[Translator - Night]
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Chapter 59: The Difference Between a Protagonist and a Third-Rate Villain
Fourth Floor of the Demon Dungeon.
Ice Art Museum.
Around Nikita, consumed by the dragon’s magic, pure white frost surged outward in every direction.
Yet amidst the frost, there was something different—an intense heat mixed in.
The frost seemed disoriented.
Fwoooosh!
From within Nikita’s body, the hidden frost revealed its fangs to me.
Fear.
The primal biological intimidation of a dragon.
Even though I had anticipated it, the raw, fierce terror struck me to my core.
However, the heat of the flames forcibly steadied my mind.
This accursed remnant of the dragon had finally shown its true nature.
One of the reasons I allowed Nikita to come into contact with the dragon’s magic was because of her bloodline—the lineage of the Marquis Cynthia family.
The Cynthia family has a peculiar tradition: they always ensure the birth of at least two children.
The reason is simple.
Long ago, even before the Empire’s unification wars, the Cynthia family had originally served a dragon.
The secret of their access to dragon magic stems from this connection.
But for reasons unknown, the Cynthia family betrayed the dragon.
Enraged, the dragon did not destroy them but left a curse behind.
The curse was simple:
Whenever a child of exceptional talent was born in their bloodline, the dragon would steal that talent.
The Dragon’s Remnant.
A child marked by the dragon’s remnant would have one unique talent: the ability to wield dragon magic.
The Cynthia family hid this truth for generations.
Even Nia Cynthia, the current heir, was unaware.
Only the Marquis of the Cynthia family knew the full extent of this curse.
It couldn’t be revealed to outsiders.
If the truth were known, the family would be shunned, branded as cursed.
And worse, since the curse was left by a dragon, finding a way to lift it was nearly impossible.
Thus, the Cynthia family concealed the truth with extreme care.
They had grown used to the idea of untalented children being born into their family.
They simply arranged strategic marriages for such children.
In this way, the dragon’s remnant continued to be passed down in the Cynthia lineage.
In modern times, the second child of the Cynthia family, Nikita, was born without any apparent talent.
Nikita, who should have soared on wings of talent, had those wings taken from her by the family’s curse.
She was forced to crawl on the ground instead.
Yet Nikita never gave up.
She wielded her sword, persevered, and rose through sheer effort to become the Vice President of the Zerion Academy.
But this world is driven by the great wheel of fate.
Whether today or another day, Nikita was destined to wield dragon magic.
At least, in the paths I knew from The Flame Butterfly, Nikita always ended up touching dragon magic.
Of course, I don’t know what would have happened if I had stopped her.
Perhaps she would never have come into contact with it.
But I couldn’t be certain about a future I didn’t know.
I was struggling to even keep up with the present before me.
I couldn’t afford to plan for a different future.
More importantly, even if Nikita never touched dragon magic, the dragon’s remnant would remain within her.
And one day, when she found happiness, married, and had children, the remnant could resurface in her child.
I didn’t want to imagine the sadness on Nikita’s face if her child was born untalented, as she had been.
So, I prepared for this.
The dragon’s remnant can’t be removed until it fully manifests and merges with the host.
But now, as Nikita used dragon magic, the remnant began to emerge.
“Struggle all you want in there.”
I was ready to expel the dragon’s remnant at all costs.
“I’ll burn it to ashes.”
The mystical power of the Steel Empress and her invincible skin.
The spirit lord of flames, whose fire rivals the frost of dragon magic.
The Steel Empress yearns for heat.
Her indomitable skin inherits this trait.
Yet the mystical power within her also resists heat—a paradox.
The Steel Empress desires heat but rejects it to prevent her steel from melting.
Her skin instinctively pushes the heat away.
This is where the Flame Spirit’s unique trait activates.
Born from the ashes of the Flame Spirit Lord, its dying fire burns anything that threatens to extinguish it.
The dragon’s remnant became the greatest threat to the Flame Spirit.
As a result, the Steel Empress’s skin repelled the Flame Spirit, directing it toward the dragon’s remnant.
The more my flame-covered hand clashed with Nikita, the more the Flame Spirit transferred to the remnant.
For frost, heat is its ultimate nemesis.
As the heat intensified, the power of the dragon’s remnant weakened drastically.
Rumble, rumble, RUMBLE!
The frost howled, revealing the remnant’s fury.
Nikita staggered backward.
Sensing danger, the dragon’s remnant tried to escape.
Boom!
But I wasn’t going to let that happen.
I closed the gap, striking with my flame-covered hand.
Nikita’s sword intercepted my blow.
The dragon’s remnant recognized the danger of a direct hit.
It knew that even one touch would allow a massive influx of the Flame Spirit.
Realizing this, the remnant couldn’t ignore me.
“Trying to run away?”
My crimson eyes glowed ominously.
“Nikita wouldn’t run.”
A streak of red light weaved through the frost.
Bang! Crash! Bang!
Each strike of my fiery hand relentlessly cornered the dragon’s remnant.
“If you’re going to run...”
I planted fear deep into the remnant.
“Run alone.”
The dragon’s remnant trembled violently.
At that moment, Nikita’s mouth opened, unleashing a blinding white flash.
I twisted my body sharply to avoid it, letting the light shoot past me.
BOOOOM!
The flash shattered the ceiling of the Ice Art Museum into countless shards.
Ice fragments rained down upon us.
I evaded the falling debris, as did Nikita.
Through the falling shards, Nikita began to retreat.
The dragon’s remnant was urging her to flee.
Crunch.
I pressed my foot into the ground, readying myself to leap.
Drawing my hand back, I took a deep breath.
As Nikita’s figure disappeared behind the shards, a magic circle I had engraved beneath me activated.
The magic triggered an explosion.
In that moment...
The synergy of mystical power and the magic circle’s effects propelled me like a cannonball.
BOOOM!
My body shot through the air, breaking through the ice debris.
My flame-covered hand stretched forward, piercing through the falling shards.
CRACK!
The shards shattered as my hand struck through, creating fissures across the entire ceiling fragment.
SHATTER!
Bursting through the debris, I launched a surprise attack on Nikita.
But the dragon’s remnant had anticipated this.
Nikita gripped her sword, now brimming with concentrated frost.
Her dragon-like eyes gleamed with murderous intent, ready to kill.
Looking at it,
I activated a ring while holding the stance of a knife-hand strike.
“Come, Lightning Caller.”
Crackle—
A brilliant white arc of lightning engulfed the ground.
Ignoring even the rules of the Demon Dungeon, the descending lightning strike swept away everything in its path.
The ancient dragon, caught in the storm of the lightning, roared with its magic.
She was starting to regain consciousness.
This was bad.
I hadn’t had time to fix the Veil Bandages, so I still looked like Vikamon.
It was a mistake caused by my inability to focus.
Left with no choice, I pulled Nikita into my arms.
I held her face against my chest.
Fortunately, Vikamon, unlike Hannon, had a large build.
This way, my face would remain hidden.
In her confused state, Nikita wouldn’t recognize me.
Feeling her stir slightly in my arms,
I realized anew just how small she was.
With such a small body, she had endured so much on her own until now.
But things would be different from now on.
The remnants of the dragon that devoured her talent were gone,
as was the oppressive Marquis Cynthia family.
"Senior Nikita."
As I descended the stairs, I continued to speak.
"I've always said this: I respect you, senpai."
There was a time when I also gave it my all.
I worked so hard that people called me a promising talent.
But one mistake led to an injury, and I retired from sports.
I had dedicated everything to it, and without it, I was left with nothing.
And so, I immersed myself in games.
That’s where I saw Nikita.
Nikita, who never faltered in any situation and stayed true to her beliefs.
Watching her somehow brought me comfort.
Even when those around her belittled her efforts, she always stood firm.
Even though her fate was set—a political marriage that rendered everything meaningless.
I felt joy watching her defy her destiny.
But in the end, Nikita couldn’t escape her fate and died.
Every time I saw that, I swallowed my anger over and over again.
But now, finally, I can make sure she doesn’t meet the same fate.
"And it will stay that way in the future."
No matter what path Nikita takes from now on,
I will respect and support her.
This is my way of repaying the comfort I found in watching her in the game.
"Senior Nikita, your brother is waiting outside. I’m sorry for keeping it hidden until now."
Today, I contacted Nia separately.
It was a promise I made back when I saved Nia.
Given that it’s about Nikita, I’m sure he’s rushed here in a panic.
I have no idea how Nikita will react to seeing that Nia is alive.
That’s something I can’t confirm.
Since Nikita is bound by the dragon's magic, she can’t reveal herself to the world.
But Nia will take care of that part without fail.
"You hated living a life used for political marriage and one without expectations, didn’t you?"
I gently cradled Nikita’s head in my hands.
The bad ending, ‘Dragon of Calamity.’
The words she screamed out there, time and time again.
"I hated my life so much—this life shackled to the Marquis of Cynthia—that I could toss it away this easily."
But now, she doesn’t have to throw her life away anymore.
"From now on, let’s live freely and do everything you want to do."
Before I knew it, my feet stopped at the secret spot on the fifth floor.
I pushed open the thick stone door with my body, revealing a strange passage.
Looking at it, I slowly pushed Nikita inside.
This passage leads somewhere other than the entrance to the demon lair.
I’ve called Nia over there, so he should be waiting.
This is the end for Nikita and me.
As I opened my mouth to bid her farewell—
Smack—
Nikita grabbed my hand.
Did she regain consciousness in that brief moment?
What kind of mental fortitude is this?
But this is troublesome.
I haven’t finished adjusting the bandages yet.
"Junior... no."
Nikita’s trembling hand clutched my arm.
"Vikamon."
...She figured it out.
There’s no point in hiding anymore.
I gave a bitter smile, and Nikita looked up at me, biting her lip.
Her lips moved as if she had a lot to say.
But her expression showed she didn’t know what to say first.
Her emotions were overwhelming, and tears welled up in her eyes.
"I... I always ignored your feelings."
Only then did I realize why Nikita was reacting this way.
Vikamon loved Nikita.
And Nikita knew this.
But she never thought to accept it.
She was destined for a political marriage.
She had no intention of dating anyone.
And so, she never allowed herself to like anyone.
Vikamon knew this too, which is why he never confessed.
"Why would you go this far for me...?"
Nikita finally poured out her emotions, as if everything I had done so far confirmed her suspicions.
"It’s okay."
It’s true that Vikamon loved Nikita.
Now, I am Vikamon.
I can’t deny that.
"Knowing that Nikita is safe is enough for me."
It’s unfortunate that I can’t call her senior anymore.
"Nikita."
I gave her my brightest smile.
"Be happy."
A miserable fate doesn’t suit someone as strong as her.
So I released her hand and pushed her into the passage.
"Vikamon, wait!"
It seemed like Nikita had something more to say, but I couldn’t stay to hear it.
The fiends and apostles that had noticed me were getting closer.
"No...!"
With her final cry, Nikita disappeared into the passage.
Thud—
Finally, the passage closed completely.
I can’t leave through this passage.
Otherwise, there would be no way to explain my disappearance from the demon dungeon.
Staggering, I stood up.
I hastily wrapped the Veil Bandages around myself, however crudely.
Before long, I had returned to my guise as Hania.
Dodging the fiends, I moved toward the stairs on the fourth floor.
The passageway was a safe zone, and the fiends wouldn’t follow me there.
But as I entered the passage and climbed the stairs, I stumbled.
Thud—
Collapsing onto the ground, I gasped for breath.
Damn it, I’ve reached my limit.
"Just a little."
Let me rest just a little.
With that, I slowly closed my eyes, drifting into unconsciousness.
【Act 3, Chapter 6, 'The Dragon Maiden of Calamity’】
【CLEAR】
.
.
.
【Act 3 ends.】
【The side story of Act 3 begins soon.】
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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