The World After the Bad Ending - Chapter 8

As I told Card, I have some business to attend to.

The business was none other than with the student council.

Before I knew it, I had passed the martial arts building hallway and arrived at the central bridge.

Then, I walked straight toward the main building.

‘I won’t be late.’

The main building, where the professors and the student council were gathered.

I looked around as I stepped inside.

Perhaps because it was lunchtime, the main building was quite empty.

The professors must be having lunch too.

‘Where’s the student council room?’

It’s this way.

I got my bearings and walked straight down the hallway, soon spotting the student council room.

Knock knock-

I knocked twice.

“Come in.”

Hearing the voice from inside, I pushed the door open.

What met my gaze were emerald eyes.

Her identity was the Dragon Girl of Calamity.

Nikita Cynthia.

Today, she was still radiating her graceful appearance.

“Junior?”

Perhaps she hadn’t expected me to find the student council room so quickly.

Nikita blinked, her eyes wide with surprise.

In front of her were documents and pens.

Seeing her processing student council matters even during lunch reminded me again that she was a master of hard work.

Nikita tilted her head.

“Junior, we haven’t started recruiting additional student council members yet. Isn’t it a bit early for you to be here?”

“Well, if Senpai Nikita is working here, I have to go wherever that is.”

I casually flattered her.

Perhaps it was because I had showered her with excessive praise just yesterday.

She swallowed her embarrassment and cleared her throat.

“Junior, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but there are a lot of things about the student council’s work that you’re not supposed to see until you’re officially recruited.”

That’s understandable.

With so many noble students involved, the position of student representative held far more power than expected.

Therefore, there were a lot of important matters the student council handled delicately.

“Oh, it’s fine. I didn’t come today to help with the student council’s work anyway.”

“Then?”

“I’m here to propose something to the student council.”

Nikita tilted her head again.

“Recently, in the northern region’s Great Dragon Mountain Range, within the Great Forest of Spirits, trees have started turning into hard iron, right?”

“That’s right. The Spirit Mages have been making a huge fuss over it.”

The trees in the Great Forest of Spirits are all precious, imbued with spirits.

When those trees suddenly turn to iron, the spirits within vanish, causing great losses for the Spirit Mages.

This was already well-known among the students.

So it wasn’t strange that I knew about it.

“I’ll solve that issue, so could you grant me permission to enter the Great Forest of Spirits?”

“You, junior?”

Only Spirit Mages are allowed into the Great Forest of Spirits, and anyone entering without permission faces disciplinary action.

However, if it’s for the student council, they could enter under the guise of investigating the issue.

But this only made Nikita more curious.

“Well, I’d love it if you could solve the problem, but…”

Is there really a need for me to step in and solve this?

“I have a personal reason. I’m also preparing for the mock battle.”

“Are you thinking of making a contract with a spirit or something?”

“It’s something like that.”

Nikita tapped the pen in her hand lightly against the desk.

The problem in the Great Forest of Spirits had been giving her a headache as well.

The biggest reason was the absence of the professor of Spirit Studies in the Special Division.

The professor who originally managed the forest was injured while helping a student form a contract with a high-level spirit, due to the spirit running wild.

As a result, the professor was currently recuperating.

So, there was no one available to handle the issue.

A Spirit Studies associate professor with just one year of teaching experience was trying to resolve the situation, but it seemed they weren’t having much success, given that the problem still wasn’t solved.

This issue in the Great Forest of Spirits was also a source of trouble for the student council.

While solving it would definitely be a great help, Nikita barely knew anything about me, so she likely felt uneasy about it.

“If it’s too much to ask…”

“Oh, let me say upfront, I’m not particularly suspicious of you.”

Nikita quickly corrected my thoughts.

“You’re offering to take care of student council business. Interpreting that negatively would be going too far.”

She smiled lightly, encouraging me.

Is she an angel?

The hurt I had from the disdainful looks I’d faced earlier today started to melt away.

“…May I, right now, express my respect by reciting praises for Senpai Nikita?”

“That- that won’t be necessary.”

Nikita hurriedly stopped me from speaking.

What a shame.

I was about to bombard her with compliments again.

Looking slightly dazed, she covered her forehead, which was visible through her hair.

“What concerns me is the safety issue. The Great Forest of Spirits doesn’t like outsiders. You might be in danger.”

“That’s true.”

I didn’t deny it.

Spirits really despise humans who have low spirit sensitivity.

And Vikarmern, the body I’m in, isn’t exactly on good terms with spirits.

Spirits especially hate mages who go against the natural order.

Even though Vikarmern is a member of the Magic Division, his presence will be immediately sensed by the sensitive spirits due to the magical energy engraved in his body.

“Then let’s do this.”

Nikita proposed a new idea.

“There’s a spirit mage among the student council members. I’ll introduce you to them, and the two of you can go and resolve the issue together.”

The student council’s support?

That was something I warmly welcomed.

“Thank you, Senpai.”

I bowed my head deeply.

Nikita smiled and waved her hand.

“I should be the one thanking you for helping.”

Despite her dignified appearance, perhaps due to the barrage of compliments I gave her yesterday, Nikita was smiling a lot more than usual.

Indeed, people look their best when they smile.

“Oh, by the way, I haven’t had lunch yet.”

I rummaged through the bag slung over my shoulder and pulled out the sandwich I’d brought.

“How about we have lunch together? I brought enough to share.”

Nikita’s eyes landed on the sandwich.

She hadn’t eaten yet, as she had been too busy handling urgent matters to go to the dining hall.

She often ate late lunches, and when in a hurry, she skipped them altogether.

Judging by the fact that there was nothing in the student council room today, she was probably planning to skip lunch again.

Despite sending the president and other student council members off to eat.

She stared at the sandwich in my hand for a moment, then glanced at her pen.

“If you’re busy, that’s okay. The sandwich won’t get cold.”

After hearing my words, she set her pen down and stood up from her seat.

It seemed my earnest plea as her cute junior had worked.

“How about we have some tea together? What do you think?”

“That sounds perfect.”

Tea personally prepared by the vice president—what a rare treat.

I should savor it.

And so, I had lunch with Nikita.

In the middle of it, I complimented her, just because I wanted to.

Even though Nikita was embarrassed, I went ahead and did it anyway.

* * *

North, Great Dragon Mountain Range.

I arrived at the entrance to the Great Forest of Spirits and checked the time.

‘According to Nikita, this should be the right time.’

The incident of the trees in the Great Forest of Spirits turning into hard iron.

To resolve this, Nikita assigned a spirit mage from the student council to accompany me.

Come to think of it…

‘Was there a spirit mage in the student council?’

I’ve repeated this situation several times, so I’m quite familiar with the student council’s composition.

The presence of a spirit mage in the council seemed odd to me.

‘Well, the situation has changed.’

With the most important character, Lucas, dead, anything could happen at this point.

It’s my responsibility to prepare for it.

Clatter, clatter!

Just then, I heard the sound of hurried footsteps.

It seemed like the student council member Nikita had sent had arrived.

The moment I looked up to see who it was, what caught my eye was a boy with short brown hair and large glasses.

“Ah, ah, I-I’m sorry! I’m late!”

Though not as much as me, he was quite small in stature.

As soon as he saw me, he immediately bowed his head.

I glanced at the name tag on his chest.

A yellow name tag.

He was a first-year.

My name tag was blue, indicating I was a second-year.

Third-years wore red name tags.

‘I didn’t expect this kid to be part of the student council.’

My curious gaze shifted back to the boy.

And for good reason—I knew about this guy.

In the second semester of the second year, there was a boycott against the student council that began in Act 4, Scene 1.

This event occurs after Nikita becomes the Dragon Girl of Calamity in Act 3.

Nikita, who caused chaos by using the power of the dragon, is eventually killed by the protagonist, Lucas.

With the death of Nikita, who was the vice president, the entire student council is thrown into turmoil.

During this time, a large number of students, dissatisfied with the power of the student council, join the boycott.

‘Though, the truth is that the final villainess, the Third Princess Iris Hyserion, orchestrated it as a means to monopolize the student council.’

In her third year, Iris ascends to the position of student council president and aims to fully seize control of the council.

Behind the scenes, she incites the students to rebel.

Unaware of this, the students boycotted the student council, claiming that Nikita had disgraced its name.

And one of the central figures of that boycott was the first-year spirit mage representative, Poara Silin.

The same awkward-looking boy now standing in front of me.

‘He’s in the student council?’

Naturally, in all the countless playthroughs, Poara had never been a member of the student council.

Eventually, the boycotting students escalated the situation.

As a result, they occupied the student council room and even staged a violent protest.

When Lucas intervened to stop them and broke Poara’s glasses, Poara said this:

「The student council, which ignores the voices of students, must disappear! I’ll erase it from this world!」

That scene, where he delivered that line full of hatred, is still vivid in my memory.

At that time, he despised the student council.

“U-uh, s-senpai, is something wrong?”

Perhaps because I was staring at him too intently, Poara shrank back.

Though I transferred recently, I am still his senior.

Such scrutiny would naturally make him uncomfortable.

“It just seemed like your glasses were a bit crooked.”

“Oh, I must have run too quickly!”

Poara hurriedly adjusted his glasses.

Even after fixing them, he still gave off an awkward vibe.

“Poara Silin, right?”

“Y-Yes, that’s right, senpai!”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Hanon Airei. I’m in charge of investigating the Great Forest of Spirits this time.”

“Nice to meet you!”

Poara responded energetically.

His face was filled with brightness, a stark contrast to the gloom I remembered.

That made him feel even more out of place.

“Poara, you don’t hate the student council, do you? Is there anything about it that bothers you?”

“Huh? Oh, no, not at all! In fact, I’ve always admired the student council at Zeryon Academy!”

Poara was surprised by my question and quickly responded.

“Even though I’m just a temporary member right now, I can’t tell you how happy I am to be part of the student council!”

“Temporary member?”

“Oh, because of a past incident, there was an open spot in the student council. So, even though I’m a first-year, I somehow became a temporary member. Hehe.”

A past incident.

It was clearly Lucas’s incident.

‘There was a student council member in Lucas’s party.’

Lucas’s entire party was wiped out.

As a result, one of the student council members, who had been groomed since the first year, was no longer with us.

The council was already struggling with senior members graduating, and now, one of their key members was gone.

It must have been a difficult situation for the student council.

So, in a hurry, they filled the vacant position by temporarily recruiting a first-year student.

‘Now I understand why they accepted my offer to help the student council so quickly.’

The council was clearly short-staffed.

And at just the right time, Poara had been brought in as an additional member.

‘Could Poara’s eventual dark turn during the boycott have been because he didn’t get to become a full-fledged student council member?’

When someone doesn’t get the thing they desire most, they sometimes rebel and come to hate it.

Poara probably liked the student council at first.

But after the vice president tarnished the council’s reputation by becoming the Dragon Girl of Calamity, his mixed feelings must have boiled over, transforming into hatred.

‘What should I do?’

As I mentioned earlier, Poara plays a major role in the student council boycott.

His strength should also be diminished.

If he remains in the council, it could alter the course of the main story.

If Poara steps away, the storyline itself could diverge.

‘Though, with Lucas dead, the story has already been twisted beyond recognition.’

This world is what comes after the bad ending.

With the story so warped, it’s no surprise things are out of place.

The protagonist’s death had a significant impact on the world.

‘I’ll have to find a way to make him hate the student council eventually.’

If all else fails, I’ll consider having him expelled from the council.

“Well, I’ll be joining the student council soon too, so let’s work well together.”

“Got it!”

Poara replied with enthusiasm.

I hope that when he’s eventually kicked out of the council, he’ll respond with the same energy.