The World After the Bad Ending - Chapter 194
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EP.194: Declaration of the Main Wife War
Demon King’s Castle Assault Team
This team was, in fact, composed of familiar faces we’d often seen before.
Starting with Team Iris, it was an alliance between Team Hannon (without Hannon) and Team Isabel.
In essence, this was Jerion Academy’s strongest force, assembled to breach the Demon King’s Castle.
The assault team’s goal was to break through in the shortest possible time to investigate the abnormality in the castle.
To that end, we leveraged the experience from Isabel’s and my past rescue mission.
We’d smash through up to the 7th floor with our full strength.
From the 8th floor onward, we’d inevitably split into five teams due to the nature of the challenge—but all of them were from the Golden Flame generation.
With this lineup, we were certain to shatter world records.
“Sharin.”
“You’re here.”
Just then, the sorcery department arrived as well.
Sharin was accompanied by Dorara, the department’s second-ranked student—who was also part of the assault team this time.
The moment Sharin locked eyes with Isabel, she immediately turned her head away.
A clear declaration that she wasn’t ready to reconcile yet.
“Lin, we need to talk.”
Sharin’s eyes widened in surprise—she hadn’t expected Isabel to be the one to step forward first.
“We’re heading into the Demon King’s Castle soon. I can’t drag the others into our mess.”
“……”
Sharin fell silent at Isabel’s words.
She didn’t outright reject them, either.
Instead, her dissatisfaction lingered visibly.
Dorara, sensing Sharin’s displeasure, subtly stepped back—a quick judgment call to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.
“Hania.”
When I called her, Hania nodded.
“There’s still time before we head in. Go settle things first.”
Taking the hint, Hania tactfully cleared the area, giving Isabel and Sharin space to talk.
“You too—go ahead.”
Then, I was told to leave as well.
Since I was partly responsible for their rift, I’d probably just be in the way.
I couldn’t argue with that, so I nodded and turned away.
“Seron, stay with me for a bit?”
Seron, who had been about to leave, was suddenly called back.
She glanced at me, then exhaled with exaggerated reluctance like a death-row prisoner before relenting.
“Fine.”
She turned and stood near the duo.
I lingered just long enough to catch Isabel’s sharp glare urging me to leave.
Isabel will handle it.
As I walked away, Hania—who had already ushered the others ahead—shot me a glance and muttered under her breath:
“Looks like the lion got chased off by the lioness.”
“That lioness has no filter.”
“Be grateful you weren’t eaten alive.”
Gnashing her teeth playfully, Hania wiggled her fingers like claws—her way of easing the tension.
“Scary. I should bring the lioness back into the pride.”
“Guess the lion’s destined to be devoured after all.”
While exchanging pointless banter with Hania, I stole a glance at the trio.
Everything will be fine, right?
I hoped they’d reconcile well.
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While Vikarmen and the others cleared the area…
Finally, Sharin’s sealed lips parted.
“Bel… Do you only reconcile when other people push you into it?”
This issue was personal—between Sharin and Isabel.
The idea of reconciling solely because others might be inconvenienced irritated Sharin.
But Isabel shook her head.
“Lin, I know what you dislike about me. I’ll admit—I’m easily swayed by others.”
Isabel was a sunflower.
Just as I’d once described Lucas as the sun, Isabel had been deeply influenced by him.
Much of her kindness likely stemmed from Lucas’ impact.
But it also meant she constantly read others’ moods.
The trauma of losing her brother in childhood.
The severance of bonds by death.
That experience had left an indelible mark on Isabel.
She feared relationships crumbling—whether physically or emotionally.
Her people-pleasing nature came from this fear alone.
Her kindness was a shield—proof she clung to connections at all costs.
Even if it meant sacrificing her own desires.
Sharin pitied her for it.
Isabel was someone who suppressed herself to accommodate others.
No wonder her interior was rotting unseen.
But after Lucas’ death, she began to change.
The second severance through loss—just after her brother.
No matter how much others comforted her, Isabel never recovered.
Back then, Sharin tried everything to help.
Yet Isabel shut her out.
She loosened her grip on every bond.
If they’ll all disappear anyway…
I shouldn’t have formed any from the start.
That was how she slowly withered away.
To Sharin, it was unbearable.
The door to Isabel’s heart was bolted shut.
And so Sharin realized:
I can’t save her.
I can only watch as my friend dies.
To Sharin, Isabel was irreplaceable.
The day her mother died of syphilis, and she followed her father to the Blue Magic Tower…
Magic was all she had left.
Sharin was hollow.
She learned magic just to survive.
Her mother’s violence and abuse.
Magic, honed to endure that hell.
Now, with no reason to die, her studies became passive.
She did it because she had to.
Nothing left an impression on her.
Until one day, a visiting girl changed everything.
Isabel Luna.
A girl her own age.
“Hi! You’re so pretty. Wanna be friends?”
“Magic? You’re a mage?”
“Wow, magic is beautiful! It sparkles!”
Isabel was Sharin’s polar opposite.
Bright, cheerful—as if untouched by pain.
(Though grief for her brother lurked beneath, Sharin didn’t see it then.)
The pure joy on Isabel’s face whenever Sharin cast magic.
She was warmth to Sharin’s void.
“Lin!”
Before she knew it, Sharin studied harder—just to see that smile.
“Bel.”
To Sharin, Isabel was her most precious friend.
A salvation to someone who’d nearly lost all interest in life.
Yet she could do nothing as that friend wasted away.
That horror haunted Sharin too.
Then one day, something reignited Isabel.
Not blame or comfort for herself—but an insult toward Lucas.
That reaction was so her.
Isabel responded more fiercely to slander against her friend than to pity for herself.
The one who’d insulted Lucas…
At first, Sharin didn’t care—as long as it saved Isabel.
So she allied with Vikarmen, disguised as Hannon.
Sharin, who’d never sought connections, stepped forward herself.
But the more entangled she became with him, the more at ease she felt.
Vikarmen was endlessly fascinating.
A troublemaker, yet unshakably resilient.
With him, any problem felt solvable.
Isabel must’ve felt the same.
Two severed bonds.
The anxiety they spawned.
Vikarmen was someone who could mend that.
Perhaps because of him…
Bit by bit—
So gradually—Isabel changed.
The day Isabel fought with her martial arts friends and fled to the ramparts…
Sharin was stunned.
She’d never seen Isabel express herself so honestly.
It meant she was transforming from within.
No longer stifling herself to appease others—
But living authentically, voicing her feelings.
Isabel was learning how.
Watching her precious friend rise again…
To Sharin, that was salvation.
Maybe she’d superimposed Isabel’s decline onto her mother’s death from syphilis.
Despite the abuse, her mother was still her mother.
As Isabel revived, Sharin’s hollow heart filled—slowly.
It was also when her feelings for Vikarmen deepened.
He’d saved not just Isabel, but Sharin too.
So Sharin assumed Isabel would keep evolving.
Until Isabel fell for Vikarmen.
Isabel hid her feelings from Sharin.
She’d fallen for someone her friend loved.
That resurrected Isabel’s worst habit—one that had been fading.
She hesitated. She couldn’t be honest.
The Isabel who’d been reclaiming agency regressed.
And it was Sharin’s fault.
Sharin couldn’t accept it.
If Isabel wanted to pursue Vikarmen, she should’ve been bold.
So Sharin deliberately flaunted her affection for him in front of Isabel.
Isabel pushed back.
That’s why her emotions kept slipping out.
You can’t hide the sun with your hands.
So Isabel’s restrained feelings kept spilling over.
Yet she never confessed to Sharin first.
They shared a room—she’d had countless chances.
But Isabel never spoke up.
That disappointment festered silently.
Until Christmas Day—when everything exploded.
Isabel couldn’t be fully honest in front of Sharin.
She showed her feelings but held back because of Sharin.
That hesitation infuriated Sharin.
As mentioned, Sharin was possessive.
Vikarmen was a big part of that—but so was Isabel.
Because Isabel was also her precious friend.
She hated seeing Isabel regress because of her.
So if Isabel suggested reconciling just to appease others—Sharin would’ve raged harder.
It’d mean hiding her will again.
But Isabel denied that.
“I’m a coward. My hands are small—I’m always afraid of losing what I hold.”
That’s why she couldn’t tell Sharin.
Afraid of being hated for loving her friend’s crush.
Afraid of being hated for her broken self.
These fears made her defensive in relationships.
“But this time… what I’m holding is too big. It keeps spilling out—like how you can’t hide the sun with your hands.”
Isabel exhaled, as if ashamed.
The emotions she’d unintentionally shown due to Sharin’s provocations—
They’d surfaced because they’d grown too vast to contain.
She couldn’t hide this anymore.
She knew what Sharin disliked about her.
And she knew that dislike came from Sharin cherishing her.
Just as Isabel was precious to Sharin, Sharin was precious to Isabel.
So now—it was time to act as her friend wished.
Isabel lifted her head and met Sharin’s eyes.
The starlight in them gazed back, aching.
Isabel felt both sorry and grateful.
“I… really like him. Probably more than you think.”
Finally, Isabel laid her heart bare.
Sharin’s eyes widened.
“So I won’t give up just because you’re here. I’ll make him mine.”
Isabel declared it boldly.
The bright smile on her lips was utterly refreshing.
The shell that had encased Isabel—
A crack split through it, the sound of shattering echoing loud.
Isabel was no longer the girl of the past.
She was someone who could be honest now.
Someone who knew her honesty wouldn’t break what mattered.
And the one who changed her—
Vikarmen Niflheim.
That fact irked Sharin endlessly—yet it was part of why she loved him.
Still, she couldn’t help but sulk.
I’ll show him what shadowboxing’s really about later.
Sharin quietly vowed.
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Key Notes on Translation Approach:
1. Cultural Nuances: Adapted metaphors (e.g., "sunflower" for loyalty) while preserving intent.
2. Tone Consistency: Maintained Sharin’s sharpness and Isabel’s vulnerability.
3. Pacing: Kept the introspective flow of backstories intact.
4. Formatting: Strictly adhered to line breaks and symbols as per the original.
Let me know if you'd like any refinements!