The World After the Bad Ending

---

On top of the team battle arena.

As we started to climb up, murmurs erupted from the VIP section.

“Whoa, isn’t that Sharine Sazarith, the Steel Empress’s daughter?”

“Looks like a big shot has shown up.”

“Hmmm, but didn’t they say she was an adopted daughter?”

“What does that matter? She’s got the eyes of ‘Mirilnae,’ the top talent in the Magic Arts!”

Sure enough, Sharine was the one most often mentioned among the VIPs.

The ‘Mirilnae’ trait—an eye that signifies the highest magic talent—was something she was born with.

Sharine possessed remarkable talent, enough to completely ignore the claim that she was the Magic Tower Lord’s adopted daughter.

Of course.

“…Hmph.”

Sharine herself seemed quite displeased with any mention of her adoption.

Her eyes poked at the back of my head repeatedly.

I could imagine it was because of something I said when I brought her into the team.

The part about showing her how to get back at her adoptive father, the Magic Tower Lord.

I hadn’t pressed further at the time, but it must be something she secretly cared about.

“By the way, why isn’t Sharine the team leader?”

“Hanon, I’ve never heard that name before.”

“But her eye and hair color…”

Before I knew it, the gazes of the VIPs shifted from Sharine to me.

My hair and eye color closely resembled that of Iris, who came out just a moment ago.

Which meant they would have caught onto Hanon’s bloodline origins as well.

The lineage of the Robliju Duke family.

That’s what it was linked to.

However, my last name wasn’t Robliju but Aire.

Some among them expressed their doubts about this point.

“Interesting.”

Only one person, that woman with the bright yellow eyes, remained adventurous in her gaze towards me.

Her hair was white as snow with a mysterious curl, revealing a mesmerizing figure beneath the long cloak draped over her shoulders as she laughed, seemingly enjoying the show.

In the Haishirion Empire, there are four dukes.

The Duke of the East, the Whitewood Duke.

The oldest duke, who has been with the Haishirion Empire since its inception.

“I knew you’d take an interest in me.”

Even from such a distance, I could distinctly feel an absurdly dangerous aura emanating from her.

My steel skin shivered instinctively.

It was as if she were urging me to dodge her gaze immediately.

I shouldn’t be this frightened thinking about what was to come.

I turned my back on the Whitewood Duke’s gaze and stepped into the arena.

Then the weight of the stares around me disappeared.

Thanks to the magic cast over the arena.

“Now that I’m inside, the magic has become even more interesting.”

Sharine laughed, intrigued as she examined the magic around her.

“Don’t deactivate it.”

“What do you see me as?”

A capricious one indeed.

I raised my head, aware that I never knew when Sharine might act unpredictably.

“Seron.”

“Ah, yeah, why!”

Seron, appearing tense, tightened his grip on his axe as he answered.

Unlike me, Seron was staring intently at another spot.

There, a middle-aged man resembling Seron was beaming with pride.

Naturally, he was holding a ‘Go Team Daughter!’ sign.

I could easily tell he was nervous at the thought of his dad coming to watch.

“We’ll handle the Apostles up to the 5th round ourselves.”

In this team battle, there were a total of ten Apostles.

And naturally, the rounds continued up to the tenth round.

As the difficulty of the Apostles increased in the latter rounds, it was efficient for the most physically capable, Seron and I, to deal with them in the early stages.

With that thought, I turned back to Seron, smiling slightly.

“If you’re nervous, just say so. I’ll let you go.”

Veins started to pop on Seron’s forehead.

“Who’s nervous?!”

She swung her axe menacingly.

“I’ll take down that princess pumpkin before you do, just watch!”

Starting to lose her composure.

“Card, Grantoni, the two of you get ready. Sharine, wait until I call you.”

“Do well.”

“Hehehe, this is going to be fun.”

“You should’ve tried a bit harder.”

With each of their responses, I rolled up my sleeves.

Then, the moment I raised my hand.

Boom!

With the sound of the ground shaking, a massive being shaped like a water buffalo appeared.

Round 1.

Water Buffalo Apostle.

Tick-tock!

At the same time, the timer measuring our battle time started.

Seron and I charged towards the Water Buffalo Apostle simultaneously.

The Water Buffalo Apostle, unwilling to be instantly killed like during Iris’s turn earlier, inflated its arms massively.

Then, it swung a massive fist right at me as it rushed close.

A fist bigger than my head was coming at me.

I tilted back just enough to dodge that incoming fist.

I felt the hefty weight of the fist pass right above my head.

Did I just cut through that with a single swing of my sword?

I was amazed once again at Iris’s strength.

While I was dodging, Seron burrowed into the Water Buffalo Apostle’s form.

Suddenly, a powerful water cannon burst forth from the Apostle’s mouth.

“Ugh, no!”

As Seron hurriedly cut through the water cannon with her axe, water splashed everywhere.

As a result, Seron looked like a rat caught in water.

Through her wet clothing, her pale skin and the thin garment underneath her shirt could be seen.

“Ummph!”

The Water Buffalo, thrashing about, suddenly released a large blast of air.

Whoosh!

In an instant, I leapt up and grabbed the Water Buffalo’s head.

For some reason, watching it expel air made me feel quite gross.

The Water Buffalo looked startled as it glanced at me between my fingers.

One eye twinkled, clear like no cow should.

“Magic Engraving, Flame.”

Fire Burst!

In that moment, the magic engraving etched on my fingertips unleashed a blaze of intense heat.

Snap!

I twisted the Water Buffalo’s head using the hot air and my grip strength.

Once the head was gone, the Water Buffalo could no longer struggle and fell lifeless.

I took a light breath and glanced over at Seron.

She seemed to have water in her mouth, spitting it out.

“Ugh, what’s with this salty stuff?”

“Probably milk. More importantly, dry yourself off. I’m not into peeping at your underwear.”

Seron belatedly checked her body and flinched.

She curled up defensively, yelling.

“Ugh, it’s not my underwear! It’s my shirt! What kind of thoughts are you having?!”

“I’m not thinking about anything.”

“…Hey, that’s gonna make me flustered too, you know?”

As I’m bantering like that, the second Apostle began to make its appearance.

The torso was human, but below the waist, it was a spider. The Spider Apostle.

There wasn’t time to argue with Seron.

As if she sensed this too, she pouted her lips and tightened her grip on her axe.

“Let’s keep going.”

Seron and I smashed into the ground again.

*

Outside, while the team match for Hanon was underway, the people sitting in the VIP section exhibited disengaged reactions as they watched.

“When is Sharine going to join in?”

“Since earlier, nobody except those two has been doing anything.”

Perhaps it was because Iris’s earlier fight had too much impact.

Even though Hanon and Seron were undoubtedly taking down the Apostles quickly, everyone remained indifferent.

It seemed they couldn’t help but compare them to Iris.

Hanon and Seron were performing well.

They couldn’t finish with a single blow like Iris could.

However, in a short amount of time, they had taken down the second Apostle as well.

From the third Apostle onwards, Card and Grantoni began to step up.

The magic Card wielded was shadow magic.

The shadows that bloomed beneath his feet launched appropriately lethal strikes while Hanon and Seron fought.

Grantoni’s necromancy also showcased excellent support.

He created footholds for Hanon and Seron to leap from anywhere, as well as binding the Apostles to render them immobile.

Their teamwork was splendid.

Especially, Hanon’s commands were applied perfectly every time a new Apostle appeared.

It was as if he had a thorough understanding of the upcoming Apostles.

Of course, all the Apostles had been showcased by the 3rd-year class along with Iris’s team beforehand.

So, one could argue that it was possible to think of countermeasures against the Apostles during that time.

Even so, Hanon’s methods for incapacitating the Apostles were optimized.

“Hm?”

“Hey, that kid.”

Among the VIPs, some began to notice, sending strange glances towards Hanon.

Hanon didn’t look like a 2nd-year first-semester student; he was knowledgeable and experienced regarding the Apostles.

“Boring.”

“I was expecting some magic from Sharine Sazarith.”

However, not everyone caught onto this.

While Hanon was surely defeating the Apostles with optimization, his methods appeared uneventful to outsiders.

This opinion mainly came from those who lacked the skills to have experienced the Magung in person.

There were some who had taken their place by superior skills.

Yet, there were also those whose circumstances aligned to take their positions.

The VIP section began to divide into two classifications.

And among them.

The one closest to the former category narrowed her eyes like a fox.

“Hoo, heh, what an interesting boy.”

Addressed by others as the Whitewood Duke.

The oldest duke in the empire and a living witness to its history.

She was watching the match now with even more interest than during Iris’s turn.

A golden gleam flickered and passed through her pupils.

“Your Grace, Whitewood Duke, are you enjoying the vitality of the young?”

Then, the cyclopean attendant standing behind her inquired.

Hearing his voice, the Whitewood Duke tapped her chin with her long finger.

“Young energy is always a joy to behold. When there’s a raging flame, it draws the gaze unavoidably.”

“Even so, it seems you’re more entertained than usual.”

Just as he said.

The Whitewood Duke was quite cheerful today.

There was one reason for that.

It was all thanks to the boy reflected in her eyes at this moment.

“The Steel Empress.”

She muttered to herself, her eyes sparkling quietly.

Having lived as a duke since the time of the Haishirion Imperial clan, she rarely encountered beings shrouded in mystery—but they weren’t completely absent.

But occasionally, peculiarities arose, just like now.

“Ah, heh heh heh.”

She couldn’t help but smile at Hanon, who conjured flames from his own fingertips.

What kind of madman would think of directly tattooing magic engravings onto their own body?

Especially when those engravings were considered relics of the past.

“Magic engravings and mysteries must surely possess a strange resonance.”

It was clear she was quite knowledgeable, living for such a long time, and yet now, chuckles escaped her lips.

“Whether he did it knowingly or unknowingly.”

Regardless, an interesting occurrence had come about after a long time.

She came to see how the famed 3rd Princess had grown, only to find a surprising new amusement.

The Whitewood Duke tapped her ankle beneath her long skirt.

“Well then.”

“How will you prove your worth?”

The 1st Prince and the 3rd Princess.

It was a moment where she, who had yet to extend her hands anywhere, discovered new value and smiled wryly.