Page 144

The autumn dungeon, filled with countless troubles and dangers, was finally behind me.

I returned safely and underwent an additional examination by a doctor.

"It's almost a miracle—there seem to be no abnormalities. There's no immediate sign of mental aftereffects either."

And with that, I was officially declared fully recovered.

I would have to thank the Saint and the Saintess multiple times.

‘Good thing I was careful about my emotional flaws—they didn't get noticed.’

It also helped that the doctor focused mainly on aftereffects.

Since unnecessary concern would be a hassle, I should continue to be cautious.

"You’ll have a meeting with the professors tomorrow, so keep that in mind."

After that, Iris continued speaking to me like a truly caring older sister, explaining everything in detail.

To anyone watching, she was no different from a guardian.

"So let Hannon rest already."

With those final words, Iris gave a warning to Seron and Sharin.

Neither of them protested, as if they didn’t want to trouble me any further.

"Prince Sweet Potato."

Still, Seron seemed to have something left to say.

She approached me and whispered so no one else could hear.

"R-Remember our date."

Ah, right.

That was a thing.

When I nodded, Seron pouted briefly before swiftly turning around.

Her expression was as if she had resolved herself for a desperate battle.

I hated to admit it, but she was a little cute.

After all the ups and downs, I safely left the hospital.

‘Come to think of it, I forgot to ask about Isabel.’

Given the situation, it had slipped my mind.

But I soon realized I didn’t need to ask.

On the path leading back to the male dormitory, I saw something in the distance.

Under the moonlight, golden honey-blonde hair shimmered.

Like a sun rising in the night sky.

Isabel shone beautifully, befitting the title of the main heroine.

"Isabel."

It was clear she had been waiting for me.

When I called her name, Isabel turned to look at me.

Her eyes wavered.

For a brief moment, I could sense countless emotions passing through her.

But soon, she steadied herself, suppressing her emotions before speaking.

"I'm relieved you're okay."

"I'm pretty sturdy."

Hearing my response, Isabel fell silent.

Then, she bit her lip tightly and shook her head.

"…You're not sturdy."

She denied my toughness.

"You're not made of steel—you're human."

Not steel, but human.

During this battle, I had lost an arm and a leg.

‘Even I couldn't do anything against the maximum physical penetration of the Dark Bug.’

For something like that, Sharin was needed.

"Then I just need to become stronger."

"Why is that always your answer?"

Because durability is everything.

"…I won’t say you didn’t need to fight so hard."

After all, it was because I struggled that I survived.

That was undeniable.

"But you shouldn’t have ended up like this."

Isabel stopped in front of me.

Her eyes were filled with tears.

Her gaze lingered on the scars hidden beneath my bandages.

"If you keep going like this, you'll die."

She grabbed my collar tightly.

Her small fists trembled, as if she couldn't bear to lose anything more.

The late autumn breeze scattered fallen leaves around us.

Leaves that had already died could no longer turn green again.

She had already lost her older brother and Lucas.

After losing them both, she had nearly fallen into complete despair.

It was I who had helped her stand again.

I knew better than anyone—Isabel relied on me more than anyone else.

I hoped she would one day stand on her own, but that wasn’t something that could happen overnight.

"Isabel."

So, I had to tell her.

"I'm not going to die."

I didn’t cherish my own body.

The Veil Bandages erased love, anger, and sorrow—but in truth, what it was truly erasing was me, myself.

I couldn't love, I couldn't be angry, I couldn't grieve.

And among those, the loss of emotions toward others was secondary—what was disappearing most was my own sense of self.

Even so, despite having already lost one emotion and now losing others, I could still say this:

"I will never die until I achieve my goal."

Even if I didn’t care for my own well-being, I would never betray my goal.

In the real world, I had already experienced a complete and utter collapse once.

When my goal crumbled, all that was left was emptiness.

And I despised that emptiness.

That kind of void could destroy a person in the cruelest way possible.

I never wanted to experience that again.

At the same time, I understood the joy of moving forward toward a goal.

‘Even if the Veil Bandages erases all three emotions from me…’

I still had joy.

I still had the power to smile brighter than anyone else.

The joy of chasing a goal.

As long as I had that, I would never stop moving forward.

That’s why I would never die.

If I died, I wouldn’t be able to complete the story.

"This world gave me a second chance, and now, it has become my goal."

From the day my life crumbled because of sports.

From the day I fled into my own little escape.

And now, it had become my everything.

"And that includes you, Isabel."

Isabel was the main heroine of Flame Butterfly.

Even without Lucas, I would never allow her life to be destroyed.

Because if it were Lucas, he would have done whatever it took to save Isabel.

"So, Isabel."

Her tear-streaked face came into view.

She was staring at me desperately.

"I will not die."

No matter what happens, I will remain right here.

Even if it rains, even if it snows, even if a storm comes, I will stay right here.

So, Isabel.

Even if you one day stand on your own, it’s okay.

Because I will always be here, making sure you never fall.

A single tear fell down Isabel’s cheek.

It landed on a fallen leaf.

The leaf, having already died, could no longer be revived.

But that was fine.

The water that soaked into the leaf would help new life grow elsewhere.

Her tears would become the guide leading her toward a new beginning.

I smiled.

Because joy was something that could never be erased, I smiled brightly.

"Why?"

At my smile, Isabel asked a question.

"Why am I part of your goal?"

She wanted to ask why I was helping her so much.

She had held back this question, waiting for the right moment after I returned from the dungeon.

"We made a promise, didn’t we?"

The night slowly faded, and the sky began to turn blue.

"To reveal the truth."

I wasn’t sure if this would be the right answer.

But perhaps my presence here—being reborn as Vikamon—was the will of this world.

After all, I had taken over the body of someone who had the motivation to save Isabel.

「If you ever find yourself in danger, I will repay the debt of my life by helping you.」

That was the vow Vikamon once made to Lucas.

Even though he had tried to kill Lucas, he had also owed him his life.

But that vow had never been fulfilled.

Because Vikamon had failed to save Lucas.

So now, I had inherited that vow.

I couldn’t save Lucas, but I could at least save Isabel.

The bandages wrapped around my body slowly unraveled.

My hair turned white.

Before I knew it, I had grown taller than Isabel, my frame becoming broader.

And my eyes—now glowed with amber.

Scars, including lightning-shaped ones, became visible all over my body.

They were the results of all my efforts.

Isabel’s eyes widened.

She had seen this form once before.

To her, I might have been the sworn enemy who had tormented Lucas so cruelly.

Vikamon Niflheim.

That was me.

The wheels of fate keep turning.

And tomorrow’s sun will rise.

As the rising sun illuminated the world, Isabel’s hair shone like the sun itself.

“You… it was you.”

Isabel spoke, her voice overflowing with emotion.

“Are you disgusted?”

She grabbed my clothes tightly with both hands, as if she had no intention of ever letting go.

“There’s no way I would be.”

She looked up at me with tear-filled eyes.

Before I knew it, she was smiling, following my lead.

“How could I ever be disgusted by the person who saved me?”

I believed in Isabel.

I believed that she would trust me.

That’s why I revealed my true identity.

Fortunately, my faith in her was not misplaced.

As I let out a sigh of relief, Isabel spoke again.

“You saved me because of your promise to Lucas, didn’t you?”

She already knew about the promise Lucas and I had made.

“Lucas told me once before. He said you weren’t all that bad.”

“I’m a rough person.”

“Yeah, you really are.”

She agreed without the slightest hesitation.

It hurt.

At that moment, Isabel’s head gently leaned against my chest.

“Really, really rough.”

Tears continued to stream from her eyes.

Amidst the falling autumn leaves of the morning, I slowly stroked her hair.

A silent praise for all the battles she had fought.

* * *

After finding out that Hannon was actually Vikamon,

Isabel had been so embarrassed about crying in front of him that she quickly ran away.

Vikamon didn’t bother stopping her.

Isabel ran straight back to the dormitory.

Maybe she had run too fast.

Her heart was pounding far too hard.

‘I feel like I can’t breathe.’

She hurriedly grabbed some water and gulped it down.

Even as the cold liquid flowed into her body, her heart refused to calm down.

This was bad.

Maybe something had gone wrong because of the battle.

“Bel, where have you beeeen?”

Just then, a voice called out from inside the room.

Sharin had peeked her head out and was looking at Isabel.

Isabel had thought Sharin would already be asleep since she had returned earlier.

Not expecting her to still be awake, Isabel quickly patted her own cheeks and replied,

“Oh, uh, I went to see someone. I had to say thank you.”

Then, it suddenly hit her.

She had forgotten to actually say thank you.

Her eyes rolled as she debated what to do.

Should she go back and express her gratitude?

But he must be exhausted too.

She couldn’t hold him up any longer.

Then why…

Why did she feel like she wanted to see him again, right this moment?

Her heart was pounding wildly again.

Her face was heating up on its own.

Maybe she was just embarrassed.

After all, she had cried her eyes out in front of a man despite being a grown woman.

“Bel?”

Sharin called out to her again.

Isabel flinched and looked up.

Sharin was staring at her with a blank expression.

There was a mix of emotions in her eyes.

Isabel couldn’t quite figure out what those emotions meant,

but her face was so hot she couldn’t bear to keep looking up.

“S-Sorry, I’m going to go wash up!”

She needed to dump cold water over her head—fast.

With that thought, Isabel dashed into the private bathroom.

Sharin, watching her leave with a dazed look, slowly puffed out her cheeks for some reason.

“I’m gonna scold youuu.”

Soon, the only sound in the room was the quiet noise of Sharin practicing shadow boxing.