So I Insulted the Protagonist
Six academies were built atop a massive Demon Palace.
Which among them was hailed as the most prestigious?
No matter who you asked, the answer was unanimous.
Jerion Academy of the Highsirion Empire.
An academy founded by Jerion, the Sage of Transcendence.
Clack-clack, clack-clack.
A single carriage made its way toward Jerion Academy.
To reach Jerion Academy, one had to cross the Oblex Bridge, the longest bridge in the world.
Beneath the towering Oblex Bridge lay a vast expanse.
A massive forest and river stretched out below.
Under normal circumstances, one would call it a beautiful landscape, but this was no ordinary forest and river.
This was the Forest of Demonic Qi, contaminated by the toxins leaking from the subterranean Demon Palace.
A woman stood blankly by a window, watching the carriage cross the Oblex Bridge.
Long, ink-black hair draped over a forehead as white as snow.
Her eyes were a striking ruby red.
The combination of these two features gave her the elegant air of a long-haired cat.
She was the one who had devoured princes and princesses to finally rise to second in the line of imperial succession.
The Third Princess, Iris Haishirion.
People called her...
"The Ultimate Villainess."
She watched the carriage outside the window.
The person inside that carriage was a distant cousin of hers.
He was not of imperial blood.
The boy's lineage came from her mother's side—specifically, from the family of her mother before she became the Emperor's concubine, back when she was still a daughter of a ducal house.
In other words, he was the child of a troublesome aunt who had a severe case of wanderlust and walked out on the family.
Furthermore, his father's bloodline was that of a noble in name only from the remote borders.
The boy was far from imperial royalty, and he wasn't even a proper member of the ducal house.
In reality, he was completely unrelated to the imperial family.
Yet, his hair and eye colors were identical to hers.
Though they shared some physical resemblance, their positions in life were worlds apart.
"Must be nice," she murmured.
Her eyes turned cold and displeased.
Why was the boy transferring in at this of all times?
'Did the Duke send him?'
Perhaps he had been sent to investigate the details of the recent incident in the labyrinth.
'What is so great about that damn throne anyway?'
Thinking of her maternal grandfather's—the Duke's—greed, she closed her eyes tightly.
Dark circles were visible under her eyes.
It looked like she wouldn't be able to sleep tonight either.
Inside the carriage crossing the Oblex Bridge.
Black hair swayed with the rattling of the carriage.
Long black eyelashes.
Red eyes that carried a faint hint of gloom.
An appearance so youthful it made one doubt his actual age.
And a frame that was quite small and slender compared to his peers.
He looked every bit the definition of a boy.
Of course he did.
He was a hidden character who transferred in once certain conditions were met.
Hanon Airey.
This character was designed targeting female players or a specific demographic of male players.
A classic pretty boy.
And the one playing him right now is me.
'I can't help but sigh.'
Damn it, I used to be a tall 185 cm.
Now that I've become a 165 cm shrimp, it feels like a massive downgrade.
But regardless, I have to live in this body for the time being.
No, actually.
Considering the sheer effort it took to get here, I absolutely have to make the most of it.
'Do you have any idea how much I suffered to get the Bandage of the Veil?'
Just thinking about those days of struggle makes my head throb.
The Bandage of the Veil, which I finally tracked down after scouring the black market and asking around.
The problem was one of the mid-game bosses who was also targeting it: Vinesha, the Frenzied Mage.
After an endless battle of wits with her, I managed to pass the obstacle known as the Dark Trial first.
I bought the Bandage of the Veil right out from under her nose and fled, leaving her cursing my name.
I even swiped a few of her belongings on the way out.
'She'll probably hunt me down to kill me eventually.'
Just considering the sheer trouble I went through, I have to put this Bandage of the Veil to good use.
'I barely made it in time for the transfer deadline.'
I pulled up the collar of my high-necked shirt.
It was to hide the Bandage of the Veil wrapped underneath.
I am no longer Vikamon Niflheim.
I am Hanon Airey.
And from now on...
I must lead the main story in place of the protagonist, Lucas.
'I wonder how much of a mess the academy has become in the protagonist's absence.'
Through the carriage window, Jerion Academy came into view.
The academy was shrouded in an ominous aura.
'Please, let it be in a better state than I expect.'
I did my best to suppress my rising anxiety.
Jerion Academy was the most prestigious of the six academies.
As such, its grounds were practically the size of an island.
Starting from the Oblex Bridge, which boasted the grandest scale in the world, to the Forest of Demonic Qi nestled beneath it.
The endless blue of the southern Aron Sea.
The world's first airfield and the Grey Magic Tower.
And the Ancient Dragon Mountains to the north.
Its sheer scale was enough to leave any newcomer utterly speechless.
In the heart of Jerion Academy's grounds.
Inside the towering main building of Jerion Academy.
I was walking behind a professor.
The professor trudged along like a zombie, her short bob swaying with her steps.
Her facial features were objectively quite attractive.
However, her loosely thrown-on clothes, slumped shoulders, and face thoroughly drained by exhaustion dragged everything down.
"Ah, I need a drink. My blood alcohol level is dangerously low."
This severe alcoholic was Veganon Mercia.
Surprisingly, she was the professor of second-year martial arts.
Since she frequently provided fan service by accidentally exposing skin while drunk, she had been highly popular among players.
But meeting her in person, I finally understood why the characters in the game found her so intolerable.
'The stench of alcohol practically radiates off her.'
A pungent smell of booze that was impossible to experience in the game.
It kept stinging my nostrils until my nose felt numb.
Is it really okay for an actual professor to be like this?
While I was harboring such doubts, the plaque reading "Second-Year Martial Arts Class" came into view.
The massive classroom, even when viewed from the outside, was highly familiar.
It was the very classroom I had seen countless times while playing the Flame Butterfly Chapter.
Naturally, it was familiar.
I stared blankly at the entrance.
It really hits me now.
The fact that I am actually inside the Flame Butterfly Chapter.
And at the same time, the thought of meeting the numerous supporting characters and heroines inside made my heart suddenly race.
I was an absolute veteran of the Flame Butterfly Chapter.
So, the prospect of seeing the game's characters in the flesh naturally made me feel a flutter of excitement.
"Hup."
While I was caught between excitement and nervousness, Professor Veganon slid the classroom door open.
In that instant, the noisy classroom fell dead silent.
Professor Veganon trudged inside.
Watching her, I took a deep breath.
'Don't be nervous.'
I am Hanon Airey.
A student who suddenly transferred in just a few days after the start of the first semester of the second year.
'Alright.'
Having finished my self-hypnosis, I took a step forward.
As I entered the classroom, a barrage of gazes locked onto me.
"It's the transfer student."
"Right. They said he was coming today."
"Black hair and red eyes... That color scheme is definitely..."
"Shh, quiet."
The whispering voices of the students reached my ears.
All the kids in my sight were familiar to me.
Though some were extras who merely served as background elements in the game, scattered among them were the supporting characters connected to Lucas.
"Tsk."
One supporting character looked at me with clear displeasure.
"Hmph."
Another smiled with their eyes, letting out a soft snort.
"..."
And another simply stared at me in silence.
But there was one person.
One person on whom my gaze halted.
In a corner seat.
Bright honey-blond short hair caught my eye.
The heroine and childhood friend who, under normal circumstances, would be encouraging the protagonist with an endlessly bright face.
Isabel Luna.
But now...
Not a single shred of light could be seen on her face.
Only one thing hung over her.
A dark shadow.
Her eyes, sunken into an endlessly deep darkness, held no will to live whatsoever.
The girl who was once the very definition of brightness was sitting there, utterly broken.
Unbeknownst to anyone, my fists clenched.
That sight was a brutal reminder that this world was currently in the aftermath of a bad ending.
A childhood friend she had grown up with, closer than anyone since they were young.
A woman who had lost her childhood friend right before her eyes, and with him, her very will to live.
That was the Isabel Luna of the present.
Isabel was one of the main heroines of the Flame Butterfly Chapter.
An ally who was always bright and reliably supported the protagonist by his side.
That was Isabel.
To use a metaphor, she was a sunflower.
A sunflower that only looked at the sun named Lucas.
But without the sun, a sunflower droops and withers away.
Having lost her sun, Lucas, the sunflower Isabel could no longer lift her head.
All that was left for her now was to slowly wither.
This was a certainty.
In the scenario, after Lucas died during the first-year Demon Palace expedition and the game entered the bad ending, a single sentence would appear on the screen.
One year later. Unable to overcome her grief, Isabel Luna ultimately decided to follow Lucas.
After Lucas's death, Isabel eventually commits suicide.
This was the only glimpse of the post-bad-ending world the game provided.
Her bright nature had a knack for drawing people in.
Even though Lucas was dead, she still had numerous friends around her.
Yet, she still chose suicide.
As long as she lacked the sun that was Lucas, there was no hope for her to live.
Looking at Isabel now, I was certain.
She would end her own life in the near future.
My fists clenched silently.
Isabel was a heroine who, in the latter half, played an even bigger role than the protagonist.
Without her...
'The Flame Butterfly Chapter cannot progress to its ending.'
And that meant we could never move past this post-bad-ending world.
In that case, what must I do?
"Introduce yourself," Professor Veganon said, waving her hand dismissively as she leaned against the podium.
Finally tearing my eyes away from Isabel, I took a light breath.
I could feel the heavy weight of the students' gazes.
I didn't think I had stage fright or social anxiety, but taking the first step in a world that had plunged into a bad ending made me unusually tense.
Naturally, Isabel didn't even spare a glance in my direction.
A sunflower without its sun only droops and withers.
What Isabel needed was undoubtedly a sun.
But that didn't mean I could become her sun, Lucas.
In the first place, I had no intention of being a sun.
I was Hanon Airey, not Lucas.
Though in truth, I was Vikamon Niflheim.
But none of that mattered.
"Not long ago, I read an article about Jerion Academy."
Perhaps because I suddenly brought up a newspaper article instead of introducing myself, looks of confusion and curiosity washed over the students' faces.
Looking at them, I slowly continued.
"The article said this: Last year's first-years were wiped out in the Demon Palace because of an Apostle."
For the first time, Isabel's shoulders flinched.
At the mention of Lucas, she looked up at me with hollow eyes.
As I said before, I cannot be a sun.
"It was pathetic."
So...
"For people calling themselves students of Jerion Academy to die to an Apostle... There's a limit to how much of an embarrassment you can be."
I decided to at least be a moon.
Isabel's eyes slowly began to widen.
"Who was the party leader back then? It's obvious that it was all because that guy was incompetent."
Of course, the party leader was Lucas Fernando.
The students' faces stiffened.
Everyone knew who had been the most utterly broken by that incident.
They stole glances at Isabel.
Sure enough, a deep, burning rage slowly flared in Isabel's eyes.
She was the one who had suffered the most after losing Lucas.
And now, words directly insulting Lucas were ringing in her ears.
What did that mean?
At this very moment, I had crossed an irreversible line with Isabel.
"I..."
'Isabel, remember this clearly.'
"I came here to ensure that such a disgrace never tarnishes the prestigious name of Jerion Academy again."
Your sworn enemy from this day forward, and the one who will force you to keep living by using your rage as fuel...
"I am Hanon Airey. I look forward to working with you all."
That is me.