The World After the Bad Ending - Chapter 29

Nia Cynthia.

He was regarded as a prodigy in magic from a young age.

By the time he turned 10, the number of spells Nia could wield exceeded 1,000.

This level of talent was rare even in the history of the empire.

Thanks to this, the Cynthia Marquis family was overjoyed.

Having such a brilliant successor was a natural cause for celebration.

So Nia grew up with everything, as a genius, as the successor to the Cynthia Marquis family, and as the future Lord of the Yellow Magic Tower.

His influence was so great that the balance of political power shifted depending on which royal faction he sided with.

He ascended to the highest position among promising young talents of his generation.

‘And that was the biggest mistake of his life.’

The moment Nia chose to side with the First Prince, the delicate balance between the First Prince and the Third Princess was disrupted.

Although Nia’s achievements were remarkable, they weren’t enough to overturn the imperial political sphere.

He was merely the successor, not the marquis himself, and not yet the Lord of the Magic Tower.

However, the power struggle for the throne between the First Prince and the Third Princess had been ongoing for years.

Thus, most significant political figures in the empire were already aligned with one faction or the other.

The balance in the imperial political sphere had long been delicate.

Nia was the ideal person to break this balance.

A promising figure with undeniable future value.

This quality tipped the scales.

‘That’s why the Duke of Robliajuju, Iris’s maternal grandfather, reached out to the Zeryon Academy.’

The Third Princess’s faction planned to gather promising talents and sway the throne’s decision in their favor when the time came.

In this situation, Nia, with his undeniable promise, suddenly sided with the First Prince.

For the Third Princess’s faction, it was like a bolt from the blue.

In response, they took drastic action.

They decided to eliminate Nia Cynthia.

If they couldn’t have him, they would destroy him.

That was their plan.

And now, Nia is standing in front of me.

“Oh, brother, have you changed your staff? It looks nice.”

Nikita changed the subject to defuse the situation.

As she mentioned, there was indeed a fine-looking staff attached to his belt.

“You have a sharp eye. My previous staff was broken by an acquaintance by accident, so I replaced it.”

Thankfully, Nia responded well.

Nikita quickly continued the conversation on that topic.

“Oh my, I remember your old staff being a very fine item.”

“It was, but unfortunately, the craftsman who made it was recently injured by a carriage accident. So, the new staff was made by a craftsman introduced by the one who broke it.”

Nia said this with a gentle smile.

“So, Nikita. Now explain this situation.”

The conversation returned to the original topic.

His gaze turned harsh.

To be precise, he was giving me a menacing look.

‘Nia Cynthia cherishes Nikita dearly.’

This was noted in Nia’s character description.

Until now, I hadn’t had a chance to confirm the truth of this statement.

The Blazing Butterfly arc of Slayer Academy of the Demonic Palace only deals with events occurring within Zeryon Academy.

Nia is entirely an outsider to the academy.

Whenever he was mentioned, it was always news of his death.

Maybe that’s why it felt a little strange.

This is my first time seeing that person alive.

“Uh, uh…”

Under Nia’s urging, Nikita wore a troubled expression.

Naturally, she was at a loss as to how to explain the current situation.

Nia, observing Nikita quietly, let out a long sigh.

“Nikita, I want you to have a healthy relationship with the opposite sex.”

And when Nia looked at me, his gaze was icy.

Healthy relationship with the opposite sex.

It seemed like Nia had misunderstood the situation between me and Nikita.

Then again, what he saw was indeed an odd scene.

A younger sister under the desk with a male student standing deliberately in front of her.

Putting it like that, it did sound strange.

I only teased Nikita a bit because she was cute.

I feel unfairly judged.

“Not with some random person of questionable background.”

That’s harsh.

Hanon, after all, is still of Robliajuju lineage.

‘Ah, so that’s it.’

Since Nia sided with the First Prince, it was practically the same as declaring the Duke of Robliaju as his enemy.

In this disguise, as Hanon, I have black hair and red eyes, traits of the Robliaju lineage.

Naturally, he’d realize I’m of Robliaju blood.

‘Now that I think about it.’

Does Nia know that Hanon was meant to be a card for the First Prince’s side?

Since I know little about Nia, I can’t say for sure.

“Opposite-sex relationship?! That’s a misunderstanding! There’s absolutely nothing like that between me and this junior.”

Nikita, her face pale, vehemently denied it.

She understood her position well.

Though she’s attending Zeryon Academy and free of family constraints for now, once she graduates, she’ll be tied to an arranged marriage without fail.

So, she cannot afford any rumor of a relationship.

In a marriage where purity is crucial, such a label would be damaging.

She did not want to bring shame upon her family.

“Really?”

Nia’s face brightened a bit.

“Then, I should ask this one what he thinks as well.”

Nia looked at me with cold eyes.

He, too, was as strikingly handsome as Nikita.

To some, that look might be attractive, but—I’m not interested in guys.

“Nikita-senpai is the person I respect most in the world.”

“Ugh.”

Nikita flinched, perhaps not expecting me to praise her right in front of Nia.

“She fulfills her duties diligently as vice president and is generous enough to take on others’ work. Though she sometimes hums a little tune when stressed from overwork, I think she has talent for singing as well. I respect her for that, too.”

Words about Nikita flowed out of my mouth like rapid-fire.

Nikita stared at me with a dumbfounded expression, her mouth slightly open.

Her face seemed to ask, How do you know all that?

Nia slowly furrowed his brows.

“…Anything else?”

For some reason, he seemed to be expecting more.

“Plenty. Just yesterday, she tried eating eggplant, which she normally can’t stand. Though she couldn’t quite manage it, isn’t the attempt what really matters?”

Nikita’s lips parted slightly.

“Nikita, you’ve grown so much,”

Nia looked at her with a proud expression.

I’m starting to get a sense of how to handle Nia.

“So, is there more?”

“Yes, of course. The other day, she—”

Squeak— Suddenly, I felt myself being pulled slightly downward.

I turned my head and saw Nikita glaring at me, clenching her teeth.

Her body was shaking with irritation.

If I go any further, she’s going to explode.

“…Both of you, get out.”

No, she already exploded.

“OUT!”

And with that, Nia and I were promptly kicked out of the student council room.

We both stood awkwardly in the hallway, looking at the closed door behind us.

“I’ve never seen Nikita yell like that before.”

Nia murmured thoughtfully, a mixture of emotions crossing his face.

“In the family, Nikita-senpai wouldn’t have been able to express herself like that.”

Nia glanced at me.

“I know. That’s why I sent her to Zeryon Academy.”

I hadn’t realized it.

So it was Nia’s influence that allowed Nikita to attend Zeryon Academy.

Now I understand why Nikita was so furious over Nia’s death and even sought out an ancient dragon.

Nia genuinely cared for Nikita.

Knowing this, Nikita must have suppressed her own jealousy and genuinely followed him.

“You—what’s your name?”

Nia suddenly asked for my name.

What should I do?

If Nia knows about Hanon, it could complicate things.

In my plan, news of Hanon transferring was supposed to reach the First Prince in six months.

But with Nia’s arrival, that timeline has moved up considerably.

‘Well, here goes nothing.’

“Hanon Airei.”

“Hanon, is it?”

Nia repeated the name.

“I’ll remember it.”

With that, Nia turned and walked away.

Since he didn’t react much to the name,

it seems he hasn’t heard anything about Hanon from the First Prince.

I breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Luckily, my plans don’t seem too disrupted.

‘I was hoping to ask him why he came to the academy.’

Well, I’ll find out soon enough.

‘Since we’re banned from the student council room for today,’

I might as well go back early and work on some physical training.

* * *

It’s been a week since Nia Cynthia joined as an assistant professor.

Recently, the girls have been all in a stir.

Nia has that classic ‘handsome nobleman’ look.

On top of that, his manner of speaking is incredibly gentle, and he answers students’ questions with care.

To the girls, there couldn’t be a more ideal man.

Because of this, the female students’ hearts are aflame.

Even the martial arts girls have been chattering endlessly about Nia.

“Honestly, what’s so great about someone who looks like a kept boy?”

A girl next to me muttered in disapproval, watching the others with a dissatisfied look.

With her fiery red hair flicking like a fox’s tail, she turned to me.

“Isn’t that right, Princess Sweet Potato?”

“What are you doing, coming over here and chatting next to me like it’s the most natural thing?”

Her name is Seron Parrmia.

She’s the one who teamed up with me in the Demonic Palace incident.

Maybe she thinks we’ve grown close since then.

Recently, during martial arts class, she’s been sitting next to me.

More accurately, she’s been pushed out of the girls’ group, and since she didn’t want to be alone, she ended up sitting beside me.

“And what’s with the ‘Princess Sweet Potato’ thing?”

Last time, it was ‘Burnt Sweet Potato,’ and now it’s ‘Princess Sweet Potato.’

“Well, last time Aisha carried you off in a princess hold, remember?”

I don’t remember much since I was half out of it from the explosion.

For some reason, I’m known as the madman who blew himself up to kill an apostle.

Yes, I did blow myself up, but I’d calculated there’d be no real harm.

Who would’ve guessed that my steel skin and magic engraving would sync up that way?

But to everyone else, I just looked like someone who’d launched a kamikaze attack, recklessly blowing himself up.

So now, most people keep their distance, as if they’re afraid I might explode again if they get too close.

Ah, how lonely.

“Have you finally ditched the ‘Burnt Sweet Potato’ thing?”

“…Yeah, I’m done with that.”

Seron turned her head away with a slightly annoyed expression.

If she was going to drop it, maybe she shouldn’t have started with ‘Sweet Potato’ in the first place.

Burnt or princess, it didn’t really matter.

“If you keep hanging around me like this, the girls really won’t let you back in.”

“That’s fine. I’m tired of trying to please them.”

She’s a girl herself; what on earth is she talking about?

“I think I get along better with the guys.”

She’s a girl who’s been cut off from the girls’ group and is now hanging out with the boys, saying things like that.

In the distant future, I can already see Seron’s unfortunate ending—eventually becoming everyone’s crush within the boys’ group, turning into some kind of queen bee.

What a terrible fate.

“Seron, go make up with the girls right now.”

“What? No way.”

“I’m saying this for your own good. I just don’t want you to end up as a queen bee.”

“…Did you hit your head or something? Or did the explosion empty your brain?”

She doesn’t understand my sincerity.

“Hey, Hanon, let’s go get lunch.”

While I was bickering with Seron, a familiar voice chimed in.

Just as Seron lunged forward in response to my teasing, I pushed her forehead back and looked up to see Card.

Same laid-back look as always.

Looks like he just finished his magic class and came over here.

Recently, Seron, Card, and I have often been eating lunch together.

It’s become a familiar routine now.

Among the other students, we’re apparently known as the Troublemaker Trio, but I didn’t mind.

My reputation couldn’t really sink any lower anyway.

“Card, what do you think of Assistant Professor Nia Cynthia?”

I asked as we walked out with Seron, and Card shrugged.

“I feel a sense of rivalry.”

“Forget the nonsense. Do you know why he came as an assistant professor?”

Card’s in the magic studies program; he must have heard something.

“Oh, it’s actually a pretty interesting reason.”

I knew he’d have some info.

“What is it?”

Leaning closer to share the secret, Card spoke in a hushed tone.

“He came to test out a magic that makes you younger.”

And so, an unexpected reason came to light.