The World After the Bad Ending - Chapter 132



Our Professor is Back in Session

Lexaron and Aisha stared blankly, their gazes fixed upon me.

Both wore expressions of utter incomprehension.

But I was more confident than anyone.

“Assistant Professor Lexaron, did you not declare, with your own lips, that you would heed the words of anyone at Jerion Academy who could defeat you?”

“…That, indeed, I did.”

Lexaron’s eyes shifted towards Professor Veganon.

Veganon, for now, was simply observing the scene.

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She, too, seemed utterly at a loss to grasp the situation.

“Hanon, explain yourself.”

Finally, Veganon demanded an explanation from me.

“Assistant Professor Lexaron declared that his cousin, Aisha Vizbell, lacks the skill to be sent to the Demon Palace.”

Immediately, I briefed Professor Veganon on the current situation.

“This is, in my opinion, a selfish judgment that does not consider Aisha’s own desires.

Student Aisha is a skilled fighter, topping her martial arts class and ranking high in international individual competitions.

If she were to express a desire not to go to the Demon Palace, that would naturally be a consideration, but she is also unwavering in her determination to go.”

“You’re long-winded.”

Veganon, still displeased, crossed her legs the other way.

Then, folding his arms across his chest, he glanced at Aisha.

“Aisha Vizbell, is this the truth?”

A strange pressure emanated from Veganon.

A pressure that meant he demanded only the truth, nothing more.

“…Yes, it is the truth.”

Aisha, too, seemed to sense that the situation had taken a serious turn and answered honestly.

Hearing her answer, Veganon turned his gaze to Lexaron.

“Associate Professor Lexaron, in your opinion, is Aisha truly lacking in skill?”

“Indeed.”

Lexaron replied without an inch of compromise.

Veganon remained silent, his arms still crossed.

Then, he opened his mouth once more.

“I understand that there are tangled family matters at play. But having come to Jerion Academy, one has effectively taken on the mission to confront the Demon Palace.”

Having come to Jerion Academy meant taking on that mission of one’s own accord.

To refuse it meant leaving the Academy of one’s own volition.

But Aisha had declared that she would go to the Demon Palace herself.

Professor Veganon, as a professor, had the right to grant the student’s wish.

“Good. I understand the situation. Associate Professor Lexaron, this is Jerion Academy.

The student’s opinion is more important than your stubbornness.

Because they are heroes who dedicate their youth to venturing into the Demon Palace themselves.”

Veganon pushed his chair back and rose from his seat.

“I cannot comprehend Associate Professor Lexaron’s abuse of power.”

I knew that Veganon would surely respond.

“I will heed the words of the strong within Jerion Academy. I can interpret this sound as this”

“It is always the strong who prove what is right.”

Lexaron showed no signs of backing down, his fighting spirit blazing.

He was a man who kept his word.

Even if it was a promise to me, he believed he could overcome anyone with strength.

“I share that sentiment.”

In contrast, Veganon looked utterly disheveled.

She was dressed in a stretched-out t-shirt and pants that seemed perpetually on the verge of sliding down.

To any observer, she wouldn’t appear to be someone you’d wager a victory upon against Beganon.

And that went for Aisha, too.

“…Hanon-sunbaenim.”

Aisha looked at me, questioning if this was truly alright.

If, perchance, Beganon were to lose, Aisha would be irrevocably barred from Ma-gung.

She’d be forced to return home and submit to bride training.

An ending Aisha most desperately wished to avoid.

However, my gaze held not a sliver of doubt.

“Aisha, watch carefully. Ah, no, never mind.”

This, no, not exactly.

“You wouldn’t see it even if you looked.”

Aisha wore a look of bewildered incomprehension.

“Then, the battle is…”

“Come at me whenever you wish.”

Lexaron, as if always prepared for battle, inflated his muscles to an immense size.

Like a bull, pouring forth strength from his entire being before a fight.

The instant that enormous power was channeled into his greatsword.

KWAhhh!

A deafening roar tore at my ears and Aisha’s.

Our hair scattered in the ensuing wind.

Aisha froze in place, her eyes wide and bulging.

I, too, brushed away the wisps of rising smoke, shifting my gaze beyond the haze.

What I saw next was Beganon, lowering the foot she had lifted.

She hastily pulled at the clothes that had slipped down to her shoulders.

I caught a glimpse of her slovenly undergarments, a sight I didn’t need to see.

And at the same instant, in the distance, a man embedded in the wall came into view.

It was Lexaron.

Lexaron’s eyes were cleanly rolled back into his head.

He was a mess, clear slipper marks marring his skin from head to belly.

Aisha, witnessing this, could only gape.

Lexaron’s power was something Aisha knew better than most.

And to see him so utterly undone, without even a chance to retaliate…

“Aisha, you must have heard whispers. Of the first, earth-shattering breakthrough of the Demon Palace’s ninth floor.”

The ninth floor, never before conquered.

The world had placed its hopes on them, dreaming of the Demon Lord’s annihilation.

“The Generation of Azure Skies, you mean?”

“Indeed.”

Reizin belonged to the Generation of Golden Flame.

But before him, there were those known as the Generation of Azure Skies.

And at the vanguard of that Generation of Azure Skies…

…was Veganon Mercia.

Once, the Generation of Azure Skies had drawn immense attention, hope blossoming that they would vanquish the Demon Lord.

In truth, they possessed talent far surpassing any other of their time, deserving of the fervor.

Yet, the Generation of Azure Skies ultimately failed to defeat the Demon Lord.

Many theories exist as to why, but one fact remains undeniable:

The absence of a leader within the Generation of Azure Skies.

Because of his absence, the one who led them from the very front, they never reached the Demon Lord.

“Professor Veganon was part of the Generation of Azure Skies…?”

“Yes, she turned down every single courtship, every lucrative offer that came her way, to become a professor at Jerion Academy.”

Veganon had even been offered the position of the Empire’s youngest Knight Commander.

Such extraordinary recognition, yet she refused it all.

Rumors, in the end, fade with time.

It had been fifteen years since Professor Veganon was of the Generation of Azure Skies.

People gradually forgot the Generation of Azure Skies, too busy focusing on the present.

Lexaron was undeniably strong, the Beast of the North, they called him.

But even Lexaron couldn’t compare to Veganon, who belonged to a superior generation, a force of nature in her own right.

“Twice blocked by my feet… I must be getting rusty.”

Veganon stretched, patting her lower back.

“Khak!”

In that instant, Lexarone jolted awake, a violent cough wracking his frame.

Veganone’s foot had connected with his vital points again and again.

And yet, to regain consciousness so quickly? Unbelievable.

Lexarone’s physique was undeniably… outside the norm.

Before the coughing Lexarone, Veganone shuffled closer, dragging his slippers.

“Lexarone, Associate Professor, shall we continue?”

Veganone implied he was more than willing to offer further instruction, should it be desired.

Lexarone, struggling to focus, gazed up at Veganone.

Then, he spat a shattered tooth into his hand.

“…I believe I’ve seen enough. I see no path to victory against you.”

Lexarone was a powerful man in his own right.

All the more reason he understood the gulf in skill displayed just moments before.

As he was now, charging at Veganone would only lead to a repeated, identical defeat.

Knowing this well, Lexarone accepted his loss.

“Aisha.”

At Lexarone’s call, Aisha flinched.

She had been heavily suppressed by Lexarone for so long.

Perhaps that was why her body recoiled instinctively.

“I will not stop you from going to the Demonic Palace.”

But Lexarone was a man capable of conceding.

Hearing Lexarone’s words, Aisha’s eyes widened.

Then, she snapped her gaze toward me, and I nodded in return.

With this, the issue of our team’s vanguard was settled, for now.

“Hanon-sunbae, thank you.”

Aisha bowed deeply to me, and I waved my hand dismissively.

“You should be thanking Professor Veganone, not me.”

“Of course, I am grateful to the professor as well. But it was you, sunbae-nim, who suggested this solution.”

Aisha offered her thanks with genuine sincerity.

Seeing this, the corners of my lips tilted upward in a small, satisfied smile.

“It’s only natural, between training comrades.”

“Training mates… indeed. Senior Hanon and I are training mates bonded by the very soul, thick as thieves!

If anything should ever befall Senior Hanon, I will be the first to step forward to aid.”

Aisha’s azure eyes blazed with fierce determination.

Aisha, who lived and died by loyalty.

I had no doubt she would continue to be of great assistance to me in the future.

“Now that we’re finished, Hanon, return my chair to my room.”

“Shall I deliver it with the same care I brought it here?”

“Care for another flight?”

I nearly ended up shattered before even reaching the Demonic Palace.

As I awkwardly gathered the chair, Veganon scratched the back of her head vigorously.

She was growing more and more like an old geezer.

“Professor Veganon.”

Just then, Lexaron called out to Veganon, halting her in her tracks.

Veganon turned, wondering what he wanted, and Lexaron spoke, his greatsword slung casually over his shoulder.

“Perhaps… in the future, we could spar like this from time to time?”

Lexaron had suffered a crushing defeat today.

And yet, a fierce ambition burned in his eyes.

Veganon reacted with utter apathy.

She made no attempt to hide her annoyance.

But Lexaron was a madman of a caliber even Veganon hadn’t anticipated.

“Furthermore, on the day I achieve victory over you, I wish to propose marriage.”

“What?”

Veganon stared at Lexaron, her gaze conveying the clear sentiment of, *what kind of dogshit are you spouting now?*

But the unwavering gleam in Lexaron’s eyes spoke only of sincerity.

“You are the first woman to ever defeat me. I cannot bear to let this opportunity pass.”

Lexaron slammed his greatsword into the ground with a *thud*.

He seemed like a valiant hero embarking on a desperate war.

“I implore you, grant me the honor of bearing my children!”

Wow.

I involuntarily found myself murmuring in admiration.

For I had witnessed a man take flight without the aid of magic.

Lexaron had burst through the training room wall and was gone from sight.

There stood Veganon, his face a crumpled mess.

Aisha, watching this unfold, covered her face and quietly confessed,

“…Hanon-sunbae, I would be eternally grateful if you could erase the existence of my cousin from your memory.”

“…Aisha, be strong.”

You must have suffered so much all this time.

I could only offer a silent pat on Aisha’s shoulder.