Chapter 113: The Yandere Mage

Clatter—
The carriage heading toward Zeryon Academy moved.

Inside, there were only two people—me and Sharin.

Engagement.
The act of promising marriage.

And now, I was about to get engaged to the woman sitting before me.

Not just anyone, but Sharin Sazaris—the daughter of the Blue Tower Lord and the most talented mage, blessed with Mirinae.

“Nice to meet you, husband.”

“Are you trying to joke in this situation?”

As I looked at Sharin in disbelief, she gave me a lazy smile.

She seemed utterly indifferent.

“If you don’t want Hanon to be executed, there’s no other choice.”

Just as she said, this engagement was solely to prevent my execution.

The potential danger of Dragon Magic going out of control—

Though I had demonstrated my ability to wield it, that risk still loomed over me.

If I ever lost control and entered a dragonized state, a disaster would be inevitable.

No one could afford to trust a single person without any safety measures in place.

So they needed a safeguard—

Something to contain me if anything were to happen.

And that safeguard turned out to be Sharin.

The Blue Tower Lord had trained her to help control Dragon Magic.

Using that as justification, they designated Sharin as my safeguard.

To solidify that designation, they arranged our engagement.

“I saved Hanon’s life.”

Sharin puffed out her chest proudly.

“I appreciate it, but… what about you? Are you okay with this?”

For me, this was a matter of life and death, so I had no choice.

But for Sharin, this was nothing but a loss.

She was the future Blue Tower Lord—
A woman who had countless advantageous marriage prospects ahead of her.

If word got out that she was engaged, it would undoubtedly affect her future.

When I brought this up, she pondered for a moment before tilting her head slightly as she looked at me.

“You have to make me happy, okay?”

“Guess I better learn how to make cream bread.”

“I’m already happy.”

Such an easy way to satisfy her.

“Besides, I don’t really care about engagements.”

“But this affects your future marriage prospects.”

“I don’t really plan on marrying anyone anyway.”

Sharin was someone who had no interest in marriage.

“Still, Hanon seems like he’d be fun.”

“I’d rather not be your plaything.”

“Why noooot~?”

Sharin stretched out her legs and lightly tapped me with her toes.

At her teasing gesture, I let out a short sigh.

Things were complicated, but what choice did I have?

If I wanted to stay alive, I had to do whatever it took.

“I’ll be in your care for a while.”

“Request accepted~”

Sharin mimicked me, bowing her head slightly, but then suddenly widened her eyes as if something had just occurred to her.

“By the way, what are you going to do about Hania?”

“Ah.”

I had completely forgotten that I was dating Hania.

* * *

After safely completing Act 4, Scene 3.

I safely returned to Zeryon Academy.

As I trudged back to the dormitory, the head maid in charge, Marie Emaris, came out to greet me.

It seemed she had already heard about my return.

“Young Master Hanon, welcome back. You’ve been through a lot.”

“Marie, thanks.”

“Here, have some tofu.”

I accepted the tofu Marie handed me.

“I wasn’t in prison, you know.”

“But you did go through something similar to being released.”

Marie can joke? That was news to me.

I diligently ate the tofu she gave me.

It was rich and delicious.

After following Marie’s guidance back to my room, I immediately changed into my spare uniform.

It was still the middle of the afternoon, after all.

I had already missed my earlier classes, but with the Autumn Demonic Palace event coming up, team discussions were bound to come up again.

‘More importantly.’

Considering what I had done recently, I was a little concerned about how the others would react.

And then there was the matter of my engagement, which I needed to discuss with Hania.

‘No point in just sitting around and overthinking things.’

Act 4 was only at its third scene.

There were still several more scenarios left in this act.

If I wanted to be prepared, I couldn’t afford to neglect my studies.

With that in mind, I started making my way toward the Martial Arts Department.

On the way, I stopped a passing assistant instructor and asked about today’s class.

Apparently, it was being held at the training grounds.

Today was a joint training session between the Magic Department and the Martial Arts Department.

It was meant to review individual mistakes from the recent international individual tournament and improve through practice.

So, I headed toward the training grounds—walking down the corridor when—

Click-clack—

The sharp sound of high heels echoed in my ears.

For some reason, that sound felt oddly familiar.

My gaze slowly turned in that direction.

And soon, I saw a woman walking toward me.

Her long hair, primarily black, had streaks of deep violet running through it.

Heavy makeup that evoked a landmine girl aesthetic.

Her outfit was adorned with ribbons all over.

Casual clothing, not a uniform.

Not a student.

Damn it.

I hadn’t expected to run into her now of all times.

My face instinctively stiffened.

I knew her face all too well.

She was a key figure in one of the first major scenarios I encountered after possessing the protagonist in Blazing Butterfly.

Our eyes met.

Her violet irises flickered—

And then, they slowly widened.

I immediately took a step back—

At that moment, the window beside me wavered.

Boom!

A massive, jet-black arm shot out from the corridor window.

Just before it could grab me, I dropped low to the ground and rolled away.

The arm, having missed its target, withdrew back through the window.

Beyond the glass, a colossal being loomed, its eyes locked onto me.

At the same time, my gaze landed back on the woman from earlier.

She pointed her staff at me, her body trembling violently.

“Finally… I finally found you.”

The complex emotions radiating from her were beyond my ability to gauge.

But her words remained unwavering.

“My husband!”

The woman from whom I had deceived to steal the Veil Bandages and various other items.

A woman consumed by a desperate lack of affection.

The Frenzied Sorceress.

Vinesha.

She was here at Zeryon Academy.

‘So that part of the story is proceeding as expected.’

I had long known that she would eventually come to Zeryon Academy.

After all, she was meant to replace the recently ousted associate professor from the Magic Department, who had been removed following the boycott incident.

‘Vinesha only truly earns the title of ‘Frenzied Sorceress’ after the academy events unfold.’

Of course, even before that, she had been engaging in all sorts of insane behavior—it had just gone unnoticed.

Still, her magical prowess was undeniable, which was why she had been invited to Zeryon Academy as an associate professor.

“Husband? We’ve never met before.”

“Do you think you can deceive a maiden’s eyes? The Veil Bandages were originally mine.”

Of course, they were.

I had never expected to fool her in the first place.

And I knew that, if we ever met again, things would turn out exactly like this.

But I had a plan.

Vinesha suffered from an extreme lack of affection.

Back then, I had temporarily satisfied that void.

I had hoped she would forget about me and fill that emptiness with someone new.

But judging by her crazed expression, it seemed she had found no such person.

That meant if I fulfilled that void again, she would likely calm down.

That had been my plan all along—at least, until I encountered another problem.

‘…Dating Hania. Engaged to Sharin.’

Vinesha’s obsessive behavior stemmed entirely from her attachment disorder.

A textbook yandere.

An unstable psyche where extreme attachment manifests as antisocial desires.

And Vinesha was one of the most prominent characters representing that archetype.

‘Grantoni’s mentor.’

He was the one who had ultimately triggered Vinesha’s worst tendencies.

And in the end, that mentor had died at Vinesha’s hands.

And now, I had become her new fixation.

“Why are you here like this? Do you know how much I suffered after you disappeared?”

Her violet eyes brimmed with genuine tears.

Droplets formed and fell to the floor one by one.

On the surface, Vinesha appeared unblemished, making her sorrow seem all the more pitiful.

“Do you hate me now? You’re all I have, husband. I could give you everything.”

“Vinesha.”

I called her name, stopping her words.

“You and I have only known each other for a week.”

That was the extent of my time with her.

Yet from the very first day we met, Vinesha had been ready to give me her all.

“Why does time matter?”

But she trembled, unbothered by my words, her eyes shaking violently.

“The time I spent with you was deeper and more intense than any other moment in my life. I can’t live without you anymore.”

“But you’ve been living just fine until now.”

“Why are you avoiding the question?!”

Vinesha shouted, her tears falling to the floor.

“Do you not love me anymore?!”

She wasn’t listening.

I might have better luck talking to a brick wall.

In the end, I decided to play my trump card.

“…Vinesha, do you remember the effect of the Veil Bandages?”

“Of course.”

“And you also know the side effects that come with using them.”

“That…”

Her eyes widened slowly.

She stared at me, completely taken aback.

“Husband, don’t tell me…”

“Yeah. I can’t feel love anymore.”

Vinesha froze, her expression locked in a state of shock.

Finally, she was listening.

“So, I’m sorry, but—”

“Then I’ll bring it back.”

Her violet eyes gleamed intensely.

There was a near-manic obsession in them.

“If it’s my love, I can teach you how to love again. Definitely, absolutely!”

She stepped toward me, her voice filled with unshakable determination—like a fairytale heroine embarking on an impossible quest.

“…….”

I was speechless.

Vinesha had the terrifying ability to twist anything into an expression of love.

“…So, why are you here?”

I decided to shift the topic for now.

Of course, I already knew why she was here.

She had come to Zeryon Academy in search of Zeryon’s secret magic tomes.

At my question, Vinesha grinned playfully.

Just talking to me seemed to make her happy.

“I heard there’s someone at the academy using Zeryon’s magic! I came to meet them!”

“Ah, um…”

Well… that person is standing right in front of you.

‘Did my performance in the individual tournament throw the main storyline off track?’

What should I do now?

As I briefly pondered my options, footsteps suddenly echoed from behind me.

“Ah~ hubby~.”

And then—

The absolute worst voice I could have heard in this situation rang out.

I whipped my head around.

Standing there was Sharin, having arrived for her Magic Department class.

Her half-lazy hand gestures were unmistakably directed at me.

Thud—

In that instant, Vinesha’s eyes lost focus.

Her head tilted to the side unnaturally.

“Hus… band?”

I’m screwed.