Chapter 68: Above the Frozen Elder Dragon

The forest near Aron Sea Beach.
I managed to corner Hanon using Sharin and finally caught him.
This evasive max-level guy would never have been caught otherwise.

‘From his perspective, I might be the one at fault.’
After all, I had been running wild at Zeryon Academy using his identity.
To Hanon, I was the one who had ruined his reputation.

I felt sorry for him.
But that aside, it was troubling if he kept acting out like this.
I had to live as Hanon until I graduated from Zeryon Academy.
So, if possible, I wanted to negotiate with him.

“Is that your real face?”
“Fake.”

While being pinned down by me, Hanon gave a sly smile and asked the same thing Sharin had.
My current face belongs to someone who doesn’t exist in this world.
So, it’s fake.

“That’s a shame.”
Hanon didn’t seem to care at all that I had been using his identity without permission.
He looked like someone who had thrown away all worldly concerns long ago, chasing ruins and legends across the world.

“I’m sorry for using your identity. But our goals aren’t so different.”
I sighed while keeping him restrained.

“So, let’s talk.”
“Like this?”
Hanon waved his arms in protest against my hold.

“Sorry, but you’d just run away immediately.”
“Wow, you’re sharp.”

He was even more unpredictable than I was.

“I know I can’t catch you again. If you escape at full speed, no one can catch you.”

I pulled on the Veil Bandages.
My appearance changed into Hanon’s.
Now that I’d caught him, there was no need to maintain another form.

Hanon stared at me again, looking fascinated.

“Sent by the First Prince, right?”
At my question, Hanon smiled faintly.

“Interesting. Since I’m related to Lady Iris, shouldn’t you assume I was sent by the faction of the Third Princess?”
“You’re not affiliated with the Duke of Robliaju’s family. What reason would there be for that?”

Hanon’s surname, Airei, belonged to a minor noble family from the outskirts.
He was merely descended from the Duke of Robliaju’s bloodline.
He had no ties to Robliaju itself.

Hanon was originally used as a spy by the First Prince.
Naturally, Hanon was a man of many secrets.

But who am I?
I’m a veteran who’s cleared the Blazing Butterfly arc 29 times.
No matter how hidden a character Hanon is.
I know everything about him.

“In fact…”
I also knew exactly what would provoke a strong reaction from him.

“You resent the Duke of Robliaju, don’t you?”

Hanon’s face changed in a way I had never seen before.
The guy who had been perpetually relaxed froze, no longer even struggling, and stared at me.

“Who… exactly are you?”
This time, it was Hanon who asked the question.
The situation had flipped in an instant.
Now, Hanon was the one trying to dig into me.

“I am…”

I take control here.
Hanon’s existence is practically a weakness for me.
If he were to run off and reveal my true identity right now, my position would become incredibly precarious.
At worst, I’d not only be expelled from the academy but also jailed for impersonation.
That would be the end for me, but…
‘It would also spell the end for this world.’

After all the struggles I went through, I finally set the world on the path to the canonical storyline.
At this crucial point where the First Prince’s faction and the Third Princess’s faction are clashing in earnest,
The narrative, regardless of the process, is moving toward its proper course.
Hanon’s past and the events surrounding him remain unchanged.

“I can be your ally or your enemy, depending on how you respond.”

To Hanon, I’m an unknown entity who’s copied his appearance.
He must also be harboring significant doubts about me.

‘Right now, the one holding the ‘character with secrets’ trait…’
…isn’t Hanon—it’s me.
The more doubts swirl in Hanon’s mind, the more firmly I can seize control.

“Hanon, you want revenge against the Duke of Robliaju, don’t you?”
The sole reason he allied with the First Prince’s faction was his grudge against the Duke.
Because of that, Hanon also despises the Duke’s daughter, Iris.

‘Hanon is a character who unravels the story of how the Duke of Robliaju colluded with the Archdemon. But at the same time, he’s one of the main culprits that increases the overall difficulty of the game.’

Hanon’s appearance complicates the process of clearing episodes.
So, I must prevent the real Hanon from becoming involved in the canonical storyline at all costs.

“I’ll help you get your revenge. If you help me, I can deliver a more certain vengeance than the First Prince ever could.”

Hanon looked at me, his gaze filled with both suspicion and disbelief.

“……The Duke of Robliaju isn’t someone so easily dealt with. A single individual can’t handle him.”
“Exactly. That’s why you allied with the First Prince, isn’t it?”

Hanon knew the Duke was beyond his own power to defeat.
That’s why he willingly joined hands with the First Prince—a personal ally with unparalleled strength.
But the First Prince isn’t the only one who could become such an ally.

“You don’t fully trust the First Prince either, do you? Wouldn’t it be wise to open a new path for yourself while you can?”

I, too, am someone who can help Hanon achieve what he wants most.
For now, he’s still in the stage of doubt.
But I can prove myself more than anyone else.

“Ha!”
A sharp laugh escaped from Hanon’s lips.
After chuckling for a moment, he fixed his gaze firmly on me.

“You’re right. The First Prince ordered me to figure out your identity.”

I had rescued Nia and Nikita, who were close to the First Prince.
While Nikita knows my true identity.
She wouldn’t have revealed it—even to Nia—because of her sense of obligation to repay a debt.

‘From the First Prince’s perspective, he must be wondering what the hell I am.’
The First Prince values the present above all.
He naturally wouldn’t welcome an unpredictable variable like me.

To him, I’m an unwelcome anomaly.
‘But since I saved Nia, he couldn’t outright remove me either.’

That’s why he quickly sent Hanon to me.
It was a clear warning: if I didn’t clarify my identity, he’d use Hanon to expose me.

“Turns out, though, after talking to you, you’re even more of a handful than I expected.”
Hanon tilted his head slightly and looked at me.

And then, he let out a hollow laugh.
“But, you see, I’m not the type to trust people easily.”

As expected, I couldn’t persuade him with just this.
“Well then, I’ll call it a day for my pitch and take my leave.”

At that moment, Hanon’s body began to dissipate.
He was using one of the tools he had collected from ruins during his travels.
Hanon’s signature tool.

The Wind of Concealment.
A mystical artifact that allows its user to escape to any desired location.
This was why Hanon had remained so composed the entire time.

I had anticipated this.
So, as I prepared to react immediately—

Thunk!

Suddenly, a searing pain shot through my right eye.
Recognizing the source of the pain, I instinctively pressed my hand against my eye.
But it was already too late.

Whoooosh!

A torrent of icy energy erupted from me, spreading through the forest in an instant.
The undergrowth froze, and the trees were enveloped in frost.
The real problem, however, was Hanon, who was beneath me.

“Ugh, ah?”
Hanon, now completely frozen by the icy surge, feebly moved his lips.

The remnants of the elder dragon within me had suddenly lashed out.
‘Did it react to the artifact’s power?’

Just as I was about to summon the flames to counter the unexpected surge, Sharin landed in front of me.
She had been observing the situation from above and decided to intervene.

“Bad kids…”
Sharin pulled out her staff and twirled it in her hand.
“…need to be punished.”

Her two eyes glimmered with the light of the stars, and a beam of light shot from the tip of her staff into my eyes.
The dragon’s lingering presence, which had been constricting my vision, was struck by the light and recoiled in surprise, retreating deeper within me.
The icy aura that had been surging around subsided.

Even the frost scales that had briefly appeared on my face cracked and vanished.

“It seems to react to mystical energy, huh?”
Sharin seemed to have come to the same conclusion as I did about why the dragon’s remnants had reacted.

But the bigger issue now was Hanon, lying unconscious beneath me.
He had taken the full brunt of the dragon’s icy surge and was frozen solid, now passed out.

He wasn’t such a bad guy to deserve this.
I felt sorry for him.

…Why does it feel like I keep having to apologize to Hanon?
Even having a single conversation with him is proving difficult.

“Sharin, could you take him somewhere warm?”
“Sure, I can do that.”

Sharin erased the traces left behind by the dragon’s remnants and lifted the unconscious Hanon.

“Hanon, I want ice cream.”
Her tone made it clear she expected payment for her efforts.

“I’ll get you two.”
“Three.”
“You’ll get a stomachache if you overdo it.”
“One’s for Hanon.”
Fine, I’ll get you four.

“Okay! I’m heading out now~.”
Sharin floated into the air, waving her hand lazily.

As I prepared to follow her out of the forest—

I sensed a presence beyond the forest.
At the same time, I instinctively reacted to the killing intent directed at me, pulling my body back.

Whoosh!
In that instant, a sword swung right in front of me.
Golden blonde hair fluttered in the air.
The assailant was none other than Isabel.

She pulled her foot back and immediately prepared to launch another attack.
I frowned at her aggressive stance.

“Isabel, what are you doing?”

“Huh?”
Isabel froze mid-swing, her eyes widening in surprise.
In her haste to pull back the sword, her posture faltered.

“Ah!”
She twisted her ankle, and her body tipped forward.

She was about to fall flat on the ground.
I quickly reached out and caught her in both arms.

Thud!
Supporting Isabel, I managed to keep my footing and sighed in relief.
Then I looked down at her with a displeased expression.

“Trying to ambush me now, huh?”

At my question, Isabel flinched in my arms.
“N-no, that’s not it! Someone appeared who looked just like you, and—well…”

Hanon, of course.
So he had gone to find Isabel.
I didn’t know exactly what he had said, but it clearly unsettled her.

‘It’d be a problem if he gave her any clues about me.’
The last thing I needed was for Isabel to start doubting my identity.
She was already in a complicated emotional state lately.
Shaking her up further wasn’t a good idea.

“What nonsense are you spouting? Are you sure you didn’t imagine it?”
So, I feigned ignorance.

“Imagine it? I’m telling the truth!”
Isabel protested, her face turning indignant.
She seemed irritated that I didn’t believe her.

“I followed his trail all the way here, and then I found you.”

“And how long are you planning to stay like this?”
When Isabel’s sulky reaction became evident, I shrugged the shoulders she was leaning on.

Startled, Isabel quickly lifted her head, her face turning bright red all the way to her ears.
“Th-thank you for catching me, but—ow!”
As she tried to stand, she winced in pain, clutching her ankle.

Her awkward movements during the sword swing had taken a toll.
Isabel sat back down, cradling her injured ankle.

Watching her, I sighed.
I felt sorry for Sharin, but I couldn’t just leave Isabel like this.

“Get on.”

“I’m fine. I can walk.”

“And make your injury worse? What are you thinking?”
It looked like a minor sprain, but it wouldn’t do any good to push it.

“Isabel, if I had twisted my ankle, would you just leave me behind?”

“…Of course not. I’d help you walk or carry you.”

When I pointed out the same would apply to her, she understood.

Isabel was surprisingly light.
Given how much she trained daily to build muscle, it was astonishing.
A citrusy fragrance wafted from her as she rested on my back.

Moreover, I inadvertently realized that her figure was quite impressive.
I quickly pushed the thought aside and continued walking.

Since Isabel had climbed onto my back, she remained quiet.
With her position behind me, I couldn’t see her face to guess what she was thinking.

“…Why did you enroll in Zeryon Academy?”
Suddenly, Isabel broke the silence with a question.
It was an oddly unexpected one.
Had something changed in her mind?

I felt a little concerned but answered her honestly.
“I told you on the first day, didn’t I? That I wanted to correct Zeryon Academy’s tarnished reputation.”

I reminded her of the day I had criticized Lucas.
However, unlike her usual self, Isabel stayed silent.

“…So, you came here because of Lucas?”
Her next question took a different direction than usual.

“It wasn’t entirely unrelated.”
I couldn’t figure out what had caused the shift in her mood.
But to avoid raising unnecessary suspicion, I gave a straightforward answer.

“Okay, I see…”
Isabel didn’t press further and rested her head on my shoulder.

The summer breeze gently swept past us, rustling through the air.
Whatever answer Isabel found in that moment, I had no way of knowing.