The World After the Bad Ending

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Chapter 174: Private Meeting with the Professor

I confessed to Professor Vega.

To be precise, the real Hannon confessed to Professor Vega.

How did this situation even happen?

My face was filled with complicated emotions.

To be honest, I’m not entirely unaware of Hannon’s preferences.

Hannon has a thing for older women.

From the start, Hannon was designed as a character that perfectly fits the "big sister-little brother" dynamic, which is a popular subgenre in subculture.

At Zerion Academy, if there was one beautiful older woman who stood out, it was undoubtedly Professor Vega.

That’s why, during the Flame Butterfly arc, Hannon and Professor Vega were frequently paired together.

Even outside of the game, players actively shipped the two.

But that didn’t mean there was any official couple pairing—

At least, not until now.

‘I was only gone for a few weeks…’

What on earth happened in that short span of time that led Hannon to confess?

Now, I understood why everyone had been reacting that way today.

Starting from my ex-girlfriend, Hania, to my fiancée, Sharin, and even Seron, who had a crush on me—

I had always been entangled with countless women.

And now, rumors were spreading that I had confessed to Professor Vega.

Of course, the others would look at me like I was some kind of lunatic and try to avoid me.

"Even though I’ve been working on improving my image recently…"

I completely ruined it.

"…Well, I don’t really care what happens to your image."

Isabel, who was beside me, casually commented.

"In fact, it might be better if your image gets worse."

She smiled, but her grin seemed oddly sinister.

Why does she look like she’s about to embrace the dark side?

Ever since she confessed, Isabel’s mischievous streak had noticeably increased.

In the end, I decided to just accept it.

After all, I was simply reverting to my past reputation as a playboy.

Nothing new.

Being a playboy is familiar to me, anyway.

"Ah! Prince Sweet Potato!"

Just then, a familiar voice reached my ears.

When I turned my head, I saw someone sprinting toward me with short legs.

A flash of red hair—

And then, suddenly, a heavy impact struck my stomach.

Looking down, I saw Seron standing there.

She was as dazzling as ever.

"You should’ve told me when you arrived!"

"I’m here."

"You’re late!"

Even when I told her, she still made a fuss.

Seron was just as energetic as always.

"You’re back."

Eve approached as well, standing beside Seron.

It seemed like Seron had been taking good care of Eve while I was away.

"So, did everything go well?"

Seron tilted her head up and asked.

Was she trying to blind me with her radiance?

Her sparkle had only intensified.

Still, I appreciated her concern.

"It went perfectly."

"Good job."

Seron stood on her tiptoes and patted my head.

For some reason, it felt oddly reassuring.

Had she been studying while I was gone?

"By the way, Seron, what rank did I get in the mock battle this time?"

I suddenly remembered that I hadn’t checked my ranking.

Last time, I had ranked 14th.

Not exactly a low rank.

The real Hannon wasn’t weak either, so he shouldn’t have done too badly.

As I voiced my curiosity, Seron hesitated for a moment.

Then, after clearing her throat, she gently patted my back.

"It’s okay, Prince Sweet Potato. Even if it’s a bit lower, it’s no big deal."

Lower.

The moment I heard that word, my expression stiffened.

Had the real Hannon’s ranking dropped?

I felt a tinge of disappointment, but it wasn’t a huge deal.

The mock battle wasn’t that important.

"So, what rank did I get?"

"Ahem… 18th."

"What?"

I blinked in disbelief.

That meant Hannon had lost every single match.

There was no way the real Hannon’s skills were that lacking.

Something must have happened.

When I looked at Seron for an explanation, she scratched the back of her head awkwardly.

"I don’t know what was going on, but during the whole battle, you just spaced out. You got knocked out in one hit."

"That probably happened right after he confessed to Professor Vega."

Isabel chimed in from the side.

"I heard from the other students."

How was it that Isabel, who wasn’t even at the academy, knew more than Seron?

Was this the difference between an insider and an outsider?

There was no way Vega had accepted Hannon’s confession, so he must have been dazed after getting rejected and lost focus in battle.

This was so typical of Hannon.

Well, there was nothing I could do.

"And I also heard that he confessed again afterward."

I fell silent at those words.

Hannon had confessed twice.

He was an aggressively persistent man.

‘Title: I confessed to my professor twice and got rejected both times.’

But the thing was, it had nothing to do with me.

* * *

After eating the lunch Isabel had prepared, I headed to the martial arts class for the afternoon session.

Normally, I would’ve been excited to return to the martial arts class I loved.

But right now, my steps felt heavy.

I was worried about what kind of rumors had spread among the students.

Creak—

As I opened the classroom door, all eyes turned toward me.

The students stared for a moment, then quickly averted their gazes.

Even the girls who usually had a rivalry with me avoided eye contact.

To think they would look at me with such sorrowful expressions.

Life sure is unpredictable.

"Hannon."

At that moment, Ban called my name.

Oh, right—

I had promised to duel Ban.

I suddenly felt bad for him.

"…Let’s do it another time. Stay strong."

For some reason, Ban looked at me with sympathy.

It seemed he understood my "defeat."

His kindness made my eyes sting a little.

"You’re here."

As Ban passed by, another figure approached me.

Hania Rapidedia.

The daughter of the Imperial Knight Commander and my ex-girlfriend.

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My eyes widened slightly.

It was understandable—Hania was displaying a reaction I hadn't seen in a long time.

This was clearly a sign that she had seen right through my identity.

Eve and Seron, who had followed me, coughed awkwardly.

My gaze shifted toward them.

Both of them avoided my eyes as much as possible.

These two... got caught.

At this point, it felt like my secret wasn’t much of a secret anymore.

But getting found out by Hania was a problem.

That was because she was Iris’s closest aide.

I felt my mind spinning, wondering how Hania would interpret my presence.

"I know what you're worried about, but you don’t have to.

I know how much you've worked for Lady Iris so far."

Just as I tensed up, Hania’s gentle voice reached me.

"I won’t participate in your lies, but I also won’t be the first to tell Lady Iris."

I suddenly felt a lump in my throat.

"My ex-girlfriend is really cool. I might fall for her again."

"If you want to date me again, then become cooler than me first."

That... wouldn't be easy.

A nearly impossible challenge.

Thud—

At that moment, hands pressed into both sides of my waist.

On one side was Seron, and on the other was Isabel.

Seron was glaring daggers at me, while Isabel was smiling as if nothing was wrong.

However, the pressure on my waist only grew stronger.

"Are you two trying to crush me like this?"

"Seriously, who told you to flirt with others right in front of me? Did you even ask for permission?"

Seron shouted angrily.

"What I said last time still stands."

Isabel just smiled.

She was definitely referring to her previous threat to lock me up.

Don't do this.

I still have a lot to do.

"You brought this upon yourself."

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Eve glared at me with contempt, still displeased with the situation around me.

Meanwhile, Hania glanced between Seron and Isabel before fixing her gaze on me.

"Under Imperial law, having multiple wives isn't a problem, but if you get injured because of it, don't expect a favorable ruling."

"...Hania, what do you take me for?"

"A womanizer who even confessed to a professor."

Hania had heard that rumor too.

It would take a long time to clear up that misunderstanding.

"By the way, where is Lady Iris?"

At that moment, I suddenly realized Iris was nowhere to be seen.

Hania was always where Iris was.

It was rare for her to be absent.

"She was summoned by Lord Celestial Grace."

Celestial Grace... That man was already making his move.

No wonder Iris was nowhere to be seen.

Unless it was a special occasion like the Winter Demon Dungeon,

only someone of Duke status, like Duke of Whitewood,

could override the academy’s schedule to summon someone.

That meant Iris had skipped today’s academy schedule to answer Celestial Grace’s call.

‘So, the scenario is moving forward sooner than expected.’

An event that was originally supposed to happen at the end of Act 5...

but now, it had been pulled forward to the end of Act 4.

‘The scenario is progressing ahead of schedule.’

Soon, winter at the Grand Demon Dungeon would arrive.

Immediately afterward, the final act—Act 6—would begin.

That meant Celestial Grace was definitely making his move against Iris in advance.

It was an unpleasant development for me.

I knew what Iris would have to endure.

But if we wanted to sever the evil completely, she had no choice but to go through it.

‘I’ve done my best to minimize the nightmares.’

Through my own efforts, Eve’s help, and even using White Dream sword,

I had significantly alleviated Iris’s nightmares.

I was sure Iris herself could endure it.

All that was left was for me to trust her.

Act 6 was fast approaching.

Since the scenario was progressing earlier than expected, I had to be extra cautious of unexpected variables.

Just as I solidified my resolve—

Creak—

The classroom door opened, and someone stepped inside.

As always, her clothes were sloppily thrown on,

her body reeked of alcohol,

and her face looked incredibly drowsy.

A woman who could be mistaken for a shut-in walked into the classroom.

Yet, her beauty was so striking that her age was impossible to guess.

"Everyone, take your seats."

At her words, the students quickly sat down.

I also took my seat, watching as Vega scratched her head with a complicated expression before speaking.

"Hannon Irey."

As my name was called, all eyes in the classroom turned to me at once.

I stood up with a puzzled expression.

Vega stared at me briefly before sighing and saying—

"Come to my office after class. I have something to tell you."

The moment she said that, the students’ eyes widened.

I also knew exactly why they reacted that way.

It was because I had confessed to Professor Vega not long ago.

And now, she was summoning me in private.

What could this mean?

‘I’m screwed.’

"You’re screwed."

Seron voiced exactly what I was thinking.

A perfect display of teamwork.

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