Page 70

w

Chapter 69: Are You a Reincarnation?

“Thank you.”

“Alright, get home safely.”

After escorting Isabel, who seemed a bit down, back to her room,

I made my way to where Sharin had taken Hannon.

It was an empty room at the inn.

Whether she rented it or snuck in, I wasn’t sure,

but I decided not to dwell on it.

“You flirt. You leave me to do the work and go off to play with another woman!”

Sharin greeted me with an exaggerated complaint.

“Isabel and me?”

“I’ve always wanted to say that once in my life.”

Glad I could grant her wish.

Ignoring her for now, I looked down at the unconscious Hannon.

“Hannon, you’re awake.”

“Oh, caught me?”

Hannon suddenly sprang to his feet.

Knowing how quickly he recovers, I figured he’d wake up soon.

“I didn’t expect things to escalate this much. I’m sorry.”

I had no intention of subduing him with ancient dragon magic.

When I offered him a sincere apology, Hannon scratched his head.

“Like I said before, I don’t really care what you do with my identity.”

He smiled cheerfully, sitting cross-legged on the floor.

“What I was curious about was your identity. But it turns out I got to see something even more interesting.”

Hannon glanced at Sharin, who was beside him.

“That just now… that was ancient dragon magic, wasn’t it?”

Since it had already been exposed, there was no point in denying it.

Hannon interpreted our silence as confirmation.

Whether he found dragon magic fascinating or not,

I decided to drop the subject and turned to Sharin.

Sharin shrugged and left the room, giving us privacy for the conversation.

I made a mental note to treat her to an extra ice cream later and sat down across from Hannon.

Hannon didn’t try to run away this time.

He must have had enough of being frozen mid-escape.

“Hannon, as I said before, I can be of great help to you.”

I understood why he didn’t trust me.

I had used his identity without his permission.

For that, I owed him countless apologies.

But that was precisely why I needed his cooperation even more—

so that he could understand my actions.

“Let me give you one reason why you can trust me.”

I hadn’t planned to reveal this, but

it seemed like the only way to convince him.

“The Duke of Robliage has allied with Demon Sovereign.”

This was information even the First Prince didn’t know yet.

If he did, everything would have been overturned by now.

However, one person did know.

The person in front of me—Hannon.

Hannon’s eyes opened wider than I’d seen all day,

staring at me in shock.

Hannon couldn’t reveal to anyone that the Duke of Robliage had allied with Demon Sovereign.

A restriction bound him, making it impossible for him to act on that knowledge.

So, I had said it for him.

“Of course, there isn’t solid evidence to make it public yet. And I assume the same goes for you.”

The Duke of Robliage was more meticulous than expected,

leaving no evidence that could harm him.

So, only Hannon and I knew about this.

“That’s why I came to Zerion Academy in your guise.”

This was information no one else knew.

When I shared it directly, Hannon stared at me, dumbfounded.

It was only natural for him to be shocked.

Hannon stayed silent for a long time,

and then, as if he had gathered his thoughts, he spoke.

“I’m into exploring ruins, you know.”

Hannon had a passion for legends and exploring ruins,

and his wanderlust stemmed from this interest.

“...Just a hunch, but…”

Hannon began shifting his posture restlessly, a habit that surfaced when he was deeply intrigued.

“You suddenly showed up at Zerion Academy. You can change your appearance freely. You’re close to the Blue Tower Master’s daughter.”

His eyes gleamed with even greater intensity.

From the fragments of information he had, he began forming a hypothesis.

“And finally, ancient dragon magic. Because of that, I can’t stop thinking about this one prophecy.”

Hannon clenched his fists and waved his arms excitedly,

like a child watching a superhero show on TV.

“The prophecy of the reincarnation of heroes. It’s an incredibly ancient one.”

And it was a prophecy I knew as well.

“One of those heroes, Zerion, was said to wield ancient dragon magic.”

Zerion was the founder of Zerion Academy and a pinnacle of magic.

In the past, he was one of the six great heroes under the legendary hero Wolfram.

The Sage of Transcendence, Zerion.

Hannon had brought him up.

There are several prophecies and legends in this world.

When the world faces crisis someday,

the reincarnations of heroes will rise again to protect it.

This was a promise made directly by the goddess who commemorated their deeds.

Although it was an old prophecy that few took seriously anymore,

rumors had been circulating in archaeological circles recently that the reincarnation of heroes was near.

Hannon, being well-versed in archaeology, naturally knew about it.

And in reality—

‘Zerion has been reincarnated.’

But no one other than me knew that.

Even the person themselves didn’t know they were Zerion’s reincarnation.

Moreover, that person wasn’t at Zerion Academy yet.

To be precise, they were set to enroll at Zerion Academy next year.

‘The problem is…’

I was now being suspected as that reincarnation.

Hannon probably thought I used ancient dragon magic intentionally to capture him.

‘‘Used’ my foot.’

The dragon’s remnants reacted to mystic energy and went wild on their own.

It seemed Hannon, having passed out, hadn’t seen Sharin subdue the rampage.

‘This misunderstanding is spiraling in a strange direction.’

My gaze met Hannon’s sparkling eyes.

‘One of Hannon’s quirks is linking situations to legends.’

Having been exposed to so many legends,

he tended to associate real events with them whenever they seemed similar.

And he could be quite stubborn about it.

"That's a ridiculous misunderstanding."

I hurried to correct Hannon’s misunderstanding.

w

However, Hannon's excitement showed no sign of subsiding.

"Really? I don’t think so."

Hannon’s stubbornness suddenly pushed forward.

"Even heroes would have crossed the River of Oblivion to reincarnate. They might not remember it themselves."

Hannon, who loved legends, was already an unstoppable runaway train.

"So, it’s possible you don’t realize you’re the reincarnation of Zerion. But your behavioral patterns clearly stem from Zerion’s reincarnation."

"I just happened to find out that Duke Robliage colluded with Demon Sovereign and decided to stop it."

"Hah, ‘happened to’?"

Hannon’s eyes curved into crescent shapes.

"Do you really think something even the emperor doesn’t know can be dismissed as coincidence? You said it yourself—there’s no evidence."

The question of how I knew without any evidence.

I couldn’t answer that question.

And for good reason—my knowledge of Zerion came from playing Flame Butterfly.

"You know, divine revelations are said to be engraved on someone without their awareness."

Hannon grinned broadly.

"It’s a kind of destiny."

Destiny.

Hannon mentioned that colossal flow.

"When the goddess determines that the flow of the world is in danger, she implants a revelation into someone she chooses. As creations of the goddess, we can’t perceive it."

At that moment, my body froze for the first time.

Implanting a revelation into a chosen one.

It was a vague thought, but…

I, too, found myself in a similar situation.

‘I was suddenly possessed by Vikamon’s body.’

What if… this was the goddess’s will?

The moment that thought crossed my mind, my head grew cluttered.

And Hannon read my reaction.

It was my mistake for failing to manage my expression.

"Right? There’s something familiar in the fragments of your memory, isn’t there?"

"Hannon, that’s just…"

"It’s fine. You don’t need to explain!"

Hannon’s eyes already showed no intention of listening to any excuse I might make.

"You know, I want to bring down Duke Robliage, just as you said."

A deep grudge flickered in Hannon’s eyes.

"So, I’ll do anything to achieve that."

Hannon's obsession with legends and relics was also thanks to Duke Robliage.

There were old records stating that heroes had driven Demon Sovereign into the Demon Palace.

Using that, Hannon had been digging for information.

And now, before Hannon, stood one of the heroes who had sealed Demon Sovereign and prevented the Great War—Zerion’s reincarnation.

Of course, this was merely Hannon’s wild speculation.

‘Someone who could resolve all of his grudges and trauma at once.’

Perhaps Hannon just wanted to believe I was Zerion.

Living a life chasing relics and legends to vent his grudge must have been exhausting.

Seeing an opportunity to escape that pain, he probably wanted to grab even a rotting rope.

"Hannon."

It’s a misunderstanding that I’m Zerion’s reincarnation.

But one thing is certain.

"I also want to eliminate Duke Robliage."

Duke Robliage is someone who must be defeated to prevent the bad ending.

The final villain.

To bring him down, I, too, would do anything.

I extended my hand to Hannon.

"So, how about we help each other until then?"

Hannon stared at my hand for a moment, then smiled brightly and shook it firmly.

"This is so classic! It feels like being asked to join a hero’s party!"

…Is he really doing this because of his grudge?

I couldn’t shake the unease that he was just a legend geek losing his head and helping recklessly.

"For now, you don’t want your identity revealed, right?"

At least he seemed to be thinking rationally.

"That’s right. I still have a lot to do."

"Then I’ll handle things on the First Prince’s side. It won’t be a problem for me to act."

"And no saying things like I’m Zerion’s reincarnation?"

If he did that, who knows what absurd misunderstandings might pile up.

Hannon stayed silent, staring at me.

As I tensed my gaze, Hannon smiled mischievously, as if joking.

"Knowing a secret really does make your lips itch."

He’s someone who unnerves people with ease.

I just hoped the main story wouldn’t be too derailed.

"Well, I’m done here, so I’ll get going!"

I had no reason to hold Hannon any longer.

As I was about to let him go, I suddenly remembered something I hadn’t asked.

"Hannon."

"Yeah?"

"…How’s Nikita doing?"

Hannon was with the First Prince’s faction.

He must have heard something about Nikita by the time he sought me out.

"Nikita Cynthia is dead."

Hannon added what everyone knew.

"So, she must be learning new talents in the heavens, studying magic with her brother and assisting in his magical research."

Hearing that, I unknowingly smiled.

That was enough.

I gazed out the window.

The summer sky was truly blue.

I hoped Nikita would soar high, fully embracing the talents she couldn’t achieve in life.

I wished for her future to be filled with happiness.

w