Chapter 84: The Tomato’s Victory Declaration

The Night of the Founding Festival.
A boy who had managed to slip out of the boycott let out a sigh.
To be precise, it was a girl.
“This is such a pain.”

The girl, disguised as Hanon, was Hania Rapididia.
She was the daughter of the Empire’s Chief Knight Commander.
After discovering that Isabel was after Hanon, she thought it might become a troublesome situation and decided to join the boycott.
Since she was in the guise of Hanon, no one questioned her sudden appearance.

In no time, she subdued and captured several members of the boycott, letting out another sigh.
Hanon, meanwhile, had already encountered Isabel and her group, quickly slipped away, and disappeared.
‘You could’ve at least given me a heads-up.’
She had needlessly gotten involved and ended up suffering for it.

All she wanted now was to go back and wash up.
“Hania.”
It was just as she was trudging along when she heard a voice.
Startled, she lifted her head in response.
The voice’s owner was none other than Iris.

Jet-black hair as dark as the night fluttered in the wind.
Beyond her long lashes, reminiscent of those of a Persian cat,
her ruby-red eyes gleamed under the moonlight.
“What’s with that appearance?”

Iris immediately saw through Hania’s disguise.
She wasn’t supposed to be here but rather waiting at the dormitory.
Caught off guard, Hania hesitated, her lips parting soundlessly.

This only deepened Iris’s suspicions.
With narrowed eyes, Iris gazed at Hania.
Her gaze was so enchanting it was almost sweet, but beneath it lay an undeniable chill.

“Hania isn’t the type to lie to me, is she?”
Iris’s warning came in a low tone.

Hania was her loyal subordinate.
Lying to Iris would be tantamount to committing a grave sin.
Lowering her head, Hania responded.
“Of course not.”

She had promised to keep everything about Hanon a secret, but there was no way around this.
Hania confessed everything that had happened to Iris.
She started with the fact that Hanon was the mastermind behind the boycott.
Feeling guilty for not keeping her promise, she covered for Hanon, suggesting that the whole affair had been prepared for Iris’s sake.

After digesting the story, Iris remained silent.
Worried about Iris’s lack of response, Hania fidgeted nervously.
“…I see.”
Without another word, Iris turned and walked away.

“I- Iris, wait! Let me come with you!”
Hania hurried after her, removing her wig and contact lenses as she followed.

For some reason, Iris felt her breath catch in her chest.
Every Founding Festival, her heart would feel cold and empty.
But tonight, inexplicably, a strange warmth had begun to fill that void.

* * *

Meanwhile, due to the unexpected boycott, Zeryon Academy had descended into chaos.
The professors and teaching assistants running the festival eventually arrived to sort things out, but the ones who played the most significant role in resolving the mess were Isabel and her friends.

The group had mediated and subdued what could have escalated into a large-scale conflict between the boycotters and the student council.

As a result, Isabel’s reputation soared.
Most of the boycotters were captured and handed over to the professors and teaching assistants.

It was to hear their side of the story.
In addition, corruption cases within Zeryon Academy were brought to light in a big way.
Not only the student council but also the Zeryon Academy Board of Education would not escape criticism.

Moreover, several students were suspended as a result of this incident.
Rozamin, the leader of the boycott, accepted his suspension without protest.
In the original scenario, he had shouted that it was unfair, but this time, his expression showed a sense of resignation to everything.

Even as he was being escorted to the dormitory following his suspension, he addressed the crowd of students who had gathered amidst the commotion.
“Run well.”
It was unclear who his words were directed at, but after leaving that remark, he was eventually taken away by the teaching assistants.

Additionally, the head of the student council, Sylvester Drapen, found himself in a difficult position due to the disgrace he brought upon himself in this incident.
Although the corruption in the student council had existed since before he became president, the students held him accountable for turning a blind eye to it.

Sylvester, already criticized for his incompetence, became a target of criticism from all directions during this opportunity.
Outside of Zeryon Academy, the Drapen Ducal House faced intense attacks led by the faction of the Third Imperial Princess.
In the end, Sylvester earned the infamy of having brought the student council to ruin.

He resigned from the presidency on his own.
In any case, after this incident, he was in no position to remain in the student council.
Though other council members tried to dissuade him, Sylvester shook his head.
“Staying on would only cause more trouble. I’m sorry. It feels like I’m just running away.”

He gave a bitter smile.
“Maybe I’ve been running away from the start.”

Leaving behind a lonely figure, Sylvester returned to being an ordinary student.

With the consecutive vacancies of both the president and vice president, the student council fell into crisis.
However, the student council was temporarily barred from activities as imperial inspectors conducted a thorough investigation of Zeryon Academy.
During this process, not only teaching assistants and associate professors but also professors were subjected to inspection.

As a result, Zeryon Academy was engulfed in an unsettling atmosphere.
Though news came that new professors, associate professors, and teaching assistants would soon be appointed, this, too, would take some time.

The winds of change had swept through Zeryon Academy.
In that sense, the boycott’s goal had been achieved.

Given the chaos, Zeryon Academy decided to hold three days of self-directed learning.
The students were generally diligent with their independent training anyway.
The professors being absent for three days posed no significant issue.

And so, in this time of change—
On a day of self-directed learning, I arrived at the classroom, only to be forcibly dragged outside, landing in a rather troublesome situation.

“Lightning sweet potato.”
“Doing.”
“You.”

Seron Parmia.
Iris Hyserion.
Isabel Luna.

The three of them stood before me simultaneously.
Looking at the three, each harboring different intentions, I hesitated for a moment.

Should I run?

“Don’t even think about running.”
Seron, having caught onto my pattern, snapped sharply.

She had even blocked my escape route.
Repaying kindness with enmity, huh.

‘But more than Seron and Isabel…’
I turned my gaze to Iris, puzzled.

Did Iris really have a reason to wait for me like this?
As I looked at Iris, my eyes met those of Hania, who was quietly standing behind her.
Hania flinched, then quickly lowered her head in silence.
‘…So, I’ve been caught.’

Realizing the situation, I sighed inwardly.
Well, there was no way I could avoid getting found out forever.
The problem is…
They say it’s better to face the whip sooner rather than later.
But I couldn’t decide whose whip I should endure first.

The three of them glanced at each other.
Judging by how they all stood up the moment I arrived,
it seemed they hadn’t anticipated this scenario.
Surely, the most mature person here would be the first to step back.

At that moment, Iris spoke up.
As expected of the Third Princess—so bold.
“Hanon, come to my room after today’s events are over.”

No, this wasn’t boldness—this was cannon fire.
Iris spoke in an incredibly casual tone and then turned away.
Of course, by ‘her room’, she meant the women’s dormitory.

That alone was already a problem, but the implications of me going in and out of the Third Princess’s room were far worse.
Her bombshell statement left both Isabel and Seron with their mouths hanging open.
The two stared at me in shock.

“Y-you, y-you… you crazy bastard!”
Among them, Seron, who had seen through my true identity, stammered, her lips trembling.
If I were really Hanon, I could maybe play the card of being the princess’s cousin, but I was actually Vikarmern.

For someone like me to sneak into the princess’s private room?
That was practically a death sentence.

“You…!”
Before Seron could say more, I quickly raised my hand to cover her mouth.
She flailed, trying to free herself.

Although she saw me as Hanon on the outside, she remembered my true identity as Vikarmern, and her face turned bright red in embarrassment.
Still into her delicate tastes, I see.

Thunk-
At that moment, someone grabbed my wrist.
The one holding my wrist was Isabel.

She looked at me with calm but piercing eyes.
“What exactly have you been doing with Lady Iris every night?”

Sleeping, of course.
But if I said that, I’d be socially buried on the spot.

“…There was some business I had to take care of.”
“Oh, really? Business? In the women’s dormitory?”
Isabel smiled sweetly, but her tone was sharp.

“…After you left me hanging in the middle of things.”
Sure, I left while we were fighting.
But that was different!

“W-what the hell!?”
Seron, eyes wide in disbelief, turned her gaze toward me.

Why was Isabel making this even more difficult?
Was it intentional?

Isabel scoffed and walked away without another word.

In the end, only Seron remained.
Now free from my grasp, Seron slowly lifted her head.
I quickly avoided making eye contact with her.

“Well then, I’ll be going now.”
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Just as I tried to slip away naturally, Seron grabbed the collar of my clothes tightly.

I eventually stopped after only a few steps and turned to look at Seron.
“Seron, about what happened yesterday—”
“Forget it. Just be honest with me.”

Looks like I won’t find an escape here.
“Lightning Sweet Potato, are you Senior Vikarmern, or are you Hanon?”

In the end, I surrendered completely.
There was no escape route anyway, not after I’d revealed my true identity to Seron.

“I’m Vikarmern. For certain reasons, I returned to Zeryon Academy in this form.”

Hearing my answer, Seron bit her lip.
She seemed to have a lot she wanted to say but was carefully choosing her words.

“…Was your reason for coming back because of Senior Nikita?”

So, that’s what she was worried about.
Seron slumped slightly as she waited for my response, and I let out a sigh.

“I can’t say it had nothing to do with Nikita, but that’s not the only reason.”
While Nikita was important, I had a far more critical reason.
I came here to prevent this world from reaching a bad ending.
But, of course, I couldn’t tell her that outright.

“…Still, you used to like Senior Nikita.”
“That was a long time ago.”
And it wasn’t even me—it was the old Vikarmern.

More importantly, because of the Veil Bandages, I had most likely lost the ability to feel love.

“The current me doesn’t like anyone.”

Hearing my answer, Seron fell silent.

Then, out of nowhere, she suddenly grabbed the collar of my shirt and yanked me forward.
Seron was a martial arts student, after all.

The force of her pull caught me off guard, and in an instant, our faces were inches apart.
She pressed her forehead lightly against mine and smirked.
Her expression carried a mischievous, almost impish grin.

“Then I guess I don’t need to give up just yet.”

For a moment, my face froze in surprise.
“You—you know I was pretending to be Hanon.”
“That doesn’t matter.”

Seron let me go, looking quite satisfied.
“Because you’re still the prince I’ve always liked.”

“And yet you used to call me a sweet potato.”
“And I still did. But I never hated you, even as a sweet potato. I just like you even more now.”

Seron said this with a carefree laugh.
…This girl—did she awaken to something after all this?
She’s throwing out such embarrassing lines like it’s nothing.

“Prince Sweet Potato.”

With her hands firmly planted on her hips, Seron declared confidently,
“Brace yourself. I won’t lose this battle, no matter what.”

Her spirited laughter was so charming that, for a moment, it even made my heart waver.

I had no idea what I was supposed to brace myself for.
This battle… might be a grueling one.