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Chapter 66: The Real Hannon Appears

On a summer vacation beach path,

I was sprinting alongside a boy—

A boy who looked exactly like me.

“Seeing you up close, it’s incredible. You really look just like me.”

The real Hannon smiled at me, amazed.

“I’ve heard all kinds of rumors about myself. They call me Lightning Bastard, don’t they?”

I froze for a moment.

Well, that was... awkward.

After all, I had ruined his reputation to some extent.

“Pfft, don’t worry about it. I honestly don’t care what people call me. In fact, it’s been entertaining seeing people get emotionally invested in your exploits. That’s why...”

Hannon’s crimson eyes stared straight into mine.

“I’m dying to know who you really are.”

With that, Hannon began to pick up speed.

Realizing his intent, I narrowed my eyes sharply.

I reached out, trying to grab him.

But Hannon, with his absurdly agile body, easily dodged my grasp.

Damn it, this guy’s dodge skill is maxed out!

Hannon’s unique trait is [Evasion].

He can dodge even magical attacks with his insane reflexes.

Even I can't catch him easily if he sets his mind to it.

“So, I’ll just find out for myself! For today, I’m going to live your life!”

“Wait—”

Before I could finish, Hannon dashed into a group of children training in the morning.

Chasing him into that crowd would only complicate things.

“Damn it.”

Left with no choice, I turned away and headed into the bushes.

I unwrapped the Veil Bandages.

My original face was revealed.

Wrapping the bandages back, my face quickly changed.

Soon, I transformed into someone who could blend in anywhere in this world.

This was the face from my original world.

With this look, I wouldn’t cause any trouble no matter who saw me.

I quickly donned the uniform of a beach worker and sprinted off.

While I was changing the bandages, Hannon had disappeared in the blink of an eye.

He hadn’t invested in agility for nothing.

The guy was lightning fast.

‘Hannon’s definitely going to figure out what I’ve been up to.’

Since he said he wanted to live my life for a day,

he would undoubtedly seek out the people I’ve been involved with.

In Aron Sea, I’m closely tied to four individuals:

Isabel, Sharin, Hania, and Iris.

‘It won’t be Iris.’

Hannon isn’t careless enough to do something reckless.

Approaching Iris would be unpredictable and potentially dangerous.

Besides, Hannon harbors a subtle fear of Iris.

‘Then it won’t be Hania either.’

Hania stays by Iris’s side all day.

Naturally, she’s out of the question.

‘That leaves…’

Isabel and Sharin.

My steps quickly carried me toward the rooms where they were staying.

I arrived at their door, taking a light breath.

Hannon was nowhere to be seen nearby.

In fact, the area was eerily quiet.

That made it all the more unsettling.

Like the calm before a storm.

Tense, I raised my hand.

Knock knock.

I knocked twice.

“Yes?”

A familiar voice answered from inside, followed by the sound of footsteps.

The door creaked open, revealing someone I knew.

It was Mina, Isabel’s friend.

She tilted her head as she saw me in the staff uniform.

“What’s the matter?”

Hannon wasn’t inside.

If he were, Mina wouldn’t be this calm.

“There’s a message for Sharin Sazaris. It’s from the Blue Tower.”

“The Blue Tower?”

Mina’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Wait a moment.”

She dashed inside, and I heard her wake someone up.

“Rin, Sharin! There’s a message from the Blue Tower! Get up!”

“Ughhh...”

Sharin, who wasn’t a morning person, was dragged out by Mina.

Still groggy, she stared blankly at me.

Judging by her face, she didn’t seem hungover.

Then again, she’d thrown up everything last night, so that was expected.

After staring at me for a while, Sharin tilted her head.

“...Huh?”

Through her Mirinae ability, she could see through the Veil Bandages.

She wouldn’t be able to see my actual face,

but she’d know it was me.

And Sharin, being sharp, would realize something had happened.

After looking at me briefly, she rubbed her eyes and turned back inside.

“Wait a sec.”

She must’ve gone to change her clothes.

With her help, even Hannon with his maxed-out dodge skill wouldn’t stand a chance.

“Sharin, don’t fall asleep while changing!”

...Right?

＊＊＊

Thanks to Mina’s assistance, Sharin eventually came out in fresh clothes, looking drowsy.

“So, is that your real face?”

It was my real face, but...

“Fake.”

In this world, I was Vikamon.

So, it was a fake face.

Sharin gazed at me with a hint of disappointment, then leaned her head against the wall.

She still looked half-asleep.

“So, what brings you here so early in the morning?”

She asked with a lazy smile.

“Real Hannon Irey has shown up.”

Sharin’s gaze sharpened slightly.

She knew I had a reason for taking on this disguise.

“So, what now?”

“I don’t know. That’s why I need to catch him.”

I have no idea what Hannon is planning to do.

So we need to catch him first.

“Is Isabel not inside?”

“Belle’s diligent; she’s probably off training.”

“Then it’s certain Hannon headed in Isabel’s direction.”

I let out a sigh and turned around.

There aren’t many places suitable for training around Aronae.

If we search, we’ll find her.

“Sharin, help me catch Hannon.”

Sharin stepped closer to me as I spoke, grabbed my collar firmly, and grinned.

“Caught youuu.”

I wanted to flick her forehead, but she was a little too cute, so I let it slide.

“As long as we catch him, right?”

“You can scold him while you’re at it.”

“That sounds fun.”

Sharin’s eyes gleamed with interest.

That guaranteed Hannon would be caught.

Wait for it, Hannon.

The fake Hannon is coming for you.

＊＊＊

On a seaside path a little ways from Aron beach.

A woman walked along a trail connected to a nearby beach park.

The wind blew, sending her honey-blonde hair fluttering.

Her name was Isabel Luna.

A student of Zerion Academy.

After finishing her morning run,

she often strolled along the coastal paths like this.

Her gaze wandered over the crashing waves.

The salty scent of the sea wasn’t particularly pleasant to her,

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but it gave off a summery feeling, so she didn’t mind.

However, that didn’t change the fact that Isabel’s emotions were heavy.

Ever since experiencing Lucas’s death,

she often felt this way when left alone.

Still, she had improved over time.

In the beginning, her mood sank so low that she felt utterly drained.

It was like sinking to the ocean floor with a massive weight tied to her,

unable to escape,

barely able to breathe through the suffocating heaviness.

That dreadful sensation had lessened considerably now.

She felt like she could at least lift her head above water.

‘...Am I forgetting Lucas?’

They say time heals all wounds.

Isabel could never truly understand that saying,

but recently, she found it wasn’t entirely false.

Lucas had been her most precious friend.

As fellow border nobles, they had grown up together,

and she had always thought they would remain that way.

‘Lucas was…’

To Isabel, he was more than a friend; he was family.

There had been a pivotal moment when Lucas became like family to her.

In her childhood, Isabel had an older brother,

a year her senior,

mischievous but always looking out for her.

But one day, misfortune struck when her brother was involved in a carriage accident.

Though he survived initially, his injuries weakened him over time,

and he eventually passed away.

Her mother, devastated by the loss of her eldest son,

cried daily.

Her father, consumed with comforting her mother,

couldn’t spare much attention for Isabel.

Amid their sorrow, neither parent had the presence of mind to care for Isabel’s grief.

At that time, it was Lucas who looked after her.

‘I must have relied on Lucas to cope with the shock of losing my brother.’

And in losing Lucas, she had paid another price for that reliance.

Unlike her childhood, Isabel was too grown-up now.

She could no longer lean on others.

‘No.’

She wasn’t unable to lean on others.

She was afraid to.

After losing those she had depended on,

she lacked the courage to rely on anyone else.

So Isabel crumbled,

walking a path toward death alongside her brother and Lucas.

‘Yet…’

Her gaze returned to the ocean.

It’s said that those who have decided to end their lives see the world devoid of color.

No matter what they look at, everything appears gray,

and they can’t perceive the beauty of the world.

But the sea Isabel saw glimmered with an emerald glow,

its beauty striking.

It was as if the ocean spoke to her.

Live.

“…”

Who was it that allowed her to remain here now?

Isabel stared blankly at the ocean.

She didn’t even need to wonder.

A single person’s face already filled her mind.

‘As long as she’s this fired up, you won’t think about dying.’

She recalled what Hannon had said that day,

arguing with her friends.

「Isn’t what you’re doing now the most disgraceful thing you could do to your friend?」

She remembered the day on the ramparts

when Hannon corrected her misguided path.

「Well, I suppose we’ll have to see whose argument holds up in the end.」

Those words sounded as if he were promising to stay by her side, no matter what.

「And I’m not interested in dating anyone, anyway.」

Last night.

His rambling in a drunken state replayed in her mind.

And in the process, she had inadvertently exposed parts of her own heart.

It was embarrassing, even if she’d been tipsy.

But.

Because of it, she realized.

‘...I thought I couldn’t rely on anyone anymore.’

Yet here she was,

repeating the same pattern.

Her heart ached, as if crushed under a weight.

It was unmistakably fear.

A fear that had burrowed deep after losing two cherished people.

A fear of losing again.

She knew this reliance was dangerous,

but she had no idea how to let it go.

“Lucas.”

She murmured his name softly.

“Am I broken?”

On the day her brother died,

maybe she had lost a vital piece of herself.

At that moment.

“Isabel.”

A familiar voice reached her ears.

Her eyes widened at once.

The weight of fear vanished,

and her face brightened without her even realizing.

The shift in her emotions was so rapid it caught her off guard.

“You…”

Just as she was about to call out to him as usual,

she froze.

Standing there was a boy with jet-black hair and crimson eyes.

His face was undeniably familiar.

But Isabel’s bright gaze turned cold in an instant.

“Who are you?”

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