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Chapter 3: Raising the Heroine with Compliments
In the me Butterfly arc, countless bad endings exist.
Among them, one of the worst bad endings stands out:
It is undoubtedly the "Ancient Dragon."
To the north of Zerion Academy lies the Dragon Mountain Range.
An ancient dragon nested there isn’t designed to be defeated—it’s a force of nature.
The sight of Zerion Academy frozen solid under its icy breath evoked an indescribable sense of awe and helplessness.
Thus, under no circumstances should this ancient dragon be an enemy.
This is the most critical rule I learned after countless ythroughs of me Butterfly.
Present time.
When ites to the most dangerous figure leading to a bad ending, there’s only one answer:
The person who, by the third act, transforms into a figure the protagonist must defeat—
The one who could pave the way to the "Ancient Dragon" bad ending—
The woman who woulde to wield dragon magic:
The so-called "Cmity Dragon."
Currently a third-year student, she serves as the vice president of the student council.
She was present even during the prologue of Act 1, Chapter 1, observing the entrance exam as part of the student council.
But as fate would have it, she faced an unfortunate loss against Lucas, who awakened the me of Determination during the test.
From that moment on, she and Lucas were constantly at odds, bing sworn rivals.
Toplicate matters further, the original Vikamon—the character I’ve now taken over—harbored a one-sided affection for her.
Though I, now Vikamon, don’t share those feelings, the fact remains that Vikamon openly liked her.
However, the Cmity Dragon had no intention of reciprocating.
Aware of this, Vikamon never confessed.
Thus, their rtionship remained one-sided and unspoken.
‘What a timid guy.’
If you like someone, you should at least confess.
But, true to his role as a side-viin, Vikamon was as small-minded as theye.
‘And now that’s me.’
I’ve never experienced unrequited love, but now I have that legacy thrust upon me.
‘Thankfully, I didn’t enroll as Vikamon from the start.
Had I done so, rumors of me being the Cmity Dragon’s hopeless admirer would have spread like wildfire.
Back to the main issue:
Vikamon despised Lucas, the person constantly shing with his beloved Dragoness.
Lucas, in turn, became the prime target of Vikamon’s harassment.
However, Vikamon eventually crossed a line.
He antagonized Lucas while thetter was paired with the princess during a dungeon exploration.
This backfired spectacrly, cing Vikamon’s life in danger.
Yet Lucas, being the protagonist, saved even the enemy who had tormented him.
It was a defining moment that showcased Lucas’s character.
Grateful and guilt-ridden, Vikamon sincerely apologized:
‘If you ever find yourself in danger, I’ll repay the debt of saving my life.’
From that point on, Vikamon became a redeemed viin seeking atonement.
However, the damage was already done.
Having antagonized a team that included the princess, Vikamon faced dire consequences.
He was expelled from both the academy and his noble family.
Originally, Vikamon was meant to fade into obscurity, with rumors of him living a carefree life elsewhere.
‘But no one would’ve expected me, Vikamon, to return to Zerion Academy.’
While the story remains Vikamon’s, it’s also now my story.
The past won’t simply vanish, so if I ever act as Vikamon, I’ll need to tread carefully.
Back to the true problem at hand: the Cmity Dragon.
She has a long history with the protagonist, Lucas.
Though they start as rivals, the narrative cleverly develops a begrudging camaraderie between them through shared hardships.
But this bond is nothing more than the developers’ cruel design.
It exists solely to amplify the tragedy of her arc.
She bes the tragic final boss of Act 3, dying amidst heartbreak.
Her downfall also serves to deepen Lucas’s understanding of the empire’s brewing turmoil and its stakes.
‘From the entrance exam onward, Lucas’s story was already intertwined with hers.’
Meanwhile, what about me?
I’ve only just transferred in as a second-year student at the start of Act 2.
I’ve never participated in the entrance exam and have no connection to her yet.
Nevertheless, this world—already plunged into a bad ending—must somehow be steered back to the canonical route.
Though this bad-ending world is in shambles, I must prevent the ultimate disaster: the Ancient Dragon.
‘Which is why I’ll join the student council.’
Currently, the Dragoness serves as its vice president.
The only way to approach her is to enter the student council.
Thus, after finishing my martial arts ss, I headed straight toward the student council.
Zerion Academy consists of a central building surrounded by five towering structures, each dedicated to one of five disciplines:
1. Martial Arts.
2. Mixed Arts.
3. Magic Arts
4. Divine Arts
5. Special Arts
These towers are collectively known as the Zerion Pentagon.
The Zerion Pentagon features aerial bridges connecting each tower, stretching out towards a central building.
Suspended in the air, a floating structure links them all—a building that houses the dean’s office, faculty offices, and the student council.
Towering—
I happened to arrive at the aerial bridge of the Martial Arts tower.
Just as I was about to step towards the central building visible across the bridge,
a gust of wind swept past, and I caught sight of silver-white hair fluttering in the air.
I froze mid-step at the sight.
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Amidst the flowing strands of hair stood a single figure.
A strikingly beautiful girl,
smaller even than my disguised form as the boyish character Hannon.
Yet, despite her small stature, her proportions were astonishingly bnced,
thanks to her remarkably petite head.
Her small face was a mystery, packed with finely sculpted eyes, nose, and lips.
And despite her delicate frame, her mature appearance was made evident by a certain feature that naturally drew a man’s gaze to her chest.
I knew her very well.
Of course, I did.
She was the very person I had been searching for until just now.
The Dragoness of Cmity.
Nikita Cynthia.
The final boss of Act 3.
‘What a surprise.’
I was about to seek her out, but I didn’t expect her to appear right before my eyes.
Caught off guard, I froze momentarily.
And then, Nikita’s gaze met mine. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
There were only the two of us on the Martial Arts tower’s bridge.
It wasn’t unusual for our eyes to meet.
As she approached, Nikita gave me a brief nce before turning away with a cold expression.
To an outsider, it would seem aloof and dismissive.
But I knew her true nature.
I wasn’t particrly fazed.
‘Her icy demeanor gradually softened during her rivalry with Lucas, revealing a different side.’
She might appear cold like her silver hair,
but in reality, she is fiercelypetitive and asionally mischievous.
She has a particr weakness forpliments yet is unyielding in the face of criticism.
And despite her small stature, she has an unexpectedplex about her height.
I had thoroughly experienced Nikita’s personality during countless ythroughs of Lucas’s route.
Right now, her demeanor was just a facade.
She was probably pretending to be noble andposed in front of a freshman like me.
“Senior Nikita Cynthia.”
So, I called out to her.
My business wasn’t with the student council but with Nikita herself.
Surprised that someone had addressed her, Nikita turned to look at me with a curious expression.
Her flowing silver hair as she turned her head was so beautiful that it justified why she wore her haughty mask.
“Even before enrolling, I greatly admired your aplishments, Senior Nikita Cynthia. I aspire to join the student council where you serve, senior.”
I eximed loudly, bowing my head deeply.
I could feel Nikita flinch at my words.
I didn’t need to see to know.
She was likely wearing a bewildered expression.
But I knew Nikita’s inner thoughts.
‘Admiration.’
I understood what that word meant to her.
And why she was so vulnerable topliments.
I nced up subtly to observe her.
As expected, Nikita’s face betrayed a mixture of confusion and surprise.
But her lips were faintly trembling.
She had a particr weakness for admiration.
My words had struck her deeply.
Compliments could make Nikita dance!
Already, a spark of curiosity was flickering in her eyes as she looked at me.
“…What’s your name, freshman?”
Curiosity soon turned to interest.
Now was the time to press forward.
To avoid another bad ending involving the ancient dragon,
I had to form a connection with Nikita at any cost.
‘By any means necessary.’
Nothing else mattered as long as I could progress towards the true ending!
So, without hesitation, I dered boldly:
“My name is Hannon Irey. I’ve transferred into the second year starting today!”
At that, Nikita visibly flinched.
Because she already knew my name.
At the start of Act 3, Chapter 1, news reaches Nikita: her elder brother, Nia Cynthia, has sided with the first prince’s faction.
In other words, the Cynthia family, a marquessate, has be enemies of the third princess.
Hannon Irey is the cousin of the final viiness, the third princess.
Although the connection is trivial,
you never know what might happen.
Naturally, Nikita would have been keeping a close eye on me since my transfer.
‘…The freshman…’
Sure enough, Nikita recognized me.
Realizing the connection to the princess from my appearance, she quickly pieced things together.
Her gaze sharpened.
“Ahem. I’m curious why you’re suddenly expressing admiration.”
Yet, Nikita didn’t ept me outright.
She was cautious, wary that I might be a trapid by the third princess.
But at the same time, she couldn’t hide her curiosity, ncing at me now and then, clearly wondering what kind ofpliments I would offer.
‘Adorable creature. Are you that starved for praise?’
Fine. Let’s do this.
“Would you like me to exin in detail why I admire you, Senior Nikita Cynthia?”
It was time for a barrage ofpliments.
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