Chapter 63: The Beach’s Chill

Summer Break Period.
It’s not a particularly long period, just about ten days.
During this time, students either rest or visit their family homes.
And during such a summer break period, I ended up spending time with Iris and her group.

“Does it make sense for a couple who haven’t been dating for long to spend the break apart?”
“I don’t think lovers need to be glued together all the time.”

Inside the rattling carriage, Hania and I were having a conversation.

During the summer break, the academy—Zeryon Academy—opens up the southern blue sea, the Aron Sea, to encourage students.
Some students took this opportunity to visit the Aron Sea for some rest.
Iris decided to visit the Aron Sea as well.

“That’s true. But Iris already explained the real reason, didn’t she?”

Hearing those words, I stopped talking.
Then I turned my gaze toward Iris.
Iris, who had been looking out the window, raised the corners of her lips slightly when our eyes met.
Recently, Iris had been smiling at me more often.

“For now, Hanon, it’ll be better for you too.”

As Iris said, the aftermath of Nia Cynthia’s assassination had risen to the surface.
Coincidentally, someone testified that they had seen me that day heading toward the Demonic Palace.
A knight on shift had witnessed me parting ways with Sharin and taking another path within the palace grounds.

As a result, my name unexpectedly surfaced as part of the issue.
I tried to explain that I was visiting the palace as part of the student council to prepare for the next Demonic Palace event.
But the timing couldn’t have been worse.
Before I knew it, people started suspecting me of being the one who killed Nia.

As expected, the Third Princess’s faction made a lot of noise with my name.
They aimed to use this opportunity to pin Nia Cynthia’s assassination on me alone.

‘That’s never going to happen.’

The First Prince’s faction already knows of my existence.
If they let the Third Princess’s faction corner me as acting alone, they’d miss an opportunity to shake the Third Princess’s faction.
So, they gathered various perspectives and actively defended me.
Even without my involvement, they were collecting evidence to prove I wasn’t the culprit.

However, the Third Princess’s faction didn’t sit idly by.
They planned to use me to buy time.
If confusion arose in the investigation because of me, cutting off loose ends would become even easier.
Thus, I faced the risk of being taken by the imperial family for interrogation.

It was Iris who prevented this from happening.
Originally, it was Iris who gave me the hint to save Nia.
So, she defended me and quickly brought me to her side.

「Don’t use my cousin for something like this.」

Even the Third Princess’s faction couldn’t do anything when the Third Princess herself said such a thing.
In the end, they gave up on using me.
After all, their goal was just to buy time.
I was never essential to them.
Moreover, they absolutely had to avoid offending the Third Princess, who could become the emperor.

Since they know that I’m on good terms with the Third Princess, her faction will no longer touch me.

Iris, aware of all this, made sure to solidify my position.
That’s why she brought me along during this summer break.

For me, I could only be thankful to Iris.
‘The problem is that my name has surfaced.’

Once it does, it inevitably draws attention.
‘The First Prince’s faction will start approaching me soon, too.’
They must have figured out by now that I’m not the real Hanon.

So, they’ll surely approach me to uncover my true purpose.
How I handle this going forward is entirely up to me.

“And.”
At that moment, Iris lightly tapped her knee.
As I stared blankly at her, I felt Hania’s sharp glare, prompting me to rise from my seat.
When I sat down in front of Iris, she pulled me into a hug without hesitation.

Iris has a tall, slender frame.
She’s well above the average height for women.
So, compared to her, I—standing around average height—fit perfectly in her embrace.

I felt a soft sensation on my back.
The distinct rose scent of Iris tickled my nose.

“Hanon is warm, and it helps me fall asleep.”

I had now become Iris’s personal comfort doll.
The residual warmth lingering in my body ever since I harbored the Flame of Fire helped Iris sleep soundly.

“Ugh, Iris is hugging him like that…”
Hania tore at her handkerchief, jealousy brimming in her eyes.
For someone who adored Iris, she could only envy me.

‘Though honestly, this is incredibly stressful for me.’
To be blunt, I’m afraid of the future.
Iris only behaves like this because she thinks I’m her cousin.
If she ever discovers the truth—that I’m not her cousin but Vikarmern, whom she personally exiled.
‘I might die on the spot that day.’

So every time Iris does this, I feel like I’m walking on thin ice.
But there’s no way I can reject the princess’s order.
Refusing her would mean losing my neck, just in another sense.

‘More than that…’
I also wanted Iris to sleep peacefully.
She’s the vessel destined to be possessed by the Archdemon.
The fewer nightmares she has, the better chance there is to prevent her possession.

‘Ending Iris’s nightmares happens…’
in Act 6.
Until then, I need to ensure she isn’t completely consumed by the nightmares.

‘One of the many bad endings—The Nightmare Ending.’
If Iris is fully overtaken by the nightmares before Act 6, the story reaches a bad ending:
The world falls completely into the Archon’s nightmare, marking its end.

To prevent this, her nightmares need to be carefully managed.

‘Originally, I could see the nightmare percentage.’
But this isn’t a game anymore—it’s reality.
So I can’t visually check Iris’s nightmare progress.

‘I can only guess.’
Even now, her nightmares continue to worsen.
That’s why I’ve been doing everything I can to improve her quality of sleep.

‘But this isn’t a fundamental solution.’
In the end, all of this is just a temporary fix.
It won’t fully stop Iris’s nightmares.

‘To truly resolve this…’
There’s just one person.
I need to summon him, the one who can replace the Flame of Will, to Zeryon Academy.

‘It’s one hurdle after another.’
But it’s something I have to do.
Silently, I steeled my resolve.

“Hanon feels even warmer now.”
First of all, I think I need to get out of this situation.

* * *

The southern Aron Sea.
In the past, it was the uncharted sea pioneered by Aron, marking the dawn of the Age of Exploration.
Just like the blazing butterfly arc, this sea is full of mysteries and strange creatures.
Exploring the sea was such a monumental feat that it earned explorers the title of heroes for generations.

Now, the coastline along the Aron Sea is owned by Zeryon Academy.
At Apiros Beach, students who had come to enjoy the sea were relaxing and swimming.

The sea is a place where many students nurture their dreams.
Especially here at Apiros Beach, where vibrant teenagers gather.
It’s a magical place that peels away people’s outer layers.

The girls carry a subtle sense of anticipation, while the boys brace themselves to chase their dreams.

“Um, hey! Want to hang out with us?”
“Ah, uh, I’m not sure…”

The sea naturally reveals the youthful innocence of the students.
And there I was, watching all this unfold…
playing the role of a bag-guarding porter.

“Why am I feeling so annoyed?”
Sitting on the sandy beach, watching students flirt and be flirted with made a baseless irritation bubble up inside me.

I frowned for no reason, and soon I heard footsteps approaching.

“Why the scary face?”
A familiar voice called out, and when I turned my head, peach-colored hair swayed in the breeze.
The eyes of the nearby students instantly turned in unison toward us.

What met my gaze was an exceptionally toned figure, with everything that should stand out standing out, and everything that should be tucked in perfectly tucked in.
She was wearing a peach-pink swimsuit adorned with cherry blossom patterns that matched her hair color.
It was Hania Rapididia, the daughter of the Empire’s Chief Knight Commander.

I almost let out an exclamation without thinking.
Though I had seen illustrations of Hania in a swimsuit, seeing it in real life was on a whole different level of impact.

Apparently, the others thought the same.
The gazes from behind burned into me, sharper than the sunlight on the beach.
The men’s jealousy was hotter than the sun.

“This time, the stares feel unpleasant.”
“It’s inevitable.”
“I didn’t wear this to show you, you know?”
“Well, since we’re a couple now, doesn’t that mean you did wear it for me?”
“Shall we break up?”
“Sure. Then I’ll go flirt with someone too.”

I decided to leave the bags behind and move elsewhere.

“Where are you going?”
Just then, another voice reached my ears.
A voice tinged with a strange allure naturally drew my gaze.

And then, everything went dark.

“What are you trying to look at?”
Hania had covered my eyes with her hands.

“Hania, my eyes have the duty to admire treasures.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll take it all in for you instead.”

“You two get along so well.”
Iris’s soft laughter reached my ears.

I could feel Hania grinning widely at Iris.
Taking advantage of the moment, I quickly jabbed Hania in the side.

“Eeek!”
Hania flinched as I jabbed her bare skin, recoiling in shock and letting go of her grip.

I turned back to face Iris.
She revealed her long, slender legs beneath a black swimsuit.
However, she was also wearing a long coat over it and a straw hat on her head.

My excitement quickly faded.

Thwack!
“Are you insane? Where do you think you’re poking?!”
Hania hit me, sending me rolling across the sandy beach.
Justice had been served.

“I’m sensitive to sunlight.”

Iris explained.
Her skin was as pale as freshly fallen snow, so it was only natural that it would be vulnerable to the sun.

‘Not that I didn’t already know that.’
Given how much this world had changed, I thought perhaps today would be different. But no.

“Come on, Lady Iris, forget about that guy and let’s just enjoy ourselves!”
Hania urged Iris along, gently pushing her toward the water.

Watching them head toward the shore, I gathered my things and followed after them.

‘Who’s going to show up in this side story?’
The beach event is a side story from the third arc.
Depending on how much influence the protagonist, Lucas, had on the heroines, different characters would visit the beach.
But this time, I had no way of knowing who would come.

It wasn’t surprising, given that Lucas, the protagonist, was dead.

“You really worked hard this time, so you deserve to have some fun today!”
“B-but if I don’t train even a little, I won’t be able to surpass that man…”
“That’s called training addiction! Addiction!”

As I followed behind Hania and Iris, I heard yet another familiar voice.

When I looked up with a sinking suspicion, I saw her—someone with honey-blonde hair being pushed forward by a friend.

As soon as I saw her, I blinked in surprise.
At the same time, she noticed me and widened her eyes in shock.

“Y-you?”

It was Isabel Luna.

She stood there, wearing a swimsuit that matched her hair color.

For a moment, I couldn’t help but take in her appearance.
Her dedication to recent training had clearly paid off—her physique was even better than in the illustrations.
Her toned body, a short skirt barely covering her thighs, and her chest, modestly concealed but impossible to ignore, were all on full display.

Isabel embodied the statement, ‘This is what it means to be a main heroine’.

“Y-you!”
Her face was filled with confusion, clearly not expecting to run into me here.

“Eeep!”
Suddenly, she wrapped her arms around herself in an attempt to cover up.

Not that her efforts did much to obscure anything.
In fact, her shy reaction only drew more attention.

“What are you staring at so intently?”
Stepping in to shield Isabel was one of her closest friends—Mina, who was also studying martial arts.

“Sure, our Isabel is stunning, but still…”
“M-Mina!”

Isabel protested from behind her friend, but Mina just smirked confidently.

I briefly glanced at Mina before locking eyes with Isabel again.
At that, she flinched and quickly retreated further behind Mina.

“I-it’s not like I came here to slack off on training! Mina just kept begging me to come, so I gave in!”

Isabel stammered, scrambling to defend herself.

As I quietly listened to her words, I soon put on a disinterested expression.
“Yeah, have fun.”
People need to take breaks sometimes.
If something like this could help lift Isabel’s mood, I had no reason to object.

“Oh…”
But for some reason, Isabel’s face looked like it was about to crumble.
Huh? I told her to have fun—so why was she making that face?

While I was puzzling over it, Isabel lowered her head deeply.

Tap, tap-
Just as I was about to say something to her, I felt a cool sensation on my cheek.
Turning around, I saw someone poking my cheek with an ice cream-covered finger.

It was Sharin.

So, she was here too.
She wore a dark blue swimsuit that revealed her slender frame, though a long skirt covered her lower half.

“Hi there, Hannon!”
“Why are you poking my cheek with an ice-cream-covered finger?”
“Because it’s fun?”
“Only for you.”
“Is that so?”

Sharin withdrew her hand and casually licked the ice cream off her finger.
It was an incomprehensible gesture.

“Now my cheek’s all sticky because of you.”
“Want me to clean it for you?”
Sharin opened her lips slightly, revealing her tongue.

“No, thanks.”
If I asked her to clean it, the situation would undoubtedly spiral into something absurd.

“What a waste of ice cream.”
Then you shouldn’t have smeared it on me in the first place.

As I wiped my cheek, Mina and Isabel gave me peculiar looks.

“…Seriously, you’re really close with Sharin, huh?”
Mina regarded me with an expression that suggested she hadn’t expected this.

I’d never left a good impression on Mina.
From her perspective, I was likely someone she wasn’t particularly fond of.
So naturally, she found it strange that I was close to Isabel’s best friend, Sharin.

“Sharin never acts like that around guys.”

Mina muttered, glancing at Sharin as she lazily munched on her ice cream.
Sharin’s drowsy expression revealed nothing of her thoughts.

While Mina tilted her head in confusion, Isabel opened her mouth to speak.
“Sharin and you as well—”

“Hanon, what are you doing?”

Cutting off Isabel’s words, Hania suddenly appeared.
Her arrival caused everyone to pause.

It made sense—after all, all three of them knew that Hania was my supposed girlfriend.

“My goodness, Lady Iris is waiting for you, you know.”

Hania said, effortlessly taking my hand.

For a brief moment, her actions made me wonder if I really was her boyfriend.
But then I caught the sharp glint in her eyes as she scanned the three women.

It was a deliberate move to reinforce the idea in their minds.
A true strategist.

Yet in that instant, for some inexplicable reason, despite it being summer and warm enough to sweat, a sudden, chilling cold swept through the air.