Page 69

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Chapter 68: Above the Frozen Ancient Dragon

Near the forest by the Aaron Promenade coastline.

I barely managed to corner Hannon using Sharin.

This max-level escape artist wouldn’t have been caught any other way.

‘From his perspective, I must seem like the unreasonable one here.’

I had stolen his identity and run wild at Zerion Academy.

To Hannon, I was the person who tarnished his reputation.

I felt sorry for Hannon.

But that didn’t change the fact that letting him rampage like this was a problem.

I had to live as Hannon until I graduated from Zerion Academy.

So, if possible, I wanted to come to some sort of agreement with him.

“Is that your real face?”

“No, it’s fake.”

Hannon, pinned beneath me, laughed slyly and asked me the same question Sharin had.

My face was currently the face of someone who didn’t exist in this world—

A fake.

“That’s a shame.”

Hannon didn’t seem to care at all that I had been using his identity without permission.

He looked like someone who had already abandoned worldly concerns and dedicated his life to chasing ruins and legends across the globe.

“I apologize for using your identity without permission. But your goals and mine aren’t all that different.”

I sighed while keeping him pinned.

“So, let’s talk.”

“In this position?”

Hannon flailed his arms in protest at being restrained.

“Sorry, but you’d just run away otherwise.”

“Wow, sharp observation.”

He was even more unpredictable than me.

“I don’t think I can catch you again. I know no one can stop you if you run at full strength.”

I pulled at the Veil Bandages wrapped around me, revealing my true appearance—Hannon’s face.

Having captured the real Hannon, there was no longer any need to maintain a different form.

Hannon stared at me with a curious expression.

“Sent by the First Prince, I take it?”

At my question, Hannon gave a faint, crooked smile.

“Funny. Since I’m a relative of Lady Iris, wouldn’t it make more sense to assume I was sent by the faction of the Third Princess?”

“You’re not affiliated with the Duchy of Robliage, so why would they have a reason to send you?”

Hannon’s surname, Irey, belonged to a minor noble family in a remote region.

Though he was of Robliage lineage, he had no actual connection to the duchy.

Hannon was primarily used as a spy by the First Prince.

As such, he was a man of many secrets.

But who am I?

I’ve cleared the Flame Butterfly Arc 29 times.

Even if Hannon is a hidden character,

I know everything there is to know about him.

“On the contrary—”

I also know exactly what would provoke a reaction from Hannon.

“You resent the Duke of Robliage, don’t you?”

For the first time, Hannon’s face changed, breaking its usual relaxed expression.

The man who had been nonchalantly struggling stilled and stared at me.

“Who… are you, really?”

Now it was Hannon who was questioning me.

The situation had flipped in an instant.

Hannon now had to probe into my identity.

“I am—”

Here was my chance to take the lead.

Hannon was my Achilles’ heel.

If he ran off now and revealed my true identity, my position would be in serious jeopardy.

At worst, I’d be expelled from the academy and imprisoned for impersonation.

If that happened, it wouldn’t just be the end of me—

It’d spell the end of this world as well.

After immense effort, I had finally set this world on the correct path.

The faction of the First Prince and the faction of the Third Princess were now fully at odds.

Despite the messy process, the storyline was advancing in the right direction.

Hannon’s past and the incidents he’s been through remain unchanged.

“I can be your ally or your enemy, depending on how you approach this.”

To Hannon, I was an unknown entity who had copied his appearance.

He must have many questions about me.

‘Right now, the character with the most secrets isn’t Hannon—It’s me.’

The more doubt that grew in Hannon’s mind, the more control I could seize.

“Hannon, you want revenge on the Duke of Robliage, don’t you?”

The only reason he aligned himself with the First Prince’s faction was his grudge against the duke.

For that reason, he also loathed the duke’s granddaughter, Lady Iris.

‘Hannon is not only a character who unravels the story of how the Duke of Robliage allied with the Demon Sovereign— He’s also a key factor in making the game’s overall difficulty skyrocket.’

Hannon’s appearance alone complicates clearing episodes.

Thus, I couldn’t allow the real Hannon to fully step into the main storyline.

“I’ll help you get your revenge. If you assist me, I can guarantee a better chance of revenge than the First Prince could offer.”

Hannon stared at me, suspicion and disbelief written all over his face.

“…The Duke of Robliage isn’t someone you can deal with easily. No individual can bring him down.”

“Exactly. That’s why you joined the First Prince’s side.”

Knowing he couldn’t take down the duke alone, Hannon allied with the strongest individual power he could find.

But the First Prince wasn’t the only one who could be that ally.

“You don’t fully trust the First Prince either, do you? Why not open up another possible path for yourself, just in case?”

I could also help Hannon achieve his deepest desire.

Even if he was skeptical now, I could prove it.

“Interesting.”

At that moment, a chuckle escaped Hannon’s lips.

After laughing, he looked at me directly.

“You’re right. The First Prince ordered me to uncover your identity.”

I had saved Nia and Nikita, who were close to the First Prince.

Nikita knew my secret.

But given her personality, she wouldn’t have shared it with anyone, even Nia.

‘To the First Prince, who already knows Hannon, I must seem like a complete enigma.’

The First Prince was someone who valued control.

He wouldn’t have appreciated the appearance of an unexpected wild card.

‘Even though I saved Nia, he wouldn’t have been able to simply eliminate me.’

So he sent Hannon after me.

He'd expose me through Hannon if I didn’t clarify who I was.

It was a warning, loaded with menace.

“But talking to you, I realize you’re even more ridiculous than I expected.”

Hannon tilted his head and gave me a faint, mischievous smile.

“Still, I’m not the type to trust people easily.”

So even this wasn’t enough to convince him.

“Then, I’ll end my business here. See you.”

At that moment, Hannon’s body began to dissipate.

He used one of the tools he had collected during his expeditions.

Hannon’s signature artifact—Wind of Concealment.

A magical tool that allowed him to escape to any location instantly.

The reason Hannon had remained so calm was because he had this at his disposal.

I anticipated this move and prepared to react—

Boom!

Suddenly, a sharp pain erupted in my right eye.

I realized what was happening and clutched my eye, but it was too late.

Whoooosh!

A chilling blast of frost erupted from me, spreading rapidly through the forest.

Bushes froze, and trees were encased in ice.

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The real problem was Hannon beneath me.

“Wha—?”

Hannon’s lips trembled as he froze solid.

The remnants of the ancient dragon within me had suddenly lashed out.

‘Did it react to the magic?’

As I tried to summon the flames to suppress it, Sharin landed in front of me.

She had been observing from above and decided to intervene.

“Naughty children—”

Sharin pulled out her staff and spun it deftly.

“Need to be disciplined.”

Her eyes glimmered with the light of the Milky Way, and a beam of light shot from the tip of her staff.

The ancient dragon curse within me flinched and retreated, startled by the attack.

The chilling aura of the curse that had been shaking the surroundings dissipated.

The icy scales that had formed partially on my face cracked and disappeared.

"It seems to be responding to the mystic energy."

Sharin appeared to think the reason for the reaction from the remnants of the ancient dragon was the same as mine.

But the real issue was Hannon, lying underneath me.

He had taken the full brunt of the dragon's cold and was frozen solid, unconscious.

He's not someone who usually messes up like this.

I was sorry.

…Why do I keep ending up apologizing to Hannon?

Even having a proper conversation with him isn't easy.

"Sharin, could you take him somewhere warm?"

"Sure, I'll do that."

Sharin erased the traces left by the dragon's remnants and levitated the unconscious Hannon.

"Hannon, I want some ice cream."

This must be her way of demanding payment for her effort.

"I'll buy you two."

"Three."

"You'll get a stomachache at this rate."

"One is for Hannon."

Fine, I'll get you four.

"I'll head out first, then."

Sharin waved her hand lazily and floated into the air.

Just as I was about to follow her out of the forest, I felt the presence of someone beyond it.

At the same time, I reacted instantly to a killing intent directed at me, pulling my body back.

Whoosh!

A sword swung past me in that instant.

Golden honey-blonde hair fluttered in the air.

The person before me was none other than Isabel.

She immediately pulled her foot back, preparing to continue her attack.

I frowned at Isabel as she pressed forward.

"Isabel, what are you doing?"

"Huh?"

Isabel stopped mid-swing, startled, her eyes wide.

She hastily tried to retract her blade but stumbled in the process.

"Ah!"

She twisted her ankle, her body tilting forward.

At this rate, she'd fall face-first onto the ground.

I quickly reached out and caught her in my arms.

Thud!

I managed to brace myself on both feet, exhaling deeply.

Looking down at Isabel with a dissatisfied expression, I asked:

"Were you trying to ambush me now?"

Isabel flinched in my arms.

"N-No! It’s not like that! Someone who looked like you appeared, so... I mean..."

Hannon, that guy—he must have gone to see Isabel.

I didn’t know what he had said, but it clearly had riled her up.

'If he left any clues about me, this could get troublesome.'

The last thing I needed was Isabel suspecting my true identity.

She was already in a complicated state lately, and shaking her up further wouldn't help.

"What kind of nonsense is that? Are you sure you weren't imagining things?"

For now, I decided to feign ignorance.

"Imagining? No, I swear it was real!"

Isabel protested, her face flushed with indignation, clearly upset that I didn’t believe her.

"I tracked their traces all the way here, only to find you instead."

"So how long do you plan to stay like this?"

When Isabel showed a hint of sulking, I shrugged the shoulders that were holding her.

Startled, Isabel lifted her head abruptly and quickly got to her feet, her face bright red all the way to her ears.

"Th-Thank you for catching me, but—urk!"

She winced, likely feeling pain from her ankle.

It was the price for twisting her body too much while swinging her sword.

Isabel sat down, clutching her ankle.

I sighed as I watched her.

As much as I felt bad for Sharin, I couldn't leave Isabel like this.

"Get on my back."

"I-I'm fine! I can walk."

"What if you worsen the injury? You're supposed to be in the Martial Arts department, aren't you?"

It seemed to be a mild sprain, but pushing herself wasn’t a good idea.

"Would you leave me behind if I sprained my ankle?"

"...Of course, I'd help you or carry you on my back."

When I pointed out that she’d do the same for me, Isabel relented.

She was surprisingly light.

For someone who trained daily and built her strength, her weightlessness was surprising.

I caught the faint scent of citrus from her, and I couldn't help but notice—unintentionally—how well-proportioned she was.

I forced myself to shake off those thoughts and started walking.

Isabel remained silent after getting on my back.

Since she was behind me, I couldn't see her face to guess what she was thinking.

"...Why did you enroll in Zerion Academy?"

Out of nowhere, Isabel broke the silence with a question.

It was an unusually random question, and I wondered if something had shifted in her mood.

Though slightly concerned, I answered honestly.

"Didn’t I say on my first day? To clear Zerion Academy of its disgrace."

I reminded her of the time I openly criticized Lucas.

But unlike before, Isabel remained uncharacteristically quiet.

"…So, you came because of Lucas?"

Her next words took a different direction.

"That’s part of it, I suppose."

I had no idea what was going through her mind, but I answered to avoid suspicion.

"I see…"

Isabel said nothing more and rested her head against my shoulder.

The summer breeze swept past us both.

What kind of resolution Isabel reached in that moment, I couldn’t tell.

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