The World After the Bad Ending

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 121: A Mystery Without It Is Just a Corpse

Among those to be taken into the other world.

I reached out to bring Eve into the team and stepped forward.

"We’re heading to the Magic Department first to find someone."

"Got it. Explain the rest on the way."

Eve replied as she turned in the intended direction without hesitation.

"Grantoni has gone to the other world."

I explained the situation briefly while running.

The other world and Grantoni.

The reason he ended up there and the dangers involved.

It was a concise explanation, but the key point was that this could escalate into a threat to the entire world.

Eve listened calmly without questioning.

I didn’t sense any skepticism from her.

It was thanks to the fact that she could read the sincerity in my face.

"So, the person we’re looking for now is Assistant Professor Vinesha."

However, upon hearing my next words, Eve hesitated for the first time.

She almost stopped running out of sheer surprise.

Eve looked at me with wide eyes.

"Eve?"

"…Did you build a relationship with Assistant Professor Vinesha for this exact moment?"

She resumed walking as she asked.

But her expression showed that she was struggling to understand.

Her face reflected the gears turning in her mind, piecing things together.

"Hannon Irey, before coming here, I observed your actions in my own way."

As mentioned earlier, Eve had checked just how dangerous the things I was involved with were.

And despite her warnings, I insisted on using them.

"On my first day at Zerion Academy, you joked about saving the world."

Eve's eyes narrowed slightly.

That offhanded remark of mine had stuck in her mind.

She retraced past events to grasp my true intentions.

"Looking at the current series of events, it feels like you predicted this incident would happen."@@novelbin@@

Until now, I had deliberately intervened in events.

And despite only a few conversations, Eve had figured it out.

As expected of the sharp-witted side character.

She read me like an open book.

‘Why are these kids all so perceptive?’

True to its reputation, the academy was filled with geniuses.

Everyone had sharp minds and extraordinary intuition.

"Hannon Irey, what is your true goal? What are you trying to achieve?"

She looked at me with an expression of unease, disturbed by how I seemed to control situations at will.

But honestly, I was the one feeling uneasy.

Right now, she saw me as a deeply mysterious figure.

I could tell just by looking at her eyes.

‘In a way…’

This might be an opportunity.

An opportunity to pull Eve deeper into my affairs.

‘Eve is a substitute for Lucas.’

Her unwavering determination could serve as a spark, just like his.

Even if she wasn’t a perfect replacement, she could still fill the gap.

‘Besides, Eve wasn’t originally in the main story.’

I was confident I could steer the narrative toward its intended course even with Eve’s involvement.

In fact, her presence made it easier.

That being the case…

"Eve."

I was willing to become the enigma she most wanted to uncover.

"My goal is simple. To graduate safely from Zerion Academy."

What happens after graduation—I don’t know.

But one thing is certain: as long as I remain at Zerion Academy, I can protect the world.

"So, until then, I plan to give it my all."

My words didn’t provide Eve with an answer.

But at the very least, they would spark her curiosity and make her investigate me further.

That much of a push was enough.

‘We don’t need to be friends.’

As long as I set up situations that would make her exert her full strength, that was enough.

"Then, one last thing."

Eve had one more question for me.

"Was my transfer to Zerion Academy also part of your plan?"

She must have remembered how surprisingly smooth her transfer process had been.

And as she suspected, I had a heavy hand in it.

I had even leveraged the academy president’s “grant any wish” event.

But, of course, I couldn’t just tell her that outright.

So, I simply gave her a smile.

A perfect, 100-point smile I had mastered after overcoming my facial paralysis.

"That’s a secret."

Before long, the Magic Department building came into view.

"I’m going ahead."

Before Eve could say anything more, I pushed my physical strength to its limit.

At the same time, I activated both my magical engravings and Steel Body technique.

The synergy between the two forces—

A massive explosion.

BOOM!

The blast from my leap shook the air.

Students exiting the building turned in shock, but I had no time to worry about them.

In an instant, I soared through the sky, locking onto a window in the Magic Department building.

Without hesitation, I clenched my fist and swung.

CRASH!

The window shattered as I rolled onto the floor.

I staggered slightly from the impact, but I was unscathed.

No way glass shards could pierce Steel Body.

I lifted my head quickly—

And found myself face-to-face with an unexpected person.

"…Hannon?"

Standing there was none other than my fiancée, Sharin.

Since returning to Zerion Academy,

Sharin had turned away with a sullen face every time she saw me.

Even when I visited her during her usual groggy morning hours, she reacted the same way, leaving me with no chance to speak to her.

And yet, here she was.

For some reason, I felt a strong sense of déjà vu, similar to my encounter with Nia.

But there was no time to dwell on it.

Every second counted.

Sharin’s face briefly lit up at the sight of me—only to quickly shift back to her usual pout.

"Why are you here…?"

"Sharin, do you know where Assistant Professor Vinesha is?"

The moment she heard my question, Sharin’s eyebrow twitched.

And with it, an icy sharpness unlike anything I’d ever seen in her gaze.

In that instant, the air grew colder than even an ancient dragon’s magic.

Beneath her dark blue hair,

Sharin’s chilling eyes locked onto me.

"Why are you looking for her?"

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

For some reason, I felt like I was going to die before the world did.

In front of the Magic Arts professor’s office.

I stood facing Sharin.

The chill emanating from her wrapped around my throat like a noose.

Anyone could tell she was in a foul mood.

This is bad.

If I handle this wrong, things could go very badly.

“Sharin.”

I barely managed to call her name.

Sharin simply stared at me in silence.

I've never seen her glare at me like this before.

My throat tightened, and I swallowed hard.

“I need your help.”

At that moment, the freezing aura surrounding her gradually faded.

She quietly studied me before placing her hands on her hips.

“What is it this timeee?”

Somehow, she seemed smug.

As if she was thinking, You can’t do anything without me, can you?

Her mood had lifted.

Looking at her now, she seemed much happier than before.

The fact that her emotions shifted so drastically because of my words made my head spin for a moment.

But now wasn’t the time to dwell on that.

“Will you help me?”

I asked cautiously, and Sharin gave a slight shrug.

“Hannon, you and I are engaged, remember? Helping each other is what fiancés dooo.”

Well, that’s… an endearing reason.

As Sharin restored the window I had broken, she asked,

“So, what’s the problem this time?”

“Grantoni has crossed into the Otherworld. I think a transcendent being from that realm took him.”

A mage may not know as much about the Otherworld as a necromancer,

but since they must deceive reality itself, they must study the Otherworld as well.

So, naturally, Sharin’s expression darkened.

Her Mirinae Vision could pierce even the veils of the Unseen Realm.

She had probably known all along about Grantoni’s innate trait—Otherworlder.

And she surely understood the dangers that came with it.

“You’re looking for Vinesha because of that?”

“Yeah. Assistant Professor Vinesha specializes in magic related to the Otherworld.”

Sharin had seen Vinesha use magic on the first day.

So she quickly grasped the significance of my words.

“If she’s anywhere, she’s probably in the Magic Arts research lab.”

Sharin turned around and lifted herself into the air.

Using magic in the hallway was strictly forbidden,

but this was no time to worry about that.

“Let’s go.”

That’s Sharin for you.

Understanding the severity of the situation, she immediately set out with me to find Vinesha.

Clunk—

Sharin and I entered the Magic Arts research lab through the open door.

But inside, only a few students remained—Vinesha was nowhere to be seen.

“Huh? Sharin?”

“What’s going on?”

The students inside looked at us in confusion.

I quickly asked them,

“Where did Assistant Professor Vinesha go?”

“Huh? Wait, isn’t that the Lightning Bastard?”

“Oh, you mean that womanizer?”

Right.

I forgot—I have the worst reputation among the Magic Department students.

“He’s my fiancé.”

Sharin abruptly declared, warning them with her gaze.

I hadn’t expected her to stand up for me like this.

I looked at Sharin in surprise,

but she only glared at the students, as if daring them to say another word against me.

“Uh… well, she said she finished her research and left a little while ago.”

The students reluctantly answered.

Nobody wanted to get on Sharin’s bad side.

“Thanks.”

I expressed my gratitude and stepped out immediately.

But we still had no idea where Vinesha had gone.

“Hannon, wait.”

Sharin stopped me.

“I’ll use a tracking spell.”

“Ah—seniors?”

Just as Sharin was about to cast her magic, someone suddenly appeared from around the corner.

It was a familiar face.

First-year, second-ranked in Martial Arts—Midra Fenin.

A junior of mine from the student council.

He was carrying several boxes marked with the student council emblem, probably for council business.

“Midra.”

“Hannon-senior? What are you doing here?”

Midra tilted his head, glancing back and forth between me and Sharin.

“Midra, did you see Assistant Professor Vinesha on your way here?”

“Oh, yeah. She just went down those stairs.”

Midra gestured toward the stairs he had just come up.

The moment Sharin and I exchanged glances, we immediately turned toward them.

Midra quickly stepped aside to let us pass.

“Go find her quickly.”

As we rushed down the stairs, Midra smiled at us.

That mysterious smile bothered me, but there was no time to dwell on it.

I practically flew down the steps and landed at the bottom.

At that moment, I spotted Vinesha’s back as she strolled down the hallway, humming a tune.

As always, her outfit was adorned with countless ribbons.

“Oh, this feeling…”

Vinesha suddenly stopped in her tracks.

Then, she whipped her head around toward us.

“Husband!”

She recognized me just from my presence?

What an incredible ability.

“And…”

Vinesha’s gaze changed in an instant.

“Fox wench.”

The affectionate warmth in her eyes vanished, replaced by an icy hostility.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]