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Isabel’s tears planted a deep rage within me.

Thanks to her, the perfectly awakened fury now pointed me in a clear direction.

Celestial Grace.

An unshakable anger—he must be taken down.

Cradling the now-exhausted Isabel as she slept in tears, I opened my lips.

“Sharin, can you dispel the Mystery?”

The Crystal Mystery is of the highest order.

Physically breaking it is almost impossible.

Eurozen holds the Vampire Mystery.

That fact alone is evidence that can corner Celestial Grace.

After closely observing Eurozen, Sharin quickly gave her conclusion.

“It’s possible. But to do it quickly, we’ll need her help.”

“By ‘her’ you mean...”

“My husband’s sister.”

Xenia Niflheim.

The reincarnation of Zerion—she had been mentioned.

“Celestial Magic is deeply tied to Mysteries. While Mysteries are false entities that failed to become gods, Celestial Magic touches the heavens and moves divine power.”

Sharin was born from the obsession of Zerion, the Blue Tower Master, with magic.

Naturally, Sharin herself had a strong devotion to the art.

Her knowledge of Celestial Magic was vast.

“Celestial Magic is the natural enemy of Mysteries. With my help, we can definitely break it.”

Sharin puffed up proudly, flaunting her genius.

“And I can’t forgive that guy either.”

Isabel and Lucas were dear friends to Sharin as well.

That same Celestial Grace killed Lucas again and put Isabel through such torment.

There was no way she’d forgive him.

“Husband, you’re going to take down Celestial Grace, right?”

“Yes. That bastard—I’ll bring him down no matter what.”

To do that, we returned to Zerion Academy.

In the distance, the White Wolf Knights, whom we had contacted, were approaching.

Among them was Duke of Whitewood as well.

Judging by the look of her, she had successfully eliminated the Mystic cult.

Traces of a fierce battle were evident on Duke of Whitewood more than usual.

The likely culprits?

Another trio of those who resonated with Heaven.

Even for Duke of Whitewood, it must’ve been a tough fight.

“You're safe. I’m relieved.”

“Yes, but the vampire Mystery host ended up like this.”

Sharin had declared she could break the Mystery, but it would take time.

Our hidden card to corner Celestial Grace was now in this state.

And since Eurozen still bore the Vampire Mystery, we couldn’t resolve it immediately.

“It’s alright. At this point, hard evidence doesn’t matter anymore.”

Duke of Whitewood exhaled slowly and lifted her head.

In that moment, the fierce aura she exuded made even me hesitate.

Duke of Whitewood’s eyes were quietly burning.

“His Majesty the Emperor has passed.”

The current emperor’s death.

He had already been ill and bedridden.

News of his death would surely shake the empire.

It also meant the struggle for the imperial throne would only intensify.

“In that case...”

“If the Third Princess becomes emperor, the empire will fall into Celestial Grace’s hands.”

The bad ending loomed right before us.

We had to stop it at all costs.

“There’s no more time to hesitate.”

“It’s time to strike—even without proof. Boy, during the Emperor’s funeral, while all nobles attend, I plan to raid the Roblian estate.”

“Wouldn’t that leave you absent from the funeral, Lady Duke of Whitewood?”

Duke of Whitewood is a duke of the empire.

Even someone like her is obliged to attend the emperor’s funeral, just like Celestial Grace.

When I pointed that out, she stared at me silently.

Sharin, too, stared at me in the same way.

As if... I held the answer.

And then I finally understood what their gaze meant.

“...You want me to impersonate Lady Duke of Whitewood using the Veil Bandages.”

“You’re as quick as ever.”

Duke of Whitewood smiled faintly.

That smile was unsettling, but we had no other choice.

With the Veil Bandages, I could perfectly copy Duke of Whitewood’s appearance.

And more importantly, I could pull off her character.

In the Flame Butterfly arc, Duke of Whitewood was always a major figure.

The setting guide even described her in detail.

From her speech habits to every nuance of her behavior—I knew it all.

And sadly, after playing Hania, I had no issue playing female roles anymore.

“...Understood.”

I will become Duke of Whitewood.

＊＊＊

Setting aside becoming Duke of Whitewood for now, we first returned to Zerion Academy.

The emperor’s funeral would take place in one week.

Someone of such stature couldn’t be buried in a single day.

The emperor’s death had to be announced throughout the empire, and preparations made.

Until then, we had to complete what needed doing.

Isabel woke only during the return trip.

Her eyes, after what seemed like a long sleep, were still somewhat vacant.

But she was no longer someone who had given up on life.

In the depths of Isabel’s eyes,

I could clearly feel the burning will to live once again.

“Isabel.”

“Sorry… I worried you, didn’t I?”

Hearing my voice, Isabel stepped off the carriage and looked up.

She had a somewhat refreshed expression.

“I never really said goodbye to Lucas. The last thing I said to him was me whining to follow him into the Demon Dungeon.”

In Isabel’s eyes, distant memories flickered.

That day had been so painful, it left scars.

Isabel had chosen to ignore the scars.

Because looking at them only reminded her of the pain from that day, over and over again.

So she closed her eyes and avoided them.

But through this recent event, she faced the scar once again.

A scar too painful to revisit.

Yet by revisiting it, she finally understood—

Scars only form after wounds have healed.

“Now, for the first time, it really feels like I’ve said goodbye to Lucas. More than anything—”

Isabel looked at me.

"Because you were the one who taught me how to live."

All the efforts I made in the past to save Isabel—

Those efforts blossomed within her and created a sun.

Now, the sunflower can live even without the sun.

The sunflower now carries its own sun within.

A light that can endure any adversity.

"Thank you."

Isabel smiled brightly.

That smile, carrying the sun, was more dazzling than anyone else's.

"For giving me the chance to say goodbye to Lucas."

If Isabel had let go of her life, she wouldn’t have been able to say goodbye.

Having faced that farewell, she stood proud and truly beautiful.

And the fact that it was a sun I helped create made it more precious than anything else.

Perhaps that’s why.

Thump—

A feeling buried deep inside, like a root, stirred.

I could hear my heart pounding all the way up in my head.

Once again, I realized how dangerous love could be.

The lovely smile of a woman was dizzying enough to make me lose focus.

Isabel and I locked eyes.

With a smile, she looked up at me as if she noticed something.

The slight curve at the corner of her lips, as if to say “I'm fine anytime,” stole my gaze.

My heart dropped with a heavy thud.

It felt like my blood was rushing.

"Husbaand~."

Just then, Sharin suddenly jumped in between Isabel and me.

With a face full of irritation, she turned sharply to Isabel.

“Bel, you're taking this too far just because I’ve been patient with you!”

“I didn’t even do anything~.”

Despite Sharin’s criticism, Isabel let out a cheeky laugh.

For some reason, she seemed much stronger than before.

After finally calming down, my senses returned.

Even if for a moment, all my attention had been stolen by Isabel.

A dangerous woman.

“Or is Rin getting impatient?”

Isabel’s gaze passed Sharin and reached me.

She had always been like a kind retriever.

But now, having overcome her pain, a sly fox-like air radiated from her.

‘No. This isn’t a fox.’

A wolf.

A wolf eyeing its prey.

“Because it seems like he's wavering because of me.”

A wolf's fangs bared, and a howl rang out.

In front of her, the blue fox raised her eyebrows and placed her hands on her hips confidently.

“No way! Husband is totally head-over-heels for me~!”

The fox wouldn't back down either, bristling her fur.

Sparks flew from their silent clash.

If this continued, they’d probably unleash heavenly dragon fire.

"Both of you, stop. We’re in the middle of something important."

There were mountains of urgent tasks to take care of.

Like the substitute role for Baekmokgong next week.

We needed to inform everyone around us in advance.

‘The scenario has already been pushed to the limit.’

The final act was practically at the doorstep.

Everyone’s help was essential.

"Prince Sweet Potato!"

Just then, a familiar voice called out.

When I looked up, there was Seron running toward us.

It seemed she had come to meet us.

But there was an urgency in her expression that felt unusual.

“Your little sister hasn’t come out of her dorm room since yesterday! The room’s been sealed by something!”

As soon as I heard her next words, my face stiffened.

If she meant my younger sister, she must be talking about Xenia.

Before coming here, I had shown Xenia Zerion’s grimoire.

That could very well be the cause.

Isabel and Sharin also stopped bickering and grasped the seriousness of the situation.

"Let’s go. Now."

If something had happened to Xenia, it would be a big problem.

As I quickly began moving, everyone followed close behind.

“Seron, tell me exactly what’s going on.”

“I don’t know the details. Your sister didn’t show up to class, so Senior Yongyong went to check on her, but the door wouldn’t open. They’re trying to break it open now. A magic professor will probably be here soon too.”

Seron had heard we’d returned and came running.

She figured I might be able to do something.

When we arrived at the girls' dormitory, people had already gathered outside.

There was a commotion inside, and even some staff were present.

As I tried to rush inside, a maid blocked me.

“Wait a moment, Young Master Hannon. This is the girls’ dormitory.”

She was right—this was a restricted area.

I couldn’t enter as Hannon.

“I have knowledge of Celestial Magic. Xenia may be in danger. I must act.”

As I hurriedly explained the situation, the maid seemed unsure.

This was a no-male zone, and she couldn’t allow a student to break protocol.

“Let him in. I’ll take responsibility.”

Just then, a familiar voice spoke up.

When I turned, there stood Mari Emaris, the head maid of the dormitory.

The moment her permission was granted, the maid quickly stepped aside.

No ordinary maid would dare oppose the dormitory’s head.

“Thank you, Miss Mari.”

“Oh please. After all, the girls’ dorm is practically your second home, isn’t it, Young Master Hannon?”

So she knew I had been coming in disguised as Hania.

Well, Mari did have eyes all over the dorm.

She must’ve figured it out long ago and simply turned a blind eye.

I bowed in gratitude and quickly followed the others upstairs.

After a short climb, we reached the first-year dorms, where a group had gathered.

I saw several familiar faces—Nikita, Eve, Aisha…

“Senior.”

Nikita, who had been trying to open the door, reacted when she saw me.

I returned a subtle greeting with my eyes, then turned to Sharin.

“Sharin, can you figure it out?”

“Gimme a sec~.”

Sharin immediately approached the door.

Among all of us, no one knew magic better than she did.

She examined the sealed door for a while, then tilted her head.

“Darling.”

Sharin’s voice had lowered a bit.

Her eyes showed she had sensed something dangerous.

Her next words froze my face completely.

“This… this is a Celestial Magic surge.”

Damn it.

A surge of Celestial Magic.

Xenia was in serious danger.