Seria Deloa from Class C, 4th year.
Since her first day at the Academy, this female student has received countless heartfelt love confessions from male students.
Just walking down the street, she looks like a masterpiece painted by a genius; she knows very well that she is beautiful.
Naturally, she has grown accustomed to the attention of the opposite sex, and the jealous gazes from other female students are thrilling.
An overwhelming advantage.
Being superior to other women in every way is the most important aspect of Seria’s life.
So it was only natural for her to participate effortlessly in the role of ‘Eris’ in the upcoming play.
Of course, she should be the one to stand out the most.
But what is this?
She had heard rumors about how many beauties were in the third year, but the reality surpassed her imagination with fierce competitors.
First up is Elise, the fellow female lead.
With her blonde hair and golden eyes, she exudes an elegance that makes her look far beyond her 18 years. At first, Seria thought she was looking at a princess.
Next is Arni Duratan, the antagonist and Gerry’s secretary.
As the eldest daughter of the famed swordsmanship family, Duratan, she summoned an alluring charm along with her flowing crimson hair.
Then there’s May Plov, Gerry’s subordinate.
Seria already knew about her. While she learned that she was the Dean’s cousin during the production of the play, she was also the alley queen who dealt with delinquents from the 3rd and 4th grades with her fists.
This is fine.
Up to this point, Seria thought she could handle everything, but…
There was Rin, playing the role of ‘Philea,’ who is in confrontation with Ares, the male lead.
At first glance, this girl was so beautiful that even Seria had to drop her jaw.
She is kind to everyone and exudes a caring, perfect demeanor.
While feeling humiliated by her defeat against a younger female student, she noticed that Rin liked Daniel McLean, who plays ‘Gerry.’
And just now…
At the pancake stand, Daniel said, “Ha, I want to see Eris.”
Eris is the name of the role she has in this play!
“Yeah, do you think I can just let that slide?”
Even though it’s for the play, with constant skinship, surely a 3rd-year brat would have instantly fallen for her charm.
“Look at that.”
With Rin’s blank expression and May Plov, who looked like she would leap into action at any moment, Seria felt full even though she hadn’t eaten anything.
Feel the overwhelming defeat of having her favorite man taken away!
However…
“Wait a minute.”
An unexpected woman approached Daniel.
*
Female Ares.
The fish friends in Seria’s pond were twitching, sticking out their non-existent teeth, but she easily ignored them.
She swatted away the cookie offered to her.
“This is annoying.”
To think this girl would cause misunderstandings by luring me around! Just as she thought that, someone she didn’t expect came up to her.
“Wait a minute.”
The red goldfish from Ares’ pond, Arni Duratan.
She nudged her shoulder and led her backstage, and though puzzled, Seria followed along.
Backstage stood not only Arni Duratan but also Professor Veritio, looking quite serious.
“What’s going on?”
Realizing that Arni had called her out for Professor Veritio, she asked. Veritio looked at Arni and said,
“Could you help Arni, if possible?”
“Huh?”
“Help her with her acting practice.”
“Hmm?”
What sudden request is this? With only three days until the main performance.
“Professor Veritio said your acting isn’t bad.”
He is an honest man. He is as sharp as a knife when it comes to acting.
He didn’t say it was good, but he also never said it was bad. Initially, I thought it was a bit stiff, but now I thought I was at least doing it decently.
“Arni is great in every aspect, but she can’t connect emotionally in the last scene.”
“Ah.”
Arni Duratan’s role is ‘Helia.’
In reality, she was the woman Gerry truly loved.
After being defeated by the two main characters, Gerry closes his eyes in her arms, and they both leave the play.
“That part was definitely a bit awkward.”
But is it really necessary to practice this much? Professor Veritio spoke first.
“Arni asked for this. She really wants to finish the play well.”
“Um?”
I thought she was just a sporty girl who only knew about swords but suddenly?
But she hadn’t been practicing intensely either.
“My family is coming.”
“…”
Arni bit her lips, unable to say more, and glared at her. Her eyes looked like she wanted to fight, but her words didn’t convey that.
“Please help.”
I sensed something was up, but Professor Veritio interjected.
“Please. The completion of Gerry’s character ends with that death. If Arni’s acting is awkward, all of it goes to waste.”
He wasn’t wrong.
“I have nothing else to do during the festival.”
Additionally, it wouldn’t hurt to have a simple debt owed to the eldest daughter of the prestigious Duratan family.
“I could use it to escape from May.”
In the end, helping with the last scene after the rehearsal should take no more than 30 minutes.
“Alright, fine.”
“Thank you.”
Arni, who seemed to have her reasons, bowed deeply.
*
After the drama team’s gathering ended.
Ares was wandering around the stalls with his friends.
Many friends were with him, and naturally, Arni Duratan and Elise were also joining in.
Sen was present too, but she wasn’t as lively as before and just followed quietly behind, while Hayun had already severed ties with her family, so she no longer needed to be with Ares.
But today, the most noticeable one was none other than Adriana.
Typically, she would braid her hair, but today, she let it loose and wore clothing with revealing cuts, sticking close to Ares.
“Ares, should we try that one?”
“Yeah, sounds good.”
While watching Adriana, who was pressing against Ares, other women took a step back.
“Doesn’t this feel odd?”
At Elise’s words, Arni nodded as if she had been waiting.
Adriana usually tried to appeal to Ares but never this confidently or aggressively.
She had always played the big sister role, soothing the atmosphere and yielding, but today, something felt off as she was brimming with energy.
“I think she has her own thoughts, so it would be wise for us to yield today.”
At Arni’s suggestion, Elise covered her mouth, her eyes wide in surprise.
“Arni is saying that? When she’s usually so aggressive?”
“Ahem, there must be a reason. Sen, you should also hold back today and let Adriana take her turn.”
“Oh, I didn’t really want to.”
“…”
Since the incident with the thugs last time, Sen seemed off, but neither Arni nor Elise could intervene.
Both had their own tasks to fulfill during this festival.
*
“Ah, I’m tired.”
Having been dragged around all day by May and Rin, his body felt more exhausted than expected.
Outside, the stalls had all been cleaned up and were waiting for tomorrow.
“This isn’t so bad.”
In his previous life, he got expelled right after arriving and never experienced events like this, but it turned out to be pretty enjoyable.
Time spent feeling human warmth in a gathering all snug together—perhaps living in the forest had made him somewhat numb, but he found himself missing the warmth of people.
As he opened the window to get some fresh air…
Scratch scratch
A strange sound pierced the night.
“Huh?”
It seemed to be coming from above; what was it?
Peeking out the window, he confirmed that there indeed was a peculiar sound.
“What is this?”
It felt like the sound of some bugs crawling, but it wasn’t just any ordinary sound.
But he wasn’t the only one to notice; someone peered out from the 4th-floor window.
“What’s that sound?”
It was Sen, the girl from the Chokugen Faction, with her white hair dancing in the wind.
Rather than asking with her usual forced enthusiasm, her tone lacked emotion today.
He shrugged in response.
“Sounds like it’s coming from your floor?”
“No, it’s from above us. Don’t you know anything, Daniel?”
“How would I?”
“You knew I was from the Chokugen.”
“…Are you sulking?”
Without a word, Sen turned back to listen to the sound above. Then, abruptly, she stepped out, deciding to go check things out.
“I need to see. It could be the Tudogs.”
“Hmm.”
As he pondered, a loud commotion erupted from the rooftop.
He considered going up too, but something big fell from the roof.
“Huh?”
With a thud, something that looked like a human arm-sized bug fell to the ground, scurrying away like lightning.
‘What the heck?’
As he squinted, Sen came down from the rooftop and entered his room.
Having her foot almost stomp down on the bug she’d almost stepped on but somehow managing to avoid it, she let out a tch.
“Tch.”
Feigning a serious expression, he asked her,
“What was that just now?”
“I don’t know. It looked like a bug, but it felt strangely hard. I was going to catch it, but it was so disgusting that I let it go.”
Still, she’s a girl, huh.
“Did it have some kind of pattern on its shell?”
He recalled seeing a hint of something and asked, and he noticed Sen’s eyes slightly flicker. After some thought, she nodded silently.
“There really was?”
When he asked again nervously, Sen seemed convinced he knew something and replied.
“There was. It was dark, so I couldn’t see clearly, but it looked like a circle with spikes sticking out.”
“…”
“You know something, don’t you? The Tudogs are moving, aren’t they?”
“Tudogs?”
He couldn’t help chuckling.
If it were just the Tudogs, it’d be no big deal, but this was something beyond those minor nuisances.
Deep in the Forest of the Demon Realm, ancient magical beasts dwelled.
He couldn’t even remember how much blood was shed to reach its depths, and just one of those creatures could shake the world.
These were the hidden beings that made humans call the Forest of the Demon Realm ‘Hell.’
“Ancient beasts.”
Unlike other magical beasts, they possessed high intelligence and overwhelming power.
‘Someone is calling one of them here.’
Someone was summoning an ancient beast towards this very Academy, bustling with festival activities.
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