The World After the Bad Ending - Chapter 173
I had successfully concluded my discussion with the First Prince.
Throughout the conversation, the First Prince’s expression remained stiff.
An unprecedented situation—a duke of a nation joining hands with the Evil God.
Moreover, Duke Cheonhae was a figure of such concentrated power that he even dared to target the Emperor of the Empire.
The repercussions of this were impossible to predict.
If one considered only the imperial throne, this development wasn’t entirely unfavorable for the First Prince.
For him, it was a crucial move to rid himself of the troublesome Duke Cheonhae.
‘However.’
Duke Cheonhae was a man with enough influence to arrange the Emperor’s marriage.
One of the powers capable of determining the fate of a nation.
Even if he was involved with the Evil God, completely severing him would not be easy.
If Duke Cheonhae were to be removed, the Empire would also suffer the consequences.
‘That’s why the Sixth Act exists.’
The Sixth Act.
A desperate rebellion instigated by Duke Robelia, backed into a corner.
That was the Sixth Act looming ahead.
Naturally, this was an extremely burdensome matter for the First Prince as well.
If a rebellion were to break out, many things within the Empire would be shaken.
The Empire couldn’t remain the strongest nation forever.
If its internal stability weakened, its national power would inevitably waver.
Thus, the key to this situation was navigating it skillfully.
‘Nawon, too many things have already changed.’
Even I was afraid, unsure where the political storm I’d been dragged into would lead.
At any rate, the First Prince would now have a headache to deal with.
It was a path he had to walk to become Emperor.
Beyond that, I couldn’t help him.
I could only hope he would handle it well.
“I’ll keep my promise regarding Iris.”
Fortunately, in exchange for informing him of this matter, he agreed to take special care of Iris.
As long as Duke Cheonhae had made a contract with the Evil God, he could never be allowed to become Emperor.
Which meant that if the truth came to light, Iris would also be ineligible for the throne.
The die had already been cast.
It was entirely possible to extract Iris as a victim in this scenario.
Of course, this required Iris’s consent and cooperation.
That part was up to her.
All I could do was hope she made the right choice.
‘Finally, it’s time to return to Jerion Academy.’
The accelerated scenario had kept me away from the academy for far too long.
By now, academy affairs must have progressed significantly.
No doubt, the Winter Palace event would soon be upon us again.
‘I wonder how the kids are doing.’
Hannon must have handled things well in my absence.
With that thought, I boarded the carriage heading back to Jerion Academy.
Of course, it wasn’t just any ordinary carriage.
“You’ve worked hard, boy.”
It was a carriage personally arranged by Duke Baekmok.
Despite her busy schedule, she had come to see me off upon hearing of my return.
“I can’t say much, but your achievements this time will be remembered in history.”
Her praise filled me with pride.
“There’s still much to do ahead.”
“Nawon, I feel guilty relying so much on a boy like you.”
Duke Baekmok’s apology was sincere.
For me, having her support was nothing but a relief.
“I’m not as young as you think, Your Grace.”
“What? Pfft—HAHAHA!”
Duke Baekmok clutched her stomach, laughing heartily.
“In all my years, I’ve rarely met children who’d say such a thing to my face. Acting all high and mighty before a slug.”
She laughed as if watching a child’s antics.
Well, even the Blue Tower Master was treated like a child in her eyes.
To her, I would always be just a kid.
“Don’t push yourself too hard. You’ve already built up a habit of overexertion.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“We’ll meet again soon regarding the Emberflame. Remember that.”
That would likely be during the winter break.
Until then, Duke Baekmok would be preparing with the First Prince to deal with Duke Cheonhae.
The carriage door closed, and the horses began to move.
Now, I was finally returning to the beloved Jerion Academy.
Unaware of what awaited me there.
---
Prestigious Jerion Academy.
I had returned to my dear home.
“Truly, Jerion Academy is where I belong.”
I’d been wandering outside for far too long.
Opening the carriage door, I stepped out and took a deep breath.
The familiar scent of the academy filled my lungs, refreshing me.
It was just past lunchtime.
Since I hadn’t eaten yet, I decided to grab a meal.
As I walked, I spotted a group of students in the distance.
The moment they saw me, their expressions stiffened, and they immediately scattered.
I blinked.
Why were they running away from me all of a sudden?
Given my past actions, it wasn’t entirely incomprehensible, but it was still odd.
Then it hit me—I’d been away for a while.
And Hannon had been impersonating me in my absence.
‘Don’t tell me…’
A bad feeling began to creep in.
As I neared the cafeteria, I rushed inside.
The moment the students inside made eye contact with me, they all flinched and avoided me.
This was bewildering.
No matter what, I’d never been avoided to this extent before.
I was starting to panic.
I needed to find someone I knew.
Just as I was about to leave the cafeteria, I spotted a familiar blue-haired woman in the distance.
The moment I saw her, I called out.
“Aisha!”
“Ah, Senior?”
Aisha Bizbel, the Greatsword Iron Maiden.
Hearing my voice, she turned to me with a startled expression.
But the moment our eyes met, she stiffened awkwardly.
‘Huh?’
Seeing her reaction, my face froze.
A chilling premonition ran through me.
I never imagined Aisha, my training partner, would react to me like this.
“…Aisha, did I do something wrong while I was gone?”
“Huh? Oh, um—long time no see. I heard you left to meet Duke Baekmok the other day.”
The real Hannon had used meeting Duke Baekmok as an excuse to leave the academy again.
And now I had returned.
Aisha’s awkward demeanor remained.
That bastard, Hannon.
Did he take revenge by tarnishing my name while I was gone?
“Aisha, if you’re acting like this, I must have done something seriously wrong. Tell me. What did I do?”
In the end, this was the seed I sowed by trusting Hannon too much.
I should’ve known this would happen the moment I lent him my name.
Whatever it was, I’d accept it humbly.
Desperate, I pressed her for an answer.
Aisha hesitated, then looked down slightly before replying.
“No, it’s just… I thought you no longer wanted to train with me.”
Aisha’s expression was like that of a dejected puppy.
I blinked.
‘Ah, right.’
I’d completely forgotten to leave instructions regarding our morning training sessions.
Now, the picture was becoming clear.
The real Hannon must have endured one session with Aisha before fleeing in terror afterward.
Even if Hannon was capable, Aisha’s hellish training wasn’t something just anyone could handle.
Only someone with innate stamina like mine could barely keep up.
For Hannon, it must have been a disaster.
After running away, he never participated in training again.
For Aisha, who thought we’d continue as training partners, this must have been a huge shock.
No wonder she was acting so awkward now.
“Sorry, Aisha. I had some things to take care of.”
I couldn’t explain the details, but I still felt guilty toward her.
She had always trusted me and trained diligently by my side.
And I’d ended up letting her down.
“Starting tomorrow, I’ll be back for morning training. Let’s make up for lost time—extra hard.”
“R-Really?”
Aisha’s face instantly brightened.
Her gloom had stemmed solely from the fact that we couldn’t train together.
“Of course.”
As I reassured her, Aisha regained her usual cheerfulness.
“Training alone was so lonely. I’m really glad.”
It seemed she couldn’t live without me now.
All those mornings of hard training together had paid off.
“Ah, by the way, Senior, do you remember asking me to investigate Midra?”
It was a rare instance of Aisha showing initiative.
With how busy I’d been, I’d completely forgotten.
Midra Penin, the second-ranked combat student in our year.
A guy with many suspicious aspects.
“Of course I remember. I was waiting for you to tell me, Aisha.”
But I was shameless.
“Yes. After investigating, I found some oddities in Midra’s personal background.”
Aisha seemed to have looked into Midra more thoroughly than I expected.
She rarely showed enthusiasm, so she must have wanted to try detective work.
Ah, Aisha was so endearingly earnest.
Seeing her work hard on this assignment warmed my heart, like watching a diligent younger sister.
“So, what was strange?”
“The Penin Baronet family has no children.”
Huh?
But her next words made my expression shift.
The Penin Baronet family.
A noble house with little mention during the Emberflame Butterfly arc.
Yet, the Penin Baronet family had no heirs?
“To be precise, the baronet family itself disappeared long ago. It’s more like a name without substance.”
The deeper I dug, the more suspicious he became.
‘Maybe I should’ve asked Duke Baekmok.’
But she was swamped with work.
I couldn’t trouble her with this.
‘There’s one person.’
Someone who’d know about this sort of thing.
‘Card.’
I’d have to ask that guy.
“Thanks. This helps.”
“If you have any more tasks for me, just let me know anytime.”
Aisha puffed up proudly.
Detective Aisha’s investigations would never stop.
“You’re back.”
Just then, a familiar voice reached me.
Isabel, who had returned to the academy a day before me, stood there.
When our eyes met, she smiled naturally.
Like a wife welcoming her husband home from a long trip.
“You’ve worked hard. Been busy? Have you eaten?”
Her tone matched the image perfectly.
“Not yet.”
“Good timing. I packed some sandwiches for you, knowing you’d arrive around now.”
Isabel handed me a sandwich.
What was this comfort?
The sandwich carried an inexplicable warmth and ease.
Staring blankly at it, I quickly snapped out of it.
“Isabel, there’s something I want to ask.”
“What is it?”
“Did you hear about anything I did while I was gone?”
Aisha had few connections and wasn’t privy to rumors.
But Isabel might have heard something.
At my question, Isabel averted her eyes slightly.
I blinked.
“Isabel?”
“…For your own sake, maybe it’s better not to know.”
My hand grabbed her wrist.
“Tell me.”
Isabel fell silent for a moment.
Then, with a pitying look, she spoke.
And what she said made me doubt my ears.
“You confessed to Professor Veganorn.”
…What the hell.