The World After the Bad Ending

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 135: Iris’s Dream

The night before the Demon Dungeon event.

I had something to take care of first.

Tonight, my task was to find Iris with Eve.

"Alright, it’s your shift now, Hannon."

"Thanks for your hard work."

As usual, I switched shifts with Hania.

By now, Hania was quite accustomed to this task and effortlessly disguised herself as me.

"Lately, Lady Iris hasn’t been in a great mood."

"It’s because of the escalating battle for the throne, isn’t it?"

Hania nodded at my words.

The battle for the imperial throne had reached new extremes.

The factions of the First Prince and the Third Princess were locked in a tight struggle.

However, the Third Princess's faction was not in an advantageous position.

The assassination attempt on Nia had turned the tide in favor of the First Prince.

With meticulous planning, his faction was relentlessly pushing against the Third Princess's forces.

Although her side had acted swiftly to cut ties where necessary, the series of incidents at the academy had further complicated matters.

And all that pressure was weighing down on Iris.

She was working tirelessly, all because of Duke Robliage’s imperial ambitions.

It was only natural that she was under immense stress.

"She’s been sleeping even less lately."

I had been working diligently to reduce her nightmares.

But the stress she endured, coupled with the growing influence of the malevolent force, was overwhelming.

The frequency of her nightmares had increased significantly.

"It’ll be fine."

I reassured Hania not to worry.

"I have a plan to solve this."

Hania looked at my confident face for a moment before sighing.

"Alright. If it’s you, Hannon, I’ll trust you."

It seemed my past actions had earned her deep trust.

"Except for the fact that you’re quite the womanizer."

Her next words, however, caught me off guard.

"…Me?"

"They say you have a reputation as a playboy. Quite the schemer, aren’t you?"

Perhaps it was because of what happened today with Seron and Sharin, but I couldn’t bring myself to respond.

Why is it that I receive more love when I can’t afford to love back?

I felt a pang of regret toward myself.

"I was just joking, but you look more downhearted than I expected. Don’t worry, I know you’re not actually like that."

Hania tried to comfort me.

"Lately, I’ve been wondering—maybe you actually like men?"

"Absolutely not. I like women."

Hania stared at me intently, her silence unnerving me.

"Alright, let’s go with that, then."

"Wait, why is your silence so long?"

"Well, it’s not like I’ve ever seen any… physiological evidence of your attraction to women."

Her gaze slowly lowered, and my face stiffened.

"To be fair, you do have a lot of aggressive women around you."

Hania looked at me with a hint of pity.

I guess there was no other choice.

I had to reveal my trump card.

Once I did, Hania would be speechless.

"If there’s a problem, just let me know. I’ll help you."

…Help me with what, exactly?

With an enigmatic smile, Hania left.

It was terrifying how her cunning only seemed to grow with time.

Still feeling unsettled, I made my way toward the girls’ dormitory.

My steps were steady and familiar.

Even when I sensed someone approaching from the opposite direction, I no longer panicked.

Instead, I could even greet them with a relaxed smile.

"Hello there."

"Hello, Isabel."

Like just now.

…Wait, no.

This isn’t right, is it?

As I turned around, Isabel walked away, her honey-blonde hair flowing behind her.

She had clearly recognized me and greeted me before leaving.

As if it were perfectly normal for me to be in the girls’ dormitory.

'Is this… really okay?'

More importantly, how does she keep recognizing me?

Lately, I’ve been starting to doubt the effectiveness of my invisibility cloak.

Despite my complicated thoughts, I focused on my mission.

Instead of knocking on Iris’s door, I knocked on another one.

A voice from inside responded, "Yes?" followed by the sound of footsteps.

A woman in light training clothes opened the door.

Since it was still autumn, the room was warm enough for such attire.

She tilted her head as she looked at me, her blue hair cascading down.

"…Oh, was it Hania?"

The Unyielding Blue Flame—Eve.

She barely managed to recall Hania’s name as she spoke.

"We’ll be working together from now on, so it’s only right to remember your name. That’s right."

"Oh, uh, sorry."

"And actually, I’m Hannon right now."

I honestly admitted my identity.

Eve blinked, confused by my unexpected words.

"I told you before, didn’t I? We’re going to see Lady Iris tonight."

"W-Wait, what?"

Eve’s voice wavered in shock.

She clearly didn’t understand the situation.

But I paid no mind and turned away.

"Eve, we need to go to Lady Iris. Come with me."

"W-Wait, are you serious?"

"Lady Iris needs your help."

My serious tone made Eve pause.

Iris was in real danger.

If Eve didn’t help, she would eventually be consumed by her nightmares.

Even I wouldn’t be able to stop it.

Eve recognized my sincerity.

If there was one thing she knew about me, it was that I was always genuine when it came to saving someone.

With a deep breath, she followed me.

"Let’s go, then."

"I told the head maid that we’ll be making preparations for the Autumn Demon Dungeon event tomorrow."

"…You really think of everything."

"It’s my specialty."

I wasn’t meticulously planning every step just for show.

By now, it had become second nature.

Together, Eve and I headed toward Iris’s room.

After knocking twice, we opened the door to find Iris sitting by the window—just as she always did.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Her jet-black hair, as dark as ink, cascaded down, starkly contrasting against her snow-white skin.

Perhaps because of that contrast, her skin appeared even whiter, making me feel an odd urge to stain it somehow.

On that snowy complexion, her ruby-red eyes gleamed as they met the light of the night sky.

Her mesmerizing gaze was enough to justify calling her the most beautiful woman in the empire.

Even Eve, standing beside me, gasped involuntarily.

Her beauty was overwhelming, even to another woman.

“Hannon, come here.”

Iris lifted a hand and beckoned me over.

I walked toward her without hesitation, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Then, Iris offered me her lap.

I obediently sat down, and she wrapped her arms around me.

Eve’s eyes widened in shock, her expression frozen in disbelief.

She had no idea what was going on.

With her chin resting on my shoulder, Iris rubbed her cheek against mine.

Just as Hania had said, she must have been under a lot of stress.

She was much more physically affectionate than usual today.

Of course, I felt nothing special about it.

It simply felt like a long-haired Persian cat being unusually affectionate today.

…Ah, maybe that was actually kind of nice?

“W-what…?”

Eve still looked utterly flustered as she stared at us.

“Iris, this is Eve. You know that, right?”

“Mm.”

Iris responded casually, completely unconcerned with Eve’s presence, and hugged me even tighter.

It felt like she had no intention of letting go, as if she were clinging to a beloved stuffed toy that she refused to be taken from her.

Eve’s face turned bright red.

Iris had a natural charm that could captivate others.

And now, with her wearing such relaxed, revealing clothing and engaging in physical contact, it must have been overwhelming for Eve.

“Eve has Azure Flame. It can ward off your nightmares, Iris.”

For some reason, Iris’s grip on me tightened even more.

Her gaze finally shifted toward Eve.

Eve, trying to shake off the charm effect, shook her head from side to side before exhaling deeply.

Then, with her usual sharp gaze, she lifted her head once more.

“Hannon Irey said so. I’m not entirely sure, but I have a feeling it will work.”

At Eve’s words, Iris remained silent for a moment.

Then, she glanced at me.

“Hannon, did you bring this child here for my sake?”

Her question also encompassed the matter of transferring Eve to Zerion Academy.

I couldn’t bring myself to lie at this point.

When I nodded, Iris let out a soft hum.

For some reason, it felt like a black cat’s tail was swaying behind her.

“Well, if Hannon prepared it for me…”

Still holding onto me, Iris stood up.

I hung limply like a piece of laundry as she carried me along.

There was no way I could escape her grip with my own strength.

Without hesitation, Iris walked over to the bed and sat down heavily.

“Go ahead.”

Her tone was as haughty as one would expect from a Third Imperial Princess.

“Iris, you’ll need the White Dream Sword I gave you last time as well.”

To suppress nightmares, nothing was better than Lucas’s Flame of Resolve.

Unfortunately, Azure Flame fell a bit short in comparison.

That’s why I had obtained the White Dream Sword from Parazon for this.

“Over there.”

Iris pointed in a direction, and Eve turned to look.

Since I was still trapped in Iris’s grasp, she was being considerate toward me.

Moments later, Eve picked up the White Dream Sword that had been leaning against the wall.

She glanced at me with a slightly troubled expression.

“Iris, for Eve to use Azure Flame, you need to let me go.”

Sensing Eve’s hesitation, I gently conveyed the message to Iris.

She furrowed her brows slightly but soon released me without resistance.

After all, she wasn’t the type to inconvenience others unnecessarily.

Eve soon stepped in front of Iris.

Then, a vivid blue flame ignited in her palm.

The fire spread along the White Dream Sword.

“It’s warm.”

Just as Iris said, the Azure Flame carried a comforting warmth, enough to raise the room’s temperature.

“How do you feel?”

“Not bad.”

As she responded, I could see peace settling onto Iris’s face.

It was proof that Eve’s Azure Flame was effective.

“With this, I suppose I can turn my back and lie down.”

“Yes, that should be fine.”

Eve affirmed that there would be no issues.

At that, Iris turned around and lay down, then patted the empty space beside her.

Understanding her intent, I sighed and climbed onto the bed, lying down in front of her.

Iris wrapped her arms around my waist, pulling me close.

A very soft sensation pressed against my back, but I had grown accustomed to it, so it didn’t bother me.

“Hannon, thank you.”

Still holding me, Iris murmured those words.

For the first time today, she seemed truly at ease.

Hearing that, I fell into thought.

Perhaps what Iris truly needed wasn’t just relief from nightmares.

Perhaps what she had always longed for was the warmth of another person—

Something she had lost long ago when her mother passed away.

“Iris, what is your dream?”

I felt her stir slightly at my question.

“My dream…”

I had never asked her that before.

No one had.

Everyone simply assumed that her goal was to become Empress.

That’s why no one had ever asked her about her true dream.

But now, I had.

Iris remained silent for a moment.

Then, she buried her face against my shoulder.

“…A dream, huh? I’ve never given it much thought.”

A faint smile graced her lips.

“I suppose… I’d like to have a family.”

A family.

The most distant concept from her reality.

Before long, I heard the quiet sound of her peaceful breathing.

Just as Hania had said, she must not have been able to sleep properly for a long time.

For her, this was a rare moment of tranquil slumber.

If there were no nightmares, she could finally sleep in peace.

Would she ever be able to achieve her dream?

I didn’t know.

But one thing was certain—

Someday, I wanted to see her smiling radiantly, having finally achieved it.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]