The next few days at Argentum Academy fell into a routine. Zane attended his classes, trained in his free time, and avoided unnecessary interactions with other students. It was a simple plan, and for the most part, it worked.
But academy life had a way of complicating even the simplest plans.
On the third day, Zane had Elemental Theory in the morning. The class covered the properties and applications of different magical elements, building on what they'd learned in Mana Theory. Professor Keldin, a thin man with wild gray hair, had a tendency to go off on tangents about obscure magical phenomena.
"The relationship between opposing elements is not simply antagonistic," Professor Keldin explained, pacing at the front of the classroom. "Fire and water, for instance, can be combined under specific conditions to create steam-based magic. The key is understanding the fundamental nature of each element rather than treating them as rigid categories."
Zane took notes while half-listening. Most of this was review for him, but he made sure to capture anything that might be useful later.
Seraphina sat beside him as usual. She'd become something of a constant presence in his classes, though she respected his space and didn't push for more conversation than necessary.
Halfway through the lecture, the classroom door opened and Lyanna walked in late. Professor Keldin paused mid-sentence and frowned.
"Miss Morgenstern. You're fifteen minutes late."
"My apologies, Professor." Lyanna smiled sweetly. "I was helping a classmate who'd gotten lost on campus. You understand, I'm sure."
Professor Keldin looked skeptical but waved her to her seat. "Just don't make it a habit."
"Of course not."
Lyanna made her way to an empty seat, and as she passed Zane's row, she made sure to speak just loud enough for nearby students to hear.
"Oh, Zane. Still pretending to be a proper student, I see. How admirable." Her voice dripped with false sweetness. "I do hope you're not struggling too much. It would be such a shame if you embarrassed the family by failing out in the first month."
Several students snickered. Zane didn't react, keeping his eyes on his notes.
Lyanna continued to her seat, looking pleased with herself. For the rest of the class, she made small comments whenever she had the chance, always just quiet enough that Professor Keldin wouldn't hear clearly but loud enough for other students to catch.
"I heard he can barely cast basic spells."
"Father must be so disappointed."
"At least Damian and Celeste bring honor to the family name."
It was petty and juvenile, but effective. By the end of class, half the students were whispering about him again. The rumors from the first day had started to fade, but Lyanna was making sure they stayed fresh.
Zane packed his materials and stood to leave. Seraphina followed, her expression tight with anger.
"She's insufferable," Seraphina said once they were in the hallway. "How can you just sit there and take it?"
"Because reacting is exactly what she wants." Zane adjusted his bag on his shoulder. "The more I ignore her, the more desperate she'll become. Eventually she'll slip up."
"That's a lot of patience."
"I've had practice."
They walked toward the dining hall for lunch. The building was already crowded with students, and the noise level was considerable. Zane found a relatively quiet corner and sat down with his tray of food.
Seraphina joined him, and for a few minutes they ate in comfortable silence. Then Zane noticed someone approaching their table.
Zara Luminelle stood a few feet away, holding her own tray and looking somewhat uncertain. Up close, she was even prettier than he'd first thought, with delicate features and those striking blue eyes.
"Excuse me," she said, her voice soft but clear. "Would it be alright if I sat here? The other tables are all full."
That was obviously a lie. There were plenty of open seats scattered throughout the dining hall. But Zane recognized what this was—an excuse to make conversation.
"The seat's open," Zane said, his tone flat and uninviting.
Zara seemed to take that as permission and sat down across from him. She arranged her food carefully, then looked up with a friendly smile.
"I'm Zara. Zara Luminelle. I don't think we've been properly introduced."
"Zane Morgenstern."
"I know." Her smile widened slightly. "I saw you in Mana Theory and Combat Fundamentals. You're quite skilled."
"Thank you." Zane took a bite of his food, hoping she'd take the hint that he wasn't interested in conversation.
She didn't.
"I was impressed by your match with Lady Ashcroft," Zara continued. "Your technique was very clean. Have you trained for a long time?"
"Long enough."
The short, cold responses should have discouraged her, but Zara seemed unfazed. If anything, she looked more interested.
"I've been training since I was young," she said. "My family isn't particularly wealthy, but my father insisted I learn proper combat fundamentals. He said talent without discipline is worthless."
Zane nodded noncommittally and continued eating. Beside him, Seraphina was watching the exchange with barely concealed amusement.
"Are you looking forward to the assessment tests?" Zara asked. "I hear they begin next week."
"They're necessary," Zane replied.
"I'm a bit nervous, honestly. I've heard the tests can be quite challenging." She leaned forward slightly. "Perhaps we could study together sometime? Or train? I think we could learn from each other."
There it was. Zane recognized this pattern from the novel. Zara was naturally friendly and open, and she tended to gravitate toward people who seemed skilled or interesting. In the original story, this trait had led her to Liam, who'd completely ignored her attempts at friendship.
But Zane wasn't interested in becoming entangled with any of the heroines. Getting involved with them meant getting pulled into the protagonist's orbit, and that was the last thing he wanted.
"I train alone," Zane said, his tone leaving no room for negotiation. "And I study alone. I'm not looking for a training partner."
Zara blinked, clearly taken aback by his directness. But instead of looking hurt or discouraged, her expression shifted to something more curious.
"Oh. I see." She studied his face for a moment. "You're very focused, aren't you? Determined."
"Something like that."
"That's... refreshing, actually." She smiled again, and this time there was a hint of challenge in it. "Most people here are so concerned with politics and social standing. It's nice to meet someone who seems to care more about actual improvement."
Zane suppressed a sigh. This wasn't going the way he'd hoped. His cold attitude was supposed to drive her away, not make her more interested.
"If you'll excuse me," Zane stood and picked up his tray. "I have things to do."
He left before Zara could respond, with Seraphina quickly following after saying a polite goodbye.
Once they were outside the dining hall, Seraphina let out a small laugh.
"That was remarkably rude, even for you."
"I wasn't trying to be friendly."
"I noticed. But I don't think it had the effect you wanted." Seraphina glanced back at the dining hall entrance. "She seemed more intrigued than discouraged."
"That's a problem."
"Why? She seems nice enough."
"Because I don't need complications." Zane started walking toward the library. "Getting involved with other students means getting pulled into their dramas and conflicts. I'm here to get stronger, not to make friends."
"What about me?" Seraphina asked with a raised eyebrow.
"You're different. You were already involved before I got here."
"How romantic," she said dryly, but there was a hint of amusement in her voice.
They spent the afternoon in the library, reviewing material for their upcoming classes. The library was massive, with three floors of shelves filled with books on everything from magical theory to historical records. Zane found a quiet corner and settled in with several texts on advanced Mana manipulation.
He was deep into a chapter on elemental resonance when he felt someone watching him. He looked up and scanned the library.
Near one of the far shelves, partially hidden behind a row of books, stood Freya Valemont. She wasn't reading or searching for anything. She was simply standing there, her cold gray eyes fixed directly on him.
When their gazes met, she didn't look away or pretend she hadn't been staring. She just continued to observe him with that same calculating expression.
After a long moment, she turned and walked away, disappearing between the shelves.
"That was strange," Seraphina said quietly. She'd noticed the exchange as well.
"Freya Valemont," Zane said, mostly to himself.
"The duke's daughter. I've heard she's exceptionally talented with ice magic." Seraphina frowned. "But she's also known for being... difficult. Cold personality, no friends, looks down on everyone."
"Sounds accurate."
"Do you know her?"
"Only by reputation." Zane returned to his book, though he was now distracted. Why had Freya been watching him? In the novel, she'd been obsessed with Zara and had barely paid attention to anyone else. What had changed?
Maybe nothing. Maybe she was just curious about the "disgraced Morgenstern" everyone kept talking about. Or maybe his changes to the story were creating ripples he hadn't anticipated.
Either way, it was something to keep an eye on.
The rest of the afternoon passed without incident. Zane and Seraphina studied until the library began to empty as dinner time approached. They parted ways outside, with Seraphina heading to her dormitory and Zane returning to his own.
Eliza was waiting when he arrived, already having prepared a simple meal.
"How was your day, Young Master?"
"Complicated." Zane sat down and started eating. "But manageable."
"I heard some interesting gossip in the servant quarters," Eliza said as she poured him tea. "Apparently word has spread that you defeated Lady Ashcroft in combat class."
"We sparred. I won. It's not that remarkable."
"Maybe not to you, but everyone else seems to think it's significant. Your sister Lyanna is trying to convince people it was luck or that Lady Ashcroft was going easy on you."
"Of course she is."
"But some students aren't buying it. They're starting to wonder if maybe the rumors about you being weak were exaggerated." Eliza smiled slightly. "You're becoming interesting, Young Master."
"That's not a good thing."
"Why not? Isn't proving everyone wrong the whole point?"
"Proving them wrong is fine. Becoming the center of attention is not." Zane finished his meal and pushed the plate aside. "The assessment tests start next week. That's when I'll show what I can do. Until then, I need to keep my head down."
"If you say so."
After dinner, Zane spent the evening training in the small courtyard behind his dormitory building. The space wasn't large, but it was private and well-maintained. He practiced his sword forms first, running through the basic sequences until his movements were smooth and automatic.
Then he shifted to Mana training. He gathered wind energy and shaped it into compressed blades, launching them at a practice dummy. Each blade cut deep into the wood, leaving clean slashes. His shadow manipulation had improved as well—he could now extend his shadow up to ten feet and use it to grab or manipulate small objects.
**[SKILL LEVEL UP: Wind Manipulation - Lv 3]**
**[SKILL LEVEL UP: Shadow Manipulation - Lv 3]**
As he trained, Zane thought about the encounters from the day. Lyanna's constant badmouthing was annoying but ultimately harmless. Zara's unexpected interest was more concerning, but he could handle that by continuing to maintain distance.
Freya's attention, though... that was harder to predict. In the novel, she'd been a relatively minor antagonist who'd appeared briefly during the assessment test arc. But now she was watching him for some reason, and he didn't know why.
He'd have to be careful.
Zane finished his training and returned to his room. He pulled up his status window and checked his progress.
[STATUS WINDOW]
NAME: Zane Morgenstern
AGE: 16
LEVEL: 5 (450/1000 EXP to next level)
TIER: Apprentice I (Aura) | Apprentice I (Mana)
SKILLS:
- [Basic Swordsmanship - Lv 6]
- [Mana Manipulation - Lv 4]
- [Aura Sense - Lv 2]
- [Danger Sense - Lv 1]
- [Aura Blade - Lv 1]
- [Wind Manipulation - Lv 3]
- [Shadow Manipulation - Lv 3]
Steady progress. With the enhanced growth rate from the Infinite Seed, every day of training brought significant improvement. By the time the assessment tests began, he should be even stronger.
Zane closed the status window and lay down on his bed. Tomorrow would bring more of the same—classes, training, and avoiding unnecessary complications.
But something told him that complications were coming whether he wanted them or not.
The academy was full of people with their own plans and ambitions. Heroines who would fall for the protagonist. Villains who would try to eliminate their rivals. And somewhere in the middle of it all, a protagonist who only cared about fighting strong opponents and treated everyone else like background noise.
Zane's role in the original story had been simple—be a minor antagonist, get expelled, and disappear.
But he'd already thrown that script away.
Now he just had to survive whatever came next.