"Queen Isadora Von Themys," I said, turning to face her. "I'm sorry if you don't see me in a good light. But I'm a student of Aurum Academy, and I plan on staying—no matter what."
I bowed my head slightly, despite the pain from the wound she'd given me.
A moment of silence followed.
No one moved.
No one even seemed to breathe.
---
"Complain all you want, Queen Von Themys. That is one of our best students," Goldenlaw finally broke the silence, stepping closer to the queen.
That? She just called me "that"? Not even a simple "he"?
"It's not only about how good a student can be, Goldenlaw. You have to maintain order, a standard. If you don't, things spiral out of control," Isadora said, pointing her blade at my chest. The tip punctured me just enough to let the blood flow.
"First, a peasant who came out of nowhere makes it into a class where lineage, nobility, and the house you're born into are what matter most. You sense it too, don't you? His mana levels are low for what that class demands."
"Th-that's not right."
Both women turned to look at me.
I knew I should let the director handle it. But I'd be seeing Isadora—and all the other royals—more often as the months went by. I couldn't let this be how every encounter went.
"Yes, this is a magical academy, but we're tested on much more than that. I earned my rank through action—winning duels, fighting criminals, proving myself in front of the teachers. If I wanted to be judged solely on magic, I would've gone somewhere else."
"You..." she looked at me, her arm still extended, the tip of her sword resting on my chest. "Your eyes. You're not afraid."
"You're mistaken, Queen Von Themys. I am afraid. No sane man would be calm after being wounded and threatened with death." I took a step back, putting distance between me and her blade.
"Let's go, Franchesca." She sheathed her sword with a final spin. "It's impossible to reason with his kind. We can't waste our time on them."
I understood why Isadora stopped and left once I raised my head. Beyond the director stepping in, other teachers had moved into position, ready to intervene if she acted.
Isadora walked past me, the clanking of her armor fading with every step.
Franchesca followed but paused as she came alongside me.
"Ah... I'll need to eat a lot tomorrow," I muttered jokingly, trying to send a quiet message to Fran without her mother noticing. I wanted her to know I still planned on hanging out with her.
I wasn't sure if she caught my meaning—she lingered by my side, her fist clenched.
"I already knew Julius wouldn't help me. I never meant any of my words," I added under my breath, knowing she'd hear me.
Spending a month with someone, whether you intend to or not, teaches you things about them. Of course, I loved getting to know Fran.
That's why I knew...
Fran probably got hurt by my offer to end our friendship. I never meant a word of it—but words can still wound.
She seemed a bit more at ease with that comment.
Then, she resumed walking behind her mother.
I sighed, long and tired. Most students still kept their distance from me.
"You should go to the infirmary and let the nurse handle that," Goldenlaw said with a small giggle.
"You're taking this a lot more lightly than I expected," I replied, annoyed.
"Take it as punishment for hiding such important things from me," the blonde woman added, winking with one eye.
"Hey, Alen!" King Nemeor called out as he approached. "Are those things you said true? Because if they are, I'm willing to pay a lot for your information."
"Uh—"
"That offer was made to my boy, Nemeor. Don't steal what's mine," King Edgar of the humans added, stepping in.
"First come, first serve, Edgar. I can offer him way more than you," Nemeor replied with a challenging smirk.
"You both were too slow," Queen Leidis Boscosa of the elves said softly. "He only offered that to whoever helped him against Isadora. None of you deserve it."
"You're just taking his side to earn his trust!"
"Don't think we don't know how you act, knife-ears!"
"What makes you think I'll let that slide!"
Despite the argument the three royals had sparked, I could sense a deep-rooted friendship beneath the banter. It was the kind of teasing shared between people who'd known each other far too long.
"If anyone's going to get his secrets, it's my kingdom!" a tanned man with black hair and fox ears stormed forward with a loud voice. "Remember that my precious daughter is his friend!"
Huh? Daughter? I'd never interacted with the Viavoule royalty before. Actually, they weren't even supposed to be here if I followed the game's story.
"I wouldn't ask for it, Daddy."
That voice...
"Huh? Why not, Vi?"
Vi...?
"No, Daddy. He already saved my life. I can't just take advantage of him like that. That's not what friends do!" The blonde, fox-eared second-year student stepped forward.
"Oh, I see." The king of the Viavoule Kingdom turned to me. "Aoliori Louveldt. Nice to meet you, son." He extended a hand.
"A-Alen. Nice to meet you... I didn't know you were a princess, Vi," I said, glancing at her in confusion as I shook his hand.
"It's not often I go unrecognized. Last time it happened was with Agatha." She gasped. "Speaking of which—Agatha wanted to meet you, Alen!"
"I'll see if I can catch her today. Wouldn't mind spending time with Eusta and Enrick too."
"Seems we're not the only ones with a busy schedule today," Theo chimed in from behind.
"I'm surprised you haven't fainted, Mr. Alen!" Cecil added with a laugh as he followed Theo.
"Nah. It's not that bad."
As I turned to face the two human boys, another presence approached.
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Mr. Alen! I'm Yulibeth Boscosa." She bowed her head in greeting.
I returned the bow and introduced myself.
"You've become quite famous across the school—even among the third-years." She smiled and reached behind her, grabbing Julius by the arm and yanking him forward. "I apologize for what he said. Please forgive him!" She pushed his head down in a forced bow.
"Stop, Yuli!" Julius complained in an unusually soft tone.
"Uh... yeah, sure. It's fine," I replied, a bit dismissively.
Honestly, I just wanted to get to the nurse's office and have this chest wound treated.
"We heard the results of all four duels," Theo said, crossing his arms. "I'm really sorry for Atro."
"Don't feel bad, my liege. We'll make sure he wins next time he fights, right, Mr. Alen?"
"We'll make sure he becomes stronger for next time," I replied, fire in my eyes.
"I sure hope so!" Cecil beamed at me with a grin.
"I'll be announcing the results of the duels in the arena!" Goldenlaw finally declared, drawing everyone's attention.
Once everyone—including the kings—began heading toward the arena, Goldenlaw stopped me before I could follow.
"You can go straight to the infirmary, Student Alen. Your friends will fill you in once we're done," the director said once only the highest-ranking royals and Kaida's group remained.
"I will... I don't like missing important stuff, but I think my wound is more important," I said, starting to walk away.
"A-Alen, wait!" Kaida called out, her cheeks flushed, her expression shy. "I... we'll go with you to the infirmary."
"Thanks, Kaida. But I think the announcement's more important than me," I said with a dismissive wave.
"N-no... I... we want to go with you!"
"After what that guy said—" Yani pointed at Julius, "—we have to prove him wrong. We'll help you, even if you don't want it."
"We're really sorry for not helping you sooner, Alen," Cole added as Kaida's entire group stepped up beside me.
Even Silva came forward, gently tugging on my sleeve and nodding.
"Don't worry. Not helping me was the better choice," I said, forcing a faint smile despite the pain in my chest.
"No! It's not okay," Theo shouted. "We're friends. We're supposed to care for each other."
"Th-Theo... it's fine, really," I tried to calm him down.
"You said you understood why we didn't help... but you would've helped us if we were the ones in trouble."
"Huh? N-no, I wouldn't have. I'd have frozen up, just like you guys."
"That's not true," Vi cut in, arms crossed. "You would've been the first to do something. You already were."
Kaida's group nodded in agreement with her.
"If any of us were about to face death itself, you'd be the one to fight it off to save us, Mr. Alen," Cecil added with a loud laugh.
"You guys believe him but not me?!" Julius complained, earning a soft giggle from the elven princess beside him.
"His friends believe that because he's already saved them before," Yulibeth explained. "I hope we can meet again sometime, Alen. And as for Julius—he's only like that because he's bad at meeting new people."
"I am not!"
Seeing Julius flustered around Yulibeth was... definitely something unexpected.
They really have the wrong impression of me. I'm way more of a coward than they think...
Where did they even get the idea that I just jump into danger, risking my life without thinking?