The room was filled with chaos. In every area, people were fighting. Of course, that was because it was combat class.
Julian entered the class with some excitement in his step. He bounced into the classroom, you could say.
Upon entering, the instructor greeted him.
"Ah, you're the new student, correct? Julian... Thorne?" he presented his face with a welcoming smile. The elf man appeared to be in his 30s, but it was an elf, so of course you couldn't trust that completely.
His light green hair must've been recently buzzed since it was pretty short. He had a stubble beard, and his eyes matched the color of his hair. Not much stood out about him, besides his above-average stature.
"... that's me."
Julian nodded his head. It would take him some time to get used to social interaction.
"My name is Mr. Gilgolor. I'll be your physical combat instructor for this school year."
Crsh!
A fellow student flew in between Julian and Mr. Gilgolor, crashing into the wall.
The excitement Julian had once had was starting to fade.
'What kind of brute could do something like that?'
Julian turned his head to the direction from which the student came flying. To figure out what sort of... monster had that kind of strength.
From afar, there were not many things he could tell. He was a redhead with light brown eyes. But he could tell that he was somewhat built. But not built enough to make someone fly back like that.
But.... his uniform was modified.
'This is truly ridiculous...'
"I see you have your eyes on Gervem Derkudz."
The instructor noticed Julian's gaze.
"That kid?"
"Yeah. He's one of the few 1st years that managed to join the student council."
"Student... council."
"He's a genetic miracle. Although he doesn't look too strong, his muscles are built in a way where he has the strength of 8 adult men!" the instructor spoke with some pride in his voice as if it was his own son.
'A genetic... miracle.'
"You should find someone to spar with. Someone like Gervem would destroy you in seconds."
"I can tell. Can I... sit out for this class period?"
Mr. Gilogor sighed.
"Sure. This is your first day back, so I'll cut you some slack."
That's what Julian did. He sat out and watched everything that was happening. He realized something then.
All the opponents he had fought and won against in the past, could not compare to these kids. Everyone was stronger than ever. Stronger than those kids he met in the alleyway. Possibly even stronger than Oscar.
No, probably not stronger than Oscar.
. . .
. .
.
"To think it's been... what, 3 or 2 years? Where have you been, Julian?"
Ian had a smile plastered across his face, once his eyes noticed Julian. It wasn't a crazy reaction, but it was a genuine one.
Julian responded, smiling lightly. "I've been... doing a lot of things."
The school's cafeteria was full of chatter. It was such a familiar air for Julian. There weren't a lot of friends he made when he was here for his first year. Despite that, the cafeteria brought such a warm, welcoming feeling.
"How have you been, Julian? I want to catch up with you."
Ian's face was always nonchalant, smiling only once in a while. It looked more lively and more expressive.
"A lot of things have happened. I had to work for a while in a foreign area."
'There's no way I could tell him about everything that happened. He would look at me like I'm crazy.'
'Would he? This is a fantasy world after all-'
"Really? You left because of that?"
"That's not all. A lot of more stuff happened, but it's hard to fit it all into one... conversation, I guess."
"Ohh... I get it. Too much to even explain, huh?" Ian chuckled. Julain awkwardly laughed with him.
"Yeah... haha..."
"Ah, you know, I think that Eudora girl might have a crush on you."
"Hm? What makes you say that?"
"When she heard about you coming back, she had this like... surprised face, something like that."
"... I see."
'Eudora liking me... hm.'
"Speaking of Eudora, isn't that her standing up, looking at you?"
Julian turned his head. Eudora was glaring straight at him, just like what Ian said.
"Ahh..."
. . .
. .
.
Everything happened so quickly. First, he was in the cafeteria, then he was at the school's rooftop, standing before Eudora.
"Strange."
The wind blew.
"I can't sense any more pride. Perhaps you've managed to mask it all completely?" Eudora's fists were clenched, and she stared intently at Julian.
Julian looked at the elf with confusion and a small bit of fear.
"What are you... talking about?"
Eudora raised her fists.
"I'm ready. You've come to get me. To get revenge on [Gluttony] and [Greed]?"
"Ahh... I think you've got me mixed up with someone else."
He continued to stare at the elf, with confusion. The wind blew harder and harder, strands of hair blowing into Julian's face.
"No, I saw you. You've taken over Julian's body before I could. So, I'm ready to fight you."
She loosened her tie.
"Please c-calm down! I'm not here to fight you! I don't have any idea what you're talking about!"