POV Sylvia
Sylvia sat on a bench in the VIP room, waiting for the upcoming show that promised to be entertaining. Yesterday, someone had requested permission to duel, and she happened to handle the arrangements. At first, she wasn't interested, but the moment she found out that the young man being challenged was Elian, she immediately gave her approval and looked forward to seeing what kind of suffering he would endure.
"Noble lady, please."
A servant guided a white-haired woman forward, who promptly bowed upon seeing Sylvia before taking a seat beside her.
"So, why did the princess summon me here?" the girl asked, locking eyes with Sylvia.
"Aren't you curious? Your brother will be dueling Wiliam from Class B."
The girl in front of her didn't answer and merely blinked, clearly indifferent.
"I heard you despise your brother. Is there a reason behind that?"
"I cannot explain it to you," she replied curtly.
Sylvia frowned at the brief response.
"Do you intend to take your brother's position and become the head of the Arcadia family?"
Liana averted her gaze and leaned back in her chair. "I'm not as ambitious as you, and I have no interest in leading the Arcadia family."
Sylvia mirrored her posture and reminded herself of the main reason she had invited Liana here.
"By the way, I heard that Lord Alaric was killed by rebels. Since then, Elian has developed a deep resentment toward the common folk. I'm certain that Lord Alaric could not have been killed by ordinary people. There must be something hidden behind his death," she said, tapping her fingers on the table as she spoke.
"Can you stop meddling in other people's affairs?"
Sylvia turned and was taken aback to see Liana's expression radiating pure anger.
"Regardless, Lord Alaric was a marquis who served the Kingdom of Celestra faithfully. I merely want the person behind this incident to face the punishment they deserve."
Liana calmed herself and leaned back in her chair again.
"It's unnecessary. From the start, things weren't as you think."
Sylvia frowned at Liana's words. "What do you mean? Even a fool would notice something strange about the situation."
Liana paused thoughtfully, then slowly began to reveal the truth behind the events.
"The truth is… my father died to save Elian."
Her voice hoarse, Liana continued.
"One day, father was assigned to deal with chaos in a certain town. Elian, bored at home, asked him to take him along, but of course, he refused."
Liana furrowed her brow before continuing. "But Elian snuck into the caravan and somehow was captured by the rebels. My father received a threatening letter instructing him to go to the rebel base alone, unarmed."
"I don't know the details, but when the troops received a signal from him, the place had already become a sea of blood, with many rebels lying on the ground—and my father, gravely wounded."
Sylvia furrowed her brow, sensing that something was off. "And why didn't you tell the truth earlier?"
"My mother ordered everyone to keep silent, so as not to burden Elian, seeing how badly he was affected," Liana said, turning to fix Sylvia with a piercing gaze. "I hope you won't press further, because this truly disgusts me."
Many questions raced through Sylvia's mind, but she chose to remain silent. After all, she didn't want to make someone as capable as Liana her enemy.
POV Elian
After the duel, Elian walked away from the arena. In the corridor, he found Finn and Max waiting for him.
"Lord Elian, congratulations on your victory," both of them said, admiration clear on their faces.
Elian checked the time on his pocket watch—9:09. He had roughly twenty minutes before the first break ended.
"Enough with the formalities. Follow me," he said, walking off without further ado, the two of them trailing behind.
In no time, they reached the Alchemy building. Elian stopped in front of a door.
"Listen, I want you to apologize to Amelia for beating her a few days ago," he said firmly, addressing his subordinates.
"Lord Elian, why should we do that? She's just a commoner," Max protested, reluctant.
Finn nudged him and gave a pointed wink. Realizing the hint, Max smiled and nodded in understanding.
"Fine, sir. We will apologize to Lady... Mistress?"
At that, Elian lifted his foot toward Max's groin. Max screamed in pain, immediately dropping to his knees and clutching himself.
"Stop thinking weird thoughts. Her name is Amelia. Remember that, and address her with respect."
Finn stifled a chuckle at Max's misfortune.
Elian opened the door and caught sight of Liana standing at the far end, her face flushed.
'Ah, so this room isn't soundproof,' he thought.
He stepped in, followed by Finn and Max, who limped slightly. Without hesitation, they both bowed and apologized to Amelia.
"Miss Amelia, we apologize for our rough behavior a few days ago."
Amelia looked slightly surprised at the sight of two nobles bowing to her, but managed to stammer a response. "It's alright. I've already forgotten about it. I hope you won't repeat such behavior in the future."
Finn glanced at Elian, seeing no reaction, and decided to continue. "We cannot simply accept your forgiveness. Compensation is required. Is there anything you desire?"
"That… isn't necessary, besides, I—"
"Miss Amelia," Finn bowed even deeper this time.
Amelia glanced between Finn and Elian and sighed softly.
"How about you help me gather medicinal herbs as compensation? With your help, I won't feel so lonely having someone to talk to."
"You collect herbs alone?" Elian asked, slightly confused. He had assumed Amelia had companions helping her.
Amelia was startled at his voice, then quickly realized. "Oh, those rare plants here? They were actually a gift from Reinhartd."
Elian nodded in understanding. "Alright, so when do we go?"
Amelia paused thoughtfully. "I suppose three days from now, when my weekly academy outing quota is restored."
Hearing this, Elian was shocked. In the game, he could explore freely, since the academy was only a place for NPCs and events. But in this world, he retained some memories from the previous owner of his body—mostly about people he knew and a month's worth of experiences in the academy along with its rules.
"Oh, you might not know, but the academy grants a quota that allows Class S students to leave for a day each week," Amelia explained.
"And also, the duration differs for each student, determined by their understanding of the material. Since my knowledge in alchemy exceeds the lessons taught, I'm allowed to leave one day every week."
At first, Elian assumed Amelia would go shopping or forage in the academy's forest. But although it's called an academy, it functioned more like a small city, with forests, shops, and knights ensuring the safety of the students—it could be said that Astryx Academy was a small city in itself.
Hearing Amelia's explanation, Elian began plotting a plan to leave the academy at the next month's with her help. That way, his survival would be far more secure than waiting to be rescued by someone else.
He looked at his subordinates, who were stunned by Amelia's revelation.
'They must think Amelia is weak' he mused. 'It was absurd to imagine Class B students beating a Class S girl.'