"Yo, you going in or not?"
A rough, feminine voice woke Alex from his thoughts. Turning his head, he saw Silvia and Noah behind him. Noah remained silent, appearing somewhat annoyed.
"Huuu."
After collecting his breath, Alex slowly opened the door and entered the classroom.
"Brother Alex, don't worry; I am there for you," said Lucas.
"First, you better take care of yourself," replied Alex, looking at his friend who played the role of an antagonist in the novel.
"Well, since I have you, Brother Alex, there is no need for me to worry," Lucas said confidently, sporting a foolish grin.
Alex sighed and started looking around the hall, noticing how spotless it was, almost sparkling.
The hall was split into two descending rows, each equipped with retractable seats.
"Where should I sit?"
His attention was instantly drawn towards some individuals as he surveyed the classroom. Haughtily sitting on the last row on the right was a youth with sky-blue hair, almond eyes, and a dignified face.
His slightly long hair gently rested on his broad shoulders, and his perfectly masculine jawline seemed as if it were chiseled by a sculptor.
From time to time, girls secretly took peeks at his handsome face, shyly blushing and turning away whenever their eyes met.
Lucas immediately chimed in, "Brother, he is the Elven prince of the Moonlight Empire in the Western continent, which is home to the majority of the elves in the world."
"Elion Moonlight," Alex muttered after hearing the introduction.
"You are correct, Brother Alex. I didn't know you would know him," Lucas said, surprised by Alex's recognition.
"Hmmm," Alex nodded but kept looking at Elion. The person in front of him was one of the protagonist's rivals, not an antagonist but a supporting character.
Elion, the descendant of the Moonlight Empire, was the only prince of an empire that almost ruled the entire Western continent along with the dwarves.
'He's definitely one of those typical arrogant young master types,' thought Alex, observing him.
Elion's condescending attitude, making people feel like they were beneath him, was evident in the way he looked down on almost everyone in the hall.
Born with a diamond spoon, provided with whatever he desired, it was almost inevitable for his character to develop that way.
Seated in front of him was the slender beauty Clara, who attracted the majority of the boys' gazes.
Her exquisite small face, devoid of any makeup, displayed an image of natural beauty, but she exuded a cold and aloof air that made her extremely hard to approach.
Ignoring everyone attempting to talk to her, Clara focused on her book. When she felt Alex's gaze, she nodded her head with a simple smile.
Silvia sat alongside her, giving daggers at Alex and saying something that made Clara's face stiff.
'I don't know what she said about me, but it is definitely not with good intentions,' thought Alex, while Lucas beside him looked at him as if he were worshiping him.
"What happened?" Alex asked in confusion.
"Brother Alex, when did you talk with Clara, the Ice Queen?" said Lucas in a shocked expression since Clara was known for not talking with anyone of the opposite gender.
"I just talked with her for a few minutes, that's it, nothing more," said Alex.
"That itself is a big honor," said Lucas in a proud manner, knowing how aloof she was. Everyone who participated in the gatherings of the imperial capital knew how difficult it was to talk to her.
"Okay, let's sit there instead of talking about her," said Alex, pointing to the second row on the left.
He wanted to be as far away from the main characters as possible, with no intention of interacting with them or the other key characters in the inner courtyard and academy unless it was necessary.
He decided to sit there like a proper extra character and pretend to be air. Why? Simple. The main characters were literal calamity magnets!Like hell, he was going to bother getting close to them!
"Attention!"
As soon as Alex sat at his desk, a loud voice echoed across the outer hall, waking him up. When he opened his eyes, the instructor stood behind the podium, surveying the hall.
"Today is your first day, so there won't be anything special except some common knowledge about the academy and how you can break through to the foundation establishment."
-Bam!
Slapping her hand on the table, a small shockwave spread across the hall. Apart from Noah, Clara, Elion, and a couple of other students, everyone was pushed back.
Scanning the whole hall, her eyes briefly paused on Clara, Elion, Noah, him, and the few others that managed to withstand her shockwave. If one looked closely, traces of satisfaction could be seen on her face as she observed them.
Placing both hands on the podium, she addressed the hall.
"Now, let's start with the self-introductions. I'm Aquila Cascade, inner disciple, and your personal instructor for the next two years."
That name—he knew it, as she was one of the heroines. Looking at Lucas, who seemed smitten by her, Alex realized the reason for why Lucas became the antagonist in the novel.
Raising her brow, Aquila looked around the hall and noticed one of the seats was vacant.
"Looks like someone doesn't want to attend the first lecture of the month itself. Does anyone know why he was absent?"
Absolute silence. Not even a pin could be heard. Everyone looked around, but they all shook their heads.
Examining the list given to her by the academy, Aquila frowned. Just as she was about to mark the name as absent, the door to the hall slowly opened.
Soon, a figure walked out, capturing the entire room's attention.
"Sorry, instructor. I was late because of some trouble during the way, hence I was not able to make it in time."
Taking a small bow, his eyes never drifted from Aquila and were not at all pushed back by the aura emanating from her.