The World After the Bad Ending - Chapter 103



The Surprise Kiss

The dawn scent tickled my nose.

I slowly opened my eyes to a still dark surrounding view.

‘What time is it?’

I tried to get up, but felt something constricting me.

Sure enough, Iris was holding me tight.

She was deeply asleep, snoring softly.

On the other side of the bed, Hania was asleep.

She was asleep in a proper posture, even wearing a silk sleep cap neatly.

She was the epitome of sound sleep.

My girlfriend’s sleeping face is amazing.

‘Come to think of it…’

It feels like the contract relationship with Hania is coming to an end.

I thought that and quietly twisted my body.

Having slept a few times while being hugged by Iris,

I’ve developed a technique for getting out from her clutches.

I safely slipped away from Iris and went straight out of the room.

After loosening my stiff body, still tight from Iris’ grip, I realized this was the lodging.

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‘I was out cold for a long time.’

It seems fatigue had been piling up without me realizing it.

I had been repeating training almost every day before coming here.

My body must have taken the opportunity to sleep deeply.

‘More importantly, where is my original room?’

Iris took me here without my consent so I have no idea where it is.

‘Whatever.’

It’s still early morning anyway.

The sun will probably rise soon.

Rather, it turned out well.

At this time, it was about time to go check on that person.

‘I’m glad my body got up out of habit.’

I decided to combine morning training with a run.

As I stepped outside, I felt the chilly air unique to autumn.

Thanks to that, I feel quite good.

I think I can live energetically today as well.

I started running at a moderate pace.

In the sanctuary of the great hero Wolfram, there is a cathedral dedicated to him and the gods.

As I approached the cathedral, I saw students of sacred studies who had woken up early in the morning.

In addition to the students of Jerion Academy, there were also many students from other academies.

They didn’t particularly look at me strangely.

Well, there were many ordinary students who prayed in the morning.

But today’s morning prayer was different from usual.

Two figures, escorted, began to walk here.

The students gathered here all exclaimed in admiration and clasped their hands in prayer.

The two figures were each regarded as symbols of the Holy Order.

The noble saint.

Saint Narea of Acrede.

The holy one.

Saint Eden of Sirmiel.

The symbols of the Holy Order walked to the cathedral simultaneously.

Among them, my eyes were drawn to Saint Narea of Acrede.

Her pure white platinum hair.

Her eyes shining transparently.

She, who was slightly shorter than the average woman, had a benevolent smile.

I admired her briefly inwardly.

‘Even seeing it again, she hides that wickedness well.’

Her concealment skills always evoke admiration.

The inside of that white dress must surely be screaming.

But she couldn’t help it either.

What was required of a saint was nobility.

However, what she possessed was a symbol of lust, far from nobility.

She had no choice but to hide it.

She was worried that the believers would see only her, not God.

At that moment, her eyes met Sirmiel’s.

He gave her a benevolent smile as usual and entered the cathedral.

I followed the students who were flocking in and entered the cathedral.

The small cathedral was bustling with people wanting to see the saint and the saintess.

The two prayed in front of the statue of the goddess who bestowed benevolent blessings upon the statue of Wolfram.

Under their prayers.

The cathedral was instantly filled with holy blessings.

But my eyes quietly scanned the place.

I had previously mentioned someone’s death in this international solo exhibition.

The main story of Act 4, Scene 2, and the incident that made Lucas’s exploits known worldwide.

Lucas, who was mentally shaken because he killed Nikita with his own hands.

It was also the incident that gave him the opportunity to rise again.

【 Act 4, Scene 3: The Murder of the Saintess 】

Preventing the murder of the saintess is the main objective of this episode.

And here is the culprit who is aiming for the saintess’s murder.

I came here today to confirm that face in person.

My eyes landed on someone behind.

Standing there was the cardinal.

I stared at him blankly and then turned around.

Anyway, it’s not the right time yet.

The saintess’s murder takes place right after the preliminary finals.

‘Except for Jerion Academy, other academies are flowing as per the original story.’

Due to Lucas’s absence, Jerion Academy deviated greatly from the original story.

Therefore, other academies spent the same time unchanged.

So there was no reason for the schedule of the saintess’s murder to change either.

After the attempted assassination of the saintess, the Holy Order would be completely overturned.

This was necessary for the future.

A stepping stone to bring the Duke of Roblia, who had made a pact with the evil deity, to the surface.

The assassination of the saintess itself had to happen to bring him onto the stage.

‘It’s enough to confirm that the incident will happen.’

As I walked out of the cathedral, I encountered someone with whom I had many connections.

“…Hanon Airei.”

The one who quietly called my name was Eve, the unyielding blue flame.

I saw her face quite often, even yesterday.

“Eve, good morning. Are you here for the morning prayer?”

When I smiled faintly, she glanced towards the cathedral.

“Something like that.”

Suspicion filled Eve’s eyes as she looked at me.

Do I really look like someone who would attend a morning prayer?

Unfortunately, that’s correct.

Religion doesn’t suit me.

The problem is, Eve is also someone who is very distant from religion.

What she believes in is herself, not a deity.

The fact that she came here means she sensed something ominous.

‘Even the unyielding blue flame contains the power to destroy evil.’

She must have also sensed the ominous presence lingering around the saintess.

“I see.”

For some reason, Eve’s gaze felt very piercing.

As I tried to quickly step away, Eve suddenly called out to me.

“Wait.”

When I stopped and turned to look at her, she slightly furrowed her brows.

“Are you involved with the Holy Order in some way?”

“No. Not at all.”

I have no connection whatsoever.

Despite my sincere answer, Eve just furrowed her brows without saying anything else.

That one, seems not to believe.

“Then I’ll be off, I need to prepare breakfast.”

Eve’s gaze lingered on my back, but I quickly left her behind.

＊＊＊

After returning to the lodging and coming to my original room.

I put on the uniform of Jerion Academy.

The Jerion Academy uniform was not only made of good material but also enchanted with restoration magic.

It wasn’t bad as a combat uniform either.

Outside, it was already noisy.

It was natural since VIPs from all over the world had gathered to see this international individual exhibition.

The preliminary results must have already been announced worldwide.

The news of the first prince, Ergo Parazon’s elimination, must have caused quite a stir.

Of course, his elimination was only because he broke the rules.

Ergo’s skills were not disparaged.

‘It seems they plan to announce Parazon’s sword after the international individual exhibition.’

Announcing it now would only be overshadowed by the prestige of the international individual exhibition.

So, it seems he quietly returned to his home country.

Hoping he properly apologized to Seron, I opened the door.

“Ahh!”

At that moment, someone in front of the door got hit on the head by the opening door.

I was just as surprised, not expecting anyone to be there.

When I hurriedly checked who got hit, there was a familiar face.

Seron Parmia.

She was there, holding her slightly swollen forehead.

“Seron?”

When did she memorize my room?

When I called her name, Seron slowly rubbed her forehead.

“Geez, you should check if there’s someone in front before opening the door.”

“Maybe I didn’t see you because you’re too small.”

“You’re not much taller than me, what are you talking about.”

Hearing those words, I smiled faintly.

At that, Seron flinched and bit her lip hard.

She knew well how different my real appearance and height were.

But Seron soon released her bitten lip.

Then she glanced around.

The yard was still bustling with morning preparations.

Moreover, most of the early-rising children had gone to morning prayers.

The students’ rooms were all closed without a sign of life.

Seron confirmed this and let out a light breath.

When I looked at her questioningly, Seron suddenly wiggled her finger.

“Prince Sweet Potato, lend me your ear.”

“What is it?”

“I have something to say in Ergo Prince’s words.”

Was she going to apologize?

Still, it was a relief that she kept her promise.

‘Is she going to get angry because she did that because of me?’

Thinking that Seron might do that, I obediently followed.

Soon, for some reason, I felt a warm sensation on my cheek.

It was a feeling I had never experienced before, so I couldn’t grasp the situation for a moment.

When I slowly turned my head, there was Seron, who had just lifted her lips from my cheek.

Her face, dyed bright red, was trembling as she clutched her collar tightly.

She looked like she was about to die of embarrassment.

I looked at her with a dumbfounded expression.

Then Seron, with trembling lips, forced a pout.

“I-I-I told you before that I’d give you a k-k-kiss.”

“You.”

Seron’s body trembled violently.

If she was going to be this embarrassed, she shouldn’t have done it.

Even watching her made me feel embarrassed.

“N-n-next time, I’ll do something more! So keep tempting me like that!”

Seron let out a sharp scream and ran away on his short legs.

He waddled like a penguin.

My hand cupped my cheek.

Before I knew it, I let out a hollow laugh.

I had no idea what that laugh meant.

＊＊＊

And Hanon didn’t know.

The moment Seron planted a surprise kiss on Hanon.

“Uh, um.”

“……”

Two women witnessed this scene.

Sharin Sazarith.

And Isabel Luna.

Sharin’s eyes slowly met Isabel’s.

She was gazing at Hanon with calm eyes.

Even Sharin couldn’t read Isabel’s emotions this time.

No.

Lately, Isabel’s emotions had become increasingly unpredictable.

Especially when it came to Hanon, Isabel seemed to be obsessed to the point of something being off.

Their relationship had certainly started off terribly.

But somehow, through various events, it had become a relationship that couldn’t be clearly defined.

One thing was certain: Isabel relied on Hanon for mental support more than anyone could imagine.

Sharin knew that this reliance had explosively increased after the boycott incident.

“Lin.”

“Yes, Bel.”

“I’m going to win this solo competition.”

With those words, Isabel turned and left.

Sharin watched her go and sighed.

Then she scratched her head with a complicated expression.

Isabel was Isabel, but…

For some reason, she also felt uneasy after witnessing Seron’s sudden action.

It was truly an unpleasant sensation.