The World After the Bad Ending - Chapter 11

When I opened my eyes, I saw a familiar ceiling.

I could smell the faint scent of disinfectant.

It was the medical room at Zeryon Academy.

‘Did Poara bring me here?’

It seems they found me unconscious after I entered, having seen the steel disappear.

I paid them back plenty for bringing me.

I should thank them properly later.

I immediately tried to sit up.

At that moment, I felt a slight pain in my body.

Considering I used a high healing potion.

The wounds were fully healed, but my body still remembered the pain.

Moreover, healing potions come with a cost.

Healing potions forcibly draw out the body’s remaining healing power.

As a result, extreme fatigue was spreading throughout my body.

‘Still, there were results.’

I gained Skin of Steel.

With this, I can somehow manage to get through the mock battle.

Clatter-

At that moment, the medical room door opened.

I thought maybe the nurse had come, so I peeked out my head.

But there was someone unexpected standing there.

“Nikita, senpai?”

“Huh? Oh, you’re awake, junior.”

For some reason, she was holding a sandwich.

When my gaze landed on the sandwich, Nikita gave a brief smile.

“There’s been a lot of work. I haven’t had dinner yet. I thought we could eat together when you woke up.”

She must be paying me back for buying her lunch earlier.

Anyway, she didn’t like being in debt, very typical of her.

A gentle laugh escaped me.

“A sandwich again, just like lunch.”

“Hm, but unlike lunch, it’s a tuna and chicken sandwich.”

“Thanks for the meal.”

Who could resist chicken?

Nikita approached and pulled up a chair beside me.

Then, she unwrapped the chicken sandwich and handed it to me.

… Was it Tianshan chicken?

“Thank you.”

“I should be the one thanking you. I’m truly grateful for what you did in the Great Forest of Spirits. And I was really surprised because of it.”

She must’ve been startled to see the person she sent return unconscious.

And to be fair, I did act like I could handle it easily.

Her reaction was understandable.

I felt a little guilty.

If something had gone wrong with me, it would’ve put Nikita in a difficult position as the one who assigned me the task.

“Mystery.”

When that word left Nikita’s mouth, my body flinched.

So she found out, after all.

“If I had known there was something like that, I wouldn’t have sent you.”

Mysteries can sometimes be helpful beings, but they’re mostly dangerous.

In the Great Forest of Spirits, there’s a higher entity, the Spirit Lord, so everyone thought there was no way a mystery could enter.

The absence of the Spirit Lord is something even the spirits won’t tell spirit mages.

As a result, even the Spirit Studies sub-teacher couldn’t conclude that the steelification of the Great Forest of Spirits was caused by a mystery.

‘Though, it wouldn’t have taken long for them to figure it out.’

If the presence of a mystery had been known, I wouldn’t have been sent in the first place.

“By any chance, has the rumor…”

“It hasn’t spread. It’s been made out that Poara was the one who solved this, not you.”

Thank goodness.

It’s not time for me to come to the surface yet.

I should only reveal myself during the upcoming mock battle.

‘I need to make my opponents as complacent as possible.’

The students I’ll face have spent the last half-year crossing the Demonic Palace and training.

On the other hand, I’m only as skilled as Vikarmern, who exits in Act 2.

To improve my chances, I need to fully capitalize on my advantages.

A transfer student who suddenly joined in the second year.

A small, unique frame.

And provocative words as soon as I transferred.

No matter who my opponent is, they’ll think I’m just an arrogant kid.

That’s why I want to hide my full strength until the mock battle.

Suddenly, I glanced at Nikita.

She was staring at me silently, her eyes curiously fixed on mine.

…I’ve been had.

“Sorry, junior. The student council hasn’t made any announcements about this incident yet. The other students don’t even know it’s been resolved.”

Clever Nikita.

She completely tricked me.

My mistake was not thinking clearly after waking up from being unconscious.

From my reaction just now, Nikita realized that I had some hidden intentions.

I was worried about how she might interpret it.

“Junior, I believe everyone has their own reasons and goals.”

Nikita continued, unwrapping the paper around her tuna sandwich.

“So if you want, like I said earlier, we can say it was Poara who solved this. You just helped.”

“…Thank you.”

I answered awkwardly.

Then, feeling somewhat embarrassed, I lifted the chicken sandwich.

As I took a bite, I noticed my hand trembling.

It was a sign my body hadn’t fully recovered yet.

Because of that, some of the sandwich’s filling spilled onto the blanket.

Nikita casually picked up the pieces with her hand and smiled kindly at me.

“Still, next time, I’d appreciate a heads-up. I won’t object outright.”

Was this really Tianshan chicken?

“Though honestly, even if we did announce that you were the one who resolved the mystery issue, it’s likely the rumor would get buried anyway.”

“Pardon?”

Did something happen?

As far as I knew, there weren’t any incidents that could break out at this time.

If it were related to the main story, it would be a big problem.

“Apparently, Poara has made a contract with a new Spirit Lord in the Great Forest of Spirits.”

“…What?”

What kind of nonsense is this?

“Of course, it’s more of a temporary contract, just borrowing its power, but it’s caused quite the stir at the academy.”

My mind went blank.

Poara, making a contract with a Spirit Lord?

This is something that’s never happened in the main storyline.

‘Originally, Lucas received a blessing as a token of gratitude from the Spirit Lord.’

But even Lucas, the protagonist, could only reach the level of a high-ranking spirit, even if he chose the spirit mage route.

And now, Poara, who was nothing more than a minor character, has made a contract with a Spirit Lord?

I couldn’t believe it.

‘…No, wait. Come to think of it, Poara’s sensitivity to spirits was higher than that of other spirit users.’

In contrast, Lucas only had a little spirit sensitivity.

He wasn’t loved by the spirits to any great extent.

‘Could it be that if I had taken a companion with high spirit sensitivity when dealing with the Empress of Steel, they could have made a contract with the Spirit Lord?’

I don’t know.

The Empress of Steel event is strictly for Lucas’ power-up.

Originally, Lucas enters the Great Forest of Spirits alone after hearing a sorrowful voice from somewhere.

‘Poara made a contract with the Spirit Lord.’

When I defeated the Empress of Steel, there wasn’t a single spirit in sight.

They had all gone to Poara.

It makes sense that the academy would be in an uproar.

The issue is that this will have a significant impact on the main storyline.

As a contractor of the Spirit Lord, Poara’s influence is bound to grow immensely.

‘If Poara decides to boycott the student council now…’

Who knows how many students will rise up.

‘Could they even handle that?’

I never imagined that bringing Poara along would cause such a mess.

Suddenly, I felt the onset of chronic headaches and stress-induced gastritis.

‘This is my responsibility.’

I’ll just have to deal with it somehow.

“…I’ve heard that Poara is aiming for the student council.”

“Hmm, yes. Poara’s older brother was once the president of the Zeryon Academy student council.”

Nikita gave a slightly bitter smile, as if feeling a bit sorry for Poara.

“I guess since her brother was so accomplished, he feels he has to follow in his footsteps.”

So that’s the story behind Poara.

“But now he’s become a proud sibling herself, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”

He’s become the contractor of the Spirit Lord.

There’s no way that could be a problem.

The problem is on my side, as I’m the one who has to guide the main story.

“…Do you think Poara will continue to aim for the student council?”

Perhaps because of my serious expression, Nikita tilted her head.

“That seemed unchanged.”

I made up my mind.

I will bring Poara into the student council by any means necessary.

He’s a contractor of the Spirit Lord, after all.

It’s better to have him under my supervision.

That way, I can prevent unexpected variables from arising.

“Thank you for letting me know.”

I finished swallowing the rest of the sandwich.

I’ve gained Skin of Steel, and now there’s the new variable of a Spirit Lord contractor.

“But junior, I actually came to talk about something more important than this.”

Nikita cleared her throat.

Then she straightened her posture, sitting up properly.

She suddenly appeared a little taller.

It seemed she was trying to make herself look dignified, though with her appearance, it only made her look adorable.

“Are you about to confess to me?”

“Unfortunately, junior, I’ve never felt romantic feelings for anyone.”

“I respect and love you, Nikita-senpai.”

“Your respect and love are a bit too much, junior.”

Was that a confession followed by immediate rejection?

“And I’m sorry, but I prefer tall people as my ideal type.”

This was the first time I’d heard that.

Though, as Hanon, I’m only a little taller than Nikita.

It was just a joke to lighten the mood, so I straightened my posture as well.

“The student council, as well as the Department of Spirit Studies, are deeply grateful for what you did this time. Even though you don’t want to reveal that you resolved the issue yourself, at least I know.”

Nikita said this while looking at my face, then lifted the corners of her mouth into a gentle smile.

“You’ve worked hard. I just wanted to say thank you.”

“Thank you, I’ve received your gratitude.”

“And about your interest in joining the student council, after careful consideration, we reached a conclusion today.”

Nikita handed me a badge.

It was a badge signifying membership in the student council.

“With the authority of the vice president, I formally recognize Airei as a member of the student council.”

I never expected to be accepted so quickly because of this incident.

Slightly surprised, I accepted the student council badge from her.

The badge, which depicted both a sword and a book, was very fitting for the Zeryon Academy student council.

It symbolized that members of the student council were expected to excel both academically and physically.

Skin of Steel and now student council membership.

The Great Forest of Spirits event had showered me with rewards.

I clutched the badge tightly.

For some reason, this felt like the first achievement I had earned with my own strength since arriving in this game world.

“I’ll do my best going forward.”

“Hehehe, I’m looking forward to it. There’s a lot of work in the student council, so now that we have a great addition, I’m going to make sure to use you well.”

“Please don’t push me too hard, as long as it doesn’t affect my studies.”

“Being a student council member comes with extra points, so you don’t have to worry too much about that.”

That was one of the reasons I had chosen to join the student council.

Thanks to the extra points, I wouldn’t fail even if I had to neglect my studies a bit due to other circumstances.

“Well then, get some rest.”

Having finished her sandwich, Nikita stood up.

I saw her off, then started tidying up my bedding.

My body had mostly recovered, and the sun was setting.

It was about time for me to head back to the dormitory.

Creak—

At that moment, the door to the infirmary opened.

I thought maybe Nikita had forgotten something and turned my head, but what I saw surprised me even more than Nikita.

“…Hello.”

Long black hair, a face carved like a sculpture.

Her skin was unnaturally pale, and her eyes were a deep red, as if adorned with rubies.

Her appearance reminded me of an elegant long-haired breed of cat.

She was known as the final villainess.

The one who devoured princes and princesses, eventually rising to second in line for the imperial throne.

The 3rd Princess, Iris Hyserion.

She had appeared in the infirmary.