NOVEL NEXT Chapter 69
“Thank you.”
“Yeah, you’re welcome.”
After bringing Isabel, who was in a gloomy mood, into the room, I went to where Sharine had taken Hanon.
That place turned out to be an empty room in an inn. I didn’t know whether they rented it or sneaked in, but for now, I just shrugged it off.
“Playboy, while I was getting work done, you were off having fun with another girl!”
Sharine threw out an absurd complaint.
“With Isabel and me?”
“I’ve always wanted to say this at least once in my life.”
Dream come true, I suppose. I looked down at the fainted Hanon.
“Hanon, you awake?”
“Whoa, caught me!”
Hanon jumped up as if he’d been electrocuted. I figured he’d recover quickly, given his good stamina.
“I didn’t mean for it to escalate this much. Sorry about that.”
Even so, I hadn’t planned to subdue him with the Dragon’s Magic. When I offered an honest apology, Hanon scratched his head.
“Honestly, as I’ve said before, I don’t care what I do with my status.”
And with that, he crossed his legs and grinned.
“What I was really curious about was your identity. But I ended up seeing something even more interesting.”
Hanon shot a glance at Sharine, who was next to him.
“That just now, that was the Dragon’s Magic.”
Now that he’d figured out everything openly, there was no need to make excuses.
Hanon understood our silence as a confirmation.
Whether or not the Dragon’s Magic was interesting, I decided to turn back to Sharine.
Sharine shrugged her shoulders and went out of the room, making space for me to speak comfortably.
I resolved to buy him another ice cream next time and sat in front of Hanon.
Hanon no longer seemed intent on escaping. He was probably tired of running away and freezing up.
“Hanon, as I said before, I can be of ample help to you.”
I understood why Hanon didn’t trust me. I had misused his status. I could apologize a hundred times, but it wouldn’t be enough.
However, this made it all the more necessary to earn Hanon’s cooperation. To help him understand my actions.
“Let me give you a reason to trust me.”
I tried to avoid spilling this unless absolutely necessary. But it seemed I had no other choice to convince Hanon.
“The Duke of Robliju has allied himself with the Evil Zone.”
This is something even the 1st Prince isn’t aware of yet. If he had known, everything would have fallen apart long ago.
But there was one person who knew: Hanon, right in front of me.
Hanon’s eyes widened to the largest I’d seen today, filled with astonishment.
He couldn’t tell anyone that the Duke of Robliju was allied with the Evil Zone.
That was because he was constrained.
If he tried to spread the word about the Evil Zone, he wouldn’t be able to take any action at all. So, I spoke the words for him.
“Of course, I haven’t gotten any solid evidence that could be publicly announced yet. And that goes for you too, Hanon.”
The Duke of Robliju was more meticulous than expected. He left no evidence that would be detrimental to himself.
Thus, only Hanon and I were in the know.
“I came to Jerion Academy in your form for that reason.”
It was information that no one else yet knew.
As I revealed this information directly, Hanon looked at me with a dazed expression.
It was only natural, as it must have been shocking to him too.
Hanon continued to stare at me in silence for a while. Eventually, apparently having sorted through his thoughts, he parted his lips.
“I have a hobby of exploring ruins, you know.”
Hanon had an archeological inclination, loving legends and exploring ruins. His tendency to wander stemmed from this.
“…This is just my vague speculation, but…”
Hanon began to shift his body around. It was a habit he had when he was extremely interested in something.
“The sudden appearance at Jerion Academy. The power to alter one’s appearance freely and the connection with the Blue Magic Tower Lord’s daughter.”
Hanon’s eyes sparkled more strongly.
His deductions began from the fragmented information he had gathered.
“And lastly, the Dragon’s Magic. Because of this, one prophecy keeps coming to mind.”
Hanon clenched his fists tightly, shaking his arms with fervor.
He looked like a kid watching a Super Sentai show on TV.
“The prophecy of the Rebirth of Heroes. It’s an ancient prophecy, but…”
And this was a prophecy I was also aware of.
“Jerion was said to have wielded the Dragon’s Magic.”
The founder of Jerion Academy, the pinnacle of magic. One of the six heroes under the great hero Wolfram in the past.
The transcendent sage, Jerion.
Hanon mentioned him.
Several prophecies and legends exist in this world.
When the world is faced with a crisis someday, the Reborn Heroes will protect it once more.
That was a statement directly made by the goddess who honors their achievements.
Now, it’s an old prophecy that nobody pays much attention to.
However, rumors were circulating recently in archaeological circles that the Reborn Heroes were imminent.
Hanon was someone deeply interested in archaeology, so of course, he would know about it.
And indeed,
“Jerion has been reborn.”
But that fact is known only to me.
What’s more, he himself doesn’t even know that he is the reincarnation of Jerion.
Furthermore, that person is not actually at Jerion Academy.
To be precise, he was set to enter Jerion Academy next year.
“The problem is…”
“I’m suspected to be that person right now.”
Hanon thought I had deliberately used the Dragon’s Magic to capture him.
“Using it? Hardly.”
The remnants of the Dragon simply reacted to the mystery and went out of control on their own.
It seemed that Hanon hadn’t witnessed Sharine suppressing its rampage after he fainted in the middle.
“The misunderstanding is heading in a strange direction.”
My eyes met Hanon’s sparkling ones.
“One of Hanon’s habits is tying events to legends.”
Due to encountering too many legends, he’s inclined to think of them whenever something similar occurs.
And he’s stubborn about odd aspects.
“That’s a ridiculous misunderstanding!”
I hurriedly clarified Hanon’s misconception.
However, Hanon’s excitement showed no signs of dwindling.
“Really? I don’t think so.”
Hanon’s stubbornness popped its head up.
“Even if they were heroes, they would have crossed the river of oblivion to be reborn, so they might not remember their past lives.”
His love for legends turned Hanon’s mind into an unstoppable runaway train.
“So, it could be possible that he wouldn’t know he’s Jerion’s reincarnation. But your principles of action undeniably stem from Jerion’s rebirth.”
“I just happen to know that the Duke of Robliju is allied with the Evil Zone and want to prevent it.”
“Huh, happenstance?”
Hanon’s eyes transformed into crescent moons.
“Do you think what even the Emperor of the Empire doesn’t know can be blown off as coincidence? You said it yourself: there’s no evidence.”
When it came to how I knew without any evidence, I couldn’t answer that question.
After all, I only knew about Jerion because I played the Fire Butterfly arc.
“You know? They say that the goddess’s revelations are etched into the recipient without him realizing it.”
Hanon smiled brightly.
“It’s a kind of fate.”
Fate.
Hanon mentioned that grand flow.
“When the goddess perceives the world’s flow as dangerous, she implants a revelation in the person she has chosen. For us, as mere beings, it’s beyond our awareness.”
The moment I heard those words, my body froze for the first time.
“She implants a revelation in the chosen individual.”
It was a vague thought, but perhaps I was in a similar situation.
“I suddenly possessed the body of Bickamon.”
Could this potentially be the goddess’s intent?
As that thought connected, my brain began to tangle.
And Hanon caught on to my response in that moment.
It was a slipup in failing to manage my expression.
“Isn’t there something similar in the fragments of memory?”
“Hanon, just now…”
“It’s fine. No need to make excuses!”
Hanon’s eyes had already made up their mind to dismiss any explanations I might offer.
“I want to take down the Duke of Robliju, just as you said.”
Hanon’s eyes revealed deep resentment.
“So, for that, I’ll do anything.”
His obsession with legends and ruins also stemmed from the Duke of Robliju.
There were records in ancient texts of heroes driving the Evil Zone away.
It was under this pretext that he had been hunting for information.
And now before Hanon stood a reincarnation of one of the heroes who had sealed the Evil Zone during the Great War.
Of course, that was merely Hanon’s arbitrary assumption.
“Someone who could completely resolve his resentment and trauma.”
Perhaps Hanon simply wanted to believe I was Jerion.
Living a life chasing ruins and legends to release his resentment must have drained him too.
So, perhaps, seeing a glimmer of hope, he clung to whatever shred of a lifeline was available.
“Hanon.”
It may have been a misunderstanding that I was Jerion’s reincarnation, yet one fact was certain.
“I too want to take down the Duke of Robliju.”
The Duke of Robliju is someone I must defeat to prevent a bad ending.
The final antagonist.
To defeat him, I would be willing to do anything.
This was the one point of agreement between Hanon and me.
My hand reached out to Hanon.
“So, how about we help each other until then?”
Hanon, who had been staring at my hand, smiled broadly.
Then he boldly took my hand in his.
“This is totally epic! It feels like being offered to join as a comrade by a hero!”
…Is this kid actually serious out of resentment?
I couldn’t help but worry that an obsessive fan of legends was diving in headfirst without seeing what’s ahead.
“First, what you want is to keep your identity from being revealed, right?”
At least he seemed to be thinking logically.
“Right, I’ve still got a lot to do.”
“In that case, I’ll handle the 1st Prince Faction. I won’t have any issues acting through that.”
“By any chance, I shouldn’t say anything about being Jerion’s reincarnation, right?”
If I did that, who knew what absurd misunderstandings might pile up.
Hanon then gazed at me silently.
As I tightened my eyes, Hanon laughed, as if it were a joke.
“Knowing a secret makes your mouth itch, huh?”
He really was someone who could make others uneasy.
I hope the situation doesn’t get too twisted.
“Then, I’ll take my leave now since I’ve finished what I needed to do!”
I no longer had a reason to keep Hanon here.
Just as I was about to send him off, one thing I hadn’t asked suddenly came to mind.
“Hanon.”
“Yeah?”
“…Is Nikita doing well?”
Hanon is from the 1st Prince Faction.
He must have heard something about Nikita to some extent when he came to see me.
“Nikita Cynthia is dead.”
Hanon added with a statement that everyone knows.
“So in Heaven, she’s probably awakening new talents, studying magic with her brother, helping with his magic research.”
Hearing those words, I couldn’t help but smile.
That was enough for me.
I looked out the window.
The summer sky was truly blue.
I wished for Nikita to spread her wings and fly freely, showcasing talents she hadn’t been able to attain.
And so, I hoped for Nikita’s future happiness.