The World After the Bad Ending - Chapter 159

The southern forests of the Empire.

The carriage carrying Whitewood and our group advanced through the woods, transporting the world’s returning combatants.

Whitewood’s carriage was enchanted with all sorts of magic.

As such, even in the depths of the forest, the journey was remarkably smooth.

Inside that carriage—

Aside from Whitewood, who was riding in a separate carriage, there were five other individuals inside.

And none of them were acquainted with one another.

The noble Saint, Sacred Narea of Acred.

The Mad Mage Vinesha and Aquiline’s reincarnation, Musica.

Isabelle, who had awakened the Wings of the Goddess.

Jerion’s reincarnation, Jenia Niflheim.

The only connection they shared was from their past lives.

However, Musica and Isabelle were naturally sociable by nature.

Under normal circumstances, there wouldn’t have been any issues in the carriage.

Except that today, Musica was unusually quiet.

Musica had been staring at me the entire time.

And with a rather peculiar gaze, she scanned me up and down.

Isabelle, unlike usual, sat primly beside me.

Occasionally, she would glance at Jenia, though I wasn’t sure why.

Acred was no exception.

She was the type who struggled to speak with others unless Narea was present.

So, in the silence, she stiffly maintained her saintly demeanor, clearly straining to keep up the act.

Lastly, there was one girl who couldn’t adapt to the atmosphere at all.

Jenia Niflheim.

She was dressed in full combat attire prepared by her family, her posture rigid with tension.

Her back was straight as a rod, her chin slightly raised.

She was, without a doubt, the daughter of an imperial count.

But the company she found herself in was far from ideal.

A noble Saint.

The reincarnation of the former hero, Aquiline.

The awakened Wings of the Goddess.

And me—technically Whitewood’s attendant.

No matter how highborn she was, this wasn’t a situation where she could hold her head high.

Of course, Jenia had the justification of being Jerion’s reincarnation.

But without Jerion’s memories, she was Jenia, not Jerion.

For Jenia, who had no memories or ties to her past life, this place was nothing short of a bed of nails.

‘Especially since Count Niflheim must’ve drilled all sorts of warnings into her.’

This was an escort mission with Whitewood.

No matter what, she absolutely couldn’t cause any trouble—no doubt she’d been cautioned repeatedly.

On top of that, she was the youngest here.

At this age, even a one-year difference felt significant.

The pressure must’ve been immense.

“V— H— No, Ryuji. Ryu.”

At that moment, Musica tried to call my name, correcting herself several times before finally speaking.

“What is it, Musica?”

“Have we… met somewhere before?”

We had met—many times.

But it seemed Musica was referring to my current appearance.

When Musica first saw me like this, she had reacted strangely.

「What’s with that look?」

As if she was asking if we’d met somewhere before in this form.

I tilted my head.

“No.”

The only one I’d shown this appearance to was Sharin.

In this world, no one knew me like this.

At my answer, Musica tilted her head back and forth with a strange expression.

Why was she acting like this?

“Why? Have you seen me somewhere before?”

“I don’t know. That’s why it’s so frustrating. It’s like there’s something in my memory, but also not. A weird feeling.

It’s like my soul is reacting, but I can’t even distinguish it properly. It’s kinda annoying.”

Musica’s eyes bore into me.

I had no idea what she was talking about.

More importantly, I signaled to Musica with my eyes to do something about this atmosphere.

Normally, I’d leave it to Isabelle, but today, for some reason, she was oddly reserved.

If I were a woman, maybe I could’ve taken the lead, but in a group with only the opposite sex, steering the conversation was tough.

So, I had no choice but to rely on Musica.

If anyone could navigate this awkwardness, it was her.

Musica finally accepted the unspoken request.

“Hey.”

Just as she was about to speak—

Thump!

Acred’s chest exploded.

Never in my life did I think I’d witness someone’s chest literally exploding.

The sheer weightiness, even through her clothes, was nothing short of shocking.

All eyes turned to Acred.

Acred herself seemed caught off guard, her lips slightly parted in a daze.

It appeared the string holding her chest cover had come undone.

If it were Narea, she would’ve tied it securely, but Acred had made a mistake.

“Uh, um.”

Acred’s face flushed as she felt her dignity as a Saint crumbling—

“……Acred, you’ve been hiding that all this time?”

Musica struck first.

Acred’s lips twitched.

And Musica didn’t stop there.

“Why would you hide it?! That’s such a waste!”

“A… waste?”

“Obviously! Hiding a national treasure like that is just criminal!”

Acred’s chest had just been promoted to national treasure status.

“Ah, hehe… is that so?”

And Acred, being weak to praise, took it as a compliment.

If anything, that reaction was very her.

“If I had those, I’d be like, ugh, you know? Just—wham!”

Musica was gesturing wildly, but it was too much to watch.

‘Hero of the past, please spare us your wisdom.’

‘Classic Musica.’

Maybe it was because of Aquiline’s memories.

She didn’t treat Acred any differently just because she was a Saint.

Perhaps that’s why Acred quickly warmed up to her.

People naturally open up to those who approach them without hesitation.

“Ryu, don’t you think so too?”

Then, the conversation shifted to me.

A masterful conversational move.

“Of course. Lady Acred is an outstanding individual.”

“Ah, hihihi.”

Acred, ever susceptible to flattery, giggled like a fool.

At that moment, Isabelle suddenly jabbed me in the side.

When I turned to look, she averted her gaze with an exaggerated motion.

Sweat beaded on the back of her neck.

She seemed just as confused about why she’d done that.

As I stared at her in bewilderment, my eyes landed on someone else.

Jenia was still nervously gauging the atmosphere.

Her eyes darted around, unsure where to look.

I couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for her—technically, she was my blood-related little sister.

I figured I should try to ease her tension.

“Lady Jenia, are your preparations for Jerion Academy going well? You’ll be enrolling next year, right?”

“Ah—uh, y-yes, that’s right.”

Jenia flinched at my question, answering hastily.

This was her chance to finally join the conversation.

I could feel how tightly wound she was.

A perfectionist like her would be hyper-aware of not making any mistakes.

“I hear next year’s freshman class is full of strong candidates. And you’re entering through the standard exam, not a recommendation.”

I continued casually, hoping to ease her nerves.

Jenia’s expression turned slightly awkward.

“Even if I got in through recommendation, it wouldn’t prove my abilities. I intend to earn my place through the entrance exam.”

There was a firm resolve in Jenia’s voice.

My little sister was quite admirable.

“You’re impressive, Lady Jenia.”

Isabelle, sitting beside me, nodded in agreement.

“……Lady?”

I glanced at Isabelle.

Normally, she would’ve playfully teased Jenia about being her junior, but for some reason, she was speaking formally.

Even when our eyes met, Isabelle maintained an oddly polite smile.

No idea why she was acting like this today.

I turned my attention back to Jenia, ignoring the strange behavior.

Still, it seemed my efforts to soften her perfectionism had worked.

Jenia appeared slightly more at ease than before.

“……Honestly, it still doesn’t feel real. That I’m Jerion’s reincarnation.”

Jenia remained somewhat bewildered by her identity as Jerion’s reincarnation.

“It’s fine. Everyone feels that way. If I had no memories, I’d probably react the same.”

Musica chimed in agreement.

In a way, all her talents could be dismissed as simply being the reincarnation of a hero.

A situation where she was gifted without effort.

For a reincarnator, that wasn’t exactly comforting.

So, Musica could relate.

“Um… may I ask one question?”

Finally finding her voice, Jenia hesitantly posed a question of her own.

“Of course.”

When Musica answered confidently, Jenia hesitated before speaking.

“Aside from us… who are the other heroes?”

There were more heroes beyond those present.

Naturally, Jenia would be curious.

“Hero Paragon is Prince Ergo.”

That, I could answer.

Ergo—my so-called nemesis.

He was Paragon’s reincarnation.

“Prince Ergo… I see.”

Ergo was a figure renowned even in foreign nations.

Jenia nodded in understanding.

Ergo was the most crucial figure in the kingdom.

Unless under extraordinary circumstances like Acred, kidnapping him would be nearly impossible.

So, naturally, we had settled on the next easiest target—Jenia.

“As for the hero Ordo…”

After a brief silence, I glanced at Musica.

She smiled bitterly and continued.

“He’s already been killed by Vulcan.”

The leader of the Mystics.

And Rozly’s reincarnation, Vulcan.

He had already slain and devoured Ordo’s reincarnation.

Jenia fell silent.

She must’ve realized that she, too, could’ve met the same fate.

This was precisely why I had acted swiftly.

One of the many bad endings in the Flame Butterfly arc—

Corrupted Flame.

The moment Vulcan devoured all the reincarnations and became complete, he would transform into an unstoppable monster.

With his corrupted flames, he would burn the entire world to ashes.

That was the bad ending—Corrupted Flame.

“Um, Lady Jenia… may I ask you something too?”

At that moment, Isabelle posed an additional question to Jenia.

She was still oddly formal.

“What kind of person is your brother, Vikamun?”

Was she genuinely curious, or just messing around?

I caught Isabelle glancing at me with a mischievous grin.

She knew my true identity.

So, she was probably curious about how my little sister saw me.

“Vikamun?”

In an instant, Jenia’s expression darkened, dropping all honorifics.

She made no effort to hide her displeasure at the topic.

“A fool who ruined himself with self-deprecation.”

Jenia’s tone was sharp.

Isabelle’s eyes widened as she turned to me.

Seemed she hadn’t known about my relationship with Jenia.

“He was tolerable as a child, but after I awakened my magical talent, he gave up on magic out of jealousy.

For someone so obsessed with perfectionism, he had no skill to back it up. Pathetic.”

Jenia’s disdain for Vikamun was long-standing.

Musica, who had been quietly observing, coughed awkwardly.

“S-surely he had some good qualities? Maybe he considered other paths?”

“I wouldn’t know. At some point, he started avoiding all conversations with me.

Honestly, I’m curious. What on earth was going through his head?”

Isabelle tried to interject, but Jenia’s expression remained troubled.

“……He wasn’t that bad of a person.”

Isabelle suddenly looked dejected.

“I don’t even know where he is now. Frankly, I don’t care. He threw his life away chasing after women.”

“That’s—”

Isabelle turned to me.

Instead of her earlier flustered look, she pouted, lips jutting out.

“True.”

Why are you agreeing with that?

When I stared at her, she quickly averted her gaze.

“I wish my brother had been even half as capable as Ryu.”

Somehow, I ended up being praised.

“You don’t look much older than him, yet you’re already Lord Whitewood’s attendant. I respect that.”

East Asian features often appeared younger to Western eyes.

So, even my original face must’ve seemed quite youthful.

“That’s right. Ryu is amazing.”

Isabelle chimed in again.

For some reason, she seemed even more pleased than I was.

Her mood swings today were intense.

“Lady Jenia, I’m not as young as I look.”

“Oh? My apologies. But my respect stands.”

Perhaps because I’d been encouraging her the whole way, Jenia’s opinion of me had risen without me realizing.

To earn recognition from a perfectionist like her…

I must be something special.

‘Maybe I can replace Lucas after all.’

Of course, if they found out I was Vikamun, it’d all be meaningless.

‘Getting scolded as Vikamun and praised as Ryu…’

Honestly, the insults didn’t bother me—probably because I hadn’t lived as Vikamun.

If anything, I felt guilty toward Jenia.

In the strict Niflheim household, blood ties were all one could rely on.

And Vikamun, who should’ve been that pillar for her, had turned away.

No wonder she felt abandoned.

“I want to grow up quickly. I want to become strong, even if I have to stand alone.”

A very perfectionist answer.

She’d rather have the stability of adulthood than the uncertainty of childhood.

‘Though in reality, adults aren’t much different from children.’

The older you get, the more you miss the simplicity of youth.

“……I don’t want to grow up.”

Acred muttered under her breath.

Luckily, Jenia didn’t seem to hear.

When I glanced at Acred, she straightened her posture, pretending nothing happened.

She kept crossing her arms over her chest—probably self-conscious about the exposure.

Please stop. You’re making me self-conscious now.

Clunk—

Just then, the sound of Whitewood’s carriage stopping echoed ahead.

Our carriage soon followed suit, coming to a halt.

“Musica.”

“Hehe, right. We should be arriving soon!”

Acred exhaled nervously.

Shortly after, Cardinal Centriol opened the carriage door.

Originally, this winter event should’ve been an infiltration mission.

The event where Lucas obtains the Band of the Veil from Vinesha and investigates the Mystics.

But this time, the scenario had changed drastically.

After all, I already knew everything about the Mystics.

The infiltration event was merely groundwork for the next scenario.

In the grand scheme, it had almost no impact on the main story.

Frankly, it was the only scenario that could be skipped entirely.

‘This is my compromise.’

Once this scenario concluded, I couldn’t guarantee how the world’s flow would change.

But so far, even with Lucas—the biggest variable—missing, we’d managed to push forward.

‘This time, we’ll make it work.’

Nothing in this world is impossible.

There’s only doing.

Thud—

As I stepped out of the carriage, an eerie current of air brushed against me.

The atmosphere was unsettling beyond words.

Before me stretched a vast, sheer cliff face.

The ravine yawned wide, its jagged maw evoking the depths of hell.

Below, creatures of shapes unseen in reality soared through the air.

Among them were beings mimicking the form of dragons.

Not true dragons—merely imitations.

A gust of wind howled through the canyon.

At its base raged a furious river.

Once a path carved by glaciers, time had melted the ice, leaving behind this natural chasm.

The Canyon of the Earth Dragon.

Home to one of the three Great Dragons—the Earth Dragon.

Mystic energy. The Steel Body instinctively reacted.

The sheer danger of the mystic power dwelling within the canyon was palpable.

I knew Vulcan’s goal.

And I knew who he despised most.

‘Toppling the Goddess.’

Vulcan’s true purpose—his hatred for this world.

He intended to erase the Goddess from existence.

“Boy.”

And to stop him, I had gathered the finest allies.

Clap—

Whitewood struck his fist against his palm, his eyes gleaming with ferocity.

“Do your best to keep up.”

The accelerated Fifth Act, Chapter Five.

Or rather, the newly written Fourth Act, Chapter Seven.

The Vulcan Extermination Operation.

Today, we rewrite the scenario.