The Original Hero and Heroine Finally Meet
The Imperial Solarrium Academy was thrown into utter chaos.
"Drag him away, quick!"
"Guards! Secure the perimeter! Accomplices might show up!"
The peaceful academy garden turned into a battlefield in an instant. Knights and high-ranking mages swarmed in like angry bees.
A bold kidnapper had dared to target the sheltered princess of the Edelgart Ducal Family, rulers of the northern continent. But the kidnapper's state was so pathetic it was hard to even look at him straight.
"Ugh... ughhh..."
His face was slashed diagonally deep by sharp shadow blades, covered in blood. Holes were burned black into his thighs, shoulders, and forearms as if pierced by searing beams. The hand that had gripped the dagger trembled uncontrollably, its nerves severed.
But no one felt a shred of pity for his wretched state.
"You filthy rat. You dare target the lady right in the middle of the academy?"
The guard captain gnashed his teeth viciously as he grabbed the collapsed Rat by the scruff like a sack of trash. If this guy had succeeded, the captain would've been held responsible. No—in fact, he couldn't escape reprimand as it was. Fueled by vengeance, the captain barked,
"Take him to the underground interrogation room right now! Make him spill everything—his identity, his backers, how he infiltrated the academy—even if you have to peel the flesh from his bones! Use forbidden mental torture magic if you have to!"
"Yes, Captain!"
The price for tarnishing the academy's honor would be anything but light. Pale-faced, Rat was dragged away, still thinking to himself,
'The church higher-ups, you crazy bastards... No special issues, huh? Then what the hell are a bird shooting beams from its eyes and a cat with growing claws?!'
The kidnapper Rat cursed the church leaders who had fed him bad intel as he was hauled off.
Vesperia was immediately moved to a secure location. The safest spot in the academy: the dean's office.
"Phew."
White steam rose gently from a mug of hot cocoa. Seated on a luxurious leather sofa, Vesperia cradled the mug in both hands and sipped carefully. As the sweet liquid slid down her throat, the tension in her stomach eased away.
"Yummy."
The sweet cocoa calmed her startled heart. On her lap, the now-docile Blackie kneaded like dough, purring contentedly. Across from her, Ardelia de Solarrium lounged against the sofa back. At her feet, the bizarre 1.8-meter golden velociraptor spirit Brightie lay sprawled, tail swishing lazily.
Bang!
Then the heavy door to the dean's office burst open. A boy with jet-black hair streaming behind him rushed in. It was Cassius von Edelgart, heir to the Edelgart Ducal Family and Vesperia's stepbrother.
"Ves!"
With no afternoon classes, he'd been training alone when he heard the news and come sprinting like a madman. Cassius's face was ashen white.
"Oppa!"
Vesperia set down her mug and waved happily. Cassius dashed to the sofa, grabbed her shoulders, and frantically checked her over.
"You okay?! Anywhere hurt? I heard the kidnapper touched you! Did he graze you with a knife or poison you?!"
"No, I'm fine. Oppa, I'm totally okay."
Vesperia flashed her signature bright smile, stood, and spun around to show off. Not a scratch, not even a tear in her clothes—she was pristine.
"Not a hair out of place. Blackie and Brightie over there took down that bad guy in a flash. I just sat here sipping cocoa to calm down."
Only then did Cassius exhale in relief.
"Thank goodness... really, thank goodness."
At that moment, Ardelia, seated on the opposite sofa, spoke in a calm, elegant voice.
"The lady is unharmed, Young Lord Edelgart. I was by her side, so there's no need for great concern."
Cassius snapped to attention at the voice and turned. The imperial princess, Ardelia de Solarrium. He quickly straightened his posture, dropped to one knee, and bowed deeply to her.
"Your Highness. I offer my deepest gratitude for watching over my sister when you should be tending to your own health."
Still bowed, Cassius subtly scanned Ardelia's surroundings. His gaze locked onto the grotesque golden bird sprawled at her feet.
'What... what the hell is that?!'
Cassius's cool purple eyes trembled faintly. That golden bird monster looked utterly ferocious. It seemed like a spirit, but its form was bizarre. The serrated teeth and hooked talons were intimidating, and there looked to be bloodstains around its mouth.
"Ah, it's my spirit. Its name is Brightie."
"Brightie? So this... er, spirit protected our Ves—Vesperia?"
Noticing Cassius's startled glance, Ardelia smiled gracefully and explained.
"Yes. This one completely subdued the kidnapper targeting the lady. Of course, the lady's Blackie played its part too."
Cassius looked at Brightie anew. Whatever its form, the fact remained: this monster-shaped spirit had protected his little sister.
"Thanks to Your Highness's magnificent spirit, my sister was saved. On the name of the Edelgart Ducal Family, I swear we will never forget this debt."
Cassius bowed deeply once more.
Peace was gradually returning to the dean's office. But there was one fact none of those present knew: this attempted kidnapping had utterly shattered the narrative of the original romance fantasy novel.
In the original plot, the kidnapping was supposed to happen not on the first day of enrollment, but at noon the next day. Rat, lying in wait, would launch a surprise attack and finally take Vesperia hostage, attempting to flee. That's when Ardelia and Cassius, passing nearby by chance, would throw themselves in his path. The two would block Rat's escape through the main gate, unleashing a desperate joint assault while bleeding profusely. In that moment, Cassius would feel a strange stirring at Ardelia's resolute figure, refusing to back down despite her wounds. Ardelia, too, would find someone to rely on in Cassius's courage and talent. And at the critical juncture, the sub-male lead Asrion would burst in with powerful magic to aid them. Thus, the trio would collaborate to rescue Vesperia. Amid the blood and sweat of battle, the protagonists' bonds would tighten, and the curtain would rise gloriously on their sweet love triangle.
That was the original progression.
"Kyuu~"
All that epic narrative tension and budding romance evaporated in an instant, thanks to Rian's tampered spirits. The shadow spirit in black cat form slashed his face with Shadow Claw. The light spirit, modded from sparrow into velociraptor cousin, drilled holes all over him with eye beams.
"......"
Ardelia quietly watched Cassius fuss over his sister. He was the heir to the empire's top ducal family. The pre-Rian Ardelia would have done anything to win his favor right here and now.
'He worries about Vesperia a lot.'
Ardelia's red eyes were astonishingly cold and serene. Young as he was, Cassius's handsome face stirred nothing in her. She even felt jealous of his concern for Vesperia and their bond.
'Young Lord Edelgart calls Vesperia "Ves."'
She, his blood sister, hadn't even approached as family yet. But Cassius, not even related by blood, called her family with a nickname.
'Grateful, but a bit envious.'
She was thankful to the Edelgarts for raising Vesperia so brightly. But in her previous regression, they had failed to protect her.
'Still, I want to talk to him.'
Ardelia did want to chat with Cassius. She yearned to hear how her other half had grown up in the north—what she liked, what her childhood was like.
And that was it. Even in this first meeting with the original male lead Cassius, the original heroine Ardelia's heart was already filled with thoughts of someone else.
'With Rian's power, he can keep protecting Vesperia. Even today...'
Ardelia toyed with her teacup, biting her lip softly. If Rian hadn't monstrously upgraded her spirits this morning?
'I wouldn't have been able to respond.'
She and Vesperia might have been helpless against the aura-clad kidnapper's ambush. In the end, Rian had let her protect her sister perfectly.
'Thank you so much, Rian.'
Ardelia etched deep gratitude in her heart for the absent Rian.
'When I see Rian at dinner tonight, I have to express this properly, politely.'
Ardelia resolved to thank Rian in person. She still wanted to recruit him, of course. But this pure gratitude was genuine too.
