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Chapter 90: Protagonist of Side Story

As mentioned earlier, the world consists of five kingdoms and an empire.

Curiously, the empire and the five kingdoms share borders near a central point.

At the heart of these borders lies a statue symbolizing a figure who represents global unity.

This figure is the great hero who once ended a seemingly endless world war.

Wolfram.

Beside this great hero Wolfram stood five companions who followed him.

Each of them hailed from a different country.

After the war ended, they returned to their respective nations and established academies dedicated to peace.

These academies bear the names of the six heroes and are located across the nations.

However, Wolfram’s nation was the first to be destroyed during the war.

This was because Wolfram’s country was the central nation, sharing borders with every other nation in the world.

To honor Wolfram, the world designated the remains of his former nation as a sanctuary.

Thus, Wolfram’s Sanctuary was built, and it is now the venue for this meeting.

Out of respect for his heroic deeds, peace is maintained within Wolfram’s Sanctuary no matter the circumstances.

This rule is upheld across the empire and the five kingdoms.

Breaking this rule would mean turning the entire world against you, along with losing all social justification.

This made the sanctuary a perfect place for the academy members, future key figures in global affairs, to convene.

‘After all, the International Individual Tournament will also take place here.’

Held every three years, the International Individual Tournament brought my companions and me to Wolfram’s Sanctuary.

“Welcome, esteemed students of Zerion. We have been expecting you.”

As we stepped out of the carriage, an elderly gentleman accompanied by several maids greeted us.

Even the emperor of the empire visits Wolfram’s Sanctuary with the utmost courtesy.

The staff here are seasoned in receiving distinguished guests.

“Lady Iris Hysirion, Lady Sharin Sazaris, Lady Isabel Luna, and Sir Hannon Irey. It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Monorage, your guide.”

“Nice to meet you, Monorage. We look forward to your guidance.”

Iris responded with the grace befitting a princess.

Those who serve at Wolfram’s Sanctuary have renounced their family names, dedicating their lives to honoring the great hero.

Thus, even royalty must show them proper respect.

“The pleasure is all mine.”

Monorage smiled at Iris’s courteous response and began leading us.

Of course, Isabel and I couldn’t help but stare at Iris as we followed behind her.

She exuded so much grace that it was hard to believe she had been engaged in a petty staring contest with Isabel earlier.

“I never thought Lady Iris’s personality could be like that.”

As Isabel pointed out, Iris rarely reveals her true nature.

She always maintains the image of a strong, dignified princess.

It’s uncommon for her to show personal desires.

But lately, Iris had changed.

Her previously restrained personality sometimes emerged unexpectedly.

Even earlier, in the carriage, Iris displayed a possessiveness that was nearly unheard of.

“And that’s thanks to you, isn’t it?”

Isabel glanced at me.

Iris often revealed her true self in front of me.

“She must be in a good mood because she’s sleeping well these days.”

Iris’s newfound hobby is sleeping, and she tries to nap whenever she can.

Of course, she still can’t sleep properly unless I’m by her side.

“That’s because of you, isn’t it?”

Well, she’s not wrong.

As I didn’t deny it, Isabel pouted slightly and followed Iris.

“Hannon.”

At that moment, Sharin bumped her head lightly against my back.

“I think I know what’s in your future, Hannon.”

“What is it?”

“You’re going to get stabbed.”

I stretched Sharin’s cheeks as punishment.

Even as a joke, don’t say things like that.

“Ungh!”

While Sharin rubbed her reddened cheeks, I followed the others.

The conference hall at Wolfram’s Sanctuary had a white marble floor that sparkled as we entered.

The hall was luxuriously built, but it exuded elegance rather than excess.

‘Must’ve taken the architects a lot of effort to build this.’

They say the best architects of the time collaborated to create it.

Naturally, the building was awe-inspiring.

As we walked down a path meticulously designed to harness natural light, we arrived at a large square.

There, we saw a round table.

The table had six chairs symbolizing the empire and the five kingdoms, with a decoration of a white dove representing peace and unity.

Surrounding the table were dozens of other seats arranged in a circle, meant for those accompanying the representatives of each nation.

‘This is a place rarely seen even in the game.’

The International Individual Tournament only happens once every three years.

To even reach this place, you’d have to significantly raise your favorability with Iris by the fourth act of the second semester in your second year.

On top of that, you’d need to clear multiple related events and hidden quests beforehand.

In other words, it’s not a place you can visit easily.

“Looks like someone’s already here.”

Isabel pointed out as she scanned the area around the round table.

While it’s customary for representatives to sit together at the table once all nations have arrived, there were already people seated in the surrounding chairs.

They were all kids around our age.

Students from academies other than Zerion Academy.

They were students from the Five Kingdoms.

All their eyes turned to us, the newcomers, at once.

"Zerion Academy."

"Oh, then that must be them."

"I’ve heard the rumors, but truly, what an extraordinary appearance."

The person who drew the most attention was Iris.

The Empire’s Third Princess, renowned even in foreign lands for her immense skill.

It was only natural that she would draw attention.

"Then, the one behind her..."

"A mage who’s awakened Mirinae, I hear."

"The daughter of the Blue Tower Master, no less."

The next person to be noticed was Sharin.

As the daughter of the Blue Tower Master, a magical prodigy, and a Mirinae awakener, her fame was inevitable.

Yet Sharin let out a lazy yawn, utterly indifferent to her renown.

She was consistently uninterested in others’ opinions.

"And that one over there..."

"Her aura is the exact opposite of Iris’s."

"Like the sun."

The third person to catch their eyes was Isabel.

Isabel’s appearance was the stark opposite of Iris’s.

If Iris was the dark night, Isabel was the bright day.

Her beauty, befitting the main heroine, rivaled even Iris’s.

Rather, their contrasting atmospheres made them stand out all the more.

Now it was my turn.

"And then, behind them..."

"Who is that?"

"I’ve never seen them before."

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"Same hair and eye color as the Third Princess."

"Are they of the Robliage Ducal lineage?"

I relaxed the tension in my back.

Of course.

Hannon might be decent-looking, but there’s no way he could compare to the heroines.

Because my hair and eye color matched Iris’s, they might pay attention,

but most of them wouldn’t have even heard my name.

"Still, kinda cute."

"Small—are they a first-year?"

"Possible."

Damn it, who said that last part?

A chill ran down my spine.

If I find out who it was, I’ll defeat them for the sake of world peace.

Anyway, we entered while drawing attention in various ways.

When we sat down with Iris at the lead, the murmurs quieted down.

Meanwhile, I quickly scanned the room.

One kingdom was still missing.

I intended to take this opportunity to identify the key figures from the other academies.

‘Normally, we wouldn’t interact much with students from other academies.’

But now, the protagonist, Lucas, was gone.

What’s lacking must be compensated for elsewhere.

My eyes swept over the students.

These were the representatives—presidents and vice presidents—sent by each academy.

As expected, none of them were ordinary.

But among them, three stood out the most.

From the Kingdom of Illusions, Panisys.

The Shadow’s Son.

Vice President, Solvas Umbra.

He was chatting casually with the people around him.

Even at a glance, he seemed sociable.

It was clear he was skilled at handling people.

From the Holy Kingdom, Lium.

The Noble Saint.

President, Acrede Saint Narea.

The graceful saint remained silent.

But knowing her true nature, I couldn’t help but think she must be going through a lot.

Seeing her in reality, I marveled at how well she hid it.

From the Sky Kingdom, Parazon.

The Sole Prince.

President, Ergo Parazon.

His face carried both arrogance and confidence.

He was perpetually convinced of his superiority.

These three were current-generation stars who had earned recognition even abroad.

Iris and Sharin were grouped with them as part of the “Six Stars.”

‘And then…’

Though Lucas’s efforts would later revise the group to the “Seven Stars,” that was now an impossible tale.

Yet there was one individual more important than those three.

A member of the Six Stars who had not yet appeared.

‘Soon.’

Currently, the poorest of the Five Kingdoms, a nation on the brink of collapse due to repeated policy failures.

The Fallen Kingdom, Prelize.

That was where the person I awaited would come from.

Step.

At that moment, footsteps echoed in the hall.

All eyes naturally followed the sound.

My gaze also turned toward the source of the footsteps.

There, four figures were walking in.

The Fallen Kingdom, Frelliz.

A nation brought to ruin by an inept king.

The students of Ordo Academy from that kingdom were entering.

The person at the forefront had a shrunken posture and a shabby appearance.

It was as if they wanted to flee from the public eye but were forced to lead due to their status.

Behind them, two of the three others wore dark expressions.

Their eyes betrayed their discontent with being here.

“Pfft.”

“What an embarrassing sight.”

The young people gathered here were still immature.

Some, drunk on their abilities, looked down on others.

As expected, there were those who sneered at them.

However, there was one exception.

Among them, there was a single individual—someone no one dared to mock.

Her hair was a striking shade of blue, reminiscent of azure flames.

Her eyes were the same vibrant hue.

And her posture was upright and poised.

She alone radiated brilliance in this hall.

‘I’ve been waiting.’

She possessed a power most similar to Lucas’s extinguished Flame of Resolve.

The Unyielding Azure Flame.

Eve.

The protagonist of the spin-off series Dungeon Slayer Chronicles: Rise of the Azure Flame.

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