The World After the Bad Ending

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The Last Evil Woman.

3rd Princess Iris Haishirion.

If I were to talk about her, there would be a lot to say.

The final boss and mastermind of the Fire Butterfly chapter 6.

The Evil Being.

She is to become the vessel for that Evil Being.

Perhaps that’s why.

The aura flowing from Iris is oddly depraved.

Even though she has reached the second rank among the candidates for emperor to lead the nation.

The energy I feel from her is undeniably somber and dark.

However, apart from that, there is an undeniable power about her that is hard to take my eyes off.

First of all, she has innate beauty.

Jet-black hair and skin so white it’s almost excessive.

And eyes imbued with a ruby-like magic.

Anyone facing her can’t help but sigh at her beauty and desires her gaze upon them.

It’s no wonder she competes with Nikita for beauty rankings in the empire.

If Nikita’s beauty is characterized by coldness and honesty.

Iris’s appearance exudes depravity and allure.

Every time her cherry-red lips part, hearts waver, and ears perk up.

And anything she whispers makes one wish to listen.

This is clearly due to the seductive nature possessed by the Evil Being.

But her unique, depraved atmosphere plays a significant role as well.

There she is now.

Right in front of me.

‘A sick visit.’

Surely, it’s not for a trivial reason like that.

After all, since enrolling in Jerion Academy, I’ve never exchanged a word with her.

So, what could possibly be her reason for visiting?

‘The Hanon Irey I borrowed the appearance of is, after all, related to her by blood.’

Even if it’s through the mother, it’s still a cousin relationship.

Iris must think of Hanon in this light.

‘Her maternal grandfather, the Duke of Robliju.’

He sent her here for some purpose.

‘Looks like she still has insomnia, doesn’t it?’

I could see the dark circles under Iris’s eyes.

Iris has to strive for the emperor’s position due to her grandfather’s greed.

Having to live under such pressure, Iris was always plagued by insomnia.

Looking at this alone might make it seem not much different from Isabel’s insomnia.

But Iris’s insomnia has a fundamentally different aspect.

‘The Evil Being is involved in Iris’s insomnia.’

Whispers of the Evil Being linger within her nightmares.

Constantly tightening the grip on Iris to completely corrupt her one day.

‘The more nightmares she suffers, the weaker Iris becomes.’

In fact, at this point, Iris’s insomnia should have shown some progress.

Lucas’s flame of will drives her nightmares away.

Thanks to that, she might have been able to eliminate her insomnia and sleep peacefully.

This also serves as a catalyst for Iris gradually seeking out Lucas.

Several happenings related to this occur, and resolving them.

That is the relationship between Lucas and Iris.

However, there is no longer Lucas in this world.

Naturally, Iris’s insomnia remains unresolved and is currently ongoing.

And this was also a task I had to deal with.

The day she falls completely into her nightmares.

That day will herald the return of the Evil Being.

“I meet with 3rd Princess Iris Haishirion.”

But solving her insomnia isn’t something to do recklessly.

What matters is the process.

It should come after establishing a trust relationship as a person.

As I knelt and paid my respects to the royal, Iris stared at me blankly.

Then, she casually waved her hand.

“This is Jerion Academy. Just because it’s just the two of us, there’s no need for such formalities between students.”

That’s true.

I was simply recalling Hanon’s position and behaving accordingly.

Iris leaned her head back against the wall.

As her black hair flowed down naturally over her white skin.

Even on another glance, her appearance undoubtedly reeked of seductive depravity.

“I want to ask you one thing.”

Her gentle voice flowing from her cherry-colored lips has a captivating power.

My ears instinctively perked up at the sound of her voice.

“Are you a person sent by Duke Robliju?”

I had guessed she would ask something like this from the moment she approached me.

‘If I get involved with Duke Robliju now.’

It wouldn’t lead to Lucas’s bad ending but to my own demise.

The Duke of Robliju is a greedy man trying to place Iris on the emperor’s throne, even using the power of the Evil Being.

If someone who wasn’t sent by him approached Iris.

He’d probably think something fishy was going on with the 1st Prince and aim to take my head.

‘No, to be honest, if you think about it, it actually is true.’

Hanon is a hidden character who appears upon fulfilling specific conditions as mentioned before.

What are the specific conditions for Hanon’s transfer?

It is when Lucas reaches a certain level of fame in the academy.

‘Also, she is a character who transfers only by achieving perfect conditions in all fame-related events.’

So Hanon is relatively less known.

However, one thing is certain.

‘Hanon is a person sent by the 1st Prince to scout talents under Lucas.’

A power struggle for the emperor’s throne between the 1st Prince and 3rd Princess.

To accomplish this, the 1st Prince naturally gathers forces, but.

The most remarkable individuals in the world flocked to the academy the moment the 3rd Princess enrolled.

Due to the scheming of Duke Robliju, the 1st Prince can’t touch Jerion Academy.

To avoid a direct confrontation with Duke Robliju.

Given those circumstances, he wouldn’t be reckless enough to meddle in Jerion Academy.

However, once Lucas’s reputation spread to the imperial ears.

He would judge that such talents could easily shift toward the 3rd Princess.

Thus, he sends Hanon Irey, who had quietly established her transfer affiliation.

‘If conditions aren’t met, Hanon simply won’t transfer.’

If the conditions aren’t met, the 1st Prince would decide there’s no need to bother about Jerion Academy.

Thus, he chooses not to send anyone to confront Robliju head-on.

However, the fact that Hanon transferred means.

The 1st Prince judged it was risky enough to confront Robliju directly.

‘And I have come under the guise of Hanon.’

There are ears in Jerion Academy.

The 1st Prince would be baffled seeing Hanon transferring without his permission.

However, it takes about half a year to get the information right.

‘Now is a very busy time for the 1st Prince.’

Having already taken his eyes off the academy, he won’t find the time to concern himself with it.

‘And during that period, I had planned to establish my position no matter what.’

I was not idling before entering Jerion Academy.

I had meticulously crafted a plan.

A tightrope act between the 1st Prince and Duke Robliju.

But there’s just one person.

Someone who can sever this tightrope at any moment.

‘Iris, who can convey information to Duke Robliju at any time.’

Iris, who stands before me, is that variable.

She can relay her story to the Duke without ever meeting him.

This inversely applies to Duke Robliju’s side as well.

So if she were to inquire about me to Duke Robliju.

Either side, be it Robliju or the 1st Prince, would send people to cut my tightrope.

‘The only fortunate thing is.’

Iris doesn’t reach out to Robliju first.

She doesn’t particularly enjoy participating in the emperor’s power struggle due to Robliju.

Throughout the gameplay, she subtly expressed her aversion toward Duke Robliju numerous times.

So she likely won’t unnecessarily inquire about me first.

‘But the issue is that’s only an assumption.’

Right now, it’s the reality, not the game.

In a world after a bad ending where the protagonist has died and everything is uncertain.

A world where only variables exist.

Iris’s feelings might have changed by now.

“Is it dependent on what 3rd Princess thinks, then?”

Thus, I must consider both scenarios.

A world where Robliju sent Hanon.

A world where the 1st Prince sent Hanon.

I need to consider both options to prepare for any future variables and navigate them into the main plot.

After hearing my answer, Iris stared at me intently.

Her gaze was intense.

Like a Persian cat sending an incomprehensible and unfathomable glare towards a human.

“Okay, then.”

Iris didn’t ask further.

It seemed she decided to think on her own and reach a conclusion.

This is bad for my heart.

I’m conversing with someone who could be the final boss.

Naturally, it’s expected.

“Let me mention additionally, it’s best to refrain from making disparaging remarks about Lucas Fernando.”

Iris had quite a few connections with Lucas.

The flame of will was the only lullaby for Iris, who couldn’t sleep due to her nightmares.

“There are still many who think of him.”

Having merely attended Jerion Academy for a year.

But the influence Lucas had in that one year was by no means small.

He is, after all, the protagonist.

He firmly rooted himself in many aspects.

‘And I must take on that role.’

My gaze returned to Iris.

To replace the protagonist Lucas, what is my role with Iris?

“Do you still have trouble sleeping?”

After all, resolving the insomnia that plagues Iris would be the first step.

“There’s honey called Hunnir in the southern loess region. If you boil it before bed, it may help a bit.”

It’s honey that puts you into a state of sleep while having recovery effects.

Although it may not completely resolve the fundamental issue of insomnia, it could help her sleep a little.

Iris’s eyes landed on me.

In her ruby-like bright red eyes, a flicker of intrigue passed through.

“…I’ll keep that in mind.”

Since I offered advice, did she take it as a piece of her own counsel?

Iris didn’t ask anything further and left, opening the door behind her.

As I watched her flowing black hair, I let out a breath.

“There’s still a long way to go.”

The suicide of Isabel Luna.

Nikita Cynthia’s dragon.

Iris Haishirion’s insomnia.

All of these are critical issues that directly connect to a bad ending.

I must solve all of this.

I opened the door swiftly.

I couldn’t lie down any longer.

For the imminent mock battle, personal training was needed.

I had to refine my skills and increase my stats as much as possible.

And in addition to my steel skin, there was more to prepare.

I have to achieve a top rank in the mock battle for what comes next.

I will prepare everything I can.

‘Ah, I will barely hold on.’

Shaking off the remaining fatigue, I walked down the hallway.

The sun was dimming, but to replace the sun, I couldn’t rest yet.