How to Steal the Protagonist's Women

"Damn it…"

In a modest office, about 15 pyeong in size, a man muttered a curse under his breath.

His name was Hans Milberg, an associate professor who had taught Suho's magic circle application class.

Last week, he had caused a major incident in front of the dean, but it had been quietly swept under the rug, allowing him to relax over the weekend.

However, on Monday, he was greeted with a notice of dismissal.

He was now in a position where he had to vacate his research lab within a month.

Among the school staff, rumours spread like wildfire within a day, and he couldn't even show his face in public.

Being fired from the Stura School was unprecedented, except for a mad professor who had caused a ruckus 50 years ago, claiming he would take over the school.

That professor had been killed by the dean's magic, so his dismissal was a special case. Hans Milberg, however, was set to become the first person to be fired while still alive.

"Damn it, damn it! After all I've done for this school!"

The only thing he had done was sexually harass students during class, but he believed he had worked hard even at that.

"Damn it… If only I hadn't been fired…"

With his experience as an associate professor at the Stura Magic School, he could have been welcomed in any country.

But being fired changed everything.

Other countries were unlikely to allow him entry, fearing the repercussions of hiring someone expelled from Stura.

The only option left was to cling to the court mage of the Levin Kingdom, hoping to use her as a lifeline.

"If I use that incident as leverage, she'll have no choice but to comply."

Hans Milberg was one of the professors with a bad reputation within the school.

The rumours said he used his authority to call female students and sexually harass them.

And that was…

"She's getting married soon. If I bring up the stories of what I did to her at school, she'll have no choice but to help me."

In fact, the rumours were an understatement.

Every year, he would target a few attractive female students, using secret methods to find their weaknesses and assault them.

He kept it to one or two students a year, so it remained relatively quiet.

The victims were all commoners, and they had no choice but to comply for the sake of graduation.

One of those students later became a court mage after graduating.

Despite his actions, rumours never led to any consequences.

It was a clear example of how the inner workings of the Stura Magic School were far from clean.

***

"Speaking of which, Luna Stadtfeld…"

A student he had recently taken an interest in came to mind.

Every year, a few female students with exceptionally good looks stood out.

But most of them were from noble families, and even an associate professor knew better than to touch them.

So all he could do was humiliate them during class for his own amusement.

However, he recently stumbled upon some information about Luna.

Luna was from the Levin Royal Palace, where he was planning to seek refuge.

And her past…

"Interesting. If it's treason, it's a capital crime that wipes out an entire family, yet she's the only one alive."

Her entire family had been executed for treason, but she was the sole survivor, living a respectable life.

But the fact remained that she was a fallen noble.

She had no title, and her lands had been confiscated.

She was living as a noble with the support of other nobles, but that was about it.

A plan began to form in Hans Milberg's mind.

He believed that Luna Stadtfeld's skills weren't enough to graduate at the top of her class.

If she didn't graduate at the top, there was no way she could stay at the school.

He figured that since he would be living in the Levin Kingdom, Luna would also return there in three years.

Even if she didn't graduate at the top, she would still graduate with excellent grades and receive great treatment.

If he could assault her and secure her weakness, he might be able to control her for the rest of her life.

"Since things have come to this, I'll use Luna Stadtfeld's weakness to my advantage… Huh?"

As he was scheming, he glanced out the window and saw a woman sitting alone on a bench.

It was Luna Stadtfeld.

***

Luna had rushed out of the classroom as soon as class ended.

She couldn't stand being next to that man any longer.

After wandering aimlessly around the school, she found herself sitting alone in a deserted area.

She hadn't even eaten breakfast, but she had no appetite.

After hearing Seong Suho's words yesterday, she cried herself to sleep.

A sense of loss she had never felt before had enveloped her.

"...It was just me who liked him."

Luna recalled everything that had happened and thought about Seong Suho.

He had helped her with her magic circles, protected her from the associate professor's despicable actions, and shared secrets with her.

In all those situations, she had felt his affection and assumed he liked her.

But after hearing his words yesterday, everything crumbled.

From Luna's perspective, the idea that Sung Suho could like two women was inconceivable.

From his usual behaviour, he didn't seem like the type to chase after women.

In other words, she concluded that since he liked Professor Sonya, there was no reason for him to like her.

She had never imagined that her emotions would fluctuate so much because of one man.

After coming to this school… no, after meeting Seong Suho, everything had changed.

But now, his relationship with Professor Sonya was starting to seem suspicious.

"...But Professor Sonya is married. Wait…"

Luna revisited yesterday's events in her mind.

Seong Suho, with a melancholic expression, watching the sunset. (From Luna's perspective.)

Next to him was a box covered in intricate patterns.

She couldn't see it clearly, but it was definitely a box for cosmetics.

She recalled Seong Suho's words from yesterday.

"Professor Sonya!"

"Sigh… It's exhausting after causing a scene all night."

"Sleeping together is also work."

Work… Work…

An absurd scenario began to unfold in Luna's mind.

"Don't tell me… Professor Sonya…"

A student with the lowest grades and a professor.

A secret transaction.

Seong Suho offering his body to get her a gift.

She began to imagine that Professor Sonya had used her authority to take Suho for herself.

"No!"

Luna jumped up from the bench and shouted.

At that moment…

"Ah! Miss Luna."

"Huh?"

A few female students happened to be passing by.

They were students from her class.

***

"What are you doing here?"

"I was just thinking about something, so I wanted to be alone."

"We were just heading to lunch. Would you like to join us?"

"Uh… Sorry, I'm not feeling well today…"

"Ah… I see."

As the other students were about to walk past her, Luna turned her head and spoke to them.

"I'll definitely join you tomorrow. Thanks for inviting me."

"Oh! Sure, no problem!"

As they walked to the cafeteria, they whispered among themselves.

-"I didn't expect her to join us. I thought she didn't like being around us."

-"She's quiet, but she doesn't seem like a bad person."

-"I actually feel sorry for her because of the associate professor."

Luna, who had never cared about public opinion, had recently started paying attention to what others thought.

She had always been alone, so she never cared about how others viewed her.

But now, someone was by her side, and she didn't want to negatively affect that person, so she began to wonder how she was perceived.

She didn't want to cause any harm to the person standing by her.

As Luna watched the girls walk away, a man's voice came from behind her.

"Well, well… Isn't this Miss Luna?"

"…"

Luna didn't need to turn around to know who it was.

She bit her lip.

'Sigh… Why now of all times…'

When she turned around, it was indeed him.

The associate professor who taught the magic circle application class was standing there.

Luna cautiously greeted him, trying to gauge his mood.

"Hello."

"Hmm… What are you doing here alone?"

"…I wasn't feeling well, so I was trying to collect myself."

Luna silently prayed.

'Please, just leave. I know you won't, but please just go…'

Instead of her usual stoic expression, Luna looked at the associate professor with a gaze full of disgust, as if she were looking at a repulsive insect.

The professor's brow twitched as he spoke.

"You look quite unwell. You must really be feeling sick."

"Sorry, I just…"

"10-point deduction."

"Huh?"

Luna stared at him in shock.

It wasn't even class time, and he was deducting points in such a random place?

"Miss Luna, I heard you're a noble. Don't you have any manners?"

"…Sorry."

She clenched her teeth.

'Are all professors like this?'

Luna's admiration for Stura had already hit rock bottom due to her earlier misunderstanding about Sonya.

But the professor's words began to grate on her nerves even more.

"That guy next to you is also a problem."

"…Next to me?"

"That student with the weird name! I can't even remember it."

The only person next to her with a weird name was Seong Suho.

Although he was from a lesser-known country, even Luna had initially thought his name was unique.

The professor's next words made Luna's mind snap.

"I'm going to deduct enough points to get that guy expelled."

"…What?"

Luna thought she had misheard.

"300 points, and he's expelled. If I deduct 10 points a day, it'll take a month. You don't want that to happen to you, do you?"

"W-Why… are you… doing this to him…?"

"Don't worry. It's not like you'll be the one getting expelled."

The professor had no idea about the relationship between Luna and Seong Suho.

He was trying to use Seong Suho to show Luna his authority.

But in Luna's mind, her own point deductions no longer mattered.

All she could think was…

'You have no right to treat him like that…'

Anger began to rise in her toward the professor who was casually threatening Seong Suho.

But to the professor, Luna just looked like she was trembling in fear.

Thinking his plan was working, the professor spoke to Luna.

"If you have any complaints about the point deductions, follow me!"

"…Okay."

Luna, seething with anger, followed the professor.

***

I left the cafeteria after lunch, scratching the back of my neck.

Students were bustling around, making the place lively.

'Sigh… Am I not feeling well today? I couldn't eat much.'

[You actually ate more than usual.]

'It's meat… I mean, I didn't eat as much as usual, but I still ate a lot.'

One thing I've noticed since coming here is that Monday meals are exceptionally good.

It's probably a measure to combat the Monday blues.

After filling my stomach, worries began to creep in.

'Will Sonya be able to resolve this?'

[She's a woman with excellent judgment. I think she'll handle it well.]

'…There's a famous saying in my world.'

[What is it?]

'Uniting Europe is easier than reconciling two women.'

[….]

'It means it's really damn hard…'

And that guy couldn't even unite Europe after saying that.

Still, if Sonya takes a step back, things might be different.

As I oscillated between optimism and pessimism, I overheard some female students talking.

"What should we do… Should we say something?"

"Sigh… But if we get involved too…"

Armonia communicated through the system.

[They're students from your class.]

'Really? I don't recognize them. I guess everyone has their own worries. I should head to the classroom and catch some sleep.'

I headed to the classroom to get as much sleep as possible. 

***

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