Chapter 67

“Who’s there?”

Isabel’s low voice echoed through the air.

In front of her stood a boy.

The boy, small for a guy, blinked at Isabel.

“Who do you think I am? I’m Hanon!”

Hanon stared at Isabel as if he couldn’t understand her.

In response, an unsettling tension emanated from Isabel.

“Don’t lie.”

Isabel shot him a fierce glare.

Hanon rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

“Well, it’s strange. I’m really Hanon, and being treated like a fake feels odd.”

He just introduced himself honestly and got dismissed like some impostor.

Hanon chuckled incredulously.

“Alright, let’s get past that.”

With a goofy grin, Hanon looked at Isabel.

“How did you figure it out?”

All he had done since arriving was call out to Isabel.

Yet, the moment Isabel saw him, she sensed he wasn’t the person she knew.

Hanon found that extremely fascinating.

He looked just like him, after all.

“That guy doesn’t make that kind of expression.”

“Expression, huh?”

Hanon touched his own face.

A slight change in expression can alter one’s impression.

Though their faces might be the same, time leaves its marks.

Isabel recognized that difference perfectly.

“First off, your eyes are different. Do you think that guy would send me that playful look you’ve got?”

As Isabel saw Hanon, the person she always knew was serious.

Sure, he sometimes acted exaggerated, but fundamentally, he was earnest and caring.

He wouldn’t display such a frivolous attitude.

“And your posture’s different too.”

Unlike the usual him, who stood tall and proud, Hanon was slouching with his legs crossed.

After hearing all that, Hanon was impressed.

“Oh wow, impersonating someone else isn’t easy. Learned something new today.”

He admitted his blunder.

“But even so, your observational skills are freakishly abnormal. So, what’s the deal with you two?”

What’s the deal? Upon hearing that question, Isabel fell silent.

When asked what their relationship was like, Isabel couldn’t firmly establish it.

Although she somewhat regarded him as a rival, she found herself psychologically leaning on Hanon.

It was a complex feeling even she couldn’t define.

“Are you maybe harboring a crush?”

Hanon asked with a bright grin.

Crush.

Hearing that word, Isabel felt a deep sense of pressure in her chest.

“…No.”

Isabel chuckled bitterly.

“It’s not that beautiful.”

Whoosh—

The sea breeze brushed past Isabel.

Maybe it was the shadow cast by the sunlit trees, but there seemed to be no light in her eyes.

“So complicated.”

Hanon couldn’t decipher Isabel’s emotions.

But he sensed the depth of feelings that overshadowed her.

This was no time to intrude.

Hanon decided to dial down the teasing.

Instead, he resolved to dig for the information he wanted.

“So, tell me. Before he showed up, did you happen to be associated with anyone? Someone who declared they’d help you?”

“…What do you mean by that?”

Isabel stared at Hanon, puzzled.

“He wouldn’t come to the Academy without a purpose. Yet, the first thing he did was bump into you, Isabel.”

Hanon deduced based on the information he had gathered.

When Hanon posed that question, Isabel stood still, wordless.

But Isabel’s eyes were restless.

Because she had also subconsciously entertained that thought.

He repeatedly insulted Lucas, seeking to provoke her as if forcing her fury.

At first, she rushed in headlong, thinking Lucas had been insulted.

But as time passed, Isabel had continued to observe him.

He wasn’t the type to casually slander others.

In fact, he bore many similarities to Lucas.

Thus, it was hard for her to accept that he had insulted Lucas.

But what if… what if he had insulted Lucas to save herself?

Isabel felt her rage resurge upon hearing Lucas’ insult.

She clawed herself up from the abyss of death.

Isabel realized that no other emotional turmoil could motivate her but the insult to Lucas.

As she looked back, she acknowledged that was the only thing capable of moving her.

Who was the person that had insulted such a Lucas?

‘It’s him.’

Isabel came to realize that what she did was, in fact, insulting Lucas.

That’s why she crumbled again, utterly devastated.

Then, who was it that came to her side and lifted her once more?

‘It’s him.’

As Isabel’s eyes trembled vigorously, yesterday’s events flashed in her mind.

Upon hearing that he was dating Hania, a fear blossomed inside her.

Just like her brother and Lucas.

He might leave her forever!

He wouldn’t care about her anymore!

As that thought crossed her mind, she fell into an unspeakable dread.

Desire and obsession.

A different form of separation anxiety.

At that moment, he appeared once more and comforted her.

Thud—

Isabel felt something knocking within her chest.

It was still unclear what it was, but one thing was for sure: every time she was on the brink of breaking down, he always helped her back up.

Isabel opened and closed her mouth repeatedly.

If this were true…

‘Why?’

Why was he trying to lift her up like this?

Isabel first saw Hanon during the first semester of her second year.

Of course, she had had no connection with him until now.

Was it really possible that he noticed her state the moment he saw her and immediately insulted Lucas?

‘That doesn’t make sense.’

Even if coincidences overlapped, there were too many oddities about his behavior.

‘Above all, he seems to have known about Jerion Academy from the very start.’

Since his first day at the Academy, he was already well-versed in everything regarding Jerion Academy.

But that wasn’t all.

He also knew detailed information about second-year students.

That was impossible unless he had deliberately checked up on second-year students beforehand.

To know so well about Jerion Academy and also be updated on second-year students.

Isabel lifted her head.

Her eyes met Hanon’s once more.

Hanon declared with his own words that he was the real Hanon.

Though she wasn’t ready to take his word for it, the thoughts that had crossed her mind always felt incomplete.

But if Hanon wasn’t the real Hanon…

What if he was a fraud from the start?

Suddenly, the gaps she had felt were filled.

As this thought settled, Isabel’s pupils widened.

In response, Hanon smirked.

So then, who exactly was he?

‘…Someone who knows me?’

And someone who would come directly to the Academy to save her.

Isabel’s lips twitched.

She didn’t jump to conclusions hastily.

There was no guarantee that what Hanon said was all truthful.

It could just be a story he made up to confuse her.

So, Isabel first shook off all the swirling questions in her mind.

“I don’t know what purpose you have in saying this.”

Isabel slowly drew her training sword.

The blade glinted ominously in the sunlight, signaling it was a real sword.

“I’m done playing along with your nonsense.”

Whether what Hanon said was true or not, his appearance clearly posed a dilemma for that guy.

She could always ask the truth after capturing Hanon.

“Oh, how scary.”

He didn’t look scared at all.

Isabel, slightly vexed, immediately lunged forward.

The distance between Isabel and Hanon closed in an instant.

With the sword gripped tightly, she swung it towards him without a hint of hesitation.

She aimed to knock him out by striking his chin with the sword’s edge.

Just before her blade made contact,

Hanon bent backward with incredible flexibility.

Of course, she anticipated he would dodge.

Isabel didn’t stop and continued chasing after him, swinging her sword.

However, Hanon evaded every one of her attacks.

‘What kind of movement is that?’

Hanon danced away with such reflexes and flexibility it looked like he was performing circus tricks.

Fast!

It felt like she was dealing with a squirrel.

Whereas that guy relied on the strength of his body and engaged in hard-hitting confrontations, Hanon showed no intent to take a single hit.

Both were fighting in completely different styles.

Hanon tumbled and landed on his feet.

“Perfect score!”

That light-hearted act was truly infuriating.

But Isabel had to admit it.

This wasn’t someone you could catch unless you fought seriously.

“Okay, calm down. I’m not here to fight. I just came to ask something I’m really curious about.”

“After taunting me, you think you can say that?”

“Taunt? I was just trying to be friendly!”

Isabel felt there was no value left in conversing.

Taking a deep breath, Isabel began to exude a different aura compared to earlier.

Hanon noticed this and pondered for a moment before making a decision.

“Alright, I have business to attend to, so I’m off.”

With that, Hanon swiftly turned and took off running.

Isabel dashed after him immediately, but the distance between them widened in an instant.

Hanon’s legs moved at a speed that made them nearly invisible.

“What?”

Isabel’s expression turned blank for a second.

No way, that was too fast, even for a human!

She wondered if this was truly a speed humans could achieve.

“What the heck is going on?”

Isabel cast aside her complicated thoughts, put her sword away, and ran.

＊＊＊

On the beach walkway,

Hanon was kicking up dust as he sprinted at an incredible speed.

He didn’t seem tired as he propelled his legs like a pro.

‘I originally intended to masquerade to extract information.’

Never in his wildest dreams did he think he’d be found out so quickly.

Picking the first target had definitely backfired.

‘Who should I go for next?’

He recalled the Daughter of Blue Magic Tower.

As he pondered meeting her, Hanon suddenly realized the area above him brightened without notice.

When Hanon looked up, beams of light were cascading down.

“Whoa.”

Hanon involuntarily uttered a sound as he quickly changed direction.

Just then, a beam of light crashed down where he had been standing.

Crash!

The light tore apart the walkway.

As Hanon witnessed the destructive power with his own eyes, he quickened his pace.

He zigzagged to avoid all the beams.

Meanwhile, his gaze was fixed on the sky.

There stood a girl, grasping a staff and soaring gracefully through the air.

Sharine Sazarith.

The Daughter of Blue Magic Tower.

“Looks like they’ve already figured me out over there.”

He should have headed there from the start.

Feeling a twinge of regret, Hanon steered towards the forest.

The forest had plenty of cover.

There were limits to sniping from above.

And sure enough, Sharine’s sniper magic halted.

Hanon took off running freely deeper into the woods.

‘Isabel was one thing, but what’s with that Sharine girl?’

He couldn’t fathom why Jerion Academy was so violent.

While he was disappointed in missing out on information, there was no way to gather anything useful while being pursued by the Daughter of Blue Magic Tower.

Just as Hanon decided to make his escape, a hand suddenly burst through a tree beside him.

“Huh?”

Can someone really punch a tree like that?

Hanon froze for a moment, a blank look on his face.

And beyond that tree, a man with gleaming eyes was present.

Crash!

Hanon was seized by the neck along with the broken tree.

It was already too late to escape.

His body plummeted vertically to the ground in an instant.

“Urgh!”

Hanon landed hard, limbs stretched out awkwardly above him.

Looking down at him was the man.

Bickamon loosened his grip around the neck.

“Gotcha.”

Bickamon took a deep breath.

“I understand your position, and I’m sorry for using violence. But this was the only way to catch you.”

“Too bad. I was just getting started with the fun.”

As Hanon shook off the shock of his fall, a smile played on his lips.

No matter what Bickamon did, he seemed to find it amusing.

Bickamon clicked his tongue briefly.

“Sorry, but the day’s over.”

It was officially quitting time now.