Chapter 69

“Thanks.”

“Yeah, take care.”

After bringing the somewhat gloomy Isabel into the room,

I headed to the place where Sharine took Hanon.

It was a vacant room in the inn.

Not sure if they rented it or snuck in, but I just decided to go with it.

“You flirt, I was working while you were off playing with another girl!”

Sharine made a ridiculous protest.

“With Isabel and me?”

“I’ve always wanted to say that at least once in my life.”

Goal achieved.

I left Sharine behind and looked down at the unconscious Hanon.

“Hanon, you awake?”

“Uh, caught me, huh?”

Hanon shot up, looking quite spry. I figured he’d recover quickly since he had good resilience.

“I didn’t mean to make such a mess. Sorry about that.”

No matter what, I had no intention of using the Ice Dragon’s Magic on him.

As I offered a sincere apology, Hanon scratched his head.

“Honestly, like I’ve said before, I don’t care what you do because of my status.”

And then he smiled with his legs crossed.

“I was just curious about your identity. But what I saw was more interesting than I expected.”

Hanon glanced at Sharine, who was beside him.

“That magic from earlier was indeed the Ice Dragon’s Magic.”

With the cat out of the bag, there was no point in denying it.

Hanon understood our silence as confirmation.

Whether the Ice Dragon’s Magic was interesting or not,

I turned my attention back to Sharine.

Sharine shrugged and left the room, giving me space to talk.

I decided to buy him another ice cream next time and sat in front of Hanon.

Hanon didn’t seem to have any thoughts of running away anymore.

Getting frozen again was probably not on his to-do list.

“Hanon, as I mentioned earlier, I can be of great help to you.”

I understood why Hanon didn’t trust me.

I had misused his status.

Even if I apologized countless times for that, it would be too few.

That’s exactly why I had to gain Hanon’s cooperation.

So he could understand my actions.

“Let me give you a reason to trust me.”

I tried to avoid saying it, but it seemed this was my only option to persuade Hanon.

“The Duke of Robliju has allied with the Evil Zone.”

This is something even the 1st Prince doesn’t know about yet.

If the 1st Prince had known, everything would have gone haywire long ago.

But there was one person.

Only Hanon, right in front of me, knew.

Hanon’s eyes widened more than anything I had seen today.

He stared at me in shock.

Hanon couldn’t tell anyone that the Duke of Robliju had allied with the Evil Zone.

Because he was under restrictions.

If he tried to inform anyone about the Evil Zone, he wouldn’t be able to take any action.

That’s why I spoke in his stead.

“Of course, I haven’t gathered concrete evidence to publicly declare it yet. And you probably haven’t either, Hanon.”

The Duke of Robliju was more meticulous than I expected.

He didn’t leave behind any evidence that would be detrimental to him.

So, only Hanon and I knew about this.

“I came to Jerion Academy in your form for this reason.”

Information that no one else knew yet.

As I shared that information directly, Hanon stared at me with a blank expression.

It was a natural reaction since it was a shocking revelation for him too.

Hanon stared at me in silence for a while.

Eventually, as though he had sorted out his thoughts, he parted his lips.

“I’ve got a hobby of exploring ruins.”

Hanon had an archaeological inclination, enjoying legends and relic hunting.

His wanderlust stemmed from this interest.

“…It’s just a wild guess on my part.”

Hanon began shifting in his seat.

This habit came out when he was really interested in something.

“The sudden appearance at Jerion Academy, the ability to change appearance at will, and your friendship with the Daughter of the Blue Magic Tower.”

Hanon’s eyes started to sparkle brighter and brighter.

His deductions began with the piecemeal information he had gathered.

“And lastly, with the Ice Dragon’s Magic. These things keep reminding me of an old prophecy.”

Hanon shook his fists vigorously, looking like a kid watching a superhero show on TV.

“The prophecy of the rebirth of heroes. It’s a very ancient prophecy but.”

And that was a prophecy I was also familiar with.

“Jerion was said to have wielded the Ice Dragon’s Magic.”

Jerion, the founder of the academy and the pinnacle of magic.

Once upon a time, one of the six heroes under the great hero Wolfram.

The transcendent sage, Jerion.

Hanon mentioned him.

There exist several prophecies and legends in this world.

When the world someday faces a crisis,

the reborn heroes will protect it once more.

This was directly spoken by the goddess, commemorating their achievements.

Though it’s an old prophecy, so no one pays it much mind,

recently, there have been rumors in the archaeological community about the rebirth of heroes.

Of course, Hanon was someone intrigued by archaeology.

It was natural for him to know about this.

And in fact,

‘Jerion has been reborn.’

But no one else knew that fact except me.

What’s more, even he himself didn’t know he was the reincarnation of Jerion.

Besides, the real deal wasn’t at Jerion Academy yet.

Specifically, he was someone who would be joining Jerion Academy next year.

‘The problem is.’

Right now, he was suspecting that it was me.

That Hanon thought I was deliberately using the Ice Dragon’s Magic to capture him.

‘As if I was controlling it.’

The remnants of the Ice Dragon reacted chaotically on their own.

It seems he didn’t see that Sharine put a stop to the rampage after he fainted.

‘Things could really go awry from here.’

My eyes met Hanon’s sparkling ones.

‘One of Hanon’s quirks is linking situations to legends.’

Having been exposed to too many legends, he tended to think of correlations whenever similar situations occurred.

And he was unexpectedly stubborn about the oddest things.

“That’s a ridiculous misunderstanding.”

I hurriedly corrected Hanon’s misconception.

But Hanon’s excitement showed no sign of decreasing.

“Really? I don’t think so.”

Hanon’s stubbornness crept up like it owned the place.

“Even heroes must have crossed the river of oblivion to be reborn. So it makes sense they might not remember their past lives.”

Hanon’s mind, loving legends, was like an unstoppable freight train.

“So, they might not realize they are the reincarnation of Jerion. But it’s clear that your actions stem from the rebirth of Jerion.”

“I merely happened to learn that the Duke of Robliju is allied with the Evil Zone and I’m trying to stop it.”

“Hah, happened to?”

Hanon’s eyes turned into crescent moons.

“You think that can be overlooked when even the Emperor of the Empire doesn’t know? You said it yourself: there’s no evidence.”

His question about how I knew without evidence left me speechless.

That was because my only knowledge of Jerion came from playing through the “Fire Butterfly” section.

“You know? They say the goddess’s revelation is inscribed even when the recipient is unaware.”

Hanon grinned widely.

“It’s like destiny.”

Destiny.

Hanon referred to that grand flow.

“When the goddess determines that the state of the world is dangerous, she implants revelations into those she has chosen. This is beyond our comprehension as mere creatures.”

The moment I heard that, my body froze for the first time.

She implants revelations into a chosen individual.

It was a vague thought, but I might be in a somewhat similar situation.

‘I suddenly possessed Bickamon’s body.’

What if this is the goddess’s intent?

As suddenly as that thought crossed my mind, my head began swirling.

And Hanon seemed to read my reaction.

I failed to manage my expression in that moment.

“Right? Is there something similar in the fragments of your memory?”

“Hanon, just now…”

“It’s okay. No need to make excuses!”

Hanon’s eyes were already closed to hearing any of my excuses.

“I want, as you said, to bring down the Duke of Robliju.”

Hanon’s eyes revealed a deep resentment.

“So I’ll do whatever it takes for that.”

His obsession with legends and ruins stemmed from the Duke of Robliju as well.

There were tales in ancient texts that heroes had defeated the Evil Zone, driving them into Magung.

He had been searching for clues based on that.

And now, right in front of Hanon,

the reincarnation of one of the heroes who stopped the Great War and sealed the Evil Zone appeared.

Of course, that was merely Hanon’s wild hypothesis.

‘A figure who could resolve both his resentment and trauma all at once.’

Perhaps Hanon simply wanted to believe that I was Jerion.

A life spent pursuing ruins and legends to resolve his grievances could also take a toll on him.

Seeing an opportunity to escape that pain, he probably wanted to grasp even a rotten rope.

“Hanon.”

Though it was a misunderstanding that I was Jerion’s reincarnation,

one fact was certain.

“I, too, want to take down the Duke of Robliju.”

The Duke of Robliju is someone I must defeat to prevent a bad ending.

The ultimate villain.

To take him down, I, too, would do whatever it takes.

For this point, Hanon and I were on the same page.

I extended my hand towards Hanon.

“So how about we help each other until then?”

Hanon, who had been gazing at my hand, gave a smile.

And then he boldly shook my hand.

“This is totally like a heroic tale! It feels like I’m being offered a partnership by a hero!”

…Is this guy really in it for revenge?

A twinge of anxiety crossed my mind, wondering if he was just a legend nerd who was swept up and helping without thinking.

“So, your main concern is keeping your identity hidden, right?”

At least he still seemed to be thinking rationally.

“Exactly, there’s still a lot to do.”

“In that case, I’ll handle the 1st Prince Faction. There won’t be any problems for me to operate.”

“And I shouldn’t mention anything about being Jerion’s reincarnation, right?”

If I did that, who knows what absurd misunderstandings could pile up.

Hanon fell silent and stared at me.

As I strengthened my gaze, Hanon laughed as if he were joking.

“Knowing a secret makes your mouth itchy, huh?”

What a character; he really knows how to make me uneasy.

I hope the situation doesn’t twist too much.

“Well then, I’ve completed what I needed, so I’ll take my leave!”

I had no more reason to keep Hanon around.

Just as I was about to let him go, one thing suddenly came to mind that I hadn’t asked.

“Hanon.”

“Yeah?”

“…How’s Nikita doing?”

Hanon was part of the 1st Prince Faction.

By the time he came to find me, he must have heard something about Nikita.

“Nikita Cynthia has passed away.”

Hanon added a well-known fact.

“So, in heaven, she’s probably awakening new talents, studying magic with her brother, and helping him with his research.”

Hearing that made me smile before I knew it.

That’s enough for me.

I looked out the window.

The summer sky was truly blue.

I hoped Nikita could soar freely, showcasing the talents she never got to realize.

I wished for Nikita’s future to be filled with happiness.