Chapter 87

Act 4, Chapter 2.

International Solo Exhibition.

Before that time came, a new schedule was added.

Training to help Iris overcome her nightmares.

Iris followed my words and trained every day.

As a result, her nightmares had genuinely decreased recently.

“…I didn’t have one again.”

Early in the morning after training, Iris stared blankly at me, having not experienced a nightmare today either.

“How did that happen?”

“It’s just because Lady Iris has been training hard to dispel the power of her nightmares.”

In truth, it was just Iris putting in the effort.

I hadn’t done anything monumental.

Iris diligently used her aura to consume her nightmares.

That’s no easy feat.

It was entirely due to Iris’s hard work.

“…If you work out hard, you sleep well. Is that it?”

“It’s somewhat similar. Most insomnia is caused by having too much physical energy left over to fall asleep.”

But even that wasn’t a complete solution.

The more Iris used her aura, the stronger she would become.

One day, she would grow to the point where expelling all her aura in one day would be difficult.

‘Iris is a genius.’

Her growth rate was on a whole different level compared to an average person.

Eventually, she would catch up.

But for now, this temporary fix wasn’t so bad.

Above all, I planned to resolve her nightmares before she reached that point.

“What do you think? There’s nothing bad about listening to me, right?”

“Yeah.”

Iris answered without denying it.

But there was a question lingering in her eyes.

“How did Hanon know I was having nightmares?”

The source of Iris’s nightmares was the Evil Zone.

She was vaguely aware of it herself.

However, that wasn’t something she could share with others.

Like anyone, Iris didn’t want to lose her own life either.

So, she had desperately lived on, thinking of herself as selfish.

In that process, someone who knew about the nightmares she had hidden until now appeared.

Iris, who had never once mentioned that her insomnia was due to nightmares, was understandably puzzled that I knew about it.

I looked at her and smiled gently.

“Is that all you’re curious about?”

“……”

That couldn’t be it.

During this time, my actions had been unpredictable even for Iris.

Someone who couldn’t be tracked even by the 3rd Princess’s information network.

That’s who I am.

To Iris, I must seem like a figure full of mysteries.

“Didn’t you say before that the things I did weren’t for your sake?”

Her eyes landed on me.

That day, Iris had looked particularly gloomy.

She nodded, recalling that day.

“As you said, I didn’t move only for you, Lady Iris.”

Iris’s eyes showed disappointment at my response.

“But there’s no doubt that part of my actions is to help you, Lady Iris.”

I wanted Iris to be free of her nightmares.

She had suffered all her life being toyed with by the Evil Zone, never having a proper sleep.

In the end, she would have to become the last wicked woman, a puppet of the Evil Zone.

I didn’t want her life to end that way.

I wished for Iris to live her life like any other girl her age, enjoying what she wanted.

If she desired, I wanted her to enjoy her life without being tied to the position of a princess.

“Lady Iris, I hope you can live a peaceful life without nightmares.”

Before I realized it, a gentle smile had formed on my lips.

“You certainly deserve a life like that.”

Iris looked at me blankly.

One thing was clear, she must have read my sincerity.

I loved all the characters and heroines in the Flame Butterfly story.

Even though the main character, Lucas, is absent, I would gladly do anything if it meant leading them all to a happy ending.

“Helping Lady Iris live that kind of life is my goal as well.”

That was my purpose and objective.

“…I haven’t really done anything for you. I might not be able to give you anything in the future either.”

She is the 3rd Princess.

And she rose from the youngest child to the emperor’s throne, the last wicked woman.

So, there’s no such thing as one-sided help for her.

Everyone wants something from her and expects a return for what they give.

“I don’t care about that.”

But I wasn’t looking for anything like that.

“Just knowing that Lady Iris can escape her nightmares is enough for me.”

I grasped Iris’s hand, which was injured from training today.

It was a wound from overusing her aura.

Knowing this, I took out the ointment I had brought from Jerion Academy’s infirmary and applied it to her hand.

The effect was remarkable, given it was something I had prepared carefully.

“So, just in case.”

I meticulously applied the ointment to Iris’s wound.

“If Lady Iris doesn’t want to be an emperor anymore, just tell me.”

A vigorous smile crept onto my face.

“I’ll help you with that too.”

It was a rather sacrilegious statement, but if the person hearing it didn’t feel that way, then all’s good.

“……”

Iris gazed at me in silence.

Her eyes held a blend of confusion and various emotions.

I couldn’t read all her feelings, but I knew it was something she’d wanted to hear at least once.

Iris had only reached this point thanks to the Duke of Robliju.

She didn’t want to be emperor.

That’s why she likely made that choice in the end.

Luke couldn’t say those words to Iris.

He was also a citizen living in the Flame Butterfly story.

Someone who grew up with common sense in that world couldn’t possibly utter such words.

But I was different.

I was just a mere player in the Flame Butterfly story.

Everyone knows that the position of emperor isn’t as blissful as people might hope it to be.

The burden of responsibility can easily drive a person mad.

So, I voiced what only I could say to Iris.

“Isn’t it pretty fun to have a classmate full of secrets?”

When I finally cracked that joke, Iris stared at me quietly before slowly shaking her head.

“Not funny.”

Was it not to her taste?

I was about to ruefully laugh when Iris gently cradled my hand that had ointment applied.

“But I think I could learn something thanks to Hanon.”

A serene smile bloomed on Iris’s lips.

A red rose was blooming.

Perhaps because Iris had been sleeping so well lately, her smile was the most beautiful I had ever seen.

“The reason I sleep well when Hanon is beside me.”

Soon, Iris reached out and lightly touched my chest.

“It’s because Hanon is a warm person.”

I might be physically warm, like carrying the flame of a fire.

But Iris’s words touched on something much more essential.

“Thank you. I might have wanted to hear such words from someone at least once.”

With that, Iris left for the dormitory.

She looked a little relieved now.

＊＊＊

Training, classes, training, classes, training, classes.

Every day I trained for the increasing force needed ahead.

In no time, the International Solo Exhibition was just around the corner.

The exhibition was a friendly competition held under the banner of each nation’s prestige.

The students preparing for it were filled with tension on their faces.

And in a different sense, others had faces that were thoroughly wrecked.

These were the members of the Student Council.

“Kill me! Just kill me!”

One of the Student Council members, overwhelmed with work, screamed in frustration.

The other members continued working silently, unfazed by his scream.

After the previous Boycott Incident, the Student Council couldn’t escape scrutiny either.

Fortunately, this Student Council, led by Nikita, hadn’t committed any wrongdoing.

So this time, they could avoid being penalized.

Instead, the inspectors went as far as to seek out graduates and hold them thoroughly accountable.

Jerion Academy was one of the empire’s prestigious institutions.

Having committed wrongdoing in such an institution, they aimed to eradicate it once and for all.

Moreover, it was revealed that Sylvester, the former president, had been secretly preventing corrupt pressure from the Draphen family.

Though Sylvester resigned as president, taking full responsibility, his reputation within the Student Council skyrocketed.

Flowers are only understood after they wilt.

At the moment when the two flowers, Nikita and Sylvester, fell, darkness remained in the Student Council.

The vacant seats of the president and vice-president.

For some time, due to the absence of the teaching assistants, the Student Council was overwhelmed.

With the International Solo Exhibition about to be held, the Student Council was truly battered by waves of work.

“Hnngh, hngh.”

Poara, sitting next to me, let out some indecipherable sounds while scanning through documents.

“Hmm.”

Next to Poara, Midra, the 1st Year Martial Arts Deputy, casually organized the materials.

He surprisingly had a knack for this secretary work.

But among them was one who looked particularly serious.

Amidst all the busyness, the mentally exhausted secretary was staring out the window.

Nivolans Panima, the 3rd Year Literature Top Student.

In the Student Council, the secretary usually holds the third rank.

However, with both the president and vice-president absent, he had to also take on their duties.

He was the first secretary in the history of Jerion Academy to hold the titles of president, vice-president, and secretary!

A glorious position, but his eyes were filled with nothing but sadness.

“…I can’t take it anymore.”

At that moment, Nivolans clenched his fist tightly.

He adjusted his glasses and looked around at everyone.

“At this rate, we won’t be able to properly manage the academy due to all this Student Council work! No matter how you slice it, we have way too much on our plate!”

No one answered him, but everyone’s faces expressed agreement.

“We need reinforcements, reinforcements to prepare for the International Solo Exhibition. We have a meeting tomorrow!”

He gritted his teeth, covering his face in frustration.

There was a pre-meeting among the academy’s Student Council tomorrow.

Nivolans felt unfit to attend that as a mere secretary.

On top of that, if he left that position, the Student Council would be swept away by the tide of work.

As the Literature Top Student, he was handling one-third of the Student Council’s duties.

“Hanon Irey.”

“Yes, senior secretary.”

Called out unexpectedly, I paused my writing and looked up.

He gazed at me with desperate eyes.

“I heard you often accompany the 3rd Princess.”

Good ears, huh?

I grasped the situation roughly.

“The 3rd Princess is set to be elected president of Jerion Academy next year.”

This was not just a prediction; it was a certain outcome.

Iris had no flaws in terms of martial prowess, decorum, or status.

It would be strange if she didn’t become president.

“There should be no problem if she takes on the presidential role ahead of time.”

This essentially meant suggesting the temporary presidency to Iris.

She was the kind of person who had nothing to lose when it came to conditions.

Especially since she was planning to rise to the presidency herself.

“Also, there’s currently a vacant vice-president position.”

The original plan was to recruit for an interim vice-president, but due to the recent boycott incident, no one had been selected yet.

“I heard you’re also close with Sharin Sazarith, the 2nd Year Magic Arts Top Student, the daughter of the Blue Magic Tower Lord.”

Uh-oh, this isn’t heading in a good direction.

If Iris might be fine with it, Sharin would never go along with it.

“Make Lady Iris the temporary president and Sharin Sazarith the temporary vice-president, and you must take them both to the world academy meeting tomorrow! No exceptions!”

Our secretary seems to have gone mad.