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A dramatic escape from the Otherworld.

I let out a sigh of relief, grateful to have barely made it back alive.

‘Lucas.’

Feeling the lingering burden in my heart, I gazed at the closed gate of the Otherworld.

It’s not time to stand before him proudly yet.

That can wait until after I have fully protected this world.

As I buried those thoughts deep inside, I felt a gentle touch on my cheek.

It was Sharin, tilting her head at me.

“Honey, why do you look like that?”

“I just… It doesn’t feel real that I made it back alive.”

“Want me to make it feel real?”

With those words, Sharin lifted her hand and pinched my cheek.

She then gave a lazy smile.

“How about now?”

“It hurts.”

“I saved you.”

Why is she acting so smug?

As I set Sharin down and turned my head, I saw that everyone looked just as exhausted as I was.

But Act 4, Scene 5 was not over yet.

My eyes landed on Vinesha and Grantoni.

Neither of them had spoken much.

It was still uncertain what had happened to Musika.

‘Judging by the atmosphere, things seem to have worked out, but…’

I had no way of knowing for sure.

“Vinesha.”

At that moment, Grantoni called out to Vinesha.

She stood still, locking eyes with him.

After a brief pause, Vinesha slowly nodded.

Then, she clenched the pendant tightly.

A soft light began to seep out from it.

A warm and gentle light.

As that light filled her completely,

the purple hue of Vinesha’s eyes changed—

glowing blue, like the vast sky.

I could sense that something about her had completely shifted.

Everyone held their breath, waiting for what would happen next.

And then, Vinesha slowly opened her mouth and raised both arms.

“Ughhhhhh—!”

…She stretched.

Then, placing both hands on her waist, she smiled brightly.

“Grantoni, you look like you've aged a lot.”

Before I knew it, Grantoni had rushed forward.

He pulled Vinesha into a tight embrace, suppressing the sobs rising in his chest.

Musika, who had been taken by Abomination,

had now possessed Vinesha’s body.

Musika wrapped her arms around Grantoni’s back and patted him gently.

“Grantoni, was it really that hard being alone without me?”

Musika teased, but Grantoni could only hold back his tears.

But he wasn’t the only one crying.

Tears streamed down Vinesha’s cheeks as well.

She was crying because Musika had safely returned.

A faint silhouette appeared beside them.

And soon, the figure pulled all three of them into an embrace.

Beyond the sky, light began to break through.

The dawn had ended, and the sun was rising.

A new sun was rising—

a bright light that untangled the tragic fates of the four who had suffered under Abomination.

“Hanon Irey.”

Beside me, Eve approached.

Like me, she was in a complete mess.

She sighed once before raising her arm and tapping me.

“You owe me.”

Eve had helped me immensely this time.

So, I was more than willing to acknowledge my debt.

“But I won’t keep tabs on it.”

That was unexpected.

“That over there is enough.”

Eve, with a faint smile, was looking at the four of them.

She really was the perfect fit for an epilogue protagonist—such a romantic.

“Eve, if you smile like that, even the kids won’t be afraid of you anymore.”

Eve flinched.

It still hurt her that children ran away when they saw her.

“And while we’re at it, there’s one more person who needs your help.”

“You’re so shameless.”

Without shamelessness, I’d be nothing.

“Anyone but you.”

And just like that, I was excluded from receiving her help.

What a relief.

“That’s fine. I can manage perfectly well on my own.”

As I smirked, Eve gave me an annoyed look.

“You, of all people, should not be saying that.”

She still saw me as a walking disaster.

With that, she said she was going to rest and left first.

But even as she left, she told me to let her know who needed her help next.

In the end, she really was someone who helped others without asking for anything in return.

‘I should get some rest too.’

Act 4, Scene 5 had ended safely.

The problem was, Act 4, Scene 4 hadn’t even happened yet.

And the bigger issue?

School starts soon.

“Grantoni, Vinesha, you both need to head to school and work. Time to go.”

“Haha, right.”

As I called them, Grantoni was the first to react.

“You’re the one who helped me get her back the most.”

At that moment, Musika—still in Vinesha’s body—spoke up.

“Thank you. Because of you, my sister, Grantoni, and I are all safe.”

She smiled confidently.

Hearing her say that, I found myself smiling too.

Because that’s exactly what I had worked so hard for.

This was the most valuable reward for my efforts.

“There’s something I want to talk to you about.”

I had a vague idea of what it was.

And it would likely have a significant impact on the next scenario.

“Let’s talk after the academy ends tomorrow, together with Vinesha.”

With that, she returned Vinesha’s body to her.

Vinesha’s eyes shifted back to their original purple hue.

It seemed I’d be having another conversation with Musika tomorrow.

“Honey—”

At that moment, I heard Sharin's voice next to me.

She was sitting on the ground, stretching her arms toward me.

"Carry me on your back."

She spoke with an utterly exhausted face.

She had adapted to magic in the Otherworld and faced the monstrous existence directly.

Even for Sharin, she had consumed too much mana.

It was only natural that she was exhausted.

But the problem was, Sharin wasn’t the only one here.

With a sense of unease, my eyes turned to Vinesha.

She merely blinked, saying nothing.

Normally, her overwhelming attachment issues would have erupted, making it seem like she was ready to kill Sharin on the spot.

But now, I felt none of those emotions from her.

She just seemed indifferent, reacting with a casual "whatever" attitude.

Eventually, as if realizing this herself, she let out a small,

"Ah."

Her face showed a moment of deep thought.

Then, she slowly turned to look at me.

"Husband."

Vinesha gently held onto the pendant.

She gave me an apologetic smile.

"I think... I’ve been using you however I pleased all this time. I just needed a place to pour out my emotions."

Hearing that, I realized something.

Vinesha had regained her memories.

And in the process, she had come to understand what was truly precious to her.

Musika, her master, and even Grantoni.

She had finally reclaimed the things most important to her.

She no longer needed to be obsessed with me.

Because what was dear to her lay elsewhere now.

What Vinesha had for me wasn’t love.

It was merely a temporary escape.

"I'm sorry. I must have caused you so much trouble with my selfishness."

For the first time, her face looked truly at peace.

At last, her heart had found rest.

"Vinesha, just as you used me, I also used you."

Seeing her like that, I smiled instead.

Vinesha smiled back at me.

"Thank you."

What she needed to say wasn’t an apology, but gratitude.

She no longer needed to throw her emotions onto someone else.

Wounds, after all, eventually heal with time.

Vinesha would move forward, no longer clinging to the past.

I had no doubt about that.

"Sharin, get on."

Now, I could carry Sharin without worrying about anyone else's reaction.

As I lowered myself in front of her, Sharin stretched her arms around my neck.

Then, resting her chin on my shoulder, she murmured.

"You got rejected."

So that’s how it is.

Just like with Nikita, I hadn’t even confessed, and yet, I was rejected again.

"Husband."

As I walked with Sharin on my back, she whined.

"What is love?"

A completely random question.

I couldn’t see her face since she was on my back, but she seemed unusually lost in thought today.

"Good question."

Unfortunately, I didn’t know the answer either.

Because I had already lost my love.

Listening to my response, Sharin buried her face into my shoulder.

She took a deep breath in, then exhaled slowly.

"...It’s comforting."

Her final words were strangely ambiguous.

We made it back safely.

* * *

The commotion in the Otherworld had drawn the attention of the spirit conjurers, making it a big news story.

But our involvement was not mentioned.

Only Iris glared at me with an annoyed expression.

"Why didn’t you come last night? You skipped morning training too."

Lately, I had been serving as a living security blanket for Iris, helping her deal with her nightmares.

Even Hania had gotten so used to seeing me around that she no longer found it strange.

"I thought you might need some time alone."

"I've had more than enough time alone."

That stung a little.

Besides Hania and me, Iris didn’t really have anyone she was close with.

I only managed to end her scolding after promising to visit tonight.

"By the way, Iris, there's someone else I want to bring along soon."

This time, I didn’t plan to go alone.

Now, we had Eve.

The time had come to help Iris get rid of her nightmares for good.

Iris looked confused but gave me her permission.

She knew that I genuinely cared about her.

"You got hurt, didn’t you?"

As soon as I finished with Iris, Isabel approached me.

I had already stopped by the infirmary before class.

I told the school nurse that I got injured from pushing myself too hard during training.

But just a moment ago, Iris had mentioned that I had skipped morning training.

"Wait, the prince got hurt?"

Now Seron joined in, staring at me intensely.

"Why do you keep getting hurt?! It makes me worried!"

"Do you even realize how recklessly you treat your body these days?"

Why were they all so concerned about me?

People get hurt sometimes—it’s not a big deal.

"Honestly, I agree. You’ve been pushing yourself too hard lately."

Now, even Hania chimed in.

"Should we get his mental health checked?"

"No way, then everyone will know how dumb he is."

"I think it’s a good idea."

Wait a minute, one of them clearly wasn’t worried about me!

I reached out and stretched Seron’s cheeks.

Meanwhile, Hania and Isabel continued talking seriously.

They genuinely seemed to be considering sending me for a mental evaluation.

"Calm down, both of you. I'm fine."

They finally quieted down, though they continued whispering to each other.

Since when had those two gotten so close?

Click—

Just then, Professor Vega entered.

The students quickly ended their conversations and took their seats.

An alcoholic, Vega always had a tired look on her face.

But today, she looked different.

Her expression was unusually grim.

As soon as we saw her face, we all knew.

"I’m sorry to tell you this first thing in the morning, but there’s news from the Demon Dungeon."

The moment she mentioned the Demon Dungeon, everyone’s expression changed.

All of us here had gathered to protect the world from the Demon Dungeon.

It was, without question, our highest priority.

"The Demon Dungeon is showing signs of opening earlier than expected. We will deploy tomorrow morning. Today's class will focus on team formations."

Just as Act 4, Scene 5 ended, Act 4, Scene 4 was about to begin.