The atmosphere inside the dormitory hall turned suffocatingly heavy.
Not a single student dared to speak.
Cedric Valeheart stood frozen for a brief moment, as though struggling to process what he had just heard.
Darian Ashthorne—
The same prince who used to lose his temper over the slightest insult—
Had just humiliated him calmly in front of everyone.
And worse—
He had done it without raising his voice even once.
Cedric's expression gradually darkened.
"You've become rather bold after nearly dying."
His voice carried a sharp edge now.
Darian merely looked at him indifferently.
"Near-death experiences tend to improve perspective."
A few nearby students nearly choked trying to suppress their reactions.
Ethan outright looked away to hide his expression.
Cedric noticed immediately.
Humiliation burned across his face.
"You think speaking cleverly changes anything?" he said coldly. "Everyone here already knows what happened in the arena."
Darian remained silent.
Cedric took that silence as encouragement and stepped forward.
"You challenged someone vastly superior to yourself and got crushed publicly."
A sneer spread across his lips.
"Honestly, it's impressive you survived at all."
The surrounding students shifted awkwardly.
Even among nobles, pushing things this far openly was dangerous.
But Cedric clearly intended to establish dominance before rumors regarding Darian's sudden personality change spread further.
Unfortunately for him—
The current Darian wasn't interested in playing along.
"You seem very invested in my condition," Darian replied calmly.
Cedric scoffed.
"As if I'd care about—"
"Then why are you still talking?"
Silence.
Complete silence.
Several students stared openly now.
Ethan slowly blinked.
Darian's tone hadn't changed at all.
No anger.
No shouting.
Which somehow made it far worse.
Cedric's jaw tightened visibly.
"You—"
"Let me guess," Darian interrupted smoothly.
"You saw an easy opportunity to mock someone weaker and decided to perform in front of an audience."
His gray eyes swept casually across the hall.
"Considering your need for attention, I assume childhood neglect played a significant role."
A student somewhere in the back accidentally laughed out loud before immediately covering their mouth.
Cedric's face went red instantly.
"You insolent—!"
Mana suddenly flared around his body.
Green currents of wind-element energy spiraled around his arm as pressure spread through the hall.
Several nearby students quickly stepped backward.
Ethan frowned immediately.
"Cedric."
But Cedric ignored him completely.
His eyes remained fixed entirely on Darian.
"You think surviving one incident suddenly makes you untouchable?"
The wind mana around him intensified.
Sharp.
Violent.
Threatening.
Yet Darian simply stared at him quietly.
Observing.Analyzing.
Interesting.
The original Darian probably would've reacted emotionally here.
Anger.Fear.Humiliation.
But the current situation felt almost disappointing.
This wasn't intimidation.
It was insecurity disguised as confidence.
"You know," Darian said thoughtfully, "people usually threaten others when they're afraid of losing control of a conversation."
Cedric's mana fluctuated violently.
"You really want another public humiliation that badly?"
That sentence struck perfectly.
Because everyone in the hall immediately remembered the arena incident.
Cedric noticed the shifting gazes around him.
His expression distorted further.
And for the first time—
Doubt appeared in his eyes.
Not because he feared Darian.
But because Darian no longer behaved predictably.
Which made him dangerous.
Before the situation could escalate further—
"That's enough."
A cold female voice echoed through the hall instantly.
The pressure in the room vanished almost immediately.
Professor Selena stood near the entrance with narrowed crimson eyes.
Her gaze swept across the gathered students before settling directly on Cedric.
"Would you care to explain why combat mana is being released inside academy housing?"
Cedric's face stiffened.
The mana around him disappeared instantly.
"My apologies, Professor."
Selena looked entirely unconvinced.
Then her gaze shifted toward Darian.
For a brief second, silence lingered between them.
Observing.Measuring.
Darian noticed it immediately.
She's watching me more carefully now.
"Your room assignments have already been prepared," Selena said calmly.
A floating crystal tablet appeared beside her, glowing faintly with magical inscriptions.
"Cedric Valeheart, third floor east wing."
"Ethan Vale, scholarship dormitory sector two."
Finally—
"Darian Ashthorne…"
Her eyes lingered on him briefly.
"…Private suite. Upper noble wing."
Murmurs instantly spread throughout the hall.
Private suite?
Even among nobles, individual suites were rare for first-year students.
Cedric's expression darkened again.
Meanwhile Ethan looked mildly surprised.
Darian himself understood immediately.
The academy leadership wanted easier observation access.
Convenient.
"Follow the attendant guides," Selena continued coldly.
"And if any of you feel tempted to destroy academy property…"
Her gaze sharpened dangerously.
"I encourage you to reconsider."
Nobody spoke.
Because unlike rumors surrounding students—
Everyone knew Professor Selena absolutely meant her threats.
Moments later, attendants began escorting students toward their designated sections.
Ethan glanced toward Darian briefly before leaving.
"…Try not to start a war on your first day back."
Darian almost smiled faintly.
"No promises."
Ethan snorted softly before walking away.
Soon, the hall gradually emptied.
Yet even while following the academy attendant through the upper corridors, Darian could still feel lingering gazes watching his back.
Rumors would spread quickly after today.
The weak prince had changed.
And people feared change far more than weakness.
As Darian stepped onto the upper noble floor, large windows revealed a breathtaking view of the academy grounds below.
Students moved like scattered pieces across a giant board.
Order.Ambition.Conflict.
A slow realization settled into his mind once more.
Virecan Academy wasn't merely preparing future leaders.
It was creating future monsters.
And somewhere within all of this—
He intended to rise above them all.