The World After the Bad Ending - Chapter 131



Conquer Him Like a Man, Fair and Square, with Strength Alone

Aisha Vyzbell’s cousin, older.

Lexarone Vyzbell.

Truth be told, I know little about him.

For he was not originally meant to be an associate professor.

‘Even amidst the flow towards proper affairs, deviations do arise.’

Lexarone is one such deviation, forced into being.

True to a Vyzbell of the northern border, he possessed a physique of monstrous proportions.

Perfectly suited to a lineage renowned as a warrior people, blessed with overwhelming physiques and combat prowess.

Aisha, even for a woman, possessed a tall stature and elongated frame.

But before him, she appeared undeniably small.

“Hmm?”

Just then, Lexarone caught sight of me as I entered the training hall.

Our eyes met, sending an inexplicable shiver down my spine.

It felt less like facing a human.

Even a gorilla would possess less muscle mass than that.

He scanned me from head to toe, and then spoke.

“Little first-year, apologies, but training is in progress. Please use the training hall later.”

It seems he couldn’t see my name tag.

“Associate Professor Lexarone, I am Hanon Irei, of the second-year student council.”

“Second-year?”

At my introduction, Lexarone finally examined my name tag.

He then stroked his thin, growing beard with his hand.

“You seem to eat too little. Strive to eat more from now on!”

“Thank you for the advice. More importantly, might I inquire as to the situation at hand?”

Even an associate professor is expected to answer the Student Council, should there be any commotion.

As much as the academy tasks the Student Council, it grants them some measure of authority.

Which is why I intentionally mentioned the Student Council.

Thankfully, it seems Lexarone took my words seriously.

“It is personal training. Though I may be an associate professor, considering we face the impending Magic Palace, I cannot help but be even stricter with my cousin, you see.”

“Aisha is still too weak. Therefore, I intended to show her reality.”

I couldn’t understand what he meant by Aisha being weak.

If one were to witness Aisha’s windmill strike even once, such words could never be uttered.

But Lexaron’s eyes held sincerity.

“No matter how many times you show her reality, it’s futile.”

Just then, Aisha emerged from the shattered wall, gasping for breath.

She glared fiercely at Lexaron, clutching her greatsword.

“I will go to the Demon Palace.”

“Huh.”

Lexaron let out a sigh of disbelief.

“Aisha, I’ve told you, you are too weak. You’d be better off taking bridal lessons.”

Lexaron hoisted his greatsword, nearly the size of himself, onto his shoulder.

He looked no different from a barbarian.

“I sent you to the Jerion Academy because you insisted, but look at you. You can’t even withstand my greatsword.”

“Even so, I have no intention of taking bridal lessons and becoming Lexaron Oppa’s bride.”

Bride.

Hearing that, one fact finally dawned on me.

Marriage between cousins was permitted within the Vizbell family.

Being such a closed-off region in the North, such customs were tolerated.

Vizbell’s particularly barbaric reputation stemmed from reasons like this.

“Haa, it is only natural for a woman to marry a strong man.”

Lexaron spoke, sounding frustrated as he looked at Aisha.

“Among men my age, there is no one stronger than me. Aisha, why don’t you understand that being embraced by a strong man is the greatest happiness?”

Lexaron’s eyes were sincere.

He had grown up his whole life in Vizbell, a place brimming with secluded customs.

To him, Aisha’s actions were completely incomprehensible.

“Happiness is not the same for everyone.”

But Aisha had left that family and come to Jerion Academy on her own.

Her blue eyes shone with determination.

“I simply wish to walk my own path.”

Lexarhon watched Aisha, unmoving.

“Very well, then.”

And then, slowly, he aimed the greatsword at Aisha.

“You’ll see that path leads to nothing.”

The air thickened, as if they were about to clash again at any moment.

“Just a moment, please.”

I couldn’t bear to watch any longer, and blurted out, stepping between them.

I’d made arrangements to bring Aisha to the Autumn Magic Palace Tournament.

If she couldn’t go, the front line would be crippled.

That, I couldn’t allow.

“Senior Hanon?”

Aisha belatedly realised I was there.

She’d been so overwhelmed by Lexarhon that she hadn’t even noticed my approach.

Making a mess of the one who has to go out to the Autumn Magic Palace Tournament tomorrow, he must be out of his mind.

‘This man, he truly doesn’t intend to let Aisha compete in the Magic Palace.’

I stepped in front of Aisha, shielding her.

She’s our Magic Palace Tournament team’s strongest frontline fighter.

I absolutely couldn’t allow anything to happen to her.

“Insignificant second-year, don’t interfere. This is a family matter.”

Lexarhon stared at me, a look of annoyance twisting his features.

I didn’t seem to make the slightest impression on him.

But I had no intention of backing down.

“No. Precisely because it’s *merely* a family matter, I am interfering.”

“Merely?”

Lexarhon’s eyes flashed ominously.

For him, Vizvelle was everything.

In Vizvelle, only the strong inherit the family name.

There are no exceptions, even for those from distant branches.

Lexarhon was one of the most promising contenders poised to inherit Vizvelle.

When he himself declared that there was no one among his peers who could match him, it wasn’t mere boasting.

He spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world, for in his heart, he truly believed it.

To him, the Vizbell name held more weight than the Empire itself.

But to me, none of that mattered.

My only concern was the scenario.

“Little second-year, your tongue wags poorly. Were you not taught manners?”

“And from a Vizbell, a family that proclaims strength is the only etiquette, you preach manners?”

“Ah, so you know! Perhaps a lesson in proper respect is in order!”

This brute, impossible to reason with.

“To begin with, Aisha is the top student of the first-year combat arts. If she cannot go to the Magic Palace, who can?”

“I find it strange myself. Everyone is so pathetically weak! That is why I came to the associate professor.”

“Then, aside from Aisha, you would allow the other children to venture into the Magic Palace?”

From the second semester onwards, regular first-year students would also participate in the Magic Palace trials.

When I pointed this out, he snorted derisively.

“Beyond Aisha, I care little.”

“…Pardon?”

I was momentarily lost, and repeated my self.

“Aisha is destined to be my bride. As her future husband, I cannot permit my wife to face such danger. That is my sole objection.

I have no particular reason to oppose the other children from entering the Magic Palace.”

“…So, you’re preventing Aisha solely for personal reasons?”

“I made it quite clear it was a family matter.”

In that moment, the truth struck me.

This was not an issue that could be resolved with common sense.

His sense of reason was simply different from mine.

Presenting logic to someone who did not share it would only lead to conflict, not resolution.

To persuade him, there was only one path.

To operate within his framework of understanding.

I decided to abandon my own logic.

There was no use beating around the bush with words that would not be received.

“I have heard that the Vizbell family obeys the word of the strongest.”

“That is correct.”

Lexarohn answered without the slightest hesitation.

“So, within Jerion Academy, if there exists one stronger than Associate Professor Lexarohn, it’s fair to say Associate Professor Lexarohn would obey their word?”

“Senior!”

Aisha called out, startled.

She’d grasped the meaning behind my words.

And Lexarohn, too, narrowed his eyes, fixing me with a gaze.

“Hoh.”

A whistle escaped his lips, as if he’d discovered something amusing.

He was a man who had fought his entire life in the northern lands of Bizbell.

A man who would never shy away from a fight.

“Good. There’s a saying: ‘In the Empire, abide by the Empire’s laws.’ If there is one stronger than I at Jerion Academy, I shall obey.”

A brutal bloodlust gleamed in Lexarohn’s eyes.

Truly a northerner, he readily displayed killing intent even towards a mere student.

He defied my common sense.

“Senior, you mustn’t!”

Then, Aisha gripped my shoulder and cried out.

“I know you’re strong, Senior! But even so, you’re no match for Lexarohn Oppa.”

Even Aisha, who always seemed so strong, yielded before Lexarohn.

That’s how absurdly powerful Lexarohn was.

I knew that fact all too well.

He was a monster on par with a Cardinal back when we rescued the Saintess.

Therefore.

“Hmm? What are you talking about? I have no intention of fighting.”

I’m scheduled to go to the Autumn Magic Palace Tournament tomorrow.

What kind of madman would fight a monster like him?

“Huh?”

Aisha, unable to comprehend the meaning of my words, asked again.

I smiled at her, a subtle curve of my lips.

“Associate Professor Lexarohn just said it himself. That if there’s someone stronger than him at Jerion Academy, he would obey their word.”

“W-well, yes.”

“There is.”

My eyes curved into crescents as I looked at Lexarone.

“A strongman even Vice-Professor Lexarone can’t handle, you say. So, wait here for a bit.”

I’ll bring him right back.

Leaving Aisha bewildered, I promptly left the training room.

Lexarone, too, had expected me to charge in, but his face showed he realized something strange was happening.

I raced up the stairs.

Then, I threw open the door to the break room where one professor was always shirking her duties.

“Ugh.”

The woman, who’d been cracking open a beer can, spilled some of it, startled by my sudden appearance.

With a regretful expression, she hurriedly tilted the can to her lips.

Then, foam clinging to her mouth, she glanced at me.

“What is it, Hanon?”

It’s technically working hours, and she’s nonchalantly drinking beer.

It’s a wonder if you can even call her a professor.

“Professor, didn’t you abstain from alcohol the day before going to the Demonic Palace?”

“That’s why you’re still a kid, Hanon, listen well. This is a beverage.”

Vega-Non Mercia, the second-year instructor of Combat Studies.

Shamelessly, she held up her beer, calling it a beverage.

“For me, anything below 10% alcohol content is the same as a drink.”

She disregarded all the rules of the world.

“More importantly, what’s going on? Why are you running around so breathless?”

Vega-Non finished the remaining beer in one gulp.

“There’s a situation. I need your help, Professor.”

“My help?”

She raised one eyebrow slightly and perched on the edge of a chair.

“Speak.”

“Let’s just go first.”

I know she won’t budge if I explain.

I charged forward and lifted Vega-Non, chair and all.

My honed physique lifted Professor Veganon and the chair with ease.

“Eh, what…”

Veganon looked bewildered, but without hesitation, I rushed forth.

Veganon swayed on the chair, yet held on tight.

I bounded down the stairs in an instant and burst into the first-year training room.

Aisha and Lexaron, waiting there in an awkward atmosphere, turned towards us.

Then, a look of utter bafflement dawned on their faces.

Shamelessly, I set Professor Veganon down before them, still in her chair.

Professor Veganon, her rest so rudely interrupted, sat with a thoroughly displeased expression.

Carefully, I repositioned the slippers dangling from her feet, then announced with a flourish,

“Here she is, your opponent.”

Receive Jerion Academy’s ultimate weapon.