The World After the Bad Ending

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As I looked at Seron’s desperate struggle, I couldn’t help but feel pity.

“What kind of manners are those in front of Grantoni? Come on, Seron.”

“Ahhh! I’m more curious about your brain that thought this skull-headed creature would actually help!”

“I don’t know much, but it probably isn’t bigger than your brain, Seron.”

“Ha ha ha!”

While I fought with Seron, Card couldn’t hold back his tears as he burst into laughter.

“Calm down, Seron. Wang Non must have brought the little shrine for a reason, right?”

As Card tried to soothe Seron, she pointed at Grantoni, huffing.

“And why is that skull-headed creature the healer in the first place?”

Healers are traditionally students of Holy Studies. That’s why Seron couldn’t comprehend why Grantoni was the designated healer.

“I’m actually more puzzled as to why you don’t understand why Grantoni should be the healer.”

“He’s not healing; he’s the one killing!”

That’s just the prejudice of a soul mage. I pointed to Grantoni’s head.

“Let’s ask a different question. Among the Holy Studies students, is there anyone else like Grantoni, who has only a skull left and can remain alive?”

Seron chewed her lips.

“…Usually, you wouldn’t call that alive.”

“It does look that way.”

Card seemed to grasp this too. These ignorant fools.

“Grantoni is a soul mage, skilled in necromancy. He knows how the body is structured and can realign broken bones and restore flesh.”

Of course, it comes with pain, unlike Holy Studies. Still, it’s true that if a Holy Studies student makes a mistake, a soul mage can step in to heal.

The opposite of holy magic is dark magic. However, they share similarities in that they both deal with the body of living beings.

“Above all, I checked with Professor Veganon, and he gave his approval.”

If the professors hadn’t allowed it, we wouldn’t have even brought him along. At the mention of the professor’s approval, Seron hesitated.

Yet, it seemed she still had more to say.

“The question is whether that skull-headed creature will cooperate properly.”

In team competitions, cooperation also counts toward the score.

Grantoni had a history of causing all sorts of mishaps. It wasn’t for nothing that the students avoided calling him the little shrine.

“We’re treated almost the same way.”

However, to the students, neither I, Seron, nor Card were treated significantly differently from Grantoni.

Yemisai, Card. Bulldog, Seron. Little bastard, Hanon.

Before I knew it, each of us had earned ourselves a nickname.

“Thinking about it, isn’t my treatment a bit too harsh?”

Is it because I’m the enemy of the beloved Isabel, whom everyone admires at Jerion Academy? My nickname stands out more than the others’.

Still, recently, the number of people openly cursing at me in front of my face has decreased.

Students aren’t fools. They see the reputation I’ve built and realize that provoking me is only going to bring trouble.

“Anyway, there weren’t any Holy Studies students to join our team. We should be grateful Grantoni joined us instead.”

“Heh heh, I was originally slated to be disqualified anyway. So it’s fine by me.”

If any team failed to join the group competition, they would be disqualified and receive the lowest score. Thus, it wasn’t a bad thing for Grantoni to join our team.

“If our scores go up, we’ll get more support, right? Maybe we can stay here in this other world longer.”

Grantoni cracked a grim smile as he tapped his teeth together.

Seron seemed to want to argue further but eventually sighed and fell silent. She too realized that it wouldn’t benefit her to keep talking.

“Just try to let your scores drop. Princess Sweet Potato won’t let that go.”

I couldn’t tell who was directing that statement at whom.

“Isn’t that a big problem?”

“What do we do?”

At that moment, I heard sighs coming from various corners.

Glancing up, I spotted someone being carried away on a stretcher.

Upon seeing that, I instinctively leaned forward.

Because it was Nikita.

It seemed she had been hurt during the team competition.

“Ugh—”

It was then that Sharine, who was leaning back and dozing off, grabbed my sleeve from behind.

She looked at me with one eye half-open.

“We’re taking a test too. It wouldn’t be late to go after it’s over.”

As Sharine said, there wasn’t much difference if I followed Nikita now.

“I heard she’s the vice president?”

“Hmm, they said she’s the daughter of the Cynthia family. I was expecting a bit.”

“They say it’s the weakest generation. Losing Nia Cynthia must hurt the Cynthia family.”

“I heard Nia Cynthia’s body hasn’t been found yet.”

Whispers spread from the audience area.

The team competition continued even after Nikita was taken away.

The third years fought valiantly in the team competition, but to the guests, it apparently didn’t look exciting at all, and they showed little interest.

As a result, the enthusiasm of the third years waned as time went on. By the end, not a single person clapped.

The third years completed the team competition feeling utterly drained.

“Now, we’ll start the second-year team competition.”

“Oh, finally.”

“The golden flame generation. I’m looking forward to it!”

“It should be more entertaining now.”

As the mage arts professor announced the beginning of the second-year team competition, the guests’ reactions changed instantly.

As the seniors in the third year, it was something very unpleasant for us, but we all knew.

Our talents couldn’t even begin to compare to the second-year students.

“First team, Team Iris.”

Soon after, the professor called out the team. The order of the exams is determined based on the average score of each group.

The team with the highest average score takes the first turn in the team competition.

“In a competitive structure, those with higher points will work a little harder to surpass the others.”

It was a sort of calculation based on psychological factors.

It’s quite intimidating to be the first group when no one has scored yet. Since they consist of high-scoring members, they bear a psychological risk.

It was in such a sense.

But would that apply to Team Iris?

“Let’s go.”

Iris Haishirion strode confidently, her black hair swirling behind her. Her gemstone-like red eyes glinted brightly.

The followers trailing behind her were all among the fiercest second-years.

Not a hint of fear was in their eyes.

It was as though only their confidence in coming in first existed in the air.

“Crown Princess Iris, huh.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

“Isn’t she the strongest royal ever?”

The guests were in an uproar.

Martial Arts top student. The strongest royalty in history.

Although she bore the title of the last wicked woman, no one could deny that she was the strongest.

Team Iris stood on the arena where the team competition would take place.

Then, smoke rose up and started to change the shape of the arena.

A hemispherical sphere enveloped the arena.

Inside the sphere, nobody could see outside. It was designed to let them focus, without being distracted by the gaze of those outside.

Soon, white smoke thickened, and—

Boom!

Because of the illusion magic, a demon appeared.

A demon of considerable bulk in the shape of an ox.

“Graaaaahhh!”

As soon as it appeared, it thumped its chest and let out a massive roar.

Swish!

And just like that, its neck was severed.

It was instant death.

Everyone held their breath at the sight.

Somehow, Iris had already positioned herself behind the demon.

Most people present clearly hadn’t seen Iris move.

Her red eyes shone quietly through the smoke.

Her eyes were like roses blooming in the dark.

“She’s the strongest.”

At Card’s muttered words, everyone had to agree.

Team Iris continued to score instant kills afterward. The spectacle was so overwhelming it made the spectators lose heart.

It was as if Team Iris was telling the second-years that they were the ones who would take first place, so they’d better wake up from their dreams.

However, as the latter half progressed, even Team Iris began to slow down.

The demons that appeared in the latter half were not easy opponents even for Team Iris.

But since there were almost no students from the third year by the time they reached the later half, it was already certain they would finish in the top tier.

Boom!

In the end, Team Iris defeated the very last demon registered in the illusion magic.

“31 minutes 21 seconds.”

That was the time it took for Team Iris to defeat all ten registered demons.

The last demon took a little more than ten minutes, meaning they had taken down the previous nine demons in under twenty minutes.

“Good job. Congratulations on the first clear.”

Professor Veganon, who was dressed sharply unlike usual, praised Team Iris.

Iris thanked her before confidently turning away.

Unlike the other team members, there wasn’t a hint of fatigue on her face.

As Iris walked, her gaze brushed briefly against me.

I felt her glances, different from before, as she passed by.

“Still a monster.”

At least within Jerion Academy, there’s no one who can defeat her right now.

“Next, Team Hanon.”

We were the next team called out.

“H-h-huh? Us? Why?”

Seron had a bewildered expression.

But it was obvious why we were the second team.

Our gazes shifted to Sharine.

Top student of the mage arts, Sharine Sazarith.

She shrugged her shoulders, indifferent, even under the gaze of everyone.

“I’m incredibly competent.”

The eyes of other second-year students were all focused on us. Those who didn’t know Sharine was on our team were filled with questions.

“Why is she in the midst of those troublemakers?”

“Ugh! After Princess Iris, you really have to be kidding! Our team will be in this shape without Sharine!”

Despair clouded Seron’s face.

Well, how could they not compare us when the order was just so convenient?

I raised my hand and pressed down hard on Seron’s head.

“Everyone, listen up. The strongest team has just set the score.”

A sinister smile spread across my lips.

“So, if we clear it in 31 minutes and 21 seconds or less, we’ll take first place.”

That’s a given, but it was something that we shouldn’t be able to say so casually.

Card burst into laughter.

“Right! Wang Non is right.”

“Heh heh, this will be fun.”

As expected, those troublemakers were unfazed.

“Well, if you called me, I need to at least meet that standard.”

Sharine nodded with a satisfied expression.

“Let’s go for first place.”

As I made my way towards the team competition arena, I caught a glimpse of Isabel.

She hadn’t taken her eyes off me at all.

I could feel her passion in her gaze.

It was a clear sign of rivalry.

“Let me slip through no matter what score I get, is that it?”

Isabel had no interest in Team Iris from the start.

Her sole goal was to take me down.

Then—

“I will never let you win.”

Even for the sake of the narrative, I had no intention of losing.

Team competition.

I will definitely finish in first place.