SWNOVELXO Chapter 87
Act 4, Chapter 2.
International Solo Exhibition.
Before that time arrived, an additional schedule had been added.
Training to dispel Iris’s nightmares.
Iris trained every day, following my instructions.
As a result, her nightmares had indeed decreased recently.
“……I didn’t have one again.”
Early in the morning after training.
Iris stared at me with a blank expression, having not had a nightmare today.
“How did this happen?”
“It’s simply because Lady Iris has trained diligently to dispel the power of her nightmares.”
In truth, it was Iris who put in the effort.
I didn’t do much of anything.
Iris actively used her aura to consume her nightmares as per my guidance.
That was absolutely no easy task.
It was all due to Iris’s hard work.
“……If I exercise hard, I sleep well. Is that it?”
“It’s somewhat similar. Most insomnia cases come from having too much physical energy left to truly rest.”
However, this wasn’t a complete solution either.
The more Iris used her aura, the stronger she would become.
And someday, she would grow to a point where consuming all her aura in a day would become difficult.
‘Iris is a genius.’
Her rate of growth was on a different trajectory than that of ordinary people.
Eventually, she would catch up.
But for now, this temporary measure wasn’t so bad.
Above all, I would solve her nightmares before she reached that point.
“What do you think? There’s nothing bad about listening to me, right?”
“Yeah.”
Iris replied without denying it.
But confusion lingered in her eyes.
“How does Hanon know that I have nightmares?”
Iris’s nightmares originated from the Evil Zone.
She was vaguely aware of it.
But that wasn’t something she could share with others.
Iris didn’t want to lose her life either.
So she had desperately lived until now, thinking of herself as selfish.
During that time, someone who knew about her long-hidden nightmares had appeared.
It was Iris, who had never once mentioned that her insomnia was due to her nightmares.
So naturally, she would find it suspicious that I knew the source of her insomnia.
I smiled gently at that Iris.
“Is that all you’re curious about?”
“…….”
Of course not.
Iris had found my behavior unpredictable up until now.
Even the information network of the 3rd princess couldn’t grasp me.
That was precisely who I was.
I must seem mysterious to Iris.
“As you said before, I haven’t acted solely for your benefit, Lady Iris.”
Iris’s gaze met mine.
That day, Iris had looked particularly gloomy.
Iris nodded, remembering that day.
“Just as Lady Iris said, I haven’t only acted for you.”
A look of disappointment glimmered in Iris’s eyes upon hearing my answer.
“But there’s definitely a reason why I act — to help you, Lady Iris.”
I genuinely wished for Iris to be free from her nightmares.
She had suffered throughout her life, played by the Evil Zone, unable to sleep a single night properly.
In the end, she would have had to live as a puppet for the Evil Zone, the final villain.
I didn’t want her life to end that way.
I hoped that Iris would enjoy the things she wanted, like any girl her age should.
If she desired it, I wished for her to live her life, without being shackled by the title of princess.
“Lady Iris, I wish for you to live a comfortable life free of nightmares.”
Before I knew it, a gentle smile had appeared on my lips.
“Because you certainly deserve such a life.”
Iris gazed at me with a dazed expression.
One thing was for sure: she must have read my sincerity.
I adored all the heroines and characters appearing in “Fire Butterfly.”
Even if the protagonist, Lucas, wasn’t there, I would gladly do anything to lead them all to a happy ending.
“Ensuring that Lady Iris lives such a life is also my goal.”
That was my purpose and goal.
“……I haven’t done anything for you. And I might not be able to give you anything in the future either.”
She was the 3rd princess.
The last villain who had climbed from being the youngest to the throne.
There was no such thing as unilateral help for someone like her.
Everyone wanted something from her and hoped to receive back in equivalent measure.
“That doesn’t matter at all.”
But I didn’t desire such things.
“It’s enough for me that Lady Iris can escape from her nightmares.”
I held Iris’s hand, which was injured from today’s training.
It was a wound she had received from excessively pouring out her aura.
Knowing this, I took out some ointment I had brought from the Jerion Academy infirmary and applied it to her hand.
As expected, its effectiveness was remarkable.
“So, just in case.”
I carefully applied the ointment to Iris’s wound.
“If Lady Iris doesn’t want to become an emperor, please let me know.”
A strong smile appeared on my face.
“I will help with that as well.”
It might have been a rather irreverent thing to say, but if the recipient didn’t feel that way, it was all the better.
“…….”
Iris looked at me in silence.
Her eyes reflected confusion and various emotions.
I couldn’t read all her feelings, but I knew she wanted to hear words like mine at least once.
Iris had only risen to this point thanks to the Duke of Robliju.
She herself had no particular desire to be an emperor.
That was likely why she made such a choice in the end.
Lucas couldn’t say such words to Iris.
He was someone who lived as a citizen of the empire in the “Fire Butterfly.”
Someone who had grown up with common sense could never utter such words.
But I was different.
I was merely a player in “Fire Butterfly.”
The position of emperor was not as blissful as people longed for; modern individuals could hardly deny that.
The weight of responsibility was enough to drive a person insane.
So I conveyed to Iris words that only I could say.
“It’s quite interesting to have a classmate full of secrets, isn’t it?”
As I shared my last joke, Iris quietly looked at me and then slowly shook her head.
“It’s not interesting.”
Was it not her taste?
As I contemplated that, Iris cautiously wrapped her hand around the one I had treated with the ointment.
“Still, I think I understand something thanks to Hanon.”
A gentle smile blossomed on Iris’s lips.
A red rose bloomed.
Maybe it was because Iris had been sleeping so well lately.
Her smile was the most beautiful I had ever seen.
“The reason I sleep well when Hanon is around.”
Suddenly, Iris reached out her hand and touched my chest.
“It’s because Hanon is a warm person.”
I was indeed physically warm, as I carried a flame’s heat.
But Iris’s words touched on something much more essential.
“Thank you. Maybe I’ve wanted to hear that from someone at least once.”
With that, Iris took her leave, heading to her dormitory.
She looked somewhat relieved as she did.
***
Training, classes, training, classes, training, classes.
Daily training continued, preparing for the power that would be needed even more in the future.
Before I knew it, the international solo exhibition was right around the corner.
The international solo exhibition was a friendly match held under the prestige of each country.
Tension filled the faces of the students preparing for it.
And there were others whose faces had been utterly shattered, but for a different reason.
Those were the members of the student council.
“Kill me! Just kill me already!”
One member of the student council, overwhelmed with work, screamed out in a fit.
The other student council members continued working silently, ignoring the outburst.
After the previous boycott incident, the student council had not escaped scrutiny either.
Thank goodness this student council, under Nikita’s leadership, had not engaged in any corruption.
So, this student council managed to avoid becoming a target for punishment.
Instead, the investigators sought out graduates to hold them thoroughly accountable.
Jerion Academy was one of the empire’s prestigious institutions.
Since they had committed corruption in such a place, they were determined to root it out this time.
It became known that Sylvester, who had been president, had secretly used the backing of the Drafen family to prevent corruption pressures.
Although Sylvester resigned from the student council amid taking full responsibility, his reputation within the student council soared vertically.
Flowers bloom only after they wither.
When the two flowers, Nikita and Sylvester, faded, only darkness remained in the student council.
The vacancies of the president and vice president.
Due to the absence of tutors for a while, all the work had piled on the student council.
With the international solo exhibition approaching,
The student council was truly being swept away by the waves of work.
“Ugh, ugh.”
Poara, sitting next to me, made some sort of noise as she flipped through the materials.
“Hmm.”
Beside Poara, Midra, the 1st Year Martial Arts Deputy, calmly organized the documents.
He possessed a surprising talent for such clerical work.
However, amidst them, there was one who looked particularly serious.
While everyone was busy, a mentally exhausted secretary stared out the window.
Nivolans Panima, the 3rd Year Literature Top Student.
Typically, secretaries held the third most important position in the student council.
But currently, both the president and vice president had vacated their positions.
As a result, he had to shoulder both roles.
The first student council member to serve simultaneously as president, vice president, and secretary in Jerion Academy’s history!
It was a glorious title, but his eyes reflected only sadness.
“……I can’t take it anymore.”
At that moment, Nivolans clenched his fist tightly.
He pushed up his glasses and looked around.
“This way, we won’t be able to function properly as the student council; we have too many responsibilities!”
Everyone remained silent in response to his outburst, but the agreement was evident on their faces.
“We need reinforcements! We need support to prepare for the international solo exhibition. We have a meeting tomorrow!”
He gritted his teeth, covering his face.
With tomorrow being the day of the preliminary meeting among the academy student council members,
Nivolans felt unfit to attend there as a secretary who wasn’t the president or vice president.
Moreover, if he left his post, the student council would be completely swept away by the waves of work.
As the literature top student, he was handling one-third of the student council’s work.
“Hanon Irey.”
“Yes, Secretary Senior.”
Called out unexpectedly, I paused my document work and looked up.
He was gazing at me with earnest eyes.
“I’ve heard you often accompany the 3rd princess.”
What keen hearing you have.
I quickly grasped the situation.
“The 3rd princess is scheduled to be elected as the president of Jerion Academy next year.”
This was no longer a matter of speculation; it was a certainty.
Iris, who lacked nothing in both martial and grace, ranked, and reputation, was among the top.
It was more unusual for her not to become president.
“There shouldn’t be any problem with her acting as president in advance.”
This statement implied that I should propose Iris for the interim president.
Iris was flawless in every condition thrown at her.
Above all, she also intended to ascend to the position of president, so she would likely oblige.
“Furthermore, the position of vice president is currently vacant as well.”
Initially, we were going to open a temporary vice presidency, but due to the repeated boycott incidents, the vice president still hadn’t been elected.
“I hear you’re also friends with Sharin Sazarith, the 2nd Year Magic Arts Top Student — the daughter of the Blue Magic Tower Lord.”
Oh no, this isn’t a good turn of events.
Iris might be okay with it, but Sharin would never agree to such a thing.
“Set up the 3rd princess as the interim president and Sharin Sazarith as the interim vice president! You must take them to the World Academy Meeting tomorrow! Absolutely!”
Our secretary had completely lost it.