NOVEL NEXT Chapter 61
Chapter 8: Morning Confusion
*Tap-tap.*
In a room where the lights were completely off, a man was staring intently at the monitor.
He often displayed signs of annoyance, sighing heavily, but occasionally he would chuckle for reasons I couldn’t fathom.
I quietly observed his back.
His right arm was utterly wrecked.
His expression was far from normal.
It was a symptom of facial paralysis.
‘He didn’t look like this back then.’
Perhaps it was just a dream.
I must have been thinking about his long-broken arm and face deep down.
“Is it fun?”
I asked absentmindedly.
Upon hearing my question, the man continued to stare at the screen.
“This is my favorite game.”
His words made me smile faintly.
“Well, that’s good then.”
I still enjoyed this game.
*Clink—*
My eyes opened wide.
Through the sweat on my face, I spotted the ceiling.
‘…Hospital room?’
Realizing where I was, I released a light sigh.
‘Someone found me.’
I could vaguely recall collapsing on the way up to the 4th floor of Magung Academy.
My intention had been to regain consciousness and head back, but it seemed I had completely failed to do so.
‘That was too dangerous.’
I had poured all my energy into overcoming the ancient dragon’s magic but should have at least preserved enough strength to make my way back.
‘I was less prepared than I thought.’
I chastised myself internally.
If I hadn’t been found, I would have died right there.
‘What about Nikita?’
Had she reunited well with Nia?
She might resent me for keeping Nia’s situation a secret.
‘And now that I’ve been exposed as Bickamon…’
She could be upset that the guy she liked ended up like this.
‘I should have remained Hanon as much as possible.’
I swallowed a sigh for my mistake.
‘First, let’s assess the situation.’
Just then, as I resolved to get up, I realized something was holding my body back.
A strangely soft sensation and a sweet rose fragrance tickled my senses.
Turning my head to find out what it was, I was met with a familiar face.
A sultry, mixed-breed catgirl.
That was the fitting description of her.
The 3rd Princess, Iris Haishirion.
She was holding me tightly in her embrace.
“…Ah, Princess Iris?”
I called to her, bewildered.
“Mm-hmm.”
Iris only tightened her grip without any intention of getting up.
Why was I sleeping together with her in my hospital bed?
I couldn’t make sense of it, and the back of my head felt a nagging itch.
My scalp burned so much it was almost painful.
Eventually, unable to withstand the curiosity, I slowly turned my head.
There stood a girl with peach-colored hair.
Her eyes were twisted like a demon’s.
I knew all too well why her eyes looked like that.
Hania Repidia.
The daughter of the Imperial Knights Commander, she was one of Iris’s admirers.
“You’ve finally awakened?”
Hania smiled as she approached.
That smile was sharp enough to make even me flinch.
“…I can’t just keep sleeping forever.”
“I could keep you asleep forever, though.”
“No thanks. I have a lot to do.”
Hania snickered, blowing air through her nose.
“So, can you explain the situation?”
I still couldn’t wrap my head around why Iris was lying in the hospital bed with me.
Upon my query, Hania hugged her knees.
“When the ice wall on the 4th floor collapsed during the rescue, everyone who had collapsed was retrieved. In the process, Nikita Cynthia’s attempt to target Iris was also discovered.”
“What about Senior Nikita?”
“She’s gone. According to the investigators, she failed the assassination attempt and was ultimately devoured by the ancient dragon’s magic.”
That wasn’t enough information.
As I felt a sense of loss, Hania added more details.
“In the midst of all this, additional traces of the ancient dragon’s magic were discovered, and although we couldn’t find a body, it was concluded that Nikita Cynthia is dead.”
Finally, I let out a sigh of relief internally.
Fortunately, it seemed that Nikita was concluded to be dead in this incident.
‘I guess the 1st Prince must have acted without me knowing.’
It was likely that Nia had sent her a strong request.
“Nikita Cynthia is still alive.”
In that moment, Hania sharply pointed it out.
My gaze slowly met hers.
She was watching me intently.
Her eyes conveyed an intent to strip away lies and seek the truth.
In response, I offered a light smile.
“Well, who knows?”
“Don’t give me that smile.”
Come to think of it, Hania was still in her Hanon disguise.
Since this was a private room, it seemed she had relaxed her act.
“I swear I’ll eliminate anything that could harm Iris.”
Hania raised her sword for Iris’s sake.
Her blade only moved for Iris.
Nikita had targeted Iris’s life.
If I hadn’t been there, Iris would likely have lost her neck.
“Hanon Irey.”
A glint of lethal intent appeared in Hania’s eyes.
“Is Hanon an enemy of Iris?”
Now, like with Nikita, my life was being threatened by Hania.
I stood up for Nikita.
Hania should know this fact was involved.
If I was an enemy, she would undoubtedly have to eliminate me.
“No.”
I had no intention of becoming an enemy of Iris.
Even if she played the role of a final boss in the ultimate chapter.
I would save her in place of Lucas.
Upon hearing my resolute answer, Hania fell silent for a moment.
Then, she let out a breath and withdrew her killing intent.
“Then, that’s fine.”
Surprisingly, she seemed to accept it easily.
“Don’t get the wrong idea. It’s not that I trust Hanon.”
Hania’s gaze turned toward Iris.
“Iris is extremely sensitive. She never shows weakness in front of anyone she perceives as a foe.”
I could agree with that.
Iris had always shown her perfect self to others.
But right now, Iris, who was behind me, wasn’t even thinking of waking up.
“But she shows such a side to Hanon. That’s proof she hasn’t felt any hostility from Hanon.”
Iris, who bears the power of Evil Zone.
When it comes to hostility and malice, she’d be more sensitive than anyone.
Hania was undoubtedly correct in her judgment.
“Nonetheless, considering the current situation…”
*Crack!*
Hania’s teeth gritted together, as if wanting to shatter them.
“This is hard to understand.”
She held back her fury as she glanced at me nestled in Iris’ arms.
Don’t get mad.
It’s scary.
“It’s an unavoidable situation. I don’t even know why I ended up like this.”
“Iris hugged you because she found Hanon warm and liked it.”
Just what? It’s not like I’m a puppy that’s embraced for my warmth.
I was bewildered.
But I figured it out somewhat.
‘The fire’s essence absorbed by my steel skin is turning into a steel body.’
My steel skin had absorbed the fire’s essence for quite some time.
To prevent it from melting, it had a unique property of releasing heat.
However, the fire’s essence pierced right through that property and deeply ingrained itself in me.
Thus, the heat from the fire essence flowed throughout my body.
‘At least it’s good for suppressing the remnants of the ancient dragon.’
The remnants of the ancient dragon had seeped into my being.
Besides, I had already woken up once due to the remnants; it was only a matter of time until they would try to engulf me again.
For now, it should be effective in suppressing them.
“So, stay like that until Iris wakes up.”
She was telling me to play the role of a heater.
“It’s the first time she’s sleeping so peacefully in a while.”
Hania gazed at Iris with pity.
She had been the one to watch Iris suffer from nightmares the longest.
So, if Iris could sleep comfortably, she would do anything for that.
I also knew that Iris had a rough time sleeping in Magung.
I had no choice but to stay still until Iris woke up.
After all, Iris wouldn’t sleep long due to her nightmares.
It wouldn’t take long before she would wake up.
“By the way, Hanon and I have a problem we need to solve.”
“What kind of problem?”
Was there still an outstanding issue?
As I voiced my questions, Hania smiled brightly.
“Well, we’re dating now, right?”
Oh.
“Wasn’t it just acting decently in front of Professor Barcob?”
“Yes, that would have worked.”
Hania rested her chin on her hands, grinning.
There was considerable annoyance in that smile.
“But until Barcob spreads the word, we need to be careful.”
I pieced together what had happened.
Barcob, that little jerk.
He really made a mess of things.
“So…”
“Now that the rumors are out, more eyes are watching. It’s best if we act for a while. Anyway, rumors tend to fade with time, and we can just break up later.”
“Barcob making a mess is new.”
I had decided to help Hania regardless.
Hania and I were both in the Martial Arts department.
It would be easy to act along with her.
“Are you sure about the rumors?”
The rumors associated with me were all negative.
It seems my skills were now somewhat acknowledged, but people still looked down on me.
Especially in the Magic Arts department, I had become their sworn enemy.
If I associated with Hania, her reputation would likely drop as well.
“I don’t care about the rumors related to Hanon. After all, Hanon isn’t that type of person.”
“It’s hard to say you’re not that kind of person considering your past actions.”
I had clashed with Isabel once or twice.
“That’s something I can judge for myself.”
But Hania seemed unconcerned about that.
“More than that, instead of worrying about me, you should be concerned about yourself right now.”
“What should I be worried about?”
Hania grinned brightly.
“There are many people at the academy who have feelings for me.”
That was a confidently delivered statement.
The problem was, she was indeed right about that.
Hania had a magnetic pull that attracted people of all ages and genders.
Many had developed feelings for her.
“I can’t guarantee where those people will go.”
“The one who steals the beauty must bear the weight, I see.”
“…Haha, yes, I suppose I’m a beauty.”
Hania’s nose lifted slightly in pride.
Regardless, I leaned back against my pillow again.
‘After several days off, I’ll be heading into the 2nd semester.’
The first semester of my 2nd year was full of ups and downs.
Now I was reflecting on the upcoming Act 4, closing my eyes gently.
I should get sufficient rest to step into Act 4.
And little did I know at that moment.
The contract couple agreement I had just entered into with Hania wouldn’t just be a problematic issue for those in love with her.