Raziel was stunned by Anya's words, finding it hard to believe that someone as cunning as her would behave so recklessly.
He even wondered if she had become foolish enough to no longer fear him and risk "exposing" her secrets.
"Ah, don't worry. I still want you to keep my little secrets," Anya said with a sly smile.
Upon hearing it, Raziel frowned, shocked that she had guessed exactly what he was thinking.
"If you really want me to stay silent, do what I said, or—"
"Or what? You gonna show everyone how bad I am? Well, if you're really going to do it, be sure about one thing," she said calmly, interrupting Raziel.
She then closed the distance between them, bringing their faces very close to each other. Raziel felt a pleasant rose scent invade his nose, making his heart race.
"When I fall, I'll bring you and everyone you care about down with me," her voice was cold and chilling, causing Raziel to gulp involuntarily.
In Raziel's eyes, this was not just a simple threat, but a promise. She would undoubtedly make it happen.
As he started to sweat, Anya took a few steps back, slipping seamlessly into her fake persona.
Before leaving, she spoke in a cheerful tone, "Though I'd love to keep you permanently silent, I'll let you hold onto it for now. So don't break my 'trust,' d-a-r-l-i-n-g."
Raziel wiped the sweat from his forehead, watching Anya leave. As expected, she was as unpredictable as ever.
The only reassurance he had was that she didn't seem to plan anything against him for now. Even so, Raziel decided to avoid isolated places for the time being.
'What a nuisance...' Raziel thought as he stepped into the building.
A short while later, after dashing to his classroom at full speed, Raziel finally made it.
Although he was a few minutes late, it was still better than skipping class. Surprisingly, most of the subjects the teachers taught were far more interesting than those from his past life.
Instead of math, biology, or boring subjects, the teachers from this world taught about elements, monster zone beasts, mana theory, and many other fascinating topics.
Because of this, Raziel decided to focus more on academy life, driven by a strong desire to explore how the world truly worked beyond what the game had shown.
Furthermore, now that he could wield both aura and mana, he planned to quietly master both primary classes to to protect himself and those he cared about.
When Raziel opened the classroom door, he noticed everyone in the class glancing at him.
The professor, who was discussing magic artifacts, was interrupted by his unexpected arrival.
Valzivet Hosbern, his homeroom teacher and a retired High-Class B mage, gave him a disapproving look before deciding to give Raziel a private lecture later.
Unlike the other teachers, Valzivet was likely the only one who still made an effort to discipline Raziel. Almost every day, he would call the delinquent boy into the teacher's lounge for a scolding.
This time was no different, until Raziel spoke up.
"Sorry for being late, Mr. Hosbern. I wasn't feeling well this morning."
Valzivet was taken aback by Raziel's polite apology. Normally, he wouldn't bother saying a word.
"Alright... take your seat and make sure to let me know in advance if you're going to be late," Valzivet said, raising an eyebrow in suspicion.
Raziel then bowed his head respectfully and went to take his seat.
For a moment, the middle-aged man in his forties, with slightly long black hair, a long beard, and wearing a cone-shaped white wizard hat and white robe, almost thought the world was ending.
His worst student was behaving properly for the first time.
All the students present, including Sylfi, were taken aback by his unexpected display of good manners.
This was the same guy who was usually rude to everyone, even teachers, yet here he was, apologizing and bowing his head.
It was so out of character that it felt like they were witnessing a high-level illusion spell in action.
Most of the students exchanged curious looks but quickly averted their gazes when the teacher's frown warned them to stay focused.
One student, however, kept her eyes firmly on Raziel, suspicion clear in her expression.
'This bastard is sorry for being late? What a joke!' The thought came from Sylfi, who had been watching Raziel's sudden shift in behavior since yesterday.
He hadn't even tried to approach or speak to her for an entire day, which was completely unlike for someone usually so shamelessly persistent.
'Maybe the punch and my threat made him rethink about disturbing me again' Sylfi thought, watching Raziel as he took his seat.
The classes continued as usual, but they ended a bit earlier than expected, as the academy was preparing for the qualifying matches of the annual Revery Academy tournament.
In the original plot, Raziel was supposed to face Erick in the tournament, but he ended up suffering a crushing defeat.
This loss would leave Raziel humiliated in front of the entire academy, triggering a chain of events that would lead to the eventual cancellation of his engagement with Sylfi.
However, this time, Raziel made the conscious decision to refrain from participating in the tournament. Instead, he would watch from the sidelines as the minor characters were destroyed by the protagonist.
As Raziel walked toward the academy arena, he tried to recall the details of how the tournament worked.
Unlike most institutions, Revery Academy required students to complete four years of study to graduate, distinguishing it from the standard three-year curriculum offered at other academies.
As a result, the qualification process was split into four groups, with each group representing a different year, and only sixteen students per year were selected to move on to the next phase.
Not every student was allowed to participate in the qualifiers, as there were specific requirements to meet. Anyone interested in competing had to be ranked highly on the Pharefal Rank List.
The Pharefal Rank List was a system used at Revery Academy to classify students based on their combat abilities.
Each year and primary class had its own ranking list, divided into three categories: Mana users, Essence users, and Aura users.
Additionally, there was the Challenger List, a separate ranking that assessed students from all three primary classes and years.
Raziel is currently ranked 59th among second-year Mana users, which is considered decent, given his difficulties with controlling basic earth spells.
Although his position as a Mana user was passable, his rank on the Challenger List was significantly lower, sitting at 457th.
Compared to Erick, who held the 34th position among second-year Aura users and ranked 320th on the Challenger List, Raziel couldn't even be considered a worthy opponent.
Moreover, Sylfi would be teaming up with Erick, taking advantage of the qualifiers' rule that permitted students to form temporary alliances.
Forming teams during the battle was a common strategy, as only sixteen participants could advance, and fighting alone was a major disadvantage.
However, teaming up was not allowed in the second part of the tournament, as it consisted of elimination rounds with one-on-one duels between the sixteen students who advanced.
As the qualifiers were organized by year, students would only face others from the same year, with only one person emerging victorious from each group.
In the final phase of the tournament, the four winners from each year would battle against each other simultaneously. The last student standing would be crowned the ultimate champion of the academy, receiving a prestigious array of rewards and recognition.
Raziel was well aware of the tournament's significance, understanding it marked the true beginning of everything. Despite this, he had no interest in following the plot.
He had already decided to ignore it entirely, deeming it none of his concern.
What truly bothered him was the thought that the system might show up again with one of its "pleasant" surprises.
Just remembering the pain made him shudder.
'Luckily, someone sent me to the infirmary, but... who did that?' Raziel wondered, lost in thought as he approached the arena gate.
Suddenly, a voice shouted from behind him, filled with irritation, pulling him out of his thoughts.
"Raziel, I've finally found you! Why didn't you sign up for the qualifiers?"
As he turned to see who was speaking, Raziel noticed a guy nearly the same height as him, with a handsome face, light blue eyes, and short, spiked black hair, staring fiercely in his direction.
"Excuse me, who are you?" Raziel feigned ignorance, despite knowing exactly who the guy was.
The boy's face frowned upon hearing what he said.
"What do you mean? It's me, Erick, the guy who punched you for trying to harass Sylfi," he retorted sharply.
"Sorry, I don't remember that. Anyway, goodbye," Raziel said casually, eager to leave.
Raziel wanted to distance himself as much as possible from Erick, aware that his heroic tendencies and personality would only lead to trouble.
In the future, the Yogh-Za cultists would target Erick because of his unique ability. If that occurred, and Raziel had any connection to him, he would likely find himself in trouble too, especially now as a dual-primary class user.
"Hey, you bastard, where do you think you're going?" Erick yelled again at Raziel, who simply ignored him.
Most bystanders passing by slowed down to watch the conflict, and in no time, a small crowd had formed.
After some unnecessary insults, Raziel was already angry.
He tried to control himself but ended up turning to face Erick, saying, "Okay, look, Mr. Blessed by Plot Armor, I know what you want, so let me make two things clear. One, I don't want to fight with you, and two, I don't care about my engagement with Sylfi. To me, she's already in the past. Do you understand?"
Everyone watching from the sidelines was shocked by Raziel's words, while Erick's eyes widened in disbelief.
Then Raziel added, before passing through the arena gate, "Ah, I almost forgot. You and Sylfi can do whatever you want because I'll be ending our engagement soon, so leave me alone!"
As Erick stood there, confused by what had just happened, the small crowd watching from the sidelines began to murmur among themselves.
Within the whispers, two notable figures stood out, each reacting in their own way.
The first was Sylfi, who had accompanied Erick because he claimed to have a way to help with her engagement problem.
But after hearing Raziel's words, she didn't know what to think, questioning if she had heard him correctly about wanting to end their engagement.
She had never seen him look so serious and confident before. Sylfi felt a sense of relief.
The second person was Anya, who had planned to participate in the qualifiers. When she saw Raziel talking with a strange guy and announcing the breakup of his engagement, a wide smile spread across her face as she fought to hold back her laughter.
Anya couldn't help but be amused by Raziel's declaration, a mischievous idea quickly forming in her mind.
'It seems I now have a chance to attack you, right, darling?'