Another Exit of the Demon Palace
In front of another exit of the Demon Palace, a silver-haired woman tumbled out, rolling onto the hard earth.
"Nikita!"
A man rushed forward and hurriedly supported her. The man, who bore a striking resemblance to her, was her older brother, Nia Cynthia.
"N-Nia... Brother."
Nikita clenched her fists. Then, she delivered a sharp jab to Nia's ribs.
"Urgh!"
"Why... why didn't you tell me sooner?! You could have at least let me know you were alive!"
"I-I'm sorry, Nikita. If I had made contact with you, someone would have surely grown suspicious."
Nia looked at the furious Nikita, utterly at a loss. He had never seen her this emotional in his entire life.
She, too, could no longer keep her emotions in check. A tempest of feelings surged within her, throwing her thoughts into disarray. A single man kept flashing in her mind—the man who had blocked her path and sent her here, away from danger, against her will.
When he had left the academy, she hadn't even gone to see him off. Yet, despite everything, he had made his way back to the academy and stayed by her side all this time.
"If only I had known, none of this would have happened..." Nikita bit her lip hard.
"Did you... did you silence Junior Vikaman too? Is that why he didn't tell me?"
"No, that was his own decision. In the first place, he was the one who saved me."
Nikita's eyes widened.
Could Vikaman have...?
Perhaps he had known long ago that Nia would be targeted for assassination, and that was why he had returned to Jerion Academy. And who was it all for?
Me. It was for me.
Nikita had always been aware of Vikaman's feelings. She was destined to be used as a political pawn for the Cynthia Marquis family anyway. Knowing she could never return his affection, she had turned a blind eye, and Vikaman had known this. That was why he had never confessed his love to her, not even at the very end.
He...
Vikaman had left the academy after becoming entangled in the incident with Lucas. At the time, the team Vikaman had attacked included the Third Princess. As punishment for his crime, he was not only expelled from the academy but also excommunicated from his own family.
What if even that...?
What if there was a hidden reason behind all of it? The reason he had to return disguised as Hanon. And what if she was the reason behind that choice? As a third-year, Vikaman wouldn't have been able to keep a close eye on the second-year Third Princess. If he had stayed by the Third Princess's side specifically to prevent Nia's assassination...
...Did he really go as far as getting cast out of his family, all for my sake?
Nikita bit down on her lip. It was certainly a leap of logic. Yet, when she recalled the face Vikaman had made as he looked at her in their final moments, she couldn't bring herself to dismiss it as mere fantasy.
Vikaman had returned in the guise of Hanon and stayed by Nikita's side. He had supported her from the shadows, ensuring that she, who always pushed herself to the limit, wouldn't break. His actions were exactly the same as they had been in the past.
The reason he didn't rashly reveal Nia's survival...
He must have kept it a secret to prevent the Third Princess's faction from catching wind of it. And he had kept it in reserve as a last resort, intending to reveal the truth to stop Nikita if she ever lost control.
Nikita recalled the bittersweet smile Vikaman had worn when he looked at her as Hanon.
...You knew from the very beginning.
After hearing of Nia's death, Nikita had laid hands on the Ancient Dragon's Magic. Once touched, the Ancient Dragon's Magic could not be stopped. Vikaman had known this, which was why he had smiled that way.
And today.
To completely erase the Ancient Dragon's Magic engraved upon her, Vikaman had prepared all on his own and ultimately saved her.
Why?
Nikita wanted to ask him again and again. Why did he have to go to such lengths for her? She desperately wanted to run to him and demand an answer. But the answer had already been given.
The gentle words he had spoken while looking at her. Now that she knew he was Vikaman, the meaning behind those words finally connected.
He didn't need his feelings returned. Just seeing Nikita happy was reward enough. That was what Vikaman had been trying to tell her.
Her last, blurry glimpse of Vikaman had been a devastating sight. His body looked as if it were fused with molten steel, scarred all over by lightning. And at the very end, he had definitely taken something that had been harbored inside her. Though she didn't know exactly what it was, she was certain it was related to the Ancient Dragon's Magic.
He had sacrificed his own body, giving everything he had for her. Her chest felt tight. An incomprehensible storm of emotions raged within her. It felt as though her heart were tearing to pieces. She felt a crushing, painful guilt for never once offering an answer to his feelings.
"You fool..." Nikita clutched the collar of her shirt. She beat her aching chest over and over. "You absolute fool."
Large teardrops spilled from her eyes, yet even the thick veil of tears could not obscure the memory of his final expression. They flowed. Her emotions were overflowing, completely overwhelming her. She had never felt anything like this in her entire life.
Aside from Nia, no one had ever truly looked at her. No, that wasn't quite right. Even Nia, with his brilliant talent, hadn't been able to truly understand her life. Just as an ordinary person cannot comprehend a genius, a genius cannot comprehend the ordinary.
But Vikaman was an ordinary person, just like Nikita. He, too, possessed no talent for magic and had been treated as a useless failure by the Niflheim family. He was the only person who stood on the exact same level as her. Perhaps that was why Nikita had turned away from him all the more.
Looking at him was like looking at a mirror of herself. Sensing that truth deep down, she had closed her eyes to him. Yet Vikaman had never stopped looking at her. His gaze had been more steadfast than anyone else's.
Because she was born into the Marquis of Cynthia family, all of Nikita's hard work had been dismissed as a matter of course. No matter how outstanding her achievements, they were merely expected of a Cynthia. But Vikaman had praised her. He had commended everything she did and showed her genuine respect. Nikita had found solace in that.
Conversely, the Cynthia family had never acknowledged a single one of her efforts. No matter what she did, she could never escape her destiny as a political pawn. But at this very moment, she was completely free of the Cynthia name. Having touched the Ancient Dragon's Magic, the Marquis of Cynthia would no longer treat Nikita as one of their own.
Freedom. It was the first time Nikita had ever been given freedom. A life where she could live not as Nikita Cynthia, but simply as Nikita. And this was the life she had desired above all else.
The real reason she had broken down at Nia's supposed death was because she had realized the sheer misery of a life spent as nothing but a political tool. And the one who had granted her this new life was none other than Vikaman. It was as if he were speaking to her:
Even I, cast out from my family, am living openly like this. Why shouldn't you, Nikita, be able to do the same?
The life he had carved out for himself, the path he had walked until now—it all came back to guide her.
She could live. She could absolutely live. Vikaman had abandoned his family and lived a brilliant life. Because she had witnessed him do it, she was certain she could do the same. Nikita was a hard worker. She knew how to pick herself up after falling. And this time, she wasn't rising alone.
"You absolute fool..." She could no longer hold back her tears. She wanted to meet him right this instant and talk to him. She wanted to question him about every single thing he had done. But more than anything, she wanted to tell him about the emotions overflowing from her heart right now.
"...Nikita, the real Hanon was discovered not long ago."
Nia's voice broke into her thoughts.
"He isn't Hanon Airey, is he?"
The First Prince's faction had also confirmed that the person at the academy was not the real Hanon. Hearing Nia's question, Nikita bit her lip.
"...I cannot tell you who he is."
Nikita kept his secret. For his sake, she could not reveal the truth.
Nia nodded.
"I'm only asking because I found out what kind of tool he used, and I wanted to let you know."
"A tool?"
"A tool that allowed him to perfectly disguise himself as Hanon."
Nikita recalled the fact that he had also disguised himself as Hania.
"It's called the Bandage of the Veil. Strictly speaking, it's a type of divine relic."
Nia's face darkened as he spoke. Every divine relic carried its own dangers. It was not uncommon for users to meet their end because of them.
"Brother... is there a side effect?"
"...Yes. The more you use the Bandage of the Veil, the more one of the three core elements of emotion fades away."
Nikita's eyes slowly widened.
"Emotion?"
"Sadness, anger, and love. One of the three universal emotions humans feel disappears. And according to further research, depending on the duration of use, it might not stop at just one."
Nikita froze, her eyes wide with shock. Sadness, anger, love. It had already been half a year since Vikaman started using the Bandage of the Veil. If his emotions had begun to fade... she already knew the most likely candidate to disappear first.
"No..." Nikita shook her head in denial. "No, it can't be... No..."
Just when she had finally resolved to face his true feelings, to think they might disappear... Nikita could not accept it. And the thought that it was all because of her was too much to bear.
The words Vikaman spoke—"please be happy"...
Perhaps they were a final farewell to his own fading emotions.
"I have to go back right now—!"
"Nikita, if you go back now, you'll only put yourself in danger!" Nia quickly held her back. "Besides, this was the choice he made because he wanted to protect you."
The moment Nikita went back, everything Vikaman had done would be rendered meaningless. Knowing this, Nikita suppressed her emotions and clenched her fists tightly.
"...I understand," she whispered, accepting it.
"But one day..."
If she ever met him again.
Even if he has lost his emotions...
She would make sure he found them again.
I have received so much from him.
So she would absolutely return it all to him.
Nikita's blue eyes turned toward the Demon Palace. Her gaze was now filled with only one person.