Chapter 273: Peaceful Academy Days [I]

The walk toward the academy was as peaceful as ever, making me think that maybe today wouldn’t turn out so bad after all.

Then, at the intersection between the dorms, I ran into Viola. For someone who was always brimming with energy, she looked like a zombie being forced to drag itself around. Deep dark circles hung beneath her eyes as if she hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep all night.

Huh? What happened to her now?

I wondered as I waved at her.

"Hey, Viola. Good morning."

She waved back lazily.

"Hey, Ra...el."

Even her voice sounded dragged out.

I walked over to her and damn, up close, she looked even more dead but before I could ask anything, another voice joined in.

"Hey, Rael!"

This time it was Seraphina. She looked tired as well, though not nearly as bad as Viola.

"Hey, Sera. What happened to Viola?" I asked immediately, barely holding back my curiosity.

"Ahh, well... she kind of didn’t sleep yesterday, I think," Seraphina replied as she joined us.

"But why though?"

"Uhm, that..."

Seraphina hesitated but before she could continue, Viola spoke.

"It’s because of your damned fiancée, you bastard."

"What now? What did Arza do now?"

The last time she had talked with Viola, she had created one hell of a misunderstanding, so naturally, I couldn’t help but worry.

Viola glared at me but said nothing at all.

Still, I had already understood one thing.

Arza had definitely said something weird again.

The rest of the walk to the classroom passed in silence. Arza didn’t join us since she had a habit of arriving late. Arthur and Sylvie had already left ahead while Noah... I didn’t care enough to ask about that bastard.

The classroom was buzzing with chatter when I arrived, naturally drawing everyone’s attention. Especially that of a certain dragon prince sitting near the window, staring at me with enough bloodlust to kill.

Alden Redspire.

Or more precisely... Aldina since he was a she with gender bender flaw which made her a male during day.

That guy still hadn’t forgotten the incident from last time when I had accidentally made some glass shards land on him.

I gave him a small wave before walking to my usual seat in the middle.

Sylvie and Arthur were already there, chatting with smiles on their faces, but the moment they noticed me, Arthur froze only for a second before he relaxed again.

It had barely lasted a moment but I still caught the fear and nervousness in his eyes.

Did the treasury traumatize him that badly?

I narrowed my eyes on him.

What exactly happened there?

Ultimately though, I didn’t care enough to pry.

Sylvie greeted me with a smile.

"Hey, Rael. Welcome back. How are you feeling now?" She asked, concern evident in her voice. After all, she was my sparring partner in martial arts class.

"I’m fine. What about you guys? I heard the treasury was pretty rough on everyone."

I took the seat behind them while Viola and Seraphina sat beside me.

I had lied to everyone, saying I spent the entire trial in some strange chamber where I hadn’t suffered much. Otherwise, they would never stop asking pointless questions.

Sylvie turned toward me.

"It was pretty rough indeed, especially for Arthur." She patted his shoulder as she said that, making him flinch slightly. "He still won’t tell us what he experienced in there."

Well... that much was obvious from his reaction.

—

We chatted for a few more minutes until the new homeroom professor, Lillith, entered the classroom as the entire room immediately fell silent.

Lillith wore a fitted suit that accentuated her figure, her pink hair tied into an elegant ponytail while square-framed glasses resting neatly over her pale pink eyes. Coupled with her youthful look, she looked like some heavenly being descended into a mortal world and to a bunch of edgy teenagers consumed by hormones...

She was basically a nuclear strike.

It was even worse for the demon students since most of them practically worshipped Lillith due to her position as General of Demon army.

As for me...

She looked like nothing more than an ancient monster desperately trying to cling to her youth and as if sensing my thoughts, she turned toward me, her eyes narrowing.

And just like that, I remembered her "lesson" from yesterday as a shiver ran down my spine. I gave her a small wave with a smile and only then did she move her gaze away before addressing the classroom.

"I am Lilith Noctis Vespera and as you may know, I am one of the Generals serving directly under the Demon King himself. So be honoured, for from this moment onward, I will be your new homeroom professor."

Her tone was completely different from the one she usually used back at the Demon Castle. She adjusted her glasses and swept a cold gaze across the entire classroom.

"No disobedience will be tolerated. I hope that is clear."

The whole class nodded immediately, especially the boys. Despite all the racial distinctions, the humans, dragons and demons were completely united on this matter.

They had probably already added her to their imaginary list of goddesses. Arza was already near the top of that list and I was sure Lilith had secured herself a spot as well.

I could already imagine the thoughts running through the minds of those perverted degenerates but I kept quiet and acted like a diligent student, hoping that the day would pass as peacefully as it had begun.

But fate and enmity had never been strangers to me.

So just when everything seemed fine, just when Lilith took the attendance and just when I was finally about to relax—

She looked at me, a mischievous smile forming on her face.

"Rael Von Ashborn..."

The moment I saw that expression, an ominous premonition rose inside me and hearing her call my full name only made it worse.

"Yes, Ma’am?"

Even so, I replied politely.

"Where is your fiancée... Arza? I don’t see her anywhere. Did you not let her sleep again?"

The moment those words left her mouth...

Yeah.

The premonition exploded as I felt the glares of hundreds of students bore into me at once, including Arthur, Sylvie, Seraphina and Viola.

Lilith hadn’t lied, she had simply twisted the truth into something entirely different.

Arza was my fiancée and it was also true that whenever she tried sleeping beside me back in the Demon Castle, I threw her out of my room, not letting her sleep beside me.

But Lilith had conveniently left out that little detail and combined with casually revealing that Arza was my fiancée, a fact very few people knew,

The damage was already done and my already hated persona among demons... fell even deeper.