Liam sat in the fourth row of class.
He rested his chin on one hand, staring out the window with an irritated look.
"I'm telling you..!" bellowed Jack, standing beside Liam's desk.
"Look at his face!"
He threw both arms wide dramatically towards Liam.
"He had always been handsome, but—not this..." he exclaimed in exasperation.
Anita, the girl at the desk to Liam's right, seriously pondered Jack's words.
"I... I don't know," she replied uncertainly.
"Maybe he just slept well"
"If sleeping worked like that, then I'd be Prince Charming," Jack said sarcastically.
"I noticed," said Sam, the boy seated behind Liam.
"Thank you!" Jack shouted,
happy that he wasn't the only one with common sense and working eyes.
"Although it could just be a growth spurt. I had mine last semester," said Sam.
"Argh..." Jack's shoulders dropped in defeat.
"Liam..." Jack pleaded, holding Liam's shoulders in desperation.
"Buddy... I'm right, aren't I?"
"You're going to be late for class if you keep staying here," Liam finally replied.
"This isn't over.
One way or another—I'll get your secret skincare routine!" Jack said seriously as he ran out of the class.
Liam rubbed his temples. He had been going back and forth with Jack for more than twenty minutes.
He had initially planned to use the short time before the teacher came in to finish assignments he hadn't completed yesterday—before Jack showed up.
...Gasps
Liam heard the girls in his class squeal as they fixed their hungry eyes on the boy strolling calmly into the room
"He's here" a girl whispered, her voice hushed.
"He's so handsome..." Her friend replied
"Haaah~ A whole weekend without seeing his face was pure torture!" her friend sighed, wearing a dreamy expression.
...
"All because of a face," a few bitter boys muttered,
forced to watch their crushes swoon over someone else.
"You only say that because you've got a face only a mother could love," a girl shot back.
"Right? Right?" her friend chimed in, nodding eagerly.
"Right!" the others echoed in agreement.
"That's just plain, undiluted envy talking!" another friend exclaimed.
...
'It wasn't always like this' Aeon thought inwardly
It had turned from curiosity about the mysterious, handsome first-year top ranker into a full-blown cult in mere weeks.
And it even got worse the more time passed, especially after he dominated the first semester's exam.
His score was so high that even the student in second place wasn't anywhere near him.
It wasn't just that he outclassed everyone in strength—the guy was also stupidly good-looking, with dark hair, golden eyes, and a smooth face cut sharp enough to make anyone stare.
Liam had recognized him from the novel's description as Julian Cross, the story's protagonist, the very first day he saw him.
'No wonder no one paid any attention to me. The bar's been raised too high,' Liam thought inwardly in mock defeat.
Like most fantasy novels, the protagonist's backstory was that of a child orphaned by a demon attack in his hometown.
Cliché, I know.
But unlike the rest, he had no one to focus his rage on.
Demon kings and gods had already been long defeated in the Fifth Era.
In fact, demons were basically an endangered species in the world of Terra, with only a few left alive, serving as slaves in the Dark Continent.
He had unresigned rage, but no great oppression. No one to take vengeance on.
Not the demons that died to the authorities in charge of his hometown.
Not the authorities that died to the demons in his hometown.
That is, until his Awakening Ceremony at the age of twelve—when he was found by the temple's Pope and was dubbed The Hero, prophesied and blessed by the goddess Solari.
The Pope told him of his fate: to defeat a great evil resurging after awakening from an ancient slumber.
They told him also of an underground organization that sought to hasten this evil's rise,
linking several terrorist attacks to them—including the one that took his parents' lives.
And although the temple tried to keep it hush,
other nations still found out.
The temple couldn't keep him to themselves anymore,
so he was sent, along with the Saintess, to Kingsfield Academy to grow and prepare under the full support of humanity.
"Alright, settle down."
The teacher walked into class.
It was their homeroom Selene Veyra, She was tall, with a lean, athletic toned from years of training.
Her long, dark hair was tied back in a loose braid,
though a few rebellious strands always slipped free to frame her sharp, sharp cheekbones and delicate jawline.
She was dressed in fitted leathers and a light tunic that hugged her figure without sacrificing practicality. Tall boots, and no fancy ornaments.
'someone like her would turn more than a few heads back on earth' Liam thought inwardly, admiring her beauty
"Before we begin with today's roll call, I'd like to introduce transfer students who'll be joining us from now on."
The class erupted in murmurs.
"What..?" ×5
.
.
.
"Again..?" ×3
...
Transfers this late were uncommon.
But after the first semester's exam, word had gotten out that Solari's chosen Hero was at Kingsfield.
And ever since then, the Academy had been getting transfer students from almost everywhere.
"So even our class gets a transfer student," Anita audibly murmured.
Although the school had been getting transfer students, this would be the first their class would receive.
'It should be them,' Liam thought,
looking towards the door as it slowly opened.
The classroom erupted in gasps, nearly two dozen voices at once.
.
.
"E... Elves?" the students echoed, nineteen voices rising at once.