Chapter 28 : Epilogue: Have You Heard of Sephirian Continent?

In the community park, a girl swung on a creaky swing, gazing at the shadow beneath her feet.

The winter breeze brushed her short hair, the old swing groaning as if waking from a long slumber under her swaying.

“Been waiting long?”

Looking up at the boy in the night, the girl gave a gentle smile.

“No, I just got here—does that sound too date-like?”

“Kinda. But maybe it is a date? Since I invited you out of the blue.”

Sitting on the swing beside her, the boy scuffed the ground, slowly matching her rhythm.

“Wow, bold move.”

The girl’s eyes crinkled, her smile cute yet spirited.

“So, what’s the purpose of this ‘date’?”

“Follow-up on the tennis club mess. But if you want milk tea, that’s cool too.”

“Huh? Isn’t that over? Yang Xinwei’s in jail, Li Xiaowan, the president, and those photo-taking girls and rumor-spreading guys got warnings or might be expelled. The tennis club’s being restructured, and the school’s cracking down.”

The girl ticked off points on her fingers. “Sounds like a solid ending to me.”

“For them, maybe it’s harsh, but they got what they deserved.”

The boy nodded approvingly.

“What’s weird about it?”

The girl tilted her head, puzzled.

“It’s been weird from the start.”

The boy smirked, blinking.

“The tennis club’s group existed for ages, and those photos circulated within limits. Those seniors weren’t saints, but they weren’t idiots either.”

“They used to blackmail and scheme privately, like with the first photo threat. But this time, they were oddly bold, like they wanted it to blow up. Way too reckless.”

The swings swayed, their alternating rhythm oddly harmonious.

“You’re right…” the girl mused. “Maybe Yang Xinwei was so obsessed with Ye Qingshu that he leaked it himself?”

“Maybe. If there’s a mastermind, they’d have used that obsession.”

The boy smiled. “But that makes it weirder. It’s the school forum, sure, but not everything gets posted and spreads. Especially with student privacy and scandals, post-Zhu Lulubing’s enrollment, they’d be extra strict.”

“You’re wrong there. The adults don’t meddle much in school stuff. They probably just missed it.”

The girl countered.

“True, but that reminds me of something Teacher Xia said: ‘Let students handle their own issues.’ Even if teachers didn’t see it, some students should’ve caught that post early on the forum.”

The boy, Zhu Hanqi, stopped swinging.

He looked at the smiling girl, his tone cool. “That’d be the ones running the campus forums, social media, everything—the journalism club.”

“Right, Jiang Xiang-senpai?”

…

In the night, the short-haired girl sighed softly.

“I don’t really get what you’re saying.”

She smiled faintly.

“I’m just the journalism club’s vice-president, handling platform operations. Sure, I might miss something occasionally. My help later was to make up for that mistake—are you saying I’m the mastermind?”

“Isn’t that a bit hasty? Maybe it was just Li Xiaowan sneaking into the club that day?”

Zhu Hanqi stood, staring at the warm, sisterly senior.

“Maybe. But when too many ‘small chances’ pile up, it’s not just a guess.”

He spoke calmly.

“The interview—you invited me, someone unrelated to the journalism club, which led me to Zhu Lulubing and this whole mess. Oh, and you named me before Liu Senyao-senpai did. I thought it was just rumors then, but now it’s suspicious.”

“And the milk tea shop. You prepped me about the tennis club. While Liu Senyao-senpai grabbed takeout, you planted a seed of caution.”

“Then there’s Li Xiaowan. When I mentioned her, you brought her to the shop right away. You knew her, yet let her fan the flames in the club.”

The girl seemed ready to laugh it off, but Zhu Hanqi added “politely,” “Oh, and during Li Xiaowan’s questioning, my ‘mind-reading’ caught you too. That’s the clincher.”

Silence stretched between them. After a long pause, Jiang Xiang sighed.

“Why say all this? I thought I was careful enough, but I guess I can’t beat a cheater’s power.”

“Haha, kidding. I can’t read minds that well. Your shock and quick acceptance just seemed off.”

Jiang Xiang squinted, smiling. “Anyone ever say you’re really annoying?”

“The whole world says so.” The boy shrugged. “So what? In the end, they’re all dead.”

“…” After a quiet moment, Jiang Xiang hopped off the swing, facing Zhu Hanqi.

“You’re mostly right. I did nudge Yang Xinwei into this reckless plan and fanned the flames a bit.”

She spoke gently.

“But if I said it was just to speed up the tennis club’s downfall, would you believe me?”

“I would. The rumor had holes, and with Zhu Lulubing’s timing, it’d have blown up anyway, forcing the school to act.”

“You left backups. It was a mean plan, but controlled—seemingly hurting Ye Qingshu, but really targeting me, right?”

Her eyes flickered, and she gave a wry smile.

“Exactly. I planned to let Yang Xinwei run wild, then expose the tennis club’s dirt with the photo scandal.”

“I meant for him to just get expelled, but your moves turned it into a crime. As for why I used Ye Qingshu as bait, you’ve figured it out, haven’t you?”

Zhu Hanqi spread his hands. “You dug into my past, saw Ye Qingshu as my weakness. You tested my stance, what she means to me—disappointed?”

“Utterly,” Jiang Xiang nodded, sighing. “Turns out, Ye Qingshu isn’t vital to you—you’re vital to her. What was I even doing? Exposed myself fast and found no weak spot.”

“Worthy of a Demon King. Even when I played friendly, you never trusted anyone?”

“That’s my line. Going this far just to target me? You’re terrifying, Senpai.”

Zhu Hanqi eyed Jiang Xiang.

“Terrifying? I’m not even a fraction as scary as you.”

Unnoticed, tender green and flowers—impossible for the season—bloomed behind her. Amid peach blossoms, her gentle smile carried a chill.

Blackened—the only word fitting her now.

“So, though we both know, let me ask.”

Looking at the girl smiling in the blossoms, Zhu Hanqi sighed.

“Senpai.”

“—Have you heard of Sephirian Continent?”

…

“Yes. Of course.”

“There, you killed me in the cruelest, most insane way.”

“A hell I’ll never forget in my dreams. You took so much from me.”

“Now, I’ve crawled back from that abyss. I’m grateful to the gods for this chance. This chance to meet you again.”

“Seeing you, I trembled—first from fear, then from excitement.”

“This time.”

“Endgame Demon King.”

“Zhu Hanqi.”

“—I’ll fight you to the death.”

[Volume 2 Preview: On the stage, stories and historical truths intertwine. The Demon King becomes a knight, the Saintess turns Demon King, and the princess remains a princess.

The black crown has crowned me; why bother with a hypocritical white cape?

On the school’s stage, a glimpse of Sephirian Continent unfolds, along with curses, hatred, and love carried into this world.

Volume 2: A Fairy Tale in a Forgotten Corner

(Please keep reading… TvT)]