It had been two weeks since Jin joined the Student Council and began handling council duties under Erekaya.

During these two weeks, Jin had become quite accustomed to his position as secretary—though, admittedly, there wasn’t much that fell under that role. He also managed to develop a certain rapport with the Vice President, Serika, as well as with Shura and Midir.

While the fact that he was getting to know Serika, someone he had encountered frequently by this point, was expected, forming acquaintances with Shura and Midir, who he was meeting for the first time, was indeed a significant achievement.

Well, it was not surprising that Shura, overflowing with sociability and charismatic energy, would easily warm up to him. But he was glad that he could exchange greetings with Midir as well, who clearly exhibited the traits of a reserved person. This meant he had successfully integrated into the Student Council to some extent.

Although it was somewhat unsettling that Serika occasionally looked at him with an inexplicable discontent, she was practically a girl who had already fallen for Jin, so it could easily be brushed off as a bit of playful rivalry…

In this way, Jin had been able to firmly establish his place within the current iteration of the Student Council in a short span of time. However, despite this, Jin, the very person in question, was overcome with extreme anxiety and restlessness.

‘…I haven’t found any clues.’

That was right. The reason Jin had gone through the trouble of joining a place like the Student Council, or forming friendships with Shura and Midir, or even trying to win over Erekaya, was fundamentally to uncover clues related to the End that was said to come in ten years.

Yet, after two weeks in the council and three months since he entered Nineveh, Jin had not been able to find any hints related to the End.

It had been about a hundred years since Jin had decided to confront the End head-on and fight against it. With that much time, he felt he had the confidence to detect and differentiate any clues related to the End better than anyone else in the world. Nevertheless, even with that perspective, he was unable to find any connection related to the End within the Student Council.

He was aware that the council president, Erekaya, was linked to one of the Ends, the “Ancient Serpent,” but Jin had enrolled in Nineveh primarily to prevent the incident of her awakening as an End, so he could set that aside for now.

That meant the so-called “clue related to the End” that had appeared on his status screen could be held by one of the three: Serika, Shura, or Midir—but—

‘…None of them seem to have any obvious issues.’

During the past two weeks, Jin had engaged in conversations with the trio, scrutinizing them for any peculiarities and utilizing his synesthesia to be meticulous in his observations. However, he found no substantial results.

Serika von Valentine had essentially become his most reliable ally and servant over the iterations he had gone through, so it was safe to say that she was not guilty. Similarly, Shura Preveza and Midir were merely ordinary humans without any particular traits.

The only bit of information Jin had gathered from his two weeks of intense scrutiny was that Shura’s favorite food was chocolate cream cake, and Midir was indeed the expected introvert who had lived a life without friends.

Moreover, even Jin’s main objective for enrolling in Nineveh—winning over Erekaya—was not progressing as planned.

Of course, if we only considered the “progress” of the plan, things were going quite smoothly in terms of seducing Erekaya.

Despite not even having properly executed the first phase of their plan, the rumor that Jin and Erekaya might actually be in a romantic relationship was already circulating throughout Nineveh, indicating that the distance between the two had rapidly narrowed.

‘…In fact, that’s the real problem.’

Jin had anticipated that it would take at least a year to charm Erekaya as she was now.

However, contrary to their expectations, it had barely been three months since their association had led to rumors of them potentially being a couple.

Well, good. If you only looked at the results, there was no arguably better situation one could ask for.

But objectively speaking, was this even a reasonable situation?

Even by his own assessment, Jin’s face wasn’t that of a mesmerizingly handsome man whom any girl would fall for, nor did he come from any impressive background or high status.

Was it truly possible that he, who had never once been approached by anyone until now, could rapidly become so close to Erekaya that there were suspicions of them being a couple?

…I don’t know. I seriously don’t know anything.

He had no idea if the events currently unfolding were even under his control, if he was making the right choices, or in what direction all these circumstances would ultimately lead.

It was frustrating. Even though he knew better than anyone that such matters should never be rushed, he could not help but feel a growing impatience within himself.

While he was here, enjoying youthful antics with other teenage kids, was there not a possibility that any clues related to the End could disappear into nothingness?

“…Damn it.”

In the end, yet another day concluded without any meaningful outcomes, and Jin found himself heading back to the dormitory without having achieved anything from the Student Council.
Is it really certain that there are clues related to the End within the Student Council, or could it be that I have made a misjudgment? Or perhaps it is unwise to blindly trust the information provided by that damn status screen?

As Jin was tangled in these complicated thoughts, a voice suddenly called out to him from behind.

“…Jin, I would like to have a moment to talk with you. Is that alright with you?”

When he turned around, the one who had caught his attention was none other than the Vice President of the Student Council, Serika von Valentine, his prospective servant.

“Are you saying that we will have a conversation, just the two of us?”

Jin tilted his head at Serika’s unexpected after-request. It was simply surprising coming from her.

Ever since the prophecy had predicted that numerous women would flock to Jin’s side, this girl had been avoiding him as if he were a carrier of a deadly virus. Now she was initiating a conversation with him?

Jin was also curious about what could be so important that she would go out of her way to approach him, so he responded, “I’m fine with that…”

“Then let’s move to a different location for a moment.”

Saying this, Serika led Jin to a quiet garden with a pond, a short distance from the Student Council room.

“It’s just a casual conversation, but if it were to get out to others, it could become quite bothersome.”

Evidently, Serika’s demeanor was in stark contrast to her usual nervousness, where she would tremble in fear as if she were about to get pregnant just from looking at his face.

“Jin, before I get into the main topic, may I ask you one thing?”

“What would you like to ask?”

“Do you have any knowledge of the End?”

At that question from Serika, Jin couldn’t help but lift the corners of his mouth slightly in a smirk.

Did she think he didn’t know about the End? Surely, was there anyone in the world who knew more about it than him?

After all, no one else could claim to have lived through the horrific experience of dying nine times due to that damn End.

“I certainly do. It’s a kind of tale that has been passed down since the distant past, known as the mythical era, up to the present day, isn’t it?”

In truth, he wanted to add that it was not just a simple old tale, but rather a nightmarish future ten years from now, one that would turn the world into a sea of flames. However, he decided against saying that much.

After all, she would have no reason to believe him, and he didn’t particularly wish to see her suddenly depressingly kneel and cling to his leg while weeping.

“An old tale… that’s not entirely incorrect,” Serika replied, nodding as though she had come to some understanding. She then gazed at him thoughtfully before posing her next question.

“Then do you also know what the element that is prophesied to destroy the world within that old tale is?”

“Yes. I know that much.”

As Jin understood it, the protagonists of the prophecy were a total of seven.

The End’s Dragon

The Beast of the Earth

The Ancient Serpent

The Great Goddess

The Avatar of Death

The Beast’s Guide

The Last King

Of these, Jin had encountered only the End’s Dragon, the Beast of the Earth, and the Ancient Serpent; he had yet to even catch a glimpse of the remaining four.

However, one clear fact remained: the other Ends, which he had not yet encountered, were likely to possess powers far beyond those of the Ends he had already faced.

This was because the power gap between the first End, the End’s Dragon, and the second End, the Beast of the Earth, was so staggering that making a comparison was meaningless.

The third End, the Ancient Serpent, Ajdahaka, was powerful enough to shred him to pieces like a bug, leaving him to wonder if it was truly possible to defeat all seven Ends someday.

But what could he do? He couldn’t just lie down and give up now that he had come this far; he’d have to see it through till the end, whether it resulted in success or failure.

“I actually considered a lot whether I needed to tell you this story. However, since you are one of the parties involved in this matter, I clearly have an obligation to share it with you.”

“…You’re not suggesting that you mean that prophecy about me and the Chairperson merging into one, are you?”

As Jin exhibited a weary expression, showing his exasperation, Serika offered him a wry smile.

“Indeed, it is a prophecy I made, but I don’t attach much significance to it. Because the fate I foresaw, crossing time lines, is bound to materialize in this world, regardless of the cause and effect.”

“If the woman by your side is the one I saw in that future, then no matter how much I struggle to change that future, it will come to fruition in some form. In fact, the very act of trying to alter the future might trigger the fulfillment of the prophecy. Humans are beings bound by fate, and it is impossible to change it in any way.”
At Serika’s contradictory words, Jin wore an expression of disbelief.

“…If that’s how you think, then why have you been avoiding me while mentioning that prophecy until now?”

“It’s true that humans are beings bound by the shackles of fate, but I believe one should not become a slave to that fate.”

Serika stated this decisively, her eyes reflecting an indescribable spirit.

“I am aware that all my actions are ultimately futile and that the fate of this world will unfold as I foresaw it.”

“Nonetheless, I don’t believe that everything I do in this moment is meaningless. I don’t think that every word and action I produce is simply a puppet show devoid of value. Because I am human, and I consider myself the master of my own fate and the captain of my soul.”

“…”

Was that so? Even while acknowledging that her actions held no true meaning, she had been terrified and hiding from Jin’s mere shadow due to that ideology.

“I knew from the very start that you had been observing us over the past two weeks. I also knew that you were weighing something within yourself.”

“…You noticed?”

“Not just me, but everyone in the Student Council must have noticed. We just didn’t vocalize it.”

Despite her efforts to act as inconspicuously as possible, it turned out everyone was simply pretending not to know.

“I initially thought your purpose for joining the Student Council was tied to the Chairperson. After all, in the prophecy, you appear beside her and eventually merge into one, so I speculated you might have ulterior motives for spending time with her.”

“…”

That statement was practically an undeniable fact, leaving Jin speechless.

“However, just as you’ve silently watched us for the past two weeks, I too have been observing you during that time. And I came to realize that you are not the type to shamelessly plot behind the scenes, despite your outward confidence.”

“It’s precisely for this reason that I felt the need to tell you. Even if you cannot escape the bounds of destiny, you and I have the right to resist our own fates.”

A gentle glow began to shine around Serika von Valentine.

This halo was undeniable evidence that Serika was communicating with this world and ‘interfering’ from a higher dimension.

“Jin, I have seen it. The moment this world is destroyed by the End.”

“…There were many deaths. And beyond those deaths, there was an overwhelming amount of sorrow. Such sorrow became so routine that it overflowed during the moment of destruction.”

“And somewhere in Nineveh lies the End. No, this Nineveh itself is the starting point of the End. If the precise ‘time’ and ‘conditions’ align, the End could descend upon this realm at any moment.”

“This prophecy might be utterly useless to the majority of humans, including myself, but it may serve as considerable advice to you. At the very least, your aimless wandering has prevented the End from descending upon Nineveh.”

With a step forward, Serika gently raised one hand and cautiously caressed Jin’s cheek. After that, she leaned in and whispered something into his ear.

“And this is my personal opinion and advice: it would be best for you to keep your distance from women.”

“…What do you mean by that? Is this also related to the prophecy?”

Is she once again going to mention how there are too many women around him?

“No, this isn’t a cute story. In fact, it’s quite clear to everyone that you’re suffering from a ‘woman problem,’ even without invoking the prophecies.”

Serika, who had initially laughed lightly, then shifted her expression and spoke in a serious tone.

“Be careful of the Chairperson… no, Erekaya del Pendragon, Jin.”

“Be careful? Why’s that? Is Erekaya planning to kill me or something?”

He had already died once at her hands, so he didn’t find it too frightening.

“…If only it were you who died, there wouldn’t be any issues. How on earth did I start seeing such a future? Ugh…”

Serika lightly sighed, then regarded Jin with a look of disbelief, clicking her tongue quietly.

“Anyway, just take care. Before you worry about the End, your body could potentially get torn apart physically.”

“…?”

What is she talking about? Why would my body get torn apart before the End even arrives?

– Sigh, what an idiot.

Only Erekaya, hidden away in a corner of his mind, let out a deep sigh on Serika’s behalf.