The World After the Bad Ending - Chapter 94



I Have Many Friends

Jealousy is a natural emotion that comes with being human.

Jealousy doesn’t only occur in romantic relationships.

First, a child may feel jealous when their parents’ love is directed towards a sibling, leading them to harm the sibling.

Even in ordinary friendships, one may feel jealous if their friend becomes closer to someone else.

The root of jealousy fundamentally stems from a desire for possession.

Iris Hyserion is the third princess.

She lived a life where she had to seize everything as she grew up as a princess.

Once something is seized, it must not be taken away.

The moment something seized is taken away, all the fame and benefits gained from it are lost.

So it was natural for Iris’s desire for possession to grow stronger.

Isabel Luna lost her most precious childhood friend half a year ago.

It is natural for people to crave possession.

However, she lost the thing she possessed most deeply in her heart.

Since then, she has not found anything to replace her desire for possession.

But through a series of events, Isabel finally met someone who could satisfy her desire for possession.

Even if it was a love-hate relationship, it was the object of her broken desire for possession.

What does this mean?

Iris and Isabel have a much stronger desire for possession than others.

Love-hate and attachment dolls.

The two desires for possession, which were somewhat controlled, met their match.

Eventually, they revealed their struggle to not lose what was theirs.

The main reason for their conflict was based on this desire for possession.

Because of them, the recent situation had become increasingly difficult for me.

So I warned them to restrain themselves.

Fortunately, their desire for possession had not yet reached its peak.

The two, having heard my warning, restrained themselves in front of me.

‘So I was a little relieved.’

A person appeared who would once again provoke their possessiveness.

The unyielding Cheongyeom.

Eve.

The girl who suddenly spoke to me at the party where the key personnel of each academy gathered.

I am certainly not an object of love for Isabel and Iris.

However, as long as the two women feel possessive of me, a man.

If a woman appears who can realize the romance that reaches the peak of possessiveness.

Naturally, the possessiveness of the two will reach its extreme.

Especially, the appearance of an excellent opposite s*x with the superiority of romance intensifies it even more.

‘Damn it.’

I hate myself for seeing through the human crowd.

I have lost the love that usually confuses rational judgment.

Thanks to that, I have recently become adept at seeing through people’s psychology.

So I instinctively realized how urgent this situation was.

‘I wish I could just hang out with girls like the harem protagonists in games or novels.’

I can’t possibly ignore the crisis that is blatantly visible.

My back feels extremely prickly.

Iris and Isabel’s gazes seem like they could pierce through my back at any moment.

It hurts.

It hurts so much I could die.

“Hanlon Airey, this name, right.”

But unaware of my crisis, Eve spoke to me again.

My lips don’t part easily.

Because their gazes are too piercing.

“Yes, how did you know?”

But I can’t keep my mouth shut forever.

I forced a smile, trying to ignore the gazes behind me as much as possible.

“I asked around and found out.”

At that moment, my shoulder twitched.

I hurriedly scanned the party hall.

Then, I heard voices whispering as they looked at me.

I asked around and listened.

That meant they had asked about me to the people here at the party.

Eve, who usually doesn’t engage in conversations with others.

What does it mean that she inquired about me?

‘At an age where romantic relationships are at their peak.’

The topics of conversation among the well-to-do were already set.

“Looks like Cheongyeom is interested.”

“Surprising. I didn’t expect Cheongyeom to have someone they fancy.”

As expected, a few words reached my ears.

If I heard it, it meant the two people behind me heard it too.

“Miss Eve, shall we step outside for a moment to talk?”

It’s not good to continue the conversation with Eve here.

Out of sight, out of mind.

I decided to move first.

As I turned my body, Eve followed without a word.

I fled from the prying eyes.

A moment later, as we walked out to the terrace of the party hall, I felt the cool air.

The suffocating feeling eased, and I could breathe again.

I fear the future.

But for now, I decided to resolve this first.

“Investigating behind my back is troublesome. How much did you hear?”

“That you are the cousin of the third princess and that recently at the academy, the third princess was almost assassinated by the magic of an ancient dragon.”

She had heard a lot in the meantime.

Surely, as Eve approached, those interested in her must have told her all sorts of things.

“You’ve heard a lot. But I wasn’t the one who tried to assassinate Lady Iris that day.”

It’s troublesome if there’s a misunderstanding.

“I know. It was someone named Nikita Cynthia. And.”

Eve lifted her head and looked straight at me.

“I heard that the type of dragon magic she dealt with was an ice dragon.”

She felt the cold air emanating from me.

Eve’s blue eyes quietly burned.

“Are you planning to assassinate the third princess?”

Is that how she misunderstood?

The start of the misunderstanding was different, but it was similar to the misunderstanding with Isabel.

I chewed over all the stories and naturally smiled.

“No? There’s no way I would do that.”

Will Eve believe my honest denial?

“……”

The answer was NO.

“I don’t know what circumstances you have.”

As she said, Eve doesn’t know my circumstances at all.

That’s why she misunderstood and spoke to me directly at the party.

“But I know that what you’re trying to do is wrong.”

Assassination of the princess.

If I did such a thing, not only would the country be affected, but my life would also be over.

Eve stared at me with pure eyes.

“Stop it. There’s nothing you can fix with such actions.”

The direction of the misunderstanding escalates.

The misunderstanding she started has already reached a point where no matter what I say, it can’t be turned around.

It was rather what I wanted.

“What do you know to speak so arrogantly?”

I revealed my absurdity.

It was a question of what you could know after only meeting for a day.

“……It could certainly be my misunderstanding. But if it’s not a misunderstanding, it could be the worst.”

Of course, it’s a misunderstanding.

I have no intention of harming Iris.

Rather, I hope she lives peacefully without nightmares.

“Then, what will you do? Will you kill me?”

That can’t be…

“Yes.”

What?

She lifted the hem of her dress.

Then she drew a dagger strapped to her long leg.

Clang!

The drawn dagger elongated and instantly took the shape of a sword.

That too was a type of magical weapon.

Whoosh-

At the same time, blue flames erupted from her sword.

Unyielding blue flame.

A flame with a power most similar to the fire of determination.

“I’ll burn it all with the dragon’s magic.”

Eve’s eyes were sincere.

She would rather destroy it than let it be used foolishly with the dragon’s magic.

Her eyes conveyed that determination intensely.

Ah, she’s a crazy woman!

“Wait. At least give me a fair chance! I’m unarmed!”

“I have no reason to consider that.”

Damn it.

I didn’t expect her to come at me so recklessly.

The moment I stealthily moved towards the terrace door.

Whoosh!

The flames from her sword blocked my path completely.

The eerie blue flames blazed along the floor.

“Give up. I’ll just erase the dragon’s magic cleanly.”

“I’ve grown quite attached to the dragon’s magic. Parting like this would be too sad.”

“Get over it.”

What a vicious woman.

She has not an ounce of mercy.

Eve slammed her foot on the floor.

‘Here it comes.’

There’s no other way now.

The instant my gut clenched, Eve vanished.

My dynamic vision barely caught her, and that very instant—

CHING-CHING-CHING-CHING-CHING!

My outstretched hand-blade met Eve’s sword, and a deafening clang ripped through the air.

Eve’s eyebrows twitched.

It was the reaction of someone who hadn’t expected me to meet her blade bare-handed.

Of course, it wouldn’t have been strange if an arm had flown off.

“I’ll ask the Saintess to reattach it for you.”

Such savage words.

She must already think my arm’s either severed or shattered.

Good.

This is the opening.

I spread my hand-blade.

And at the same time, I seized Eve’s sword, gripping it hard.

Blue flames ignited on my hand, and intense heat surged.

But my fire resistance, honed over time, let me withstand it.

“Huh?”

A bewildered sound escaped Eve’s lips.

She hadn’t imagined I could hold her sword with the blue flames transferred onto it.

This confusion is the only opening.

Steel encased my heated skin.

DRRRRR!

In that instant, my fingers pierced through the sword blade and popped out the other side.

Eve, bewildered, unable to process the situation.

My eyes flashed.

Sword Breaker.

CLANG!

Eve’s sword shattered into pieces in an instant.

My hand swung directly towards Eve’s dazed face.

Just before my hand touched her face.

Eve tilted her head back and simultaneously twisted my arm in reverse.

Despite being caught off guard, her counterattack was flawless.

It was proof of the countless hours she had trained.

Whoosh!

I was lifted into the air and slammed down in an instant.

But I had no intention of being defeated.

Just before hitting the ground, I activated a magic sigil in my palm.

Boom!

With a deafening explosion, my body halted in mid-air.

Using the arm Eve had grabbed as a pivot, I drove my fist towards her.

The magic sigil engraved on my elbow activated.

As a result, my fist gained speed and power.

Crash!

The terrace floor shattered where my fist landed.

I lost sight of Eve.

I quickly lifted my head through the smoke.

There, far away, stood Eve.

It was quite a serious blow.

As expected of the protagonist of the side story.

‘The intensity of her training must be different.’

I had also trained hard until now.

But Eve was the protagonist of an episode, even if it was an extra.

Her level was fundamentally different from the start.

“What on earth have you done to your body?”

Eve looked at me with a face that couldn’t believe it.

As she said, I had applied tricks all over my body.

It was something even Eve found strange.

From noble mtl dot com

“It’s all done for a reason.”

I stood up, brushing off my palms.

Before I knew it, my sleeves had completely burned away.

It was the clothes Iris had given me to wear, and I felt sorry about it.

Clang!

At that moment, Eve restored the broken blade.

A divine weapon

An infinite sword

It can take any form of a sword and recover even if it breaks.

It was thanks to this characteristic that it could withstand Eve’s unyielding blue flame.

“Though I was flustered, give up. You can’t defeat me.”

From now on, I will fight earnestly.

Eve declared so.

“That’s right.”

As she said, there was nothing I could do against Eve, who was already a complete protagonist.

“But I’m not alone.”

Creeeeak-

At that moment, the terrace door opened.

The party hall inside the terrace had become quiet.

Eve realized belatedly that we had caused too much commotion.

The moment she saw the open door.

A woman walked out, her jet-black hair fluttering.

Her ruby-colored eyes gleamed menacingly.

With that, the darkness swayed and followed her.

“What is the meaning of this?”

The murderous intent in her voice resonated through the air.

Pitch-black malice began to swirl around her.

The ultimate villainess.

Iris Heisirion.

As she appeared, the atmosphere around us changed in an instant.

Moreover, she was not the only one.

A girl in a school uniform slowly descended from the sky.

A brilliant white light gathered at the staff in her hand.

The light was so intense that even Eve felt a chill.

“Wow, you’re doing something interesting.”

The daughter of the Blue Tower Lord.

Sharin Sazarith.

Lastly.

A woman with honey blonde hair appeared beside me and wrapped my burnt wrist.

Her face was not directed at Eve.

But the face looking down at my hand revealed a quiet anger.

It was unimaginable compared to the brightness she usually showed.

Isabel Luna.

With the appearance of the main heroine of the Flame Butterfly arc, the situation was resolved in an instant.

No matter how strong Eve was, she couldn’t handle this many people.

She bit her lip and glared at me.

I shrugged nonchalantly.

If you don’t like it, call your friends too.