Psst...
"Did you hear?"
"About what?"
"The fifth-year students are finally returning!"
"Wait, really?"
"Yeah, they finally raided that s-level dungeon!"
"Woah...!"
The students were chatting excitedly, their voices loud enough for anyone within close range to catch.
And as those words reached me, my mind couldn't help but drift.
Until the part of the novel that I had read, the fifth-year students of the academy didn't appear a single time, however, from those reviews and casual chat between the community, I saw quite a few amount of information.
Among the fifth-years, there are definitely a couple of troublemakers. One is the first prince, and the other is Ella's so-called 'licking dog'—a guy who follows her around like a devoted suitor.
Thinking about it, it should be around this time that Ella's identity as the princess should be revealed.
Though, I've always wondered why she even kept it a secret in the first place.
But nonetheless, she had told Lucas about it so the readers knew from the early chapters about her true identity.
'Oh... this should be Ella's capture arc.'
Or, as the novel likes to call it, the part where Lucas makes Ella fall in love with him.
It all makes sense—the prince and her loyal dog are both coming back now, and they both know who she really is.
But something feels a little… strange.
"Why are you sitting next to me?" I glanced over my shoulder, raising an eyebrow.
"Why? Are you planning to be a loner for the whole semester?" A playful smile crept onto Lucas's face as he gave me a strong slap on the back.
"Oh? You wanna fight?" I quickly give him a backward slap on his chest, causing him to groan slightly in pain.
"Agh... how high is your damn strength?!" he asked, glaring at me.
"I don't know, but I'm definitely stronger than you," I answered, shaking my head with a small grin.
"Heh? Wanna put it to the test?" his hand casually reached toward the hilt of his sword, making me dumbfounded.
"Bro, we're in class!"
Did this fucker really want to fight during class?
"Oh, right… totally forgot," he muttered, scratching the back of his head with a sheepish shrug.
'Is this seriously the hero that is going to save the world?'
I thought, shaking my head.
I knew from the novel that he was dumb sometimes, but seeing it in real person...
Gosh.
"Attention!"
Eleonora clapped loudly, instantly silencing the chatter from the students. Since this was a magic class, she was, of course, the instructor.
"I still can't believe our Headmistress is teaching us classes..."
"Right? I was wondering the same thing."
"ATTENTION!"
Eleonora's voice rose sharply, and finally, everyone fell silent. Her irritated expression quickly transformed into a calm, composed smile.
She really is a woman, huh...
Changing expressions from one second to another.
"Alright, now that I have your attention, I'll go over a few important things about the school's current happenings. As you all know, our academy operates on rankings. The higher your rank, the better privileges and treatment you'll receive," she began in a calm voice.
"Right now, the results of the entrance ceremony's test are still being processed, and soon enough, you'll each receive your official rank within the school," she added, tapping lightly on the board before turning to draw on a sheet of paper.
"Not to mention—fifth-year students are finally returning! Their rank has already been solidified at the upper levels because they successfully raided an S-level dungeon. If you want to raise your rank, it's fairly straightforward. You have a couple of options. First, you can challenge students with a higher rank."
"They can't refuse your challenge, at least not for your first attempt. If you win, you'll swap ranks with the student you defeated. But if you lose... you'll lose the ability to challenge anyone for the next two weeks," she explained, drawing a small symbol on the board to emphasize her point.
"Another way to improve your ranking is by breaking records in our various facilities. The school offers plenty of training settings, and all you need to do is finish the task in the shortest time possible to set a new record. Once you do, your rank will elevate based on your performance and the time you achieved it."
She continued drawing on the board, adding more details.
"And finally, the most obvious method—getting high grades in the upcoming midterms. The better you perform, the more you'll be able to boost your rank."
Once she finished her drawing, she turned back to face the students.
"Any questions?"
Almost immediately, a hand shot up—Lucas's hand, to be exact. He was sitting right next to me.
"About the first clause… if one student challenges another and loses, can they still receive challenges from other students?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.
Ah...
Has he turned smart right now?
I let out a soft sigh, furrowing my eyebrows slightly.
Sometimes he's dumb and sometimes he's smart, quite a tricky situation.
"Yes, they can. And all challenges must take place in the arena since there's a 'no real damage' barrier," Eleonora nodded.
"Any more questions...?" she asked once again, her gaze sweeping across the students.
This time, no hands went up.
"Alright," she nodded slowly, but then, seemingly remembering something else, she added with a hint of intrigue, "Also, don't forget that the Student Council is starting its hunt for new members soon…"
She spoke those words in a way that made it sound more like they were going on a literal 'hunt'—as if searching for prey.
"The student council... is in need of members?"
"Oh... hell no!"
The students started whispering to each other in a scared manner, and I couldn't help but frown in confusion.
"Hey, Lucas."
"Yeah?" he replied, turning to me.
"Why are the students so scared of the Student Council?"
Lucas let out a soft chuckle at my question: "Basically, it's because the work in the Student Council is insane."
"And how so?"
"No… it's really insane. Sometimes, students spend three days straight working—without sleeping. The people who've experienced those kinds of situations firsthand…" He let out a small sigh, rubbing his hands together.
"They're… a bit traumatized."
"Ah..." I was a bit speechless.
Back at my old academy, I was the Student Council President, but I barely had to lift a finger because everything ran so smoothly.
I organized everything correctly to make sure that everyone had the same amount of work, and even gave a little bit of incentives for the students to work hard.
So... I couldn't really understand why people would stay for three entire days without sleeping...
Before I could ask any more, Lucas added:
"Well, I get where they're coming from. The Student Council is responsible for overseeing everything at Eternum Royal Academy—managing the grounds, organizing events, keeping order… you name it."
I froze at his words.
As I'd mentioned before, this academy was easily more than fifty times the size of my old school in Silverleaf.
If students had to take care of all that…
No wonder they barely get any rest.
"So yeah," Lucas continued, "it can definitely be said that the Student Council is on a 'hunt' for students."
".....How about simply refusing?" I asked curiously.
"It doesn't really work like that," Lucas shook his head with a wry smile. "Usually, potential members are challenged in a ranking battle. If the student council members win, they get to add the condition of joining."
"They're literally hunting for new recruits," he added, a bitter undertone in his voice.
Gosh.
No wonder some of them end up traumatized.
"Well, don't worry. Unless one of the fifth-year students or the Student Council President herself challenges you to a fight, I don't think anyone will beat you." He slapped my back once again.
This guy…
I immediately raised my hand, about to retaliate, but then—
"My dear Ella~"
A smooth, sunny male voice echoed from the classroom doorway as a handsome, brown-haired student entered, his eyes immediately scanning the room.
Is this… her suitor?
Damn, he's worse than I thought.
"That bastard..." Lucas frowned and muttered darkly under his breath as soon as he heard his voice.
So, I immediately took the chance and slapped his back.
BAM!
"Oops..."
I accidentally put in too much strength, causing a loud noise to occur.
"Damn it, Aestrea!" he groaned slightly, arching his back in pain.
"That's what you get."
"Petty bastard," he scoffed, grinning in a way that I knew he was trying to brush off the pain.
And it was right then that I noticed everyone in the classroom had turned to look at us. However, their attention on us quickly shifted as another cut through the chatter.
"Well, isn't this our Moonlight Swordsman?"
A blonde-haired, even more strikingly handsome student appeared, walking into the room with an air of confidence.
His golden eyes seemed to lock directly onto me, his lips curling into a small smile.
"Ohhh! It's the prince!"
The girls in the classroom practically melted at the sight of him, their voices growing louder as they openly gushed.
"Ahh, he's so dreamy!"
"Look at those eyes!"
"Such elegance… and he's a prince! No wonder he's so charming!"
It didn't take long for me to figure out why he was so popular.
Naturally, one of the future heirs to the empire. If he ever ascended to the throne...
Any girl would try to get closer to him, not to mention that he's quite handsome.
The prince slowly approached me, his expression calm yet confident, and extended his hand with a small smile.
"Hello, Moonlight Swordsman," he said smoothly. "I'm Leon Von Arthur Charles. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."
I stared at his outstretched hand for a moment before my lips parted into a faint scoff. Without a second thought, I shook his hand.
"The name's Aestrea." I didn't bother adding my surname.
His smile twitched ever so slightly upon noticing my blatant disregard for formalities.
"By the way..." I spoke in a faint, almost playful tone.
"Yes?"
His voice remained steady, though his patience seemed to thin.
"You really seem to be as stupid as your father. I guess… it runs in the bloodline, huh?" I added with a faint, almost mocking smile.
The prince's eyes quickly turned cold. His grip tightened as his knuckles whitened slightly, but I didn't flinch.
"...huh?"
He was surprised.
After all, I didn't stumble back or groan in pain despite his intense strength.
Even though my strength rank was only C+, when combined with Mana, it was easily on par with an A-rank.
His grip was strong, but not strong enough.
My mana flowed smoothly through my veins, instinctively enhancing my body with every passing second.
It was a method that I came to learn after getting my mana quality in such a high level.
"Hey… aren't you quite weak?" I sneered lightly, matching his increasing strength.
"...Gah!"
The prince winced, his eyes narrowing as he struggled to free his hand from mine. He attempted to twist and pull free, but I refused to relent.
The longer I held him, the more frustrated he became.
Swoop!
However, it was short-lived as I saw the blur motion of the brown-haired guy, rushing towards me at full speed.
I quickly let go of the prince's hand as I noticed it.
"!!!"
His eyes widened in surprise as he stumbled, trying to stop himself from colliding with me. I swiftly twisted my body, executing a tornado kick sent to his head.
Thud!
Surprisingly, he was quick enough to block the blow using his arm, but the force still pushed him back slightly.
"Agh…" he groaned, lowering his arm, his face slightly grim.
"Telmo, stop," the prince uttered in a neutral tone.
"But, Your Highness—"
"Enough," Leon interrupted firmly. "We didn't come here to cause trouble." He shook his reddened hand, wincing slightly.
"Though," he added darkly, his gaze fixed on me, "I'll keep notice of your little stunt, Aestrea."
His glare was intense, his fists clenched at his sides. He turned away, walking back toward the door with a calm demeanor despite probably burning inside.
"I'll be awaiting, Your Majesty," I said softly, lowering my voice into a mocking, almost playful tone just loud enough for him to hear.
And right after, I noticed a vein pulse in his forehead.
Serves him right.
"Gosh..."
I let out a sigh, shaking my head.
I was already causing trouble on just the second day here.
"Aestrea… aren't you scared of the prince?" Lucas couldn't help but ask in a surprised tone.
"Not really," I replied nonchalantly.
I mean…
I'm the one that's going to take his father's head.
Along with that bitchy succubus.