Chapter 78

Since that day, Seron went back to being her usual self.

“Lightning sweet potato, give me pudding!”

“Eat yours first and then talk.”

During lunchtime, she tried to snatch my pudding, proving her appetite had returned to normal.

Seron, who often acted a bit foolishly and clueless, was just the typical Seron.

“The pendant is gone.”

Just then, Seron glanced inside my clothes and said that.

As she pointed out, I wasn’t carrying the pendant when I was in my Hanon form.

It was to avoid misunderstanding her for no reason.

“I lost it.”

“Hmm.”

Without asking further, Seron continued eating her pudding.

But I couldn’t miss the occasional glimmer of wistfulness in her eyes.

It just made me feel that Seron seemed a bit more grown-up than before.

‘Could it be unrequited love?’

I unintentionally hinted at a rejection that wasn’t really a rejection.

I’m not sure if it’s right for me, who isn’t the Bickamon she remembers, to refuse her freely, but the Bickamon now is me.

‘The real Bickamon is…’

I have no idea where he is.

Whether he simply vanished or if he instead entered my original body, I couldn’t tell at all.

Given that I have no clue, I have no choice but to live as Bickamon.

Therefore, I couldn’t give Seron any answer.

By the time Seron’s situation settled, the boycott group had surely grown larger than before.

If it’s this big, it’s about time.

“Bickamon, someone has come forward who wants to support our boycott activities.”

I thought the bait had been taken.

I turned my head towards Royzin, the president of the boycott.

“Who’s the sponsor?”

“It’s a secret from the others.”

Royzin looked as if he’d been sworn to secrecy.

“It’s Princess Iris.”

The 3rd Princess, Iris Haishirion.

After mentioning her name, Royzin sneakily glanced at me.

I explained to him the reason for my anger.

Royzin remembered my words about wanting to overturn the Student Council after Nikita’s death.

So he seemed cautious around me.

“Bickamon, I feel sorry for you. The success of our boycott activities owes a lot to you.”

But the support offered by Iris was surely an amount Royzin couldn’t simply pass up.

He desperately wanted to boycott the Student Council.

Although he verbally claimed it was for a greater cause, he had personal reasons too.

‘A thirst for revenge.’

Royzin was originally noble.

However, one of the four dukes, Drapen, wiped out his family for some reason.

In the end, he lost his family and his territory.

Consequently, Royzin bore a grudge against Drapen.

And this grudge was directed straight at Student Council President Silvester Drapen.

Just as his family had fallen, he wished to bring down the President too.

It was a dark desire, yet he looked at me without revealing it.

“So, I decided to refuse.”

What?

This is ridiculous.

“…Why are you refusing?”

“I told you, the growth of our boycott activities is mainly thanks to you.”

Royzin turned to me with a face full of resolute determination.

“Bickamon, I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I initially intended to boycott out of revenge for the Drapen family.”

He laid bare what I had previously told him.

“And you’re also out for revenge for Nikita, just like me. Seeing you made me realize something.”

Royzin clenched his fists tightly.

“We must succeed in the boycott by our own strength.”

The boycott must be worthwhile, achieved through the members’ efforts alone, not relying on others.

That was how Royzin thought.

“If it were just me, I’d gladly take the princess’s hand, but since we’re all here, I don’t need to.”

“More than anything, I’m not just acting on revenge anymore.”

He looked up at the night sky.

His eyes sparkled like a boy lost in a dream.

“The current Student Council is wrong. I will fix that.”

Royzin looked back at me again.

His eyes were brighter than ever.

“Bickamon, I’m sure we can do it together.”

And I felt dizzy.

In the midst of thoroughly preparing for the boycott script, perhaps I had overprepared.

The boycott president, Royzin, suddenly awakened.

While looking at him, I displayed a jaw-dropping reaction.

Why is he having an awakening here and causing a ruckus?

“Royzin.”

No choice now.

“I understand what you mean.”

I decided to turn the tables and persuade Royzin.

“But if you refuse the princess’s offer because of me, there’s no need to.”

“But Bickamon, the princess…”

“Right. She’s implicated in Nikita’s death. However, I also know the inner workings. That’s not the will of the princess but of the 3rd Princess Faction.”

My determination to avenge Nikita shone clearly in my eyes.

“The Student Council is just the first step. Just as you said, I absolutely must succeed in the boycott to repay Nikita’s vengeance.

Even if it means selling my soul to the devil, I will make it happen for Nikita’s sake.”

And for that, I’d gladly join hands with the 3rd Princess.

Seeing my unwavering resolve, Royzin bit his lips and swallowed back tears.

“…Bickamon, you little!”

Royzin had an expression like a protagonist in a youth drama.

“Got it. If that’s how it is, then I’ll go along with it.”

I sighed in relief inside.

Thank goodness Royzin was simple-minded.

“Great. By the way, I was supposed to meet with the 3rd Princess’s confidant today.”

Royzin had brought it up as they set out together.

Initially, he had intended to go alone, but seeing him think like this today made me a bit anxious.

“Alright, let’s do that.”

I decided to join Royzin.

This meant I had to manage things closely to avoid any mishaps.

* * *

The place I followed Royzin to was a park behind an abandoned building.

Jerion Academy boasts numerous parks with beautiful natural landscaping.

The park we found was dimly lit, creating a rather eerie atmosphere at night.

It was what people typically described as a haunted spot.

“Brr, it’s a bit cold.”

Royzin shivered in response to the spooky ambiance.

As we waited there, I soon sensed a presence approaching from afar.

Thud—

The sound of shoes crunching on the leafy ground reached my ears.

Soon enough, a girl with peach-colored hair appeared.

Hania Repidia.

She had come in place of Iris to this location.

‘As expected, Hania stepped up.’

If anything were to go wrong, she had taken it upon herself to bear the blame instead of Iris.

She looked at Royzin and then met my gaze.

Gradually, she tilted her head in curiosity.

“Who’s this?”

“Ah, it’s Bickamon Niflheim.”

Royzin introduced me on my behalf.

Hania surely knew my name already.

So it was reasonable for her to feel puzzled as to why I was here.

In a strict sense, I had been banished for crossing paths with Iris’s faction.

At that moment, the wind blew toward Hania.

Feeling the breeze, Hania crinkled her nose, and her eyes slowly widened.

Simultaneously, she began to stare at me with sharp, piercing eyes.

“Royzin.”

A strange malice emanated from her as it mixed with the night breeze.

Royzin instinctively shrank back at that feeling.

“Hold on, can you step aside for a moment?”

Royzin’s eyes fell on me.

This kid seems to genuinely consider me his friend.

As I signaled that I was fine, Royzin quietly stepped back.

“Um, okay, you two can talk.”

Royzin felt something was off.

But trusting me, he willingly gave way.

As soon as Royzin left the park, only Hania and I remained.

It was easy to guess why Hania wanted us two alone.

Bickamon had been banished by Iris.

Moreover, there was the recent incident with Nikita.

Being smart, she would surely quickly deduce the reason for my presence here.

So she would have deemed me Iris’s enemy.

“Hanon, what are you doing here?”

What?

I blinked in surprise.

I hadn’t expected that name to come up, leaving me somewhat dumbfounded.

“Hanon, what are you talking about?”

First, I tried to play dumb.

Hania sighed and wrinkled her nose.

“The fragrance coming from Hanon’s body is Princess Iris’s scent.

To have such a strong scent means you must have shared a bed with her.”

Feeling embarrassed, I sniffed my wrist.

But my nose didn’t catch any scent at all.

‘No, wait, I did shower thoroughly after morning training.’

Plus, my bedding with Iris wasn’t today but yesterday.

The clothes were different too.

‘How could there still be a lingering scent?’

What kind of nose does she have?

Hania’s obsession with Iris was starting to scare me.

“And you have a tool that can transform into any shape.”

I had taken on Hania’s form at some point.

That’s why she could immediately recognize me even if I appeared as Bickamon.

Only I would have such a strong scent of Iris.

‘I wasn’t expecting this.’

To be honest, Bickamon is my true self, while Hanon is the fake one.

But once a piece of information is imprinted in someone’s mind, they can’t easily shake it off, it seems.

“So…”

Hania crossed her arms, showing noticeable displeasure.

“What on earth were you thinking showing up here like this?”

She likely inferred from the earlier exchanges with Royzin and my gestures that I’ve been involved with the boycott group for quite some time.

So she was even more baffled.

Her expression seemed to indicate she couldn’t find a reason for me to be part of the boycott.

“…Could it be?”

Soon, Hania’s expression sharpened as she seemed to recall something.

“Hanon, did you hear something from Princess Iris?”

I had slept next to her before to ward off Iris’s nightmares.

Although Hania had been in the guy’s dorm instead of with us, she obviously had no idea what conversations had transpired between Iris and me.

Iris wasn’t someone who easily spoke about her matters.

But Hanon and I are cousins, who recently grew very close.

So it was possible I could have discussed the orders I received from the Duke of Robliju.

“No, I didn’t hear anything.”

But I denied that for now.

There’s no telling how complicated things could get later if I say something wrong.

However, it seems my denial didn’t sound genuine to Hania.

“…Huh, if you want to pretend, do it properly. It’s obvious you’re trying to help Princess Iris.”

I had previously saved Iris from the assassination attempt on Nikita.

Plus, a lot of my usual actions were directed towards Iris, so Hania inadvertently misunderstood.

She assumed that I had formed the boycott group for Iris’s sake.

Thinking back, it was true that some of my motivations aligned with that, so I had nothing to contest with.

Hania studied me intently before crossing her arms again.

While her chest was highlighted in that stance, I intentionally looked away.

“Alright. Bickamon, why don’t you share your plan? I’ll cooperate depending on the plan.”

For Iris’s sake, Hania was willing to do anything.

I had gained a reliable friend and ally.