Chapter 67: The Heroine Approaches the Truth

Aron Sea Beach Walkway.
“Who’s there?”
Isabel’s low voice echoed.

Before her stood a boy.
The boy, shorter than average for a male, blinked as he faced Isabel.
“Who am I? It’s Hanon, of course.”
Hanon looked at Isabel with a gaze that seemed to say he didn’t understand her reaction.
In response, a sharp tension emanated from Isabel.
“Don’t lie.”
Isabel glared at him with a serious expression.

Hanon rubbed the back of his neck, looking uneasy.
“Well, this is awkward. I really am Hanon, but you’re saying I’m not, huh?”
Even after stating his name plainly, he was being treated as an impostor.
Hanon let out a baffled laugh.
“Alright, fine, let’s go with that.”
Hanon smiled loosely and looked at Isabel.
“How did you know?”
All he had done since arriving was call out to her.
Yet, the moment Isabel saw him, she realized he wasn’t the person she knew as Hanon.

It was a curious phenomenon for Hanon.
After all, his appearance was identical to the original.
“That person doesn’t make expressions like that.”
“Expressions, huh.”
Hanon touched his face.
A slight change in expression could completely alter an impression.
Even if the face was the same, time left its mark, shaping subtle differences.
Isabel had pinpointed those differences with precision.

“His eyes are different to begin with. Do you think he’d ever look at me with such a playful gaze like yours?”
To Isabel, the Hanon she knew was always a serious person.
Though he occasionally exaggerated his actions.
He was fundamentally upright and selfless.
There was no way he would display such flippant behavior.

“Plus, even the way you’re standing is different.”
Unlike the Hanon who always stood straight with confidence.
This Hanon stood slouched, leaning lazily on one leg.

After hearing all of this.
Hanon expressed his admiration.
“I see. Pretending to be someone else isn’t easy. I’ve learned something new.”
He admitted his mistake.
“Of course, even considering that, your powers of observation are beyond ordinary. What’s your deal with him, anyway?”

What’s my deal?
Hearing that question, Isabel fell silent.
When it came to her relationship with Hanon, Isabel couldn’t clearly define it herself.
She considered him something of a rival.
But apart from that, she found herself increasingly leaning on him emotionally.
It was a complex feeling she couldn’t put into words.

“Are you in love with him or something?”
Hanon asked, smiling brightly.

In love.
At those words, Isabel felt a deep, pressing sensation in her chest.
“…No.”
Isabel gave a self-deprecating laugh.
“It’s not something beautiful like that.”

Swoosh—
The sea breeze brushed past Isabel.

Perhaps because of the tree’s shade created by the sun, Isabel’s eyes seemed completely devoid of light.
“It’s complicated.”
Hanon murmured, unable to grasp Isabel’s emotions.
All he could sense was that the depth of her feelings was profound.

This wasn’t something he should meddle in.
Hanon decided it was time to stop joking around.
Instead, he resolved to extract the information he sought.
“So, tell me. Before he appeared, did anything happen involving someone else? Someone who might have declared they’d help you or something like that.”

“…What are you talking about?”
Isabel stared at Hanon with a look of incomprehension.
“He couldn’t have come to the academy without a purpose. But the first thing he did on his very first day was cross paths with you.”
Hanon formed his own theory based on the information he’d gathered so far.

When he posed the question, Isabel stood silent, offering no response.
But her eyes wavered.
Because, deep down, she’d considered the same possibility before.

That person always insulted Lucas and provoked her.
As if trying to draw out her anger by any means necessary.
At first, Isabel had confronted him impulsively.
Driven by indignation at the thought of Lucas being humiliated.

However, as time passed and she observed him closely,
She realized he wasn’t the type to insult others carelessly.
In fact, he bore many similarities to Lucas.
That’s why it had become harder for her to accept the idea of him mocking Lucas.

But.
What if.
What if, somehow.

He had insulted Lucas to save her?

Hearing Lucas being insulted had stirred Isabel into action.
Reigniting her spirit and pulling her out of the depths of despair.
She had clawed her way back from the brink of death.
Fueled by rage.

Looking back, Isabel realized there was nothing else that could have moved her so deeply.
The person who had insulted Lucas?

‘It was him.’

And in doing so, Isabel had unwittingly insulted Lucas herself.
That realization had devastated her.
Leaving her broken once again.

At that moment, who was it that came to her side and helped her stand again?
‘It was him.’

Isabel’s eyes trembled violently.
At the same time, the events of the previous day came rushing back to her—
The fear that had welled up in her heart the moment she learned he was dating Hania.

Like her brother or Lucas before him.
He might leave her forever.
He might never pay her any attention again.
That thought alone plunged her into an indescribable terror.

Possessiveness. Obsession.
A different form of separation anxiety.

But once again,
He had appeared before her,
And comforted her.

Thump—
Isabel felt a pounding sensation in her chest.
She didn’t yet know what it meant.
But one thing was clear.
Every time Isabel was about to crumble, he was always there to lift her up again.

Isabel’s lips parted, only to close again, over and over.

If this is true—
‘What the heck’

Why?

Why did he try so hard to lift her back up?

Isabel first saw Hanon during the first semester of her second year.
Naturally, she’d had no connection with him until then.
So why would someone like him, upon meeting her for the first time, immediately notice her condition and insult Lucas?
‘That doesn’t make sense.’

Even if it were all a coincidence.
His actions were filled with inconsistencies.
‘Above all, he seemed to know about Zeryon Academy from the very beginning.’

From his very first day, he appeared to have a complete understanding of Zeryon Academy.
But that wasn’t all.
He also seemed well-acquainted with the second-year students.
That level of knowledge was impossible without deliberate prior investigation.

Someone who knew Zeryon Academy in detail
And had researched the second-year students.

Isabel lifted her head, her gaze locking once more with Hanon’s.
Hanon claimed with his own mouth that he was the real Hanon.

She didn’t believe his words outright.
But the thoughts swirling in her mind always left gaps.

However, if Hanon wasn’t the real Hanon.
If he had been an impostor from the start.
Then those gaps would be filled.

As this realization dawned, Isabel’s pupils widened.
Hanon smirked in response.

Then who exactly was he?
‘…….Someone who knows me?’
And someone who would come all the way to the academy to save her?

Isabel’s lips parted slightly.
She refrained from jumping to conclusions.
There was no guarantee that the words of the Hanon before her were entirely truthful.
He could simply be weaving a story to confuse her.

So Isabel cleared her mind of the many questions that had surfaced.
“I don’t know what your purpose is in saying all this.”
She said as she slowly drew the training sword she had brought with her.
The blade gleamed ominously under the sunlight, confirming it was no practice weapon.

“But I’m done entertaining your nonsense.”

Whether what Hanon said was true or not,
His presence was undoubtedly a threat to him.
She could get to the truth after capturing Hanon.

“Oh, how terrifying.”
He didn’t look the least bit scared.

Isabel’s face tensed with irritation as she stomped hard on the ground.
The distance between her and Hanon closed in an instant.
She reversed her grip on the sword and swung at him without hesitation.
Her intent was to strike his chin with the flat of the blade and knock him unconscious.

Just before the sword could connect,
Hanon bent backward with incredible flexibility, arching his back to the limit.

She had expected him to dodge.
Isabel didn’t pause, relentlessly pursuing Hanon with another swing of her blade.
Yet Hanon evaded every single one of her attacks.

‘What kind of movements are these?’

Hanon moved as if performing in a circus, displaying remarkable reflexes and agility.
Dodging her strikes with hairbreadth precision like a master of acrobatics.

Quick.
It felt like fighting a squirrel.

That person relied on the strength of their body, engaging in brute force clashes.
Hanon, on the other hand, clearly had no intention of taking even a single hit.
The two fought in completely different styles.

Hanon repeatedly tumbled through the air before landing lightly in place.
“100 points!”
His lighthearted antics were maddening.

But Isabel had to admit it—
She wouldn’t catch him unless she gave it her all.

“Come on, calm down. I’m not here to fight. I just wanted to ask something I’m curious about.”
“After provoking me like that, do you think that’ll work?”
“Provoking? I was trying to bond with you!”

Isabel decided he wasn’t worth talking to anymore.
She steadied her breath.
A completely different kind of energy began to radiate from her.

The moment he saw this, Hanon tilted his head with a soft hum and made a decision.
“All right, I’ve got something to do, so I’ll be going now.”

Without hesitation, he turned and bolted.
Isabel immediately gave chase, but the distance between them widened in an instant.
Soon, she couldn’t even see his feet moving.

“What the—”
Isabel stood dumbfounded.
No matter how skilled he was, that speed was absurd.
She couldn’t help but question if it was even possible for human legs to achieve such velocity.

“What is even happening right now?”
Shoving her complex thoughts aside, Isabel sheathed her sword and ran.

* * *

On the coastal promenade.
Hanon sprinted at an incredible speed, kicking up a trail of dust.

Even at that pace, he showed no signs of exhaustion, extending his strides with ease.
‘Originally, the plan was to gather information through trickery.’
He hadn’t expected to be caught so quickly.
He’d clearly chosen the wrong person to start with.

‘Who’s next?’
He recalled the daughter of the Blue Tower Master.
He’d been planning to meet her eventually.

At that moment, Hanon noticed the area above him suddenly brighten.
Instinctively, he looked up.
Only to see a ray of light cascading down toward him.

“Oh.”
He let out an involuntary sound and immediately changed direction.

A beam of light struck the spot where he had been standing moments ago.
Boom!
The ray tore apart the promenade.

Seeing the sheer destructive power, Hanon picked up his pace even further.
He zigzagged to evade the continuous onslaught of light beams.

As he dodged, his gaze shifted upward.
There, floating leisurely in the sky, was a girl holding a staff.

Sharin Sazaris.
The daughter of the Blue Tower Master.

“So, my identity must already be known over there.”
He sighed that he should’ve gone there from the start.

Hanon, feeling regretful, turned toward the forest.
The forest was full of cover.
Attacks from above had their limits.

As expected, Sharin’s sniping magic ceased.
Hanon moved freely through the dense woods.

‘Isabel, Sharin—why is everyone at Zeryon Academy so violent?’

Though it was unfortunate to lose out on information, with the Blue Tower Master’s daughter pursuing him, gathering more intel wasn’t feasible.

Just as Hanon decided to retreat.
A tree beside him was pierced, and a hand suddenly shot out.

“…Huh.”
Was it even possible to punch through a tree like that?
Hanon’s face went blank for a moment.

Beyond the shattered tree,
A man with piercing eyes stared at him.

Crack!
The man grabbed Hanon by the neck, smashing through the broken tree.

It was too late to escape.
In an instant, Hanon’s body was slammed straight down to the ground.

“Gah!”
Hanon’s arms and legs stretched upward momentarily before falling limp.

Looking down at Hanon, the man—
Vickerman—cracked his neck.

“Gotcha.”

Vickerman exhaled deeply.
“I understand where you’re coming from, and I apologize for using violence. But there was no other way to catch you.”

“Shame, I was just starting to have fun.”
Hanon said, grinning as he recovered from the impact of the fall.

No matter what Vickerman did, Hanon seemed to be enjoying himself.

Clicking his tongue briefly, Vickerman replied.
“Sorry, but the shop’s closed.”
It’s clock-out time.