Elísia spoke firmly, her eyes locked onto Ethan's as if she wanted to carve her words directly into his soul.
"I'll say this only once, so listen carefully. Choose three classes to attend. It can be language, strategy, or fencing. The rest are my responsibility."
Her voice brooked no argument. There was a cold, natural authority in her tone, like someone used to commanding — and being obeyed.
Ethan raised an eyebrow, surprised by the last option.
"Fencing?" he asked, frowning slightly, as if trying to confirm whether he had heard right.
"Yes, fencing," Elísia replied naturally, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I need a knight. And since I'm with you, you're the one who will be. Or... were you expecting it to be me?"
A brief but charged silence followed. Ethan stared at her for a moment, trying to interpret whether that was a provocation. The answer flashed through his mind: *Yes, I was expecting it to be you.* But he bit his tongue before it slipped out. He had already realized Elísia was the type who would never let a cheeky response slide.
Besides, he was starting to understand the danger of that world. Even without magic, there were warriors — knights, as she said — so skilled and deadly that an ordinary civilian wouldn't stand a chance against them. And he... he didn't even know how to hold a sword properly.
"Understood?" Elísia pressed, noticing his gaze drifting momentarily into the void.
She was already preparing to repeat everything with irritation, but calmed down when she saw him nod, albeit a little reluctantly. *At least he's not a completely useless pleb,* she thought.
At that moment, a young human girl entered the hall carrying a tray of polished wood. With silent and respectful steps, she placed the plates in front of the two and then withdrew without saying a word.
Elísia, seeing Ethan's enchanted expression, nearly rolled her eyes in disgust. The boy was literally drooling over a plate of food. She had to restrain herself from grabbing her own plate and smashing it into his face.
Ethan, for his part, seemed spellbound by the aroma rising in tempting spirals. The smell was rich, exotic, unlike anything he had ever experienced — and the appearance of the dish left him stunned. He expected something rustic and bland, typical of a world without magic, but what he saw was a shimmering broth of golden, green, and orange hues, blending like a liquid rainbow. It was too beautiful to be just food. Curious, he dipped the spoon into the broth and stirred it slowly, watching the mixture react as if it were alive.
"This broth is made with rainbow bird meat," Elísia commented with a slight smile, though laden with superiority. "A rare food, one a pleb would never have the chance to taste in an entire lifetime. Be grateful you're getting this opportunity because of me."
Ethan had no idea what a rainbow bird was, but the smell was enough. He nodded automatically, mumbling a thank-you without thinking much — he just wanted to taste that dish. As he brought the first spoonful to his mouth, his face transformed.
The flavor hit him like an explosion: deep, enveloping, perfectly balanced. The meat was absurdly tender, almost melting in his mouth, and the broth was a symphony of unknown flavors, yet strangely familiar — as if his body, not his mind, knew how to appreciate them. It was like tasting the warmth of a sunset or the freshness of a morning breeze. He could hardly believe something so delicious existed here.
But when he raised his eyes and looked at Elísia's plate, he noticed a striking difference: hers contained only leaves — green and delicate, with a slight natural glow. No trace of meat or broth. Just fine herbs arranged with perfection.
"Could it be because she's an elf?" he wondered, intrigued.
At that moment, Ethan realized an uncomfortable truth: he knew almost nothing about elves. The memories of the former owner of that body were surprisingly vague — not just about elves, but also about the humans of that world. It was as if he were starting from scratch. Alone. And surrounded by people who, like Elísia, always seemed one step ahead.
Elísia's pointed ears twitched. Even sitting quietly a bit farther away, she clearly heard what a group was murmuring among themselves.
"She really seems to like that pleb... did she ask to pair up with him?" one said.
"Quite possible," another replied disdainfully. "Just look at where she brought him... she must be one of the Filthies! Hahaha!"
Elísia's expression darkened. "Filthies" was the derogatory nickname nobles gave to those who got involved with plebeians — especially in romantic cases or, worse yet, marrying them. To her, that was an unacceptable insult.
She hadn't chosen that pleb as a partner; it was the professor who decided that. Elísia clenched her fists, biting her lips hard. She didn't want to be there. She had only brought Ethan to talk, and even then, it was for lack of better options. Bringing a pleb to her room? Never! The only possible place was right there.
"Finish this quickly," she said coldly, without looking at him. "I want to leave. After that, you can go your own way."
Elísia said nothing more. She began eating her leaves quickly. Her eyes started to moisten, but she forced herself to keep her composure.
Ethan, not understanding the rush, simply followed her pace. He finished his soup quickly and stood up along with her.
"Where's the...?"
Before he could finish the question, Elísia was already walking away, not looking back. She didn't want to spend another minute beside that pleb. She only hoped he would do his part well. If, because of him, she wasn't promoted to Class S in the second term, she swore she would make him deeply regret it.
"Annoying little girl," Ethan muttered. "At least she gave me a good meal."
With that thought, he wandered through the halls in search of the fencing class. He found a list posted on the wall, written on animal hide. After locating the information, he followed the indicated path to the academy's courtyard.
There, in the center, was a simple arena with a few training dummies scattered around. Few students were present — at most five. It was a class attended by plebeians or the rare noble interested in hand-to-hand combat. Most nobles completely ignored this type of class.
Among those present were four humans and one... unique woman. She had curved horns, short black hair, dark eyes, a tail with fur at the tip, beast-like ears, and above all... huge breasts. An equally striking butt. Ethan widened his eyes in surprise but quickly looked away. Who knows how a "cow-woman" — as he mentally nicknamed her — would react if she noticed she was being stared at.
Then his gaze turned to the teacher.
She was a dark elf. Skin like the night, hair white as the moon, red eyes that gleamed like rubies. Her face was fine and elegant, long eyelashes, and graceful arms. Her medium-sized breasts were partially covered by a strip of animal skin crossing her bust. She wore light leather armor and short shorts that ended midway down her strong thighs.
Her beauty left Ethan speechless. But he quickly tried to pull himself together, noticing she was looking at him strangely.
"Is everything alright?" she asked, with a soft and enchanting voice, like a bird's song.
Ethan felt his heart sway. Without thinking much, he grabbed Helena's hand, surprising her with the gesture.
"Marry me!" he declared, with conviction.