The World After the Bad Ending
Chapter 229

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Chapter 229: I See an Ancient Dragon in My Eyes

Isabel was smiling endlessly.

Because she was always smiling, I knew this one was fake.

Anger can be a driving force in life.

But anger that's too intense can sometimes ruin it.

The reason I provoked Isabel's anger back then was because I couldn't find any other way to save her.

At the time, if it weren't for her anger, Isabel wouldn’t have been able to stand back up again.

As a side effect of that anger, Isabel sometimes belittled and reproached herself.

This time, though, her anger was far worse.

Back then, all I did was slander Lucas.

But this time, someone had stolen Lucas's peacefully resting corpse.

Of course, the level of anger couldn’t be compared.

“Isabel.”

“Yeah?”

Isabel looked at me with a smile.

She was clearly smiling, but I felt a chilling sharpness behind it.

I stared at that smile for a moment before opening my mouth.

“Let’s find Lucas’s body.”

If Isabel was filled with rage, then I just needed to resolve the cause of it.

Her eyes widened, and she quietly clenched her fists.

And then, the fake smile she had managed to wear gave way to a trace of real anger.

“Yeah, we have to find it.”

She was barely keeping herself composed.

My mind felt a little tangled for a moment.

But I couldn’t let this matter go unchecked.

More than anything, I knew at least one thing about what was going on.

“So, Isabel, I want to tell you what I know about this situation. But before that…”

Isabel gave me a curious look.

I reached out and gently held her hand.

She flinched, but I opened her clenched fist.

Her palm was bleeding where her nails had dug in.

I carefully wrapped her hand and took out some medicine I usually carried, gently applying it.

“Your anger is valid. You don’t need to hide your feelings, not in front of me.”

Emotions, when bottled up, become poison.

Whether it’s love, sorrow, or anger—it’s all the same.

There’s a reason lovesickness, depression, and rage-induced illness exist in the world.

When I gently advised her, Isabel paused.

Then she glanced over at me.

“…It showed, huh?”

“Yeah. I could tell just by looking at your face, even before your hand got like this.”

“You really know me well. Been watching me closely, huh?”

“Of course.”

This time, Isabel smiled with genuine joy.

If a few simple words could bring her to smile like that, I’d say them again and again.

“So it’s okay to let it out.”

At my sincere words, Isabel looked at me intently.

Then, she let out a soft laugh.

“I must really like you. Everything felt so blurry a moment ago, but now I can only see you.”

Isabel leaned forward.

Since I was in Seron’s form, I was shorter, so I reached out to catch her.

She buried her face in my shoulder.

“And I can’t tell you how happy that makes me. Even when it feels like the world is falling apart, just seeing you makes it all okay.”

I raised my arm and wrapped it around her back, gently patting her.

She seemed to find the gesture comforting, a faint smile forming on her lips.

“You’ve gotten better at comforting people.”

“I’ve regained some of my sorrow.”

At my reply, Isabel froze for a moment.

Then, she almost lifted her head—but stopped and stayed nestled against me.

She let out a long, deep sigh.

“Was it Sharin?”

“Sharin’s mother came back to life. She was rampaging, and Sharin had to kill her.”

“…That’s… that’s a huge thing.”

From her voice, I could feel Isabel’s concern for Sharin.

Even in this state, it was just like her to worry about others.

“I wanted to comfort Sharin… that’s why I regained some of my feelings.”

“Anger, sorrow… now only love remains.”

“Even so, these are feelings that are only just beginning to bloom. It’ll take more time for both to fully develop.”

Isabel pouted slightly at my explanation.

“Then start with love first.”

“I’m trying, really.”

“Love me.”

She was being rather blunt.

Her face turned bright red, embarrassed by her own words.

She quickly turned her head to avoid my eyes.

If she was going to be this embarrassed, maybe she shouldn’t have said anything.

“I may not fully understand love yet, but there’s one thing I do know.”

I raised my hand and gently wrapped it around Isabel’s head.

“At least just now… any man who saw you wouldn’t be able to help falling in love.”

“…I don’t need any other man. Your love is enough for me.”

“And that’s part of what I meant.”

Unable to bear the embarrassment, Isabel rubbed her face against my chest.

“Ugh, seriously… don’t make me fall for you even more.”

It felt like a golden retriever energetically playing in my arms.

“So, what did you want to say about Lucas?”

Isabel peeked her head out from my embrace.

Since I was still in Seron’s form, I released the binding on the illusion.

Then I found a chair and sat down.

Isabel sat across from me.

“What I’m about to say connects to Sharin’s story.”

“Sharin’s story?”

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When I mentioned Sharin’s mother, Sharen, returning, Isabel froze.

“No way…”

“There’s a chance Lucas was also revived through a Mystery.”

Her face turned pale.

The possibility that her most precious friend, Lucas, might have been brought back to life…

The resurrection of a friend who had been killed by an apostle—it was no wonder her thoughts were swirling.

“The type of Mystery is a Vampire Mystery. It’s spreading across the entire empire.”

“Then we need to act immediately.”

“Right. Lord Duke of Whitewood is already taking action. This whole situation was part of the plan to bring her back to the Empire.”

The ancient dragon’s rampage had not yet been officially announced, to avoid mass panic.

But if it showed signs of descending upon populated areas, an emergency disaster alert would be issued nationwide.

So Isabel wasn’t yet aware of the ancient dragon situation.

“…You’ve been up to something huge again while I wasn’t looking.”

From my words, Isabel seemed to pick up on something.

Her gaze sharpened.

But I wasn’t afraid.

I knew that expression was born out of concern for me.

“I met the ancient dragon. Because it had gone berserk.”

“What?”

“And I even spoke with it. Thanks to the remnants it left behind.”

I hadn’t even told Sharin or Duke of Whitewood about this yet.

Not because I’d meant to keep it a secret — I collapsed before I could say anything.

“You… really.”

Isabel looked like she had a lot to say, but then let out a sigh instead.

“…It ended well, right?”

“Yeah, the ancient dragon backed down after I offered it the human who provoked it.”

It had mistaken me for Zerion during the process, but it had to be done.

“If something like this happens again, tell me first.”

“Sorry. I only found out after I arrived at the Blue Tower.”

If I’d known earlier, I would have told her.

That much was true — and when I conveyed it sincerely, Isabel didn’t press further.

“Anyway, continuing with the story… the vampire mystery has one clear flaw.”

“A flaw?”

“The condition that they must absorb life through another’s blood. If they fail to meet that condition, they’ll either go berserk or die again.”

“That’s not coming back to life at all.”

Exactly.

This isn’t resurrection.

It’s a cruel mockery of the dead.

That’s why I must find the one spreading the vampire mystery.

They’re mocking both the dead and those left behind.

“…So you're saying Lucas might be in the same situation.”

Isabel bit her lip hard.

“Isabel, if Lucas were to kill someone…”

“He would never do that.”

Isabel firmly denied the possibility.

And I didn’t think much differently.

Lucas wouldn’t do such a thing.

“But if… it ever comes to that.”

Isabel quietly clenched her fist.

“I’ll be the one to save Lucas.”

Her words carried a lot of weight.

Then she suddenly turned to me as if something came to mind.

“More importantly, should you really be standing around like this today?”

“What do you mean, standing around like this?”

I blinked in confusion at her question. Isabel glanced at the calendar.

“The entrance exam starts tomorrow. You’re part of the student council — aren’t you busy?”

I blinked again.

“Oh.”

The real Hannon was probably taken away by Duke of Whitewood.

No doubt dragged off while frantically helping prepare for the exams, as per student council tradition.

Entrance exams had long been supported by the council.

“Sorry, I’ve got to go.”

I hadn’t been back to the student council much since Nikita vanished.

As I rushed to leave, Isabel grabbed the Veil bandages.

“You have to cover up! You can’t go out looking like that.”

Wandering around the girls’ dorms in this state could be disastrous.

“Thanks.”

“Hold still, I’ll wrap it for you.”

Isabel helped me wrap the Veil’s bandages around my body.

As she did, I couldn’t help but be reminded of a wife tying her husband’s tie before he left for work.

Looking down at Isabel, I caught a glimpse of her pale skin beneath her still-damp hair.

A strange, indescribable emotion stirred inside me.

As I stared blankly at the sight, Isabel finally finished tying the bandages.

“There, you’re—”

She paused mid-sentence.

Then she stared wide-eyed at my right eye.

“Your eye…”

“Huh?”

I tilted my head at her reaction.

“What about my eye?”

“J-just come with me!”

She quickly grabbed my hand and dragged me to the bathroom.

There, I could finally see it for myself.

Inside my right eye —

What once bore the dragon’s gaze now held a tiny dragon curled up like a coiled serpent.

It looked like a dragon still inside an egg.

Damn it.

The moment I saw it, I understood what had happened.

The remnants of the ancient dragon.

That damn thing had used this chance to plant an egg inside my eye.

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