The World After the Bad Ending - Chapter 4



3 – Episode 3: Raise the Heroine with Praise

In the Flame Butterfly arc, there are countless bad endings.

Among them, if I were to name one of the worst bad endings.

It would undoubtedly be ‘Goryong’.

The northern region of Jerion Academy.

The Goryong Mountains.

The Goryong that nested there is an entity created not to be defeated.

Therefore, the sight of Jerion Academy frozen solid by Goryong’s breath.

It made one feel an indescribable sense of overwhelming powerlessness.

So, Goryong must never be turned into an enemy.

This is the fact I know best from playing Flame Butterfly countless times.

‘So.’

Currently.

Who is the most dangerous person after facing a bad ending?

The one who can be defeated by the protagonist’s narrative in Act 3 and can lead straight to the bad ending ‘Goryong’.

The woman who will handle dragon magic.

Also known as, the Dragon Maiden of Disaster.

She is currently a third-year student and serves as the vice president of the student council.

Even in Act 1, Scene 1, the Dragon Maiden, who was a member of the student council, observed as an entrance exam assistant.

But very unluckily.

She was defeated by Lucas, who awakened the flame of determination during the entrance exam.

Since then, she has constantly clashed with Lucas and turned into his nemesis.

‘In fact, the reason why Vickerman, whom I possessed, particularly disliked Lucas was because of the Dragon Maiden.’

Vickerman liked the Dragon Maiden.

Now that I am Vickerman, I don’t have those feelings.

Nevertheless, everyone knew that Vickerman liked the Dragon Maiden.

Of course, the Dragon Maiden had no intention of accepting Vickerman’s feelings.

Vickerman also knew this well.

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Therefore, Bickerman did not make a hasty confession to her.

In other words, their relationship was a one-sided crush from Bickerman.

‘Coward.’

He should have at least confessed to the girl he liked.

It seems he couldn’t help but be narrow-minded, just like a villain extra.

‘And now that’s me.’

I, who never had a one-sided love, now have a history of it.

I’m glad I didn’t enroll as Bickerman.

If I had re-enrolled as Bickerman,

Rumors of me being the crush of the dragon lady would have followed me.

So, back to the main point.

Bickerman did not like Lucas, who had a bad relationship with the dragon lady.

The enemy of the person you love is your enemy.

With that mindset, he persistently harassed Lucas.

But Bickerman eventually crossed the line.

He messed with Lucas, who was teamed up with the princess.

In the process, things went wrong, and Bickerman also faced a life-threatening crisis.

But Lucas, like the protagonist he was, even saved Bickerman.

It was a part where you could see the character of Lucas.

Lucas saved Bickerman, who had persistently harassed him.

So Bickerman bowed deeply and apologized for everything.

Additionally,

「If you ever find yourself in danger, I will help you as much as you saved my life.」

He declared that he would repay his debt as a repentant villain.

But he had already committed the grave sin of messing with the team that included the princess.

As a result, not only from the academy,

But also from his family, he was cut off.

Originally, Bickerman would not appear anymore after that.

Just news that he was living well somewhere like a loafer.

‘No one would have guessed that I would return to Jerion Academy.’

Although it’s Vickerman’s story, now it’s my story.

The past won’t disappear.

If I ever have to act as Vickerman in the future, I better get my mouth in sync.

‘Anyway, enough about Vickerman’s story, the real problem is the Dragon Lady of Disaster.’

The Dragon Lady is a character whose narrative has been intertwined with the protagonist for a long time.

Although she is at odds with Lucas, there’s a saying that you give an extra rice cake to the one you hate.

In the end, both Lucas and the Dragon Lady become quite attached to each other through various incidents.

But that attachment was merely a vicious trick by the developers.

A trick to maximize the Dragon Lady’s tragic narrative.

The Dragon Lady cannot escape her tragic narrative and meets her end as the final boss of Act 3.

As a result, Lucas indirectly realizes the storm brought about by the imperial throne struggle and his intertwined narrative with the Dragon Lady.

‘Thanks to the entrance exam, Lucas was connected to the Dragon Lady of Disaster from the beginning.’

It was already set from the first button.

On the other hand, what about me?

I am just a transfer student who barely arrived in Act 3, starting from the first semester of the second year.

Of course, I didn’t have an entrance exam, and I won’t have any encounters with the Dragon Lady in the future.

But even so, I must somehow lead this world, which has already faced a bad ending, to the true story.

Even though the world has already faced a bad ending.

I must prevent the bad ending of the ancient dragon that can end the world itself.

‘So, I join the student council.’

The Dragon Lady is currently the vice president of the student council.

There is only one way for me to contact her.

I had no choice but to join the student council.

Therefore, right after finishing the martial arts class.

I was heading straight to the student council.

Jerion Academy is a building surrounded by five large towers.

Each tower is divided into five academic disciplines.

Martial Arts.

Liberal Arts.

Magic Studies.

Divine Studies.

Special Studies.

These towers collectively are called the Jerion Pentagon.

The Jerion Pentagon has aerial bridges connecting each tower, extending towards the central building.

One floating building connected by such an aerial bridge.

That is where the dean’s office, the professors’ offices, and the student council are located.

Suddenly-

I arrived at the Martial Arts aerial bridge just in time.

As I was about to step towards the central building visible on the other side.

I saw strands of white silver hair fluttering in the wind blowing from the bridge.

Seeing this, I abruptly stopped my step.

Between the fluttering silver hair.

A girl with a beautiful appearance was reflected.

She was shorter than me, disguised as the handsome character Hanon.

But her proportions were surprisingly good.

The reason was her tiny head.

Her small face was so compact that it was a wonder how her eyes, nose, and mouth fit in.

Moreover, despite her petite frame.

Her chest, which naturally drew the eyes of any man, indicated that she was a mature woman.

I know her very well.

That’s because she was the woman I was just looking for.

The Dragon Lady of Disaster.

Nikita Cynthia.

The final boss of Act 3.

‘What a surprise.’

I was about to go find her myself, but to think she would appear right in front of me.

Caught off guard by this unexpected encounter, I momentarily froze.

Then, Nikita and I locked eyes.

On the Martial Arts building bridge, there was no one but Nikita and me.

It was entirely possible for our eyes to meet.

Nikita, who was walking towards me, glanced at me briefly and then turned her head with cold eyes.

At first glance, she seemed indifferent.

But I know Nikita’s true nature.

I didn’t feel anything special.

‘Since becoming rivals with Lucas, the cold impression she gave off has gradually changed.’

On the surface, she looks cold, like her hair color and appearance.

In reality, she has a strong desire to win and can be mischievous at times.

She is quite weak to compliments but strong against criticism.

And she had a complex about her short height more than she thought.

This is Nikita’s personality that I have personally experienced countless times while playing with Lucas.

Nikita’s current appearance is a mask.

Surely, she must be pretending to be aloof in front of the freshmen by now.

“Nikita Cynthia senior.”

So I called out to her.

I had business with Nikita more than the student council.

Nikita, who didn’t expect to be called, looked back at me with curiosity.

Her silver hair fluttered as she turned her head, so beautiful that I could understand why she wore a lofty mask.

“I have admired your actions since before I entered school, Nikita Cynthia senior.

I want to join the student council where you work, senior Nikita.”

I shouted loudly there.

I could feel Nikita flinch at my bowed head.

It was obvious without looking.

She must be looking flustered by now.

But I know Nikita’s true feelings.

‘Respect.’

I know exactly what this word means to Nikita.

And why she is subtly weak to compliments.

I know for sure.

I glanced up at Nikita.

As expected, Nikita’s face was filled with confusion.

Her lips were trembling slightly.

She is particularly weak to compliments of respect.

My compliment hit her deeply and accurately.

Even Nikita dances to compliments!

Already, curiosity towards me was flickering in Nikita’s eyes.

“…What’s your name, junior?”

And curiosity soon turned into interest.

This is where I must make my move.

To avoid another bad ending like the one with the ancient dragon.

I must somehow build a connection with Nikita.

‘By hook or by crook.’

As long as I can proceed with the main story, anything is fine!

So, without stopping, I shouted towards her.

“My name is Hanon Airei. I transferred to the second year starting today!”

Nikita’s shoulders flinched as soon as she heard my name.

Because Nikita already knew my name.

At the start of Act 3, Scene 1.

A piece of news reached Nikita’s ears.

It was the news that her older brother, Nia Cynthia, had joined the first prince’s faction.

In other words, the Marquis family Cynthia had become hostile to the third princess.

Hanon Airei is a cousin of the final villainess, the third princess.

Of course, a meaningless cousin.

But you never know.

Naturally, Nikita must have been watching me closely since I transferred.

“Junior…”

As expected, Nikita recognized me.

She must have realized the connection with the princess from my appearance belatedly.

Nikita’s eyes, having finished her calculations, quietly gleamed.

“Ahem, ahem, I’m curious why you suddenly said you respect me.”

But Nikita did not accept me hastily either.

She kept in mind the possibility that it might be a trap set by the third princess.

Meanwhile, she glanced at me, seemingly curious about what kind of praise I would give her.

Cute little thing, are you that hungry for compliments?

Stand by.

“Then, shall I tell you directly why I respect Senior Nikita Cynthia?”

Here comes the praise bombardment.