The upper noble wing was far quieter than the lower dormitory floors.
Soft golden lights embedded within the walls illuminated the corridor with a faint glow while expensive carpets muffled every footstep beneath them. Large windows stretched along the hallway, revealing the sprawling grounds of Virecan Academy far below.
Darian walked silently behind the academy attendant guiding him through the corridor.
The further they moved upward—
The fewer students he saw.
Interesting.
So even among nobles, hierarchy exists everywhere.
Eventually, the attendant stopped before a large blackwood door reinforced with silver runes.
"Your assigned suite, Your Highness."
The attendant bowed respectfully before handing him a small metallic key engraved with the academy crest.
"If you require servants or supplies, requests may be submitted directly through the attendant network."
Darian nodded once.
The attendant hesitated briefly before lowering his voice.
"…And if I may offer advice, Your Highness…"
Darian glanced toward him.
"It would be best to avoid further conflict with Cedric Valeheart."
Ah.
So even the attendants know.
"Noted," Darian replied calmly.
Though judging from his expression, the attendant clearly wasn't reassured in the slightest.
After another bow, the man quietly departed down the corridor.
Silence returned almost immediately.
Darian looked toward the door before inserting the key.
Click.
The moment the door opened, a faint pulse of mana swept across his body briefly before disappearing.
A security formation.
Expected for noble housing.
Stepping inside, Darian slowly scanned the room.
Spacious.
Far too spacious for a student dormitory.
Dark polished furniture lined the interior while tall curtains framed massive windows overlooking the academy grounds below. A fireplace rested near the far wall beside shelves already stocked with books and scrolls.
There was even a private training area connected through an adjoining chamber.
Luxurious.
And excessive.
The academy really is trying hard to monitor me comfortably.
Darian walked toward the window quietly.
From this height, the entirety of the academy looked different.
Smaller.
Controlled.
Students moved through pathways like pieces on a game board while professors crossed between towers beneath drifting currents of mana.
Order on the surface.
Competition underneath.
His gray eyes narrowed slightly.
The original story barely scratched the surface of how dangerous this place truly was.
Behind every noble smile hid ambition.
Behind every faction hid manipulation.
And somewhere inside this academy—
Future wars were already beginning quietly.
Darian rested one hand lightly against the cold glass.
Then suddenly—
A sharp pain struck behind his eyes.
"…Tch."
His expression tightened instantly.
Fragments of memory surged violently through his mind again.
A training arena.
Laughter.
Humiliation.
A blinding golden light crashing toward him.
Hatred.
Despair.
And then—
A voice.
"You were never meant to stand beside us."
Darian's breathing slowed.
Not his memory.
The original owner's.
Residual emotions still lingering deep within this body.
Anger.
Shame.
Resentment.
So deep that even after death, traces still remained.
How troublesome.
Darian closed his eyes briefly before exhaling slowly.
"You really lived a miserable life, didn't you?"
Silence answered him.
Yet strangely—
The pain gradually faded afterward.
As though the body itself had calmed slightly.
Darian moved toward the nearby desk and sat down heavily.
The room remained quiet.
Too quiet.
For the first time since arriving at the academy, he was finally alone.
No Ethan.
No Marie.
No suspicious professors.
No watching students.
Just silence.
And his thoughts.
Darian leaned back slightly while staring toward the ceiling.
The situation was becoming increasingly complicated.
The academy leadership already suspected something unusual.
Cedric now viewed him as a threat.
Celia Reinhardt had taken interest in him.
And most importantly—
The protagonist himself was nearby.
Ethan Vale.
The central figure around whom the original story revolved.
A slow breath escaped Darian's lips.
Everything from this point onward depended on his choices.
One wrong move—
And he could easily become nothing more than another disposable side character crushed beneath the story's momentum.
But unlike before—
He now possessed knowledge nobody else in this world had.
Future events.
Hidden factions.
Important figures.
Opportunities.
Disasters.
And if used correctly—
That knowledge alone could become a weapon more dangerous than magic itself.
A faint smile slowly appeared on Darian's face.
Then perhaps…
Instead of avoiding the story—
He should seize control of it.
Knock. Knock.
The sudden sound interrupted his thoughts.
Darian's eyes shifted toward the door instantly.
Who now?
After a brief pause, a calm female voice echoed from outside.
"Your Highness."
Marie.
Darian blinked once in surprise before standing.
The moment he opened the door—
He found Marie standing there holding several neatly folded academy uniforms in her arms.
Yet the first thing he noticed wasn't the clothes.
It was her expression.
Concern.
"You caused quite a commotion already," she said quietly.
Darian almost smiled faintly.
"That rumor spread quickly."
Marie sighed softly before stepping inside.
"At this rate, the entire academy will be talking about you by tomorrow."
Darian closed the door behind her calmly.
"They already were."
Marie placed the uniforms carefully on a nearby chair before turning toward him fully.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then finally—
"…You truly have changed," she whispered softly.
Unlike before—
This time, there was no suspicion in her voice.
Only uncertainty.