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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Clara]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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Chapter 30: The Princess Teaches Assassination
A Magic to Reverse Aging.
The magic that makes one younger.
With that, it was immediately clear why Nia had come to the academy as an associate professor of magic arts.
‘If one can become younger, even adults could enter the Demon Dungeon.’
The Demon Dungeon could only be entered by students who had not yet reached adulthood.
Thus, while the world begrudgingly accepted this reality,
under the noble mission of protecting it from the Apostles of Ruin,
it was sacrificing students.
Naturally, the world would not find this entirely justifiable.
Certainly, some extraordinary students had emerged, worthy of the title of "heroes."
However, the future was always uncertain.
In the eyes of older generations, the young seemed endlessly immature and vulnerable.
They respected the young in their own way, but they couldn't entirely suppress their unease about entrusting them with such tasks.
More importantly, adults bore the burden of responsibility.
It was their duty to pave the way for a better society for the younger generation,
to ensure that they walked the right path.
Thus, adults sought ways to confront the Demon Dungeon.
As heart-wrenching as it was, the current third-year generation already bore the shameful title of the "weakest generation."
If the next generation and the one after that continued to fall short,
the Apostles would not be stopped, and they would open the gates of the Demon Dungeon.
To prevent this, the magic of reversing aging was developed.
‘It seems they took inspiration from the same method I used with the Veil Bandages.’
Originally, Vikamon was a current third-year student.
By next year, he would no longer be able to enter the Demon Dungeon.
However, the Veil Bandages solved that problem.
The Veil Bandages were unique among items—a singular artifact crafted through mystery.
The wearer of the Veil Bandages could transform into anything,
including physically regressing their age to become younger.
‘With the Veil Bandages, anyone can enter the Demon Dungeon.’
This was knowledge only the players possessed.
One might think it would be sufficient to use the Veil Bandages to send a promising knight commander into the Demon Dungeon.
But if it were that simple, I wouldn’t be going through all this trouble.
‘Besides, the Duke of Robliage would surely interfere.’
The Duke of Robliage had already joined hands with the Apostles of Ruin.
He would never let such a thing slide.
The knight commander would be killed somewhere, and the Veil Bandages would be destroyed.
Even considering this, giving the Veil Bandages to a skilled individual to descend into the Demon Dungeon was impossible.
‘But the magic to reverse aging is different.’
Since it was a magic actively researched and developed by the Empire itself,
even the Duke of Robliage couldn’t find a reason to stop it.
If successful, the Empire could send the entire knightly order into the Demon Dungeon.
There was no reason for the Empire not to pursue such magic.
Nia was the researcher in charge of developing this magic and had achieved some results.
He had temporarily joined the academy as an associate professor to test its effects.
‘Then why didn’t Nia come to the academy in the game route I played? He should’ve come to test it out.’
In the other game routes, he should have had reasons to visit.
Why didn’t he come, and why was he eventually assassinated?
‘I can’t pinpoint where things diverged.’
I knew there would be many variables from the moment Lucas died.
But now, with a completely new figure appearing, it’s even harder to grasp.
‘Even if it’s confusing, what choice do I have?’
I had to navigate through it.
"Princess Sweet Potato, what are you thinking about so deeply while eating?"
Sitting across from me, Seron stirred her spoon in the air and spoke.
"I envy how you always seem to have no thoughts."
"You trying to pick a fight?"
"Think you can win if I do?"
"I’ll win, as long as you don’t self-destruct!"
Did she already forget the time she lost even without self-destructing?
"Look over there, it’s the Problematic Trio."
"They’re flocking together again."
The voices of passing students laughing reached my ears.
I wasn’t particularly bothered, but Seron frowned deeply.
"Those idiots don’t even realize we saved their lives."
Was she referring to the Forest keeper incident?
Since the professors had openly discussed the recent upheaval in the Demon Dungeon,
other students were aware of the Forest keeper story.
However, appreciation was a different matter altogether.
People don’t realize how serious something is until they experience it directly.
Even if their lives were saved,
the perception changes depending on whether they were saved directly or not.
Thus, even though the professors praised us for what we had accomplished,
students who didn’t understand the danger posed by the Forestkeeper remained indifferent.
Some even mocked, saying, “What’s the big deal about defeating a low-level Apostle?”
"Aren’t you angry?"
"What would change if I got angry here?"
I had tarnished my reputation deliberately.
To provoke Isabel’s wrath, I had done countless things.
If my reputation were good, it would feel unjust.
"Heh, there are also people who think highly of you because of this, so don’t worry."
Card, who had been listening nearby, chimed in.
As he said, some people had raised their evaluations of us due to this incident.
Notably, upper-year students who truly understood the dangers of the upheaval were among them.
"It’s just annoying to see those jerks looking down on us."
Seron grumbled.
If that’s the case, she didn’t have to hang around with us.
But it seemed she didn’t want to be alone.
"Huh."
Just then, I noticed something strange—the surroundings had grown quiet.
Seron froze, fork in hand.
When I turned to see what it was,
I, too, froze on the spot.
There stood a familiar figure.
A woman with long black hair and vividly glowing red eyes.
The most feared person in the Empire, a mesmerizing presence impossible to look away from.
The Third Imperial Princess, Iris Hysirion.
She was standing behind me.
"Y-Your Highness, the Third Princess..."
"Enough."
When Seron and Card hurriedly tried to bow, Iris stopped them.
Her gaze lowered briefly before settling on me.
"Shall we talk for a moment?"
The Third Princess herself was asking to talk.
I had no right to refuse.
"With pleasure."
I asked Seron to handle clearing my tray and stood up.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Clara]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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Fortunately, I had just finished eating.
She must have timed her approach knowing this.
Iris didn’t care about the attention she was drawing in the dining hall.
Wherever she went, attention followed her.
"Let’s find a quiet place."
A short while later, Iris arrived at a quiet park.
It was still lunchtime for the students, so the park was sparsely populated.
Iris sat down on a bench.
As I tried to stand before her out of courtesy, she tapped the seat next to her.
"Sit."
"Yes, Your Highness, the Third Princess."
When the princess invites you to sit, you cannot refuse.
I gladly took the seat beside her.
"Nia Cynthia."
Then, an unexpected name came out of her mouth.
"Do you know why he came to Zerion Academy as an associate professor?"
What could she mean?
She asked without even glancing at me, so I couldn’t read her expression.
"I heard it was to test a spell that makes one younger."
So, I simply replied with what I knew.
It wouldn’t do any good to try to outwit the Third Princess.
"An interesting spell. If such a thing were possible, the academy students wouldn’t have to sacrifice themselves anymore."
"It’s not sacrifice; it’s a noble duty."
"No matter how you dress it up, a sacrifice is still a sacrifice."
Iris didn’t seem pleased with the situation the students faced.
"Do you think a spell to make one younger could succeed?"
"Honestly, I believe it’s almost impossible."
The Veil Bandages are mystery items imbued with a mysterious power, so such things might be feasible in that realm.
But pure magic is a different story.
Magic can indeed make the impossible possible, but there are limits.
"Transformation magic, for instance, is a precarious field. It can cause mental collapse by making someone identify too closely with the form they transform into."
She was right; transformation magic was indeed challenging.
It doesn’t simply mask the surface; one has to become the entity they’re transforming into, which can have many unintended consequences.
The Veil Bandages are no exception.
"And if it’s a spell to make one younger, the risks would be even greater."
"You seem very skeptical."
"It’s just a waste of time to pursue such magic."
In truth, I felt the same skepticism.
If this were possible, the world would have long since been conquered by these people, and the Demon Sovereign would have been defeated.
The fact that it hasn’t happened yet means there’s a reason for it.
‘In all the times I’ve reached the ending, such a spell was never completed.’
This time, too, it’s highly unlikely to succeed.
"Is there a particular reason you’re telling me this?"
The real issue was why she was discussing this with me.
I didn’t have a significant connection to Iris.
We were linked by bloodlines and other factors, but this wasn’t the kind of conversation to summon me for.
"Someone is after Nia Cynthia’s life."
My eyes slowly widened.
Coming from Iris, these words were hard to believe.
Iris was living under the protection of the Duke of Robliage, aiming to ascend the throne.
For her to bring up the assassination of Nia Cynthia, who is aligned with the First Prince, was shocking.
Especially since Nia’s assassination would benefit the Third Princess’s faction.
"… Let me ask again, why are you telling me this?"
"Because I think you can stop it."
What could she mean?
I couldn’t fathom her intent.
I fell silent for a moment.
"Do you want Nia Cynthia to live, Your Highness?"
"He’s a talent for the empire. Of course, I don’t want him assassinated."
She said this as she stood up from the bench.
"If possible, I’d prefer him to live."
I was surprised. Iris was more purely devoted to the empire than I had thought.
She didn’t want the budding talent of Nia Cynthia, who could become a great asset to the empire, to be lost to political schemes.
This was likely why.
Even with the Duke of Robliage backing her, people rallied to the Third Princess’s faction because she genuinely cared for the empire.
"If it’s true, I’ll do my best."
I didn’t know how he would be assassinated.
Iris hadn’t revealed that much.
With that, Iris turned to leave, but she paused and looked back at me.
"What you mentioned last time was helpful. Got anything else like that?"
She was referring to her chronic insomnia.
"There’s a plant called suryocho that grows naturally in the western regions of the empire. If you make candles from it, the dawn scent they emit will aid sleep. I hope it helps."
"Thank you."
With that, Iris departed.
Nia Cynthia had come to Zerion Academy, but the threats targeting him were far from over.
In the original Flame Butterfly arc, Nia Cynthia’s assassination was unavoidable.
But now, perhaps, there was a single opportunity to prevent it.
If Nia Cynthia didn’t die, Nikita’s descent into darkness would also be avoided.
However, the moment I stopped it, the world would deviate further from the true storyline.
‘I…’
What choice should I make?
My gaze turned to the sky.
If the world doesn’t follow the true storyline, it will be destroyed.
Lucas, what would you have done?
‘You’d have declared you’d save him without hesitation, wouldn’t you?’
But I’m not as straightforward as you.
Even keeping up with the flow of the storyline is a challenge for someone as ordinary as me.
If only Lucas were here, things might be different.
I sighed bitterly.
I missed him, even though I’d never seen his face.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Clara]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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