The World After the Bad Ending

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Six academies built upon a massive Magung.

Which one is considered the most prestigious there?

If you ask anyone, they would unanimously say the same thing.

The Jerion Academy of the Haishirion Empire.

An academy founded by the transcendent sage Jerion.

Clatter-clatter—

A carriage rolled toward the Jerion Academy.

To reach Jerion Academy, one must cross the world’s longest bridge, the Obelux.

Beneath the towering Obelux Bridge.

A vast forest and river lay sprawled out.

If it were a normal forest and river, it would be called a beautiful scenery.

But this is a forest of contaminated magic, poisoned by the toxic mist from the underground Magung.

As the carriage crossed over the Obelux Bridge,

A woman stood blankly at the window, watching.

With hair as dark as ink cascading over her snow-white forehead.

Eyes the color of rubies.

These two features combined gave her the impression of an elegant long-haired cat.

Having swallowed princes and princesses, she rose to the second place in the imperial succession.

The 3rd Princess Iris Haishirion.

People refer to her as the ‘final villainess.’

And she was gazing out of the window at the carriage.

The person riding in that carriage was a distant relative of hers.

Not a member of the royal family.

The boy in there has blood ties not to the emperor but to his mother, who was originally the daughter of a duke before becoming a concubine.

In other words, he was the child born from a troublesome aunt who had a wandering disposition and left her family of her own accord.

Furthermore, her father’s lineage was merely that of a name-only noble from the outskirts.

This boy was, in fact, not related at all to the imperial family.

Though their hair and eye colors looked strikingly similar.

There were some superficial resemblances, yet their positions were completely different.

“Must be nice.”

She gave an unfriendly gaze.

Sudden thought came to her: Why did this boy transfer here now?

‘Did the duke send for him?’

Perhaps to investigate the recent events that occurred in the labyrinth, he might have been sent.

‘What does that brat want with the throne?’

Her grandfather, the duke’s ambitions, flickered in her mind, causing her eyes to narrow.

A dark shadow appeared beneath her eyes.

It seemed likely she wouldn’t be getting any sleep tonight.

*

Inside the carriage crossing Obelux Bridge.

The carriage rattled, making her black hair sway.

Long black eyelashes.

Eyes of red that felt somehow grim.

She looked so youthful one could question her age.

Small and thin compared to others her age.

There was no mistaking it; she looked every bit like a boy.

It made sense.

A hidden character who transfers over upon meeting specific conditions.

Hanon Irey.

This character was created with a focus on appealing to female gamers or specific male gamers.

And it’s me playing this role right now.

‘Just sighing all the time.’

I was a towering 185cm, but now I’ve been shrunk down to 165cm.

It feels quite regrettable in many ways.

But still, I have to live in this form for a while.

Then again, given the struggles I’ve gone through, I’ll definitely have to make use of this.

‘I worked so hard to acquire the Shroud Band.’

Thinking of the days I toiled makes my head ache.

Finally finding the Shroud Band in the black market after searching high and low.

The problem was one of the mid-bosses targeting it, the Frenzied Sorceress ‘Vinesha.’

After an endless battle against her, I passed the hurdle of the Dark Test first.

I eventually bought the Shroud Band while hearing Vinesha’s resentment as I quickly fled.

I even took a few items she had on her.

‘I’m sure she’ll come back at some point to kill me.’

Just recalling that hardship made me realize the Shroud Band needs to be used wisely.

‘I was terrified about getting the transfer date right.’

I pulled up my t-shirt collar to hide the Shroud Band tucked inside.

Now, I am not Bickamon Niflheim.

I am Hanon Irey.

And from now on,
I have to lead the affairs in place of the protagonist, Lucas.

‘I wonder how messy the academy will become during the time the protagonist is absent.’

Through the carriage window, I spotted the Jerion Academy.

The academy was filled with ominous energy.

Please let it be in a better state than I imagined.

I was trying hard to suppress my anxiety.

*

The Jerion Academy is the most prestigious of the six academies.

Therefore, its grounds are practically the size of an island.

Beginning with the Obelux Bridge, which boasts the world’s largest size.

The cursed forest beneath Obelux Bridge.

The endless blue southern sea, Aaron Sea.

The world’s first airport and the gray magic tower.

And the northern Dragon Spine Mountain Range.

For newcomers, the sheer size is jaw-dropping.

In the center of such a massive Jerion Academy grounds.

Inside the towering main building of Jerion Academy.

I was walking alongside a professor.

The professor trudged along like a zombie, her short hair blowing in the wind.

The professor herself wasn’t bad-looking, in theory.

However, the haphazardly worn outfit and drooping shoulders.

The exhausted, weary look on her face turned everything negative.

“Ah, craving alcohol. My blood alcohol level is low.”

Her name was Veganon Mercia, a severe alcoholic.

Surprisingly, she was the second-year Martial Arts professor.

Due to her drunkenness, she often delivers service scenes exposing her skin.

Thus, she gained substantial popularity among users.

But encountering her in person,

I understood why people disliked Professor Veganon.

‘The smell of alcohol is overwhelming.’

The pungent odor I couldn’t sense in-game assaulted my nose.

Could a real professor be like this?

While I pondered, I soon saw the sign for the second-year Martial Arts class.

The classroom, massive from the outside, felt familiar.

I had played the Flame Butterfly route countless times and had seen this class.

No wonder it felt familiar.

I gazed vacantly at the classroom entrance.

It hit me anew.

That I was part of the Flame Butterfly route.

At the same time, thinking of all the secondary characters and heroines present inside made my heart race unexpectedly.

I was a die-hard fan of the Flame Butterfly route.

Therefore, just the thought of seeing the characters in the game made me thrill absentmindedly.

“Ugh.”

As I felt both excitement and tension at the same time,

Professor Veganon pushed the classroom door open.

In an instant, the noisy classroom fell silent.

Professor Veganon shuffled into the classroom.

I let out a breath while watching her.

‘Don’t get tense.’

I am Hanon Irey.

Having just entered the second year’s first semester not long ago.

A person who suddenly transferred here.

‘Alright.’

Having completed my self-hypnosis, I stepped forward.

As I entered the classroom, all eyes turned toward me.

“Oh, it’s the transfer student.”

“Right. They said you’d arrive today.”

“Black hair and red eyes, that color is definitely…”

“Shh, be quiet.”

Whispers from the kids could be heard.

All the kids in front of me looked familiar.

Some were extras I recognized from the game.

But among them, I spotted Lucas’s supporting characters.

“Tsk.”

One supporting character seemed less than pleased with me.

“Hmph.”

Another flashed a smile and snorted.

“…….”

One more just quietly stared at me in silence.

But there was one person.

The moment my gaze landed on her, it stopped.

In a corner seat.

I noticed her bright honey-blonde bobbed hair.

She should be the heroine and childhood friend who would cheer on the protagonist with an endlessly bright face.

Isabel Luna.

Yet now.

Not a trace of light was visible on her face.

Only one shadow hung over her.

Her eyes, deep in darkness, void of any will.

Once called the epitome of brightness, she was there in a terribly broken form.

My fists clenched quietly.

The sight screamed to me that this situation was a bad ending.

My childhood friend, who had grown up by my side since we were young, now lost in spirit.

This is Isabel Luna, who has lost her will to live.

Isabel is one of the main heroines in the Flame Butterfly route.

Always bright at the protagonist’s side, faithfully supporting him.

That is Isabel.

If I had to compare her, she would be a sunflower.

A sunflower looking up at the sun that is Lucas.

Yet without the sun, the sunflower droops and withers.

Isabel, a sunflower bereft of her sun, could no longer lift her head.

What remained for her was slowly wilting away.

This is certain.

In the scenario, after Lucas died during his first-year challenge in the Magung, plunging into a bad ending.

A line of text following that event reads:

“One year later, Isabel Luna failed to overcome her sorrow and chose to follow Lucas.”

After Lucas’s death, Isabel ultimately takes her own life.

This is the only world after the bad ending the game showed.

Her bright nature has a charm that draws people in.

Though Lucas is dead, she has many friends around her.

However, without Lucas, she chose to commit suicide.

There is no hope of living without her sun, Lucas.

Seeing Isabel now convinces me.

She will soon take her own life.

My fists quietly clenched.

Isabel will likely play an even bigger role than the protagonist in the latter part.

Without her,
“The Flame Butterfly route cannot advance to its ending.”
And that means,
No progress can be made in the world after the bad ending.

Then what must I do?

“Introduce yourself.”

Professor Veganon waved her hand while leaning on the table.

Finally tearing my gaze away from Isabel, I took a small breath.

I could feel all the kids staring at me now.

It seems I didn’t have any stage fright or fear of being watched.

But trying to initiate the first step in a world that has entered a bad ending made me nervous inexplicably.

Naturally, Isabel didn’t even throw a glance in my direction.

A sunflower merely droops and wilts without its sun.

Clearly, Isabel needs the sun.

But that doesn’t mean I can be Lucas, her sun.

I don’t intend to be the sun in the first place.

I am Hanon Irey, not Lucas.

In reality, I am Bickamon Niflheim.

But none of that mattered.

“A while ago, I saw an article related to Jerion Academy.”

When asked to introduce myself, I suddenly began telling them about a newspaper article.

Curiosity and surprise flickered across the kids’ faces.

Observing them, I slowly continued my words.

“The article said that the first-year students last year all got wiped out by a demon.”

Isabel flinched for the first time.

As I mentioned Lucas, she looked at me with empty eyes.

As I said before, I cannot become a sun.

“How pathetic.”

So,

“I can’t believe students of Jerion Academy perished at the hands of a demon. What a disgrace.”

I even decided to compare it to the moon.

Isabel’s eyes gradually widened in surprise.

“Who was the leader back then? Clearly, it was their fault.”

The leader was obviously Lucas Fernando.

The kids’ faces stiffened.

They all knew who had suffered the worst aftermath of that incident.

A glance—

The kids were cautiously looking at Isabel.

Sure enough, a deep rage was slowly surfacing in Isabel’s eyes.

She was the one who struggled the most after losing Lucas.

Hearing words insulting to Lucas hit her ears directly.

What did that mean?

At this moment, I have crossed a line with Isabel that can’t be uncrossed.

“I am.”

Isabel, remember this clearly.

“I came here to ensure that such disgrace does not fall upon the prestigious Jerion Academy again.”

From now on, I will be her sworn enemy.

One who will force her to live on by making her anger a driving force.

“I am Hanon Irey. I ask for everyone’s cooperation.”

And that’s me.