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Chapter 70: After the Vacation, the Heroines Are Acting Strange

The road back to Zerion Academy in a carriage.

Iris tilted her head as she looked at me.

Her long black hair flowed down with the movement.

"Hannon, you look more tired than before the vacation."

"Do I?"

Last night was about Isabel, and this morning was about Hannon.

Maybe that’s why the fatigue had unknowingly piled up.

"Come here and rest your head."

Iris patted her lap, offering me a spot on the carriage seat.

I've felt this before, but Iris completely treats me like a younger brother.

'Well, it makes sense.'

Iris was the youngest in the royal family.

It seemed like she always wished she had a younger sibling.

'It’s like she’s doing all the things she wanted to do for a younger sibling to me.'

In moments like these, Iris was unmistakably a 17-year-old girl.

The problem was, no matter how much I wanted to follow her wishes...

"What are you doing? Lady Iris told you to lie down, didn’t she?"

The sharp gaze of Hania, sitting nearby, was scary.

But ignoring Iris's words wasn’t an option either.

In the end, I rested my head on Iris’s thigh.

The soft sensation of her thigh pressed against my head.

I wondered if this was really okay.

But Iris gently stroked my hair.

'It feels nice, so...'

I decided to stay like that.

And soon, I fell asleep.

I began to think that Iris's thighs might hold some kind of magical power.

If her thighs were distributed nationwide, insomnia would cease to exist.

With those thoughts, I opened the dormitory door after the long journey, feeling like it had been ages since I’d been here.

Entering the dorm, I stretched out my arms.

"Alright."

After tossing my luggage aside, I turned around.

The summer vacation still had about eight days left.

During these eight days, I planned to prepare for Act 4.

The first thing I had to do was:

‘The President Who Grants Any Wish Once.’

I needed to meet the event's conditions.

Finding the secret the President wanted to keep hidden.

It was time to begin.

* * *

During Summer Vacation

Vacations pass in the blink of an eye.

The students, returning from their break, looked utterly exhausted but managed to arrive back safely.

The thought of enduring the long academy life again made everyone wear a tired expression already.

Among them, there was one person who looked particularly worn out compared to the others.

‘Ugh, this is brutal.’

With tanned skin, golden hair, and a large, masculine build,

his name was Card Velique, the infamous womanizer of Zerion Academy.

Most notable women at the academy had, at one point or another, been hit on by him.

Card’s notoriety spread throughout the academy like wildfire.

And yet, women often confessed their feelings to him—he was a natural rascal.

However, the reality was quite different.

Card was actually a member of the Shadow Knight Order of the neighboring kingdom, Panisys.

He was a spy who had infiltrated Zerion Academy under the guise of being a citizen of the empire.

Card had two missions:

First, observe the potential talents of the Hysirion Empire and report back.

Second, scout talents for the Panisys Kingdom.

‘Why would someone thriving in the empire want to be scouted, though?’

Still, as a spy, he diligently carried out his duties.

One of his methods was to charm the daughters of the empire’s key officials.

Unintentionally, these young women, who lacked maturity, often let slip critical information that their parents had mentioned.

Thus, Card roamed from one girl to another, gathering valuable intelligence about the empire.

However, he never officially dated anyone, which led to scorned women badmouthing him.

Card understood human psychology well.

The belief that “he’s different with me” often led women to fall for him, even if they initially ignored him.

Moreover, he had a knack for picking the perfect targets.

Card possessed a natural talent for reading people.

The issue was that, while conducting his espionage, he also had to maintain decent grades at Zerion Academy.

This made life doubly exhausting for Card.

Even during the summer vacation, instead of resting,

he monitored the empire’s movements and made a trip back to Panisys Kingdom.

As a result, Card was completely drained.

‘Just kill me already.’

As he thought that, he raised his head to see students chattering in the dormitory hallway.

They were enthusiastically sharing what they’d done over the break.

Watching their carefree demeanor, Card let out a wry smile.

While others his age enjoyed their vacation and lived happy lives,

he hadn’t even been home, spending the entire time working instead.

Life was indeed unfair.

‘That girl that guy likes…’

Card briefly felt a twinge of mischief, but he quickly shook the thought away.

He didn’t mess with women who were already taken.

Doing so could get him stabbed at the academy.

"Did you hear? They say there’s a ghost in the dormitory."

"Come on, there’s no such thing."

"I’m serious! They said it appeared by the pool at night."

Listening to their trivial chatter, Card walked past them.

Squeak—

Card opened the door to his dorm room.

He thought he should rest a bit before tomorrow came.

Just as he was thinking that, he noticed an unexpected guest in his room.

Hannon Irey.

The one person whose thoughts Card, skilled at reading people, could never figure out.

The problem was that Hannon currently looked utterly exhausted, his shadow stretching long across the floor.

Moreover, his entire outfit was covered in dust.

"Hannon?"

"Oh, Card."

Hannon casually tossed aside his dusty clothes and pulled out a clean set.

Around his neck hung a pendant Card had never seen before.

The small, sword-shaped pendant looked quite expensive.

From Card’s perspective, Hannon was someone who never seemed to rest.

What on earth kept him so busy?

Even at the academy, he was always running around, and after classes, he would still be hustling.

He would study late into the night in the dormitory before finally going to bed.

Even Card, who had a packed schedule, found Hannon’s routine to be outright insane.

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And now, during the vacation period, Hannon didn’t look like he’d rested at all.

“Hannon, what did you do during your vacation to end up looking like that?”

At Card’s question, Hannon turned to look at him.

Hannon’s gaze often seemed as though it could pierce straight through Card.

Even though the skill of seeing through people was Card’s specialty.

Whenever Hannon’s eyes felt like they were unraveling him completely, Card couldn’t help but feel strange.

“Just... busy with things. You seem to be the same, though.”

This guy… could he actually be a spy for some group?

Card entertained the thought briefly and laughed.

“Yeah. I guess we’re both in the same boat.”

“Exactly.”

Hannon wasn’t the type to dig too deeply into things.

Because of that, Card didn’t even need to use the excuse he had prepared about what he’d been doing during the vacation.

“Since we have to get back to the academy tomorrow, I think I’ll rest a bit today.”

“Agreed.”

Card, agreeing with Hannon, threw his luggage down and flopped onto the bed.

He found himself relieved to share a room with Hannon after all.

* * *

Second Year, Second Semester.

The opening of Act 4, Scene 1.

As usual, I finished my morning training with Aisha today.

“Senior, it seems like you’ve been training steadily even while I wasn’t around.”

“Of course. I’d feel restless if I didn’t train now.”

My training partner, Aisha, laughed brightly at my words.

“As expected of you, Senior. I’m truly proud of you as my training partner.”

“It’s all thanks to you, Aisha.”

Aisha and I exchanged a solid camaraderie as training partners.

“By the way, Aisha, what did you do during the vacation?”

“I went back home.”

Aisha’s home was the fief of Count Bizvel, located in the northern region known for its warrior clans.

“I met my older siblings after a long time and underwent training. I’ve gotten even stronger now.”

Aisha seemed even more dependable than before.

“You’ll be joining us for the next Demon Dungeon expedition, right?”

During last summer’s Demon Dungeon expedition, I had to notify the team in advance that I wouldn’t be joining due to personal reasons.

So, Aisha was eager for me to be part of the next expedition.

I smiled softly.

“Yeah, I’ll join next time.”

The upcoming autumn expedition was preparation for the winter expedition.

I planned to actively participate this time.

After finishing training with Aisha, I returned to the dormitory and cleaned up.

Then, I changed into my uniform and started walking.

For now, I still had to act as if I were in a relationship with Hania.

It was a bit annoying, but for now, sticking close to Iris seemed like the best move.

Not that it was entirely a bad thing for me.

‘Besides, it’s about time students with rebellious feelings toward the student council start emerging.’

The boycott movement against the student council, set to occur in Act 4, Scene 1, was beginning to stir.

Iris, of course, would be pulling the strings behind the scenes.

She had been ordered by Duke Robliarge to seize control of the student council, so she’d surely comply.

When I arrived in front of the girls’ dormitory, I saw students bustling around in preparation for the new semester.

A few students glanced at me, but I paid no attention to them.

“You’re early.”

After waiting for a while, Hania appeared just in time.

“I always do morning training. What about Lady Iris?”

“She’ll be out soon.”

Hania sighed softly as she spoke.

Not long after, Iris emerged.

Unlike her usual self, who struggled with morning drowsiness, today she seemed completely alert.

‘She stayed up all night.’

Iris only pulled all-nighters when carrying out orders from Duke Robliarge.

It was clear she’d been commanded to solidify her hold over the student council for the start of the semester.

“Good morning, Lady Iris.”

Iris looked at me, her black hair fluttering in the breeze, and suddenly stretched out both hands toward me.

Startled, I reflexively stepped back two paces.

Iris blinked her eyes, still holding out her hands.

Realizing what she was doing, she opened and closed her hands awkwardly.

I had been summoned several times during the academy vacation to help Iris with her insomnia.

As a result, she had developed a habit of trying to hug me whenever she saw me.

Today, having not slept at all, her body was likely acting on instinct.

She probably tried to hug me as if I were a comfort doll.

“Lady Iris, I’m supposed to be his girlfriend here at the academy,”

Hania said, grabbing my hand and smiling brightly.

Realizing her mistake, Iris slowly lowered her hands, looking at me with an expression of deep regret—like a puppy who had lost its favorite toy.

Rules were rules.

No matter what, I couldn’t let myself be hugged by Iris in front of other students.

That would cross a line that couldn’t be undone.

“Good morning, everyone.”

A familiar voice greeted us then.

It was a voice I didn’t expect to hear in front of the dormitory.

Turning my head, I saw Isabel standing there, her usual cheerful smile lighting up her face.

She was holding up a drowsy Sharin beside her.

“Good morning to you, too.”

“Ah, yes, good morning.”

I hadn’t expected Isabel to greet me so casually, so I answered absentmindedly.

She tilted her head, looking at the three of us.

“If you stay here any longer, you’ll be late for the academy. Aren’t you going?”

Hania blinked and tilted her head.

“Isabel, are you coming with us?”

“Yeah, why not?”

“Well, there’s no reason not to, I guess.”

Hania glanced at me.

It was common knowledge that Isabel and I were on bad terms.

Even so, she was suggesting we go together.

“I don’t mind. I heard about the situation last time,”

Isabel said casually.

Hania raised an eyebrow and shot me a look.

I shrugged helplessly, as if to say it couldn’t be helped.

“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

Hania looked back and forth between me and Isabel.

“It’s not that I’m worried, it’s just….”

Hania looked like she had more to say, but Isabel was right.

If we delayed any longer, we’d be late.

“All right, let’s go.”

And so, we set off for the academy.

Iris, Hania, Isabel, Sharin, and I.

The problem was that, except for Sharin, everyone was giving me strange looks.

… What kind of group was this?

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