Chapter 56: A love Was Lost that It seems it was Impossible to Restore But Is It?
"Fine. You will be the reason I will die early, Christopher."
Christopher clapped him hard on the shoulder, beaming with relief. "Thanks, man! I knew I could count on ya!"
Lucian's exile plan was now set to begin with a distraction involving an obsessed deputy head professor, all thanks to his best friend.
---
Lucian watched Christopher practically vibrate with excitement as they finalized the ridiculously complicated plan—a plan to orchestrate a date for Christopher while using Lucian as a musical, anti-magic distraction against a powerful, siscon professor.
"Goodbye, man. See you in the evening," Christopher said, giving Lucian a hearty, grateful thump on the back before sprinting off to begin his preparations.
"Yeah, take care of yourself," Lucian replied, the words dripping with irony. He knew Christopher was preparing for a romantic evening, and he was preparing to face divine wrath in the form of Professor Clarice.
Lucian returned to his classroom, Class A. The door was already closed, and the lesson had begun. He could hear the droning voice of the professor through the heavy, soundproof oak. He didn't bother to knock, simply opening the door and stepping inside, disrupting the class entirely.
The professor—a stern, middle-aged mage with wire-rimmed glasses and a permanently frustrated expression—paused mid-sentence.
"You're late, blackstar. Go take a seat. All right, getting back on topic," the professor said, his voice laced with the academic disdain he reserved for anyone who wasn't currently publishing a monograph on high-level enchantment.
Lucian didn't apologize. He merely walked to the empty seat in the back, ignoring the murmurs of the other students.
Now, this mage of a professor continued discussing the structures of magic again, going into excruciating detail about the theories and fundamental knowledge behind mana manipulation. Lucian already knew all of this, both from the high-level knowledge of the game he had played and, more importantly, from his second life as a master of magic. He had literally created some of the theories this man was discussing.
That's why he was getting sleepy.
The lecture was a deep dive into the esoteric philosophy of energy flow—a discussion he found entirely unnecessary for practical use. Lucian began to nod off, his head resting lightly against his hand as the monotone voice of the professor washed over him like a low tide.
'This is the most boring torture devised by man,' Lucian mused, fighting the urge to close his eyes entirely. 'The actual application of magic here is so simple, like breathing air. Why debate the philosophical principles of inhaling?'
It seemed the professor saw him getting close to sleep in the middle of his discussion, but he surprisingly heeded no mind, simply turning back to the whiteboard and continuing his complex diagrams. The professor had long ago learned that some rich, powerful students—especially those with a track record of top performance in practical exams—were simply not worth the paperwork or the confrontation.
'At least this doesn't put me on trouble, seriously,' Lucian thought gratefully. The last thing he needed was a detention that might interfere with his exile timetable.
The next ten minutes felt like ten hours, but eventually, the professor slammed his chalk down on the podium.
"All right, the discussion is done. I hope you learn something," the professor announced, rubbing his temples. "I know my class is boring, but at least there are people who are still keen to learn on my subject, unlike you lazy bastards. Class Dismissed and enjoy your lunch."
The other students erupted with relief. He heard shouts of "Finally!" and disgruntled complaints like, "Damn, that lesson was tough, and what's worse, that lesson will be part in the upcoming midterms!" Students immediately began ongoing talking about studying that lesson soon since it's one of the big credits needed to alleviate and become Class S students—the highest, most prestigious class.
Lucian, naturally, couldn't give a fuck about that. He had already rejected the chance to become a Class S student. Class A was already enough for him since, at least here, he had a sliver of peace and distance from the true political chaos.
The Wraith King immediately chimed in once the classroom noise provided cover.
{I didn't thought you, my lord, hated theories of magic so much.}
"You couldn't blame me," Lucian mentally retorted, stretching his arms above his head with an audible crack. "Also, I'm not the only one who was asleep in the middle on the discussion."
Lucian pointed his finger subtly to the several students who were newly waking up or whose friends were shaking them awake because the lesson was done and it was already lunch time.
{Still, my lord, you should take your lesson seriously, cause knowledge is an important key factor in any form of combat or ascension.}
"Yeah, yeah. Seriously, I couldn't care less. No one will remove me to Class A anyways because that Headmaster owed me a lot," Lucian said dismissively.
{The Mana Train incident?} the Wraith King queried, referring to the time Lucian had covertly saved a whole train car of noble children from a magical terrorist attack, giving the Headmaster all the credit in exchange for future favors.
"Yes, and I also one of the top scorers in the simulation exam, which meant there's no way someone will remove me in this section," Lucian explained with cold, hard logic. "Unless someone in the royal family or the Headmaster said so, but knowing those two—the Emperor and the Headmaster—they won't. They couldn't care less about me because I have no connection on both of them, unless after I kill the Emperor's brother, of course. Then they will care very much."
{All right, just don't blame me on the upcoming midterm exam, my lord,} the Wraith King replied, a hint of playful resignation in its voice.
"Hmm, yeah, the midterm exam will be soon, but you don't need to worry because I am good," Lucian stated. "The midterm exam consists on three major exams."
Lucian began listing the trials ahead, prioritizing them by his confidence level.
"First, the Mock Battle, which wouldn't put me to trouble. I will easily crush anyone I face."
"Second, the Written exam, which would put my grades into trouble, of course, because I didn't pass the other two, practical exams."
"And last, the Basketball Exam."
{Basketball? I thought it's a sport?} The Wraith King sounded genuinely confused, finding the inclusion of a common sport amongst magical trials absurd.
"Well, this basketball is different because here you will use your own strength, agility, and reflex, and fast precognition—without using mana," Lucian clarified. "It's designed as a pure physical and tactical test, stripping away reliance on magic circuits. It forces the noble students to realize that sheer raw physical training and athletic skill are essential."
{Really?} The Wraith King, unsatisfied of the answer, was really grumbling that it was 'just a sport.'
"I agree it seems like it, but it focus on group coordination, teamwork, and leadership," Lucian stressed. "It's the one exam where a high-level mage who can't talk to people will fail, and a low-level commoner with excellent physical fitness and leadership skills can excel. It's part of the Headmaster's strange attempt to foster well-rounded elites."
{My lord, do you intend to join on that exam?}
"Nope. The Mock Battle is already enough to secure me a passing grade in the practical side," Lucian confirmed. "And if I pass the Written Exam, I will not need to that. But if I get a low grade on the Written Exam—which is highly likely—then I have no choice and must join the Basketball Exam to avoid falling out of Class A."
{You know this exam here is weird, unlike in Paradisia, where I was hiding before, since their exams only consisted of Mock and Written,} the Wraith King observed.
"Yeah, tell me about it. This academy is as chaotic as my college on Earth," Lucian muttered.
Lucian's stomach suddenly gave a loud, rude noise, interrupting the cosmic conversation.
GRUMBLE
Lucian's eyes widened slightly in embarrassment. "Let's just go to the cafeteria. I hope they have decent food this time. I always hated the foods from the cafeteria. It is somehow always bland, no matter what they serve."
Lucian finally arrived in the bustling main cafeteria. He saw how buzzing the place was with students eager for lunch. To avoid the chaos, and the high chance of running into Silvie or Serene, he decided to retreat.
"I'll just go the second floor," he decided, seeking a quiet corner.
But before he could step onto the staircase, he saw two figures approaching a table on the ground floor: his older sister, Lucia, and his older brother, Damon. They were both beautiful, fitting the physical mold of the Duke's family, but their presence instantly soured Lucian's mood.
When Damon spotted Lucian, his eyes lit up with an eagerness that felt performative and desperate.
Damon called him, his voice carrying over the crowd. "Hey Lucian, come here! I need to talk something!"
As always, Lucian, who couldn't care less about his family—the family who didn't even defend him when he was exiled and who had no genuine attachment for him in this life—ignored them completely. He continued his steady walk toward the second floor, his back perfectly straight.
Damon, frustrated by the cold shoulder, hurried over, intercepting Lucian right at the foot of the stairs.
"Hey! Stop ignoring us already!" Damon pleaded, grabbing Lucian's arm. "We just wanted to congratulate you! I know I was a jerk before, and can you give some attention already? Mother is worried about you!"
Lucian stopped and slowly turned his head, his face a mask of impenetrable coldness.
'Wow, typical,' Lucian thought, a profound, cynical weariness washing over him. 'They wanted to have attention now after ignoring me for years, and even couldn't give a fuck after I lived in this life before as Lucian. They have no care for me. All that matters for them is both him and Lucia.'
Lucian felt a sudden, fleeting pity for the original owner of this body.
'I couldn't blame him becoming a main villain because when his parents knew he had no talent on mana and magic, they neglected him, including his older siblings. I mean, at least both in the original plot and in my current life, Lucia is the only one who seemed to genuinely care about me. It might be because of pity, but at least she really did care about me. But now? Damon seems wanted to reconcile just really putting me in a spot where I really wanted to kill him.'
Lucian's voice, when he spoke, was flat and devoid of any familial warmth.
"Talk? There's no need to talk about anything," he stated, attempting to pull his arm free.
"Also, don't act you really care about me," he added, the words cutting deep.
Damon saw Lucian's eyes again—eyes full of hollow and emptiness that held no emotion whatsoever. It was the gaze of someone who had already died inside.
Damon let go of his arm, the guilt overwhelming him. 'I—I just want to say sorry for what I've done. I just want to tell him that I know he's hurting.'
Lucia, seeing her older brother's distress, quickly approached him and comforted him. "It's all right, there's still another chance, alright, brother."
Damon nodded, his head bowed. "Yeah. I shouldn't gave up after Mother telling us to look on him before he commits a suicide cause of how empty he is. I would willing to change just to save him and try to understand him. Because of me and Father, he becomes like that: emotionless, and it seems he wanted to die already."
"Yes, brother. You should not give up. We will get that closure soon, alright?" Lucia soothed, though her eyes were teary as she watched Lucian's retreating back.
Damon nodded again. He looked at Lucian disappearing onto the second floor, clutching a simple, silver ring that their mother had given to Lucian before everything had become a mess—a ring that Lucian hadn't worn since their father rejected him.
---
Lucian finally found a quiet corner on the second floor, far away from the buzzing crowd and the lingering sorrow of his biological family.
{It seems you really hate them, my lord,} the Wraith King commented, its voice a low, heavy sound.
'Hate them? I just don't want any connections on them already,' Lucian corrected, clarifying his emotional landscape. 'What I only care about is my plans, revenge of the Emperor's brother, and lastly, if all my plans are done, I would sought peace for myself and yours too—together, both of us in a countryside where I could breath fresh air, far from divine eyes and political nonsense.'
{But is that really all, my lord? No reconciliation to your family? How about the two women who are head over heels for you? You've just committed to dating them both, despite your goals.}
'I'm not into harem, Wraith King, but I'm still thinking if is it right to pursue my feelings for both of them,' Lucian admitted, the thought a shocking deviation from his rigid plan.
'Also, as I said, I'm not into romance for now,' he added, trying to sound firm, but the words lacked conviction.
The Wraith King seized the opening, its tone suddenly gaining profound significance. {But it seems it will change soon, my lord. I could feel your heart. Even if it's a little, there's a spark of emotion of love there, even though you believe you lost it from your past lover's death.}
Lucian stopped short. He wasn't hungry anymore. The Wraith King was a fragment of a Primordial Monarch, a being of pure insight. It couldn't lie about something so fundamental.
'Really?' Lucian asked, the single word betraying a flicker of true, unmasked yearning.
{Yes, my lord. I could feel that you really have feelings for them, and it seems you really cared for both of them, even if you are fighting it. The kisses didn't repel you; they unlocked a chamber in your core that you sealed after your tragedy.}
'I see,' Lucian whispered mentally. This was the true moment of revelation. He was the only one who could truly judge his own emotional state, and the Wraith King had confirmed his self-deception. 'I admit it seems I do, and I am not dense to deny it. If that's the case, then there's no problem of it. My emotion of love would be fully restored.'
He reflected on the void that had consumed him.
'After losing Seoryeon, I lost all my emotions, and what was left is my madness and bloodlust, and lastly, revenge for her death.'
He had been operating as a functional sociopath, driven only by vengeance and survival. But now, the chaotic, dangerous presence of Silvie and Serene—two women from his past who had dared to break his carefully constructed armor—had sparked something genuine.
'But if it's that the case, then I would not mind to love both of them and marry them both. Even though they're unbearable, I mean, I'm also a crazy person, even when I was still on Earth. I accepted Seoryeon's madness; I can accept theirs.'
His future had suddenly expanded beyond vengeance and solitude. If they could bring back the heart he thought was lost forever, their obsession was a small price to pay.
'Hah, if those two really fully restored my emotion of love, then I would propose on both of them if that really happens, of course.' Lucian decided, a cold but undeniable sense of purpose settling over him. He would let the chaos reign. The path to the restoration of his soul began with two obsessive regressors.