Chapter 12

“The ultimate villain.”

3rd Princess Iris Haishirion.

There’s a lot to say about her.

The final boss of the Fire Butterfly arc and the mastermind behind it all.

Evil Zone.

She’s supposed to be the vessel for that Evil Zone.

Maybe that’s why.

The aura emanating from Iris is strangely decadent.

Even though she has risen to be the second candidate for the emperor to lead the country,

the energy she gives off is undeniably gloomy and dark.

Yet, aside from that, there’s a power about her that’s hard to look away from.

First off, there’s her natural beauty.

Black hair with exceptionally pale skin.

And her eyes, imbued with ruby-like magic.

Everyone who lays eyes on her gasps at her beauty and yearns for her gaze in return.

It’s no wonder she’s vying for the top spot in appearances with Nikita in the empire.

If Nikita’s looks convey coldness and honesty,

Iris’s looks embody decadence and allure.

Whenever her cherry-like red lips part, people’s hearts waver, and they lean in to listen.

And whatever she whispers makes them want to grant her every wish.

This is clearly due to the seductive nature of the Evil Zone,

but her own unique decadent vibe plays a big role too.

And now,

she stands before me.

“Visiting.”

It’s probably not for some trivial reason.

After all, since enrolling at Jerion Academy, I haven’t even had a single conversation with her.

So, what could be the reason for her visit?

“The person whose appearance I’ve borrowed, Hanon Irey, is, after all, related to her by blood.”

Although it’s from my mother’s side,

we’re technically cousins.

Iris must be thinking of Hanon like this.

“Her maternal grandfather, the Duke of Robliju.”

He’s sent a person with some purpose.

“Looks like she’s still suffering from insomnia.”

I can see the dark circles under Iris’s eyes.

Under the pressure of having to work for her grandfather’s ambition of getting to the throne, Iris has been struggling with insomnia.

While this seems similar to Isabel’s insomnia,

Iris’s insomnia is fundamentally different.

“Iris’s insomnia is influenced by the Evil Zone.”

Her nightmares are laced with whispers from the Evil Zone.

With the intent of corrupting her completely one day,

the Evil Zone constantly tightens its grip on Iris’s nightmares.

“The more nightmares she has, the weaker Iris becomes.”

In fact, by this point, Iris’s insomnia should have progressed to a certain extent.

Lucas’s flame of determination helps ward off her nightmares.

Thanks to that, she might have been able to eliminate her insomnia and sleep peacefully.

This has gradually led to more encounters between Iris and Lucas.

A series of events related to this unfolds, and they resolve them together.

This is the relationship between Lucas and Iris.

However, Lucas is no longer in this world.

Consequently, Iris’s insomnia remains unresolved and ongoing.

And this is a task I must manage.

The day she completely falls into nightmares

will be the day of the Evil Zone’s return.

“I greet you, Princess Iris Haishirion.”

But solving her insomnia won’t be a walk in the park.

The important thing is the process.

Building trust as humans comes first.

I knelt down and showed the proper respect to royalty, and Iris looked down at me with a blank stare.

Then she waved her hand dismissively.

“This is Jerion Academy. There’s no need for such formalities between students.”

That’s fair enough.

I was just reflecting on Hanon’s perspective and acted accordingly.

Iris leaned her head back against the wall.

As a result, her black hair flowed elegantly over her pale skin.

Even upon re-examination, her appearance was undeniably filled with seductive decadence.

“I have one question.”

Her fragile voice that floated from those cherry-red lips has a mesmerizing power.

My ears instinctively perked up at the sound of her voice.

“Are you a messenger from the Duke of Robliju?”

I suspected she would ask something like this as soon as she approached me.

“If I get tangled up with the Duke of Robliju now,”

it’s a direct path to a bad ending for me, not Lucas.

The Duke of Robliju is a greedy person aiming to place Iris on the throne, even utilizing the power of the Evil Zone.

If someone who wasn’t sent by him comes close to Iris,

he would probably conclude that the 1st Prince has pulled some strings and try to eliminate me.

“No, actually, if you think about it, that’s true.”

Hanon is a hidden character that appears upon achieving certain conditions, as previously mentioned.

The specific condition for Hanon to transfer here

is when Lucas achieves a certain level of fame at the academy.

“He’s a character that transfers only when all perfect conditions in events related to fame are met.”

So Hanon is relatively unknown.

But one thing is certain.

“Hanon is the person sent by the 1st Prince to scout talents under Lucas.”

A power struggle between the 1st Prince and the 3rd Princess for the throne.

The 1st Prince is naturally gathering strength for this, but

the world-renowned talents have gathered around the 3rd Princess at the time of her enrollment.

Due to the Duke of Robliju’s schemes, the 1st Prince is unable to act on Jerion Academy.

Not wanting to provoke a full-scale confrontation with the Duke of Robliju, he hesitates to take action against Jerion Academy.

However, once Lucas’s fame is established to the point of reaching the imperial ear,

he may decide to send someone, thinking that such talents might shift to the 3rd Princess’s side.

That someone is Hanon Irey, who was discreetly enrolled as a transfer student by the 1st Prince.

“If he fails to meet the conditions, Hanon will never transfer.”

If the conditions aren’t met, the 1st Prince will think there’s no need to fuss over Jerion Academy.

Thus, to avoid clashing head-on with the Duke of Robliju, he opts not to send a transfer.

But Hanon’s transfer signifies that

the 1st Prince must have deemed it dangerous enough to confront the Duke of Robliju directly.

“And I’ve transferred under Hanon’s identity.”

Jerion Academy has ears everywhere.

The 1st Prince would find it absurd once he sees Hanon transferring without his permission.

However, it takes about half a year to ascertain the news accurately.

“Right now, the 1st Prince is in a very busy time.”

Having already taken his eyes off the academy, he won’t bother to concern himself with it.

“And during that time, I intended to secure my place no matter what.”

Before enrolling at Jerion Academy, I wasn’t idling around.

I had meticulously crafted a plan.

A tightrope-walking operation between the 1st Prince and the Duke of Robliju.

But there’s just one person.

Who can sever this tightrope instantly.

“Iris, who can relay information to the Duke of Robliju at any time.”

The Iris before me is that variable.

She can convey her story to the Duke without even meeting him directly.

The same applies to the Duke of Robliju’s side.

So if they ask about me, both the Duke and the 1st Prince will likely send someone to cut my ties.

“The saving grace is,”

Iris doesn’t contact the Duke of Robliju first.

She doesn’t particularly enjoy being pulled into the power struggle for the throne by the Duke.

During gameplay, she subtly expressed her aversion towards the Duke of Robliju several times.

So, she likely won’t bother to ask me first.

“The issue is, that’s all just speculation.”

Right now, this isn’t a game.

This is the reality after the main character’s death, a world of uncertainty following a bad ending.

A world filled with variables.

Iris’s feelings could have changed as well.

“Well, it all depends on what the 3rd Princess thinks.”

So I must consider both scenarios.

Either the Duke of Robliju sent Hanon,

or the 1st Prince sent Hanon.

I must contemplate both options to navigate towards the truth and prepare for any upcoming variables.

As Iris listened to my answer, she fixed her gaze on me.

Her stare was intimidating.

It felt like a long-haired cat was giving a meaning-infused look that humans could never understand.

“Alright, then.”

Iris didn’t ask further.

It seemed she wanted to think by herself and come to a conclusion.

My heart is not at ease.

Converse with someone who could become the final boss? That’s natural, I guess.

“Just to throw it out there, it’s best to refrain from making derogatory remarks about Lucas Fernando.”

Iris had quite a lot of interactions with Lucas.

The flame of determination was the only lullaby for Iris, who couldn’t sleep due to nightmares.

“There are still many who remember him.”

He spent a mere year at Jerion Academy.

Yet during that year, Lucas’s impact was anything but small.

He’s the protagonist, after all.

He firmly established his roots in various places.

“And I have to take on that role.”

My gaze once again settled on Iris.

What do I need to do for her in place of the protagonist Lucas?

“Are you still having trouble sleeping?”

Indeed, solving Iris’s most painful insomnia would be the best course of action.

“There’s honey called Honeyer in the yellow earth region to the south. If you brew it and drink it before bed, it should help a bit.”

It’s a honey that induces sleep but also has healing effects.

While it might not solve the root issue of insomnia, it could offer her a bit of rest.

Iris’s gaze met mine.

In her ruby-like, vivid red eyes, a fleeting expression passed by.

“…I’ll keep that in mind.”

Since I gave her some advice, perhaps she thought of it as a mutual exchange.

Iris didn’t ask further and left, opening the door behind her.

As I watched her black hair flutter away, I let out a breath.

“There’s still a long way to go.”

Isabel Luna’s suicide.

Nikita Cynthia’s dragon.

Iris Haishirion’s insomnia.

All of these are critical issues that lead directly to a bad ending.

I must resolve them all.

I quickly opened the door and stepped out.

I can’t afford to lie around any longer.

Training is necessary for the upcoming mock battle.

I need to hone my skills and boost my stats, no matter how little.

And in addition to my steel skin, there’s more preparation needed.

For what comes next, I must achieve a high rank in the mock battles.

I’ll prepare everything that can be prepared.

“I’m going to be completely worn out.”

Shaking off the remaining fatigue, I walked down the hallway.

The sun was dimming, but in place of the sun, I still couldn’t afford to rest.