The World After the Bad Ending - Chapter 12



11 – Senior Who Cares for Juniors

When I opened my eyes, I saw a familiar ceiling.

The smell of disinfectant tickled my nose.

This is the medical room equipped at Jerion Academy.

‘Did Poara bring me here?’

Seeing the steel disappear, I must have fainted after coming in.

I owe her a big one for bringing me here.

I should thank her next time.

I tried to get up immediately.

At that moment, I felt a slight pain in my body.

As much as I used a high healing potion.

Although the wounds were somehow all healed, my body remembered the pain.

Moreover, there is a price to pay for the healing potion.

The healing potion forcibly draws out the remaining healing power in the body.

So, in return, extreme fatigue filled my entire body.

‘But at least there were results.’

I gained steel skin.

With this, I can somehow get through the mock battle.

Creak-

At that moment, the door to the medical room opened.

Thinking it might be the nurse, I peeked my head out.

There was an unexpected person.

“Nikita senior?”

“Yes? Oh, you’re awake.”

She was holding a sandwich in her arms.

When my gaze fell on the sandwich, Nikita gave a short laugh.

“I’ve been busy. It’s not dinner time yet. I thought we could eat together when you woke up.”

She must be repaying me for buying her lunch earlier.

Anyway, it was very human of her to dislike being in debt.

A gentle smile appeared on my face.

“Another sandwich, following lunch?”

“Well, it’s a tuna and chicken sandwich, unlike the one in the afternoon.”

“Thank you for the meal.”

I can’t resist chicken.

Nikita pulled out a chair and sat next to me.

Then she unwrapped the chicken sandwich and handed it to me.

…Tianshan?

“Thank you.”

“I should be the one thanking you. I’m truly grateful for what you did in the Great Forest of Spirits. And I was really surprised, thanks to you.”

Nikita must have been shocked to see the person she had asked for help being carried back unconscious.

It was natural, considering I had stepped in as if I could handle it easily.

I felt a bit sorry.

If something had happened to me, it would have put Nikita in a difficult position.

“Shinbi.”

The moment Nikita mentioned it, my body flinched.

So she found out.

“If I had known something like that existed, I wouldn’t have sent you.”

Shinbi can sometimes be beneficial, but most of the time they are dangerous.

The Great Forest of Spirits has higher entities than Shinbi, known as Spirit Lords.

Everyone thought there was no room for Shinbi to enter.

The absence of the Spirit Lord is something even the spirits don’t tell the spirit masters.

As a result, even the Spirit Studies teacher couldn’t determine that the Great Forest had turned into steel due to the mystery until now.

‘Of course, they would have eventually found out in a short time.’

If the mystery had been revealed, I wouldn’t have stepped forward.

“By any chance, the rumors…”

“They haven’t spread. It was decided that Poara resolved this matter, not you, junior.”

Thank goodness.

It’s not time for me to surface yet.

I should reveal myself during the mock battle.

‘I need to make my opponent as complacent as possible.’

The students I have to face have been crossing the Demon Palace and training for half a year.

In contrast, I have the skills of Vicarment, who exits in Act 2.

To increase my winning rate even a little, I need to actively leverage my advantages.

A transfer student who suddenly entered in the second year.

Hanon’s unique small stature.

And the provocative remarks I made as soon as I transferred.

No matter who my opponent is, they will think I’m an arrogant guy.

So, I want to hide my full power as much as possible until the mock battle.

Then, I suddenly looked back at Nikita.

Nikita was quietly staring at me with her eyes narrowed.

…I’ve been caught.

“Sorry, junior. The student council hasn’t made any announcements about this matter yet. The students don’t even know if it’s been resolved.”

Cunning Nikita.

I was completely fooled.

The mistake was that my head couldn’t keep up after fainting and waking up.

With my reaction just now, Nikita realized that I had something I wanted.

I was worried about how she would interpret this.

“Junior, I think everyone has their own reasons and goals.”

Nikita said as she unwrapped a tuna sandwich.

“So, if you want, as I said earlier, let’s say Poara resolved it. You helped with this matter.”

“…Thank you.”

I answered awkwardly.

From noble mtl dot com

Then, feeling unnecessarily embarrassed, I picked up the chicken sandwich.

As I took a bite of the chicken sandwich, I felt my hand trembling.

It was proof that my body hadn’t fully recovered yet.

Thanks to that, some of the sandwich ingredients spilled onto the blanket.

Nikita picked up those ingredients with her hands.

Then she smiled at me kindly.

“But next time, I’d appreciate a heads-up. I won’t oppose it blindly.”

Really, Cheonsan?

“Even if you announce that you’ve solved the mystery, it’s more likely that the rumor will be buried.”

“What?”

Did something happen?

I know there aren’t any incidents likely to happen at this time.

If it gets involved with the government, it would be a big problem.

“They say Poara has made a contract with a new spirit lord in the Great Forest of Spirits.”

“…What?”

This is, what kind of nonsense is this?

“Of course, it’s a provisional contract. It’s just borrowing power, but thanks to that, the academy is in an uproar.”

My mind goes blank.

Poara made a contract with a spirit lord?

This is something that has never happened in the official history.

‘Originally, Lucas received a blessing as a thank you from the spirit lord.’

But even Lucas, the protagonist, could only reach a high-level spirit even if he chose the spirit master route.

And yet, Poara, who was just an extra, made a contract with a spirit lord.

I couldn’t believe it.

‘…No, come to think of it, Poara’s spirit sensitivity was higher than other spirit masters.’

On the other hand, Lucas only had a bit of spirit sensitivity.

He wasn’t loved by spirits to the extent of receiving their affection.

‘Could it be that if you took a companion with high spirit sensitivity to solve the Iron Empress, you could make a contract with the spirit lord?’

I don’t know.

The Iron Empress is ultimately an event for Lucas’s enhancement.

From the beginning, it was Lucas alone who entered the Great Forest of Spirits after hearing a sorrowful voice from somewhere.

‘Poara has made a contract with the Spirit Lord.’

When I defeated the Iron Empress, the spirits didn’t show up at all.

They were all on Poara’s side.

The academy was bound to be turned upside down.

The problem is that this will have a significant impact on the political situation.

As long as Poara is the contractor of the Spirit Lord, her influence will grow immensely.

‘If Poara were to boycott the student council now…’

No one knows how many students would rise up.

‘Can we really handle that?’

Who would have thought that taking Poara would cause such a mess?

I suddenly feel a chronic headache and stress-induced enteritis coming on.

‘It’s my responsibility.’

I have no choice but to handle it somehow.

“……I heard that Poara is aiming for the student council.”

“Hmm, that’s right. Poara’s older brother was once the student council president of Jerion Academy.”

Nikita smiled bitterly, as if feeling a bit sorry.

“Since her brother was such an outstanding person, she must be trying to follow in his footsteps.”

Did Poara have such circumstances?

“Of course, now she has become a proud younger sister, so there should be no problem.”

She became the contractor of the Spirit Lord.

There can’t be any problem.

The problem is on my side, as I have to lead the political affairs.

“……Do you think Poara will continue to aim for the student council, Nikita-senpai?”

Perhaps because my face was serious, Nikita tilted his head.

“That seemed unchanged.”

I made up my mind.

I will somehow bring Poara into the student council.

She is the contractor of the Spirit Lord, after all.

It’s better to manage it from the side.

That way, we can minimize the creation of variables.

“Thank you for letting me know.”

I swallowed the rest of my sandwich.

I gained steel skin, and a variable emerged as the contractor of the Spirit Lord.

“More importantly, junior, I came to talk about something more significant than this.”

Nikita cleared her throat with a hum.

Then she straightened her back and corrected her posture.

Nikita grew a little taller.

It must have been an action to appear dignified in her own way.

But perhaps because of her appearance, she only looked adorable.

“Are you confessing, by any chance?”

“Unfortunately, junior, I have never felt affection for anyone.”

“I respect and love you, senior Nikita.”

“Your respect and love are a bit excessive, junior.”

Is this a confession or a rejection?

“And I’m sorry, junior, but my ideal type is someone tall.”

This is the first time I’ve heard this.

Well, in my current form as Hanon, I am only slightly taller than Nikita.

Since it was a joke to lighten the mood, I also corrected my posture.

“This matter, both the student council and the spirit studies department are very grateful.

Although you don’t want to reveal that you solved it yourself, at least I know.”

Nikita said this and looked at my face.

Then she lifted the corners of her mouth into a gentle smile.

“You’ve worked hard. I want to express my gratitude.”

“I have received your thanks.”

“And about wanting to join the student council. After positive consideration, we have reached a conclusion today.”

Nikita handed me a badge.

It was a badge proving membership in the student council.

“By the authority of the vice president, I officially recognize Hanon Airei as a member of the student council.”

I never imagined I would be accepted right away because of this.

I was a little surprised as I received the student council badge from her.

The badge, depicting both a sword and a book, was fitting for the Jerion Academy student council.

It clearly meant that a member of the student council should excel in both academics and martial arts.

With steel skin and now a student council member.

The Great Forest of Spirits event showered me with rewards.

I clenched the badge tightly.

For some reason, it felt like the first achievement I had earned with my own strength since coming into the game.

“I will work hard from now on.”

“Hehe, I look forward to it. There were many student council tasks, but now that we have a good talent, I must make good use of you.”

“Please, within the limits that do not affect my studies.”

“Since student council members get extra points, you don’t have to worry too much about that.”

That was also the reason I joined the student council in the first place.

Thanks to the extra points from the student council, even if I couldn’t keep up with my studies due to circumstances, I wouldn’t fail.

“Then, take a rest.”

Having finished her sandwich, Nikita stood up.

I saw Nikita off and then started tidying up my bedding.

My body had recovered, and the sun was setting.

I was thinking of returning to the dormitory soon.

Creak-

At that moment, the door to the hospital room opened.

I turned my head, thinking Nikita had forgotten something.

I discovered someone even more unexpected than Nikita.

“……Hello.”

Long black hair and a sculpted face.

Skin so white it seemed almost otherworldly, and eyes as red as rubies.

Her appearance was reminiscent of an elegant long-haired breed.

People spoke of her as the ultimate villainess.

The one who devoured princes and princesses and rose to second in line for the imperial succession.

The third princess, Iris Hyserion.

She appeared in the hospital room.