The night air inside the academy dormitory felt strangely warm.
Moonlight slipped through the curtains and illuminated the luxurious room belonging to the head of Academy Aetherion. The room was quiet, peaceful, and elegant, fitting for someone of Elisha's status.
Yet the owner of the room was currently burying her face into a pillow while kicking her legs against the bed.
"W-What is wrong with me...?!"
Her silver hair was messy, and her face was red like a ripe tomato.
Inside her mind, one scene kept replaying over and over again.
'Ard brushing his hair back while saying...'
"Do you think I am an orc?"
"KYAAAAAA!!"
Elisha screamed again and slammed the pillow repeatedly.
Her breathing became disorganized.
"No, wait... calm down... calm down, Elisha..."
She sat upright while hugging her knees tightly.
Her face was still burning hot.
"I always treated him like a child..." she muttered softly. "Even when I hugged his arm all the time, I never really thought about it..."
Then she remembered the moment she pinched Ard's stomach earlier.
Her expression froze.
"...His body was surprisingly firm."
Silence filled the room for several seconds.
Then Elisha immediately buried her face back into the pillow.
"WHY AM I THINKING ABOUT THAT?!"
Her voice echoed throughout the room.
Several maids outside the room looked at each other awkwardly but decided not to interfere.
Meanwhile, Elisha continued rolling around on the bed while suffering alone.
"I-I know he is handsome already, but why now...?"
She grabbed another pillow and hugged it tightly.
"This is frustrating..."
---
At the same time, the academy cafeteria was crowded with students enjoying their meals after class.
Voices overlapped one another as conversations filled the large room.
Some noble students maintained elegant manners while eating, speaking only when necessary.
Meanwhile, commoner students laughed loudly without restraint.
At one of the tables, several students from Ard's class gathered together.
"Professor Ard is seriously amazing," Luna muttered while cutting a piece of meat. "He used that level of magic with such a short chant."
"What is so amazing about that?" Tesslon scoffed arrogantly with his mouth full of food. "I can cast even stronger magic with only two words."
Luna stared at him flatly.
"You? Magic?"
Tesslon pointed proudly at himself.
"You underestimate me too much."
"Then prove it."
The atmosphere around the table suddenly became quiet.
Tesslon cracked his fingers dramatically before closing his eyes.
His right hand slowly rose from his stomach toward his chest.
The veins on his forehead bulged as if he were concentrating with all his power.
Everyone watched him carefully.
Even Luna unconsciously swallowed her saliva.
Finally, after several tense seconds...
Tesslon opened his eyes sharply.
"Full."
Then he burped directly toward Luna's face.
"YOU BASTARD!!!"
Luna instantly activated high-level fire magic.
The surrounding students hurriedly stopped her before the cafeteria exploded.
Anna only sighed while watching the chaos.
"They are idiots."
"I think they are kind of funny."
Anna turned toward the woman beside her.
Rena Henfeld.
A demon noble with long black hair and narrow eyes that always looked gentle.
But behind that smile, Anna could feel something dangerous hiding beneath it.
"You are still the same as always, huh?" Anna muttered.
Rena smiled calmly.
"What kind of person am I exactly?"
Anna ignored the question and changed the topic.
"Still... Professor Ard really is impressive."
"Hmm... honestly, I was surprised too," Rena admitted. "From what I heard, he is actually better with the sword than with magic."
"Heeeh? Seriously?" Luna asked after finally calming down.
Claire, who had been silent the entire time, finally spoke.
"Yes. That is true."
The table became quieter.
Claire slowly placed down her fork.
"There was once a mission during our academy days."
Her cold voice echoed calmly.
"An organization had been kidnapping people from different races and harvesting their organs."
Several students frowned immediately.
"At the time, Professor Ard went alone."
"He went alone?" Anna frowned.
Claire nodded.
"He carried nothing except his sword."
Rain.
That was the first thing Claire remembered from that night.
Heavy rain poured endlessly from the dark sky while thunder echoed throughout the forest.
Claire and the others ran through the muddy path as fast as possible.
The professors had ordered them to catch up with Ard because they were worried.
No supplies.
No backup.
Only a sword.
That was all Ard brought with him.
At first, Claire thought he was reckless.
But when they finally arrived...
Their thoughts changed completely.
The ground was wet.
Not from rain alone.
Blood.
An overwhelming smell of blood filled the air.
Even the rainwater flowing across the ground had turned dark red.
The students slowly entered deeper into the enemy hideout.
Then they froze.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Their eyes widened.
Their pupils shrank violently.
Before them...
Was a mountain of corpses.
Bodies piled on top of one another beneath the crimson moonlight.
And sitting calmly at the very top of it...
Was Ard.
One of his eyes glowed crimson.
The other eye was black and burning with dark flames.
Blood dripped slowly from his sword.
Ard silently stared down at them from above the pile of corpses.
Like a monster looking down upon prey.
"..."
No one could speak.
No one could breathe properly.
At that moment...
Claire finally understood why even professors feared Ard Le Ventias.
Rain poured endlessly through the dark forest.
Mud splashed beneath their feet as Claire and the others ran between the towering trees. Their breathing was rough, cold wind struck their soaked bodies, and thunder echoed across the night sky.
Even now, years later, Claire still could not forget that night.
At that time, they had been ordered to support Ard during a mission to destroy a black-market organization.
There was a reason the academy reacted so urgently.
Ard had gone alone.
Without supplies.
Without backup.
Without armor.
Only a sword hung at his waist.
That alone was enough to make the professors worried. Even Elisha herself ordered nearby students to follow after him immediately.
The deeper Claire and the others ran into the forest, the more uneasy they became.
The rain reduced their vision, and the darkness between the towering trees felt suffocating.
Even Claire, who was considered strong among the students at that time, felt fear creeping into her chest.
They did not use horses.
Horses were slower than them.
After some time, they finally arrived before a massive mansion surrounded by towering walls.
But the moment they approached the entrance...
They smelled blood.
A thick metallic scent spread through the air so heavily that it almost made them nauseous.
Still, suppressing their growing anxiety, they entered the mansion while preparing themselves for battle.
Then...
They froze.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Their eyes widened.
Their pupils shrank violently.
They looked upward.
Not toward the moon above them...
But toward Ard.
A mountain of corpses stood before them beneath the crimson moonlight.
And sitting calmly at the very top of it...
Was Ard Le Ventias.
One of his eyes glowed crimson.
The other eye was black and burned with dark flames.
Blood stained his body, his clothes, and the sword resting beside him.
Then Ard looked directly at Claire and the others.
"Took you long enough."
His voice echoed heavily throughout the ruined mansion.
"It was horrifying."
"Yeah..." Claire answered quietly. "Everything about him was horrifying. His eyes, his gaze, the blood covering his body... all of it."
She lowered her eyes slightly.
"And at that time, he still wasn't even skilled with magic yet."
Anna unconsciously swallowed her saliva.
Cold sweat formed on her forehead.
Tesslon and Luna clung to each other with trembling bodies while Rena quietly narrowed her eyes.
Everyone reacted differently.
But they all shared the same thought.
"Professor Ard is terrifying..."
"So what happened after that?" Luna asked carefully.
"Nothing special," Claire replied. "After returning to the academy, he locked himself inside his room for days."
"Not only is he amazing at magic, but he's also incredible with the sword..." Viona muttered dreamily.
"Is she alright?" Tesslon whispered toward Sai while glancing at Viona's flushed face and the saliva almost escaping her mouth.
"I think she caught some kind of disease," Sai answered coldly.
"W-What?! Then won't we get infected too-"
BAAM!
Luna punched Tesslon directly in the stomach.
"Shut up, muscle-brain!"
"T-That hurts..."
"Alright, alright..." Rena forced a smile while calming the situation. "Let's just continue eating."
Luna clicked her tongue before finally sitting back down.
"Claire," Anna suddenly called out.
"What?"
"Do you hate Professor Ard?"
The atmosphere around the table became quieter.
Claire looked toward Anna calmly.
"...I don't understand what you're trying to say."
"Oh, come on~" Anna smiled slightly. "Don't you want to get back at him after what happened earlier?"
"..."
Claire stared at her silently.
"I know exactly what you're thinking," Claire finally said. "But don't drag me into your personal and family matters, Anna."
Anna frowned immediately.
Claire slowly stood up from her seat while organizing her tray.
"And next time..." Claire glanced around the cafeteria. "Look around before saying things like that."
The surrounding students had been listening to their conversation from the beginning.
Especially after Anna mentioned revenge against Ard.
That kind of statement could easily develop into conflict between noble families.
After all, many influential families inside the academy maintained good relations with the Ventias family.
And having connections with one of the empire's strongest families was worth more than years of tax income.
"If you want to die," Claire continued coldly, "don't drag me with you."
Then she walked away.
"Idiot."
"W-Wait, Claire!" Viona hurriedly chased after her.
"H-Hey! Wait for me too!" Sai immediately followed behind.
Tesslon awkwardly scratched his cheek before looking toward Luna.
"Want to spar?"
"Huh? Fine. But don't cry after losing."
The two of them also quickly left the cafeteria.
Soon, only Anna and Rena remained at the table.
Anna could feel the surrounding gazes and whispers directed toward her.
Her expression darkened.
In the end, she clicked her tongue and stood up before walking away as well.
Rena remained seated quietly.
She watched Anna's departing figure with the same mysterious smile on her face.
A smile that revealed absolutely nothing.