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Chapter 63: The Chill of the Beach

Summer vacation.

Though it’s only about ten days, not a particularly long break, students take this time to rest or visit their hometowns.

During this summer vacation, I ended up spending time with Iris and her group.

"Does it make sense for a newly dating couple to be apart during vacation?"

"I don't think being a couple necessarily means being together all the time."

Inside the rattling carriage, Hania and I were having a conversation.

To encourage students during the summer break, the Zerion Academy opens access to the southern blue sea, Aron Sea.

Some students take the opportunity to visit Aron Sea for relaxation.

Iris decided to visit Aron Sea.

"That's true. But she already explained the real reason herself, didn’t she?"

Hearing that, I stopped speaking and turned my gaze to Iris.

Iris, who had been looking out the window, noticed my eyes and gave a faint smile.

Lately, she’d been smiling at me more frequently.

"For now, Hannon, this is better for you as well."

As she had predicted, the aftermath of the assassination attempt on Nia Cynthia had surfaced.

By coincidence, someone saw me heading towards the Demon Dungeon that day.

A knight, who was switching shifts, spotted me separating from Sharin and taking a different route to the dungeon.

As a result, my name suddenly came under suspicion.

I tried to explain, saying I was visiting the Demon Dungeon in my capacity as a student council member to prepare for the next expedition.

However, given the timing, rumors quickly spread accusing me of being Nia's assassin.

Sure enough, the Third Princess’s faction seized the opportunity to loudly implicate me, claiming I had acted independently in Nia Cynthia’s assassination.

‘Not that it would work anyway.’

The First Prince’s faction was already aware of my existence.

If they framed me for acting alone, they’d lose a chance to destabilize the Third Princess’s faction.

Thus, they collected evidence on their own to clear my name, defending me without my direct involvement.

But the Third Princess’s faction didn’t sit idly by.

They aimed to use me as a scapegoat to buy time.

If the investigation got muddled because of me, it’d make cutting loose ends easier for them.

I was at risk of being dragged into the Imperial dungeon for interrogation.

And the one who prevented this was Iris.

Originally, it was Iris who had instructed me to rescue Nia.

So, she defended me and firmly kept me by her side.

"Don’t you dare use my cousin like this."

Even the Third Princess’s faction couldn’t ignore Iris’s words.

They had no choice but to drop their plans to involve me.

After all, their primary aim was to buy time, not to rely on me entirely.

And offending the Third Princess herself would be too high a cost for them.

Now that it was known that I had a good relationship with the Third Princess, her faction wouldn’t touch me anymore.

Understanding this, Iris brought me along during this summer vacation to firmly solidify her stance.

I couldn’t help but feel grateful to her.

‘The problem is that my name has been dragged into the spotlight.’

Once you’re in the limelight, scrutiny is inevitable.

‘I have a feeling the First Prince’s faction will approach me soon.’

They likely already knew I wasn’t truly Hannon.

To uncover my intentions, they’d certainly reach out.

How I navigate this situation from here will entirely depend on me.

‘And…’

At that moment, Iris tapped her lap gently.

Watching her curiously, I got up under Hania’s disapproving glare.

When I sat down in front of Iris, she pulled me into her embrace.

Iris was tall, significantly taller than the average woman and certainly taller than me.

Being embraced by her felt like I fit perfectly in her arms.

I could feel a soft warmth against my back, and the familiar rose scent of Iris tickled my nose.

"Hannon is warm; it helps me sleep better."

I had essentially become Iris’s comfort doll.

Since I’d acquired the flames, the residual warmth in my body helped Iris sleep peacefully.

"Ugh, Iris is hugging you like that..."

Hania, glaring jealously, furiously tore at her handkerchief.

For someone who admired Iris so much, I was nothing short of enviable.

‘Though, for me, it’s quite stressful.’

To be honest, I feared the consequences.

Iris thought I was her cousin, but if she ever found out I was actually Vikamon, the very person she had exiled herself...

‘I might be dead on the spot.’

Every time Iris acted this way, I felt like I was walking on thin ice.

But refusing the princess's orders wasn’t an option.

Doing so might cost me my head in a different way.

‘More than anything…’

I genuinely wanted Iris to sleep peacefully.

She was destined to host the soul of the evil Demon Sovereign.

The fewer nightmares she had, the better chance there was of preventing possession.

‘Ending Iris’s nightmares happens in Act 6.’

Until then, I had to ensure she didn’t succumb entirely to her nightmares.

‘One of the bad endings, the Nightmare Ending.’

In this ending, if Iris fell to her nightmares before Act 6, the world would be swallowed by the Demon Sovereign’s nightmare and meet its end.

To prevent this, I needed to carefully manage her nightmares.

‘In the game, I could see the nightmare percentage.’

But this wasn’t a game anymore.

Here, I couldn’t check the percentage visually.

‘I’ll just have to estimate it myself.’

Even now, Iris’s nightmares continued to progress.

I had to keep working to improve her sleep quality.

‘But this is only a temporary measure.’

Ultimately, it wasn’t a permanent solution.

Her nightmares couldn’t be stopped this way.

‘To truly resolve this…’

There was one person who could replace the Flame of Resolve.

I needed to bring them to Zerion Academy.

‘It’s a steep hill to climb.’

But it was a task I had to accomplish.

Silently, I steeled myself.

"Hannon, you’ve gotten warmer."

First, I needed to escape this situation.

* * *

The Aron Sea to the South.

Once an unexplored sea charted during the Age of Exploration by Aron, it’s now a place of mystery and strange marine creatures, with tales of heroes emerging from its depths.

On the Zerion Academy’s private Aron beachfront, Apilos Beach, students were enjoying their summer swims.

The beach was a magical place that revealed the true selves of many.

For young students, it was a setting filled with dreamy possibilities.

Particularly for teenagers at Apilos Beach, it was a place of youthful hopes and ambitions.

"Uh, hey! Wanna hang out with us?"

"Oh, um, I’m not sure..."

The beach buzzed with students expressing the innocent charm of their youth.

Meanwhile, I stood apart, acting as a porter watching over the luggage.

"Why am I so annoyed by this?"

On the sandy beach, watching students approach and flirt with each other irritated me for no reason.

As I frowned, I heard footsteps approaching.

"Why the scary face?"

I turned my head at the familiar voice to see peach-colored hair flowing in the breeze.

Suddenly, all the students’ eyes turned toward her.

Standing before me was a figure with striking beauty—a body shaped to perfection, clad in a peach-pink swimsuit adorned with cherry blossoms.

It was none other than Hania Rapidedia, the daughter of the Imperial Knight Commander.

I almost let out an exclamation without realizing it.

I’d seen Hania in a swimsuit in illustrations before.

But now that it was real, the impact was on a whole different level.

And apparently, the others around us felt the same.

The gazes flying in from behind were sharp.

The jealousy from the men was hotter than the sun by the sea.

“This attention feels unpleasant this time.”

“It’s inevitable.”

“I didn’t wear this for you to see, you know?”

“But since we’re a couple now, doesn’t that mean you wore it for me to see?”

“Should we break up?”

“Sure. Then I’ll go on a hunt too.”

I decided to leave my luggage and move.

“Where are you going?”

At that moment, another voice reached my ears.

A voice tinged with a subtle allure naturally drew my gaze.

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And then, my vision went dark.

“What are you trying to look at?”

It was because Hania had covered my eyes with her hand.

“Hania, my eyes have a duty to behold treasures.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll capture it all for you instead.”

“You two seem to get along really well.”

I could hear Iris chuckling softly.

I could sense Hania grinning at Iris, and I took the opportunity to poke her side.

“Eek!”

Hania flinched as I poked her bare skin and quickly withdrew her hand.

Finally, I found myself face-to-face with Iris.

She revealed long, slender legs beneath a black swimsuit.

However, she wore a long coat over it and even had a straw hat on.

My gaze cooled gradually.

Bang!

“Are you crazy? Where are you poking?!”

Then Hania smacked me, and I rolled onto the sandy beach, paying for my sins.

“I’m sensitive to sunlight.”

Iris’s skin was as white as snow.

It was only natural for her skin to be vulnerable to the sun.

‘I figured as much from the start.’

Given how much reality had changed, I thought today might be different.

“Come on, Iris, let’s leave this guy behind and enjoy ourselves.”

Hania pushed Iris towards the beach.

Watching them, I gathered my belongings and followed them.

‘I wonder who will show up in this side story.’

The beach event was a side episode in Act 3.

Depending on the impact Lucas had on the heroines, the visitors to the beach would vary.

This time, I couldn’t predict who would come to the beach.

And for good reason—Lucas, the protagonist, was dead.

“Really, after all the trouble we’ve been through, we deserve a break today!”

“But if I don’t train even a little, I can’t… that man…”

“That’s training addiction! Addiction!”

As I followed Hania and Iris, another familiar voice caught my ears.

As I raised my head, thinking no way,

I saw a figure with honey-blonde hair being pushed forward by a friend.

When I saw her, I blinked.

And as she turned to look at me, her eyes widened in shock.

“Y-you?”

Isabel Luna.

She was there, wearing a swimsuit in the same color as her hair.

Seeing her, I instinctively took in her swimsuit-clad figure.

Thanks to her recent intense training, her figure was even better than in the illustrations.

A short skirt barely covered her toned thighs.

Though she was curling up like a small animal, there was no hiding her impressive curves.

Isabel radiated a sense of “this is what it means to be a main heroine.”

“Y-you…”

Of course, she hadn’t expected to run into me, so her face was filled with embarrassment.

“Eek!”

Then, realizing she was exposed, she hastily wrapped her arms around herself.

As if that would cover her body.

If anything, her actions were more likely to draw attention from men.

“What are you staring at?”

At that moment, someone stepped in to shield Isabel from view.

It was Mina, her close friend and a fellow martial artist.

“Our Belle is very pretty, but still…”

“M-Mina!”

Isabel protested from behind, but Mina snorted and stood her ground confidently.

I glanced briefly at Mina before meeting Isabel’s eyes again.

She flinched and shyly hid behind Mina.

“I-it’s not like I’m skipping training to be here! Mina begged me to come!”

Listening to her frantic excuses, I put on a disinterested expression.

“Alright, have fun.”

People need to relax sometimes.

If this outing could refresh Isabel’s spirits, I was all for it.

“Ah.”

But for some reason, Isabel suddenly looked as though she were about to crumble.

Why was she reacting like this when I just told her to enjoy herself?

As I wondered, Isabel lowered her head.

Tap, tap—

Just as I was about to say something to her, someone tapped me on the back.

When I turned around, I felt something cold on my cheek.

It was Sharin, poking my cheek with an ice-cream-covered finger.

So, she was here too.

Dressed in a navy-blue swimsuit, her slender figure was mostly exposed,

though she wore a long skirt below her waist.

“Hiya, Hannon.”

“Why are you poking me with an ice-cream-covered finger?”

“Because it’s fun?”

“Only for you.”

“Really?”

Sharin pulled her finger back and licked the ice cream off it with a pop.

I couldn’t fathom her reasoning.

“Now my cheek is sticky because of you.”

“Want me to clean it up?”

Sharin parted her lips slightly, revealing her tongue.

“No, thanks.”

Asking her to clean it would undoubtedly lead to something outrageous.

“What a waste of ice cream.”

Then she shouldn’t have poked me in the first place.

As I wiped my cheek, Mina and Isabel gave me peculiar looks.

“...You really are close with Sharin, huh?”

Mina stared at me in disbelief.

I hadn’t exactly left a good impression on her.

From her perspective, I wasn’t someone she liked much.

So it must’ve been surprising for her to see me getting along with Isabel’s best friend, Sharin.

“Sharin’s never acted that way towards any guy before.”

Mina looked at Sharin, who was still savoring her ice cream.

Her expression was hard to read, as always.

As Mina tilted her head in confusion, Isabel opened her mouth to speak.

“Sharin and you, too…”

“What are you doing, Hannon?”

Isabel’s words were cut off by the sudden arrival of Hania.

Her appearance made everyone freeze.

No wonder—all three of them knew that Hania was my girlfriend.

“Goodness, Iris is waiting for you, you know.”

Hania naturally took my hand in hers.

The gesture made me momentarily wonder if I really was her boyfriend.

But her sharp gaze quickly scanned the three of them.

This was a calculated move to leave a stronger impression.

What a strategist.

But at that moment, for some reason,

despite the summer heat, a sudden chill ran down my spine.

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