The Trump Card to Save the Vice President
In the summer Demon Palace, Nikita, who has mastered the Ancient Dragon's Magic, kills the Third Princess, Iris, with her own hands.
At that moment, an unexpected anomaly occurs. The power of Akjon residing within Iris reaches out and corrupts Nikita.
Nikita's hatred for the world and Akjon's temptation intertwine, ultimately causing her to fall into Akjon's grasp.
Possessing both the Ancient Dragon's Magic and the power of Akjon, Nikita completely destroys the world.
"Lucas, my junior... I just wanted to live freely. To do what I wanted, to marry the person I loved... That kind of life."
Nikita's tear-stained cry from the bad ending of the Flame Butterfly Chapter echoed in my mind.
"I hated my life—my life bound by the Cynthia family—so much that I was willing to throw it away this easily."
Nikita Cynthia, born into the prestigious House of Cynthia—a family renowned for magic—without a single shred of magical talent. She had spent her entire life shackled by her family, her future entirely mapped out by them. The Cynthias wouldn't even allow her to wield a sword with pride. To them, she was merely a useful pawn to be discarded in an arranged marriage.
The title of an Imperial Marquis carried that much weight. This was not modern society. No matter how hard a daughter struggled, she could never shake off the shackles of her family. Her older brother, Nia, had been the sole escape route capable of changing her life.
"This must be my punishment for foolishly leaning on Brother Nia. I should have carved out my own path. When he died... I despaired not just over his death, but over my future, which would now never change."
Nikita had wept, her tears freezing instantly under the influence of the Calamity Dragon's magic. After witnessing that scene, I had played the Flame Butterfly Chapter countless times, desperate to change her fate. But in that route, no method to save Nikita existed. Or rather, even if there was one, Lucas at the time lacked the power to pull it off. A colossal destiny. Nikita was a mortal destined to die there.
"Everything in this world has a limit to what it can accept." Sharin's advice came back to me. To shatter a colossal destiny, one had to be equally reckless. So, I waited and waited. For the one move that could free Nikita from the Cynthia family and allow her to live freely. The single, solitary move that could wrench her out of the grand, inevitable flow of the main story.
My gaze fell upon the current Nikita. The gentle warmth she once possessed was gone. Consumed by rage and vengeance, she was now nothing more than an avenging demon.
“Nikita-sunbae, you look really pale. Are you alright?”
“Hm? I'm fine. You don't need to worry.”
Nikita spoke with the brightest smile she had shown in days. But a flame was burning within her. A flame that would consume her entirely, leaving not even a speck of ash behind. Her eyes held no lingering attachment to this world.
“Junior.”
“Yes, Nikita-sunbae?”
“You're going to the summer Demon Palace this time too, right?”
“Most likely.”
Unless you were in the first-year special class, participation was mandatory for all second-years, save for those in poor health.
“Then... don't go too deep into the Demon Palace this time.”
Nikita turned away as she spoke.
“Just some advice from your senior.”
With that, she walked away. Watching her retreating figure, I realized my fists were clenched tight.
After that, I threw myself into my duties as a student council member. Once the preparations were complete so the students could relax and enjoy themselves before the impending Demon Palace expedition, I noticed those who had eaten their fill starting to head back to rest. Yet, among them, there was someone still eating.
Nikita is...
Fortunately, she was busy talking with the professors. She wouldn't have the leeway to pay attention to me.
I quietly made my move, eventually stopping beside the person who was still eating. A mountain of empty plates was piled high next to her. Despite that, she continued to eat as if she still had plenty of room left. Even the burliest boys had already tapped out. It was an incredible appetite.
“Third Princess.”
Standing beside her, I softly called her name. From beneath her pitch-black hair, ruby-like eyes turned toward me. Those eyes, brimming with a decadent allure, filled with curiosity. Her expression made it clear she had never expected me to approach her.
“I haven't had dinner yet. Would it be alright if I joined you?”
Dining alongside royalty was not something easily permitted, but this was Jerion Academy—a place that championed a degree of equality. Above all, Iris was not the type of person to care about such trivialities.
“Go ahead.”
True to form, Iris didn't stop me. Instead, she shifted slightly to make room.
“It seems you have something to say.”
I had barely ever spoken to Iris. To be precise, I had judged that it was too early to get involved with her. The massive current surrounding her was something that would easily tear the current me to shreds if I tried to interfere. So, even if I were to align with her eventually, I had avoided her until now.
But now, with the bad ending, Calamity Dragon, looming right before my eyes, I could no longer afford to avoid her. Conveniently, I had already made a strong impression during the team matches. I decided to convey my proposal to her.
“For this Demon Palace expedition, would you please put me on your team?”
In the original game, when Iris fell into danger, Lucas managed to reach her team's location just in time. But now, with Lucas gone, none of the students would be able to reach Iris in time. If so, there was only one way: to be by Iris's side from the very beginning.
Iris took a bite of meat, her gaze lingering on me. She was highly intelligent. She would undoubtedly know that I hadn't brought this up on a whim.
“That's difficult.”
Because of that, she wasn't easily swayed.
“However, if you explain your reasons clearly, I might cooperate.”
Even if she was intrigued, she wouldn't help blindly. Her caution was typical of her.
“There is someone targeting you in the Demon Palace, Third Princess.”
Iris stopped her spoon mid-air. Targeting royalty was a crime of the highest order under Imperial law. It wouldn't just destroy the perpetrator's family; it would completely uproot everything associated with them. Exterminating three generations—that was the most fitting description of the punishment.
“And so, you wish to stop them.”
“Yes. I will stop them, no matter what.”
Iris resumed eating. The words I had just spoken carried a significant risk for me as well. Despite knowing someone was targeting the princess, I hadn't reported it properly and had spoken in riddles instead. My heart pounded. If Iris took this the wrong way, my life would be forfeit. This was reality. There were no retries like in a game.
“Very well. That is not difficult.”
At that moment, Iris agreed far more readily than I had anticipated.
“But if it is someone connected to you, they will recognize you.”
“That's fine. I have a countermeasure. Could you remove one of your regular team members and transfer them to my team?”
“An exchange, then.”
Following Iris's lead, I took a bite of meat. Perhaps due to my nerves, it tasted like cardboard.
“Fine. I will arrange it.”
Once her permission was granted, the tension finally drained from my shoulders. I was glad Iris was more accommodating than I had thought.
No, to be precise...
What lay in her eyes was primarily curiosity. Iris had been observing me closely. Starting from the fact that I was her cousin, to defeating her team in the group match and taking first place. From Iris's perspective, I must have seemed like an incredibly bizarre individual. And now, that very person was making a proposal to her first. Naturally, her interest would only deepen.
Besides, she probably isn't even considering the possibility of actually being assassinated.
That absolute confidence. She wasn't called the strongest royal in history for nothing. But even she wouldn't be able to handle Nikita once she became the Calamity Dragon.
This was originally Lucas's role to stop...
But this time, I had to be the one to do it.
“By the way,”
Iris suddenly interjected.
“There is only one member on our side who has a build similar to yours.”
Since I was joining Iris's team, a substitute from her team had to disguise themselves as me and join my team. In my case, I had the Bandage of the Veil, so it didn't matter who I disguised as. But the other side didn't have that luxury.
“Only one...?”
Ah. I suddenly realized who it was.
“Since we don't want to arouse suspicion, you should swap...”
A captivating smile played on Iris's lips.
“...rooms a day in advance.”
Suddenly, my vision went dark.
What on earth is life? What am I doing all this for? With those thoughts swirling in my head, I walked down a hallway. Long hair fluttered annoyingly against the back of my neck. My original dark hair was gone, replaced by locks of soft, peach-colored hair. Perhaps because the body type was so different from my own, I still hadn't gotten used to the way of walking. To be precise, the wider hips and the heavy chest were incredibly uncomfortable. I wondered how anyone could fight properly in a body like this.
Dammit.
Cursing inwardly, I slowly turned my head. Reflected in the window was an exceptionally pretty young woman. Her eyes, somewhat reminiscent of a fox, and the slight upward curve of her lips gave her a seductive charm capable of shaking any man's heart. The problem was that this face was currently mine. Clutching my forehead, I let out a heavy sigh. The identity of this form was Hania Lepiddia, the runner-up of the Martial Arts Department and the daughter of the Empire's Knight Commander. As Iris's constant attendant, she was an idol to men in more ways than one. Along with her stunning looks, she knew exactly how to melt people's hearts. A few conversations with her were usually enough to leave most men utterly captivated. And it wasn't just men; women were equally vulnerable to her beauty. She was incredibly skilled at winning over anyone, even other women, and making them her allies.
I suppose you could call it talent.
She actively utilized the weapons at her disposal, turning them into clear advantages. Personally, Hania was a type of woman I found terrifying. People like her were strangely uncomfortable to deal with. Above all...
“To think I have to be separated from Lady Iris... How will I, Hania, ever survive?”
I knew exactly who she truly loved. In the distance, I could see someone wiping away tears next to Iris. Instead of her original peach-colored hair, she now had short black hair. Her eyes were also different from their usual color. Red eyes, identical to Iris's, gleamed in the light filtering through the window. Hanon Airey. There stood Hania, disguised as Hanon. Out of everyone on Iris's team, the only one whose build was even remotely close to mine was Hania—who was, of course, a girl. Seeing her act like that toward Iris in my form felt incredibly bizarre.
“You're here,”
Iris said, smiling slightly as she spotted me. She was clearly amused by my awkward, hesitant demeanor.
“...Yes, I am here.”
“Hania doesn't speak like that.”
“Is that so?”
I didn't have the confidence to mimic her speech patterns. I would just have to keep my mouth shut as much as possible until we reached the Demon Palace.
“Hanon Airey.”
At that moment, Hania turned to look at me and called my name. The affectionate gaze she had directed at Iris just a second ago was completely gone. Instead, her eyes were cold as ice as they locked onto me.
“Make sure you assist Lady Iris properly today. If you do anything—and I mean anything—to cause trouble for her...”
Hania didn't finish her sentence. She merely offered a sweet, chilling smile, leaving the threat open to interpretation.
“Hania, don't be so harsh.”
“Yes, of course! If that is what you wish, Lady Iris!”
But the moment Iris spoke, the murderous atmosphere vanished in an instant. Hania truly adored Iris. She would do absolutely anything Iris asked of her. The only reason she was tolerating this was likely because Hanon shared the same cousin bloodline with Iris.
If she knew I was actually Vikaman and not Hanon...
Hania would have stopped this even at the cost of her life. I resolved then and there that she must never find out.
“I'm counting on you to play my part well, too.”
“Hmph. Just make sure you don't mess up yourself.”
Perhaps because I had defeated Iris's team in the group match, she seemed to harbor a strong dislike for me. After tossing those cold words my way, she shared a dramatic, tearful farewell with Iris before finally departing. She looked on the verge of tears at the thought of leaving Iris's side until the very end, but since it was Iris's request, she had no choice.
“Now, let us go.”
Iris turned and began to walk.
“...Are we really going?”
“I told you, Hania doesn't speak like that. Try again.”
She demanded a correction once more. Dammit.
“Are we really going, Lady Iris?”
“That's a bit better,”
Iris said, her lips curving upward.
“Yes, we really are.”
Despair washed over my face. For the next twenty-four hours... I would have to survive in the girls' dormitory.