Later that day, Caelus made his way to the main building, where all students are required to take Liberal Arts as their first class. It was empty, save for a couple of students who were finishing up their extracurricular activities.
By this point, most of the student body had forgotten the existence of this so-called fallen noble, as they found themselves preoccupied with a mountain of schoolwork.
Of course, there were a few exceptions.
Walking in the opposite direction from down the hall was a familiar face, one he hadn't even thought about since the orientation. His subtly wavy hair was dark red, and his shallow eyes were hazel brown.
"Oho~ Would you look at that?" Rudy Silvesta chuckled. "The face is familiar, but the name has regrettably slipped my mind. Would you care to remind me?"
He, in fact, did not care. Instead of entertaining his question, Caelus tried to walk past him. Of course, Rudy wasn't willing to let that slide. Keeping the smile on his face, he raised a hand and stopped Caelus by the shoulder.
"Hey. You should listen to someone when they're talking to you."
"And why is that?" Caelus asked.
"Simple manners. Respect. Etiquette. You know all about that, don't you? After all, you were a noble once upon a time. Ah... but I suppose after five years of desertion, one is bound to forget the simplest things, hmm?"
At last, Caelus turned his head. Not fully, but just enough to see that arrogant smirk through the corner of his eyes.
"Now, now, my friend," Rudy scoffed. "Is that any way to look at someone? That much disdain, and yet your status is barely worth a glance. Actually... scratch that. You're not just beneath me. You've already hit rock bottom, you filthy fallen noble."
Caelus exhaled, dragging the breath from the deepest part of his lungs.
The shift from being a name everyone knew for all the wrong reasons to someone they'd forgotten overnight due to busy schedules had made him too comfortable. He should've seen this coming. And of course, it had to be him. Rudikar Silvesta.
"Are you done?" Caelus asked. "I have somewhere to be."
"Hah. And where might that be? You're in the presence of a Silvesta. Even the most renowned noble would kill to be in my presence, yet you're claiming that you have better places to be?"
"Well, not exactly. I'm not claiming anything. I'm telling you."
He jerked his shoulder to the side, releasing it from Rudy's clutch.
"As you said, I'm just a fallen noble. My credibility doesn't warrant an audience with you. And to be frank, I'd much prefer to keep it that way. So, with all due respect, be on your way."
Caelus continued his stride. But the pride of nobles is an interesting thing. Not even decades of research can untangle that hideous web.
"Hah... Hahaha~" Rudy suddenly let out a wicked laugh, making Caelus stop in his tracks. "Honestly, I can see why His Majesty went as far as to try to bring you over to our side. Yet, you refused him. Truly, you are a force to be reckoned with. That much, I can admit."
Caelus didn't turn around. Didn't answer. So Rudy continued, his voice laced with mockery and provocation.
"Alas, that is where it ends. And because His Majesty likes you so much, allow me to instill a... valuable advice."
At last, his smirk faded, replaced by a dark undertone befitting of a demon.
"Stay in your lane, fallen. You have no place here. No power, and no merit. Your presence is that of a mere bug, and your words matter less than even commoners. Just like your disgraceful excuse of a house, your value is less than nothing, so do not overstep your boundaries. You wouldn't want to sully the great name of your late father, would you?"
He let those words hang in the air like a chandelier hanging by a rusted chain, ready to break at any second.
Rudy fully expected him to lash out, to finally forego that nonchalance he's been wearing like armor. Much to his surprise, Caelus kept walking, sparing not another word nor a glance.
However, that is not to say that he simply ignored him — no. He waited until he turned a corner, finally out of sight, before slamming his fist into a nearby wall. A crater formed beneath the might of his strike, a web of cracks diverging around the perimeter.
His hand throbbed, but he didn't feel it.
The pain barely registered through the roaring in his ears and the pounding in his chest. Rudy's words kept echoing, each one a blade twisting deeper into the scar he thought had long since scabbed over.
He grit his teeth, forehead pressed to the cracked wall. He hated how easily they could reduce him to this, and how easy it was for them to remind him of everything he'd lost.
His name.
His home.
His father.
He had endured it all in silence, forcing himself to believe that patience was strength — that walking away was victory. But now, he wasn't so sure.
Is restraint still noble when it leaves you hollow?
Is silence still strength when it drowns you?
He clenched his fist tighter, blood slipping down his knuckles from torn skin. A dangerous thought surfaced.
Should I just kill them all?
"Oh my," said the unfamiliar voice of a woman. "What a familiar sight, though it is still so early in the semester. Has Rhodeia's harsh curriculum gotten under your skin already?"
Caelus twisted his head slightly to see a tall woman draped in a colorful dress, completely fitted to her body as if it were made exclusively for her. Her hair, pale blue like the morning sky, was rolled into two massive buns with small strands sticking out the back. Two small strands were left to dangle around her forehead, uneven but perfectly framing her sharp face.
Beauty is ever in the eyes of the beholder, and beauty is exactly what Caelus sees in that delicate yet sharp gaze.
"Who are you...?" he muttered.
"Ah, my apologies," the woman smiled. "I prefer not to wear my faculty robe when teaching my class. It gets in the way of my swordsmanship."
She placed a hand on her chest.
"I am Lynn Dia Sinistar, a professor here at Rhodeia."
"Lynn... Dia Sinistar...?"
It was very brief, but he had heard the name before. Professor Lynn is the one who teaches Introduction to the Zephyr Sword, the class that Kain and Rosalina were gushing over.
"I take it you've heard of me," Lynn said.
"Very briefly. I just know a couple of students who are currently attending your class."
"Oh? And who might they be?"
"Kain Diadalin and Rosalina Sigurdia."
"Ah, yes. I do recall their faces. Those two have left quite a lasting impression on me. Flawed is their swordsmanship, but with enough time, they'll become masters of the blade by graduation. Assuming they survive until then, which I have full faith that they will."
"I don't doubt that."
"Heh. Indeed. Anyway, I've told you my name, dear. Would you care to tell me yours?"
"Mine? It's Caelus. Caelus de Luvelaine, son of Karlon."
It was small and brief, but Lynn's smile seemed to stretch wider for just a split moment. Noble children are obnoxious to a fault. The first thing they do is recite their family name upon a simple greeting in an attempt to make their status known. Of course, that doesn't apply to everyone.
Kain Diadalin and Rosalina Sigurdia, both of whom attend her class of first-year students. And now, there was he.
"Son of Karlon," she whispered, pinching her chin with a smile. "Very good. Now, where might you be off to?"
"Professor Archeota's class," he replied. "I need to ask him a question about an assignment."
"I see. It just so happens that I'm headed in the same direction."
She extended a welcoming hand.
"Won't you join me for a walk?"