Ex-Girlfriend Moves

The early opening of the Winter Mana Crypt War.

Previously, the Autumn Mana Crypt War had also opened ahead of schedule.

The Jerion Academy had anticipated this possibility to some extent.

So, the opening of the Mana Crypt didn’t cause any particular chaos.

‘In the end, it happened while Iris is away.’

Iris’s absence, the greatest power in Martial Arts.

Her empty place feels exceptionally regrettable.

But with the Emperor in a critical condition, Iris can’t possibly return.

We’ll have to fill her void somehow.

“The Mana Crypt opened early again.”

“It seems the timing of the Mana Crypts is definitely being pushed forward.”

The voices of martial arts students drifted through the air, conversations buzzing in my ear.

As they said, the date of the Mana Labyrinth’s opening shifting wasn’t a common occurrence.

This was the second time the schedule had been moved forward, following the autumn Mana Labyrinth War.

Which meant, the Labyrinth itself could potentially open even earlier than anticipated in the future.

Not exactly ideal for the Academy.

The earlier the Mana Labyrinth opened, the more they’d have to drastically revise the curriculum they’d meticulously planned.

But simply voicing complaints wouldn’t do.

The Academy existed to respond immediately when the Mana Labyrinth opened.

It had a duty to fulfill its role faithfully.

“We move to the Mana Labyrinth entrance at once. All of you, be ready in under ten minutes.”

Professor Veganon announced to the students.

She hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol since January began, looking remarkably sharp.

She’d obviously abstained deliberately to prepare for the winter Mana Labyrinth War.

Prioritizing the Mana Labyrinth and her students, that was so like her.

Having experienced the autumn Mana Labyrinth War, the Academy had already been preparing since late December.

A fact I, Veganon’s personal aide, was well aware of.

“Bikamun, I entrust you and the Associate Professor with leading the students.”

“Yes, Professor.”

Veganon delegated student leadership to myself and the Associate Professor, then quickly exited the faculty room.

She was going to join the professors from other departments.

“Alright, everyone move quickly.”

The Associate Professor for the second year class commanded, striding forward.

The students swiftly followed, their pace quickening.

It was already the end of the second year.

Everyone was more than accustomed to entering the Mana Labyrinth.

They were well-disciplined and organized, even without Veganon present.

As the Associate Professor led the way, I brought up the rear.

My role was to watch over the children from behind to help them to maintain the formation.

Perhaps that’s why those who knew me naturally gravitated towards the back.

Now that they were separated from the main group, it seemed like they could converse without being overheard.

“So, it seems the Mana Labyrinth schedule has indeed been pushed forward yet again.”

Hania commented, inspecting her sword.

As the daughter of the Knight Commander, she handled any situation calmly.

Still, perhaps because Iris was absent, her energy seemed lower than usual.

She was, after all, perpetually devoted to Iris.

“More importantly, how are we going to compensate for Iris’s absence?”

The Mana Labyrinth raiding teams had been assembled in advance.

Which meant, the absence of even one member would directly impact the team.

Especially since Iris was one of their strongest assets.

Her place couldn’t be filled by just anyone.

“We picked one from the first-years in Combat Studies.”

I was the one who assembled the Labyrinth Assault Team.

So I made sure to secure any necessary teammates in advance.

“A first-year?”

Hania raised an eyebrow ever so slightly.

As far as she was concerned, there was no one among the first-years who could replace Iris.

At best, maybe Aisha, the top student in first-year Combat Studies, would cross her mind.

But there was someone else, too.

A figure whose true nature even I couldn’t quite grasp, an individual of intriguing significance.

“Still, their skill is undeniable.”

“If Assistant Instructor Vikaman says so, then their abilities are surely sufficient, I suppose.”

Hania trusts me too much.

Is this the trust of an ex-girlfriend?

I’m simply grateful.

Just then, Isabel’s back came into view.

She wore an expression of deep contemplation as she walked.

It was obvious what she was fretting over.

She was undoubtedly bothered by the fight with Sharin.

The Labyrinth’s environment changes constantly.

If personal feelings cause friction within the team in such a place, it would undoubtedly harm those around them.

Especially now, when we were ordered to complete the assault in the shortest time possible due to the discovery of anomalous signs.

A situation that demanded even more close communication among the team members.

Isabel certainly wouldn’t want to drag her personal feelings this far.

So she was seemingly pondering how to reconcile with Sharin.

“Isabel.”

“Ah, yes.”

When I called her name, Isabel flinched and looked up.

“You’re worrying about making amends with Sharin, aren’t you?”

She subtly averted her gaze.

I seemed to have hit the nail on the head.

As I saw through Isabel’s thoughts, she swallowed a bitter smile.

“I’m sorry. Making you worry about our fight too.”

“I contributed to the cause too. In the end, it’s my ambiguous attitude that’s at fault.”

“That’s right. Assistant Instructor Vikaman is the one who messed up.”

Hania slipped into the conversation, adding a word.

Even so, it helped lessen Isabel’s guilt a little.

“I don’t want to use the loss of my emotions as an excuse, but I am seriously considering our relationship.”

It’s not a conclusion I can reach overnight.

That’s why I’m thinking about it even more seriously.

To give an answer that they all can understand someday.

“Then it’s my fault. Not you two, who had an emotional clash because of it.”

Possessiveness and jealousy are natural emotions for humans.

So, I hoped they wouldn’t feel guilty or harbor ill feelings about arguing because of it.

Isabel, after hearing my words, looked at me for a moment before letting out a long sigh.

“Why are you trying to be the scapegoat again?”

“Guess I haven’t been getting enough flak lately. My ears aren’t itching as much as they should be.”

“You saying things like that… it makes me wonder if you genuinely have that kind of preference, and that scares me.”

I guess I had given Isabel reason to think that I enjoy being scolded.

Her expression was genuinely worried.

But beyond that, there was genuine concern too.

“The reason you act like that, it’s ultimately because you lack self-love.

You think it’s okay if I get hurt, as long as the people around me are fine.”

“Absolutely.”

Hania readily agreed.

“That’s right. Prince Sweet Potato, that’s a bad habit.”

“I admit it.”

Even Seron and Eve, who had been silent, agreed.

“I don’t want to blame you. What I want to tell you is my gratitude, not to find fault.”

Isabel said, quietly clenching both her fists.

“So, with Sharin, too…”

Silence hung in the air for a moment after Isabel’s words.

So I decided to lighten Isabel’s burden a little.

“Isabel, I won’t force you to reconcile with Sharin.”

This is a problem between the two of them.

‘Sharin isn’t the type to get angry over trivial things either.’

I am the cause of this fight.

That’s why I carefully considered why the two of them fought.

One thing was certain: even Sharin wouldn’t fight with Isabel over something like this.

She might be a little sulky, but she would have made up quickly after some time.

‘There’s something more between them.’

Clearly, Sharin has other complaints in her heart.

So, I didn’t try to force them to reconcile.

“If it’s difficult to reconcile, tell me. I’ll reorganize the teams.”

If so, I would give them time to voice their dissatisfactions.

“You’d both be effective no matter which team you joined.”

“…”

Isabel was silent for a moment.

Then her eyes fell on the collar of my clothes.

She saw that I had bandages from the curtain wound wrapped inside my clothing.

I pulled the collar a little to hide it, but it was already too late.

“You…”

Her face held a thousand unspoken words.

But she refrained from voicing them.

Today was January second.

Bikerman’s birthday.

A year had passed, and I had turned twenty.

The Demon Realm forbade entry to those twenty or older.

Therefore, without the Shroud’s bandages, I couldn’t enter.

“Why did it have to be on your birthday?”

Isabel bit her lip, then exhaled.

Entering the Demon Realm on the very day one should be celebrating.

Even Isabel seemed reluctant to nag me about it.

“…When you come back, take that off, and we’ll have a birthday party, alright?”

“It’ll have to be a grand one, then.”

When I offered a casual smile, Isabel hesitated, stopping herself from saying more.

I’d also told Jerion Academy that I was borrowing some kind of mystical power.

Vega Non had also supported this, so the Academy didn’t find it particularly strange.

After all, most mysteries in the world were largely uninterpretable.

Having even one more person as a fighting force was always welcome.

The Headmaster had even granted me permission to enter the Demon Realm.

“…It’s alright, the time to settle things with Lin was coming sooner or later. It was an inevitable issue, after all.”

She seemed to have made up her mind.

Had I unintentionally pushed her along?

But seeing the strength in Isabel’s eyes, I figured she’d manage just fine.

“And I’m planning to have a talk with Seron, too.”

Seron blinked.

She hadn’t expected to be mentioned out of the blue.

But soon, Seron’s brow furrowed with determination.

“If you’re staking your claim on Prince Sweet Potato, I won’t back down even if it’s against Bel.”

Seron’s eyes showed that she had steeled her resolve long ago.

Isabel smiled gently at her.

“Me neither. Therefore, I think we need to discuss this matter seriously.”

“Hmph.”

Seron didn’t seem to be refusing the conversation either.

In the meantime, Hania subtly sidled up next to me.

“Ex-boyfriend, must be nice being so popular.”

“Ex-girlfriend is probably a few thousand times more popular than I am, don’t you think?”

“Does that include Instructor Bikerman?”

“I wonder about that.”

Hania and I exchanged a brief smile.

Playing around with Hania like this had become quite familiar now.

“Over there, why are you two stuck together like that again?”

Just then, Seron whirled around to look at Hania and me, pointing out our closeness.

Isabelle, too, was watching us, her eyes narrowed slightly in a peculiar way.

Hania’s eyes met theirs, and she immediately and expertly linked her arm through mine.

Isabelle and Seron’s eyebrows instantly shifted into a disapproving V-shape.

“Just asserting her rights as an ex-girlfriend, you see.”

Like a true ex, she was quite used to this kind of skinship.

From the looks of it, Iris’s absence was making her take out her spite on those around her.

The real kicker was that Hania didn’t actually seem to care about me at all.

“Tch.”

Eve’s glare directed at me stung.

It was steadily turning into the kind of look one gives a real scoundrel.

Sad as it was, I couldn’t defend myself.

So, I decided to just accept that look with a sense of resignation.

It must be my fate.