Chapter 63: Chapter 63

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Translator: Vine

Chapter Title: A Promise for the Future

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Facing Sharin directly.

Isabel's eyes, fixed on us, held an inexplicable fury.

What was I supposed to do, seeing this?

"...We didn't do anything special."

A denial.

I currently harbored the remnants of an ancient dragon in my right eye.

Sharin had asked for my help because she had no one else to turn to.

It was best that as few people as possible knew about the ancient dragon's remnants.

So, when I denied it, Isabel's eyebrows subtly furrowed.

"I've been feeling this way since last time, but…"

Isabel looked at the two of us with a strange gaze.

"What exactly is going on between you two?"

Ever since I teamed up with Sharin for the group competition,

Isabel had consistently harbored suspicions about the relationship between Sharin and me.

Isabel was Sharin's best friend.

I was Isabel's rival.

Isabel had always found it puzzling that Sharin and I were close.

Upon hearing Isabel's question, Sharin and I looked at each other.

If you were to ask what our relationship was,

"We've promised each other a future~"

Before I could even answer, Sharin cut in first.

Since I had promised to reveal my identity once the academy matters were resolved,

we had indeed promised a future.

But if she put it like that...

"Wh-what?!"

See?

Isabel was utterly flustered.

Isabel stared blankly at the two of us.

Sharin, meanwhile, puffed out her chest, looking as if she had explained everything perfectly.

What on earth did she do so well to be so smug?

I really want to flick her forehead.

"B-but you said you were dating Hania…"

Isabel had heard the rumors too.

Dating Hania, yet promising a future to Sharin.

You're truly a philanderer like no other.

For some reason, Isabel's face looked deflated.

Sharin, too, was looking at Isabel with a strange expression.

Then Sharin glanced over at me.

"Hanun, are you *really* dating Hania~?"

Hearing the next question, Isabel's shoulders twitched.

"Really dating??"

"Well, yeah. Hanun doesn't seem like the type to genuinely date anyone."

Why is she treating me like I don't understand love?

Of course, I suspected I might have lost those emotions, perhaps due to the Veil Bandage.

It was a vague guess, but given that I felt no particular emotion even when surrounded by beautiful women, it was highly probable.

'So I'm spiritually impotent.'

It was bitter, but I could probably fix it later.

I didn't worry about it too much.

And Sharin didn't seem oblivious to this aspect of me.

They say women are more sensitive to a man's gaze than one might think.

She must have noticed that my gaze towards women held no romantic emotion.

"Yes, we're dating."

Isabel's shoulders stiffened once more.

Her eyes trembled violently.

Her reaction was stronger than expected.

Sharin's eyebrows subtly furrowed.

Then she tilted her head slightly.

It was a reaction she wasn't even aware of herself.

"...Then what about promising a future with Lin?"

At that moment, Isabel brought up what I had said earlier.

For some reason, she was looking at me with a cold expression.

"Isabel, it seems there's a misunderstanding."

"A misunderstanding? What, what part of it is a misunderstanding?!"

Isabel shouted.

Deep disappointment filled Isabel's eyes.

It was as if her gaze said, 'I thought he at least knew some decency.'

I stroked my chin for a moment.

Come to think of it, I had neglected Isabel a bit lately, focusing on Nikita's matter.

Nikita's affair was mostly concluded.

She had safely exited the scenario, so I didn't need to worry about her for a while.

'At least until Act 4 begins.'

Let's focus more on Isabel.

"Alright."

Now was a good time to further ignite her competitive spirit as a rival.

"Think what you want."

If it were just Hania, maybe, but her friend Sharin was involved.

Isabel rushed forward, sharply grabbing Sharin's wrist.

Contempt filled her eyes.

"Don't go putting bad ideas into my friend's head."

"She said it herself, so how is it 'bad ideas'?"

"Lin is naive, you know!"

Sharin, naive?

I looked back at Sharin, who was being dragged away by Isabel.

She was getting sleepy again, it seemed, letting out a casual yawn.

I absolutely could not agree that Sharin was naive.

"You, I'm truly disappointed."

"To think there was still room for disappointment. That's surprising."

"...You're just like Card."

Oh, you've got to be kidding me.

I wanted to deny that more than anything, but Isabel had already dragged Sharin away.

Sharin waved her hand, signaling 'see you later.'

Truly, her carefree nature was just like her.

'...I'm just like Card?'

And I couldn't escape from this new shock.

Well, having two women hanging around me did make me seem like a philanderer.

But being called 'just like Card' completely blew my mind.

"The maids were saying strange things, so I came to check. What's going on?"

Just then, Hania walked out.

It seemed she had overheard the maids chatting while preparing for school.

True to maids, rumors spread quickly.

Walking towards me, she glanced back.

"Isabel and Sharin Sazares were running off. Did Hanun perhaps overwhelm them with a confession?"

"...If anything, I was the one who got reprimanded."

Suddenly, I felt angry.

If I see Card today, I'm going to punch him.

"More importantly, Lady Iris will be out soon, so please wait for her in front."

"Wait?"

She gave me a look that asked, 'Why are you asking that?'

"Couples should walk to school together in the morning, like proper couples."

Might as well be thorough with the act.

That was just like Hania.

***

Morning commute to school.

I walked, hearing more whispers than usual.

Ahead of me were two people.

On the far left, Iris, still sluggish in the mornings, was drooping.

And in the center, Hania was holding onto Iris's arm.

Finally, on the far right,

I was holding Hania's hand.

Had I ever walked hand-in-hand with a woman like this in my life?

No, I hadn't.

It felt strange.

Hania was holding my hand, but she didn't spare me a single glance.

All her attention was focused on the arm that was wrapped around Iris.

Her right hand, holding mine, felt completely lifeless.

Even holding a tree root would feel more alive than this.

However, this was something other students didn't know.

So, in their eyes, the two of us clearly looked like a couple.

"...Did he get something on her?"

"Why is Hania dating *him*?"

"Hania is way too good for that lightning bastard."

The students mostly showed sympathy for Hania and contempt for me.

It seemed they felt more resentment towards the popular Hania dating me.

After the long, drawn-out walk to school,

as I entered the Martial Arts class, the gazes of the students who had arrived earlier immediately converged on us.

Every single Martial Arts student looked at us with shocked expressions.

It was a natural reaction, given that what they had half-believed had now become reality.

Among them, one person showed the most dramatic reaction.

It was Seron, sitting in her usual spot, staring at me with a look of utter astonishment.

Seron's mouth hung open, her eyes wide with disbelief.

For some reason, that look annoyed me.

Swoop—

As I instinctively moved towards Seron, Hania pulled my hand.

"Where are you going?"

"To my seat."

"What are you talking about? Have you ever seen lovers sit separately?"

"Well, I..."

I wouldn't know, never having been a lover.

But Hania's eyes were serious.

"From now on, you'll sit next to us."

Hania didn't seem willing to back down.

It looked like she was determined to get Associate Professor Barcov fired this time.

In the end, I had no choice but to be pulled along by Hania.

Iris, having shaken off her sleepiness during the commute, now looked perfectly refreshed.

It was just like her to always appear noble and graceful in front of the students.

With Iris on the inside, Hania and I took our respective seats.

Meanwhile, Seron was still watching us with a shocked expression.

But despite that, her eyes were wavering.

In the Martial Arts class, Seron hadn't managed to join any group.

And now, her only 'group' – me – had become Hania's lover.

This meant that Seron would effectively be alone from now on.

"Uh, uh."

Like a lost puppy.

Seron didn't know what to do.

I watched her for a moment, then whispered to Hania.

"Hania, can I call Seron over?"

"Seron?"

Hania looked towards Seron.

She roughly gauged the situation and sighed.

"Go ahead. After all, you're helping us, so we can't ruin your relationships too."

Thankfully, Hania was broad-minded.

"But while we're pretending to be a couple, try not to be too affectionate with each other."

"What kind of crazy talk is that?"

"Weren't you two dating? You're always together."

Absolutely not.

I wish she wouldn't say such infuriating things.

"Seron."

Feeling a slight headache, I called Seron over.

Seron, who had been sitting alone, widened her eyes and brightly ran over to us.

It felt like a pet dog running over when called.

"Don't just sit far away for no reason, sit next to me."

"R-really?"

"Yes."

Seron's face lit up brightly.

Then she excitedly sat next to me and pulled a book from her bag.

She was humming a tune, seeming in a good mood.

"...Even like that?"

Hania whispered, but I ignored her.

A moment later, Professor Beganon of Martial Arts walked in, her face looking haggard from a hangover, as usual.

She swept her gaze over us and spoke.

"You're all aware of the incident that occurred at the Imperial Magic Palace this summer."

The Summer Imperial Magic Palace incident.

The matter of Vice President Nikita Cynthia directly attacking the Third Princess.

This incident had completely overturned the internal politics of the Empire.

The Third Princess faction was directly pressuring the Marquis Cynthia family, demanding how they would take responsibility for this.

However, the First Prince faction had no intention of letting the Marquis Cynthia family collapse like this.

Instead, they were using this incident as an excuse to present evidence that the Third Princess faction had instigated Nia Cynthia's assassination.

They pressed on, claiming that this was why Nikita had directly targeted the Third Princess.

Ultimately, the First Prince faction and the Third Princess faction were now fiercely tearing at each other.

'Thanks to this, the academy won't be of much interest for a while.'

Many discussions must have also revolved around Iris.

It seemed Iris was using the aftermath of the Magic Palace incident as an excuse to ignore everything.

Taking a stance here would mean war with the First Prince faction.

Knowing this, she, the person directly involved, had deliberately kept silent.

"Third-year, Nikita Cynthia, has been relieved of her Vice President position, and the Vice President seat is now vacant."

And so, the scenario began to unfold exactly as I knew it would.

"After the upcoming summer break, a new Vice President will be selected to fill the vacant position. Participation is open to even second-years, so those who wish to apply should do so."

The vacant Vice President position.

At these words, the eyes of many students changed.

In Gerion Academy, where talented individuals gathered, the positions of Student Council President and Vice President held significant value.

For nobles who valued honor, it was an opportunity to elevate their family's name.

Perhaps that was why no one could hide their interest.

"Vice President, huh. It might be good for Lady Iris, who will eventually take the President position, to get some experience beforehand."

At that moment, Hania put Iris forward as a recommendation.

Iris didn't look opposed either.

She had probably already heard the same thing from Duke Robliaju anyway.

To take the vacant Vice President position.

'As expected, it's following the original timeline.'

Iris, by Duke Robliaju's command, would use this opportunity to shake up the entire student council.

She would remove the existing members of the student council and fill it with her own people.

'Is it Act 4 now?'

Act 4, which would officially begin after the summer break, a side story to Act 3.

This was the point when the conflict between the First Prince faction and the Third Princess faction would begin to seriously affect the academy.

'And then.'

Vinesha, the Mad Sorceress.

This was also the scenario where she would instigate a large-scale terrorist attack on Gerion Academy.

"Vice President, huh."

At that moment, Seron slowly stroked her chin.

I watched her idly for a moment, then advised her.

"It's better to give up quickly on what won't work."

"...Who said anything?"

Seron's face, which had held a secret hope, now looked deflated.

Don't even think about it.

The Vice President position required two things: student votes and a professor's recommendation.

Anyone of mediocre ability wouldn't even be considered.

"More importantly, Hanun."

At that moment, Hania abruptly called out to me.

"You know you have to come with us during the summer break, right?"

"Huh?"

"I didn't know that."