Chapter 150: Engagement Ring

After somehow clearing up the misunderstanding with Iris, I had to sleep while being tightly held by her.
Maybe she was feeling a little sulky, but today Iris was clinging excessively.
As for Acrede, in a ridiculous twist, an unexpected person came to pick him up.
Cardinal Centriol.
He was someone who should have been executed long ago, yet he came to retrieve Acrede.
Before his execution, the one who saved his life was Acrede.
「I-I’m sorry, Centriol. The only thing I can do is forgive you.」
Acrede sincerely expressed his regret for not being able to save Centriol’s son.
「Still, please don’t forget that your son was always proud of you. Your life was definitely something your son could be proud of.」
Centriol had once been a devout believer.
Reviving through the power of the Mystic would have been a betrayal even to his son.
Centriol clearly understood that as well.
Clinging to it had been the last spark of a completely broken Centriol.
Now that the spark had fully died out, all that remained in Centriol was grief and guilt over losing his son.
Acrede empathized with Centriol’s heart.
She showed compassion to the man who had once tried to kill her.
Centriol wept in front of Acrede.
Unable to endure his guilt toward his son, he cried like a child.
Acrede stayed by Centriol’s side, praying that his son would fly freely in the arms of the goddess.
Centriol acknowledged his sins.
And he decided to become a father who would no longer bring shame to his deceased son.
The Saintess personally granted him a pardon.
The Holy Order did not object to this.
Even for the Holy Order, it was unpleasant to execute a Paladin and Cardinal of their own.
However, that didn’t mean the Holy Order let him go freely.
Acrede personally engraved a blessing onto Centriol’s heart.
It was a blessing that would activate and kill him instantly if Acrede willed it.
In exchange, Centriol became Acrede’s personal knight.
He no longer bore the titles of Paladin or Cardinal.
His only remaining mission was to serve as Acrede’s knight.
‘So it was Centriol who accompanied Acrede on her personal affairs.’
If it was someone like Centriol, it made sense.
Though he had lost against the White Wood Duke, he was still one of the Holy Order’s top paladins.
With him at his side, security was assured.
“Senior, you don’t look too well today.”
While we were jogging in the morning, Aisha quietly asked.
“I had a rough night of sleep.”
Just thinking about what Iris did still made my whole body ache.
Still, lately, Iris had been sleeping very well.
It was thanks to me and Eve taking turns helping her sleep peacefully.
The power of nightmares that once dwelled in her was steadily diminishing.
And it was happening even without the Flame of Determination
It was an incredibly satisfying result.
Thanks to that, Iris no longer needed to do morning training.
And maybe because sleeping had become such a joy for her, she had started to sleep in more.
‘And soon, even the Duke of Robliaju will start to notice this.’
Iris is the vessel for the Evil Existence’s descent.
And the one who made Iris into that vessel was none other than the Duke of Robliaju.
He is someone who has allied himself with the Evil Existence.
He must have started noticing that the power of nightmares within Iris was weakening.
The Duke of Robliaju seeks to seize control of the Empire.
And Iris is a tool he wants to manipulate at his convenience.

Since the shackles placed on that horse are loosening, there’s no way he’ll stay still.
The Duke of Robliaju will surely attempt to make contact with Iris at least once.
And during that process, he will focus his attention on whoever has intervened with Iris.
‘Ultimately, it’s thanks to Eve that Iris’s nightmares could be improved.’
Eve’s Azure Flame and the Sword of White Dreams.
Thanks to these two, Iris’s nightmares have been decreasing.
Compared to that, all I’ve done is handle Iris’s morning training and sleep beside her.
And even that was done in the form of Hania, not Hanon.
‘It’s highly likely that Eve will attract the Duke of Robliaju’s attention.’
I feel sorry for Eve, but it can’t be helped.
We need her to focus there to make things run more smoothly.
I’ll quietly give her a heads-up next time.
“You were injured at the Demonic Palace not long ago, so you should take care of your health.”
“I will.”
With Aisha’s concern, we safely finished morning training.
Today also marked the end of the autumn Demonic Palace tournament break.
Since we had to return to the Academy, I got ready and headed out.
Leaving behind Card, who was still dawdling, I made my way toward the Martial Arts Department.
In the distance, I spotted a familiar figure.
It was someone I hadn’t seen since we last spoke.
I naturally approached from behind and called out.
“Isabel.”
“Ah, ah!”
At that moment, Isabel jumped in surprise and stumbled.
Even though she was usually athletic, she tilted enough that she could have fallen.
I quickly reached out and grabbed her waist.
Thanks to that, Isabel managed to freeze mid-fall.
Soon, her gaze slowly turned back toward me.
When her eyes met mine, with my arm still around her waist, she froze completely.
“……Isabel?”
When I called her again, Isabel flinched and looked away.
“Th-thank you for catching me. Could you let go now?”
“Sure.”
When I let go of her, she awkwardly straightened herself up.
Something was definitely odd today.
Isabel seemed to realize it too, covering her face with her hands, her eyes filled with confusion.
“Isabel.”
At that moment, a drowsy voice echoed out.
When I turned my head, there was Sharin, lazily walking toward us.
When she made eye contact with me, she beamed and waved her hand.
“My husbaand~”
What a relaxed person, even in the morning.
Still, seeing her smile lifted my mood.
But then, Sharin suddenly stopped in her tracks.
She glanced back and forth between me and Isabel, then subtly furrowed her brows.
Sharin stomped over and stood firmly between me and Isabel.
Then, she slid her arms through each of ours.
A soft sensation, even through the fabric, wrapped around my arm.
“Let’s gooo.”
Sharin leaned forward, urging us to walk together.
Isabel and I had no choice but to start walking with Sharin between us.
The whole time, Isabel kept her mouth tightly shut.
For some reason, Sharin had a slightly sulky look on her face.
I glanced at the two of them, puzzled.
Had Sharin and Isabel gotten into a fight without me knowing?

But for all that, Sharin just seemed a little sulky on her own.
If others saw her, they’d probably think she was acting no different from usual.
“Husbaand~”
At that moment, Sharin called out to me.
“You know, I don’t have a lot of precious things in my life.”
Sharin is someone who lives going with the flow of the world.
Normally, she doesn’t place much value on things.
But even someone like her has things she treasures.
For example, Isabel.
“But when those precious things clash and break apart… I really hate that, you know?”
Sharin looked up at me with her eyes widened.
“Let’s do well, okay?”
“I don’t really get what you want me to do well.”
Sharin pouted and swung our linked arms around.
If she has something she wants to say, she should just say it properly — this isn’t like her.
Still, from her words, I understood one thing.
‘After that day, I thought things between Isabel and me were settled.’
Maybe I said something wrong back then.
It made me start to wonder.
“You’re thinking something really clueless right now, aren’t you~?”
Sharin glared at me, but there wasn’t much I could do.
My relationship with Isabel was too complicated to sum up in one word.
“Anyway, I have something for you, Sharin.”
So, before Sharin could get even sulkier, I decided to change the topic.
I rummaged through my pocket and pulled out a jewelry box.
It was an accessory I had bought on the day I went on a date with Seron.
That day when we helped with the Grantoni incident, I had promised Sharin I’d buy her something.
This was me keeping that promise.
The moment Sharin saw the jewelry box, her eyes went wide.
When I handed it to her, she received it with both hands and clicked the box open.
Inside was a ring set with a blue gem.
Inside the gem flowed a light like the Milky Way — it was a magic tool ring designed to help with smoother mana usage.
It had cost quite a bit, but considering all the help Sharin had given me, it was well worth it.
If I was going to gift something, I wanted it to be something proper.
Sharin stared blankly at the ring.
Meanwhile, for some reason, Isabel was looking at us with a stiff expression.
Just as I was wondering about Isabel’s gaze—
Sharin, grinning foolishly, rubbed her face against my shoulder.
“Husbaand, you’re being so sweet~”
Her earlier sulky expression had vanished, replaced by a huge, delighted smile.
Her reaction was so positive it made even me feel happy for giving it.
“Put it on me~”
Sharin lifted her left hand and held out her ring finger.
Normally, that’s the finger for marriage or serious relationships.
I hesitated for a moment, but — we are engaged, after all.
And Sharin has clearly expressed her feelings to me.
It would be strange to put it on any other finger now.
I took the ring out of the box she held and slipped it onto her finger.
Sharin looked at the ring on her hand with a beaming smile, then turned her gaze to me.
“This is proof that I belong to my husband now, right?”
“It’s just a ring.”
“It’s not just a ring. It’s a gift from my husband.”
Already brimming with happiness, Sharin spun around and dashed off.
Before I knew it, we had arrived at the Magic Department building.

“I’ll let it slide today.”
Let what slide, exactly?
I wasn’t sure, but Sharin simply walked into the building and disappeared from sight.
When I turned my head back after watching her leave,
I froze when I saw Isabel standing there.
Because her eyes were so sunken, they reminded me of the first time I had met her.
“…Isabel?”
I hurriedly called out to her, and Isabel stared at me with those same heavy eyes.
“Oh, right. You and Sharin are engaged.”
“Uh, yeah. That’s right.”
“I had a vague feeling. Sharin… that girl really loves you, doesn’t she? And I’m sure she’s already told you that.”
After realizing her feelings, Sharin had consistently expressed her emotions to me.
Naturally, Isabel would have noticed that as well.
“Yeah, she has.”
“That’s good. I couldn’t imagine Sharin marrying anyone, but… if it’s you, I think it’ll be fine. You’ll take good care of her.”
Isabel’s words were clearly a blessing for me and Sharin’s future — but her eyes told a different story.
Those dead, sunken eyes kept weighing on my heart.
Isabel seemed to recall something and continued speaking.
“More importantly… what about Seron?”
Seron.
Another girl who had been openly expressing her feelings to me, alongside Sharin.
Isabel had long since known about Seron’s feelings as well.
I hesitated briefly.
How should I answer her?
But in the end, I concluded that excuses would mean nothing.
What was needed now was not an excuse, but honesty.
“…I haven’t answered either of them yet.”
“You haven’t answered?”
She sounded puzzled that I hadn’t responded despite how openly they had shown their feelings.
After a moment’s hesitation, I decided to explain.
“Isabel, the only reason I can stay in Hanon’s form is because of the Veil Bandages. And… there’s a risk involved.”
“A risk?”
“You lose certain emotions — love, anger, and sorrow.”
Isabel’s eyes began to widen slowly.
This was something she had never known.
But after already getting caught using the Veil Bandages, it wasn’t something I could keep hiding forever.
Besides, I didn’t want any more unnecessary misunderstandings with Isabel.
“Right now, I’ve already lost love. Honestly, most of my anger is gone too, and soon, sorrow will also disappear.”
“Wait, then— right now!”
“If I take off the Veil Bandages, I won’t be able to enter the Demonic Palace anymore.”
Isabel’s lips trembled slightly.
“I have a goal. And to achieve that goal, I have to stay at Zeryon Academy.”
Isabel read the sincerity in my words.
No matter what, I could not take off the Veil Bandages.
Realizing that, she bit her lip hard.
And she now understood what I meant.
“Without love, I can’t properly respond to either of their feelings.”
I plan to answer them only after I regain my ability to love.
If, before then, either of them grows tired of me and moves on — well, there’s nothing I can do about that.
I would be lying if I said I felt no regret about losing the chance to be with someone.
But even so, I refused to disrespect their feelings by answering without knowing my own heart.
“So… I’ll give them my answer only after I’ve regained love.”
I laid bare everything in my heart.
Now, it was up to Isabel to accept it or not.
Feeling a bit tense, I glanced at her — and saw her tilting her head slightly.
The deadness that had filled her eyes was slowly fading away.
“I see.”
For some reason, she seemed to be in a better mood.
“So until then, you can’t date anyone, right?”
“Uh, yeah. That’s right.”
“Mm, got it. We’re going to be late. Let’s go!”
Isabel’s steps were lighter than before.
I could only stare after her, completely bewildered.
And it seemed Isabel herself didn’t really understand why her mood had improved either.