(Arin's Perspective)
Sunlight streamed through the window of Room 304, illuminating the small drama unfolding within.
Erika stepped out of the changing screen, dressed in her crisp black-and-white uniform. Her long hair fell naturally, framing a face that radiated a refreshing innocence. Just looking at her somehow made the heavy burden of stress on my shoulders feel a little lighter.
On the other side, Elena sat comfortably on the wooden chair, her posture the picture of perfection. Her breathing had regulated; the frantic gasps of pain were gone. The flush returning to her cheeks was no longer just from the spicy medicine, but from the vitality flowing back into her veins. She stared at the empty glass vial in her hand with a complicated gaze, a strange mix of awe and deep suspicion.
"It is truly effective," she murmured softly, more to herself than to us. "The pain that has tortured me for three years... subsided in just five minutes. It is hard to believe."
She lifted her face, her golden eyes narrowing sharply as they locked onto mine. Her calculative noble mode had reactivated. Here we go again. I hoped she wasn't planning to use her authority to pressure me.
"Is something wrong, Lady?" I asked, merely checking the intent behind that gaze.
"No matter how I think about it, this doesn't make sense, Arin."
"You are right, Lady. A Duke's daughter visiting a commoner in a slum dorm to ask him to 'take responsibility' for her personal issues. That alone defies the logic of any sane person," Erika cut in with sharp sarcasm, standing beside me with her arms crossed.
Elena smirked, not the least bit bothered.
"Certainly. If Arin commits to 'taking responsibility' for my recovery, then I have no objection to making him mine. Oh, apologies. I meant, my personal physician."
"Sorry, Lady, but Arin wants to be a Knight. And I will be his 'Mage'. That position is filled."
"Sorry to you too, Erika, but I feel I am more talented and have greater resources to replace his 'Mage'."
The tension between Erika and Elena crackled in the air. Imaginary sparks seemed to fly between their gazes. Why did these two find it so hard to get along? I couldn't tell if they were serious or just teasing each other in a twisted way. Regardless, it was best not to let this debate escalate before a spell exploded.
"What doesn't make sense, Lady?" I asked seriously, trying hard to steer the conversation back to medicine.
Elena dropped her playful smile. Her face turned grave. "Arin, you have no mana. You don't even come from a famous medical mage family in the capital. How does a Class C student like you know an ancient recipe to manipulate mana circuits? The Academy doesn't teach this level of depth in the first year."
So that was it. Elena was curious about the origin of my knowledge. It was natural; a 'piece of trash' suddenly curing a disease that royal doctors failed to handle raised questions. With her vast connections, she could easily dig up my background, even if it meant violating privacy. I hoped she wasn't the type of noble who enjoyed digging up people's pasts.
I opened my mouth to offer a cliché excuse like 'I read a lot in the public library', but Erika beat me to it with fiery enthusiasm.
"Don't compare him to spoiled mages who only learn theory from thick textbooks, Princess," Erika cut in sharply. She took a step forward, chin lifted proudly as if she were the one possessing the knowledge.
This girl was starting to brag again. I glanced at Erika, signaling with my eyes not to talk too much about my past work as a 'butcher' at the border. Erika seemed to catch my signal; she nodded slightly and chose a different card to play.
"Have you ever heard the name 'Healer Aira' from the Northern Border?" Erika asked with a challenging tone.
Elena's eyes widened slightly. "Aira? You mean... Aira the Biomimicry Researcher? The person exiled from the Medical Association for using monster organs to treat humans?"
"She is my mother," I answered briefly, cutting the tension with cold facts.
Elena fell into stunned silence. Her mouth opened slightly, but no sound came out. She looked me up and down, as if realizing something massive was standing right in front of her.
"So the rumor is true..." Elena muttered, her voice now filled with genuine respect. "The mad woman who rejected holy healing magic and chose to dissect carcasses to find alternative cures... she is your mother?"
"She wasn't mad," I corrected coldly, slightly offended. "She just realized that magic can't solve everything. And as you just felt... that 'mad' method is what saved your life when the Kingdom's holy magic failed."
Elena looked down at her hands, which were now warm and steady. She realized that the potion and the person saving her were the direct legacy of a figure her society deemed heretical. Her arrogance melted instantly, replaced by shame.
"Apologies," she whispered. "I didn't mean to insult. It is just... that science is considered extinct and dangerous. I didn't expect its heir to be here, disguised as a failed student in Class C."
"I am not disguising. I really did fail at magic," I replied casually, patting my stomach which rumbled loudly. "But I passed in matters of survival. Now, can we stop this interrogation? The patient needs food for recovery, and the doctor is hungry too."
The Central Academy Cafeteria was bustling as usual that afternoon. The clinking of silverware against ceramic plates mixed with the crisp laughter of noble students discussing exam scores or winter vacation plans.
Even though the Academy was on break, the cafeteria remained fully operational, serving nutritious meals for students who chose to stay.
Naturally, a Class C student like me only received the simple free lunch ration. Meanwhile, Class B and Class A received three nutritious free meals with varied menus. Most impressive was Class S; they could order a la carte menus anytime they wanted, like a five-star restaurant.
Suddenly, the noise in the cafeteria died instantly. Silence spread rapidly from the entrance to every corner of the room like a plague.
It was as if someone had turned the world's volume dial to zero. Hundreds of pairs of eyes fixed on the entrance.
I walked in with an empty tray in hand, trying to look as normal as possible. On my left, Erika walked casually while chewing bread with puffed cheeks, looking indifferent but keeping her eyes alert.
And on my right... walked Elena Rhyms. The Ice Princess. The untouchable Prima Donna of the First Year.
Usually, Elena was surrounded by ladies-in-waiting or fierce bodyguards. But today, she walked side-by-side with me, a 'cripple'. Her shoulder nearly brushed against my arm.
"Why are they looking at us like that?" Elena asked innocently, or perhaps feigning innocence to enjoy the reaction. She picked up a plate of premium venison steak worth fifty gold coins from the special counter.
"Because you are walking beside 'Class C Trash', Princess," I answered flatly while taking the standard commoner menu: wheat bread, two boiled eggs, and tough beef soup.
"Is that so? So 'Class C Trash' is truly that famous, that just walking beside him creates this much commotion? You are quite popular."
"That is not it, Lady. You are ruining your own reputation by associating with me."
Elena snorted softly, a gesture very unladylike yet strangely cute. "Reputation cannot warm my mana circuits, Arin. You are my heat source now. Don't expect me to distance myself before I am fully cured."
Damn it, she was starting again. Even in a place this crowded, she dared to speak ambiguously. Cold sweat trickled down my temple. I hurried to clarify before I became the target of the entire grade's assassination attempts due to a misunderstanding.
"Lady, please withdraw those ambiguous words. It is dangerous for me if others misinterpret 'heat source'."
"Hmmm... why are you so panicked? Are you nervous being approached by a Princess in public?"
"No, I mean..."
Before I could clarify further, a loud noise interrupted.
Clatter!
Someone dropped their glass at a nearby table in shock. I glanced over. It was Gordon. His face was pale, his jaw hanging open seeing his sworn enemy—whom he hated to death—now flanked by the two prettiest girls in the grade. One sweet, the other elegant.
"Look at Gordon's face," Erika whispered while elbowing my ribs, grinning wickedly with triumph. "His expression looks like he just swallowed a frog."
"He looks more like the frog itself," I whispered back.
"Hehehe." Erika giggled, enjoying her enemy's suffering.
We walked to a table in a sparsely populated corner to avoid direct stares.
However, the commotion wasn't over. Elena, with her playful noble demeanor, suddenly moved half of her expensive steak onto my pathetic plate.
"Eat this," she ordered firmly. "Your body needs high protein to produce stable body heat. If you are skinny and malnourished, the quality of my 'medicine' will drop."
"H-HEY!" Erika slammed her hand on the table, making several students around us jump. "What is the meaning of this?! Arin prefers my soup! Don't try to bribe him with expensive meat!"
"This is a medical investment, Erika. Not a bribe," Elena replied calmly while cutting her meat with a silver knife she brought herself. "And you are noisy. Just eat your bread."
I sighed deeply, ignoring the murderous glares from the entire cafeteria. Especially the male students who stared with glowing red eyes, looking ready to skin me alive.
This was the beginning of my social disaster. I wondered again if my decision to help Elena was a blessing or the start of a new curse.
"You two..." I muttered while trying to chew my tough meat, ignoring Elena's steak. "Shut up and eat. Or I will add a bitter dose of snake bile to your medicine tomorrow."
The threat was effective. Both of them shut up and ate obediently, not daring to argue with the healer.
Suddenly, Elena leaned her face close to mine and spoke in a very low voice. Quiet enough to be inaudible to the next table, creating a bubble of privacy between us.
"By the way, you were very cool killing that bear alone. I am increasingly curious about who you really are."
"!!?"
Erika and I jolted violently. The spoon in Erika's hand clattered down. Suspicion and panic were evident in our eyes. How did Elena know that? Wasn't it a closed secret of the Academy? Did an instructor leak it?
Damn! If this information leaked to the public, we could be expelled or, worse, turned into military experiments.
Realizing our paranoid expressions, Elena clarified calmly. "Relax, that information isn't known by many. Only great nobles from certain factions like my family know a few leaks. In fact, there are many cases the Academy needs to cover up to maintain its reputation. We, the great nobles, simply close our eyes as long as it doesn't harm us or if it provides political advantages."
Many cases, huh. I had underestimated this Academy and its information network. I thought I was safe because I was guaranteed by the Headmistress, unaware that I was just a frog in a well watched by hawks. Perhaps the reason I was allowed to stay in school was that I was still considered a 'useful asset' to be exploited.
Goosebumps rose on my neck hearing this fact. Erika was no different; her gaze looked complicated and anxious. It was like an implied message: "Don't do anything strange, just give us benefits. That way, I will let you live peacefully in the Academy."
"I suppose you realize now." Elena wore a sympathetic face seeing my reaction. "This is the world of nobles; full of falsehood, spies, and hypocrisy."
"Haha, my path turns out to be harder and steeper than I imagined," I said bitterly, more to myself.
"Are we safe?" Erika asked, her voice trembling with worry.
"Relax, you are my savior. At least I can protect you from the political intrigues of this Academy. Of course, you too, Erika. My family has influence," Elena said soothingly, offering protection under her wing.
"Yes, please. We need that," I pleaded resignedly.
"Fine, I will yield and accept your help on this," Erika said, equally resigned, lowering her ego for safety.
Perhaps Elena's intent in revealing that secret from the start was to tell us how precarious our position actually was and to offer an alliance. At least I was grateful Elena gave us tangible support. I couldn't be too blind and naive about the Academy's cruel political landscape.
As if the fact about our secret leaking to great nobles wasn't enough to worry us, a dark shadow suddenly covered our table.
A burly student with brown hair approached. He came with several other students trailing behind him like a pack of wolves. Their gazes were unpleasant and full of hostility.
The man had a brown buzz cut and sharp green eyes. He looked at me and Elena in turns. His condescending gaze was directed specifically at me. As if he were looking at a sewer rat daring to lick the Queen's shoes.
He was Karl Benzzi. Son of Duke Benzzi. A genius student from Class S known for his arrogance. He was on the same team as Elian Delphine during the exam the other day.
My heart pounded fast. My instincts screamed danger.
From this second, my peaceful life at the Academy was officially over.