Chapter 255 - 254 : Arrival

Chapter 255: Chapter 254 : Arrival

The moment Arthur’s voice echoed through the meeting room, every head turned toward the entrance.

For a second, silence filled the room.

Then the expressions of the Celestias Academy students changed.

Anger.

Disbelief.

And a deep urge to beat the smug smile off Arthur’s face.

He had vanished without telling anyone.

He had skipped the trip to the Golden Colosseum.

He had left Athena with a ridiculous letter.

And now, after making everyone worry about the opening ceremony, he walked in as though he had merely gone out for a short walk.

Arthur stood at the doorway with his hands in his pockets. His dark hair was slightly messy, his crimson eyes held their usual calm confidence, and the lazy smile on his face only irritated everyone further.

"Hey, guys," Arthur said. "Did you miss me?"

Layla’s expression darkened.

Isabella’s eyes narrowed.

Evangline crossed her arms.

Damian stared at Arthur as though he wanted to punch him.

Even Arion, who usually remained calm, looked visibly annoyed.

But before anyone from Celestias Academy could say anything, the four representatives from the other academy turned their attention toward Arthur.

Bryan.

Amaya.

Ranga.

And Christopher.

The moment their eyes met Arthur’s crimson gaze, the atmosphere shifted.

Arthur’s presence was calm, but there was pressure hidden beneath it. A quiet, oppressive feeling that made it difficult for anyone with sharp instincts to dismiss him as ordinary.

The four representatives looked at one another.

For just a moment, their eyes met.

Then all four gave a small nod.

A smile appeared on their faces.

Bryan stepped forward.

The massive blond man stood at least seven feet tall, and his uniform barely contained his muscular frame. He looked Arthur up and down, carefully examining him.

"So, you are the representative of Celestias Academy this year."

Bryan rubbed his chin as though considering something.

"Interesting."

His dark eyes narrowed.

"It looks like you have the strength to back up your position."

Before Arthur could respond, Amaya vanished from where she stood.

Arthur’s eyes sharpened.

In the next instant, she appeared directly behind him.

She stood far too close.

Her breath brushed against his ear.

"He is quite handsome too."

Amaya’s twin tails swayed as she smiled.

"Working with you will be very enjoyable."

Arthur glanced over his shoulder.

Even he had barely followed her movement.

That surprised him.

After everything he had gone through—after fighting powerful demons, vampires, elves, awakened geniuses, and beings far stronger than ordinary humans—there were very few people close to his age who could still surprise him.

But Amaya had.

Arthur’s expression changed slightly.

’Fast.’

Christopher stepped forward with a blank smile.

"So, you are Arthur."

He looked toward the Celestias Academy students.

"Now that I see you in person, I can understand why you were chosen to represent these idiotic clowns."

The room froze.

Mana stirred through the air.

The Celestias Academy students nearly rose from their seats.

Victor’s smile became dangerous.

Damian’s hands clenched.

Jasmine’s eyes narrowed.

Isabella looked ready to draw her sword.

Christopher dramatically stepped back and raised both hands.

"Sorry. My tongue slipped."

Then he looked at Arthur.

"But am I not right, Arthur?"

Christopher placed one hand on Arthur’s shoulder.

Arthur looked at the hand.

Then he smiled.

"Of course you are right, Senior."

The Celestias Academy students stared at him in disbelief.

Arthur continued with a calm expression.

"These guys do not understand how beneficial it will be to team up with you."

He nodded as though he had just made a perfectly reasonable decision.

"I approve of this plan."

Arthur’s smile widened.

"Do not worry. I look forward to working with all of you."

Layla nearly yelled.

"Arthur, you cannot trust—"

Arthur turned his crimson gaze toward her.

It was only a glance.

But it was enough.

Layla stopped speaking immediately.

Her fists clenched.

She hated that she had obeyed him without even thinking.

The four representatives looked at one another.

Their expressions remained calm.

But inside their minds, the same thoughts appeared.

’Thank God.’

’This guy is an idiot.’

’He is easier to control than expected.’

’This will be easy.’

None of them felt the need to remain wary.

They had expected Celestias Academy’s representative to be difficult.

Clever.

Careful.

Perhaps even suspicious.

Instead, Arthur had accepted their alliance without hesitation.

The four representatives laughed lightly and headed toward the exit.

"Well then, Arthur," Bryan said. "We hope you give it your best."

Arthur smiled calmly.

"Do not worry, Senior. I will not disappoint you."

The four were about to leave.

Then Arthur spoke again.

"Seniors."

They stopped.

Arthur’s voice was still calm.

"I assume you will give it your best too, right?"

The four representatives looked back.

Bryan smirked.

"You only need to worry about yourself."

Arthur’s crimson eyes gleamed faintly.

"Well, I treasure my friends."

He looked toward his teammates.

"So I will remember you four too."

For a moment, the atmosphere became strange.

Bryan, Amaya, Ranga, and Christopher looked at Arthur carefully.

Then they gave him small smirks.

They did not understand the weight behind his words.

To them, it sounded like a weak threat from an arrogant first-year.

They turned away and left the meeting room.

The door closed behind them.

───────────────

The moment the four representatives entered the hallway outside, their expressions changed.

The smiles disappeared.

Their bodies became still.

Amaya was the first to speak.

"What do you think?"

Her voice was lower now.

"Will it be easy?"

Bryan cracked his neck.

"That guy is an idiot."

His dark eyes became cold.

"And the bodies we are possessing right now are not bad."

He flexed his enormous hand.

"We can use them to their full potential."

Christopher adjusted his sunglasses.

"We can take care of it as cleanly as possible."

His gaze became sharp.

"There are at least four of them."

Amaya laughed softly.

"It is going to be a lot of fun."

Her eyes glinted with excitement.

"We are going on a hunt after such a long time."

Until then, Ranga had remained silent.

The brown-haired boy with the scar across his cheek finally spoke.

"Let us make it interesting."

The others turned toward him.

Ranga gave a cold smile.

"Let us have a competition among ourselves."

His eyes darkened.

"To see who wins this competition."

He paused.

"And who kills the most of them."

A twisted excitement filled his expression.

"It will be fun, don’t you think?"

Bryan smiled.

"I like the way your twisted mind works."

He looked toward the closed meeting-room door.

"We should be thankful to Raphael."

Amaya raised a brow.

Bryan continued.

"Finding the bugs is the hardest part."

His smile widened.

"And he found them for us."

Christopher’s expression became serious.

"But keep yourselves under control."

The others looked toward him.

"We do not want anyone discovering our true identities."

Amaya waved her hand dismissively.

"Do not worry."

Her voice was playful again.

"We have all the memories of the brats whose bodies we possess."

She smiled.

"Nothing is going to go wrong."

The four looked at one another.

Then they smiled.

None of them intended to be outdone by the others.

───────────────

Meanwhile, inside the Celestias Academy meeting room, Arthur was surrounded.

If it had been anyone else, they might have considered themselves blessed.

He was surrounded by several beautiful girls.

Layla.

Isabella.

Evangline.

Julia.

Jasmine.

Arina.

But Arthur did not feel lucky.

He felt as though he were standing on a field of needles.

Layla grabbed one of his cheeks and pulled it hard.

"So, we are useless now, huh?"

Arthur winced.

"Ow! Layla, wait—"

Isabella immediately grabbed his other cheek.

"Why don’t you go and represent them instead of us if you are so smart?"

Arthur’s face was pulled in two directions.

"Ishabella, shtop—"

Evangline pulled out her phone.

Then she started taking picture after picture.

Click.

Click.

Click.

"Pull harder," she said, laughing. "I want to see tears coming out of his eyes."

She grinned at the screen.

"His face looks so funny. Hahaha."

The second years and third years watched the scene.

Some laughed openly.

Some made jokes at Arthur’s expense.

Some were still annoyed with him.

Others were jealous that Arthur somehow managed to be surrounded by so many beautiful girls.

And a few simply considered the entire situation a waste of time.

Eventually, Layla sighed and released Arthur’s cheek.

Isabella did the same.

Arthur immediately rubbed both sides of his face.

"I already said I am sorry," he muttered. "What else do you want from me?"

Julia crossed her arms.

"I don’t know."

She looked at him seriously.

"Maybe a little camaraderie?"

Arthur raised a brow.

"You agreed with those idiots when they called us clowns," Julia continued.

Arthur sighed.

"Alright. I will avenge you guys."

Evangline lowered her phone.

Layla looked at him with suspicion.

Arthur shrugged.

"Happy now?"

No one answered.

Arthur clapped his hands once.

"Then let’s go. The opening ceremony is about to start."

The students nodded.

But before they could leave, Layla stepped forward and handed Arthur a package.

Arthur looked down at it.

"What’s this?"

"Your outfit," Layla replied. "You are our representative. The headmistress told me to give it to you."

Arthur looked at the package for a moment.

Then he nodded.

"Alright. I’ll go change."

Arthur left the meeting room.

The others waited.

Several minutes later, the door opened again.

Arthur entered.

He had changed into the representative uniform prepared for him.

Arthur looked around the room.

"Alright," he said casually. "How do I look?"