NOVEL NEXT Chapter 68
The forest near Aaronhae Beach.
I barely caught Hanon by using Sharine to corner her.
This evasive level max character just couldn’t be caught any other way.
‘It’s a bit hypocritical of me to say this, but…’
Having stolen his identity, I have been wreaking havoc at Jerion Academy.
To Hanon, I was the one who tarnished her reputation.
I felt sorry for Hanon.
However, that aside, I couldn’t afford to rampage like this.
I had to live as Hanon until I graduated from Jerion Academy.
So, I wanted to compromise with her as much as possible.
“Is that your real face?”
“Fake.”
Hanon, suppressed by me, chuckled while asking the same question as Sharine.
My face is that of a person who doesn’t exist in this world.
Thus, it is fake.
“What a shame.”
Hanon looked completely uninterested in the fact that I had misused her identity.
Someone who had tossed aside the mundane in the late evening, chasing relics and legends from all over the world.
“I apologize for using your identity without permission. But your goals and mine aren’t fundamentally that different.”
I sighed, pressing down on Hanon.
“So, let’s have a chat.”
“In this state?”
Hanon waved her arms as if protesting against my suppression.
“Sorry, but you’re going to run away the moment I let go.”
“Wow, you’re quick to catch on.”
It’s not like I was the only one who was unpredictable.
“I have no confidence in catching you again. I know that if you run away with all your strength, nobody can catch you.”
I pulled the curtain’s bandage.
Then my appearance changed to that of Hanon.
Since I caught Hanon, there was no need to stay in a different form anymore.
Hanon stared at me with a face full of wonder.
“Did the 1st Prince send you?”
At my question, Hanon displayed a wobbly smile.
“How fascinating. Shouldn’t I assume that I was sent by the 3rd Princess faction since I’m related to Lady Iris?”
“You’re not even part of the Duke of Robliju’s household. What reason would there be for that?”
Hanon’s family name of Irey belonged to a small noble family in the outskirts.
He merely inherited the bloodline of the Duke of Robliju.
He had no connection to Robliju.
Originally, Hanon was to be used as a spy for the 1st Prince.
As such, he was inherently a figure with many secrets.
But who am I?
A veteran who cleared the Flame Butterfly route a whopping 29 times!
No matter how much of a hidden character Hanon is,
I knew all too well about the character named Hanon.
“On the contrary.”
I also knew what would make Hanon react sensitively.
“You resent the Duke of Robliju.”
Hanon’s face changed for the first time in a direction I had never seen.
The guy, who had been lazy all along, stopped squirming and stared at me.
“Who are you really?”
Hanon shot a question back at me instead.
In an instant, the situation flipped.
Now it was Hanon’s turn to interrogate me.
“I am—”
I would take the lead here.
Hanon’s existence was like a weakness to me.
If he were to bolt away and reveal my identity right now, my standing would become incredibly troublesome.
I’d risk being expelled from the academy and thrown in jail for impersonation.
At that point, my game would be over.
‘The world would end too.’
After all I endured to set the world on a path towards proper governance.
The 1st Prince faction and the 3rd Princess faction were now set on fire.
Regardless of the process, the script was headed toward proper governance.
The past and events Hanon experienced don’t change.
“I could be your ally or your enemy, depending on how you act.”
To Hanon, I was an unknown existence who had copied his image.
Hanon would undoubtedly have his suspicions about me now.
‘The character harboring a secret right now is not Hanon, but me.’
The more doubts bloomed in Hanon’s mind, the more I could seize the initiative.
“Hanon, you want revenge against the Duke of Robliju, right?”
The reason he allied with the 1st Prince was solely out of grudge against the Duke of Robliju.
That’s why Hanon also despises Iris, the Duke’s daughter.
‘Hanon is a character that unravels the story of how the Duke of Robliju formed an alliance with the Evil Zone, but…’
He’s also a significant factor in raising the overall difficulty of the game.
The appearance of Hanon makes clearing episodes much more challenging.
So, I must absolutely prevent the real Hanon from dabbling in governance.
“I will help you with your revenge. If you assist me, I can ensure your revenge is more certain than the 1st Prince’s.”
Hanon stared at me blankly.
His expression combined suspicion and incredulity.
“… The Duke of Robliju isn’t someone that easy to deal with. You can’t handle him alone.”
“Exactly, which is why you chose to side with the 1st Prince.”
Hanon willingly allied with the 1st Prince because he knew the Duke was someone he couldn’t challenge with just his own power.
The strongest ally among individuals.
However, he isn’t the only one who can become that ally.
“You don’t fully trust the 1st Prince, do you? Wouldn’t it be better to provide yourself with at least one alternative option at this opportunity?”
I was also someone who could help Hanon achieve what he most desired.
Though I might be at the suspicion stage for now.
I could prove it better than anyone.
“Wow.”
At that moment, a marvelous laughter escaped Hanon’s lips.
After brushing off the laughter, he then stared directly at me.
“Like you said, I was ordered by the 1st Prince to determine your identity.”
I saved Nia and Nikita, who were next to the 1st Prince.
Nikita knows my identity.
But she wouldn’t reveal it, given her personality that insists on repaying debts, even to Nia.
‘Hanon, knowing me, must be wondering what my deal is.’
The 1st Prince values the present above all.
Naturally, he wouldn’t want unexpected variables to arise.
To him, I must be an unwelcome figure.
‘But then, I saved Nia. It wouldn’t be easy for him to remove me now.’
So he tossed Hanon to me without hesitation.
If I didn’t clarify what I was doing, he’d expose my identity by using Hanon.
It essentially carried the 1st Prince’s warning.
“However, after talking, I realize you’re a more perplexing character than I initially thought, huh?”
Hanon tilted his head slightly to look at me.
Then he let out a laugh without seriousness.
“However, I’m not one to easily trust people.”
As expected, this wouldn’t be enough to convince him.
“Well then, I’ll consider this business concluded and take my leave.”
At the same moment, Hanon’s body began to dissipate.
He used one of the tools he collected while traversing various ruins.
Hanon’s unique tool.
The Wind of Concealment.
A device infused with magic that allows one to escape to a desired location at any time.
The reason Hanon was so relaxed all this time was because of this.
I anticipated this as well.
So, just as I tried to react immediately—
Thud!
A sudden pain shot through my right eye.
I realized who was the source of the pain and quickly pressed my hand against my eye.
But it was too late.
Fwaaaaaah!
The cold air exploding from me swiftly spread through the forest.
The underbrush froze, and the trees hardened in ice.
The problem lay with Hanon underneath me.
“Uh-huh?”
Hanon, frozen stiff from the cold, whimpered as his lips twitched.
The remnants of the ancient dragon suddenly got restless.
‘Did it react to my magic?’
Just as I was about to awaken the flame within me due to the unexpected squirming, Sharine landed in front of me.
She had descended after observing the situation from above.
“You naughty boy.”
Sharine took out her staff and elegantly twirled it.
“Time for a punishment.”
Sharine’s eyes glowed with the light of the Milky Way, and her staff’s tip emitted light that struck the presence of the ancient dragon.
The existence of the ancient dragon I felt cowering in my chest fled in fright from the light.
The icy air swirling around vanished.
The ice scales that had sprouted on my face shattered and disappeared.
“Looks like it’s responding to the magic.”
Sharine seemed to share the same thought regarding why the ancient dragon’s remnants reacted suddenly.
The bigger problem was still Hanon beneath me.
He had been frozen solid from directly receiving the ancient dragon’s cold and had fainted.
He wasn’t a bad guy, but I felt a pang of remorse.
… Why does it keep growing my guilt toward Hanon?
It isn’t easy to just have a conversation.
“Sharine, can you take this guy to a warm place?”
“Sure, I’ll do that.”
Sharine erased the traces left by the ancient dragon and floated the unconscious Hanon.
“Hanon, I want ice cream.”
Time to get my pay for the labor I exerted here.
“I’ll buy you two.”
“Three.”
“You’ll get a stomachache at that rate.”
“One is for Hanon.”
I’ll buy four too.
“Once again, I’m off.”
Sharine waved her hands and rose into the air.
Just as I was set to follow her out of the forest, I sensed a presence beyond the woods.
Simultaneously, the murderous intent aimed at me made me react instantly, pulling my body back.
Whoosh!
In that instant, a sword sliced down in front of me.
Honey blonde hair swirled in the air.
Her identity was none other than Isabel.
Isabel immediately attempted to continue her assault, having drawn back her feet.
I glared at her.
“What are you doing, Isabel?”
“Huh?”
Isabel, startled, widened her eyes as she swung her sword and hurriedly tried to retract it, losing her balance.
“Oops.”
Isabel stumbled, pushing her body forward uncontrollably.
Without a doubt, she’d fall flat on her face.
I quickly reached out and caught Isabel in my arms.
Thud!
I caught Isabel, barely maintaining my balance on both feet, and let out a sigh.
Then I looked down at Isabel with a displeased expression.
“Are you trying to ambush me?”
As I asked, Isabel squirmed in my embrace.
“Ah, no! It’s just that someone who looks like you appeared. So, um…”
That brat Hanon, was he bothering Isabel too?
Whatever he said, it was certain to have ruffled her feathers.
‘It would be troublesome if she dropped even a hint about me.’
Nothing could be worse than Isabel suspecting my identity.
Lately, she had been in quite a complicated state.
Stirring her emotions was not a good idea.
“What kind of nonsense is that? You’re not seeing things, are you?”
I had to play dumb for the moment.
“It’s not nonsense! I’m serious!”
Isabel protested with a face full of indignation at my disbelief.
She seemed offended that I didn’t believe her.
“I traced his steps here, and there you were!”
“So, how long do you plan to stay like this?”
Isabel showed a slightly sulky reaction, and I shrugged my shoulders, still holding her.
This surprised Isabel, causing her to jerk her head up in astonishment, her cheeks turning bright red.
“Th-thanks for catching me, but, uh!”
At the same time, Isabel winced, feeling pain in her ankle.
The position she held while swinging her sword must have caused her to twist it too much.
Isabel sat down and wrapped her arms around her ankle.
Seeing her like this, I let out a sigh.
I felt bad for Sharine, but I couldn’t just leave Isabel behind.
“Get on my back.”
“I-I’m fine. I can walk.”
“What’s a martial artist like you doing trying to push yourself more than necessary?”
It looks like a slight sprain, but you never know with injuries.
“It’s not like if I sprain my ankle, you’ll just leave me behind?”
“Of course, I’d help you or carry you.”
When I pointed out that it would be the same for her if I were injured, she came to understand.
Isabel felt light.
Given that she trained her muscles every day, it was surprising to encounter someone so light.
A citrus-like fragrance wafted from Isabel on my back.
And inadvertently, I realized her figure was quite nice.
I hurriedly shook that thought off and started walking.
From then on, Isabel remained quiet on my back.
Since she was riding on my back, I couldn’t see her face, so I had no idea what she was thinking.
“… Why did you enroll in Jerion Academy?”
Then Isabel suddenly asked me a question.
Out of the blue, and a rather unexpected one.
Was she undergoing some sort of emotional shift?
I worried a bit but decided to answer honestly.
“I mentioned it when I first arrived. I said I would rectify Jerion Academy’s bad reputation.”
I reminded her of how I had dissed Lucas that day.
But Isabel remained silent, contrary to her typical self.
“… So you came because of Lucas?”
Her next words took a different direction than usual.
“It had a bit of influence.”
What was going on in her mind?
I couldn’t tell, but to avoid any misunderstandings, I responded.
“Right, I see…”
Isabel didn’t ask more and buried her face in my shoulder.
The summer breeze swept past the two of us.
What sort of resolution did Isabel come to in that moment, I couldn’t know.