A World Heading in an Entirely Unexpected Direction
My eyes snapped open. Sweat beaded on my forehead as an unfamiliar ceiling came into focus.
...An infirmary? Realizing where I was, I let out a soft sigh.
Someone must have found me. I remembered collapsing on the path leading up to the fourth floor of the Demon Palace. I had intended to regain my senses and head back, but it seemed I had lost consciousness entirely.
That was too close. I had poured every ounce of my strength into breaking the Ancient Dragon's Magic, but I should have at least spared enough stamina to make it back.
I had less margin for error than I thought. I chided myself. If no one had found me, I would have died right there.
What about Nikita? Did she manage to meet up with Nia? She might resent me for keeping Nia's situation a secret.
And she found out I'm Vikaman. She might find it creepy that the guy who used to have a one-sided crush on her went to such lengths.
I should have remained as Hanon as much as possible. I swallowed a sigh, realizing my mistake.
First, let's assess the situation. Just as I thought that and tried to sit up—
"Huh?" I realized a moment too late that my body was pinned down. A strangely soft sensation was accompanied by the sweet scent of roses.
Turning my head to see what it was, I found a familiar face.
A long-haired cat with a decadent charm. That description fit her best. The Third Princess, Iris Haishirion.
She was holding me in a tight embrace.
"...Princess Iris?" I called out, unable to hide my bewilderment.
"Mmh..." Iris merely hugged me tighter, showing no intention of waking up.
Why was she sleeping in my hospital bed? As I struggled to comprehend the situation, I felt a gaze burning into the back of my head. It was so intense it felt physically painful.
Unable to ignore it any longer, I slowly turned my head. Standing there was a girl with peach-colored hair. Her eyes were contorted like a vengeful demon's. I knew exactly why she looked like that.
Hania Lepiddia. The daughter of the Imperial Knight Commander, she was one of the people who absolutely adored Iris.
"You're awake?" Hania asked with a smile. It was a smile so bloodcurdling it made even me flinch.
"...I couldn't sleep forever."
"I could put you to sleep permanently, you know."
"No, thanks. I'll pass. I still have a lot of work to do."
Hania snorted in annoyance.
"So, could you explain the situation?" I still didn't understand why Iris was lying in bed with me. When I asked, Hania pulled her knees to her chest.
"The rescue team working on the ice wall on the fourth floor retrieved everyone who had collapsed as soon as the wall shattered. In the process, they also discovered the scene where Nikita Cynthia had targeted Princess Iris."
"What about Senior Nikita?"
"She's gone. According to the investigators, her assassination attempt failed, and she was ultimately consumed by the Ancient Dragon's Magic."
That wasn't enough. Sensing my lingering questions, Hania added more details.
"They found traces of the Ancient Dragon's Magic being completely extinguished, and though they couldn't find a body, they concluded that Nikita Cynthia is dead."
Only then could I finally breathe a sigh of relief in my mind. Fortunately, it seemed they had concluded Nikita died in the incident.
The 1st Prince's faction must have pulled some strings behind the scenes. There was a high probability Nia had desperately begged them to.
"Nikita Cynthia is alive, isn't she?" Hania pointed out sharply.
My eyes slowly drifted to Hania. She was glaring straight at me. Her eyes held a fierce determination to punish falsehood and seek out the truth. Looking at her, I let out a faint chuckle.
"Who knows?"
"Don't smile like that with my face."
Ah, right. I was still in Hania's form. Since this was a private room, Hania must have undone the disguise that made her look like Hanon.
"I swore an oath to eliminate anything that could harm Princess Iris."
Hania had raised her sword for Iris. Her blade moved solely for Iris's sake. Nikita had targeted Iris's life. In fact, if I hadn't been there, she might have actually taken Iris's head.
"Hanon Airey." A sharp intent to kill radiated from Hania. "Are you an enemy of Princess Iris?"
First Nikita, and now Hania was threatening my life. I had shielded Nikita. Hania, who was involved in this whole affair, was well aware of that fact. If I were an enemy, she would have to eliminate me without hesitation.
"No."
I had no intention of becoming Iris's enemy. Even if she was destined to play the role of the final boss in the end, I would save her in Lucas's stead.
Hearing my firm reply, Hania fell silent for a moment. Then, letting out a soft sigh, she withdrew her killing intent.
"Then that's fine."
She accepted it surprisingly easily.
"Don't get the wrong idea. It's not because I trust you." Hania's gaze drifted to Iris.
"Princess Iris is incredibly sensitive. She never shows any weakness in front of someone who harbors ill intent toward her."
I agreed with that. Iris always maintained a flawless, perfect facade in front of others. Yet, the Iris currently behind me was so deeply asleep she showed no signs of waking.
"But she shows that side of herself to you. That's proof she doesn't sense a single shred of hostility from you."
Iris was the vessel of the Arch-Evil. She would be more sensitive to hostility and malice than anyone else. Hania's judgment was spot on.
"Of course, even taking that into account..." *Grind.* Hania gritted her teeth so hard they sounded like they might shatter. "...this sight is still hard to digest."
Looking at me wrapped in Iris's arms, she was barely holding back her rage. *Don't get mad. It's terrifying.*
"It was beyond my control. Honestly, I don't even know why I'm in this situation either."
"Princess Iris said you were warm and nice to cuddle with, so she did it."
It wasn't like I was some puppy with a high body temperature. I was dumbfounded, but I had a rough idea of the reason.
The heat must have remained in my body during the process of Steel Skin, which absorbed Fire's Flame, transitioning into Steel Body.
My Steel Skin had absorbed Fire's Flame for quite a long time. Although it had a trait to discharge heat to prevent melting, Fire's Flame had bypassed even that and embedded itself deep within my body. As a result, the warmth of Fire's Flame was circulating throughout my entire system.
At least it'll be useful for suppressing the Dragon's Vestige. The Dragon's Vestige had seeped deep inside me. Moreover, since it had already awakened once, it would eventually move to consume me. For the time being, this warmth would be effective in keeping it at bay.
"So, just stay like that until Princess Iris wakes up." She was basically telling me to act as a human space heater.
"It's been a long time since she's slept this peacefully." Hania looked at Iris with pitying eyes.
Hania was the one who had watched Iris suffer from nightmares the longest. Therefore, she was willing to do anything if it meant Iris could get some comfortable sleep.
I also knew how much Iris had struggled with sleep in the Demon Palace. Left with no choice, I decided to stay still until she woke up. In any case, Iris couldn't sleep for long due to her nightmares. It wouldn't take too long for her to wake.
"More importantly, a problem has arisen that both you and I need to solve."
"What problem?" Was there still an issue left? When I voiced my confusion, Hania grinned.
"Well, aren't the two of us dating now?"
Ah.
"Wasn't that just a temporary act we had to put on in front of Associate Professor Barcop?"
"Yes, that should have been enough." Hania smiled brightly, resting her chin on her knees. However, there was a distinct undercurrent of sheer irritation in that smile. "Until Associate Professor Barcop started spreading rumors everywhere, that is."
I could guess what had happened. *Barcop, that bastard. He really screwed us over.*
"So?"
"Now that the rumors are out, there are too many eyes on us. It's best to keep up the act for a while. Rumors usually flare up and die down quickly anyway, so we can just pretend to break up once things quiet down."
"Barcop is giving a lot of people headaches."
I had already agreed to help Hania anyway. Since we were both in the Martial Arts Department, coordinating our acting wouldn't be too difficult.
"But are you okay with the rumors?" Every single rumor associated with me was terrible. Although my skills seemed to be somewhat recognized now, the majority of the Martial Arts Department still looked down on me. Especially in the Magic Engineering Department, where I had practically become public enemy number one. Associating with me would surely damage Hania's reputation.
"Rumors about you? I don't care. You're not actually that kind of person anyway."
"To say I'm not that kind of person, I've done quite a few questionable things." I had clashed with Isabel more than once or twice, after all.
"I'll judge that with my own eyes." Hania dismissed it as if it didn't matter.
"Rather than worrying about me, shouldn't you be worrying about yourself?"
"Worrying about what?" Hania smirked. "There are a lot of people in the academy who like me."
It was a statement brimming with immense confidence. The problem was, she was absolutely right. Hania had a magnetic charm that drew in people of all ages and genders. Quite a few harbored feelings for her.
"I can't guarantee how those people will react."
"So, he who claims the beauty must bear the weight of her crown?"
"...Pfft, well, yes, I am a beauty." Hania's nose perked up slightly with pride.
Ignoring her antics, I leaned my head back against the pillow.
A few days of break, and then the second semester begins. The first semester of my second year had been full of twists and turns. Recalling the fourth act that would begin after this, I slowly closed my eyes.
I need to get plenty of rest to prepare for Act 4.
And at that time, I had no idea. Our temporary arrangement as a contract couple wouldn't just be a problem because of the people who liked Hania.
Iris finally woke up, and a day passed as I safely returned to my dormitory. Because the scale of this incident had been so massive, I ended up collapsing into a deep, dead sleep the moment I got back.
And the next day.
"Ugh." I woke up to a sharp, throbbing pain in my right eye.
"Hanon, what's wrong?" Hearing my groan, Card asked with a yawn.
"Ah, it's nothing," I replied quickly to Card, hurrying to the bathroom.
I was about to splash cold water on my throbbing eye when I froze.
In the mirror, something was squirming inside my right pupil. A moment later, it slit into a reptilian, lizard-like eye, staring back at me with chilling clarity.
My eyes widened. That was the Dragon's Vestige I had extracted from Nikita.
I knew the Dragon's Vestige possessed a will of its own, but... I hadn't expected it to awaken and manifest so quickly, especially with the residual heat of Fire's Flame still circulating in my body.
This is bad. I hadn't found a way to deal with the Dragon's Vestige yet. If it tried to take over my body like this, it would be a massive headache.
If I want to do something about this right now... A certain person flashed through my mind.
The moment she came to mind, I hurriedly changed my clothes. The Bandage of the Veil could conceal the Dragon's Vestige even if it activated. After wrapping the bandage tightly over my eye, I headed straight out toward the girls' dormitory.
On the way, the sharp glares of the girls whispering and glancing in my direction stung. It wasn't common for a male student to visit the girls' dormitory first thing in the morning. To make matters worse, today was the first day of classes after the summer expedition to the Demon Palace. Showing up at the girls' dorm on a day like this was practically an open invitation to walk to class together.
But I didn't care about their stares in the slightest. This level of shamelessness was practically second nature to me now.
As I arrived at the entrance of the dormitory, I happened to spot a maid sweeping the courtyard.
"Excuse me."
"Yes, young master?" The maid stopped sweeping the moment she heard me and approached.
"There's someone I'd like to call out." At that moment, the maid glanced at my name tag and smiled warmly.
"Shall I call for Lady Hania?"
For a split second, I wondered why she would suggest Hania. Ah, right. Hania is supposed to be my girlfriend now. As expected of a maid, she was quick to catch wind of rumors. Academy students often gossiped about school affairs with the friendly maids. Thus, it was safe to say the maids possessed virtually all the information in the academy.
"No, not Hania. Please call Sharin Sazaris."
"Pardon?" The maid's eyes widened. Her expression practically screamed, Why her? A guy who had just recently gotten a girlfriend was asking for another girl. It was only natural for her to look at me suspiciously.
"It's an urgent matter."
The maid stared blankly for a moment before nodding with a look of grim determination.
"...Understood. I will ask Lady Sharin to come out as quietly as possible. There are fewer people near the back gate in the morning, so I will guide her there."
She had definitely misunderstood something. As the maid walked away, she quietly muttered to herself, "A modern-day playboy..." I wanted to clear up the misunderstanding, but the situation was too urgent. I decided to deal with it later and quietly waited by the back gate.
A moment later, Sharin was dragged out by the maid. As someone who was notoriously weak in the mornings, Sharin looked completely half-asleep. More importantly, she was still in her pajamas.
"Mmm... Hanooon... it's too hard to eat bread in the morniiing..."
Why was she treating me like her personal bread shuttle? I stared at Sharin in disbelief, then made eye contact with the maid, who was watching us with expectant eyes. I couldn't afford to speak openly about the Dragon's Vestige. When I gave her a subtle look, she retreated with a disappointed expression.
"Sharin."
"Mmh?"
"I need to suppress the Dragon's Vestige. Can you help me?"
"The Dragon's Vestige?"
"It's an Ancient Dragon's curse. It contains Ancient Dragon's Magic."
The sleepiness in Sharin's eyes vanished in an instant.
"...Ancient Dragon's Magic? No, where did the Dragon's Vestige manifest?"
"My right eye." I pulled back the Bandage of the Veil.
Sharin cupped my face firmly with both hands and stared intently into my right eye. Because our faces were so close, I could clearly catch her unique, sweet scent. Soon after, Sharin's unique magic, Mirinae, activated, and her eyes began to glow with starlight.
After examining it for a long moment, she frowned.
"You weren't kidding about the Dragon's Vestige. It's incredibly wild."
"Do you think you can do something about it?"
"Who do you think I am?" Sharin smiled playfully. "I'm Sharin Sazarisss."
Right, she was indeed the greatest mage I knew.
"But I don't think it'll be solved overnight. It's going to take some time."
"Can I count on you?"
"Yep. I'm interested in Ancient Dragon's Magic too. I think I'll learn a lot by dissecting the vestige."
Thank goodness. As I finally let out a sigh of relief, Sharin traced the edge of my eye. A faint starlight seeped from her fingertips.
"I'll temporarily suppress its movement as a stopgap measure. That should stop the pain and keep your vision clear."
"Thanks. I owe you one."
"Suuure." Having finished her work, Sharin let out a long yawn. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she turned back to me.
"By the way, Hanon."
"Yeah?"
"Bel..."
"Rin, you..." At that moment, a voice cut Sharin off.
"Ah," Sharin uttered softly.
When Sharin and I turned our heads at the same time, a woman with sun-like honey-blond hair was standing there. For some reason, her eyes were wide with shock.
Because we had been dealing with the Dragon's Vestige, Sharin and I had our faces practically pressed together. To anyone looking, it was a scene ripe for misunderstanding.
"...What are you two doing?"
Isabel Luna. Her eyes burned with a strange, inexplicable fury.