The World After the Bad Ending - Chapter 49

Rumors spread quickly.

It only took half a day for everyone to find out that I had gone to the School of Magic Studies and caused a ruckus.

Even among the martial arts students, no one regarded me as sane.

I never had a great reputation in the School of Martial Arts Studies to begin with.

Some students, who didn’t want to risk souring their relationship with the magic students, took this chance to openly badmouth me.

Until now, only the martial arts students were trash-talking me, which was disappointing.

But now that even the magic students were joining in, they seemed delighted.

“Wow, you really outdid yourself this time. Why’d you do something like that?”

Seron, having heard about it from somewhere, looked at me with curious eyes.

“Do you have some kind of hormone that makes you crave getting cursed at by others?”

“Exactly. I’m even thinking about what I can do to get you to curse at me right now.”

“Don’t worry. Even if you don’t try, I’m happy to insult you anytime.”

Seron snorted. Always consistent, that one.

“So, what actually happened?”

Seron propped her chin on her hand and looked at me.

“I know you’re a weirdo, but you’re not the type to act without a reason.”

Surprisingly, Seron seemed to think well of me.

“Judging by how you behave around Isabel, though, it doesn’t look like you have much reason.”

“Oh, come on, I’m not that bSharind. I can see what’s going on.”

“Is that so?”

Seron lunged at me as if ready to kill, but realizing I wasn’t about to explain myself, she muttered begrudgingly.

“Fine, don’t tell me if you don’t want to. I was just asking since you went off to confess and came back like that.”

“Confess, my ass.”

Even now, just thinking about Dorara’s face made me want to punch him.

Time passed, and before I knew it, the school day was over. I got up from my seat.

I decided to return to the dormitory to balance training and studying while preparing for the next chapter.

“You.”

At that moment, I ran straight into Isabel.

“I heard you stirred up trouble in the School of Magic Studies again.”

Isabel stared at me intently.

Since I’d made quite a scene, I shrugged.

“I just put those magic kids in their place.”

“For Sharin, right?”

Had she figured it out?

Feigning ignorance, I put on a confused expression, but Isabel sighed.

“Rumors about Sharin were spreading, weren’t they?”

It seemed Isabel had heard about the gossip surrounding Sharin.

“So, I was going to step in myself…”

Isabel looked at me silently. Judging by her expression, it seemed I had acted before she could.

“Thanks to you, those rumors died down.”

“Must’ve been a coincidence.”

Isabel’s gaze felt sharp.

There was a hint of hesitation in her demeanor.

Isabel had changed a lot recently, likely due to everything that had happened.

As I waited to hear what she’d say next, Isabel spoke again.

“…You know, I’ve been wondering about something for a while. Back when you insulted Lucas…”

The conversation suddenly veered in an unexpected direction.

My chest tightened for a moment.

She didn’t finish her sentence, biting her lip instead.

“Never mind, forget it. It’s nothing.”

With that, Isabel turned and walked away.

Could it be that after seeing Sharin’s situation, Isabel is starting to look at herself more objectively?

That wouldn’t be a good development.

Isabel has changed a lot recently, but there’s still an air of instability about her.

‘I hope she doesn’t start digging herself into a hole again.’

She’s a main heroine who always keeps me worried in various ways.

But for now, there’s nothing I can do about it.

I’ll give her some time and keep an eye on her consistently.

After finishing my conversation with Isabel, I resumed my walk back to the dormitory.

Swish, swish—

Before I knew it, I was flailing mid-air.

Frozen in place while suspended, I slowly turned my head.

Between the buildings, where shadows pooled, hair shimmering like a galaxy caught the light.

A girl stood there, staring at me with drowsy eyes.

The problem was that the look in those eyes was far from kind.

It’s finally come to this.

“Hanon, do you have something to say?”

“I’ve never done anything in my life that I’m ashamed of.”

“Sure, if you say so.”

My body began to rise even higher into the air.

I felt like a balloon.

“I’m sorry. I acted impulsively out of anger.”

As I quickly apologized, Sharin lowered me back to the ground.

I thought I was about to become one with the stars.

Relieved, I watched as Sharin stepped out from the alleyway.

“Why did you do it?”

She asked for an explanation.

Sharin is smart.

She probably had a rough idea why I’d acted out.

Still, she asked again for confirmation.

If I tried to hide the truth from her, the person directly involved, it would only upset her more.

That wouldn’t be considerate.

“Like I said earlier, half of it was because I was angry, and the other half was because I didn’t want a valuable ally of mine to be in a tough spot.”

I laid it out honestly.

Sharin stared at me, as though trying to dig deeper into my thoughts.

But I had nothing to hide.

“You chose to get cursed at in my place out of those feelings?”

Her eyebrows furrowed into an exaggerated arch, clearly upset.

It was the first time I’d seen Sharin this angry.

“As you know, I’ve been a target of insults in the School of Martial Arts Studies for ages. Adding the School of Magic Studies to the mix won’t make much of a difference.”

“How can that not be a problem? From now on, Hanon, you won’t even be able to talk to the magic students.”

Sharin pressed me about future team-related issues.

In the Demonic Palace, teamwork is crucial.

Without good relations with long-range damage dealers, we’d be dead in the water.

“It’s fine. You’ll be there, Sharin.”

She blinked.

“…Who said I’d team up with you?”

“Oh no, this is bad. I took it for granted you’d be on my team and acted accordingly.”

“Your acting is terrible.”

Was it that obvious?

I grinned ear to ear.

“If getting cursed out by the entire School of Magic Studies earns me the trust of its top student, isn’t that a fair trade?”

Without a doubt, I can say this.

No one in the School of Magic comes close to being as powerful as Sharin.

Sharin’s lips parted slightly, as though she had much to say, but she soon let out a long sigh.

“I knew you were reckless, but I didn’t think it was this bad.”

“Keep that in mind for the future.”

We’ll be seeing each other a lot.

“To be honest, even after hearing all that, I still don’t understand why you went that far. You’re such a busybody.”

Sharin is the type to take care of her own problems.

Even if she were ostracized in the School of Magic Studies, she’d just find it mildly annoying.

She didn’t put much weight on the act of being ostracized itself.

To someone like Sharin, my actions probably seemed like an overly risky move.

“Still, thank you.”

Even so, Sharin expressed her gratitude.

“I don’t like seeing my mom being insulted either.”

Sharin closed her eyes briefly, as if lost in memories.

She’s sharp and has an excellent memory.

Even though she always acts as if she forgets things quickly,

Her sharp mind remembers everything in vivid detail,

Even the painful memories she’d rather forget.

She doesn’t forget a single thing.

That’s why I intervened.

Because a girl with such a sharp memory would never forget the experience of being gossiped about and ostracized.

She didn’t need any more memories like that.

“Hanon, can I ask you one thing?”

Sharin posed a question.

The glow of the setting sun illuminated her face, giving her a somewhat lonely expression.

“What is it?”

“Your name.”

Through her starry eyes, ‘Mirinae’, Sharin knows that I use the Veil Bandages to hide my identity.

“Can’t you tell me your real name?”

Even so, until now, Sharin had never asked me for my real name.

Sharin and I occupied a vague space that was neither quite friendship nor entirely professional.

Our connection was centered around Isabel, more of a transactional relationship.

But now, she asked for my name.

I didn’t know what shift had occurred in her heart, but for the first time, she seemed curious about who I really was.

“No.”

So my answer was immediate.

The name Vikarmern still couldn’t be revealed.

Sharin stared at me in disbelief, as if she hadn’t expected me to refuse.

“After we graduate from the academy.”

Instead, I set a condition.

“I’ll tell you then.”

In a world where the bad ending has passed,

When that world comes, I’ll have no reason to hide my identity any longer.

Sharin looked at me for a moment, then turned away without saying more.

“Do as you please.”

Was she a bit upset?

For her to reveal her emotions like this probably meant we’d grown quite close.

I smiled faintly.

As she walked away through the sunset, Sharin didn’t seem quite as lonely today.

* * *

Time passed little by little, and before long, midsummer arrived.

With everyone fanning themselves and wearing lighter clothing, the time to face the next dungeon battle was just around the corner.

“Everyone’s completely drained just because it’s summer,”

Professor Beganon, who was conducting the usual morning lecture, remarked as she looked at the weary students.

As she said, the students were clearly exhausted.

Even though cooling magic kept the classroom comfortable, living in the sweltering heat outside left its mark.

“Just hold out until the palace battle. After that, you’ll get a short break.”

Once the summer palace battle concludes, students are granted about 10 days of vacation.

What they do with that time is entirely up to them.

However, her words of encouragement didn’t seem to lift the students’ spirits much.

Clicking her tongue, Beganon set the book she was holding aside.

“I was going to save this for later since I figured you’d all have trouble focusing, but tonight, there’s going to be a barbecue party outdoors.”

In an instant, the students’ eyes lit up.

There’s no time of year when kids enjoy food more than this.

Especially for the martial arts students, who are always physically active, food is an essential delight.

Cheers erupted from the students at the mention of a barbecue.

Since the student council had already helped prepare for the event, I knew about it in advance.

“So, focus on your lessons. It’ll be good for both your body and mind,”

Professor Beganon said before resuming her lecture.

The students, however, could hardly wait for the barbecue party.

“It’s over!”

“Barbecue time!”

Finally, as the afternoon lessons came to an end, the students burst into loud cheers.

They all eagerly rushed toward the barbecue venue.

As this barbecue party was held separately for each department, a lot of students from the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd years gathered

“I’m heading to help the student council.”

“What? Then who am I supposed to eat with?”

When I mentioned that I was going to fulfill my student council duties, Seron let out a wail.

Seron rarely interacted with anyone from our martial arts class besides me.

Leaving her alone did seem a bit pitiful.

“Then come help the student council.”

“Ugh, I’d rather not.”

My sympathy evaporated instantly.

Just then, I spotted a familiar face passing by.

“Van.”

When I called out his name, Van turned to me with his usual unhurried demeanor.

“What is it?”

“Could you take Seron along? I need to go to the student council.”

Van glanced at Seron.

Perhaps because Seron hadn’t been socializing much with anyone else lately, he looked hesitant and nervously prodded my back.

“W-Why, Thunder Sweet Potato?!”

“If you go with Van, Isabel will probably be there too. She’ll accept you, right?”

“Well, yeah, that’s true.”

After a moment of hesitation, Seron seemed to decide that it was better than eating alone, and she agreed to tag along with Van.

Sending off Seron, who still looked a bit uneasy, I headed straight to the student council’s gathering spot.

The martial arts department’s student council consisted of a total of five members.

Two third-years, two second-years, and one first-year.

Although Nikita spent most of her time stationed in the student council, the other members also diligently checked in and contributed regularly.

“Hanon.”

When I arrived, Hamel, a fellow second-year in the martial arts department’s student council, greeted me.

We weren’t particularly close, nor were we distant—just neutral acquaintances.

Among the martial arts students, Hamel was one of the most neutral individuals, which allowed us to get along without any issues.

“Wow, Senior Hanon is here!”

Standing next to him was a cheerful boy who greeted me warmly.

The first-year’s yellow name tag stood out against his blue hair.

As soon as he saw me, his face lit up with a wide grin.

This smiling boy was Midra Penin, a fellow member of the martial arts department’s student council and the second-ranked first-year in the martial arts department.

I hadn’t interacted with him much, but for some reason, he always seemed unusually friendly toward me.

“I heard about what you did in the magic department recently! You gave those mages a real scare, didn’t you?”

“Don’t speak dismissively about the magic department students. It’ll cause trouble when you’re forming teams later.”

“Got it, I’ll keep that in mind!”

Given that Midra wasn’t a significant character in the Blazing Butterfly arc, I couldn’t quite figure out what was going on in his head.

“Where are the third-year seniors?”

“They’re over there helping the teaching assistants.”

When Hamel pointed, I saw the two third-year seniors chatting with the assistants.

One of them was Nikita, the vice president.

“Nikita, senior.”

As I approached and called her name, she turned toward me.

When Nikita looked at me, she smiled softly.

“You’re here, junior.”

I froze.

That smile was different from before.

It was unmistakably broken—something about it felt off.

Her eyes no longer focused on me.

Instead, there was a strange, oppressive aura emanating from her, accompanied by an icy chill that felt unsettling.

Then, I realized.

‘An elder dragon.’

She had finally tampered with that.

【 Act 3, Scene 6 】

【 ‘The Dragon Girl of Calamity’ has begun. 】