Once the entrance ceremony came to a close, Howard breathed a sigh of relief. He could feel the other two top students itching to talk to him but their intentions did not look to be pure.
“So, you are the no 1 in our grade? I have to say that you have a nice face.”
Regine Lazar was the one who had placed third in the entrance exam. According to Jack Hollow’s information, she was an heiress to the biggest financial company in their country right now.
She was here because her family wanted to expand into the most profitable business - dungeon hunting. And Regine Lazar had been specially trained to be the best.
“Well, you sure got lucky this time around Howard Spencer. But it has to be expected from the son of former top #1 and #2 adventurers. But look out because I will overtake you soon.”
The speaker this time was Duke Verteramo, the son of the current no #1 adventurer. He had inherited his father’s strong powers and was a good companion according to Jack.
Normally, Jack would want Howard to make connections with them but Horas could not accompany them today.
“Look, I cannot talk to you right now. I kind of promised my childhood friend that I will meet her for lunch. I should get going now.”
Regine did not look disappointed but Duke looked annoyed.
“Sorry, but I will talk to you both later.”
Howard quickly took his leave from the gathering. The intense stares he was beginning to get were making his instincts rise. And getting into a fight on his first day was not what Howard wanted to do.
…………………….
Emma felt lonely and annoyed as she watched everyone else around her meet up with her friends.
‘Why did Howard have to be so much better than me at everything? I feel like I cannot catch up to him.’
Emma had been the next best person in their small town after Howard but it was not until she came to his academy that she realized just how big that ‘small’ gap in their abilities was.
She was almost afraid that Howard will forget all about her in this new environment. There were stronger and better people than Emma here.
‘No, don’t think like that. I just need to catch up with Howard and then we can be together. I can do this since I like him.’
For some reason, Emma’s mind saw it fit to flash the image of her mysterious encounter when she thought of the word ‘like’. She could not help but flinch.
Emma have had a few crushed before but nothing had ever topped her affection for Howard before. But now, it suddenly seemed as if Emma could not get that adult teen out of her mind.
“Sorry to keep you waiting Emma. I hope I am not too late.”
Howard finally came to find her, his face looking a little flushed but happy. His expression made Emma’s annoyance bleed out of her body.
“Welcome back. So, how was it meeting the other top students? Did you become fast friends?”
Emma tried not to let jealousy bleed into her voice. She was not going to show her ugly side to Howard.
“It was alright. Can we not talk about it right now? Tell me how your day went.”
Emma got the hint and stopped pushing Howard to tell him how his day went. She had learned her lesson and fell into step beside Howard.
They both walked through the corridor of the Esper’s academy without any destination. And they also did not notice when they reached the restricted section until it was completely silent around them.
“Emma, be careful. I can hear footsteps heading our way.”
Howard had a keen sense of danger so he was able to sense a powerful force heading his way. He positioned himself in front of Emma to protect her from whatever threat was heading their way.
A metallic tiger-like body passed the pair, not even paying attention to them and Howard felt his insides freeze with signs of danger.
Yellow eyes met his own before the metallic creature was off. Howard was sure that she carried something in her mouth but he decided not to question this oddity.
Especially since the door in front of them decided to open and an older teen came out. His black hair and blue eyes looked vaguely familiar but Howard was not sure why.
“Ugh, we did not mean to be here. We just got a little lost and ended up being here.”
Howard’s voice trembled just a little and he hoped that it would not be noticeable. He did not want to show his weakness.
…………………….
Horas watched the two kids in front of him stiffen as they faced him. They had realized that they were not supposed to be here as well.
“Alright, I heard you loud and clear. Let me help you out of this restricted area and we can go our separate ways. Just this once, I will not report you for coming to this restricted area.”
Horas decided not to press this issue. These kids were likely confused by accidentally coming to this corridor.
“Y-You will help us out? I mean, thank you for helping us out.”
Emma peaked out from behind Howard's shily and her face still looked flushed.
Horas was getting a feeling that Emma was not sick with an illness but with a ‘crush’. But Horas fervently hoped that he was wrong in his assessment.
“There is no need to thank me. I am just doing my job as the patroller in charge today. Follow me if you want to get out of here.”
The other two followed behind Horas like ducklings. It was almost comical to see them not even question him.
‘God, they’re so innocent. No wonder the protagonist got bullied and scammed so much in the first half of this story. He’s too easy.’
Horas felt sorry for Howard and all the hardships he would be suffering in the future.
“So, um, are you in the final year? What’s your name?”
Emma tried to strike up a conversation with Horas in hopes of knowing more about him. Her shy eyes were not able to hold Horas’s gaze.
‘What happened to the strong bully of a girl I wrote?’
Horas could not help but notice the obvious changes Emma was showing right now. It seemed as if Horas was looking at a completely different person than the one he knew about.
“Here, we are out. I will tell you my name the next time we meet. Until then, you should get going.”
Emma looked disappointed as Horas drew the boundaries with her. He was not going to encourage her in any way or even allow her to feel hopeful.
Emma was a female lead and she had been written for Howard Spencer, the main character. Nothing good would get if she developed romantic inclinations for other people.
“H-Hey wait. I still have questions for you to-”
Horas turned his back to Howard Spencer in a rather rude manner. But he would rather be called ‘rude’ than be forced to take care of the protagonist.
Both Howard and Emma were surprised to be left alone all of a sudden. But Howard noticed the looks they were getting.
People were looking at him and Emma as if they were interesting specimens and Howard had a feeling it had something to do with their guide.
“Howard, do you think we will meet that guy again? I now have two incidences I need to thank him for.”
Emma’s tone was a little weird when she asked this question. She even looked a little awkward and her eyes had a glazed-over look.
“Hey first year, I cannot believe your luck. Out of everyone you managed to run into the ‘grim reaper’ of Esper’s academy. You better be careful or you will be haunted for the rest of your years in here.”
Among all the interested stares and whispers, only one person dared to approach the party. Her green hair and blue eyes twinkled in the artificial light of the hallway.
“Reaper? What does that even mean? He looked like a human to me.”
Emma rebutted rather rudely but only Howard was able to tell. Something was wrong with Emma today and Howard was getting worried.
“Horas might look like a human but don’t let it fool you. He’s the most ruthless person in this academy, even including the teachers. Don’t you know what he did to his friend when he was a fresher? He branded her as a villain. You might have even heard of her name - Reed Whinstone.”
The older teen continues and many students flinched as they heard that infamous name comes out of the green-haired teenager's mouth.
Luckily, a teacher arrived on time and this conversation came to a halt. Howard could feel the green-haired lady stare at him with a silent smile.
“If you want to know more then come and find me. I will tell you all about this academy and what you can expect from it. My name is Faye Lembrick, a third year.”
And before the teacher could catch her, Faye was off. The students who had been left behind did not say anything but the damage had been done already.
