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Act 4, Scene 4 – Autumn Demon Dungeon.

Somehow, I ended up completing Act 4, Scene 5 first and was now facing an unexpected situation.

"The Demon Dungeon seems to be opening earlier than expected."

Normally, there was still some time left before the Autumn Demon Dungeon would open.

However, something unforeseen appeared to have happened within the palace.

And I quickly realized why.

‘It’s because of Abomination.’

Abomination had wielded the power of the Otherworld, even at the cost of his own well-being.

As a result, even Demon Sovereign within the Dungeon was affected.

Demon Sovereign responded to Abomination’s actions, causing the palace to open earlier than scheduled.

‘I never thought completing Act 4, Scene 5 first would have this kind of impact.’

An unpredictable situation had occurred.

This was exactly why I wanted to maintain the scenario as much as possible.

But this time, the situation was too urgent to do anything about it.

"Prince Sweet Potato, how are you planning to form the team this time?"

At that moment, Seron asked about the team formation.

Right then, I made eye contact with Isabel and Iris.

The two of them stared at me silently before looking away.

I wasn’t sure why people who could easily make it through the Demon Dungeon without me seemed disappointed.

More importantly, I needed to think about the team for the Autumn Demon Dungeon.

‘There’s a specific floor in this Autumn Demon Dungeon that would be good to reach.’

There, I could obtain a piece of equipment that would help prepare for the next scenario.

‘It’s not absolutely necessary, but…’

It would certainly be beneficial.

That meant I needed to form the best team, including key personnel.

But before that, I had to deal with something else first.

"Eve."

At my call, Eve turned toward me.

She had just recently entered Zerion Academy.

She was still in the process of adjusting to the academy, and now the Autumn Demon Dungeon expedition was being rushed, which made team formation an issue.

By the time students reached their second year, most of them had settled into their teams.

And right now, there wasn’t even time to test compatibility—everyone had to leave for the Demon Dungeon tomorrow.

Because of that, most people wouldn’t be willing to take in a new member just to maintain the balance of their existing team.

Everyone knew Eve was highly skilled.

But in the Demon Dungeon, individual strength alone wasn’t enough.

How well she would mesh with a team was completely unknown.

So, no one was approaching her.

Except for me.

"You don’t have a team yet, do you?"

"...If I join your team, I’ll die of stress."

Well, the solution was simple—just don’t get stressed.

Of course, if I said that out loud, Eve would explode in anger, so I kept it to myself.

"I’m not asking you to join my team."

I lowered my voice as I leaned in slightly.

"I want you to join Lady Iris’s team."

Eve’s eyes widened slightly in surprise.

She hadn’t expected me to say that.

But she was already aware that something felt off about Iris.

It was the reason she had transferred to Zerion Academy in the first place—to investigate.

So there was no reason for her to refuse my proposal.

"It’s not a bad deal for you either."

Being in Iris’s team naturally meant getting good grades.

And Eve, despite not caring much about reputation, was meticulous about maintaining her academic performance.

This was a win-win for her.

She glanced at the others, then lowered her voice so they wouldn’t hear.

"Hannon Irey… The person you want to protect… is it the Third Princess?"

I nodded in response.

The main reason I had brought Eve to Zerion Academy was because of Iris.

Eve stared at me for a moment before sighing.

"I’ve said this before, but I really don’t get what’s going on in your head."

"World peace."

"That’s exactly why I don’t get you."

My sincerity never quite reached Eve.

"Anyway, because of that, let’s visit Lady Iris tonight."

"…At night?"

"Yeah, I visit her chambers every night."

Eve’s eyes wavered at my casual remark.

"W-What?"

"I help Lady Iris sleep. We also train together. If she’s physically exhausted, she sleeps better."

Eve opened her mouth slightly, as if speechless.

"So, I’ll see you tonight."

"Hannon Irey, w-wait!"

Eve tried to grab me, but I had places to be.

The teammates I needed weren’t in the martial arts department.

So as I walked out of the classroom, Seron suddenly followed along.

I gave her a questioning look.

"Seron, why are you following me?"

"You’re forming the Autumn Demon Dungeon team, right? I need to see who’s in it."

"But why are you following me?"

Seron narrowed her eyes.

"You’re trying to mess with me again, aren’t you? You think I’ll fall for it?"

"Didn’t you see me talking to Eve just now?"

Seron gave me a puzzled look, then blinked in confusion.

"I already made a promise with Aisha for this Autumn Demon Dungeon, so we don’t need another frontline fighter."

"W-Wait, really?"

"Seron, have I ever lied to you?"

"You lie all the time."

This girl turned me into a liar in an instant.

"I’m serious this time."

"Liar!"

"I’m telling the truth. If you don’t believe me, ask Eve."

Of course, once she found out the truth, she’d probably come back to kill me.

But for now, I maintained my serious expression.

Seron clenched her fists, trembling slightly.

Then, she grabbed the hem of her skirt, biting her lip.

"R-Really?"

I didn’t answer.

Tears suddenly welled up in Seron’s eyes.

Oh no, I teased her too much.

"I-I worked so hard in training… Sniff… I even bought a new axe to help Prince Sweet Potato…!"

"S-Seron, wait—"

Seron’s eyes welled up with tears before they started dripping down her cheeks.

I thought she would just get angry like usual and let it go, but I didn’t expect this.

Hurriedly, I searched my pockets.

Thankfully, I had a handkerchief, so I used it to wipe away her tears.

"Seron, I was wrong. It was just a joke. Why would I leave you behind? I only suggested Iris’ team to Eve, that’s all."

Seron looked up at me, sniffling.

"Sniff... Really?"

"Yeah, really. After all the time we’ve spent together, do you think I’d tell you to go somewhere else?"

I hadn’t expected her to cry so sincerely, so I was caught off guard.

It seemed like Seron’s feelings for me were much stronger than I had thought.

Did she cry out of fear that I wouldn’t take her with me?

I felt guilty.

"You’re the worst. You always tease me."

Seron finally stopped crying, but now her face was full of sulkiness.

"I'm sorry. It was my fault."

Since I was clearly in the wrong this time, I apologized honestly.

Seron glanced at me before gripping the collar of my shirt tightly.

"You really did something wrong, didn’t you?"

"Yeah, I apologize."

"You really, really did something wrong, didn’t you?"

"I just said I did."

Seron shifted her gaze around and then, in a slightly hesitant tone, spoke again.

"Then… since you did something wrong, shouldn’t you make up for it?"

Did she want me to buy her bread or something?

As I considered it, Seron quietly looked up at me and then slowly closed her eyes.

Then, she slightly puckered her lips forward.

I stared at her for a moment.

Seron peeked one eye open.

"…Prince Sweet Potato, what are you doing?"

"I was just wondering what you were doing."

"You said you’d make it up to me, didn’t you?"

"I don’t obey the words of someone weaker than me."

At that moment, Seron’s fist came flying.

She thumped my chest repeatedly with clenched fists, her face filled with frustration.

"You said you were sorry!"

"I am sorry."

"Then making it up to me is only right!"

"How shameless. I won’t give in to such malicious attempts on my body."

Seron stared at me, dumbfounded, as if questioning whether I was really a man.

I caught her wrist mid-swing.

"Seron, after the Autumn Demon Dungeon, let’s go somewhere fun."

"H-Huh?"

"That should count as making it up to you, right?"

Seron’s lips curled into a small smile, and then her face quickly turned red as she shyly lowered her arms.

"Uuh…"

She had calmed down.

Good, now I could relax.

"Alright then, I’ll go gather the rest of the team."

"O-Okay, see you later."

Seron hesitated as she watched me leave, then covered her face with her hands, muttering, "W-What should I wear?" as she began to fret over various outfits.

She was becoming more honest about her feelings as time went on.

After parting ways with Seron, I headed toward the first-year building.

"Hey, isn’t that…?"

"That’s Hannon Irey, the senior."

"The one who wields the magic of an ancient dragon?"

Whispers spread among the students as I walked past them.

It seemed that my reputation had changed a lot recently.

As I passed by, a particular person suddenly came to mind.

'Midra.'

Midra Fenin, the first-year vice ranker.

I recalled his recent actions.

Midra had once shown me the way.

‘What was that about back then?’

I didn’t know much about Midra.

There were quite a few notable figures among the first-years, but Midra wasn’t usually included in that group.

Despite being the vice ranker of the martial arts department, he wasn’t involved in any major incidents other than his work in the student council.

That was Midra.

‘Is there something I don’t know?’

The thought of an unknown aspect of Zerion Academy piqued my curiosity.

‘I should look into this soon.’

Time to put my information-gathering skills from my 29 playthroughs to good use.

With that in mind, I made my way to the training hall where Aisha was.

BOOOOM!

An explosive sound suddenly erupted from inside the training hall.

The noise was so intense that I almost thought the entire hall had collapsed.

Alarmed, I rushed to open the door.

Inside, Aisha was on the ground, leaning against the wall, clutching a greatsword.

A faint groan escaped her lips.

"Aisha, look at you! You’re too weak, far too weak! At this level, you have no business entering the Demon Dungeon!"

A powerful, scolding voice rang out.

Someone was telling Aisha, the top martial arts student among first-years, that she wasn’t strong enough to enter the Demon Dungeon.

I thought that was insane, so I turned to see who it was.

A tall man with the same ocean-blue hair as Aisha stood there.

But this man was huge.

So massive that it looked like his head might hit the ceiling.

The moment I saw him, my instincts screamed at me—telling me to run away immediately.

‘This guy…’

I knew who he was.

Aisha Bizvel’s cousin.

Rexaron Bizvel.

The newly appointed first-year martial arts assistant professor.