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I stood at the main gate of the academy, my face stiff as I held open a newspaper.

A civil war had broken out in the Kingdom of Panisys.

The illusionary kingdom, Panisys, had always been a land plagued by conflict between the noble faction and the royal faction.

So, a civil war itself wasn’t exactly surprising.

But there was one problem.

‘This wasn’t supposed to happen in the original scenario.’

While I was standing there, troubled as I stared at the paper, a voice called out beside me.

"Prince Sweet Potato, did you hear?"

Seron suddenly appeared at my side.

She took one look at the newspaper in my hands and let out a long sigh.

"You saw it too, huh."

Clearly, Seron had also heard about the civil war.

"Prince Sweet Potato, Card will be fine. That guy always finds a way to survive, no matter what."

Maybe because they had spent time together.

Card must have told Seron he was leaving for Panisys.

Whether he told her about being a spy, though… I wasn’t sure.

Knowing his personality, he probably made up some excuse, saying it was something related to a friend.

But I was frozen for a different reason.

“…I wasn’t even worried about Card.”

Card was a friend I’d spent my academy life with.

We’d played a lot of pranks on each other, but we’d been close.

And yet, I wasn’t worried about him at all.

It wasn’t that I trusted him.

‘…It’s the influence of sorrow.’

Sorrow dampens empathy and sympathy.

That lack of emotion had even erased my concern for Card.

“Prince Sweet Potato?”

"Ah, yeah."

Seron, noticing my stiff expression, called out to me.

I snapped out of it and let out a breath.

Without realizing it, my emotions had continued to wear down.

And now, it was starting to show in my daily life.

“Card…”

Card had gone back to Panisys recently, summoned by the kingdom.

That might’ve been their way of pulling all outside operatives back in before the civil war.

‘Just how much has the scenario changed?’

Act 4, Scene 5 had started earlier than expected.

Scene 4 of Act 4—Autumn Dungeon—had also come ahead of schedule.

Even Act 5 had ended much sooner than it was supposed to.

The scenario was now completely off the rails.

I folded the newspaper.

My head was a mess, made worse by the emotional void.

At this point, relying on the original scenario was meaningless.

But still, everything that had happened pointed toward one thing.

‘Something similar happened in the Holy Kingdom not long ago.’

The Holy Kingdom had also been split between the church faction and the royal faction. They’d plotted the assassination of the Saint.

And now, a civil war in Panisys.

Could all of this really be unrelated?

A clear pattern was emerging—something was shaking the foundations of nations.

Like tremors that come before a great earthquake.

And that great earthquake… I had a guess.

‘The Empire.’

The largest and most powerful nation in the world.

The central force—the Empire of Hysirion.

A coming clash between the 1st Prince’s faction and the 3rd Princess’s faction.

These smaller tremors were preludes to that greater conflict.

I wiped my forehead.

I had already sent a personal message to Duke of Whitewood.

This winter’s dungeon shift would cause a gap in our forces.

And that gap could pose a serious risk.

Duke of Whitewood had replied, saying they’d review the situation positively.

‘I’m doing what I can to prepare, but…’

The scale of this storm was bigger than I’d thought.

I could feel the wheel of fate spinning faster and harder than ever.

And the civil war in Panisys wasn’t someone else’s problem.

‘It’s not just Card over there—Vinesha is too.’

Card, a spy from Panisys.

And Vinesha, who had left with Musika to gain Panisys’s support.

I forced myself to hold onto what little sorrow remained, just to stay alert.

Only now did it finally register that those two might be in danger.

Step—

That’s when I heard footsteps behind me.

And there stood a familiar face.

Or rather, a familiar skull.

“Soulmate.”

The small ossuary.

Grantoni.

He was supposed to be in the Special Department—what was he doing on this side of the academy?

"Heheh, I was going to come find you anyway—this works out!"

Grantoni spoke with a toothy grin.

"I'm going to drop out of Zerion Academy."

"What?"

My eyes went wide at his next words.

First Card, now even Grantoni?

"Don’t tell me… you’re going after Musika and Vinesha?"

“Yeah. I’m heading to Panisys.”

That was just like Grantoni.

To Grantoni, Musika and Vinesha were family.

The Kingdom of Panisys was in the midst of a civil war.

There was no way Grantoni would sit still.

“I was already uneasy about sending them off alone, so this is good. I’ll go with them!”

Grantoni showed determination.

But beneath that, I could sense his worry.

That was the right emotion to have.

“Grantoni.”

I raised my hand and placed it on Grantoni’s shoulder.

“Card went to Panisys too. If it’s okay with you… could you look out for him if things get dangerous?”

I know Card can handle himself.

He might seem like a slacker, but he’s far from weak.

Still, having one more safety net wouldn’t hurt.

“Of course! You’re my soul partner, after all!”

Grantoni gave a confident thumbs-up, showing his resolve.

“Thanks. I’m counting on you.”

“No, I’m the one who should be thanking you. Soul partner. Because of you, I got everything back.”

Grantoni had already made up his mind to go.

Wherever he ended up, Grantoni would surely make full use of his talents.

“Then, see you again.”

Grantoni left on the spot.

He had come to Zerion Academy in the first place just to save Musika.

Now that his goal was fulfilled, the academy itself probably didn’t mean much to him anymore.

Watching Grantoni walk away, a lot of thoughts passed through my mind.

Asking him to look after Card—

It wasn’t born from sadness or worry.

It was something I had to do.

That realization made things complicated for me.

* * *

Two people I knew had suddenly left because of the civil war in the Kingdom of Panisys.

I went to school that morning with Seron.

“You.”

As we arrived, Isabel, who was on morning duty, called out to me.

“Professor Vega wants to see you.”

“Professor Vega?”

Was it about the team from last time?

Following her call, I visited the professor’s office and found Vega silently reading an official document.

“You’re here.”

She looked at me and then put down the paper she had been reading.

“Hannon, how’s the team coming along?”

“Everyone agreed to join. Seron as well.”

Professor Vega stared at me quietly.

Then she nodded.

I figured she had her reasons and was being considerate.

“Alright, the team is settled. The reason I called you today is because Aquiline Academy has sent a request for support.”

Aquiline Academy.

It’s located in Panisys, the kingdom of illusions.

“A request for support?”

“You’ve probably heard that Panisys is in a state of civil war.”

I had just heard about it this morning.

“Because of that, a large number of Aquiline students have returned to their homes.”

A civil war is a threat to the survival of a nation.

And students at academies are mostly nobles.

There’s a chance even students could get caught up in the conflict.

Naturally, the students all went back to their estates.

Aquiline Academy must be in serious trouble.

Winter’s Demon Dungeon is just around the corner.

And yet, they’re losing students now?

Putting the world at risk for personal gain—

What a selfish act.

“They’re out of their minds.”

“It’s a civil war. People lose their heads.”

Even Vega clicked her tongue at the situation.

Now I could see why they sent the request for support.

The Empire is the largest and most powerful country.

Naturally, Zerion students are among the most capable.

For Aquiline, asking for help from the Empire was a desperate move.

“Especially with all the talk about the Apostle’s Leap going around. Aquiline can’t afford to handle this Demon Dungeon half-heartedly.”

“So that’s why they asked for support. But the reason you’re telling me this…”

“Yes. Hannon, you’re the one who’s going.”

Why me, specifically?

“The Duke of Robliage personally issued the order.”

The Duke of Robliage.

That man singled me out.

‘He’s figured it out.’

The Duke of Robliage had already noticed I was associating with the Whitewood Duke and the First Prince.

On top of that, perhaps through Iris or some other means, he likely realized I wasn’t the real Hannon.

To him, I was a thorn in the side.

So now he intended to send me off to Panisys.

Hannon’s identity was tied in some way to the Duke of Robliage.

He was Hannon’s maternal grandfather.

Even if Hannon was from the Irey family, the Duke’s authority couldn’t be ignored.

‘What now?’

The civil war in Panisys might not end anytime soon.

Until it did, I probably wouldn’t be able to return from Aquiline Academy.

Naturally, this was something I needed to avoid.

But if I ignored the Duke’s order, that would create a whole different headache.

Until his true nature was exposed, defying the Duke in this country was impossible.

“Hannon, I don’t know what your family situation is like.”

At that moment, Professor Vega opened her mouth.

Then, she crumpled the official notice without hesitation.

I widened my eyes at her shocking action, and Vega looked straight at me.

“But you’re my student. If this is an order you want to avoid, I’ll gladly help you.”

She truly meant what she said.

It felt like light was radiating from her.

Just like her—to genuinely care for her students.

“I’ll go as a supporter.”

“What?”

Professor Vega’s face twisted.

“But I won’t be the one going.”

“What do you mean…”

“Professor Vega, do you need an assistant, by any chance? Someone qualified under the special admission for access to the Demon Dungeon.”

Hannon had already made full use of his status.

Now, he could stay at the academy without relying on it.

So, I hereby graduate from the academy.

* * *

It was a time when students were training hard for the upcoming Winter Demon Dungeon.

Then came unexpected news.

Following the recent withdrawals of Card and Grantoni, Hannon and several other students decided to volunteer for service in Panisys.

They were volunteering for a nation embroiled in a civil war.

Naturally, it wasn’t a safe mission.

And since there was no telling when the war would end, it was practically the same as transferring schools.

While many were feeling regretful—

There was one person who was most caught off guard by the news.

“What do you mean?”

“Uh, Lightning Bast—no, I mean Hannon is heading to Panisys.”

Sharin, who had been napping as usual, snapped her head up when she overheard the students talking.

The news that Hannon was going to Panisys—

It had just broken that day.

The newly named students were being called to the office to confirm their intentions.

The only one confirmed so far was Hannon.

Which meant Sharin had just learned about it, too.

Thud—

Sharin sprang from her chair.

Leaving the surprised magic students behind, she dashed out of the classroom.

She ran so fast, using magic to speed through the hallways.

She was determined to find Hannon right away.

And when she arrived at the Martial Arts building—

“…Insane. He’s seriously so good-looking.”

“I knew it, but he looks even better than I remembered.”

“Why does it feel like he got even hotter?”

She heard girls whispering as they passed by.

Sharin recognized them.

They were students who often bickered with Hannon.

Now, they had dazed looks on their faces, squealing like fangirls.

Something about them bothered her, but she brushed it off and kept going.

“How did he come back?”

“They say he was pardoned by the Third Princess. Rumor has it the Count’s family of Niflheim begged for mercy.”

“He’s here as an assistant to make up for his crimes.”

“Apparently, he’ll be entering the Demon Dungeon during the fall tournament because of the recent transfer incident.”

“But wasn’t that senior supposed to be super weak?”

“No, there were rumors during the boycott that he was insanely strong. Some say he infiltrated on purpose for the Third Princess.”

Soon, another group of students passed by, gossiping.

Sharin frowned at the constant chatter ringing in her ears.

She wasn’t sure what was going on, but what mattered was Hannon.

She’d find out what was happening right now—and just as she arrived in front of the martial arts classroom—

She spotted white hair.

A tall, strongly built figure with striking masculine features.

Then, his amber eyes met Sharin’s.

Her eyes subtly widened.

She had seen that face before.

Vikamon Niflheim.

It was the same face Hannon had when he was disguised with the Veil Bandages.

“You… No, Assistant Vikamon.”

Just then, Isabel appeared behind him and called out.

At the same time, Isabel’s gaze met Sharin’s.

Even Seron stood nearby, looking at a loss for words.

Sharin’s eyes slowly widened further.

She could feel a familiar magic coming from Vikamon.

“Oh, Sharin.”

The moment he called her name so casually—

Sharin’s lips jutted out in a pout.

She had finally realized Hannon’s true identity.

“You’re in trouble.”

Sharin pouted, upset that she was the last one to figure it out.