A week had passed, and to Elion's surprise, everything in the academy settled into a strange, almost peaceful rhythm.
Classes went by without incident. No confrontation with William. No sudden attacks or dramatic showdowns.
And the summons from the DC was yet to come, which was odd.
William still glared at him whenever their eyes met, but the guy did nothing.
His once-imposing group had more or less dissolved after the incident.
Elion still saw the remaining loyalists gathered together sometimes, but their numbers were smaller, and they avoided eye contact whenever he passed.
The rest of the boys in class treated Elion like he carried an infectious plague.
Even those who had only teased him lightly before kept a nervous distance, whispering behind his back.
They weren't afraid of him physically; they were afraid of retribution.
It seemed every guy believed he had a metaphorical guillotine hanging over his neck, and Elion could drop the blade whenever he felt like it.
He didn't blame them. Many had been jerks to him for months.
On the other hand…
Among the girls in class?
His popularity among them had skyrocketed.
It would've been annoying if not for the one thing keeping most of them at bay:
Aria's terrifying glares.
She didn't leave his side.
Ever.
She clung to him between classes, sat beside him during lectures, joined him for meals — she was practically glued to his arm.
And when any girl even thought about approaching him, Aria's eyes sharpened with the intensity of a wolf protecting her territory.
Most backed off immediately.
Most.
And things were going rather well with Aria. After their first night together, Aria had been more or less recovering since they had fucked all night.
The following morning, Aria had to call in sick; the following few days, she had a limp.
And Elion had brought in quite a haul of points afterwards. Apart from advancing a few levels once again, he hadn't done much else with his stock of points.
He couldn't buff himself up too much before the academy assessed the class's progress; It would be difficult to explain if he suddenly became too powerful.
The worst that would happen at that point would be Elion being turned into a lab guinea pig to figure out the secrets to his sudden power up.
Combat class had once again become noticeably easier.
Though Elion still ended sessions out of breath, he no longer felt like dying after each session.
His body handled the drills, the sparring, and the weights with new resilience.
His mana control had also improved drastically, still nowhere near Isolde, the spellcasting prodigy of their year, but he was quickly catching up.
He was even surpassing the likes of William.
The skepticism about his newfound talent had more or less vanished — his exploits in combat class had made those who had called his win over William and co. a fluke.
Elion had been winning every fight with overwhelming strength.
Well, apart from Tessa.
She was just on another level. He could keep the fight close for some time, but she always somehow beat him in the end, by a minuscule margin.
Elion could see from the way she moved that she was an experienced fighter. Her skills were the real deal
Naturally, questions started circulating.
Curious classmates asked him, very subtly, if he had somehow raised his talent level.
Elion's vague answer of "something like that" only fueled the rumors further.
But he knew he couldn't keep the lie forever.
The academy's official status update was only a few days away now.
He'd decided he would just come clean: reveal his actual level, let the truth fill in the gaps, and let the system's numbers speak for him.
That should explain everything without him needing to lie further.
Hopefully.
There was one more matter bothering him, though.
Mira hadn't attended class for an entire week.
At first, he feared the worst, that maybe he'd been a little too intense with her that day in her room.
His mind spun with panic for two days straight until he overheard her close friends whispering that she had apparently called in sick.
Relief washed over him.
If she had reported herself ill to the academy, that meant she hadn't complained about…well… their activities.
But still, Aria noticed he was distracted.
She never asked why, but she watched him carefully. Too carefully. It was unsettling how she seemed to always watch him like a hawk.
And he wondered if this was what it felt like, to be a taken man.
Not a nice feeling.
And now, halfway through mana theory class, with Professor George lecturing calmly, Elion found his thoughts drifting again:
Should I go check up on Mira later? She's been gone too long…
Aria sat beside him, listening attentively. The classroom hummed with quills scratching, pages flipping, and George's gentle voice echoing.
Then—
Someone peeked into the room.
A familiar head of long, silky brunette hair.
Elion froze.
Mira!?
The entire lecture theatre went quiet.
Professor George stopped mid-sentence and turned with a warm smile.
"Oh! Miss Gale. Glad you're feeling well enough to join us. Please, come in and take your seat so we may continue."
Mira nodded politely, closing the door behind her. Her movements were calm, composed… but when her eyes swept the room—
They locked onto Elion.
For a heartbeat, everything else vanished. Mira's cheeks flushed a deep shade of pink, and she smiled. The class collectively held its breath.
Then she began walking.
Everyone expected her to climb up to the center rows, to her usual spot beside William and their old circle.
William certainly expected it.
He straightened his back, lifted his chin, and gave her the same charming smile he always used on her.
But Mira…walked right past him.
William blinked, confused.
His smile faltered.
Murmurs erupted instantly. Heads turned. The air buzzed with curiosity.
Mira kept walking.
Up the steps. Closer. Closer.
Wait, Elion thought, panic rising. She's… coming this way?
He glanced behind him.
Nothing there. The wall.
They were in the very last row.
Which meant—
She's actually coming to sit WITH US!?
Mira stopped right in front of him.
Every student stared shamelessly. Some even leaned forward, eager to see every detail.
Mira's voice was cool, composed… but her blush betrayed her.
"Can I sit?"