The World After the Bad Ending

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 149: A Baby That Hasn’t Even Weaned Yet

"Anyway, Lady Narea must be with the Mystics."

As I gave Acrede my conclusion, her face darkened with deep concern.

The Mystics were a group that dealt directly with the royal family of the Holy Kingdom, Lium.

By now, the Whitewood must be scouring the Mystics thoroughly, but their leader was no ordinary figure either.

Since he was also the reincarnation of a hero, there was no way he would be captured so easily.

In this situation, could Acrede really go to the Mystics and bring Narea back?

There was no doubt that the goddess's blessing she carried granted her exceptional power.

But even so, that alone wasn't enough to deal with the Mystics.

'The Mystics despise divine power rather than finding it mysterious.'

Acrede could end up becoming a target instead.

Moreover, this entire incident had placed the Lium Kingdom and the Holy Church at odds.

Acrede couldn't afford to act recklessly.

So, in the end, she needed someone who could find and retrieve Narea for her.

Acrede fidgeted with her fingertips, sneaking glances at me.

She looked like a hamster eyeing its prey.

Anyone could tell she desperately wanted to ask me to take on this task.

"Acrede."

"Y-Yes!"

She flinched and responded hastily.

Her innocent and delicate demeanor was enough to make any man instinctively want to help her.

But my mind, free from the influence of love, remained rational above all else.

"To rescue Lady Narea, one must go to the Mystics. It won’t be easy, will it?"

"T-That’s right. I’ve heard they’re a terrifying group. It’s not something just anyone can handle."

"Exactly. Especially if one is still a student. This isn’t a matter a mere student can step into—it’s dangerous even for a fully grown adult."

Acrede flinched and averted her gaze, whistling nonchalantly.

She was acting as if such a thought had never crossed her mind.

"But, well, what do you know? Right here, we have a student backed by the Duke of Whitewood and the Blue Tower Master."

The Mystics were the group the Duke of Whitewood despised the most.

The Blue Tower Master, too, held no fondness for them, given their rejection of magic.

I was the only one who could provide these two with the location of the Mystics.

'Of course, I can't just sit back and watch.'

I had a reason to confront the leader of the Mystics, Vulcan, in person.

Acrede’s gaze returned to me.

She knew full well that the conditions I had just stated would significantly aid in finding Narea.

And more than anything, she had no one else to turn to but me.

"There’s always a price for asking a favor. What price will you offer, Lady Acrede?"

A wicked smile spread across my lips.

A smile that blatantly expressed my desire for compensation.

Acrede understood its meaning immediately.

She hesitated, looking troubled, her eyes darting around anxiously.

She was struggling to think of something she could offer me in return.

But in truth, there weren’t many options available to her.

The position of a saintess was rather precarious.

If the Holy Kingdom and the church were unified, that might be a different story.

But right now, the monarchy and the church were at odds.

Naturally, the power of the saintess was weakening.

‘If Acrede were a little older, it might be different.’

But as a student, the extent to which she could voice her opinion was limited.

She held responsibility and status, yet had no real authority.

That was the tragic reality of being a saintess.

Acrede understood this all too well.

That was why she was struggling to speak, her eyes trembling with uncertainty.

After a moment, she shut her eyes tightly.

Then, she slowly spread her arms wide and made an expression as if she were a cow about to be slaughtered.

"M-My body, if you want…"

"I have no interest in that."

"N-Not interested?"

Acrede’s face twitched.

She looked utterly devastated, as if she had never considered the possibility of being rejected.

"What I want is for you to promise to grant me one favor in the future."

There would inevitably come a time when I needed the saintess's help.

Especially when dealing with Demon Sovereign.

The more insurance I had, the better.

Lucas was the type to offer his help freely, acting with the selflessness of a hero.

But I had neither his generosity nor his natural talent.

So I had to gather and use every resource available to me, by any means necessary.

That was the only way a mere third-rate extra could survive.

Meanwhile, Acrede had sunk into a deep gloom, absentmindedly squeezing her own chest.

"…So even my body is useless, huh? Just a cow-like existence…"

Apparently, someone had made a remark about her chest in the past.

She had quite a complex about her large bust.

"Lady Acrede, let’s put an end to the self-deprecation. That’s not the reason I declined."

"B-But Narea always complained that it was inconvenient. She said she often wanted to rip them off. She was always uneasy about not being able to see her feet."

So Narea was the culprit.

Come to think of it, the Narea in the portraits had a slender frame.

Given her past memories, it must have been uncomfortable for her.

I cast a knowing glance at Acrede.

Perhaps her real complex wasn’t just about her chest—it was about herself.

Narea was one of the heroes who had once saved the world.

And Acrede carried her memories within her.

Compared to Narea, her current self must have seemed unbearably inadequate.

Although she was a saintess, she couldn’t become like Narea.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Her memories were separated from her previous life, and she had become a split personality.

So, Acrede couldn’t help but compare herself to Narea.

As a result, she ended up berating herself for being so different from Narea.

The most noticeable difference, at least on the surface, would be her chest.

“Acrede, do you want to become Narea?”

When I asked that question, Acrede flinched slightly.

Having played the "Flame Butterfly" chapter, I only knew Narea.

I didn’t know much about Acrede.

Therefore, to understand her, I had to ask.

When Acrede heard my question, she lowered her head with a slightly gloomy expression.

“…I’m a far inferior saintess compared to Narea.”

“Then, who was the one who healed me?”

It was thanks to both the saint and the saintess that I was able to survive and return from the ninth floor.

Who was it that saved me?

Acrede hesitated.

“That would be…”

“It wasn’t Narea; it was Acrede herself.”

Acrede was underestimating her own abilities.

That was definitely due to her comparison to Narea.

“Acrede, do you think you couldn’t have healed me if you had gone back and replaced Narea?”

“….”

Acrede remained silent.

She already knew the answer to my question.

The answer was yes.

Because the goddess’s blessing was embedded in Acrede’s body itself.

“I was saved by the saintess. And the saintess is Acrede.”

I could feel Acrede’s eyes trembling.

She was a noble saintess.

No one dared to criticize her.

However, there was one person who continually spoke to her, and that person was Narea.

She must have offered advice endlessly to make her into a saintess.

That aspect had bound Acrede.

“Acrede, what Narea does is something you can do as well. Because everything Narea did was achieved with your body.”

Clearly, Acrede and Narea were different.

However, the one who existed in this world now was Acrede, not Narea.

With Acrede’s body, there was no reason she couldn’t do what Narea did.

After all, she was a saintess too.

“I owe my life to the saintess.”

Even if there was a different reason behind it, the fact remained.

“Acrede, let me ask you again. If I were to find myself in the same situation, would you ignore me and just walk past me?”

Acrede slowly shook her head.

“No. I’m a saintess. Even if it’s an enemy, I must offer a hand to those who have achieved great deeds.”

Acrede was more aware than anyone that she was a saintess.

It was just that, up until now, she had pushed the responsibility of being a saintess onto Narea and remained in the shadows.

“That’s exactly right. Acrede, you are a saintess, and that will never change.”

I spoke firmly to her.

“Acrede, trust in yourself as a saintess. You are the great saintess who saved my life.”

Perhaps due to the confidence I gave her, Acrede’s back seemed to straighten more than usual.

“So, is there anything wrong with my chest?”

Acrede asked, lifting her chest slightly.

It seemed like she hadn’t quite moved past that issue yet.

“Yes, it’s excellent.”

“Really?”

“It’s a chest worth boasting about to the world.”

A bright smile spread across Acrede’s face.

Clank—

Just then, the door behind me opened.

I turned my head with a creak.

There stood Iris, glaring at me with angry eyes.

Behind her was Hania, looking at me with a sympathetic gaze.

It seemed that our conversation had gone on for too long, and they had come to ask what was going on.

“Hannon?”

Iris called my name.

In front of me was Acrede, who had raised her chest, and my praise of her chest.

I could fully understand how this situation must have looked from a third party's perspective.

However, I was the one involved.

“It’s a misunderstanding.”

“I see. Is that what you liked?”

Iris smiled faintly.

But her smile didn’t seem entirely sincere.

“Hannon is still a baby who hasn’t even weaned off, huh?”

With that sharp remark, Iris turned around.

“Make sure to suck enough and then leave.”

Could she really say that just because it was late?

When I glanced at Hania, she sighed deeply.

“You should have just liked it in moderation.”

That wasn’t the case.

In an instant, I was reduced to a baby who couldn’t even wean and had to swallow my tears.

Waaah.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]