"Talk?"
"There's something I want to ask you."
"…Alright."
With that, we decided to go to the academy courtyard. There was a fountain there, along with benches for students who wanted to rest.
"So, what is it you want to ask? It's almost curfew, so make it quick."
"Alright."
"Lady Flaura, when you train, do you ever feel as if something is restraining your body, or that you're unable to grow no matter what you do?"
!!
"H-how do you know?"
Seeing the shock in her eyes, it seemed I was right.
"Put aside how I know it, my lady. I have an offer for you."
Elizabet, still confused, asked,
"What do you mean?"
Though she looked calm, she was clearly on guard.
"I can help you grow stronger, Lady Flaura."
Elizabet's eyes widened, clearly not expecting those words from me.
"With the talent you have now, you should already be able to enter Class S, Lady Flaura. But it seems your talent is locked by some kind of restriction."
"What kind of restriction are you talking about?"
"I'll tell you if you accept my offer."
After thinking for a moment, Elizabet spoke, her voice trembling.
"Can I… really become stronger?"
I fell silent for a moment. To be honest, I didn't know either. Flaura was never mentioned in the game before, so even her future was unknown to me.
But I believed in her talent. After all, it was one of the most desired skills among all CFA players.
'If I didn't have Absolute Overdrive, I probably would have chosen Genius Prodigy back then.'
A skill that allows its user to grow without limits in any field—that was 'Genius Prodigy'. And that skill was now locked inside Elizabet.
"Yes. Trust me, and I'll make you shine as brightly as possible."
….
Elizabet had returned to her room in the Class E dormitory. Unlike the spacious dorms of Class S, the Class E dorm was extremely small and designed for only one person.
'I'm not very hungry. I'll just take a bath and go straight to sleep,' Elizabet thought.
She went straight into the bathroom.
Drip…
The sound of water echoed as Elizabet bathed, her mind drifting back to what had happened earlier.
'Trust me, and I'll make you shine as brightly as possible.'
Hehe.
A small, unconscious laugh escaped her lips as she recalled it.
'Such a strange person.'
'Because I come from a Marquis family, I'm already used to hearing people call me "talentless." But I never expected someone to say something like that,' Elizabet thought.
At last, a warm feeling slightly melted the ice surrounding the girl's heart.
…
"That's all for today's class. And tomorrow, since you have a combat exam, head straight to the training field."
"Yes, Instructor!"
"Alright, class dismissed."
Today was the day I would begin training with the group assigned yesterday. Oh right—about Elizabet, she accepted my offer, so we'd also discuss her issue today.
"Hahhh…"
A sigh sounded beside me. Ever since the group selection yesterday, Elle had looked gloomy for some reason.
"Elle, what's wrong?"
I tried asking, but she only shook her head.
"No, I'm fine, Shion."
"Really? You've looked down all this time, you know. Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yes, thank you for worrying about me."
"Alright."
I gave her a gentle smile, and she smiled back.
"Oh right, Shion, are you meeting your group again today?"
"Yes. We'll be training together today."
"So am I. It seems our time together will become less, huh?"
If anyone heard that, it could easily be misunderstood.
"Yeah, you're right. Looks like we'll be really busy from now on."
"Yeah."
I stood up from my seat.
"Well then, I'll get going first, Elle."
"Okay."
I headed toward the cafeteria. Since we'd be discussing plans, it was better to do it while relaxing.
The cafeteria was as crowded as ever. As soon as I arrived, I searched for my group and saw someone waving at me.
"Shion, over here!!"
It was Smith. He waved enthusiastically when he saw me. I ordered food and immediately joined them.
"Sorry I'm a bit late."
"No problem. We just arrived too."
Judging by their untouched food, it seemed true. As I looked at them, my eyes met Elizabet's. She nodded at me—and strangely, she was smiling more than yesterday.
"Oh right, Shion. How about Rusian? I was thinking of inviting him, but he wasn't in his class."
"Just leave him."
"But—"
"I already told you I'll handle—"
"Are you the one named Shion?"
A voice suddenly cut in from behind. I turned around and saw someone standing there. For some reason, his face looked familiar.
"Are you deaf, bastard? If someone asks you something, answer."
"H-he's the student council secretary."
I looked at him more closely. No wonder he seemed familiar—he was indeed the student council secretary.
"Yes, I'm Shion. What business do you have with me?"
"So you're the one who humiliated my little brother."
'Brother? Ah.'
Now I understood. No wonder the Halvorn surname sounded familiar—he was Rusian's brother.
"So what? Are you here to avenge your brother? What a loving older brother."
I spoke sarcastically, trying to provoke him, but—
"No. I'm not here to avenge him. In fact, he was the one at fault for causing a disturbance."
'Oh?'
I thought he'd seek revenge, but he was more reasonable than I expected.
"I see."
Or so I thought.
"But…"
Suddenly, a cold sensation hit my head, and water began pouring down, soaking my uniform.
"You've gone too far. How dare someone like you humiliate a direct descendant of the Halvorn family?"
At his words, the once-noisy cafeteria fell silent.
Everyone's attention focused on us. To people like me—a commoner—it felt like a warning. But to the nobles, my situation was clearly entertaining. Their quiet laughter still rang clearly in my ears.
"Consider this a warning. You're lucky you weren't punished, since this mistake came from our side."
So even if a commoner is right or wrong, they're expected to stay silent before nobles?
At that moment, a familiar voice rang out again.
"Cassius, what are you doing?"
….
Earlier, in the Student Council Room.
"Phew, finally done."
"Good work, President."
Ravena approached with a cup of tea.
"Thank you."
Lysandra leaned back in her chair and took a sip.
Slurp—
"As always, your tea is delicious."
"It's nothing, really."
They smiled and exchanged a few words.
"Oh right, I haven't seen Cassius. Do you know where he is?" Lysandra asked.
"Sir Cassius said he had a small matter to take care of."
"A matter?"
"Yes."
Something seemed to bother Lysandra, causing Ravena to worry.
"President, is something wrong?"
"Ah, it's nothing."
"Are you sure?"
Lysandra nodded, but for some reason, she still felt uneasy.
'I hope it's just my imagination.'
As if to confirm her premonition, the student council room door suddenly burst open, revealing a man who entered while panting heavily.
"President!!"
"You—this is the student council room, at least show some respe—"
"Ravena."
Lysandra stopped Ravena, who was about to scold the man, and spoke in a serious tone.
"What happened?"
The man, having caught his breath, spoke.
"There's a disturbance in the cafeteria."
"A disturbance?"
"Yes, and it seems Sir Cassius is involved."
!!
Upon hearing that, Lysandra immediately gave an order.
"Let's go."
"Yes."
They hurried toward the cafeteria.
…
When they arrived, they saw Cassius pouring water from a glass onto another student.
Lysandra immediately stepped forward and stopped him.
"Cassius, what do you think you're doing?"
Her tone turned cold, her emotionless face slightly twisted with anger.
Cassius flinched at her sudden appearance.
"President, what are you doing here? And could you please suppress your pressure? The other students will be frightened."
Lysandra restrained her anger, realizing she was slightly overreacting. She spoke as calmly as she could.
"Cassius, what do you think you're doing? Why are you causing a disturbance by harassing another student?"
"I'm just teaching trash to know its place."
"What?"
His answer shocked Lysandra.
"He humiliated a direct descendant of the Halvorn family, so I came to warn him not to cross the line."
"And you think that's a valid reason, Cassius!?"
Lysandra struggled to contain her anger after hearing his absurd justification.
"Aren't there rules stating that everyone here is equal? As a member of the student council, you should be setting an example. But what you're doing has crossed the line, Cassius."
Haha.
Cassius laughed at her words.
"President, even if such rules exist, do you really think everyone follows them? We are chosen ones with noble blood. How could nobles ever be equal to a mere com—"
"Cassius!!"
Lysandra's anger finally exploded. She shouted and reached for her sword, but I stood up immediately.
"Wait, President."
!!
Whether it was my emotionless voice or something else, the atmosphere instantly grew tense. I didn't care.
"Cassius, right?"
I picked up the fork I had been using, coated it with mana, and threw it at him. It grazed his face, slightly wounding him. Blood trickled from the cut, and Cassius' face twisted in rage.
"What the hell are you doing, bastard!?"
Everyone was shocked by my action. Sorry, but I'm not someone who stays silent after being humiliated.
I drew my sword from its sheath and pointed it at Cassius.
"Come on. Let's duel, bastard."
I'll show you your true place, bastard.