The World After the Bad Ending - Chapter 181
I quickly carried the collapsed Seron to the infirmary.
And what the nurse told me was utterly absurd.
“Oh my, Seron, you’re here again?”
Again.
Those words meant Seron had already visited the infirmary multiple times before.
The nurse, as if accustomed to it, treated Seron’s hands and laid her down.
Then, after using holy magic, Seron’s complexion improved noticeably.
“Teacher, what do you mean ‘again’?”
When I voiced my confusion, the nurse let out a sigh.
“This is already the seventh time Seron has come here like this.”
Not once or twice—seven times.
Among the students of Jerion Academy, there are many passionate individuals.
So it’s not uncommon for some to be brought here after overly intense training.
But seven times makes it uncommon.
My gaze shifted to Seron.
At first, I thought she might have been bullied by the other kids.
After all, Seron has a personality that easily invites conflict.
Our little red weasel has a knack for picking fights left and right.
But the atmosphere suggested bullying was far from the case.
Rather, it seemed Seron had politely asked others to spar with her.
Seron let out ragged breaths, panting.
What in the world is she pushing herself like this for?
Seron has always been fiercely competitive.
But not to the point of collapsing from sheer determination.
“Ugh… uhh…”
As I pondered, Seron slowly opened her eyes.
Soon, her gaze met mine, and her eyes widened in shock.
“Wha—Prince Sweet Potato?!”
A baffled reaction escaped her lips.
“Why are you here?”
“I was the one who carried you here. Don’t you remember?”
“Uh… uh.”
Seems like her memory of it was hazy.
Seron’s face turned bright red as she buried herself under the blanket.
“Th-Thanks! I’m fine now! You can go!”
She squirmed under the covers.
“So, why were you training so hard?”
The blanket rustled.
She must’ve realized it wasn’t something she could hide.
But she still didn’t seem willing to come out.
“You’ve already collapsed seven times. If you keep pushing yourself like this, what’ll you do if something worse happens?”
“……You’re one to talk.”
…Fair point.
Given how often I overexert myself, I’m in no position to lecture others.
“And it’s not like I meant to end up like this during training.”
“Anyone can see it’s overwork. Training like that won’t—”
“I know!”
Seron suddenly shouted.
Her voice was muffled under the blanket as she muttered,
“I know that already…”
I silently watched her.
I could tell she hadn’t meant to yell—it just slipped out.
“Then what’s the reason?”
There had to be something else driving her this far.
When I asked, Seron fell silent for a moment.
“……Because I’m weak.”
I blinked.
Then, I caught a glimpse of her forehead peeking out from the blanket, flushed red.
“I’m too weak!”
Weak.
Hearing that, I finally understood why she had been training so relentlessly.
“……I’m too weak to stand by Prince Sweet Potato’s side.”
So it’s because of me.
Was it because love had faded?
Oddly, my objectivity seemed to fail me in moments like these.
“Prince Sweet Potato keeps getting involved in dangerous situations, and I can’t even keep up.
During the Autumn Magical Palace incident, I could barely follow along.”
Back then, Aisha had taken great care of Seron.
But in doing so, Seron had keenly felt her own inadequacy.
“I’m weak. Pathetically weak.”
Seron bit her lip.
“I want to help Prince Sweet Potato, but I’m just too weak.”
She poured out everything she’d been feeling.
Truthfully, she isn’t that weak.
Among the students of Jerion Academy, Seron ranks in the upper-middle tier.
Not long ago, she even stubbornly fought her way through the individual tournament preliminaries to reach the finals.
Her father had reportedly cried tears of pride over her achievement.
For Seron to call herself weak was almost deceitful.
But the answer became clear when I thought of whom she was comparing herself to.
Those whose names were renowned far beyond Jerion Academy.
Shining stars like Sharin, Iris, and Isabel.
She was undoubtedly measuring herself against them.
I wanted to say her comparison was flawed, but that wouldn’t be entirely fair.
Everyone dreams of reaching the pinnacle.
It’s wrong to criticize those who strive to catch up to their idols.
I, too, have experienced hitting a wall in training.
The frustration and determination that followed were beyond words.
“That’s why I’ll get stronger. Stronger than Prince Sweet Potato—so I can protect you.”
Seron’s resolve was firm.
The Autumn Magical Palace had left a deeper impact on many than expected.
If it had blossomed Sharin’s love, for Seron, it had given her a goal to strive for.
But even so, limits exist.
If she kept pushing herself to collapse like this, she would break before she improved.
I studied Seron’s face.
Now embarrassed by her own words, she burrowed even deeper into the blanket.
“Seron.”
“Huh? Y-Yeah?”
“You want to get stronger, right?”
Finally, she slowly lowered the blanket.
With more sincerity than anyone, she nodded.
“I want to get stronger.”
“Starting tomorrow, train with Aisha and me.”
“Huh?”
This was unexpected—Seron’s eyes widened.
“Training with random people won’t get you anywhere. Aisha and I are among the strongest fighters in Jerion Academy.
If you want to get stronger, you need to train with those who match that level.”
The reason I grew so strong was largely thanks to Aisha.
Training with her forged my body like nothing else could.
Even Isabel and Iris struggled to keep up with our regimen.
If Seron could adapt to it, she’d undoubtedly grow stronger too.
“You mean… the morning training you do every day?”
“Yeah.”
“But I’m terrible with mornings…”
“Do you want to die?”
Just moments ago, she’d seemed ready to face death, and now she was trying to weasel out of waking up early.
When I glared, Seron coughed awkwardly.
“F-Fine. I’ll do it.”
“Good. See you tomorrow morning.”
“Ugh…”
As I stood to leave, Seron flinched and leaned forward.
Whether unconsciously or not, her face turned tomato-red as she fidgeted with her lips and lowered her head.
“Y-You could… stay a little longer.”
Just say you want me to stay outright.
After staring at her for a moment, I sat back down.
Seron immediately scooted closer, then leaned her head against my shoulder with a thud.
Seemingly in better spirits, she giggled, swinging her short legs happily.
This girl was just collapsed a moment ago…
Unchanging as ever, that was Seron.
The next morning.
I stood at the usual training spot with Aisha.
“Aisha, Seron’s joining us today.”
“Seron senpai this time, huh.”
Given that Isabel and even Iris had joined before, Aisha’s reaction was unsurprised.
“Prince Sweet Potato!”
Soon, Seron arrived, calling out to me.
The moment Aisha and I turned our heads—
We froze.
And for good reason.
Seron had shown up fully dressed up.
Who knows how early she’d woken up to get ready, but her effort was undeniable.
After a brief pause, I covered my face.
Well… she’ll learn soon enough.
“Let’s start training.”
“Yes, let’s.”
Aisha, likely thinking the same, didn’t comment further.
Seron had no idea how intense our training was.
She probably assumed it wouldn’t be as grueling as her recent collapse-inducing sessions.
But that assumption was spectacularly wrong.
Having overcome countless hardships recently, and paired with Aisha—whose stamina was already steel-like—
Our training regimen was beyond imagination.
Even Iris had been left exhausted by its extremity.
“Aisha, no holding back, got it?”
“Of course, senpai.”
A meaningful smile passed between us.
Soon, morning training began.
And the outcome was predictable.
“Ghk—cough!”
Seron rolled pathetically on the ground.
All that effort to dress up nicely in the morning had been for nothing.
I understood she wanted to look pretty for me, but—
This was the price for underestimating our training.
“You okay?”
When I offered water to the sprawled-out Seron, she weakly shook her head.
When pushed too hard, even drinking water becomes impossible.
Seron was learning that the hard way.
“Still, you kept up better than I expected. That’s a passing grade.”
Even Iris had struggled with this routine.
The fact Seron managed it proved her efforts hadn’t been in vain.
“Y-You do this every day?!”
Seron stared at me with horrified eyes.
Finally, she realized the source of my stamina.
“And now you’ll be doing it every day too.”
Her face paled.
Now she understood what training with me truly meant.
“I-I…”
“You said you wanted to get stronger, right?”
Seron gulped.
Then, shakily, she forced herself up.
Her legs trembled violently.
But the determination in her eyes remained.
“……I will get stronger. Keep going!”
“How admirable.”
Even Aisha, watching from the side, nodded in approval.
Such spirit.
“Good. Seron, one more lap.”
Her face turned even paler, but that was fine.
Even if she collapsed, I could carry her straight to the infirmary this time.
Give it your all.
After morning training.
I carried Seron—now completely unable to walk—back to the girls’ dormitory.
At Jerion Academy, weekends were only one day long.
After today’s training, we’d have to return to classes soon.
Seron wore a dazed expression the whole way, but there was no helping it.
Strength isn’t built overnight.
If she kept this up, she would grow stronger.
Afterward, I hurried back to the boys’ dorm to wash up.
“H-Hey, Prince Non.”
There, Card greeted me with a raised hand.
Seeing him adjusting his tie, he must’ve been preparing for school.
“You’re up early for once.”
“Had a headache yesterday. Got orders from the Kingdom of Phanesis.”
At that, my gaze sharpened.
Card was a spy for Phanesis.
A spy sent to extract information from Jerion Academy.
For him to reveal his identity so openly—what did it mean?
“Card, you—”
“Yeah. It’s time for me to go back.”
Card smiled bitterly.
“Prince Non, I figured you already knew, so I came clean.”
“What happened in Phanesis?”
When I pressed, Card scratched the back of his head.
“Eh, nothing major. Just that all spies are being recalled. I submitted my withdrawal papers to the professor yesterday.”
With that, he pulled out a bag from under his bed.
“So, that’s that.”
A sudden farewell.
But Card’s expression suggested he’d always expected this day.
After a moment, I nodded.
“Take care over there.”
“Thanks for the kind words.”
“And stop chasing after women.”
“Hahaha, yeah, yeah.”
Card’s laugh carried a strange mix of relief.
“Maybe it’s finally time to really stop.”
With that, he gave a final wave and left.
To everyone else, he’d simply vanished without a trace.
Card will be fine, even back in Phanesis.
Or so I thought.
A few days later, civil war erupted in the Fantasia Kingdom of Phanesis.