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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: The Third Princess
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The Last Villainess.
The Third Princess, Iris Haisirion.
There's a lot to say about her.
The final boss and mastermind of Act 6, the Flame Butterfly Arc.
The Archdemon.
She is the Archdemon's destined vessel.
Perhaps that's why.
The aura emanating from Iris was subtly decadent.
Despite being second in line among the emperor candidates to lead the nation.
The energy she exuded was unmistakably somber and dark.
Yet, apart from that, there was a power about her that made it difficult to look away.
First, there was her inherent beauty.
Black hair framing skin that was excessively pale.
And eyes like rubies, imbued with magic.
Everyone who met her sighed at her beauty, wishing for her to cast her gaze upon them.
It wasn't for nothing that she contended with Nikita for the empire's top beauty ranking.
If Nikita's beauty was cold and honest.
Iris's beauty was decadent and captivating.
Every time her cherry-red lips parted, people's hearts wavered, and they leaned in to listen.
And whatever she whispered, it made one want to grant her every wish.
This was partly due to the seductive nature of the Archdemon, which she possessed.
But her unique decadent aura also played a significant role.
That very woman was now.
Standing before me.
'A get-well visit.'
She wouldn't have come for such a trivial reason.
After all, since enrolling in Jerion Academy, I had never once spoken to her.
So why would she seek me out?
'Hanon Airey, whose form I've borrowed, is, for now, of the same bloodline as her.'
Though it's through her mother's side, not her father's.
They are, at least, cousins.
Iris would likely see Hanon's existence in this way:
'Her maternal grandfather, Duke Robliaju.'
He is someone sent with a specific purpose.
'It seems she's still suffering from insomnia.'
I could see dark circles under Iris's eyes.
Iris, forced to strive for the emperor's throne due to her grandfather's ambition.
Living under such pressure, Iris had always suffered from insomnia.
If one only looked at this, it wouldn't seem much different from Isabel's insomnia.
But Iris's insomnia had a fundamentally different cause.
'The Archdemon is involved in Iris's insomnia.'
Her nightmares were filled with the Archdemon's whispers.
To completely corrupt her into its hands one day.
The Archdemon relentlessly tightened its grip on Iris through nightmares.
'The more nightmares she has, the weaker Iris becomes.'
In fact, by this point, Iris's insomnia should have shown some progress.
Lucas's Flame of Valor repelled her nightmares.
Thanks to it, she would have overcome her insomnia and been able to sleep peacefully.
This was also why Iris gradually started seeking out Lucas more often.
Various incidents related to this would occur, and resolving them.
That was the nature of Lucas and Iris's relationship.
However, Lucas no longer existed in this world.
Naturally, Iris's insomnia remained unresolved and was ongoing.
And this was also a task I had to resolve.
The day she completely succumbed to her nightmares.
That day would be the Archdemon's second coming.
"Greetings to Her Imperial Highness, the Third Princess, Iris Haisirion."
However, solving her insomnia wasn't something to be done haphazardly.
What was important was the procedure.
It had to be after establishing a relationship of trust as a person.
As I knelt and paid my respects to the imperial family member, Iris gazed down at me.
Then, she waved a hand dismissively.
"This is Jerion Academy. There's no need for such formalities between students, even if we're alone."
That was true.
I had merely recalled Hanon's position and acted as he likely would.
Iris leaned her head against the wall with a soft thud.
Her black hair cascaded naturally over her pale skin.
Even upon a second look, her beauty undeniably held an alluring decadence.
"There's something I want to ask you."
Her delicate voice, flowing from her cherry-red lips, had a captivating power.
My ears instinctively perked up at her voice.
"Were you sent by Duke Robliaju?"
I had expected her to ask something like this ever since she approached me.
'If I get entangled with Duke Robliaju now.'
It wouldn't be Lucas, but *me* heading straight for a bad ending.
Duke Robliaju was a man consumed by greed, aiming to place Iris on the throne even by utilizing the Archdemon's power.
If someone he hadn't sent himself approached Iris.
Nine times out of ten, he'd assume the First Prince's faction was up to something and try to have my head.
'Well, technically, if you look at it, that's actually true.'
As mentioned before, Hanon was a hidden character who appeared when specific conditions were met.
The specific condition for Hanon's transfer.
It was when Lucas achieved a certain level of fame or higher at the academy.
'A character who only transferred if perfect conditions were met in all fame-related events.'
Thus, Hanon was relatively unknown.
However, one thing was certain.
'Hanon was a person sent by the First Prince to scout talents under Lucas into his own faction.'
The struggle for the imperial throne between the First Prince and the Third Princess.
The First Prince had naturally gathered strength for this.
But the world's most renowned talents were concentrated at the time the Third Princess enrolled.
Due to Duke Robliaju's machinations, the First Prince was unable to intervene at Jerion Academy.
He deliberately avoided interfering with Jerion Academy so as not to provoke a direct confrontation with Duke Robliaju.
But once Lucas's fame reached the imperial ears.
He judged that such talent might all go over to the Third Princess's side and decided to send one person to transfer.
That was Hanon Airey, whom the First Prince's faction had secretly arranged to transfer.
'If the conditions weren't met, Hanon wouldn't transfer anyway.'
If the conditions weren't met, the First Prince would judge that there was no need to pay that much attention to Jerion Academy.
So, to avoid a direct clash with Robliaju, he would choose not to send the transfer student at all.
But the fact that Hanon had transferred meant.
The First Prince had judged the situation dangerous enough to confront Robliaju directly.
'And I, in Hanon's identity, had transferred.'
Jerion Academy had ears.
The First Prince's side would also be baffled to see Hanon suddenly transfer without his permission.
However, it would take roughly half a year to accurately grasp the news.
'The First Prince is currently in his busiest period.'
Having already taken his attention away from the academy, he wouldn't have time to worry about it.
'And during that period, I intended to somehow establish myself.'
I hadn't been idle before enrolling in Jerion Academy either.
I had meticulously planned things out.
A tightrope walking strategy between the First Prince and Duke Robliaju.
But there was just one person.
Someone who could cut this tightrope immediately.
'Iris, who could relay information to Duke Robliaju at any time.'
Iris, right before me, was that variable.
She could convey her thoughts to the Duke without meeting him directly.
The same was true for Duke Robliaju's side, in reverse.
So, if she were to ask Duke Robliaju about me.
Either Robliaju or the First Prince would send someone to cut my tightrope.
'The fortunate thing is.'
Iris doesn't contact Robliaju first.
She wasn't entirely pleased about participating in the imperial succession struggle because of Robliaju.
During gameplay, she subtly revealed her aversion to Duke Robliaju multiple times.
As such, she wouldn't bother to ask me first.
'The problem is, that's just a hypothesis.'
Now is reality, not a game.
And it's a world after a bad ending, where the protagonist is dead, and everything is unpredictable.
A world where only variables exist.
Iris's feelings might have changed too.
"That, Your Imperial Highness, the Third Princess, depends on what you choose to believe, doesn't it?"
Therefore, I had to consider both possibilities.
A world where Robliaju sent Hanon.
A world where the First Prince sent Hanon.
Only by considering both scenarios could I prepare for future variables and guide events towards the main story.
Upon hearing my answer, Iris stared intently at me.
Her gaze was burdensome.
It felt like a long-haired cat sending an inscrutable gaze that humans could never understand.
"Yes, well then."
Iris didn't ask further.
It seemed she had decided to think for herself and draw her own conclusions.
It was bad for my heart.
Talking to someone who could become the final boss.
It was only natural.
"While I'm at it, I should mention, it's best to refrain from disparaging remarks about Lucas Fernando."
Iris had quite a few connections with Lucas.
The Flame of Valor was the only lullaby for Iris, who couldn't sleep due to nightmares.
"Many people still remember him, you see."
He had only attended Jerion Academy for a mere year.
But the influence Lucas had during that single year was by no means small.
The protagonist, indeed.
He had firmly rooted himself everywhere.
'And I had to take his place.'
My gaze returned to Iris.
To replace the protagonist Lucas, what should I do for Iris?
"Are you still unable to sleep these days?"
Indeed, it would be to solve Iris's most tormenting problem: her insomnia.
"In the southern loess region, there's a honey called Hurnier. If you brew and drink it before bed, it might help a little."
It was a honey that, instead of inducing sleep directly, had a restorative effect when consumed.
Even if it couldn't solve the fundamental problem of insomnia, it might allow her to get some sleep.
Iris's gaze met mine.
Within her vivid ruby-red eyes, a fleeting flicker of surprise passed.
"...I'll keep that in mind."
Did she think that since she had given me advice, I was returning the favor?
Iris didn't ask anything further and left, leaving the door open.
I watched her scattering black hair and exhaled.
"Still a long way to go."
Isabel Luna's suicide.
Nikita Cynthia's ancient dragon.
Iris Haisirion's insomnia.
All of these were critical issues that directly led to a bad ending.
I had to be able to resolve all of them.
I quickly opened the door and stepped out.
I couldn't lie around anymore.
I needed personal training for the upcoming mock battle.
I had to raise my stats, even if just a little, through repetitive actions and mastery.
And there was something else I needed to prepare, in addition to my Steel Skin.
For what was to come, I absolutely had to achieve a top-tier result in the mock battle.
I would prepare everything I could.
'My body won't have a moment's rest at this rate.'
I shook off the lingering fatigue and walked down the corridor.
The sun had set, but I couldn't rest yet, not if I was to take its place.