The World After the Bad Ending - Chapter 35



34 – Rescue

The Demon Palace, the gray forest, which I visited a while ago.

I didn’t expect to come back here again, and I sighed.

In front of me was the apostle.

Behind me was Nia, who had collapsed.

The timing was impeccable.

If I had been a little later, Nia would have lost his life.

“Why are you here?”

Nia’s bewildered voice came from behind me.

Having succeeded in the magic that made him younger, he had entered the Demon Palace.

But it seemed it wasn’t perfect.

‘The Irregular Removal Squad has appeared.’

In front of my eyes, the apostle with four eyes spun its pupils around.

The identity of this apostle is the Irregular Removal Squad of the Demon Palace.

The apostle of irregularity.

The reason it appears is when the rules of the Demon Palace are broken.

It appears anywhere in the Demon Palace to swiftly eliminate the irregularity.

Nia’s magic to become younger is incomplete.

Because of that, it summoned the apostle of irregularity.

Kaang!

At that moment, the apostle of irregularity struck my hand blade.

From the beginning, it had not been giving me its full attention.

The reason it was created is to remove irregularities.

In other words, it only intended to kill Nia.

The apostle of irregularity passed by me and tried to swing the sword connected to its hand at Nia.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

I was the one who blocked its path.

The raised hand blade clashed with the apostle’s sword in an instant.

I had already experienced the sword countless times through the lazy genius, Ban.

I intercepted all of the apostle’s sword paths.

Seizing the opportunity, my leg extended and kicked the apostle’s abdomen.

It was a fairly heavy blow, causing the apostle to stagger back a step.

But the apostle wasn’t just going to take it.

Its mouth opened, and beams of light began to gather.

Was it planning to shoot a beam?

But sorry, I didn’t come here alone.

Kwaaang!

Before the light beams of the apostle of irregularity could gather, a flash flew in.

The flash, which flew in so fast that my eyes couldn’t follow, sent the apostle of irregularity flying away.

In the distance, Sharin stood with her staff aimed.

When she met my eyes, she gave a languid smile.

Chief of Magic Studies.

Sharin Sazarith.

Though she is unruly, she is nearly the strongest force when placed in the rear guard.

In the meantime, I quickly grabbed Nia’s arm and lifted her up.

“Let’s explain later. There’s something related to the mystery of that staff, right?”

“How did you know?”

“I deduced it in my own way. It seems.”

My eyes narrowed.

“The horn of a unicorn, that’s nasty.”

It was clear that someone knew Nia was researching magic to become younger and intentionally made it that way.

Activating magic while under the spell of becoming younger.

It likely meant she was in a crisis situation.

‘Robliaju, you really don’t care about means and methods.’

If it was Robliaju, he would have known about the existence of the irregular apostle.

He must have calculated and induced the situation up to this point.

His ability to set up the board is extraordinary.

In fact, it was no different from assassinating Nia without dirtying his own hands.

But there was just one thing.

There was something even Robliaju couldn’t consider.

‘He didn’t know there would be a real irregular.’

Even he couldn’t account for the variables I, who had played the Flame Butterfly countless times, would create.

“You are…”

Nia looked at me with eyes full of incomprehension even as she ran on her own feet.

No matter how much she racked her brain, she couldn’t understand why I appeared at this timing.

Thud!

At that moment, the irregular apostle who had been struck by Sharin’s magic slowly stood up.

The way it rose, twisting its body as if its joints were dislocated, was extremely grotesque.

“I put quite a bit of power into it. It looks fine?”

Sharin pulled her staff and furrowed her brows.

“Sharin, that guy is immortal. It doesn’t matter what you hit him with.”

The Apostle of Irregularity does not die.

He continues to regenerate through the infinite energy supplied by the Demon Palace.

Moreover, as time passes.

Crack!

He evolves repeatedly.

As expected, the Apostle of Irregularity transformed into his second form.

Wings sprouted from his back, and an additional arm grew.

The Apostle of Irregularity roared, opening his mouth wide.

Hostility poured out to eliminate the Irregular.

Boom!

At that moment, dozens of flames flew and shattered the Apostle of Irregularity.

The owner of the flames was Sharin.

“An immortal.”

Sharin dusted off the powdered staff and pulled out a new one.

Various attributes of magic swirled around Sharin.

Usually, a wizard is born with one attribute.

Sharin had no such limitations.

“I’m curious. How far will you survive?”

Sharin’s eyes were dangerous.

Her pure curiosity as a wizard seemed to stimulate her.

That, it should be fine to leave it alone.

I looked back at Nia.

“Professor Nia Cynthia, you must have many questions, but you know well that someone aimed for your life.”

Nia’s face hardened.

As I said, this situation was clearly filled with the intent to kill Nia.

Nia was not unaware of this either.

“And surely, they will aim again. In a completely unexpected way, just like today.”

“……”

The person who gifted Nia the staff must have been someone he trusted.

That’s why he accepted the staff without suspicion.

If such things continue to happen, Nia’s life will be affected.

‘Now I understand why the Duke of Roblia was even more determined to kill Nia.’

The magic to make one younger was incomplete, but it had shown results.

He was a person who might truly bring a new revolution in magic in the future.

From noble mtl dot com

The Duke of Roblia had become a subordinate of Akzon.

As Akzon, Nia must have been a very unwelcome existence.

“How about this opportunity? We disguise it as if she died in the Demon Palace and focus on finding the culprit.”

Nia caught on to what I meant.

Adults cannot enter the Demon Palace.

So if only Sharin and I, who entered today, keep our mouths shut, we can sufficiently disguise Nia’s death.

In the end, if Nia does not return alive, the adults will not know.

A disguised death has great advantages for Nia.

Not only can she save her life immediately, but she can also trace those who targeted her life.

Above all, if a similar incident occurs in the future,

Nia herself can appear as a witness and take control of the situation.

“Under the First Prince, it would be quite possible to hide your identity, right?”

Nia’s eyes widened.

It seemed that her attachment to the First Prince was still a secret.

But that gave my words weight.

My story, knowing secrets that others did not, could not be ignored.

“If you’re curious, find out for yourself. But for the next two years.”

The time until I graduate from Jerion Academy.

If we have that time, we can drag the Duke of Roblia to the surface.

“Moving behind the scenes for about two years wouldn’t be a bad idea.”

I subtly suggested the period.

How Nia interprets this is unknown.

I have thrown out as many cards as I can.

“Oh, but since I saved your life once, please do me a favor later.”

“Hoo, speaking so arbitrarily.”

Nia sighed as if she was dumbfounded.

It seems like Taepyeong is making a huge fuss.

Watching this, I smiled faintly.

“But the request is related to your sister.”

I had decided to see a happy ending.

To save Nikita.

I needed Nia’s help just once.

Then Nia’s face went out of focus.

Nia’s most intense murderous intent flowed out as if I had touched a reverse scale.

“I can’t give you my sister.”

What kind of misunderstanding is this person having in this situation?

“Brother, let’s not do this.”

“You too approached with the intention of targeting my sister! My sister has liked tall men since she was a child because she grew up watching me. She doesn’t even consider short guys like you as men!”

Wow, siscon.

His face looks like a nobleman, but it’s a bit tiring.

“It’s not like that, so don’t misunderstand. Senior Nikita will prevent anything from happening because of Associate Professor Nia Cynthia’s fake death.”

When I conveyed that something might happen to Nikita, Nia gradually reduced the anger that had been bursting out.

“…Nikita likes me a lot, so that could be.”

As long as he understood in some way.

I approached Nia and held out my hand in front of him.

“Give me the hand holding the staff.”

“This is a unicorn’s horn. It will drain your magic.”

“It’s okay. I’m also shrouded in mystery.”

Nia squinted his eyes.

“What on earth are you really?”

Starting with information, now even mystery.

To Nia, I was a person he couldn’t grasp at all.

I opened Nia’s hand one by one.

My hand, enhanced with steel skin, couldn’t be affected by a unicorn’s horn.

“Find out for yourself later.”

The more you find out, the more you’ll be lost in the fog.

For now, this much was enough.

I lightly twirled the unicorn horn I had extracted from Nia in my hand.

“This should suffice for the fake death submission.”

For a wizard to lose their staff in the demon palace meant certain death.

Moreover, the unicorn horn embedded in the staff would draw attention.

Of course, by now, all the loose ends related to the unicorn horn would have been tied up.

Everyone would feign ignorance, and the only one to die would be the craftsman who made the staff.

‘Originally, even the first prince wouldn’t strongly oppose Nia’s death.’

Nia was a significant piece.

But there were too many uncertainties surrounding Nia’s death.

All suspicions pointed to the third princess’s faction.

But due to the use of mysticism, there was no physical evidence to accuse the third princess’s faction.

The forces of the first prince and the third princess were evenly matched.

It was a situation where any rash move could lead to backlash.

Thus, Nia’s death would eventually be glossed over.

Except for one person.

Only Nikita persistently pursued Nia’s death, convinced that it was the work of the third princess’s faction.

‘But this time, it’s different.’

Nia is alive.

This is the most substantial evidence.

The first prince’s faction would also dig with all their might to bring down the third princess’s faction.

‘Duke of Roblian, you think the world is yours, don’t you?’

I’ve prepared a big surprise for you.

Enjoy it.

“Take this too.”

At that moment, Nia handed over a necklace she had taken from her bosom.

It was a necklace engraved with the emblem of the Cynthia family.

“It’s a necklace given to the heir of Cynthia. With this, my death will seem even more certain.”

Nia said this with a sigh.

She didn’t seem pleased to be playing along with my intentions.

At least, it seemed certain that he recognized I had no hostility towards him.

“If you mess with Nikita while I’m gone, I’ll kill you.”

And he left a sharp warning.

In Nia’s eyes, I seemed to be nothing more than a man trying to touch Nikita.

“How does a dead man plan to kill me?”

And I was someone who always responded to provocations.

“Hey.”

Between the conversation of Nia and me, who were glaring at each other, Sharin’s voice pierced through.

She was pointing somewhere with a troubled face.

There stood the Apostle of Irregularity, now in such a grotesque state that it was hard to describe.

How much magic had been poured into it? It had already undergone ten evolutions.

In the meantime, Sharin had inflicted enough damage to kill the Apostle of Irregularity ten times.

Something kept exploding next to me.

She did everything she wanted to do.

Sharin showed her empty waist.

It seemed she had used up all the staffs she had been carrying.

“Now it won’t die from magic.”

When the Apostle of Irregularity dies from the tenth attack, it enters a state of immunity to either magical or physical attacks.

I was horrified.

How many times did she kill it?

“Grrrrrr.”

The Apostle of Irregularity, enraged by the absurd magical bombardment, made an unpleasant sound.

Seeing that, I came to a clean conclusion.

“Let’s run.”

Run for your life.