D-Did that really happen?
Did she actually just kiss me?
Am I hallucinating?
Has the demonic energy finally made me lose it!?
My mind was a complete and utter mess, and before I even realised it, I was already on my hands and knees, crumbling like paper under her gaze.
It was pathetic... but Evelina absolutely loved it.
If I were the original Cael Arden, then she would absolutely despise this sight, but the current me? capable of handling chaos energy from a demon prince himself, but is also weak enough to crumble from her simple kiss?
I was quite literally the perfect tool.
"Keep up the good work and you might even receive more..."
Evelina leaned into my ear and whispered, further breaking my composure. Her tone was soft, gentle, but it still held her signature coldness.
And to be frank, it made it a lot better.
***
It didn't take long before Evelina wanted privacy in her own room, leaving me free in the meantime.
Since I was still a fresh student, I was given the entire day off to give me time to prepare my dorm room, and it wasn't just something that applied to me.
Almost every other fresh student also had the same privilege, making the academy more lively than usual.
Most were making conversations, already making friends to make the entire year much more manageable, while the rest were quite literally just using it to prepare their dorm.
But for the vast majority, they spent it on training their magic.
Eryndor Royal Academy.
In truth, it wasn't really just a purely magical academy; by its name alone, it was a school purely meant for royals or nobles, including someone like me.
It was a mixture of swordsmanship, literature, economics, magic, and every single subject known to mankind.
It was as over the top as it could get.
But good thing for me... I've got every single thing handled; my only job was to ensure I maintain my position as the strongest.
"Hey... Cael Arden, right?"
A random student randomly called me out while I was strolling through the courtyard.
"Yeah? What is it?"
I looked at him, and my photographic memory already began to work.
It was the son of a Duke, Tristan Fan Mede.
Dark hair, dark eyes, the most generic person you can think of, but he wasn't really bad-looking either. The simplest way to describe him was that he quite literally looked like every other bland protagonist if he were in any other world.
He wasn't really a character in the novel, but since this world was now real, it meant I was also now able to meet and see the characters within the world who were barely mentioned as footnotes.
"What do you want?"
"You're an S-Rank, right? I challenge you to a fight."
There it is, the classic power move a son of a duke would make, trying to beat one of the high-ranking students to quickly build a reputation, and luckily for him.
Eryndor completely endorsed the competition between students, because in the academy's eyes, nobles and royals must always be ready once they inherit their parents' title.
"Fine..."
I answered, but I could barely give a damn. Evelina wasn't even spectating; this fight served me no purpose.
[Dark Fireball]
"Straight to the point, eh?"
Tristan smiled, amused at my actions.
[Fire Whip]
He deflected the dark fireball with a simple flick of his wrist, looking proud himself the entire time.
"That's the best you can do?"
Yeah... I'd rather not listen to his bragging.
Chaos magic would be far too deadly for someone like him, so I guess... the easiest thing to do is just to overwhelm him with the most basic dark spell I know.
"Nope."
[Dark Fireball]
[Dark Fireball]
[Dark Fireball]
[Dark Fireball]
[Dark Fireball]
A halo of fireballs began to swirl behind me, each one being condensed further the more I repeated the spell.
"Good luck."
Tristan's eyes widened; he had just realised how screwed he was.
"W-What...?"
And with a simple snap of my fingers, every single one of the fireballs behind my back unleashed all at once.
But it seemed like Tristan still had some confidence left in him.
[Firewall]
PFOOSH!
[Fire Whip]
FWISH!
And to my surprise... he actually managed to deflect every single one, albeit looking far worse than when we started.
I don't blame him; he did just cast two high-level spells in less than five seconds, which would be enough to completely tire someone's brain.
"That's it!?"
Tristan yelled out; it seemed he was under the impression I was just as tired as him after casting that many fireballs all at once.
And it seemed like the crowd, which had just recently begun to gather, also thought the same.
"Aren't those two students, S-Rank?"
"Hey, isn't that Tristan!? But... who is he fighting?"
"Apparently, he was the reason the examination crystal had cracks in it."
'Goddammit...'
I can't help but get irritated. A crowd was the last thing I wanted. I didn't really mind the attention, but it was better if I got popular after finishing my preparations, in keeping my demonic energy in check.
But once again...
All that completely went out of the gutter when I spotted a familiar figure in the crowd.
Evelina was spectating.
It looked like it was Tristan's unlucky day, because now I don't plan to hold back if I have someone I want to impress present in the crowd.
"I have more where that came from..." I smiled.
[Dark Serpent]