The next morning, I woke up to find I was famous and not in a good way at all.
"Ravana Threatens Academy Hero!" read one notice board post.
"Hadeon Ravana fights Adrian Celestius! Witnesses Report Unprovoked Aggression!" read another.
"Breaking! Ravana Manipulates Adrian's Childhood Friend!"
I stared at the posts plastered across the academy's notice boards. Every one of them painted me as the aggressor, the villain who'd attacked poor, innocent and sweet Adrian. And the board filled with students who were there for the gist.
"How?" Damian asked, bewildered. "There were witnesses. They saw Adrian attack first!"
"Adrian got to them first," I said, scanning the crowd. "At the very least, his followers did. A dozen students writing incident reports that all coincidentally paint him as the victim."
[REPUTATION ANALYSIS]
[ADRIAN'S FACTION: Hostile (95% of his supporters believe his version)]
[NEUTRAL STUDENTS: Confused (40% believe Adrian, 30% believe you, 30% don't know what to believe)]
[POTENTIAL ALLIES: Waiting to see the duel results]
"This is character assassination," Damian said with a dark voice.
"It's smart tactics," I corrected. "By the time anyone investigates properly, the duel will be over and it won't matter. Public opinion will have already turned and shifted. Done with."
"What do we do?"
"Nothing. Let him have his propaganda victory." I smiled. "I'll answer in the duel."
"Young Master, you can't seriously still plan to....."
"The enchantments are ready, aren't they? Marcus delivered them last night right?"
"Yes, but...."
"Then we proceed as planned."
I walked through the academy halls, ignoring the stares and whispers. Some students glared. Others looked nervous while a few seemed curious and amused, as if waiting for a show to happen.
Only one person stepped directly into my path.
Lucille. And she looked worse for wear.
She looked like she hadn't slept a wink throughout the night, dark circles lay heavily under her eyes, her silver hair slightly disheveled.
"Hadeon," she said quietly. "We need to talk."
"Walk with me." I said with just as much quiet.
We headed toward an empty classroom. Once inside, she turned to me.
"Adrian's spreading lies about you."
"I noticed."
"I tried to tell people what actually happened, but..." She clenched her fists. "His friends are calling me confused and manipulated. One person suggested you'd used a mind-control enchantment on me."
"Let them think what they want."
"How can you be so calm about this?"
I sat on one of the desks. "Because getting angry won't change anything. Adrian has spent months building his reputation. Of course people believe him over me, I'm the villain, the bully, remember?"
"You're not a villain."
"Aren't I?" I met her eyes. "I'm arrogant. Manipulative. Ambitious. I push people's buttons to get what I want. That sounds like a villain to me."
"But you're honest about it. Adrian pretends to be a hero while doing the same things."
"Exactly. Which makes me the more honest villain." I smiled slightly. "There's power in that, Lucille. When people know what you are, they know what to expect."
She studied me. "Why did you help me yesterday? You could have just walked away."
"I could have. But then Adrian would have stunned you, probably carried you to the infirmary, and spent the next week nursing you back to health while reinforcing his control." I shrugged. "Seemed wasteful to let a talented assassin be turned into a trophy."
[SKILL ACTIVATED: Silver Tongue]
[LUCILLE APPRECIATES YOUR HONESTY]
"Is that all I am to you?" she asked. "A talented person to recruit?"
"Do you want the villain answer or the honest answer?"
"Both."
"The villain answer is Yes. You're skilled, intelligent, and have intimate knowledge of Adrian's habits. You'd be a valuable asset."
"And the honest answer?"
I hesitated, then decided truth was the better strategy here. "The honest answer is that I don't like seeing people trapped. Adrian trapped you in a friendship that was really a leash. I gave you information to break free. What you do with that freedom is your choice."
She was quiet for a long moment. "I'm not joining your faction or whatever you're building."
"I didn't ask you to."
"But I'm not going back to Adrian either."
"Good."
"And..." She took a breath. "I'll be at the duel, to witness it fairly."
"You don't need to....."
"Yes, I do. Adrian's going to try to destroy you publicly. Someone needs to make sure he doesn't go too far."
[LUCILLE NIGHTSHADE: Recruitment Progress 52% → 68%]
[RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Cautious Alliance]
[NOTES: She won't fully join you yet, but she's on your side]
After Lucille left, I headed to my Combat Magic class.
Professor Helena Crimsonfang taught close-quarters combat, a muscular woman with red hair and scars that told the stories of her being in real battles. In the original timeline, she was a minor villain who Adrian defeated at chapter 78.
But In reality, she was one of the best fighters at the academy, forced to teach because she'd been blacklisted from mercenary work after refusing a corrupt guild master's offer. Some kind offer.
She looked up as I entered. "Hadeon. You're early."
"I have questions about the duel format."
"You mean the duel where Adrian Celestius is going to kick your ass across the arena?" She didn't sound sympathetic. "What about it?"
"Rules, limitations and win conditions."
She studied me with a raised brows. "You're serious about this."
"Completely."
"Adrian is SSS-rank. You're A-rank at best. The duel is suicide."
"Then I'll die spectacularly." I met her eyes. "But I'm not backing down."
Something flickered in her expression then, a bit of respect. "Fine. Rules are standard academy combat regulations with no lethal force. No permanent injury. Duel ends when one fighter yields, is knocked unconscious, or the referee calls it."
"Equipment limitations?"
"Standard gear only. No artifacts above B-rank. Enchantments are allowed if they're your own work or commissioned legally."
"And if someone tries to interfere?"
"Then they're disqualified and expelled." She leaned against her desk. "Why? You expecting Adrian to cheat?"
"I expect him to push every boundary. He wants to humiliate me, not just defeat me."
"Smart assumption." She paused and then added almost reluctantly. "You've changed, Hadeon. Last month you were a spoiled brat who couldn't take training seriously. Now you're analyzing combat scenarios like a strategist."
"People grow up. Sometimes they are forced to do quickly."
"Or they get desperate." She pulled out a training manual. "You want advice? Real advice?"
"Yes."
"Don't fight his fight. Adrian excels in direct confrontation. Holy magic is overwhelming power, heroic charges. You try to match that, you'll lose in seconds." She flipped through pages. "You need to fight like a villain. You need to fight dirty."
"Meaning?"
"Dirty tricks. Environmental advantages. Psychological warfare. Make him frustrated. Make him angry. Angry fighters make mistakes." She tapped a page. "Here. Study this. It's unconventional tactics that won't appear in standard textbooks."
[NEW SKILL OBTAINED: Dirty Fighting (Rank E)]
[PROFESSOR HELENA CRIMSONFANG: Respect +30%]
"Why are you helping me?" I asked.
"Let's just say I'm invested in this." She smiled with a sharp and dangerous expression. "Go give that pretty boy a real fight, Hadeon Even if you lose, make him earn it."