Exhaustion is the Best Sedative
Iris was suffering from insomnia caused by her nightmares. The next morning, I dragged her along to my training session with Aisha.
Last night, Iris had been left utterly bewildered by what I told her. Yet, her body had already become so accustomed to my warmth that she couldn't sleep without it. Even if she couldn't comprehend my words, she had wrapped her arms around me and drifted off anyway.
The next day, I forced a half-asleep Iris out of bed. By now, I had mastered the art of waking her up with surgical precision. Iris was incredibly ticklish on her flanks. It was a weakness I had discovered by chance while desperately trying to figure out how to escape her iron grip every morning.
Glancing back, I saw Iris rubbing her side with a pout.
"Lady Iris, how do you find the morning air?"
At my question, Iris scanned our surroundings.
"Refreshing."
The autumn air, rolling in to sweep away the last remnants of summer, carried a crisp, pleasant chill. Sensing the freshness of the morning, Iris's expression softened. Thanks to my presence last night, she had managed to fall asleep early. The dark clouds that usually hung over her seemed to have cleared significantly.
"We're here."
I led Iris to our usual spot, where Aisha was already waiting. She had swapped her short summer athletic wear for a slightly longer autumn set. Standing even taller than my current disguise as Hanon, her long, slender limbs made quite an impression. If this were the real world, she easily could have been a runway model.
Fortunately, Isabel was nowhere to be seen. Ever since the recent boycott incident, she had stopped showing up to our morning training sessions.
"Aisha."
"Ah, Senior..."
Aisha started to greet me but froze mid-sentence. Her eyes widened as she took in the figure standing right beside me. It was a natural reaction, considering I had just casually strolled up with the Third Princess of the Empire—one of the nation's greatest treasures.
"Aisha, this is Lady Iris. She'll be joining our training starting today."
"I greet the Third Princess."
As Aisha bowed formally, Iris waved her hand dismissively.
"We are at Jerion Academy. Please, treat me as a senior, just like you do with Hanon."
"Understood. I shall do so."
Aisha wasn't completely inflexible. Since Iris had requested it, she would gladly comply.
"I was thinking of tweaking our training regimen today to accommodate Lady Iris. Would that be alright with you?"
"Of course. Training requires constant variation to keep the body from adapting and plateauing. I actually welcome the change."
A classic Aisha response.
"Let's begin, Lady Iris."
"Alright."
With Iris still looking somewhat bewildered, the three of us began our training.
The training method was simple. Iris was one of the rare prodigies who, like Van, had awakened her aura at a very young age. However, because Van's comprehension of aura was a step above hers, she couldn't ignite her aura as spectacularly as he did. Still, the mere fact that she could wield aura at all was what mattered. Throughout the session, I constantly pushed Iris to channel and expend her aura.
Though initially puzzled, Iris went along with it—a testament to the high favorability I had diligently built up with her. She poured out her aura continuously throughout the morning. By the time we wrapped up, her body was so thoroughly exhausted that she couldn't squeeze out another drop of energy.
"Whew... Have you really been doing this kind of training every single day?" Iris asked, catching her breath.
I simply smiled.
"Lady Iris, physical strength is national strength."
"I think I finally understand why you never seem to tire, Hanon."
Even when we were stranded in the Demon Palace, I had survived on sheer physical endurance alone. This training session had finally made Iris realize the secret behind that resilience.
"More importantly, how does your body feel?"
"My body?"
At my question, Iris slightly lifted the hem of her athletic shirt. For a split second, her pale, smooth midriff was exposed, making my head spin. I felt like I was about to be arrested for high treason just for looking.
"I think I lost some weight."
"Lady Iris, if Hania were here, she would have fainted on the spot."
Fainted from sheer excitement, most likely. I quickly reached out and pulled her shirt back down to tidy her clothes.
"But that's not what I meant. Lady Iris, try focusing on your inner self."
Iris blinked her large eyes, then closed them to examine her internal state. As an aura user, she was more than capable of introspecting her own energy. A moment later, her eyes slowly fluttered open. She stared at me, her gaze filled with astonishment.
"...The turbid energy... it's completely gone."
The dark energy festering inside her was none other than the power of the Evil Zone. This malevolent force was fed and replenished through her nightmares. If so, the solution was simple: burn it all away as fast as it accumulated. That was why I had instructed her to continuously unleash her aura during our morning training. Once her aura reserves hit rock bottom, her body had naturally begun consuming the residual power of the Evil Zone to keep going.
Having burned through the corruptive energy that tormented her, the bizarre, unsettling mana that used to cling to her had vanished. Iris's face looked visibly refreshed. It was only natural, given that the heavy weight crushing her spirit had been lifted.
As the ultimate villainess of the original game, Iris possessed power on an entirely different dimension compared to ordinary people. Since humans instinctively tend to hoard and accumulate their strength, Iris had likely never completely emptied her reserves like this before.
"I will stay by your side again tonight. Let's get some proper sleep."
Even so, Iris's insomnia was a deeply rooted issue. Her body had developed a subconscious habit of avoiding sleep altogether to escape the torment of her nightmares. Just because the influence of the Evil Zone had decreased didn't mean she could instantly break years of conditioning. For the time being, I would have to keep watching over her.
"...Okay."
Iris gazed at me with an unreadable look in her eyes. Though I couldn't quite decipher her thoughts, thus began Lady Iris's Sweet Dreams Project.
Time marched on relentlessly. Two weeks into Lady Iris's Sweet Dreams Project, her complexion had grown noticeably brighter.
"Good morning, Hanon."
She had even reached the point where she would wake up before me to prepare for our morning training. Day by day, Iris pushed the intensity of her workouts higher. She was giving her absolute all to shake off even the slightest trace of her nightmares. Consequently, she had recently begun to look forward to the night. A peaceful night's sleep was such a rare luxury that she couldn't help but anticipate it.
"Hanon, come here."
Without fail, Iris would pull me into her bed and hold me tight as she slept. By now, I had grown accustomed to this routine. However, the root cause of her nightmares remained unresolved.
It's about time I start preparing.
The time had come to prepare the real solution that could permanently alleviate Iris's nightmares. And so, I spent my days focusing entirely on managing her sleep.
Meanwhile, unfamiliar faces began appearing around the academy. They were the newly appointed assistant instructors and professors, brought in to replace those expelled after the recent boycott incident. Shortly after arriving at Jerion Academy, many of them paid their respects to Iris—clear proof that they belonged to the Third Princess's faction.
These new instructors and professors were exceptionally diligent. Having been thoroughly vetted and trained by Duke Robliaju, they demonstrated their capabilities to the fullest while guiding the students. Thanks to them, the overall atmosphere of Jerion Academy underwent a massive shift. The corrupt staff members who had been expelled were mostly unpleasant individuals to begin with. Now that they had been replaced by passionate educators, the students naturally began to show more enthusiasm as well.
"It seems our efforts weren't in vain."
Seron nudged my arm as she observed the academy's transformed atmosphere. Since Iris and Hania, who usually stuck to my side, happened to be away, I was on my way back from having lunch with Seron.
Card had been incredibly busy lately, constantly running around on various errands, which meant we rarely had lunch together anymore. That was how I ended up dining alone with Seron. She was absolutely right. Even Rozamin, the leader of the boycott, would surely feel a sense of accomplishment once his one-month suspension ended.
"More importantly, Prince Sweet Potato."
She leaned in close, lowering her voice. I leaned down to match her height.
"What is it?"
"...Why do you keep sneaking into the girls' dormitory disguised as Hania?"
So she finally caught on.
"Seron, have you been stalking me?"
"Did you really think I wouldn't keep an eye on you after what you said last time? There's a pervert sneaking into the girls' dorms; of course I had to investigate!"
Why was this stalker acting so self-righteous? I was utterly speechless.
"I saw you slipping in and out of Lady Iris's room. What on earth are you doing in there? What if you get caught?"
Iris currently believed I was Hanon. If she ever discovered that I was actually Vikamon, I would be executed on the spot for trespassing into a princess's bedchamber.
"I'm just helping Lady Iris get some sleep."
In truth, I was merely acting as a human security blanket. I could swear on my life that I hadn't done anything inappropriate. To be precise, my primal desires had been forcefully suppressed far more than my capacity for romantic affection, making any untoward incidents physically impossible.
"As long as you keep your mouth shut, no one will ever find out."
"I don't want to see you get executed, so I'll keep quiet, but..." Seron grumbled under her breath, casting a sideways glance at me. "...It's just not fair from where I'm standing."
"What's not fair about it?"
"I can't sleep well either."
I blinked. What was this girl talking about? She had literally dozed off during class this morning.
"Because... because I'm too busy thinking about you."
Oh, for goodness' sake. Seron's face flushed a deep crimson as she fidgeted restlessly. She had turned as red as a ripe tomato the moment the words left her mouth. I never expected her to launch such a direct, frontal assault.
"...Aren't you embarrassed saying things like that?"
"O-Of course I am! But what else am I supposed to do? It's the truth!"
Well, she certainly wasn't lying. Seron bit her lip hard and buried her face in her hands.
"Don't look at me."
Just watching her was making me feel embarrassed.
"No, wait! Look at me. Look at my face, and remember exactly how sincere I am!"
I stared at Seron before glancing around. Fortunately, there was no one else in sight. It was a secluded path we often took for quiet walks, so it made sense. It seemed Seron had intentionally guided me here just to say this. She was surprisingly clever.
With a quiet chuckle, I slightly loosened the Bandage of the Veil, reverting to my true form as Vikamon.
"Uh—ah—wha—"
The moment my true face was revealed, Seron froze solid.
"Go ahead, Seron. Say that again."
Seron's eyes darted around frantically. In an instant, she transformed into an incredibly fragile, timid girl, nervously shuffling her feet.
"Hyuuung..."
Letting out a bizarre squeak, she spun on her heel and bolted.
Lately, I had discovered a foolproof way to handle Seron. When I was disguised as Hanon, she would tease and bicker with me as usual, but the moment I showed her Vikamon's face, she would lose all composure and flee. It seemed she still couldn't get used to looking at Vikamon's actual face.
Well, considering he was the person she had harbored feelings for almost her entire life.
Seron clearly still needed time to prepare herself. Having successfully dealt with her, I wrapped the Bandage of the Veil back around myself. She was growing bolder by the day, which made me slightly worried about the future.
More importantly, the time is drawing near.
Looking up at the fully ripened autumn foliage, I could feel that Act 4, Scene 2 was finally beginning.
The International Individual Tournament
A triennial friendly competition where academy students from various kingdoms and empires gather to test their might.
And there was one specific individual whom I absolutely had to recruit and transfer to Jerion Academy during this event.
I burned through my entire summer vacation just to prepare for this.
I clenched both of my fists tightly.
She was someone absolutely essential to curing Iris's nightmares and securing our future. Someone who possessed a power akin to the Flame of Fighting Spirit.
I had to make sure she transferred to Jerion Academy, no matter what.