Lesson 34: Julius’s Trap
The chapter begins with Claudia's thoughts while under the effect of Julius’s magic:
"My head feels fuzzy. I'm feeling spaced out. I can't move my body."
Julius thanks Claudia: "Thank you for giving it back. You're a good kid." To Claudia, he has Washio's face.
Aria shouts, "Claudia...!" and Claudia thinks, "I can hear Aria's voice, but I don't understand..."
Frederick and Molly stop moving, caught in the same trance as Claudia. Aria says, "Everyone, what's the matter? Why aren't you moving?"
The snake around Claudia’s neck asks Julius, "What the hell did you do, you bastard?!"
Aria thinks, "Everyone's eyes are fixed, they're not moving. It's probably some kind of mental interference..." Then she asks Julius, "What did you do to everyone...?!"
Aria starts transforming when Julius spins his ring and immobilizes her with his magic, stopping the transformation. Julius says, "My magic isn't very effective against monsters, so I restrained them while they were in human form."
Aria asks Julius, "Why did you leave me conscious?" to which he responds while burning the report, "Hmm... Well, that's because..."
Aria lets out an exclamation, "...Wha—!" and says, "No way... The report..."
She starts to cry, and Julius catches a tear with his finger, licks it, and says, "There’s still not enough despair, huh..."
Julius then begins his villainous monologue:
"It's a sudden thing, but I absolutely love despair.
Despair is a gift.
It could be said that despair is a privilege granted only to those who possess self-awareness, the mind.
Despair at powerlessness,
Despair at loneliness,
Despair at not knowing despair.
Despair at not being able to believe in God,
Despair of finitude,
Despair of infinity,
Despair of possibility,
Despair of inevitability.
The deepest and heaviest is the despair of being unable to escape from despair—the despair of sin.
That is the sound of the Grim Reaper knocking at the door.
A person who is dead while still alive.
Eventually, it's the disease that leads to death.
I prescribe and study this.
What exactly are the minds of monster girls, and what is despair?
Don’t you find it truly fascinating?"
Julius grabs Aria's face and says, "Beautiful despair. Show me more clearly." At the same time, he grabs a small bottle with a needle attached (monster taming potion). The snake around Claudia's neck bites Julius's hand, causing him to drop the small bottle. Julius throws the snake to the ground.
Julius’s concentration weakens, and Claudia comes out of the trance. Aria looks at the small bottle and asks, "Wha... What is this...?!" Julius picks it up from the ground and, moving toward Aria, says, "It's okay. The pain will only last for a moment."
Claudia extends one of her tentacles and grabs Julius's arm. "Stay away from Aria...!" she shouts.
Julius looks at Claudia and reactivates his magic, sending her back into the trance. Claudia thinks, "Again... my head feels fuzzy, my body won't move... No! At this rate...!"
The snake, as Julius steps on it, says to Claudia, "Tako-ko (Claudia)... Run...!"
Julius approaches Claudia, placing the needle near the back of her neck. "Because you're a good kid, just stay still."
At that moment, Drako bursts through the door of the private room. Julius remarks, "Did you perhaps forget how to open the door? Dora-ko (Drako)." To which Drako responds, holding the doorknob in her hand, "Ah... I was thinking, how about we go grab some Dorakefuru (a type of food)?"
Julius looks at Drako in disbelief, lets out a small laugh, and says, "Heh, it's rare for you to invite me on a date. Kuku. Got it. I'll go get ready in the staff room."
Julius leaves, snapping his fingers and releasing those under his magic.
Frederick says, "...Huh? What am I..." and Molly groans, "My head... It feels fuzzy."
Aria turns to Drako, "Hey, Dora-ko, could it be that you..."
Drako interrupts, "I’m warning you, don’t get any more involved."
Claudia protests, "Don’t get involved...? That person framed Washio-sensei!" and then, "Don't you want to uncover that evil deed with our own hands and restore the teacher's honor?!"
Drako replies, "You keep talking about Washio, it’s so annoying. If you like him that much, don’t stay away from his side!"
Claudia, as if Drako had just said something brilliant, responds, "Indeed."
Drako says "Huh?" and Claudia declares, "I’m going to Washio-sensei’s place!" and runs off.
Frederick shouts, "Honey, wait for me!" Aria sighs, "Geez... Claudia, you..." and Drako starts laughing, "You haven’t changed at all, Tako-ko."
Drako then turns to Aria and says, "Hey, Aria... Right now, Washi-chan is in a pinch. This time, it's our turn to help."
Aria smiles. "You're right."
The chapter ends with Washio talking to Alice:
Alice: "Master, the bath is ready. I'll wash your back, so please come this way."
Washio: "No, I can take a bath by myself, you know?"
Alice: "However, it is my duty to heal both your mind and body, Master."
Alice: "In times like this, I've learned that the warmth of a human touch is the best form of healing."
Alice: "Let me convey this to you once again, but... I have reproductive functions, you see."
Alice: "If you simply say the word, 'Release,' then..."
Washio: "No, thank you!"
An insight into the chapter:
Jesus fucking Christ, what a dogshit chapter.
First, Julius is a cartoonishly evil lame-ass villain. It’s painfully obvious that the author is infatuated with him (evidence below), but his whole despair shtick is cringe as fuck. Reading his villainous monologue made me physically recoil.
Second, the resolution—Drako showing up and inviting Julius to go eat—was utterly ridiculous. The abrupt tonal shift into comedy didn’t land at all. I was going to say it doesn’t make sense for Julius to stop when he had everyone exactly where he wanted them, but I have a theory about why he did.
Third, Drako being a double agent instead of being under Julius’ control is beyond lame. And here’s my theory: Julius knows Drako isn’t actually under his control but is pretending not to know. He’s playing along to deepen her despair before delivering the final blow. I can already picture him playing with his own nipples in delight as he gloats:
"Oh? Did you really think I didn’t know? All those naughty things we did together… You thought you were fooling me, but I was merely indulging you—letting you sink deeper into your delusion of control. All so it could end in… despair."
Evidence of the author's infatuation with Julius:
This teaser was posted by the author on X before chapter 34 was released:
This panel shows Julius licking Aria's tear. As you see, the author is clearly infatuated with Julius, so you can expect him to remain in the story for a while, especially after this chapter.
