Chapter 86: When the Body is Exhausted, Sleep Comes Easily

Iris, tormented by insomnia caused by nightmares.
The next day, I was taking her to a training session with Aisha.

Last night.
Although Iris was puzzled after hearing my story, she had already become someone who couldn’t sleep without my warmth.
So, even if she couldn’t fully understand what I said, she hugged me and fell asleep.

The next day, I forcibly woke Iris, who was still half-asleep.
I had now mastered the method of waking her up sharply.
Iris’s sides were particularly sensitive.
After much contemplation on how to free myself from her grip, I accidentally discovered this weakness.

Glancing behind me, I saw Iris rubbing her sides.
“Iris, how’s the morning air?”
Hearing my question, Iris casually looked around.
“Refreshing.”

The crisp autumn air, arriving after the end of summer, carried a sense of freshness.
It seemed Iris felt the freshness as well, as her expression relaxed slightly.
Thanks to me being with her yesterday, Iris had gone to bed early.
Her mood, which had settled, looked much better.

“We’re almost there.”
When I brought Iris to the designated place, Aisha was already there.
Aisha, who used to wear short workout clothes, was now dressed in slightly longer ones.
With her tall stature, even taller than mine in my Hanon form, her long limbs left an impression.
If this were reality, Aisha would surely have been tall enough to be a model.

Fortunately, Isabel wasn’t present.
Ever since the recent boycott incident, Isabel had been skipping our morning training sessions.

“Aisha.”
“Oh, senior…”
Aisha hesitated to respond when she saw Iris standing next to me.
Her eyes widened.
It was only natural—after all, I had brought the third princess, one of the nation’s treasures.

“Aisha, this is Iris. She’ll be joining our training from today.”
“It’s an honor to meet the Third Princess.”
When Aisha greeted her formally, Iris waved her hand.
“This is Zeryon Academy. Treat me like any other senior, just as you do Hanon.”
“Yes, I will.”

Aisha wasn’t someone who lacked flexibility.
If Iris requested it, she would gladly comply.

“I was thinking of slightly changing the training routine for Iris today. Is that alright?”
“Yes, training is something that requires consistent changes to avoid the body adapting and to continue progressing. I welcome it.”
That was a very Aisha-like answer.

“Let’s go, Iris.”
“Mhm.”

With a still-curious expression, the training for the three of us began.

The training method was simple.
Iris was one of the few who had awakened her aura at a young age, like Van.
However, since Van’s understanding of aura was a step above hers, she couldn’t wield it as brilliantly as he could.
But the mere fact that she could use aura was significant.

Throughout the training, I continuously had Iris use her aura.
Although she was initially perplexed, she complied, perhaps because I had earned her trust over time.

In this way, Iris expended all her aura during the morning training.
When her body became so exhausted that she could no longer produce aura, we concluded the session.

“Whew, so you’ve been doing this kind of training every day?”

As Iris caught her breath and asked a question, I smiled.
“Iris, stamina is national strength.”
“I think I understand a little better now why you never seem to get tired, Hanon.”

Even when I was stranded in the Demonic Palace last time, I endured purely through stamina.
Through today’s training, Iris seemed to grasp that point.

“More importantly, how is your body feeling?”
“My body?”

Hearing my question, Iris slightly lifted the hem of her workout clothes.
For a brief moment, her pale, white abdomen came into view, and I felt a bit dizzy.
I might get arrested for blasphemy at this rate.

“I think I’ve lost some weight.”
“Iris, if Hania were here, she would have fainted.”
Most likely from sheer delight.

I adjusted Iris’s clothes for her.
“More importantly, Iris, focus inward.”

Iris blinked her large eyes and soon turned her attention inward.
As someone who could wield aura, she was fully capable of examining her inner state.

Moments later, her eyes slowly opened, and she looked at me with a slightly surprised expression.
“…The murky energy is completely gone.”

What had seeped into her inner being was none other than the power of the Archdemon.
The power of the Archdemon is supplied through nightmares.
If that’s the case, all she needed to do was expel everything that had been supplied.

During the morning training, I had her continuously release her aura.
As a result, when Iris reached her limit, she had unknowingly consumed the power of the Archdemon as well.

With the force that had tormented her now depleted, the strange, oppressive energy that had surrounded Iris disappeared.
Her face transformed into one of lightness and relief.
It was only natural since the suffocating pressure weighing on her body was gone.

As befitting the Final Villainess, Iris possessed a power on a whole different level from ordinary people.
Humans have a natural instinct to conserve their strength, so it was rare for Iris to exhaust herself completely, as she had done today.

“Tonight, I’ll stay by your side again. Let’s try sleeping.”
Still, Iris’s insomnia is a deep-seated issue.
Her body had developed a habit of avoiding sleep because of the relentless torment of nightmares.

Even though the influence of the Archdemon had diminished, she wouldn’t be able to fall asleep immediately due to her ingrained habit.
So, for the time being, I decided to stay by her side and care for her consistently.

“…Okay.”
Iris gazed at me quietly with an indescribable expression.
I couldn’t discern her thoughts, but thus began Iris’s ‘sweet sleep project’.

* * *

Time passed unrelentingly.
It was now the second week of Iris’s ‘sweet sleep project’.

Her face had visibly brightened.
“Hanon, good morning.”
She had even reached the point where she woke up earlier than I did to prepare for morning training.

Iris increased the intensity of her training every day.
She put her all into shaking off even the slightest remnants of her nightmares.
Thanks to this, Iris had recently begun to look forward to nighttime.

The peaceful sleep she had been experiencing was something she hadn’t felt in so long that she couldn’t help but anticipate it.

“Hanon, come here.”
As always, Iris called me over, hugged me, and fell asleep.

By now, I had also grown accustomed to sleeping like this.

However, the fundamental issue of the nightmare still wasn’t resolved.
‘I guess it’s about time to start preparing.’
The time had come to prepare something real to reduce Iris’s nightmares.
Thus, I spent each day focused on caring for Iris’s nightmares.

Meanwhile, new faces began to appear at the academy.
They were newly appointed assistants and professors, replacing those expelled after the boycott incident.
Many of them introduced themselves to Iris shortly after arriving at Zeryon Academy.
This was proof that they were supporters of the Third Princess.

The newly appointed assistants and professors were extremely diligent individuals.
Having been thoroughly trained by the Duke of Robliaju, they demonstrated their skills and actively guided the students.
Thanks to their efforts, the atmosphere at Zeryon Academy changed significantly.

The assistants and professors who had been involved in corruption already had a poor reputation.
With their replacements diligently conducting lessons, the students were naturally influenced as well.

“It wasn’t a pointless effort after all.”
Seron gave my arm a light tap as she observed the changed atmosphere of the academy.

It happened that Iris and Hania, who usually accompanied us, were absent, so today, Seron and I were having lunch together.
Card, busy with work recently, had fewer chances to join us for lunch.
As a result, Seron and I ended up eating together like this.

Seron’s words were spot on.
Even Rozamin, the former leader of the boycott, would surely feel a sense of fulfillment after his one-month suspension ended.

“More importantly, Prince Sweet Potato.”
She lowered her posture as she called me.
I matched her by lowering mine as well.
“What?”
“…Why do you keep going to the girls’ dormitory in Hania’s form?”

So, she finally caught on.
“Seron, were you stalking me?”
“Did you really think I wouldn’t look into it after what you said last time? There’s a pervert sneaking into the girls’ dormitory, so of course I had to check.”

Why is the stalker acting so righteous?
Unbelievable.

“You keep going in and out of Lady Iris’s room. What on earth are you doing? What if you get caught?”

Iris knows me as Hanon.
If she finds out I’m Vikarmern, I’ll be executed on the spot for sneaking into the princess’s quarters.

“I’m just helping Lady Iris sleep well, that’s all.”

What I do is no more than playing the role of a comfort doll.
I swear I’ve never done anything inappropriate.
To be precise, my primal instincts are forcibly suppressed, so things like that can’t even happen.

“As long as you keep quiet, I won’t get caught.”
“I don’t want to see you executed, so I’ll keep quiet… but…”
Seron grumbled slightly and glanced at me.

“…Still, it feels unfair to me.”
“What’s unfair about it?”
“I can’t sleep well either.”

I blinked in confusion.
She was dozing off even earlier this morning. What’s she talking about?

“Because I keep thinking about you.”

Oh, no.
Seron’s face turned bright red as she fidgeted awkwardly.
She’d become a tomato after saying it herself.

I didn’t expect her to go straight for it like this.

“… Don’t you feel embarrassed saying something like that?”

“E-e-embarrassing! But what can I do? It’s true!”
So it’s true.

Seron bit her lip tightly and covered her face with both hands.
“Don’t look at my face.”
Even I felt embarrassed just looking at her.

“No! Look at my face properly. Remember how sincere I am!”

I stared at Seron for a moment and then glanced around.
Luckily, no one was around.
We were walking along a secluded path, as we often did during strolls. It seemed Seron had deliberately brought me here to say something like this.
Clever girl.

So, I loosened the Veil Bandages slightly, revealing my true appearance as Vikarmern.

“Uh, ah, eek…”
The moment I became Vikarmern, Seron froze in place.

“Seron, say it again.”

Her eyes rolled nervously, and she fidgeted with her feet like a shy, delicate girl.
“H-Hyuung…”
Then, with a strange sound, she turned around and ran away.

Recently, I discovered a new way to handle Seron.
When I’m in Hanon’s form, she acts as brazen as usual. But when I transform into Vikarmern, she can’t handle it and flees.
It seems she still can’t get used to Vikarmern’s face.

‘Well, she’s been harboring feelings for him her whole life, after all.’
Seron still needed time to prepare her heart.

After dealing with Seron, I wrapped the Veil Bandages around myself again.
Seron’s boldness is growing day by day, and I’m starting to worry about what’s next.

‘More importantly, the time is almost here.’
I looked at the ripe autumn leaves and felt that Act 4, Scene 2 had begun.

Act 4, Scene 2.

The International Individual Competition.

A friendly event held every three years, where students from academies across various kingdoms and empires compete against each other.
And there’s someone I must transfer to Zeryon Academy during this event.

‘I burned through this summer vacation for that purpose.’
I clenched my fists tightly.

This person is crucial for resolving Iris’s nightmares and shaping the future ahead.
Someone with a power similar to the fiery determination of a fighting spirit.
I must transfer her to Zeryon Academy.