Chapter 69: Chapter 69

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Translator: Vine

Chapter Title: A Not-So-Simple Conversation

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The forest near Aron Sea Beach.

I used Sharin to corner Hanon and finally managed to capture him. This master dodger was impossible to catch any other way.

'From his perspective, I suppose I'm the one who's completely out of line.'

After all, I'd stolen his identity and caused quite a stir at Jerion Academy. To Hanon, I was the person who'd ruined his reputation.

I felt bad for Hanon. But that aside, it was problematic if he kept running wild like this. I had to live as Hanon until I graduated from Jerion Academy.

So, I wanted to compromise with him as much as possible.

"Is that your real face?"

"Fake."

Pressed down by me, Hanon grinned and asked the exact same question Sharin had.

My face was that of someone who didn't exist in this world anymore. So, it was fake.

"Too bad."

Hanon looked completely uninterested in me using his identity however I pleased. He was just like a man who'd cast aside all worldly concerns at dusk to chase after ruins and legends across the world.

"I apologize for using your identity as I pleased. But your goal and mine aren't necessarily that different."

I sighed, still pinning Hanon beneath me.

"So, let's talk."

"Like this?"

Hanon flailed his arms, protesting my hold.

"Sorry, but you'd just run away immediately."

"Wow, you're sharp."

He was even more unpredictable than me.

"I'm not confident I can catch you again. I know very well that if you run at full strength, no one can catch you."

I pulled on the bandages of the Veil. With that, my appearance shifted to Hanon's.

Now that I'd caught Hanon, there was no need to maintain any other form. Hanon looked at me with an expression that still found it신기했다.

"The First Prince sent you, didn't he?"

At my question, Hanon offered a loose, languid smile.

"That's curious. Wouldn't it be more logical to assume I was sent by the Third Princess's faction, given I'm a relative of Lady Iris?"

"You're not even part of the Robliaz Ducal family. Why would you be?"

Hanon's surname, Airey, belonged to a small noble family on the outskirts. He had merely inherited the bloodline of the Robliaz Ducal family; he was otherwise unrelated to Robliaz.

Hanon was originally a spy for the First Prince. As such, Hanon was fundamentally a man of many secrets.

But who was I? I was a hardcore player who'd cleared the Flame Butterfly arc a whopping twenty-nine times. No matter how much of a hidden character Hanon was, I knew everything about him.

"In fact…"

Therefore, I also knew what would make Hanon react sensitively.

"You resent the Duke of Robliaz, don't you?"

Hanon's face changed in a way I'd never seen before. The man who had been consistently nonchalant stopped even struggling, staring at me intently.

"You, what is your true identity?"

Instead, Hanon was the one who posed the question. In an instant, the situation had flipped. Now, it was Hanon's turn to interrogate me.

"I…"

This was where I'd seize the initiative. Hanon's existence was nothing short of a weakness for me. If he were to run out and reveal my identity right now, my position would become incredibly troublesome. I could be expelled from the academy, not to mention thrown in jail for impersonation.

That would be the end of me, but…

'It would also be the end of this world.'

I'd gone through all sorts of hardships just to set the world on its proper course. The First Prince's faction and the Third Princess's faction were now fully ablaze. Regardless of the process, the scenario was progressing toward the main storyline.

The past and events Hanon experienced wouldn't change.

"I can be your ally or your enemy, depending on how you act."

To Hanon, I was an unknown entity who had copied his appearance. Hanon must have become extremely suspicious of me as well.

'Right now, the character with the secret attribute is…'

Me, not Hanon. The more suspicion that bloomed in Hanon's mind, the more I could seize the initiative.

"Hanon, you want revenge on the Duke of Robliaz, don't you?"

The only reason he allied with the First Prince's faction was his grudge against the Duke of Robliaz. That's why Hanon also strongly disliked the Duke's daughter, Iris.

'Hanon is also a character who reveals the story of how the Duke of Robliaz allied with the Evil Lord, but…'

He's also the main culprit for increasing the overall difficulty of the game. Hanon's appearance makes clearing episodes much harder. So, I absolutely had to prevent the real Hanon from showing his face in the main storyline.

"I'll help you with your revenge. If you help me, I can give you more certain revenge than the First Prince ever could."

Hanon gazed at me blankly. It contained a mix of suspicion and incredulity.

"...The Duke of Robliaz isn't an easy man. An individual can't do anything to him."

"Right, you know that, which is why you sided with the First Prince, didn't you?"

Knowing that the Duke of Robliaz was someone he couldn't handle on his own, Hanon willingly allied with the First Prince. The strongest ally an individual could have. But he wasn't the only one who could be such an ally.

"You don't completely trust the First Prince, do you? Wouldn't it be better to secure a new path as an alternative?"

I, too, was someone who could grant Hanon what he desired most. He might be suspicious now, but I could prove it better than anyone.

"Hee hee."

At that moment, a strange laugh escaped Hanon's lips. He shook off a bout of laughter, then looked directly at me.

"As you said, His Highness the First Prince ordered me to figure out your identity."

I had saved Nia and Nikita, who were by the First Prince's side. Nikita knew my identity, but given her nature to repay debts, even if it were Nia, she wouldn't have revealed it.

'From the First Prince's perspective, who already knows Hanon, he must be wondering what kind of guy I am.'

The First Prince was someone who prioritized the present. Naturally, he didn't want unexpected variables to appear. To him, I must have been an unwelcome presence.

'But then again, I saved Nia. So he probably couldn't just eliminate me.'

That's why he promptly threw Hanon at me. It was the First Prince's warning, implying that if I didn't reveal my true identity, he'd use Hanon to expose it.

"But after talking, you're a much more troublesome friend than I thought, aren't you?"

Hanon tilted his head, looking down at me. Then he let out a silly laugh.

"But I'm not the type to trust people easily."

As expected, this wasn't enough to persuade him.

"Well, since my sales pitch is over, I'll be taking my leave."

At the same time, Hanon's body began to scatter. He had used one of the tools he'd collected while wandering through various ruins. Hanon's unique tool: The Veil of Concealment. It was a tool infused with a mystery that allowed him to escape to any desired location at any time. Hanon had been so relaxed all along because he possessed this.

I had anticipated this. So, just as I was about to react, *Thump!* A sudden, sharp pain flared in my right eye. I recognized the source of the pain and quickly pressed my hand to my eye.

But it was too late. *Whoooosh!* A surge of cold air erupted from me, spreading rapidly through the forest. The bushes froze, and the trees, too, were covered in ice.

The problem was Hanon, who was pinned beneath me.

"Ugh, huh?"

Hanon, completely frozen solid by the cold, mouthed a sound. The remnants of the Ancient Dragon had suddenly thrashed.

'Did it react to the mystery?'

Just as I was about to awaken the Flame of Fire due to the unexpected thrashing, Sharin landed in front of me. She had been observing the situation from above and had now descended.

"Bad children…"

Sharin pulled out her staff and twirled it.

"...need a good scolding."

Her eyes filled with the light of the Milky Way, and a beam shot from the tip of her staff into my eye. The Ancient Dragon's presence, which had been constricting my eye, was struck by the light and, startled, retreated deeper inside.

The Ancient Dragon's cold aura, which had been raging around me, began to dissipate. The ice scales that had partially sprouted on my face also cracked and vanished.

"Looks like it reacts to mysteries."

Sharin seemed to have the same thought as me regarding why the Ancient Dragon's remnants had suddenly reacted. More importantly, the problem was Hanon, who was still pinned beneath me. He had taken the full brunt of the Ancient Dragon's cold aura and was now frozen solid and unconscious.

He wasn't usually so messed up by things, but I felt bad.

...Why did I keep accumulating things to apologize to Hanon for? Having a conversation with him was proving difficult.

"Sharin, can you take him somewhere warm?"

"Okay, I will."

Sharin erased the traces left by the Ancient Dragon and floated the unconscious Hanon.

"Hanon, I want some ice cream."

She was basically telling me to pay up for her services.

"I'll buy you two."

"Three."

"You'll get a stomachache."

"One is for Hanon."

I'd buy her four if she wanted.

"I'm going on ahead!"

Sharin waved her hand languidly and floated into the air.

Just as I was about to follow her out of the forest, I sensed a presence beyond the trees. Simultaneously, I reacted instantly to the murderous intent directed at me, pulling my body back.

*Whoosh!*

At that moment, a sword swung past me. Honey-blonde hair scattered in the air. Her identity was none other than Isabelle. Isabelle shifted her stance, intending to press her attack immediately.

I frowned, looking at Isabelle.

"Isabelle, what are you doing?"

"Huh?"

Isabelle, mid-swing, widened her eyes in a flustered expression. She hastily tried to pull her sword back, losing her balance.

"Oops."

Isabelle twisted her ankle, and her body lurched forward. She was about to fall flat on the ground. I quickly extended my arms and caught Isabelle.

*Thud!*

I caught Isabelle, barely managing to brace myself on two feet, and let out a sigh of relief. Then I looked down at Isabelle with a displeased expression.

"Are you trying to ambush and defeat me now?"

At my question, Isabelle flinched in my arms.

"N-No, it's not that! Someone who looked like you appeared. So, I mean…"

That Hanon, did he really go find Isabelle? Whatever he said, it clearly got on Isabelle's nerves.

'It'd be troublesome if he dropped any hints about my identity.'

There was nothing more problematic than Isabelle suspecting my true identity. Especially since Isabelle was in a very complicated state recently. It wasn't good to shake her up.

"What nonsense are you talking about? Did you see things?"

So, I denied it for now.

"See things? No, it's true!"

Isabelle protested with a flush of indignation. Her reaction showed she was piqued that I didn't believe her.

"I followed his traces all the way here, and then you were here!"

"So, how long are you going to stay like this?"

When Isabelle showed a slightly sulky reaction, I shrugged my shoulders, my arms still wrapped around her. Isabelle gasped, lifted her head sharply, and then, flustered, straightened up. Her face was flushed crimson, even her ears.

"Th-Thank you for catching me, ugh!"

At the same time, Isabelle winced, feeling pain in her ankle. It was the price of twisting her body excessively while swinging her sword. Isabelle sank down, clutching her ankle.

I sighed, watching her. I felt bad for Sharin, but I couldn't just leave Isabelle like this.

"Get on my back."

"I-I'm fine. I can walk."

"You're from the Martial Arts Department. What's the point of making an injury worse?"

It seemed like a light sprain, but there was no good reason to overexert it.

"Isabelle, if I sprained my leg, would you just leave me?"

"...Of course, I'd help you or carry you."

When I pointed out that it would be the same even if the roles were reversed, she understood.

Isabelle was surprisingly light. It was strange, considering she trained daily and built up her muscles. A strong citrus scent wafted from Isabelle, who was on my back. Moreover, I inadvertently realized she had a rather good figure.

I tried to shake off that thought and continued walking. Isabelle remained quietly silent after getting on my back. Since she was on my back, I couldn't see her face, so I didn't know what she was thinking.

"...Why did you enroll in Jerion Academy?"

Suddenly, Isabelle asked me a question. And it was a completely out-of-the-blue kind of question. Was there some kind of change of heart? I was a little worried, but I answered honestly.

"I told you on the first day, didn't I? I said I'd clear Jerion Academy's name."

I reminded her of how I'd disparaged Lucas that day. But Isabelle, unlike usual, remained quietly silent even after my words.

"...Does that mean you came because of Lucas?"

Her next words were different from her usual line of questioning.

"He certainly had an influence."

I couldn't tell what kind of change of heart this was, but I answered to avoid any unnecessary suspicion.

"Right, I see…"

Isabelle asked no further questions, burying her face into my shoulder. The summer breeze swept past the two of us.

What answer Isabelle found within that moment, I couldn't tell.