The World After the Bad Ending - Chapter 87



When the body is tired, sleep comes easily

Iris, tormented by insomnia caused by nightmares.

The next day, I was dragging her to training with Aisha.

Last night.

Iris, who had been puzzled by my story, had already become a body that couldn’t sleep without my warmth.

So even if she couldn’t understand my words, she hugged me and fell asleep.

The next day, I forcibly woke the half-asleep Iris.

I had now learned how to wake Iris up like a knife.

Iris’s sides were very sensitive.

After constantly pondering how to escape Iris’s grasp, I accidentally discovered this.

Looking back, I saw Iris rubbing her sides.

“Lady Iris, how is the morning air?”

Hearing my question, Iris glanced around.

“Refreshing.”

The autumn air, which had arrived after summer, was filled with freshness.

Iris’s face seemed a bit more relaxed, as if she felt the refreshing morning air.

Yesterday, thanks to my presence, Iris had fallen asleep early.

Her previously sunken mood seemed much better.

“We’re almost there.”

When I led Iris to the place, Aisha was standing there.

Aisha, who had been wearing short workout clothes, was now seen in slightly longer workout clothes.

Her long limbs were impressive, befitting someone taller than me in Hannon’s form.

If it were reality, Aisha would have been tall enough to be a model.

Fortunately, Isabel was not there.

Since the recent boycott incident, Isabel had not bothered to join our morning training.

“Aisha.”

“Oh, senior…”

Aisha hesitated to answer my call.

It was because she saw Iris, who had come with me.

Her eyes widened.

It was a natural reaction since I had brought the third princess, one of the national treasures.

“Aisha, this is Lady Iris. She will be training with us from today.”

“Greetings, Lady Third Princess.”

As Aisha showed her courtesy, Iris waved her hand.

“This is Jerion Academy. Treat me as you would treat Hannon, as a senior.”

“Yes, I will do so.”

Aisha is not an inflexible child.

If Iris asked, she would gladly comply.

“Today, I was thinking of changing the training method a bit for Lady Iris. Is that okay?”

“Yes, training should constantly change so that the body does not adapt and continues to progress. I actually welcome it.”

That’s a very Aisha-like answer.

“Let’s go, Lady Iris.”

“Mm.”

With still puzzled faces, our training for the three of us began.

The training method is simple.

Iris, like Ban, is one of the few who awakened her aura at a young age.

However, in terms of aura, Ban’s enlightenment is a step above, so she cannot burn her aura as brilliantly as Ban.

But the fact that she can use aura itself was important.

I made sure Iris continued to use her aura during training.

At first, Iris was puzzled.

But perhaps because I had built up her favor well, she followed me.

Thus, Iris poured out all her aura throughout the morning training.

By the time her body was so exhausted that she could no longer emit aura, the training ended.

“Phew, have you been doing this kind of training every day?”

When Iris asked, catching her breath, I smiled.

“Iris, physical strength is national strength.”

“I think I understand a bit why Hanon never gets tired.”

Even when I was stranded in the last labyrinth, I endured purely with physical strength.

Iris understood that part through this training.

“How is your body?”

“Body?”

Hearing the question, Iris slightly lifted the hem of her workout clothes.

For a moment, her pale white belly was revealed, and I felt dizzy.

I might get arrested for blasphemy.

“I think I’ve lost weight.”

“Iris, if Hania were here, she would have fainted.”

Mostly out of joy, I suppose.

I helped Iris tidy up her clothes.

“More importantly, Iris, focus on your inner self.”

Iris blinked her large eyes and then examined her inner self.

Iris, who handles aura.

She could certainly examine her inner self.

Soon, Iris’s eyes slowly opened.

She looked at me with slightly surprised eyes.

“…The murky energy is all gone.”

What permeated her inner self was the power of the evil lord.

The power of the evil lord is supplied through nightmares.

In that case, it would be enough to shake off all that was supplied.

I instructed her to keep releasing aura during the morning training.

As a result, Iris reached her limit while releasing her aura and eventually consumed the power of Akzon.

The power of Akzon that had tormented her was consumed.

The strange magic that made up Iris disappeared.

Iris’s face changed to a slightly refreshed look.

It was a natural reaction since the pressure that had been pressing down on her body disappeared.

Iris possessed a power on a different level from others, befitting the ultimate villainess.

People have a habit of accumulating their strength instinctively, so it was rare for Iris to exhaust all her power like today.

“Tonight as well, I will stay with you. Let’s try to sleep.”

Even so, Iris’s insomnia is a fundamental problem.

It is a habit that developed because her body avoided sleeping due to being tormented by nightmares.

Even if the influence of Akzon has diminished, she cannot fall asleep immediately due to the habit.

So, for the time being, I decided to stay by her side consistently.

“…Okay.”

Iris looked at me with an indescribable gaze.

I couldn’t understand the meaning, but that’s how Iris’s sweet sleep project began.

* * *

Time flows relentlessly.

From noble mtl dot com

It’s been two weeks since the start of Iris’s sweet sleep project.

Iris’s face has noticeably brightened.

“Hanon, good morning.”

She even woke up earlier than me to prepare for morning training.

Iris increased the intensity of her training every day.

She put all her effort into shaking off the nightmares, even a little.

Thanks to that, Iris has recently started to look forward to the night.

It’s been so long since she had a peaceful sleep that she waits for it unconsciously.

“Hanon, come here.”

Iris invariably called me over and hugged me to sleep.

By now, I was also used to sleeping like this.

But the fundamental problem of the nightmares still wasn’t resolved.

‘It’s time to prepare.’

The time has come to prepare the real thing that can reduce Iris’s nightmares.

So, I spent my days focusing on caring for Iris’s nightmares.

Meanwhile, new faces started appearing at the academy.

They were all newly selected assistants and professors, replacing those who were expelled after the recent boycott incident.

Many of them greeted Iris shortly after arriving at Jerion Academy.

It was proof that they were loyal to the third princess.

The new assistants and professors were very diligent people.

Having been thoroughly educated by the Duke of Roblia, they demonstrated their abilities to the fullest and guided the students.

Thanks to them, the atmosphere at Jerion Academy changed significantly.

The assistants and professors who had committed corruption were originally not well-liked.

As those who replaced them conducted their classes diligently, the students were also influenced.

“It wasn’t a futile effort after all.”

Seron lightly tapped my arm as we observed the changed atmosphere of the academy.

Iris and Hania, who usually accompanied us, happened to be absent, so today it was just Seron and me having lunch together.

Card has been busy lately, running around here and there.

As a result, the number of times we had lunch together decreased.

So, I ended up having a meal with Seron alone.

Indeed, Seron was right.

Even Rozamin, the boycott leader, would surely feel a sense of accomplishment after her one-month suspension ended.

“By the way, Prince Sweet Potato.”

She called me and lowered her posture.

I also lowered my posture to match hers.

“Why.”

“…Why do you keep coming to the girls’ dormitory in Hania’s form?”

Has she finally caught on?

“Seron, have you been stalking me?”

“Did you think I wouldn’t check after you said that last time? There’s a pervert coming into the girls’ dormitory, of course I had to find out.”

Why is the stalker acting so confident?

It’s absurd.

“You keep sneaking into Iris’s room. What on earth are you doing? What if you get caught?”

Iris knows me as Hanon.

If she finds out that I’m Vickerman, I’ll be executed for sneaking into the princess’s bedchamber.

“I’m just helping Lady Iris sleep well.”

But all I do is play the role of a comfort doll.

I swear I’ve never done anything shameful.

To be precise, it’s impossible for such things to happen because I’ve been forcibly restrained from the primal s*xual desire rather than the emotion called love.

“As long as you keep your mouth shut, we won’t get caught.”

“I don’t want to see you executed, so I’ll keep my mouth shut.”

Seron grumbled slightly and glanced at me.

“…It’s unfair for me to watch.”

“What’s unfair about it?”

“I can’t sleep well either.”

I blinked.

What is he talking about, when he was dozing off this morning?

“Because I keep thinking about you.”

Oh, damn.

Seron’s face turned bright red, and she squirmed.

She turned into a tomato after saying that herself.

I never expected her to come at me head-on like this.

“…Aren’t you embarrassed to say that?”

“Em-embarrassed! But what can I do! It’s true!”

This is true.

Seron bit her lip and covered her face with both hands.

“Don’t look at my face.”

I’m embarrassed just watching her.

“No, look at my face properly. Remember how sincere I am!”

I stared at Seron and looked around.

Fortunately, no one was around.

It was natural since we were walking on a rarely traveled path.

It seemed that Seron had brought me to a place where no one could see us to say this.

He’s quite a cunning one.

So, when I slightly loosened the bandages of the veil, I became Vickerman.

“Uh, ah, ugh.”

Seron froze as soon as I became Vickerman.

“Seron, say it again.”

Seron’s eyes rolled around.

She suddenly became an infinitely delicate girl, fidgeting with her feet.

“Heeung.”

And then, making a strange sound, she turned around and ran away.

Recently, I discovered a new way to deal with Seron.

When I’m in Hanon’s form, she acts as usual, but when I become Vickerman, she can’t stand it and runs away.

It seems she can never get used to Vickerman’s face.

‘Well, he was someone she had kept in her heart for almost her entire life.’

Seron still needed time to prepare her heart.

I safely dealt with Seron and rewrapped the bandages of the veil.

Seron is becoming more daring as time goes by, and I’m worried about the future.

‘Besides, the time is approaching.’

I looked at the ripe autumn leaves and felt that Act 4, Scene 2 had begun.

Act 4, Scene 2.

International Individual Tournament.

It’s a kind of friendly event where students from the academies of each kingdom and empire compete every three years.

And there is one person I must transfer to Jerion Academy from here.

‘I burned this summer vacation brilliantly for that.’

I clenched my fists tightly.

For Iris’s nightmare and the future ahead, this person is necessary.

Someone with a power similar to the flame of determination.

I must transfer her to Jerion Academy.