Chapter 3

“There are countless bad endings in the Flame Butterfly series.”

If I had to pick one of the worst bad endings, it would definitely be the “Elder Dragon.”

North of Jerion Academy, there lies the Elder Dragon Mountain Range.

The Elder Dragon, which has made its nest there, is an object meant not to be defeated.

So, witnessing the sight of Jerion Academy frozen solid by the Elder Dragon’s breath left one feeling an overwhelming sense of dread and helplessness.

Thus, you absolutely cannot make the Elder Dragon your enemy.

This is a fact I’ve learned all too well from countless playthroughs of Flame Butterfly.

“So.”

Currently, after encountering a bad ending, who is the most dangerous person?

In Act 3, this is the character the protagonist will face, and who can lead us straight to the bad ending “Elder Dragon.”

A girl who can wield dragon magic, known as the Disaster Dragon Maiden.

She is currently a 3rd-year student and the vice president of the student council.

Even back in Act 1, Scene 1, the Dragon Maiden was a member of the student council, having observed the entrance exam.

However, she unfortunately lost to Lucas, who awakened the Flames of Will during the entrance exam.

Since then, she has become a rival to Lucas, clashing with him at every turn.

“In fact, the reason why Bickamon particularly disliked Lucas was because of the Dragon Maiden.”

Bickamon liked the Dragon Maiden.

Now that I’m Bickamon, I no longer share those feelings.

Nevertheless, it’s a well-known fact that Bickamon had feelings for the Dragon Maiden.

Of course, the Dragon Maiden had no intention of accepting Bickamon’s affections.

Bickamon was well aware of this, which is why he never confessed to her.

In other words, their relationship was purely Bickamon’s unrequited love.

“What a coward.”

He should at least make an attempt to confess to the girl he likes.

I guess being a villain extra can’t help but lead to a narrow-minded attitude.

“And now, that’s me.”

I might not have had a crush, but now I find myself with a crush history.

Thank heavens I didn’t enroll as Bickamon.

If I had re-enrolled as Bickamon, rumors would have started flying about me being the Dragon Maiden’s unrequited love.

So, back to the point.

Bickamon was none too fond of Lucas, who had a poor relationship with the Dragon Maiden.

The enemy of someone I like is my enemy too.

With that mindset, he relentlessly tormented Lucas.

But Bickamon eventually crossed the line.

He had the audacity to mess with Lucas, who was teamed up with the Princess.

In the process, things went awry, and Bickamon also faced a life-threatening situation.

In heroic fashion, Lucas, being the protagonist, saved even Bickamon.

This was a moment showcasing Lucas’s character.

Lucas rescued Bickamon, who had been hounding him relentlessly.

Thus, Bickamon deeply bowed his head to apologize for what had happened.

Moreover,

“If you find yourself in danger later, I will help you as much as your life saved me.”

Becoming a repentant villain, he declared he would repay the debt.

However, he had already committed the grave sin of messing with the Princess’s group.

As a consequence, he would be cut off not only from the academy but from his family as well.

Normally, after this, Bickamon would never show up again.

Just whispers of him living carefree somewhere would be all that’s heard.

“No one would have guessed I’d return to Jerion Academy.”

Although it’s Bickamon’s story, it has now become mine.

The past won’t disappear, so if I find myself having to act as Bickamon, I’ll have to choose my words wisely.

“Anyway, moving past Bickamon’s story, the real issue is definitely the Disaster Dragon Maiden.”

The Dragon Maiden has been intertwined in the protagonist’s narrative for a long time.

Although she’s rivals with Lucas, the adage ‘give a little extra cake to the villain’ applies here.

Ultimately, both Lucas and the Dragon Maiden develop some emotional ties through various incidents.

But those ties were purely cruel schemes by the developers.

Strategies designed to maximize the tragic story of the Dragon Maiden.

The Dragon Maiden cannot escape her tragic fate and meets death as the final boss of Act 3.

Consequently, Lucas indirectly recognizes the brewing storm regarding the imperial throne struggle linked to the Dragon Maiden’s narrative.

“Thanks to the entrance exam, Lucas has been tied to the Disaster Dragon Maiden from the start.”

It’s like the first button was already fastened.

On the other hand, what about me?

As a newly transferred student in the second semester of the second year, I’m just now showing up in Act 3.

Naturally, I have no entrance exam, nor will I have any encounters with the Dragon Maiden moving forward.

Yet still, I must somehow steer this world, which has already seen its bad ending, back towards a proper narrative.

Although the world has already fallen into a bad ending, I must definitely prevent the bad ending of the Elder Dragon, who could wipe the world clean.

“So, I will join the student council.”

The Dragon Maiden currently acts as the vice president of the student council.

There’s only one way for me to approach her.

To join the student council, of course.

Thus, right after finishing my martial arts class, I made my way directly to the student council.

Jerion Academy is a structure encircled by five towering main buildings.

They separate into five areas of study.

Martial Arts.

Military Arts.

Magic Arts.

Holy Studies.

Special Studies.

Together, these towers are referred to as the Jerion Pentagon.

The Jerion Pentagon features aerial walkways connecting each tower to the main building.

It forms a floating structure suspended in the sky, housing the Dean’s office, professor’s offices, and the student council.

As I stepped forth—

I just happened to arrive at the martial arts bridge at that moment.

As I was about to step towards the main building across the bridge, I caught sight of white hair fluttering in the wind.

This made me stop dead in my tracks.

Amidst the flowing silver hair, one strikingly beautiful girl came into view.

Although she was shorter than me, disguised as the pretty boy character Hanon, her proportions were astonishingly good.

That was thanks to her tiny head.

Her small face housed features that looked almost pinch-perfect—eyes, nose, mouth, all neatly arranged.

Moreover, despite her petite stature, her chest naturally drew attention, revealing she was a grown woman.

I know a lot about her.

After all, she was the very girl I was seeking just moments ago.

Disaster Dragon Maiden.

Nikita Cynthia.

The final boss of Act 3, here she is!

“Whoa!”

I was planning to go looking for her, but who would have thought she’d show up right in front of me?

Caught off-guard, I momentarily froze.

Then, our eyes met.

On the martial arts bridge, it was just Nikita and me.

Meeting her gaze was definitely an event in itself.

Nikita, walking towards me, briefly glanced my way before coldly turning her head.

To all appearances, it seemed dismissive.

However, I know Nikita’s true nature.

She didn’t have any obsessive thoughts going through her mind.

“Since becoming rivals with Lucas, her initially cold impression has gradually changed.”

Though she seems ice-like with her hair color and looks, in reality, she possesses a strong desire to win and can sometimes be quite mischievous.

She is quite fragile when it comes to compliments but tough when criticized.

Plus, she harbors more complexes about her height than one would think, which I came to personally experience while playing Lucas countless times.

Right now, Nikita’s appearance is simply a facade.

She must be acting high and mighty in front of the new students right about now.

“Nikita Cynthia-senpai.”

So, I called out to her.

What I needed was not the student council, but her.

Surprised that someone had called out to her, Nikita turned to look at me.

The silver hair swaying as she turned was beautiful enough to understand why she wore a proud facade.

“I’ve respected your actions since before entering, Nikita Cynthia-senpai.”

I exclaimed loudly, “I want to join the student council where you work!”

I could feel her flinch at my deeply bowed head.

It was clear as day.

By now, she must have a look of surprise on her face.

But I know Nikita’s inner thoughts.

‘Respect.’

I understood the weight of that word to her.

And why she was sensitive to compliments.

I carefully lifted my gaze to observe Nikita.

As expected, her face showed signs of confusion, but her lips trembled slightly.

She is especially vulnerable to compliments about respect.

My praise hit her exactly where it counts!

Praise lights a fire even within Nikita!

Already, I could see curiosity flickering in her eyes as she looked at me.

“…What’s your name, junior?”

That curiosity swiftly transitioned into interest.

I needed to seize this chance.

In order to dodge the bad ending of the Elder Dragon, I have to build a connection with Nikita.

‘Whatever the method, as long as it leads to the right narrative.’

If it leads to the truth, then I’m all in!

So, I pressed on, “I’m Hanon Irey. I just transferred as a 2nd-year student today!”

Hearing my name, Nikita’s shoulders twitched.

That’s because she already knew my name.

At the onset of Act 3, Scene 1, a rumor reached Nikita’s ears.

That her older brother, Nia Cynthia, had sided with the 1st Prince.

Which means the Marquess Cynthia family had become enemies with the 3rd Princess.

Hanon Irey is related to the final villain, the 3rd Princess, as a cousin.

Of course, it’s a rather insignificant relation.

But who knows?

Surely, Nikita had been closely watching me since before I transferred.

“Junior…?”

Just as I thought, Nikita recognized me.

She must have hit upon the connection to the Princess from my appearance.

Her eyes glimmered as her calculations finished.

“Ahem, I do wonder why you suddenly mentioned respect…”

Yet, Nikita didn’t readily accept me.

She was wary of any potential traps set by the 3rd Princess.

As she was concerned about what compliments I might make towards her, her eyes darted briefly.

What a cute character, how desperately does she crave praise?

I should give it to her.

“Then I should tell you why I respect Nikita Cynthia-senpai?”

Here comes the compliment barrage!