'This guy is still here?'
Xian's expression visibly darkened. Seeing Adrian soured his initially easy mood. Now that he saw him in a morning-lit hallway, his glaringly protagonist-like features were even more apparent. There wasn't a trace of bruising on his smooth skin, and looking closely, he even had a slight blush.
Xian was utterly tired of seeing his face during scenes and every time he opened the status window, wishing he could at least customize the character's appearance. Although he preferred his current appearance, Carmillia unfortunately did not.
'I guess the protagonist won't disappear that easily.'
He clicked his tongue. Adrian was too busy to hear it, but Carmillia glanced sideways at Xian.
"Do you remember me, my lady? W-we met by chance in the labyrinth and… Ah! We were attacked by another entrant!" The protagonist stuttered in an effort to speak. Xian thought he was watching a child introduce himself in front of the class.
"I remember," Carmillia answered with a faint smile. "What business do you have with me?"
She responded with a surprisingly amicable tone, not angered by the fact that Adrian's loud mouth had turned her into the center of attention and murmurs. Her face now carried a soft expression, but there was amusement in her eyes at what she was witnessing.
"Ah, it's just… Can we walk together to class?"
"Walk… together?" Carmillia tilted her head at the protagonist's simple request.
"Yes. Can't we?"
Carmillia paused just long enough for Adrian to grow anxious, then stole a glance at Xian. "I permit it."
Xian watched with a calm gaze as the two agreed without so much as involving him. After all, he was just a butler. But the protagonist seemed unaware of the underlying meaning of his actions or how others would interpret them.
The surrounding murmurs resumed as Carmillia walked past, with Adrian hurrying after her. Xian could hear the whispers throughout the hall beginning to take a different direction.
'Maybe she's not as bad as they say…'
'There's no way those rumors are true, right?'
'She accepted him just like that?'
To others, it seemed that Carmillia had permitted an unknown commoner to walk beside her despite his lack of etiquette. In this academy, Adrian's request signified involvement, while Carmillia's permission could be interpreted as acceptance into her faction.
The mistress and her butler now walked side by side. Seeing the distance between himself and the lady widen, Adrian quickened his steps to match her pace, only for a large figure to slide into his path and nearly collide with him.
Looking up, the first thing he saw was a head of blood-red hair and a stern expression similar to those worn by the professors who had spoken to him yesterday.
Xian had put himself between Adrian and Carmillia, not even sparing a glance at the protagonist. He kept walking with a cold expression.
Earlier, as if in a trance, the protagonist had completely ignored him and had not even noticed him. Xian didn't mind being overlooked, but what was strange was the protagonist's bashful behavior toward Carmillia.
Confused, Adrian stared at him indignantly, as though his eyes were asking, 'What are you doing?'
Xian did his best to put on the most intimidating glare he could muster. Surprisingly, it was quite effective, as he saw the protagonist flinch.
Adrian made several more attempts, but Xian made sure to cut him off every time. The normally amicable and kind protagonist was now gritting his teeth, his eyes filled with frustration.
Xian found the protagonist's reaction interesting since, in the game, the player's dialogue choices often served as the voice of reason in many scenarios. But this protagonist seemed unable to control his emotions.
"Well, then, this is where we part ways." Carmillia, who had been silent the entire time, turned to Adrian.
The Elite Class lay down one fork of the hallway, while the Royal Class lay in the opposite direction. They were positioned so that both classes would inevitably meet.
They parted ways in an atrium filled with stained-glass windows, where sunlight seeped through from above as though it were an arena prepared for the two sections to face off. It was likely an insidious placement devised by the academy's eccentric headmaster.
Xian shooed Adrian away by pointing in the other direction. He lightly tapped the protagonist's chest, making him sway back slightly.
"Your class is that way."
Xian followed after Carmillia and left Adrian alone.
The protagonist's mouth opened and closed several times, but Xian didn't even pause to hear whatever he wanted to say.
In the end, apart from a few lines, Adrian couldn't speak to Carmillia at all and turned away with a bitter taste in his mouth.
"What's up with that guy?"
Of course, he hadn't forgotten Xian, who had hindered him at every opportunity to converse with Lady Montagne, the girl who had caught his eye at first sight.
"Next time, definitely…" Adrian murmured, heading toward the Elite Class.
…
True to its name, the classroom for the Royal Class was wide enough for one to wonder whether it was meant for auctions. Natural light seeped through the high windows, and the students' seats were upholstered in leather and padded with expensive cotton. The room truly signified the status of those inside.
Each row of seats rose a step higher, partially surrounding the lecturer's platform. The entrance and exit were positioned at the sides of the room, ensuring anyone who entered or left could be seen.
Inside, some students were already acquainting themselves with one another, some speaking in pairs and others gathering in small groups.
The scene might have resembled a masquerade had the students been dressed for such an occasion instead of wearing their uniforms. Even so, the white-and-gold uniforms were a sight to behold, giving the students a clean and noble appearance.
Each step taken inside barely made a sound against the carpeted floor, and the whispers were barely audible. The academy's entrants ranged from fifteen to twenty-one, though most noble heirs enrolled at sixteen.
In that regard, Fahna had come of age the previous year, placing her among the majority of entrants, and she was already facing that kind of trouble.
Something every sought-after noble lady had to go through.
"My lady, I've long heard of and admired the feats of your prestigious family," an entrant, likely his family's eldest heir, said. His gaze lingered far too long on her chest as he bowed, while a faint, sticky smile played upon his lips.
"But it seems your beauty surpasses even your family's renown." He leaned closer to the lady, almost making her lean back. "May I invite you to tea after class? It would be my pleasure to hear tales of the Sword Saint directly from you."
But before Fahna could turn him down, a deep and impatient voice cut in.
"Bah, enough of your useless banter." A rather brash-looking young man chided as he stepped forward, pushing the other aside with his broad body. "Don't you see? She's a warrior from the Sword Saint's clan! I'm sure she'd rather exchange moves with me, someone with a similar upbringing.
What do you think, Lady Fahna?"
He spoke while smiling at her with a determined expression.
A heavy thud interrupted them both. Several finely wrapped boxes were placed between them and Fahna's desk, with obvious weight to them.
"Please accept these gifts as a gesture of making my acquaintance." A third young man with peculiarly styled hair adjusted his glasses as he regarded Fahna with a measured glance. "Consider it a gesture of goodwill."
He glanced at the other two suitors with a telling gaze before speaking.
"With your clan's reputation and my household's resources, a union between us would be… mutually beneficial. Do you have time to talk later?"
"Tch!"
"Hah?"
The two nobles exclaimed in surprise at the third man's blunt declaration.
Fahna's perfect smile nearly cracked, with annoyance threatening to break her composure. Opportunities and offers of that kind were nothing new, but this was the first time she had dealt with suitors from outside her tightly secluded clan.
"I'm sorry, but I'm not interested in finding a partner yet."
Finding a suitably powerful partner at the academy before graduation would be any noble girl's goal, but for someone who was a descendant of the Sword Saint?
'No way.'
She was aware of the reputation her clan held and the dignity that came with it. Her clan had always insisted upon seclusion and limited interaction, avoiding political alliances and dealings with most families whenever possible.
But she thought differently.
She wanted to open the doors of her clan to the world, to show what they could achieve by taking that one step beyond their seclusion.
For that reason, she couldn't allow herself to be sold as a marriage tool to some noble. Nor could she afford to be distracted by things like 'romance.'
To accomplish her goal, however, she would need to gather allies from the outside, which was why this academy mattered. Surely, among this sea of people and peers, she was bound to gather friends who could help her along the way.
'I already have people in mind too.'
As though finding her rejection absurd, the peculiarly haired entrant tapped on the table and spoke.
"Are you certain, Lady Fahna? Opportunities like this are hard to come by, especially for your clan…"
'Ugh, this guy…'
Fahna read the intention behind the man's eyes. Just as she became irritated by the mention of her household's situation, the grandiose door of the room creaked open.
All heads turned to see who the new arrivals were, whether it was a professor or another student.
Then an almost deafening silence filled the surroundings as Xian stepped inside. His strangely hostile appearance, even with his expression at rest, made anyone who met his eyes turn their gaze away.
Carmillia followed behind him, tightening the atmosphere further and putting everyone on edge. Those present directed either anxious or admiring gazes at the so-called 'Guillotine Flower' of House Montagne, a young lady infamous for purging many of her subordinates through ruthless
executions as though mimicking her father's actions.
Her appearance heralded the arrival of one of the most controversial and dangerous figures of her generation. She came from a ducal house that had faithfully served the previous king's regime, yet had somehow retained its influence even after his fall.
Carmillia glanced around the room, though her gaze lingered on only a few individuals before turning away as though she had lost interest.
'Hmph, she's that petty girl. But she does have some appearance and skill,' Fahna thought inwardly as she observed Carmillia.
The girl didn't even acknowledge her.
'As for that guy, is he her butler? Hmm…' Faintly grinning, Fahna observed Xian. 'This is unheard of. A servant in the Royal Class? A First Seat, no less? Fufu.'
…
Xian waited for her to enter before closing the doors. Although her arrival had caused a stir, the other students soon resumed their conversations.
After all, this room was filled with young nobles of equally formidable backgrounds and abilities. Not even Carmillia could be unruly without consequences, unless those consequences did not matter to her at all.
Xian thought this was likely why she remained elusive at the beginning of the game, appearing only as a character accompanied by two swordmaidens whenever she was outside the academy, a presence that drew the player's interest. That was why her sudden descent into villainy, while anticipated, still caught many players off guard.
To Xian's dismay, he had learned the hard way that there weren't only heroines for the protagonist to snatch in this game. It wouldn't be a Souls counterpart of a dating-sim academy otherwise if there weren't any competition.
Carmillia walked toward the furthest and highest seat in the room. As they passed an unassuming student reclining with a book covering his face, Xian heard an amused voice.
"Looks like this will be a tumultuous generation for the academy."
Xian recognized the voice immediately, and his fists tightened slightly as he remembered the runs he had lost to this bastard, a character who always sat in this exact spot every time he started the game.
He either made a snide remark about the protagonist's background or uttered the exact phrase that had just left his mouth.
"Wouldn't you agree, Lady Montagne?"
He removed the book, revealing turquoise eyes with a calm, steady gaze. Although he addressed Carmillia, his eyes were locked upon Xian.
'Rhykard Oregon, one of the more successful villains in the game, who remained alive until the post-graduation arcs.'
Carmillia gave the man a silent glare before ignoring him.
Rhykard Oregon was a rival character in Fahna's route, a noble who coveted her clan's heroic prestige throughout the continent. Given enough time, even the stubborn sword clan eventually found itself in a predicament caused by this man and ended up accepting his outstretched hand.
Rhykard's gaze lingered upon Xian for a moment longer before he spoke again.
"So the rumors were true." He straightened in his seat. "You actually went through the trouble of enrolling a butler of yours in the academy."
His eyes turned toward Carmillia.
"And not just in any section, but the Royal Class, no less. How bold of the duke's daughter."
Carmillia didn't slow her steps. "Spit out what you wanna say."
Rhykard chuckled. "Sponsoring a butler as a student in the academy's highest-status division is a blatant misuse of privilege, even for House Montagne. Wouldn't you agree, everyone?"
He tilted his head, looking back at the gazes directed toward them. Despite Carmillia's reputation, more than one student here opposed her.
Individually, they couldn't possibly hold a candle to her family, but with Rhykard uniting them, even Carmillia would be hard-pressed to deal with them.
"Or are we pretending the academy suddenly accepts servants through payment alone?"
It was provocative slander against the academy, but no one dissuaded Rhykard. Almost every noble household present knew of the headmaster's love for money and the bottomless pit that was the academy.
Seeing Carmillia's silence, he provoked her further.
"A novelty, then? A pet project? Or could it be… for your own indulgence?"
Carmillia stopped. She turned her head just enough for him to see her sneer.
"He placed first. Is there anything else you wanna say?"
Rhykard's smile froze as he observed Xian again.
"What?" he repeated with an incredulous expression.
"First among the entrants, above heirs and prodigious prospects alike. Even above you, Rhykard," Carmillia said simply, her tone and indifferent expression unchanged.
"Watch your words. After all, as the First Seat, he will be the leader of the Royal Class starting today."
She spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear, then looked lazily toward Rhykard.
"My servant will be taking care of you. You'll adhere to the rules of the academy. Right, Raki?"
At the mention of the nickname, a vein bulged at his temple, clearly reflecting his displeasure.
"Hah, I'll be damned. Still, placing first only partially justifies his presence here."
He turned his back, losing all interest as though to end the conversation there.
"This academy has become far more unhinged than I thought."
"If you have a problem with it, go tell the headmaster," Carmillia replied with a sneer. "Though I doubt it will change anything."
"From now on, everyone has to listen closely to our 'First Seat.' I look forward to being in this class with you all," Carmillia said as murmurs immediately spread among the students.
Everyone in the Royal Class had grown up with pride in their upbringing and was considered among the kingdom's greatest talents. Acknowledging a leader was always a sensitive matter.
But there was one undeniable basis for choosing one: placing first in the entrance examination and thereby being granted the 'First Seat.'
Watching all of this, Xian finally realized the matter Carmillia had been referring to last night. In the game, this situation never occurred. Fahna always secured first place and naturally became the First Seat without opposition.
He met Carmillia's gaze, which seemed to communicate a message.
'You'll keep your promise, won't you?'