Chapter 80: Chapter 80

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Translator: Vine

Chapter Title: The Founding Festival

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By then, autumn was in full swing.

For the first time in a long while, Jerion Academy was bustling with a bright atmosphere.

The Hyasirion Empire Founding Festival.

It was a regular imperial holiday and festival day.

The Imperial Family directly organized the festival, declaring that on this day, all citizens should rest together.

As such, taking a break today was a duty for all imperial citizens.

This applied to the students of Jerion Academy as well.

Even the professors took a leisurely rest today.

However, for those in charge of the Founding Festival held at Jerion Academy—

the assistant instructors and the student council—it was a different story.

The assistant instructors were diligently running around to prepare a party that students could participate in.

The maids, who usually worked in the dormitories, also helped them.

Jerion Academy was an academy that trained heroes to defend against the Magic Palace.

While they couldn't make it as extravagant as the main country's celebration,

Jerion Academy couldn't neglect its preparations for the young heroes.

"Ugh, I'm dying."

A student council member, who had been running himself ragged with work, couldn't endure it any longer and slumped to the ground.

Having already dealt with Nikita's incident and now facing the bomb that was the Founding Festival, the student council was suffering through an unexpected work hell.

"Hang in there a bit longer."

"How do you endure this, Senior Hannon??"

"Physicality is power."

I strode forward, answering the groans of Midra Fenin, a first-year student and the second-ranked in Martial Arts.

I was someone who was dragged into Aisha's hellish training every single day.

Moving festival equipment was nothing.

"Hannon, you look like you're having funnn."

As I ran, carrying several pieces of equipment, a voice came from ahead.

I shifted my gaze through the equipment, and there was Sharin.

"Really? Want to join?"

"I'll do something more funnn."

How blunt.

"Then go do it. Don't get in the way for nothing."

"Calling me a hindrance is upsetting. I came to check on your High Dragon magic stateee."

That's important.

I set the equipment down in a corner.

"Sit down."

As I leaned against the wall and sat down as Sharin instructed, she pried open my right eye with her index finger and thumb.

Then, a galaxy began to swirl in Sharin's pupils.

Sharin stared intently into my eye.

I kept my eye open like that.

Every time I see Sharin's galaxy, I'm struck by its beauty.

The sight of a Milky Way flowing within her eyes always draws admiration.

After observing my eye for a long time, she soon stroked her chin.

"Hmm, it looks like your right eye might go blind."

"…Don't say things like that, even as a joke."

"I thought it was a fun jokeee."

When Sharin says something, it doesn't feel like a joke, which makes it even scarier.

"You said you used Flame of Fire, right?"

"Yes."

"At that time, the steel skin imbued with the Flame of Fire completely enveloped the Dragon's Remnant like an egg. The Dragon's Remnant doesn't seem to dislike it much either, it's settled in."

Somehow, I had ended up sealing the Dragon's Remnant.

"Is there any possibility of it going berserk?"

"We took measures again last time, so it won't happen for now. It was actually about time for it to go berserk."

So, she deliberately came to check on me.

Anyway, I'm always indebted to Sharin.

"Then, that's good news."

"Is it really good newsss?"

"Is there some other problem?"

At my question, Sharin smoothly drew out a staff.

Then, as she swung the staff once, a small breeze began to blow.

"Roll up your sleeve."

Following Sharin's words, I rolled up my sleeve, exposing my skin.

"It'll sting a little."

And the magic Sharin activated touched my skin like a blade.

My body had now become a body of steel, as steel skin had permeated it.

Perhaps because of this, Sharin's magic didn't easily cut me.

Sharin seemed to have considered this and increased the intensity a little more.

Slice!

Then my skin was cut, and blood seeped out.

At that moment.

Whoosh!

White cold air poured out from between my skin.

The cold air froze Sharin's wind solid.

It happened in an instant.

Seeing this, my eyes widened.

"This is."

"Hannon, your entire interior is now evenly imbued with the Dragon's Remnant. So, when you get an external injury, this happens."

Sharin looked at my skin with narrowed eyes.

"This, you seee, is practically a walking ice bomb."

"…If I get seriously injured."

Sharin's lips curled up.

"That entire area will be frozen solid by the Dragon's Remnanttt."

That's a very troublesome situation.

Me, turned into an ice bomb.

'In some ways, isn't it not entirely bad news?'

If I wanted to use it, there was nothing stopping me.

"Just so you know."

Sharin tapped my frozen-solid skin.

"If it explodes like that, Hannon will also be trapped in the High Dragon's magic."

That's problematic.

I, who experienced Nikita, know the power of High Dragon magic best.

If that happened, it would surely be goodbye to this world.

"I need to find some solution."

"Yeah, so I thought of one."

"Sharin, is she a god?"

Sharin puffed out her chest and snorted proudly, preening.

When I urged her to tell me what it was, she began to smile suspiciously.

"Learn the High Dragon's Fire Dragon magic."

And then she said something truly absurd.

"Are you insane? High Dragon magic is—"

"It's magic forbidden by the Empireee."

As she said, the Empire had designated dangerous High Dragon magic as forbidden magic.

This naturally meant that High Dragon magic could not be researched.

"But it's not in the form of a magic imprint."

Magic Imprint.

The magic that Sharin and I researched.

"Hannon, what resides in your body is the Remnant of the Ice Dragonnn."

High Dragon magic isn't just one type.

Fire Dragon, Ice Dragon, Earth Dragon, Sky Dragon.

Basically, it's divided into four categories.

The Remnant connected to Nikita's body was the Ice Dragon among the High Dragons.

"If we engrave Fire Dragon magic as a magic imprint, we can offset and control the Ice Dragon's Remnant inside youuu."

Magic Imprints have inferior performance compared to existing magic.

Sharin intended to use this very point to her advantage.

While the power would be weaker because it was engraved as a magic imprint,

the probability of turning into a dragon would also drastically decrease.

Furthermore, by engraving High Dragon magic as a magic imprint, and having it offset the High Dragon's Remnant in my body, I would be able to wield High Dragon magic at a controllable level.

"Is that even possible?"

"Am I Sharin?"

This was a suggestion from an unparalleled genius, the top student in Magic Studies.

Indeed, doubting her words was meaningless.

"More than anything, the Dragon's Remnant is just dormant for now, but it's a ticking time bomb that could explode at any timeee."

Eventually, it would explode, though no one knew when.

Sharin had said as much.

"I think it's right to add another safety device."

As she said, I couldn't live with a self-destructing bomb attached to my body.

Sharin said so, smiling suspiciously.

"Besides, High Dragon magic is the magic wielded by Jerion, the Transcendent Sage. I'm interested in it toooo."

Jerion, the founder of Jerion Academy and the Transcendent Sage.

As she said, Jerion was the only one who handled High Dragon magic without incident.

Sharin had a high thirst for magical knowledge.

It seemed she wanted to surpass even Jerion someday.

"Alright. If that's the case, then I should be the one asking you for a favor."

Sharin had looked into this herself, thinking of me.

Though I felt the urge to flick her forehead, seeing the desire to experiment in her eyes,

I couldn't just leave the Dragon's Remnant as it was.

"Yeah, if something bad happens to Hannon, I'll be in trouble toooo."

That's a little touching.

"The current Isabelle can't do without Hannon."

So it wasn't for me, but for Isabelle.

I wish I could take back my emotion.

"Isabelle has brightened up largely thanks to Hannon."

For me, the current Isabelle was quite unsettling.

Before, she only needed to be an object of anger as a rival, but now she had become a mix of love and hate, and I didn't know how to control her emotions.

"And I also want Hannon to be safeee."

Sharin smiled subtly, giving me the answer I had hoped for.

How foxy.

I picked up the equipment I had placed in the corner again.

"Thank you. I'll be careful not to get hurt for a while."

With that, Sharin waved her hand and left.

She was such an unpredictable and whimsical character, as always.

On the day the Founding Festival began,

I would be a disruption to the student council, so I decided to work hard until then.

* * *

On the day of the Hyasirion Founding Festival.

Iris quietly gazed out the window.

The Founding Festival was a regular imperial holiday, so everyone was excited.

However, among them,

there was one person who couldn't feel excited.

She was also the person who became unusually dark only on the day of the Founding Festival.

Third Imperial Princess Iris Hyasirion.

The reason she became gloomy was simple.

Founding Festival day.

It was the day her mother passed away.

Her cause of death was Nightmare Sickness.

A peculiar illness that even modern healers couldn't cure.

Iris's mother was trapped in her dreams and never returned.

And from that moment, Iris herself began to have nightmares.

Excited children talked brightly here and there, their faces alight.

Watching them, Iris quietly hugged herself.

For some reason, today felt unusually cold.

"Princess Iris."

At that moment, Iris turned her head, following the voice that called her.

Hania was there.

"Preparations are complete."

Today was the day the Student Council Boycott Group would make their move.

It was also the day to carry out Duke Robliaj's orders.

To tarnish the Drapen Ducal Family's reputation by bringing down Sylvester, the student council president and the youngest son of the ducal family.

It was the day to brand him with the image of an incompetent student council president who couldn't even control a commotion started by students on the glorious Founding Festival day.

Iris exhaled with an unpleased expression.

Sylvester was an incompetent person.

While his personality wasn't entirely good, he wasn't an insolent person either.

He was merely a person who existed in the gray area between black and white.

His only flaw might be his lack of great ambition in life, but he certainly wasn't someone who deserved to be sacrificed in this manner.

Iris knew how he would be treated by the Drapen Ducal Family because of this incident.

It would be a blessing if he weren't expelled from the family.

But Iris lifted her head, displaying the dignity of an imperial princess.

She had already sacrificed countless people to get this far.

Even if it was Duke Robliaj's will, the things she had done would not disappear.

She was the final villainess.

The Third Imperial Princess who would one day ascend to the throne.

"Begin."

"Yes."

As soon as she gave the command to Hania, she quickly disappeared.

Iris watched the disappearing Hania and then stared blankly out the window.

Today, she felt unusually and profoundly lonely.

After her mother's death, Iris had never again felt the warmth of family.

Around her were only those she used, or those who used her.

Aside from Hania, there was no one else.

That fact made her feel deeply lonely.

'Family.'

At that moment, one person flashed through Iris's mind.

A boy with black hair and red eyes, just like her.

Though their faces differed, upon closer inspection, the cousin shared many similarities with her.

That child who, despite showing reluctance, would always grant her requests.

Iris especially recalled his warmth today.