My... Roy.

The whisper that slipped from between Adelia's lips brought the air in the room to a complete standstill. "My... Roy."

In the morning sunlight pouring through the window, her crimson eyes held nothing but me.

Silence. A suffocating yet impossibly sweet silence filled the space between us.

She seemed to realize what she'd said a beat too late. The corners of her eyes quivered. Tear tracks that hadn't yet dried still lingered around my own eyes.

Me, gazing up at her from her lap pillow. Her, smiling down at me. The intimate distance where our body heat and breaths tangled together.

It all felt like a dream. A miraculous morning that had arrived at the end of despair.

"What did you just......?"

I was about to ask in a trembling voice when—

Bang! Bang! Bang!

An urgent knocking shattered the romance into pieces.

"Hey! Roy! You in there?! Are you still sleeping?!"

A familiar classmate's voice rang through the hallway.

"......!"

"......!"

We both jolted as if electrocuted.

"Ah...!"

As Adelia shot upright in panic, my head—resting on her thigh—thudded onto the mattress.

"Ugh!"

"S-sorry! Are you okay?"

Adelia reached for me in a fluster, but then, remembering the door, she snatched her hand back. Her face had already turned as red as a ripe tomato. The desperate tenderness from moments ago had vanished, replaced by the frantic scrambling of a child caught red-handed.

The urgent voice continued from outside.

"Hey! Open up! The professor sent me to drag you out! You're already fifteen minutes late!"

"......What?"

I reflexively glanced at the clock. 09:15. Class started at nine. After staying tense all night and finally passing out at dawn, I'd overslept.

"Ugh, I'm so screwed......"

I shouted toward the door, my voice cracking.

"Yeah! I'm up! I'll be right out! Go on ahead!"

"Better hurry! The professor's about to lose it!"

The sound of retreating footsteps faded away.

"Got it! I'll be there soon!"

I let out a sigh of relief and turned to Adelia. She had also grasped the situation and was fidgeting, eyes darting around the room. She couldn't leave through the door. If the hero—a female student—emerged from the male dormitory in broad daylight, it would make front-page news.

Her gaze locked onto the wide-open window.

"I-I'm going first! You hurry too!"

She dashed to the window as if fleeing. The moment she grabbed the sill and prepared to leap—

"Wait, Adelia."

I called out to her.

"......?"

She froze and looked back. Her platinum blonde hair shone dazzlingly against the backlight.

"Earlier... what did you say? You called my name, didn't you?"

Her shoulders flinched at my question. She lowered her gaze and mumbled evasively.

"N-no? Are you still half-asleep? An extra like you is getting awfully full of himself, isn't he?"

She rambled without meeting my eyes.

"Just go wash your face already......"

She spoke curtly, but she couldn't hide the flush that had spread all the way to her ears. Her platinum hair sparkling in the morning light, her pale cheeks dyed red with shyness—the sight was strangely, shockingly beautiful.

When I simply stared at her in a daze, unable to reply, Adelia narrowed her eyes.

"......What are you doing? Why aren't you moving?"

"No, it's just..."

The honest thought slipped out before I could stop it.

"I was thinking... you're really beautiful."

"......!!"

Her eyes flew wide open. Then her face flushed so deeply it looked ready to explode.

"Ugh... ugh... Y-you, you really...... Hmph......!"

She bit her lip, unable to form a complete sentence. But her expression wasn't one of displeasure. If anything, she looked like she was struggling to contain her joy. Crackle.

Fearing an F-class grade if I delayed any longer, I rushed to the sink and performed a hasty cat wash. Wiping my dripping face, I looked at her again.

"See you in the lecture hall, Adelia."

At my words, she—still perched on the windowsill—lifted her head. It wasn't the face of a murderer or the cold hero. She smiled brightly with the pure face of a girl.

"......Yeah."

Then—

Whoosh!

She threw herself out the window like a gust of wind and vanished. It was a three-story drop, but to her it was probably no different from stepping down one stair.

'......Sigh.'

Left alone in the empty room, I stood there in a daze for a moment. But the smile on my lips refused to fade.

'Day two.'

'It's really beginning now.'

The moment I threw on my clothes and burst through the dormitory entrance—

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Grab!

Someone snatched the back of my uniform jacket.

"Got you, human!"

A clear yet haughty voice. When I turned, silver hair sparkled beneath the sunlight. It was the High Elf Princess, Iris.

"Huh, Princess? What brings you here?"

I asked, feigning surprise. It was already 9:20. I was late, and for her to be here—directly opposite the female dormitory—could only mean she'd been waiting for me.

"W-well..."

Iris couldn't meet my eyes and glanced sideways. Her pale cheeks were faintly pink.

"Human, it's not that I was worried you hadn't shown up for class! Sylph told me to come! I had no choice but to come!"

Above her shoulder, a small hazy shape floated in the air. The wind spirit, Sylph.

Sylph, clearly fed up with Iris's shameless lie, pressed a tiny hand to its forehead and shook its head in disbelief.

I let out a small chuckle and spoke in Korean so Iris wouldn't understand.

(Hey, kiddo. Good to see you again?)

Sylph looked at me and grinned. It wasn't surprised. We'd already teamed up during the previous incident.

Sylph reached out a hand in midair. I naturally raised mine in return.

Slap!

Like the final scene of a basketball manga. Our palms met sharply and powerfully in the air. A soul-high-five that needed no words. Deal sealed once again.

(You know what to do? Get revenge for me.)

Sylph cackled, flashed a thumbs-up, and flew toward Iris's ear.

Iris remained completely oblivious to our secret exchange.

"What are you muttering about? We're late!"

At that moment—

Fwoooooosh—!

Sylph dove straight into Iris's ear like a kamikaze and blew a blast of freezing wind deep inside.

"Hic, kyaaaaak!"

Iris shrieked and clutched her ear. Blowing cold air into a sensitive elf's ear—her face instantly turned beet red. She twisted and squirmed, completely flustered.

"Y-you! You put Sylph up to that again, didn't you?!"

"Me? I didn't do anything."

I played innocent and shrugged.

"Like I said last time, the spirit really likes you."

"Y-you insolent...! Stop lying! Ugh... it feels weird..."

Iris grumbled and shot me a glare. But she didn't look genuinely upset. A faint smile even played at the corners of her lips.

She shyly grabbed the end of my uniform sleeve.

"......Let's go."

We ran side by side toward the lecture building.

Then—

'......!'

A chill ran down my spine. I reflexively looked behind me. The dormitory shadows, behind the flowerbed, atop the trees. But no one was there. Just an ordinary morning scene.

'What the... Who is it?'

It wasn't a simple stare. Clear hostility. But there was no time to check right now.

"What's wrong? Did something happen?"

Iris looked at me curiously as I stopped.

"......No, it's nothing."

I shook my head.

"Let's hurry to the lecture hall."

Shaking off the ominous feeling, we quickened our pace.

Slide.

The moment we opened the back door of the lecture hall, dozens of eyes snapped toward us at once.

"Look, it's Roy." "And next to him is Princess Iris?" "Wow, so jealous... An F-class getting that kind of treatment..."

The strict-looking middle-aged professor at the lectern furrowed his brow. The clock already read 9:30.

"Well, well, Mr. Roy."

His voice was as cold as ice.

"Late again today after yesterday's entrance ceremony? Making me send someone to fetch you? For an F-class, you should be working twice as hard as everyone else, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠yet your attitude is truly unacceptable."

He openly berated me. I quickly bowed with the most apologetic expression I could muster.

"I'm truly sorry. I didn't hear my alarm..."

"Tsk. Don't disrupt the mood any further. Take your seat."

The professor clicked his tongue and looked at me like I was an insect.

'......The F-class discrimination is still going strong.'

But the moment he saw Iris standing behind me, his expression flipped 180 degrees.

"Ah, Miss Iris!"

His beaming smile was almost sickening.

"Were you feeling unwell and that's why you were late? Are you all right? Don't worry about the lesson progress. I can provide supplementary lessons if needed."

'What a dirty world.'

Iris, completely uninterested in the professor's flattery, grabbed my arm and headed straight for the very back of the classroom.

Less than a minute after we sat down—

Bang!

The front door flew open with a sound like it might break. Every student's head turned toward it.

Brilliant platinum hair swayed as she entered. It was Adelia.

The moment she appeared, the atmosphere in the lecture hall grew heavy. Her face looked extremely displeased. A blank expression dripping with killing intent.

The professor broke into a cold sweat.

"A-Adelia! P-please come in! Are you feeling unwell? Your seat is up front..."

Adelia ignored the professor entirely. She shot him a sharp glare, then walked straight forward. Her crimson eyes were fixed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠on only one place—the very back row.

Her uniform skirt swayed with each step up the stairs, her platinum hair rippling brilliantly. The overwhelming beauty and aura made the male students hold their breath.

'No way...''She's not coming here, is she?'

Everyone watched in disbelief. Without hesitation, Adelia plopped down in the empty seat right next to me—precisely on the opposite side from Iris.

Shhh.

The moment she sat, my left shoulder felt like it had frozen solid. She surrounded me with an icy chill.

'......Huh?'

I tensed instantly. We'd definitely parted with her smiling and saying "Yeah" this morning. Had she hit her head on the way and reset her memory? Or was this because she felt embarrassed?

Then Adelia rested her chin on her hand and stared straight past me at Iris. Iris must have felt the scorching gaze too, because she turned and glared back at Adelia.

Crackle.

Invisible sparks flew in the air between them. An inexplicable cold seeped into my body.

'......Ah.'

'Someone save me.'

I shivered between the freezing cold on my left and the burning heat on my right.

The professor hurriedly tapped the blackboard to change the mood.

"A-all right! Class is beginning! Pay attention, everyone!"

"Now, everyone. This is the core topic for this semester. What do you think is the difference between monsters and demonkind?"

The professor looked around at the students and continued.

"It's simple. The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠presence or absence of 'intelligence.'"

He tapped the blackboard sharply with his chalk.

"Monsters are beasts that move on instinct. But demonkind are different. They possess intelligence, devise strategies, and above all..."

"They worship the Demon King and systematically seek to eradicate our humanity."

'Demon King...'

My ears perked up at that word. Fragments of the original story's knowledge flashed through my mind.

'Wait... what day is it today?'

I secretly counted on my fingers under the desk while the professor wasn't looking.

'Second day after enrollment.'

The original timeline unfolded in my mind like a panorama.

[10 days after enrollment]: 1st-year Dungeon Practical Evaluation.[20 days after enrollment]: First Demon Race Invasion (Academy Raid).

'Eight days until the dungeon.''Eighteen days until the demon invasion.'

Cold sweat ran down my back. These weren't simple dates. That day was the 'Day of Blood.'

The original story's casualty list surfaced clearly. During the dungeon practical, three C-class and two B-class students died in an unexplained accident. During the demon invasion, thirty-seven students and five professors were massacred.

'I'm F-class, so I'll probably be excluded from the practical or placed in a safe zone...'

The real problem was the demon invasion. The entire academy would become a battlefield. There was nowhere to hide. I needed to prepare.

Above all, it was right after that 'demon invasion' that Adelia had truly begun to go mad. Witnessing her comrades' deaths had shattered her mind.

'I have to prepare.'

I clenched my fist tightly under the desk.

'This time... I'll change it.'

"Hey, human. What are you doing?"

Iris poked my thigh while I was lost in thought.

Throughout the entire class, Adelia's gaze bored into my notebook like it would pierce through it, while Iris—bored—kept pinching my thigh. In the front row, the purple-haired Scarlet kept turning around every five minutes to observe this bizarre love triangle.

'Ugh, this is exhausting...'

I swallowed a deep sigh.

Ding—!

The moment the class-ending bell rang, Adelia shot to her feet.

"Extra. Come with me."

"Huh?"

She grabbed my wrist and dragged me without waiting for a reply. Before Iris could shout anything, I was pulled helplessly into a corner of the hallway.

Bang.

She slammed me against the wall. The so-called wall-slam. Her face came right up to my nose.

"You... this morning."

Her lips moved.

"......You heard it, didn't you?"

"......Huh?"

"Don't play dumb. You heard everything."

Her face burned like a volcano.

"I called you... Roy. You heard that, right?"

Instead of answering, I slowly lifted the corners of my mouth. Her pupils shook as if an earthquake had struck.

She hadn't forgotten. She remembered it all too clearly. And after realizing I'd heard it but pretended not to, she'd spent the entire class stewing over it and radiating killing intent.

When she saw my smile, she let out a shriek from unbearable shame.

"T-that... I must have been crazy from sleep! Forget it! Forget everything!"

She grabbed my collar, let go, grabbed it again, breathing hard. I chuckled and said,

"No thanks? I'll remember it for the rest of my life."

"You... you bastard...!"

She raised her fist, but couldn't bring herself to hit me and lowered it. Her eyes trembled.

"......You're really the worst."

"I know."

"......Still."

She muttered in a tiny voice.

"I didn't... hate it."

"What?"

"If you didn't hear it, forget it! Let's go eat!"

She kicked my shin lightly and stormed off, ears burning red. I rubbed my throbbing shin and laughed.

'She's cute.'

Lunchtime, in front of the student cafeteria.

"Hey, let's go together."

I tried to catch up to Adelia when—

Grab!

Someone seized my arm from the other side.

"Human!"

It was Iris.

"Eat with me! I'll buy you something delicious!"

At that moment, Adelia—who had been walking ahead—stopped. She slowly turned around.

"......This forest dweller really has no sense."

Adelia grabbed my other arm.

"The extra is eating with me. We have business."

"Don't make me laugh! I grabbed him first!"

Iris pulled my arm without yielding.

Crackle. Sizzle!

The two women's gazes collided in midair, sending off sparks. My arms felt like they would tear apart. I broke out in a cold sweat, unable to side with either. And then, as if that wasn't enough—

"Oh my, what are you all doing here?"

From the far end of the hallway, Senior Yuriel approached with a bright smile.

'......Ah.'

'...I'm fucked.'

At the same time.

A luxurious room lined with ornate cabinets, yet darkened by drawn curtains. Only a single magic lamp flickered precariously on the antique desk.

Scratch. Scratch.

In the silence, the only sound was the rough scrape of a fountain pen across paper. A man deeply sunk into the shadows turned over a document.

The man's long fingers slowly traced down the list. They stopped at one name.

'Roy...'

An F-class with no combat ability. A name that should have been excluded from the list. But on this document, it had been clearly added in red ink beside his name.

[Participation Confirmed]

The man twisted his lips into a smile beneath the lamp's light.

"Kukuk... This should be entertaining..."

Tap.

He closed the file. Darkness swallowed the room once more.