The Darkened Second Male Lead Seeks to Rewrite the Original Storyline (Completed)

The Iron-Blooded Warmonger, Hanneman.

Bycen Empire’s greatest knight, burdened with the most cringeworthy nickname in the entire story. To think the brother whose name Ria had struggled so hard to learn turned out to be that Hanneman.

In the original story, the name Keblick was never mentioned. Hanneman was always referred to by his strange epithets, so this revelation had been beyond her imagination.

‘The Iron-Blooded Warmonger. That’s… my brother?!’

Ria clung desperately to her crumbling sanity, her face flushing bright red with embarrassment. The real issue was that she was the only one who seemed to find the nickname mortifying.

Neither the murmuring students, Siklaen, nor even Hanneman himself appeared to care about it. In fact, he seemed rather proud.

Hanneman turned to Siklaen with an unbothered expression and spoke.
“How’s your studying going? Ria’s not giving you trouble, is she?”

“She isn’t,” Siklaen replied with a polite smile.

“Brother!”

Ria, flustered, shouted in protest. She was still in the middle of trying to earn Siklaen’s forgiveness.

“Why are you yelling? By the way, what about Daren Slanders? Does he still dislike you?”

Hanneman, oblivious to tact, casually dropped yet another touchy subject. As Ria smacked his armored arm in frustration—only to hurt her hand in the process—the garden suddenly stirred again.

In the distance, two figures approached: one with dazzling golden hair that seemed to make sunlight redundant, and another with fiery red hair that blazed like it had swallowed the sun. Byron and Ernie Evon.

‘What are they doing here again?’

Ernie strutted forward, her chin held high, her expression brimming with pride. It was clear she thought the world of Byron.

Ria clicked her tongue quietly, already sensing trouble. Judging by Ernie’s smug demeanor, she doubted this encounter would end without conflict.

As Ria deliberated on how to handle the situation, Byron suddenly dropped to one knee in front of Hanneman.

“Oh my, Brother!”

Ernie’s eyes widened in shock at Byron’s abrupt action. Ignoring his sister entirely, Byron saluted with impeccable form.

“Byron Evon, First Division of the Royal Guard, reporting.”

‘Who is he bowing to?’ Ria glanced around in confusion. Then Hanneman spoke in a low, commanding voice.

“Rise, Evon. It’s been a while.”

Byron stood gracefully, bowing his head as he did.

“It is an honor to meet you again, Commander Hanneman.”

‘Commander?’

The memory of Hanneman laughing off her question about his rank in the knightly order came rushing back. Ria’s jaw dropped further. Hanneman wasn’t just part of the knightly order—he was the commander of Byron’s division.

“Of course, the Iron-Blooded Hanneman….”
“For Byron Evon to kneel….”

Embarrassed whispers filled the garden once again, and Ria’s face flushed anew. Meanwhile, Ernie bit her lip, clearly distressed by the unexpected turn of events.

“I’m glad to see you again. I didn’t expect to find you attending school. Are you hoping for a career change in my absence?”

Hanneman’s tone was sharp, laced with sarcasm. Ria recalled the way he had stiffened at Byron’s mention the previous night.

“No, sir. I enrolled to prepare for my duties as the heir to the Count of Evon. It also gives me a chance to look after my sister, who is studying here,” Byron replied, unshaken by the pointed remark.

Hanneman shifted his gaze to Ernie. Despite her clear discomfort, she curtsied politely.

“Ernie Evon, at your service,” she said.

“Ah, I see. Well—”

Hanneman didn’t even pretend to care. He turned away without another word, leaving Ernie’s face tinged with embarrassment.

“Byron, come see me later. I’ve fully returned to the Keblick estate now,” Hanneman said.

“Yes, Commander. I will visit you soon,” Byron replied, bowing deeply.

Hanneman nodded and motioned for Ria to follow. As they exited the garden, Byron remained bowed, never lifting his head until they were gone.

“Are you really here just to see Zen?”

Ria asked as she hurried to keep up with Hanneman’s strides. He had just requested that she guide him to wherever Zen was.

“Yes. Didn’t I say I’d come to see him?”

If it was going to be this soon, he could’ve told me earlier! Ria gritted her teeth, glaring at him.

“Then what’s with the ridiculous armor?”

Ria glanced around. Hanneman’s conspicuous attire earned gawking stares and awed murmurs wherever they went. Some students even approached to shake his hand, forcing Ria to endure the repeated mention of his embarrassing nickname.

“Well, I ran into some royal guards training while I was looking for you,” Hanneman explained.

“And?”

“They asked for a sparring match.”

“Then why didn’t you change after the sparring match?”

“Well….”

Hanneman scratched his head awkwardly. It was obvious he had worn the armor intentionally. Ria shot him a pointed glare, and he coughed awkwardly before changing the subject.

“So, is it really true?”

“Is what true?”

“That the Crown Prince is here.”

“Yes, I told you. And there—look!”

Ria pointed ahead. Zen was lying sprawled across a bench, his striking appearance unmistakable.

“See? I told you. Just ask any passing student, and they’ll lead you straight to him,” Ria said, smugly placing her hands on her hips. Zen’s distinctive looks ensured that his whereabouts were never a mystery, especially if the student asked was female.

Hanneman strode purposefully toward Zen and dropped to one knee. The positioning brought him face to face with Zen, who continued to lounge with his eyes closed.

“I greet His Highness, the Crown Prince. Hanneman Keblick, Commander of the Lacamphe Knights,” Hanneman declared.

Zen showed no signs of stirring. Hanneman remained kneeling, his persistence unwavering. Eventually, Ria stepped forward and cautiously shook Zen’s shoulder.

Her movements were gentle, but Zen flinched as if he had been burned. He shot upright so suddenly that their foreheads nearly collided.

Startled, Ria shrank back. There was a dangerous glint in Zen’s eyes—a lethal aura, as if he were ready to kill someone. Or perhaps, as if he already had.

“…Ria?”

As soon as he spoke, the tension dissipated. Zen exhaled a hollow sigh.

“What’s so urgent that you had to wake me?”

“…You’re the one sleeping in a place like this,” Ria retorted, still slightly shaken but managing to keep her voice steady.

Zen shook his head in exasperation, muttering something under his breath. Then his gaze shifted to Hanneman, kneeling before him.

“And who are you?” Zen asked.

“Ah, I am Hanneman Keblick, Commander of the Lacamphe Knights. I greet His Highness, the Crown Prince.”

Zen, still seemingly half-asleep, blinked slowly in silence. Ria added casually, “He’s my brother.”

“Your brother?”

Zen alternated his gaze between Hanneman and Ria, as though trying to spot any resemblance, then tilted his head.

“Enough kneeling. Get up.”

At last, Hanneman rose and bowed slightly.

“What brings you here? Ah, is it about the marriage? I suppose it’s time to start discussing it.”

At Zen’s words, Hanneman’s expression shifted to confusion.

“Marriage, Your Highness?”

Zen seemed ready to proceed with talk of marriage without any prior consultation. Wide-eyed, Ria quickly inserted herself between the two.

“Ah! Brother! You mentioned you had something important to discuss, didn’t you?”

“Something important?”

“Yes! Um… Your Highness, he has….”

Hanneman hesitated, glancing at Ria as if silently asking her to excuse herself. Understanding, Ria nodded.

“Well then, I’ll—”

“No, stay,” Zen interrupted, stopping Ria mid-bow. Hanneman blinked in surprise.

“Your Highness, while I am honored by your regard for my sister, the matter I wish to discuss….”

Zen cut him off. “No, it’s not because she’s your sister. Nor because she’s my friend. It’s simply….”

‘No way.’ Ria moved quickly to stop him, but Zen’s words came faster.

“It’s simply because she’s the future Empress of Bycen. Discussions of importance should include her. Someday, she’ll stand in a position to oversee matters of state.”

“…….”
“…….”

An oppressive silence fell over the group. Ria stared in shock, her mind blank, while Hanneman gaped, his mouth slightly open.

“Your Highness… When you say Empress….”

“Have you not been informed yet? I’m to marry your sister,” Zen said, turning to Ria with a look that asked why she hadn’t mentioned it.

Ria glared at him. She had only agreed to the proposal yesterday—there was no way she’d had the mental bandwidth to announce it to a brother she hadn’t even known existed until recently.

Hanneman, sensing the need to salvage the situation, lowered his head deeply.

“I must have missed the news, having only returned from the war yesterday.”

“Well, now that you’ve heard it, what do you think—as the eldest son of the Keblick family?” Zen teased, glancing at Ria with a playful smirk. “We’ll start with an engagement and move quickly to the wedding.”

“…It is an immeasurable honor, Your Highness.”

Ignoring the dagger-like glare Ria sent his way, Zen shifted gears.

“So, what’s this important matter? Surely, if you’ve come all the way to the academy, it must be significant. For something like this, you should have requested an official audience at the palace.”

Zen’s voice turned low and cold, and the mood around them grew tense. Ria took a step back, feeling that whatever was about to be discussed might not be for her ears.

Hanneman inhaled deeply before speaking.

“Your Highness… do you know of someone named Byron Evon?”

Zen’s eyebrow twitched slightly.

‘Byron Evon?’

Ria perked up, ears keenly attuned. Any information about Byron could be crucial for her too.

“He returned from the war after achieving great merit, as you may know. Thanks to his achievements, the nearly collapsed Evon family regained its influence and power.”

Ria’s expression shifted to curiosity, intrigued by backstory not included in the original narrative.

“Hmm,” Zen hummed, gesturing for Hanneman to continue.

“His success in the war was largely due to information he acquired from an unknown source. He uncovered a hidden enemy trap that no one else noticed, preventing significant losses. With that knowledge, he—”

Zen raised his hand, cutting Hanneman off.

“Get to the point. I’m not particularly interested in tales of killing and dying.”

Hanneman swallowed hard, hesitating before finally saying, “The source of that information….”

After a pause that felt uncharacteristic for him, Hanneman finished, “What if it was none other than Grand Duke Corend Widia?”