”Huu!”𝗇𝑜𝐯𝑒𝔩𝗇𝓮xt.𝒸𝑜𝔪

After collecting my breath, I twisted the doorknob in my hand and swirled the door open.

As soon as I did that, a blow of cool air-conditioned air welcomed me.

Stepping inside and closing the door behind me, I turned my gaze to look through the classroom.

I saw descending rows piling upon rows of exquisitely arranged desks. I could almost taste the vibrancy of the cadets occupying these desks.

The whole interior was neat and spotless, almost as if it was shining.

Kids were chatting among themselves, friends were catching up with each other, and some diligent students readied themselves for the first day with their heads buried in the books.

While in between, I also discovered a few students sneaking glances at me.

Not because I was dead-drop handsome, which I totally was by the way, but because I was a disowned elite.

I was sure they were marking me. Since I only had a mid-level potential and no backing, I was an easy target.

“Hmm”

Acting like I didn’t feel their piercing gazes on me, I walked up to an empty seat and sat down.

“Umm, no offense or anything, but can you sit somewhere else, Lucas?”

But as soon as I did that, I heard a bewitching feminine voice coming from my right.

Turning my head toward the source of the voice, I saw a blonde girl sitting next to me with her arms crossed.

She had an alluring triangular face and a near-perfect figure. That, coupled with her light pink eyes and silky smooth skin, was enough to convey that she was from a high background.

…I knew her.

I instantly recognized who she was as soon as I laid my eyes on her.

The novel description that I read about her helped, but I also knew this girl from the memories I inherited from Lucas.

Her name was Grace Godwill. And she was one of the reasons why the duel between Lucas and Nero happened.

You see, Lucas liked Grace.

I mean, Lucas practically liked every girl with a beautiful face, but he was ready to fall to any extent to have Grace in his bed.

I watched his memories, so I knew that Lucas had an intense obsession with Grace.

Grace, who knew Lucas was so foolishly lusting for her, used him on many occasions in the novel.

“Lucas, stop gawking at me and go sit somewhere else.”

Sigh, she was a bitch. A psychotic, power-hungry, manipulative bitch. She was a vile person, even when compared to Lucas’ standards.

In the web-novel there was a whole arc dedicated to her, showing her true colors.

On the surface, she acted like a refined young lady befitting her family’s prestigious name.

But on the inside, she was a jealous bitch who was ready to do just about anything to get whatever she wanted.

In this case, she wanted the protagonist for herself. No, she didn’t want him for his looks or anything.

No, it wasn’t a case of love, either.

The reason she wanted the protagonist for herself was due to the monstrous talent he possessed.

Simply put, she wanted to use him to further her own influence and rise to power.

So, after assessing his talents and the value he could provide to her, she started seducing him. Or at least she tried to but failed miserably every time.

During the span of the story, her desire for the protagonist got so strong that she started using any means necessary to get him.

There was this time when she even drugged his meal and tried to bed him.

And in one chapter, she even tries to kill the female lead in order to clear her path of having him for herself.

I mean, now that I think about it, she was pretty stupid for doing that.

Did she really expect him to come to her after she tried to kill the woman he loved the most?

The lion, the witch, and the utter stupidity of this bitch!

It was not until her last moments did she have a change of heart and gave her life to save Anastasia, the female lead, from a vampire attack.

It showed that she was not a bad person at heart. She was capable of change. Her personality was just the result of her upbringing.

“Did you not hear me? I said-” Grace opened her mouth and was about to ask me to move again.

But before she could finish, I got myself up from the seat I was sitting on and occupied another vacant seat by the window.

…And then I started acting like an emo anime character.

‘Why am I meeting all the main girls today?!’ I thought in my mind as I sneakily stole a few glances at Grace.

God damn, she was beautiful. Why do evil girls always have the prettiest face?

Now before any of you start ranting about how I, a mentally grown-ass man, was lusting over a teenage girl, let me clarify something real quick

She was 18.

…What? You thought I would say I wasn’t lusting over her? Y-Yeah, that too. I wasn’t. Ahem.

Just as I was indulging in my thoughts, the door of the classroom opened once again, this time with a loud slam.

SLAM—!

The one who opened the door was, just as I had thought, the female lead.

She was wearing the girl’s cadet uniform, which was a black mini skirt, thigh-high socks, a black shirt, and a black blazer with golden edges with red inner lining.

Her black hair, which she had tied into a ponytail, was running down her waist as she panted like a cat out of breath.

Her jade-like smooth skin was enough to turn heads her way, but when paired with her fetching face, she was nothing short of angelic.

However, her most distinct feature was that pair of crystal-like golden eyes. They literally looked like a pair of jewels.

It was mentioned in the web novel that she could ‘see’ the flow of mana with those eyes of hers. But it was later revealed that she was capable of much more than just that.

A big powerhouse is what she was in the novel.

Although she never became one of the Top 16 in the academy, she went on to become a Section Commander ranked soldier in the United Military by the start of the 6th volume.

If not for her, the Central Government would have suffered a major loss at the hands of vampires at the end of the 5th volume.

“Sia? What happened? Are you okay?” Amelia asked in a voice full of worry while running up to Anastasia.

Oh yes, Amelia and Anastasia knew each other prior to the start of the plot.

Since they both were commoners, and they came to this city on the same train sitting next to each other, they bonded quite easily.

In the future, this duo will be known as the ‘Mad Dogs’ of the United Military.

“Oh no! I’m fine! I just thought I was late for the class!” Anastasia replied with a flushed face while still panting like a cat.

Cute.

She was really cute.

I could see why almost every boy was crazy about her in the novel.

“Whaa~? We still have half an hour before the class starts! Pfft!” Amelia said while barely holding back her giggle.

“What? Really?! I got up late in the morning, so I thought I was late!” Panicked and embarrassed, Anastasia tried to defend herself.

I couldn’t help but faintly smile at the scene unfolding before my eyes.

I knew these characters. I knew their fate. I knew their past, and I knew what would happen to them in the future.

Even though I wouldn’t say I liked the novel and had some problems with the story, I’ve been with these characters on their journey.

I couldn’t describe the emotions I felt when I saw the scene from the web novel playing out in front of me.

It was a strange feeling, to say the least.

These were the moments they were the happiest. Unaware of the truth about this world. Unaware of what’s to come.

After letting out a short sigh, I put my head down on the desk and decided to take a quick nap before the class starts.