8 - Aria
……After hours of nonstop training and even awakening as an Executor, that Edwin kid must've hit his physical limits. But that's that, and I still need to check for sure.
I nudged his shoulder with my foot.
"Hey, get up."
No response.
Hey hey hey, hold on, he didn't actually bite the dust, did he?
As I leaned down toward him—
-Snore... hack... shallow snoring mixed with faint groans.
Good thing it was just a worn-out wooden sword, and my stats are so pathetically low. He'd passed out cold without any fatal wounds.
Perfect. This should cover it...
For Edwin to awaken as Executor, he needs to face off against a demon. This was the best way. I only showed my demon form for less than a second. Lev Denek's innate mana is 1.0, so I could control it. If I'd had even a bit more embedded mana, I'd have fully transformed into a demon.
Plus, Edwin's mind was flickering in and out, and now he's in a total coma. As long as I play dumb, he'll chalk it up to a dream.
"So pull your weight as the root character, would ya..."
Light green hair, friendly-looking face. Hard to believe this guy's the protagonist of Reincarnated Hero.
Protagonist-level handsome design, but knowing the novel's ending, he just looks pitiful to me. I'll probably have to bail him out again down the line, which already has me sighing, but what choice do I have?
"Anyway, good luck. I got your awakening sorted, big bro's done his part."
I muttered that nonsense and left, pondering where to dump my supporting actor points.
"Hngh..."
Aria, who had witnessed the entire scene, clamped both hands over her mouth and froze in place.
"……"
Until Lev Denek vanished from sight.
She'd just come for a walk, curious if Edwin was still training. But she'd stumbled upon something unbelievable.
Lev Denek had appeared before Edwin, and the two had suddenly started sparring. The moment Aria stepped forward to intervene—
-Boom!!!!
Her feet wouldn't move.
She'd seen it. Felt it.
A shiver eerily similar to one from the past.
A familiar yet alien wave of mana.
The aura of that demon from that day—Andras.
It felt like buried sad memories were being forcibly unearthed and torn apart.
A dry heave rose in Aria's throat.
"Ah... urk."
Overwhelming terror made her legs tremble faintly.
-Step.
But the girl with light purple-tinted silver hair approached Edwin step by step.
She was the only witness, so duty compelled her to help him.
"Thank goodness..."
No bloodstains around Edwin. His pulse was steady.
-Shaa...
Her healing magic elicited no response either, so it seemed he hadn't done major harm.
Her heart calming slightly, Aria's thoughts began to clear.
Why would he do this? Thirst for victory? No, that didn't fit.
Lev Denek loved showing off. He'd want any duel win in front of everyone.
No. Maybe the opposite.
Perhaps he feared losing. Picking on an exhausted guy like this? Pathetic.
"If that's it... how cowardly... so cowardly..."
And she knew he'd brag about beating Edwin tomorrow without much denial from the guy.
So if that was the reason, what was that demonic form—that black aura?
"Hoo."
Aria sighed, gripping her still-quivering legs.
The memory etched in her brain matched that eerie aura perfectly. She couldn't deny it, no matter how she tried.
That figure haunting her dreams...
But replaying it, Lev Denek was just an 'aura.'
"An illusion...?"
She must've seen wrong. It couldn't be.
No matter how many times she repeated it.
Lev Denek being a demonkin, connected to the demon who took her family... impossible.
Best to assume it was a hallucination. Everything she'd seen of him painted him as just a noble human, a wastrel from the Denek family with zero demon ties.
"……"
But what if... just what if...
What if Lev Denek was involved...?
"……Revenge."
Revenge.
The two syllables reverberated in Aria's heart. Perhaps this strong echo strangled the little girl left in her past.
A walk for a mood boost had only deepened her confusion.
Until Edwin woke, all Aria could do was calm her heart again and again.
Monday morning—the first day of the new semester in this world too.
"Fuck, I don't wanna go."
Even in my old world, school wasn't exactly thrilling. You might miss the class buzz after a break and think school's not so bad...? But come opening day—or the night before, staring blankly at a comedy show that's not funny at all—it's pure nightmare fuel.
"Might as well pray and go."
The former's worlds better.
I confessed.
To two of the academy's top popular girls, no less.
One's a stoic beauty with petite, delicate features: Aria Bluebell.
The other's a sharp-featured stunner gunning for top spot every semester till graduation: Melissa Prominence.
My school rep? Rock bottom. Affection levels? Bottom. Actual stats? Bottom.
Heading in means only bullying and scorn await.
"This is brutal..."
Is this the third-rate villain life? Feeling it in real time, down to the bone.
[Supporting Actor Points Held: 110]
Small consolation: I racked up a ton yesterday. 100 + 10 points. Enough to boost stats decently if dumped there.
"Lemme see..."
"Oh, nice gains?"
Just one spar, but it celebrated my win with tiny bumps in strength and agility. With base stats this low, growth's gotta be fast.
[Current Strength: 1.1]
[Points required to raise Strength by 0.1: 10]
[Invest?]
"Hmm..."
Roughly, 1.x stats take 10 points per 0.1. Meaning demands rise with growth.
Physical stats can also rise through training, so blindly dumping might waste points.
Luck, resistance, penetration, crit rate—special stats unlock later anyway.
"Traits then?"
Skills/traits demand more points but are fixed investments.
"Nothing worth dumping into."
Regrettable, but only Villain's viable now. And that's a straight loss, no matter how you slice it.
Priority's snagging worthwhile skills/traits that won't feel wasted.
And that worthwhile skill's probably Kaeran His's hidden passive.
'Intercept, my ass.'
A rough plan formed in my head.
Today's Positioning—no selection exam, so no points means no expulsion risk.
Got a direction in mind, so observe first.
Forcing positivity, I left my tidy dorm room.
......
Straight to Clarice Academy's temporary Class C.
After two months' training, before selection exams: Positioning, the final pre-event.
Main cast entanglements start right after, so true academy arc kickoff.
'Crowded.'
Dozens of uniformed cadets filled the fan-shaped lecture hall.
Among them: Reincarnated Academy's mains—Selena Windforce, Edwin Gwynz, Melissa Prominence, Aria Bluebell.
'Phew.'
Relieved the entrance was at the back, I grabbed a rear empty seat.
Lots from this class will flunk out anyway.
Lev Denek too.
Canon: I'd Mainhwa and vanish, missing Positioning and exams entirely.
Supporting actor style: blend in max.
As I sorted that, Aria scanned around, head turning or sidelong glances.
Her gaze drew others'. Those mystical azure eyes and translucent skin stood out, noble-grade despite commoner roots. Novel hyped her beauty, and the detail checks out.
She looked around long, searching—
-!
Our eyes met for some reason, then she snapped forward.
"What the..."
Stoic as ever, but a complicated expression.
-Thrum!
Class lights dimmed except the podium.
A uniformed adult man—prof or instructor—stepped up.
"Ahem. Nice to meet you all. I'm Sylvester, your newbie handler. Guessing you figured?"
Memory fuzzy on name, but long-haired, squinting polite-speaker: I knew him vaguely. Thought he was a total black curtain, but nah. Sharp instincts, questioning tone—flat but not.
"Then, let's start Positioning?"
With his suddenly serious voice, the academy's first event began.