expression, letting out a derisive laugh as he slowly left the principal’s office.

‘I wonder if she realizes… The thought I clung to most while being dragged around by her was this: to give her the most devastating despair when she’s at her happiest.’

The resolve had not wavered; it remained as strong as ever.

‘What kind of expression will she make when she finds out forgiveness isn’t even a possibility—that I’ve only ever planned to kill her or discard her as a pawn?’

Would she cry? Be enraged? Or sink into despair?

Whatever her reaction, Jeong-hyeon felt confident he could enjoy it like a show with a bag of popcorn in hand. His grin widened.

‘This is going to be fun.’

With that satisfying thought, he decided to inflict a similar torment on Lea, trapped in her subspace pouch. Chuckling to himself, he made his way back to the dormitory.

***

When Jeong-hyeon returned, Charlotte was waiting for him. She was seated elegantly on the couch but stood as soon as he entered, addressing him with a calm demeanor.

“After talking it over with the others, we’ve decided it would be best for just you and the Demon King to go to the Demon Realm this time.”

Her statement caught Jeong-hyeon off guard. He blinked, his expression confused.

“Just the two of us? Why?”

“There are several reasons,” she began. “The first is that, like when we went to the Elven Lands, we feel like we’d just be ‘in the way.’ The second reason is that it’s safer for us to remain here than to travel to the Demon Realm.”

Jeong-hyeon closed his mouth, unable to refute her reasoning. The dangers awaiting them in the Demon Realm were entirely unknown, and perhaps it made sense to leave the others in a relatively safer location.

Still, one concern lingered in his mind.

‘But what if the Church or some other force attacks while we’re gone?’

Before he could voice it, Charlotte seemed to anticipate the issue.

“To address that, I was thinking we could use Flower of Life to animate corpses as guards.”

The Flower of Life —an item once used to create corpse golems—came to mind. They were perfect for this purpose, allowing him to animate corpses for an entire day without relying on his divine power.

‘And if I use the Flower of Life on the heroic corpses I got from the Trial Chamber…’

While it wouldn’t match the strength of his Holy Rhapsody-empowered creations, it would still be more than enough to fend off potential threats.

“And besides that,” Charlotte continued, “I can now use spirits. While they might not be able to defeat strong enemies, they’ll make sure we can escape if things go south.”

She rested her chin on her hand, speaking as though she’d already resolved the matter.

“We’ll also set up protective barriers and call in my royal guards from the capital to bolster our defenses. So, there’s no need to worry too much.”

Jeong-hyeon had to admit her preparations were thorough. With measures like these, even in the worst-case scenario, they’d likely escape unharmed.

Yet despite the logic of her arguments, an irrational worry gnawed at him, like a parent fretting over a child left by the water’s edge. He hesitated, lost in thought, until the Demon King, seated nearby, chimed in.

“She’s right. We don’t know what we’ll face in the Demon Realm, so it’s better to follow her plan.”

The Demon King’s words left Jeong-hyeon with little choice. With a sigh, he raised a white flag of agreement.

“Alright, we’ll do it your way.”

“Don’t worry too much,” the Demon King reassured him. “If anything serious happens, you can just teleport back here in an instant.”

Hearing this eased his tension somewhat. He nodded, finally convinced.

“Alright then. Sounds good.”

But just as he was about to fully relax, Charlotte sighed and added, “There’s one problem, though.”

‘Now what?’

He looked at Charlotte quizzically as she explained.

“Well… we told Hana that you’d be away for a while, and she started crying and throwing a fit. Honestly, the real challenge will be managing her while you’re gone.”

Jeong-hyeon groaned, realizing they still had one major hurdle to overcome.