In a lavishly decorated room, three people were present.
The elven maiden exuded a commanding presence as she sat gracefully on a chair that resembled a throne, her long silver hair adding to her ethereal beauty.
Standing before her was a silver-haired boy with a face so charming that it could only be described as ‘otherworldly’ and a fair-haired beauty who radiated her own allure.
Okay, so everyone here was pretty easy on the eyes, but that silver-haired boy was just on another level. 𝒏𝑶𝗏𝑒𝓁𝓷𝑒xt.𝒸𝑜𝓂
I mean, we could even go as far as saying he’s the most good-looking person in the entire world– no, in the whole universe!
Ahem.
Yes, of course, that boy was me.
In front of me was my sister– I mean, Lucas’ sister – Yelena Morningstar, the current Queen of Global Academy. She regarded me with indifference as though I were no more than a wisp of air.
On the other hand, standing right next to me was Grace Goodwill, glaring at me with resentment and animosity. If given a knife, she would not hesitate to plunge it into my gut.
Sigh.
It’s bluntly obvious that both of these maidens were trying so hard to resist my charms.
Tsk tsk.
Such is the life of a super hot guy like me.
Anyway, turning my attention to the ‘Queen,’ I tried to initiate a conversation and break this awkward silence.
“So… Been long, right?”
“Please refrain from talking to me.”
“Aww, your face is so red. You’re flustered from meeting your brother after so long!”
“…Yes, I’m so flustered that I might just strangle you.”
“…..”
Okay, I think it’s safe to say that she wasn’t flustered.
Sighing, I turned to Grace, who was still glaring at me.
Oh hell naw.
No matter how suffocating this silence might be, I’m not going to risk my life by talking to her.
So I turned my gaze away from her and acted like she wasn’t even there. But for some reason, that irked her even more.
…Just give me a break already.
Hmm?
Where am I and what is going on, you ask?
Remember when I first came to the academy, I said there was a modern-styled castle at the center of the five towering skyscrapers where our classes are held.
Well, that castle serves as the dorm and office for Cadet Council and Disciplinary Committee.
Right now, we were inside that castle and in Yelena’s personal office.
As for why we were here…
Well, the reason for that would be the blonde girl standing next to me.
The cadets who were killed didn’t exit the VR world instantly. Instead, they came out together with the rest of their peers who were alive till the end.
As soon as the Mock War ended and everyone came out of virtual reality, Grace walked over to Yelena and accused me of attempting to sexually harass her.
It didn’t come off as a surprise since that’s what she had threatened to do from the start if I interfered, which I did, by the way.
What did surprise me, however, was her stupidity.
I mean, she has already witnessed what I am capable of. So does she really think I can’t get myself out of a situation as trivial as this?
“Haa.”
I was getting bored. I should be planning for the next event that’s about to come instead of wasting my time here on her.
Don’t get me wrong. She is a pawn of great future value to me. However, in the end, that’s all she is– a pawn. And I don’t like it when my own pawns cause trouble for me.
“Can’t we get this over with quickly?”
As soon as those words left my mouth, a chill ran down my spine. For a second, I regretted speaking like that in an overly casual tone.
The temperature in the atmosphere quickly began to plummet, and icy cold winds started to blow even though we were inside.
“Do you think all this is a joke?”
At that moment, the long silence finally broke as the Queen spoke.
“Keep in mind that our father is not here to protect you. Even if you’re carrying our house name, your misdemeanors will not be overlooked anymore!”
“What misdemeanors?!” I exclaimed with an absurd look on my face. “Grr!”
But as another chill ran down my back, I put on an amicable smile and joined my hands together like a businessman.
Only then did I dare repeat my question respectfully while mustering up the calmest possible tone, “What could you possibly mean by misdemeanors, ma’am?”
Yelena’s agitation was palpable as she exclaimed, “You understand what I’m saying, don’t you? You’re facing sexual harassment charges, but you don’t appear to have a shred of remorse on your face.”
I couldn’t help but roll my eyes in response. “I’ve been telling you from the beginning that she’s lying. Why won’t you consider my side of the story? What happened to that ‘innocent until proven guilty’ thing?”
“But are you truly innocent?” Yelena asked, raising an eyebrow. “This isn’t the first time you’ve been accused of such behavior. Last time, Father managed to sweep it under the rug because it was a commoner you attempted to assault. But this time it’s a noble– a Goodwill, no less! Your actions are immoral, foolish, and downright disgusting. I’m appalled to even think of you as my brother.”
As I gazed upon her, I noticed something different about Yelena. Unlike her usual aloof and detached demeanor, her face was twisted in a mixture of anger, revulsion, and remorse.
Though I was aware that she wasn’t truly my sister and I wasn’t actually Lucas, I felt a sharp stinging pain in my chest upon meeting her gaze.
Averting my eyes off her, I clicked my tongue. I took in a deep breath and was about to reply but Yelena suddenly spoke up again.
“And besides, I’m very much upholding the ‘innocent until proven guilty’ philosophy. I sent Dylan to collect Grace’s uniform from her apartment room.”
Frowning, I questioned, “Oh, and what will that prove exactly?”
Yelena gazed at me and declared, “In the event that we discover any evidence of your involvement on her uniform, as she has alleged, you will be subjected to expulsion from the academy. Your military education will be completed at the Union Military’s army training camp rather than any fancy military academies, and I will also strip you of our family name.”
I couldn’t help but shake my head at those words.
Union Military’s training camp.
Unlike private military academies like Global Academy or Ethereal Academy, Union Military’s training camp is six month long training program run directly by the high-ranking soldiers Union Military.
What’s so bad about it, you ask?
Well, aside from being situated near the border, the instructors there don’t let the cadets to master the art of combat.
No, they just create foot soldiers to fight the war for them, whereas the top private military academies create elite soldiers and tacticians.
Even the worst of the worst who has graduated from a well-off private military academy can overpower the top fighter that the training camp has to offer.
Needless to say, the training camp also doesn’t provide any Spell Scrolls, Training Manuals, Training Equipments, or anything of that sort.
Why does it exist then? Well, because not everyone can afford the ridiculously high fee that these private military academies charge.
For example, Global Academy’s full four-year course is worth a whopping 97,076,800 Credits (C).
If I were to convert that to the currency from my earth, then it would be around $8,01,65,73,020 or something.
Yes! Exactly!
Even in another world, those who don’t have money can’t afford the right to live.
If you have money, you can go to a fancy private academy and get stronger, which will raise your chances of survival.
However, if you can’t afford it, then you are just as good as dead meat.
However, that’s not something that bothered me.
Money is everything – that fact has always been true despite people trying so hard to deny it even in my old world.
And it’s not like I was going to be sent off to the training camp. After all, Grace won’t be able to prove her accusations against me.
What did bother me, however, was the fact that Yelena threatened to strip off my family name.
I know it shouldn’t bother me since it’s not even my actual family name but for some reason it did.
“You can’t do that.”
“Hmm? What?”
I took in a deep breath and clenched my fists.
“I said, you can’t do that. You can’t strip me of anything that’s not related to the academy. You don’t have that authority.”
Yelena’s eyebrow twitched and nerves bulged on her forehead as she spoke, “I’m a Morningstar. The one that hasn’t been disowned unlike you. I have the authority to take your surname–”
“No you don’t,” I cut her off. “Father is the head of the family. Only he can make this decision and he has already done that. He let me keep my surname. Even Adel, the next head of the family, doesn’t possess the authority to override Father’s decision.”
“Listen here you–”
Yelena was about to continue arguing but right then–
Click—!
The door to the room clicked open.