Chapter 94: Fake Confession

Faced with the three women of Zeryon Academy.
It was inevitable that Eve would lower her sword.

“Eve, what the hell are you doing?!”

The president of Rosley Academy, also from the Prellis Kingdom like Eve, reprimanded her.

“President, that is…”

Eve showed an awkward expression.

She had acted on the impulse to immediately eliminate the remnants of my elder dragon, but she clearly hadn’t thought about what would come after.

Eve’s gaze landed on me.

She bit her lip tightly.

If I were to reveal here and now that I wield elder dragon magic, all of her actions would make sense.

However, since she didn’t know my exact circumstances, she wouldn’t make a hasty statement, not even for the sake of her position.

Wielding elder dragon magic was punishable by death.

The moment it was revealed that I had used such magic, my life would be over.

Eve didn’t particularly want to kill me.

She simply, and purely, believed that the elder dragon magic had to be erased.

The danger it posed.

And the potential casualties it could cause—including my own life—were why she acted as she did today.

Even if it was reckless, at its core, her actions were driven by a desire to save lives.

‘She really is the kind of protagonist who lacks common sense.’

I knew the events Eve had gone through—I had played as her, after all.

Her nickname, The Unyielding Azure Flame, was the result of the many incidents that had shaped her.

Reality had tried to break her over and over again.

But Eve never bent. She burned fiercely, an unyielding blue flame.

Those experiences had seeped into her life, taking deep root.

As a result, once she made a decision, she would often act impulsively.

This was probably why she struggled to get along with others.

Her life had been so harsh that she was lacking in many areas.

Her Azure Flame would ignite whenever she sensed danger in someone.

It must have flared up when she faced me.

‘I never expected her to even pick up on the elder dragon magic.’

Even though I had been attacked, I didn’t particularly feel anything about it.

Rather, I had anticipated this kind of situation and deliberately provoked her.

She was the type to act the moment she sensed danger, even from someone she had just met.

And I was a third-rate villain who exploited that ruthlessly.

“Eve, if you’re acting like this because I rejected your confession, this is a bit much.”

“…What?”

For the first time, a sound of pure bewilderment escaped Eve’s lips.

And it wasn’t just her.

Everyone present turned to look at Eve with wide, astonished eyes.

Especially Isabel, whose sharp gaze as she whipped around to face me was a little terrifying.

It seemed she was recalling what had happened with Hania.

Eve had been asking around about me at the party.

Because of that, rumors had spread among the students that she was interested in me.

Given the situation, it was obvious what would happen the moment I made such a remark.

“Eve, you…”

“So the Azure Flame burns passionately even in love.”

“Who knew she had such a side to her?”

They were all at the age where love burned brightly.

And in this moment, they all sympathized with Eve.

Eve stood there, utterly dumbfounded.

And her face had turned completely red.

“I-I never did that! It’s a setup!”

Eve shouted in denial.

She had suddenly become a woman crazed by love.

Everyone looked at her with pitying eyes.

Despite that, Eve glared at me with wide, furious eyes.

“Alright, that’s enough, everyone.”

Unable to watch any longer, Iris stepped in to settle the situation and turned to me.

“Hanon, go inside and get your wounds treated.”

“Yes.”

“Wait. We need to clear up this misunderstanding first…”

Eve tried to stop me, but Iris stepped in her way.

At that moment, a pitch-black killing intent burst forth from her.

“I told you, that’s enough.”

Iris warned that anything further would be crossing the line.

Eve clenched her teeth as she watched my retreating figure.

After that, I successfully left the party hall and returned to my room.

Because of Eve’s Azure Flame, I had suffered a slight burn, but with a bit of treatment, it would heal quickly.

So, I decided to deal with my burned clothing first.

“Hanon.”

“Whoa!?”

Just as I was pulling off my shirt, a voice suddenly spoke from behind me.

Startled, I turned around to find Sharin standing there.

When did she sneak in?

This girl… not a single sound.

“That thing about her confessing to you—it was a lie, wasn’t it?”

So she noticed.

“Yeah.”

I didn’t bother hiding it.

“Why did you lie about that?”

“Eve caught onto the remnants of the elder dragon. More precisely, she discovered elder dragon magic.”

Sharin’s eyes narrowed.

She knew exactly what would happen if elder dragon magic was exposed.

“If you get executed, you won’t be able to imprint magic with elder dragon magic anymore.”

So she wasn’t worried about me, huh.

While Sharin made a troubled face, I began buttoning up my shirt.

“The remnants of the elder dragon were discovered, and Eve came at me to erase them.”

“Hmm, but can you really erase elder dragon remnants just because you want to?”

“With Eve’s Unyielding Azure Flame, it might not be impossible.”

Though, in the process, I’d probably get a little burned.

Either way, it was possible.

“So, before she could reveal anything, I made the first move.”

“All you did was make her furious, though.”

“That was… somewhat intentional.”

Sharin gave me a look that said she couldn’t understand my logic.

She was questioning whether it was really okay to provoke someone who had caught onto my secret.

Of course, if Eve outright exposed the remnants of the elder dragon, I’d be finished.

But I was also certain she wouldn’t do that.

“It was necessary.”

“For Hanon’s grand plan again?”

“That’s right. Possibly the most important step.”

I planned to transfer Eve to Zeryon Academy.

The only thing that could replace the Flame of Determinationwas Eve’s Unyielding Azure Flame.

Moving forward, the absence of the Flame of Determinationwould continue to be a major obstacle.

I was making some effort, but fundamentally resolving the events of the scenario would be difficult.

That’s what Eve’s Unyielding Azure Flame is for.

‘If it’s Eve…’

She will definitely come to eliminate my elder dragon remnants.

After today’s events, I must have left a strong impression on her as an extremely dangerous individual.

From my unexpectedly high skill level to the fact that Iris was defending me—it must all be bothering her immensely.

On top of that, I had completely destroyed her perception of me through my lie.

She must have firmly set her sights on me.

‘Today’s opportunity to erase the remnants of the elder dragon is gone.’

Once the party ends, the International Academy Conference will disperse, and everyone will return to their respective academies.

Since Eve will likely face disciplinary action due to today’s incident, she won’t be able to approach me again today.

That means she will only have one more chance to deal with my elder dragon remnants.

‘The International Individual Tournament.’

At that event, Eve will undoubtedly attempt to eliminate my elder dragon remnants.

‘If I can just get past that…’

She will have no choice but to transfer to Zeryon Academy and continue chasing after me.

For that to happen, I need to be strong enough to withstand Eve’s assault.

‘No, merely enduring won’t be enough.’

I have to defeat Eve and make her see me as a true threat.

She must be convinced that she needs to transfer to Zeryon Academy to stop me.

She is the fully realized protagonist who has completed her scenario.

To make that happen, I need to grow even stronger.

At my current level, I cannot stand against Eve and win.

“Sharin, remember that date we talked about?”

So I decided to use any means necessary.

“We need to do it before the International Individual Tournament.”

By then, I must have full control over the remnants of the elder dragon.

* * *

The Unyielding Azure Flame.

Eve.

A hero of Ordo Academy from the Prellis Kingdom and a member of the Six Stars.

She was furiously kicking her blankets in frustration over today’s humiliating event.

After being given disciplinary action by the Ordo Academy president, she had been confined to her room after leaving the party hall.

If she left now, she’d only make things worse for herself.

So, even Eve had no choice but to stay put.

‘That man…’

Hanon Airei.

As she recalled the humiliation she suffered because of him, her face turned bright red, and she bit her lip.

She had never experienced such disgrace in her life.

To think that he would twist the situation like that after she was the one who had initiated the attack.

His shamelessness in lying so effortlessly without even changing his expression sent shivers down her spine.

Of course, Eve knew this was a mess of her own making.

She was also aware that injuring his arm with her attack had been her mistake.

But that only showed how dangerous elder dragon magic was.

When she was a child, she had encountered a user of elder dragon magic just once.

She still vividly remembered how it ended for that person.

Before she realized it, Eve had thrown off her blanket and stood up.

She grasped her Infinite Blade tightly.

Hanon’s figure from earlier wavered in her mind.

She shook off her humiliation and regulated her breathing.

Hanon had been stronger than she expected.

She had swung her sword with the intent to end it in one blow.

Yet he had blocked her attack without even wielding a weapon.

‘That sensation when I struck him…’

It was as if she had slashed at solid steel.

Recalling that sensation, Eve slowly opened her eyes.

It was certain—he possessed a special power.

Whatever he had done to his body, the fact that he could cast magic without a staff was utterly absurd.

‘A man full of unpredictable variables.’

From the start, she had anticipated that things would get troublesome if she didn’t finish him off quickly.

The moment her first attack had failed, Eve had essentially lost.

Which meant that the next time they met, she had to defeat him.

Eve swung her sword at Hanon’s illusion.

The illusion dodged her attacks, mimicking the same movements Hanon had shown earlier.

Without stopping, Eve continued her sword techniques.

The illusion of Hanon kept evading her strikes.

But at one moment, Eve managed to completely corner him and brought her sword down in a decisive strike.

Her blade slashed through empty air.

Taking a deep breath, Eve steadied herself.

‘Next time…’

Her gradually widening blue eyes glowed with intensity.

She would definitely defeat him and erase the elder dragon magic.

The International Academy Conference.

It was the moment when new encounters and fates began to intertwine.

* * *

Time flew by in the blink of an eye.

Autumn had deepened, and the International Individual Tournament was just around the corner.

As a result, students were training fervently every day.

The tournament was a rare chance to showcase one’s prowess to the world.

Naturally, everyone was pushing themselves to their limits.

And while the entire academy was caught up in the fever of training—

I had locked myself away in a private training room.

At Zeryon Academy, students could apply for personal training rooms.

I had been using one every day to prepare for the tournament.

The reason?

Because I recently went on a not-quite-a-date with Sharin.

As a result, an unfamiliar magic imprint had appeared on my body.

“Prince Sweet Potato, what are you doing all alone? Trying to turn yourself into a burnt potato again?”

Seron asked in confusion when she saw me emerge from training, covered in soot.

I simply told her to look forward to the individual tournament.

“Sigh, seriously, don’t push yourself so recklessly.”

Seron wiped my face with a handkerchief.

Blinking at her unexpected gentleness, I decided to tease her.

“This isn’t the face you like, is it?”

“Sh-shut up! Once you start liking someone, it doesn’t matter anymore!”

Despite her words, Seron’s face turned bright red.

After playfully smacking my shoulder, she quickly ran off.

Seron was getting bolder by the day.

“Hanon, you do remember that we’re only in a contract relationship, right?”

Lately, because Seron was so openly affectionate, Hania had started giving me subtle glares.

It was the kind of look that said, At least try to keep it low-key.

It was unfair to me, but since I had an agreement with Hania, I simply nodded.

I owed her a lot.

If she hadn’t helped me with my disguise, I wouldn’t have been able to enter Iris’s room.

For that reason alone, I needed to maintain my contract relationship with her properly.

“Hanon, you can look forward to this International Individual Tournament.”

While I was training, Van’s words caught my attention.

“Van, are you talking about yourself?”

“Of course. But also about Isabel.”

Van had been training with Isabel consistently.

And I was well aware that Isabel had developed a competitive spirit toward me.

“She’s been preparing something huge.”

Something huge, huh?

‘Could it be…?’

It was about time for that.

A small smirk crept onto my lips.

“Yeah. I guess I should look forward to it.”

With the expectations of many resting on this tournament—

Finally, today.

The curtain rose on the International Individual Tournament.