Chapter 90: Protagonist of the Side Story

As mentioned earlier, the world is home to five kingdoms and one empire.
Strangely enough, these five kingdoms and the empire share borders near a central point.
At the heart of this shared border stands a statue symbolizing the World Alliance.

The statue depicts the great hero who ended the seemingly endless global war—Wolfram.
Beside Wolfram, there were five companions who followed him.
Each of them hailed from a different nation.

After the war ended, these companions returned to their respective homelands and established academies dedicated to peace.
These academies were named after the six heroes.
However, Wolfram’s nation was the first to be destroyed during the war.
The reason was that his country, being the central nation, bordered all other countries in the world.

To honor Wolfram, the world designated the remains of his homeland as a sanctuary.
Thus, Wolfram’s Sanctuary was established, and it became the venue for this meeting.
To commemorate his heroic deeds, peace is strictly maintained within Wolfram’s Sanctuary, no matter the circumstances.
This rule is universally upheld by both the empire and the five great kingdoms.

Breaking this peace would mean making enemies of the entire world and losing all social credibility.
Thus, it became the perfect venue for meetings involving academy members who were destined to become key figures in the world.

‘After all, the International Individual Tournament will also be held here.’

The International Individual Tournament, held every three years, was why my companions and I had come to Wolfram’s Sanctuary.

“Welcome, student council members of Zeryon Academy. We’ve been expecting you.”

As we stepped down from the carriage, we were greeted by an elderly gentleman and several waiting maids.
Even the emperor of the empire shows respect when visiting Wolfram’s Sanctuary, honoring the great hero Wolfram.
Naturally, those who serve here are highly skilled in hosting distinguished guests.

“Lady Iris Hyserion, Lady Sharin Sazaris, Lady Isabel Luna, and Mister Hanon Airei. Welcome. I am Monoridge, and I will be your guide.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Monoridge. We’re in your hands.”

Iris responded with the grace befitting a princess.
Those who serve in Wolfram’s Sanctuary abandon their family names, dedicating themselves entirely to honoring the great hero.
As such, even royalty must show them proper respect.

“Yes, it’s an honor to serve you.”

Monoridge replied with a smile and began leading us.
Of course, Isabel and I were quietly observing Iris from behind.

Iris exuded such dignity that it was hard to believe she had been engaged in a petty staring contest with Isabel just moments ago.

“I had no idea Iris’s personality was like that.”

Isabel remarked.
As she said, Iris rarely showed her true nature.
She always maintained the image of the strongest and most dignified princess.
It was rare for her to reveal personal desires, as she had done today.

However, Iris had changed a lot recently.
Her true personality occasionally surfaced in unexpected moments.
Even during the carriage ride earlier, this was evident.

Iris almost never displayed possessiveness toward anyone.

“That’s probably because of you.”

Isabel said, her gaze landing on me.
Iris most often let her true self show when she was around me.

“She must be in a good mood because she’s been sleeping well.”
These days, Iris’s favorite pastime was sleeping.
She would seize any chance to take a quick nap.
But, of course, she still struggled to sleep properly without me nearby.

“See? That’s because of you.”

Isabel said again.

Well, she’s not wrong.

When I didn’t deny it, Isabel, for some reason, looked slightly sulky and followed behind Iris.

“Hanon.”
At that moment, Sharin bumped her head lightly against my back.

“I think I know one thing about your future, Hanon.”
“What is it?”
“You’ll probably get stabbed.”

I grabbed Sharin’s cheeks and stretched them as a form of punishment.
Don’t say things like that, even as a joke.

“Ughhh…”
While Sharin covered her reddened cheeks with both hands, I followed after the others.

The pathway to the conference hall within Wolfram’s Sanctuary was paved with pure white marble.
The hall was clearly built with luxury in mind, but instead of feeling excessive, it exuded a sense of serenity.

‘It must mean the architects put immense thought into its design.’
The structure was said to have been created by the finest architects of the time, working together.
Naturally, the building was breathtaking.

Walking along the carefully designed path that made perfect use of natural light, we soon arrived at a grand plaza.
In the center stood a round table.

The table was accompanied by six chairs symbolizing the empire and the five kingdoms, decorated with white doves to represent peace and unity.
Surrounding the round table were dozens of additional seats, arranged for the others to sit while their nation’s representatives took the central positions.

‘This is a place even hard to see in the game.’
The International Individual Tournament is held only once every three years.
To even reach this place, you not only had to raise Iris’s favorability to a very high level by Act 4 of the second semester of the second year, but also clear several related artifacts and hidden quests beforehand.
It wasn’t a place you could come to easily just because you wanted to.

“There’s someone already here.”

Isabel said, scanning the area around the round table.

It was customary for all the nations’ representatives to arrive and take their seats at the same time.
Thus, while no one was seated at the round table itself, some people had already taken seats in the surrounding chairs.

They were all kids around our age, students from academies other than Zeryon Academy.
They were students from the five kingdoms.

Their gazes immediately turned toward us as we entered.

“Zeryon Academy.”
“Oh, then that person must be…”
“I’ve heard the rumors, but they truly have an extraordinary appearance.”

The person who drew the most attention was, of course, Iris.
As the 3rd princess of the empire and someone renowned for her overwhelming skill, Iris’s fame extended even to foreign countries.
It was only natural for her to be the center of attention.

“Then, the one behind her…”
“A mage who has awakened Mirinae.”
“The daughter of the Blue Tower Master.”

Next, Sharin attracted attention.
Being the daughter of the Blue Tower Master, a prodigy of magic, and a Mirinae awakener, it was inevitable that she would be well-known.
Sharin herself, however, couldn’t care less about her fame, letting out a lazy yawn.
She was consistently indifferent to others’ opinions.

“And that one…”
“She has the complete opposite vibe to Lady Iris.”
“Like the sun.”

The third person to draw attention was Isabel.
Isabel’s appearance was the polar opposite of Iris’s.
If Iris was the dark night, Isabel was the bright day.
As one of the main heroines, her beauty was on par with Iris’s and did not lose out in comparison.

On the contrary, the contrast between their opposite auras made them stand out even more.

Now it was my turn.

“And the one behind them?”
“Who’s that?”
“Never seen them before.”
“They have the same hair and eye color as the 3rd Princess.”
“Are they from the lineage of the Duke of Robliaju?”

I relaxed the tension in my back.
Of course.

Hanon has a decent appearance, but no matter how you look at it, it doesn’t compare to the heroines.
Because I have the same hair and eye color as Iris, I might draw some attention, but most of them probably haven’t even heard of my name.

“Well, they still look kind of cute.”
“Small. Are they a first-year?”
“Possible.”

What the hell? Who said that last part?
A shiver ran down my spine.
If I find out who said it, I’ll make sure to crush them for the sake of world peace.

Anyway, we entered, drawing a lot of attention.
Once we sat down, led by Iris, the murmurs gradually died down.

In the meantime, I quickly scanned the room.
One kingdom was still missing.
I planned to use this opportunity to observe the key figures from the other academies.

‘Normally, there wouldn’t be much interaction with students from other academies.’
But this is now a world without Lucas, the protagonist.
Gaps in the story need to be filled in somehow, even from unexpected places.

My eyes quickly scanned the students.
They were all representatives from their academies, holding positions like president or vice president.
Because of that, they all seemed far from ordinary.

But among them, three individuals stood out the most.

From the Kingdom of Illusions, Phanesis.
The ‘Son of Shadows’, Vice President Solvas Umbra.
He was engaged in a relaxed conversation with those around him, exuding confidence.
At a glance, his sociability was evident, as was his knack for dealing with people.

From the Holy Kingdom, Lium.
The ‘Noble Saintess’, President Acrede Saint Narea.
The graceful saintess sat silently, exuding dignity.
However, knowing her true nature, I couldn’t help but think she must be silently enduring a great deal.
Seeing her in reality, it’s a wonder how she managed to keep that hidden.

From the Kingdom of Skies, Parazon.
The ‘Only Prince’, President Ergo Parazon.
His face carried both arrogance and confidence.
His belief in his own superiority was unwavering.

These three are renowned as some of the strongest figures of this generation, stars whose fame even extends to foreign lands.
Iris and Sharin were also among the six stars that grouped with them.

‘And from there…’
Lucas would originally join them, transforming the six stars into the seven stars, but that’s a story that can no longer happen.

Still, there was one person even more significant than these three.
One of the six stars who had yet to appear.

‘It should be soon.’

This individual hails from the poorest of the five kingdoms, a nation on the path of collapse due to successive policy failures.

The Fallen Kingdom, Prellis.
The one I’ve been waiting for is there.

Step—

At that moment, the sound of footsteps echoed across the hall.
Everyone’s attention naturally shifted toward the source of the sound.
My gaze followed the footsteps as well.

There, four individuals were walking in.
They were students from Ordo Academy, established in the fallen kingdom of Prellis, a nation endlessly plummeting due to the incompetence of its king.

At the very front was a figure hunched over, looking utterly unremarkable.
It was as if they wanted to flee immediately, overwhelmed by the gazes of those around them, but their status left them no choice but to take the lead.

Behind them, two of the other three wore visibly dark expressions.
Their eyes made it clear they were far from pleased about being here.

“Pfft.”
“What an embarrassing sight.”

The students gathered here were still young.
Perhaps because of that, some, intoxicated by their own abilities, looked down on others.
Sure enough, a few were sneering at them.

But among the four, there was one.
Just one person.

Someone who reminded me of a blue flame.

No one could mock her.

With short, vividly blue hair and striking blue eyes, and a posture so perfect it seemed to gleam with brilliance, she stood out luminously in this place.

‘I’ve been waiting.’

The one with a power most similar to the extinguished flames of Lucas’ determination.

The Unyielding Blue Flame.
Eve.

The protagonist of the side story in the Slayer Academies of the Demonic Palace series.
The Rise of the Blue Flame.