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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: The Disaster Dragoness
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There are countless bad endings in the *Flame Butterfly* arc.
Among them, if I had to name one of the absolute worst...
...it would undoubtedly be the 'Ancient Dragon.'
The northern region of Jerion Academy.
The Ancient Dragon Mountains.
The Ancient Dragon nesting there was an entity designed not to be defeated.
Therefore, the sight of Jerion Academy, frozen solid by the Ancient Dragon's breath, evoked an indescribable sense of overwhelming power and helplessness.
So, no matter what, the Ancient Dragon must never be made an enemy.
This was the fact I, who had played *Flame Butterfly* countless times, knew best.
'Therefore.'
Currently,
after encountering a bad ending, who was the most dangerous person?
The one who would be defeated by the protagonist's narrative in Act 3, and the one who could directly lead to the 'Ancient Dragon' bad ending.
The woman who would wield dragon magic.
In other words, the Disaster Dragoness.
She was currently a third-year student, serving as the Student Council Vice President.
Even back in Act 1, Chapter 1, the Dragoness, who was part of the Student Council, had participated as an assistant for the entrance exam.
But, as luck would have it,
she was defeated by Lucas, who awakened the Flame of Fighting Spirit during the entrance exam.
From then on, she clashed with Lucas at every turn, becoming his sworn rival.
'Actually, the reason Vikaman, the body I possessed, particularly disliked Lucas was because of the Dragoness.'
Vikaman liked the Dragoness.
Now that I was Vikaman, I didn't have such feelings.
Still, it was a known fact that Vikaman liked the Dragoness.
Of course, the Dragoness had no intention of accepting Vikaman's feelings.
Vikaman also knew this well.
That's why Vikaman never made a premature confession to her.
In other words, their relationship was Vikaman's unrequited love.
'Such a timid guy.'
He should have at least confessed to the girl he liked.
It seemed there was no helping his narrow-mindedness, befitting a villainous extra.
'And now that's me.'
I, who had never had unrequited love, now had a history of it.
It was a relief I hadn't enrolled as Vikaman.
If I had re-enrolled as Vikaman,
rumors of me being the Dragoness's unrequited lover would have followed me relentlessly.
So, getting back to the main point.
Vikaman had not looked kindly upon Lucas, who was on bad terms with the Dragoness.
The enemy of the one I liked was my enemy.
With that mindset, he persistently tormented Lucas.
But Vikaman eventually crossed the line.
He had the misfortune of provoking Lucas, who happened to be paired with the Princess in the Magic Bow group.
In the process, things went awry, and Vikaman himself faced a life-threatening situation.
But Lucas, true to his protagonist nature, saved even Vikaman.
It was a part that showed the various facets of Lucas's character.
Lucas had saved Vikaman, who had relentlessly tormented him.
So Vikaman bowed deeply and apologized for his past actions.
Furthermore,
"If you ever find yourself in danger later, I will help you as much as the value of the life you saved."
He declared that he would repay his debt as a repentant villain.
However, he had already committed a grave offense by interfering with the Princess's group.
As a consequence, he was not only expelled from the academy but also disowned by his family.
Originally, Vikaman would not have appeared again after that.
Only news that he was living well somewhere, like a carefree idler, would be heard.
'No one would have known that I, *that* me, would come back to Jerion Academy.'
It was Vikaman's story, but now it was my story.
Since the past wouldn't disappear,
if I ever had to act as Vikaman again, I'd have to make sure my story matched up.
'Anyway, enough about Vikaman's story. The real problem is still the Disaster Dragoness.'
The Dragoness was a character whose narrative had been intertwined with the protagonist's since long ago.
Despite being sworn rivals with Lucas, it was a case of familiarity breeding fondness.
Ultimately, both Lucas and the Dragoness developed a considerable affection for each other through various incidents.
However, that affection was merely a malicious trick by the developers.
A trick to maximize the Dragoness's tragic narrative.
The Dragoness was the final boss of Act 3, meeting her death while unable to avoid her tragic narrative.
Accordingly, Lucas indirectly came to understand the narrative intertwined with the Dragoness and the storm brought about by the imperial succession struggle.
'Thanks to the entrance exam, Lucas had been connected to the Disaster Dragoness from the very beginning.'
It was as if the first button had already been fastened.
What about me, on the other hand?
I was merely a transfer student who only arrived in Act 3, at the start of the second year's first semester.
Naturally, I had no entrance exam, and no reason to encounter the Dragoness in the future.
Yet, I had to somehow guide this world, which had already fallen into a bad ending, back to the main story route.
Even though this world had already triggered a bad ending, the 'Ancient Dragon' bad ending, which could end the world itself, absolutely had to be prevented.
'Therefore, I will join the Student Council.'
The Dragoness was currently the Student Council Vice President.
There was only one way for me to approach her:
by joining the Student Council.
That's why, immediately after my combat class,
I immediately headed towards the Student Council.
Jerion Academy was a complex where five massive towers surrounded a central building.
Each tower was divided into five fields of study:
Martial Arts,
Liberal Arts,
Magic Arts,
Divine Arts,
Special Arts.
These towers collectively were known as the Jerion Pentagon.
From each tower of the Jerion Pentagon, aerial bridges extended towards the central building.
And connected by these aerial bridges, a single floating building hovered in the air.
That was where the Dean's Office, faculty rooms, and the Student Council were located.
Halt—
Just then, I arrived at the Martial Arts aerial bridge.
The moment I was about to step towards the central building visible on the other side,
following the wind blowing across the bridge, pure white silver hair fluttering in the air caught my eye.
Seeing this, I stopped dead, my leg poised to step forward.
Between the fluttering silver strands,
a girl of exquisite beauty was revealed.
Her height was even smaller than mine, disguised as the bishonen character Hanun.
Yet, her proportions were miraculously good.
The reason stemmed from her tiny head.
Her eyes, nose, and mouth were so delicately packed into her small face that it was a wonder how they all fit.
And despite her petite build,
the chest area, where a man's gaze naturally gravitated, indicated that she was a mature woman.
I knew a great deal about her.
After all, she was the woman I had just been looking for.
The Disaster Dragoness.
Nikita Cynthia.
The final boss of Act 3.
'What a surprise.'
I was about to go look for her myself, but I never expected her to appear right in front of me.
Unable to anticipate this, I, too, froze in bewilderment for a moment.
Then, Nikita and I made eye contact.
There was no one else on the Martial Arts building bridge besides Nikita and me.
It was entirely possible for our eyes to meet.
Nikita, who had been walking forward, briefly glanced at me before turning her head away with cold eyes.
At first glance, it seemed dismissive.
But I knew Nikita's true nature.
I didn't feel anything in particular.
'Her outwardly cold impression had gradually changed ever since she became rivals with Lucas.'
Though she appeared cold, like her hair color and outward appearance,
in reality, she had a strong desire to win, and was sometimes even mischievous.
She was quite susceptible to praise, yet resilient to criticism.
And she harbored a greater complex about her short height than one might expect.
This was Nikita's personality, which I had personally experienced while playing Lucas countless times.
Nikita's current demeanor was a mask.
She was probably pretending to be aloof internally, given she was in front of a new student.
"Senior Nikita Cynthia."
So I called out to stop her.
The one I needed to see was Nikita, even more than the Student Council itself.
Nikita, who hadn't expected to be stopped, looked back at me with a puzzled expression.
Her silver hair, fluttering as she turned her head, was beautiful enough to make me understand why she wore that aloof mask.
"Even before my enrollment, I respected Senior Nikita Cynthia's achievements. I wish to join the Student Council where Senior Nikita works."
I shouted that in a loud voice.
I felt Nikita flinch as I bowed my head deeply.
It was obvious without even looking.
She must have a flustered expression right now.
But I knew Nikita's true feelings.
'Respect.'
What this word meant to Nikita.
And why she was secretly weak to praise.
I knew it for sure.
I subtly lifted my eyes to observe Nikita.
Sure enough, a look of bewilderment was etched on Nikita's face.
But the corners of her mouth trembled slightly.
She was especially vulnerable to praise like 'respect.'
My praise landed a direct hit, sinking deep into her.
Praise makes even Nikita dance!
Already, curiosity flickered in Nikita's eyes towards me.
"...Junior, what is your name?"
And curiosity soon led to interest.
I had to strike now.
To avoid the 'Ancient Dragon' bad ending, another one of them,
I had to establish a connection with Nikita, no matter what.
'By hook or by crook.'
As long as I could advance along the main story route, anything was fine!
So I continued to shout at her without stopping.
"My name is Hanun Airey. I transferred to the second year starting today!"
Immediately after hearing my name, Nikita's shoulders twitched.
Because Nikita already knew my name.
At the start of Act 3, Chapter 1,
a piece of news reached Nikita's ears.
It was the news that her older brother, Nia Cynthia, had joined the First Prince's faction.
In other words, the Marquisate of Cynthia had become hostile to the Third Princess.
Hanun Airey was related to the final villainess, the Third Princess, as a cousin.
Of course, it was a meaningless cousin relationship.
But you never know.
Naturally, Nikita must have been watching me carefully ever since I transferred.
"Junior..."
Sure enough, Nikita recognized me.
She must have belatedly realized my connection to the Princess, which was evident from my appearance.
Nikita's eyes, having finished their calculations, quietly glinted.
"Ahem, ahem, I'm curious as to why you suddenly brought up 'respect'."
But Nikita didn't rashly accept me.
She was considering the possibility that it might be a trap set by the Third Princess.
Meanwhile, her eyes darted around, as if she was anxious to hear what praise I would bestow upon her.
Cute one, are you really that starved for praise?
Just wait for it.
"Then, I suppose I should directly tell you why I respect Senior Nikita Cynthia?"
Praise bombardment incoming.