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Victory gained by killing someone is neither sweet nor joyful.

Only an uncomfortable feeling remains.

Even in a state devoid of emotion, the sticky sensation of blood clinging to my fingertips left nothing but disgust.

After struggling with that unpleasant sensation for a while, my eyes eventually opened.

Crackle—

I heard the sound of a campfire crackling.

The burnt, smoky scent unique to a campfire tickled my nose.

When I turned my gaze to the side, I felt something soft beneath me.

Soon, I realized I was resting on something white.

To find out what it was, I turned my head further.

Silver hair brushed across my face.

A soft, comforting scent wafted from the smooth strands.

"You're awake?"

A gentle voice reached my ears.

Slightly farther away, Nikita was smiling warmly at me.

Though she usually seemed cold on the outside, the smile she gave me carried only warmth.

For some reason, that made me happy.

"Nikita."

As I called her name, Nikita gently stroked my head.

That helped me realize where I was lying.

On Nikita’s lap.

I was resting on her lap.

What an extraordinary situation.

I never imagined a day would come when I'd receive a lap pillow from Nikita.

She seemed a little embarrassed too, subtly shifting her legs.

"If you move too much, it tickles."

That made me want to move even more.

"Nikita, Card?"

"Over there."

She pointed to a place where Card was lying, abandoned.

Quite a contrast to how kindly she was treating me.

But yes, that was Card.

Given that he was even snoring, he must be doing fine now.

"You overdid it again, didn’t you?"

Nikita’s touch briefly became rough.

But as I stayed quiet, her touch returned to being gentle.

"Nikita, how did you get here?"

She had appeared at the Academy briefly to hear the First Prince's announcement.

Then she left with Nia, and I thought I’d see her again during this year’s entrance exam.

I never imagined she’d return so soon.

"I was waiting near the Demon Dungeon. Then I heard news about you from a junior."

"A junior…?"

"Hania Rapidedia."

Hania.

At the mention of her name, I let out a dry chuckle.

So it was Hania who asked Nikita for help.

As always, my ex-girlfriend shines brightly.

"Prince Maron safely arrived at Zerion Academy. You don’t need to worry about that."

"That’s a relief."

The Hysirion side would handle Prince Maron’s affairs well enough.

What still bothered me was Duke Robliage.

He had clearly orchestrated the current Panisys civil war from behind the scenes.

Though there was no evidence, my conviction was firm.

‘There must be something he’s trying to achieve through this civil war.’

But I couldn’t yet figure out what.

"Thinking about work again."

Nikita poked my forehead.

My worries must have shown on my face.

"Thank you. I’m alive thanks to you, Nikita."

"That’s all?"

"You’re the best, Nikita."

A proud smile crept across her lips.

Maybe because I’d complimented her a lot in the past, she now expected praise.

"You used to just save people, now you’ve saved a whole kingdom. You’re the best, Instructor."

Nikita patted my head again.

I fell silent for a moment after hearing her words.

"I wonder if it was really the right thing to do."

The Noble faction wanted to remove an incompetent king and establish new policies.

Most of them were likely driven by greed.

Their bold move to start a civil war was proof.

But perhaps some genuinely rose up for the sake of Panisys.

After all, Prince Maron really was incompetent.

If such a person stood at the top, Panisys might face ruin.

Was my choice to save him truly the right one?

Wouldn't Panisys have flourished more without Prince Maron?

Unfortunately, I had no way of knowing what was truly right.

The Panisys civil war wasn't even in official historical records.

I didn’t know what kind of end they would face.

And yet, I intervened, pushing Panisys toward yet another unknown future.

It wasn't for a noble cause — it was purely my personal decision.

"Instructor."

Before I knew it, Nikita covered my eyes with her hand.

"No matter what you did, I’ll always say you did your best."

Her gentle voice followed.

"That’s what I want to say to you who came back after everything… and what I’ll keep saying."

Absolute trust toward me.

Even in my emotionally dulled state, I could feel a bit of her heartfelt sincerity.

"So trust my judgment that believes in you."

Her warm words cleared my mind.

The die had already been cast.

Whatever number it lands on, it was still my choice.

So I must accept the result calmly.

"You’re reassuring. Thanks to you, I was able to gather my thoughts."

Upon hearing me, Nikita fell quiet for a moment.

Then, she suddenly leaned her face toward me.

Her lips pressed against mine.

A surprise kiss before I could even resist.

Having successfully stolen a kiss, Nikita stared at me — then kissed me again.

As I stared back in disbelief, she wore a smug expression.

"It’s your fault, Instructor. You keep saying such sweet things."

"I was just being honest."

"And that’s exactly why I like you."

A world where Nikita liked me just for being honest.

It really was… a beautiful world.

"You’re becoming more and more my type. It’s all your fault, Instructor."

"I apologize."

"I bet that’s how you charmed the other girls too."

To that, I had no reply.

Even to myself, it seemed like I was living like a playboy.

“If you keep adding more, it’ll be a problem.”

“I must look pathetic even to Nikita.”

“You’re the most lovable person in the world.”

This is serious.

Nikita had clearly fallen hard for me.

She covered her mouth and laughed, then stood up.

“It’s fine. I can confidently say that no one loves the assistant instructor more than I do.”

I stood up as well.

“But I also know that the more people love someone, the more they worry.”

“That’s true. We should go back.”

My body had more or less recovered now.

I should be able to make it back without trouble.

When Nikita held out her hand, I took it and stood up.

She laced her fingers tightly with mine, as if holding onto something precious.

“This is the same hand that saved me once.”

“The shape was different back then, though.”

“But the warmth that reached me is the same.”

As she said that, she looked up at me.

Maybe because of the height difference now, she kept staring and rested her head against my arm.

“I guess I do like tall men after all.”

Her affection was open and unreserved.

“You’re small, Nikita, and that makes you cute.”

“Are you teasing me for being short?”

“I’m doing my very best to adore you.”

“In that case, I’ll let it slide.”

Maybe because we hadn’t seen each other in so long, her affection just kept pouring out.

“It’s tough living without a girlfriend, huh.”

At that moment, a familiar voice was heard.

Card had already sat up without us noticing.

His face was full of displeasure.

“How are you even still alive?”

“Like Kingnon, I’ve got too many women waiting for me to die.”

[PR/N: Bro got a nickname upgrade finally?]

A true playboy’s response.

Card stood up as well.

Now it was time to head back to the surface.

And, along with that, there was something I had to do.

“Nikita, Card.”

I told the two of them what needed to be done.

“Let’s consider me dead as of today.”

I would erase the identity of Vikamon once and for all.

* * *

Seron Parmia.

A girl who fell for a boy and ended up with a personality like his.

Born unlucky, she finally opened her eyes.

Blink—

A familiar ceiling came into view.

The infirmary ceiling of Zerion Academy.

She remembered saving Sharin, scolding Vikamon, and then blacking out.

She felt a moment of confusion.

And soon realized she had been asleep for quite some time.

Seron hurriedly got up.

There was a face she wanted to see right away.

Her body ached a bit, but it was okay.

She quickly opened the door and left the room.

‘Prince Sweet Potato, that idiot—he must’ve fallen for me after this!’

It was a full-out leap of faith, throwing herself like that.

She hadn’t calculated it at the time, but thinking back, it had its perks.

Seron, cunning as ever, decided to take advantage of that.

She hurried through the hallway on her short legs.

At some point, a soft rain had begun to fall outside.

The hallway was oddly quiet.

Just as she ran through it alone—

“Really?”

“What are we going to do about Assistant Instructor Vikamon…”

She heard voices of children passing by with umbrellas outside.

Seron tilted her head and kept running.

Soon, she saw a group of students huddled together.

They were all gathered in front of the school bulletin board.

Seron felt a strange sense of unease.

Whenever she felt this kind of dread, something bad always happened.

Her legs wouldn’t move properly.

It was as if the anxiety had shackled her limbs.

A moment later, the bulletin board came into view.

[List of Deceased from the Winter Demon Dungeon]

Assistant Instructor Vikamon Niflheim

Something inside Seron shattered.

The Ascended Apostle had been strong.

Strong enough to threaten everyone’s lives.

But Vikamon dying?

That was unimaginable.

“They say Assistant Instructor Vikamon didn’t die because of the Apostle.”

“What? Then why?”

“They say he got caught up in the civil war in the Panisys Kingdom. He died protecting Prince Maron.”

The civil war in Panisys.

Prince Maron.

Even amid her confusion, those words etched themselves into her ears.

The world was spinning.

Her vision twirled dizzyingly.

She felt like vomiting and couldn’t stand on her feet.

Seron staggered past the crowd and ended up at the front entrance on the first floor.

Then she collapsed right there.

The rainwater touching her knees chilled her body.

But she simply couldn’t stand.

Her vision began to blur.

What was she even planning to brag about to him?

What was she trying to earn praise for by throwing herself like that?

Her heart hurt so much it felt like it would break.

A searing pain, like her chest was being ripped apart.

It hurt.

So much that she felt like she would die.

“Prince Sweet Potato…”

Seron began to cry like a child.

“Sweet Potatooo, where are youuu…”

Unable to bear the grief, she sobbed and sobbed.

She missed him so much it hurt.

She couldn’t imagine living in a world without him.

Every moment they had spent together passed through her mind like a panorama.

Those memories were precious—so precious that the pain became unbearable.

“Seron?”

Just then, a voice reached her ears.

She turned her tear-filled eyes.

A man had thrown aside his umbrella and run toward her, wrapping her in his arms.

“What’s wrong? Are you hurt? What happened?”

His face was full of confusion.

Black hair, red eyes—the boy.

As she looked at him, Seron’s eyes widened.

It was Vikamon.

Vikamon was there.

“Prince Sweet Potato…?”

“Yeah, it’s me. I’ll take you to the hospital right now, so hang in there.”

He quickly lifted her up and began to run down the hallway.

The urgency in his actions warmed the heart that had felt so broken moments ago.

She didn’t understand the situation.

But just the fact that he was safe was enough for her to live.

So she held him tightly and didn’t let go.