Chapter 21: Another Reunion?

"She was a bit jealous that your attention was on Bodil and Irene, but it was more so because they seemed like nobles. She was nervous about going to the academy. Since you were the only person she knew, you were a pillar for her while you two attended the academy. She was also a bit clingy."

I read Lily's info. So far, she was the only person to not have any possible outcomes. She kinda just existed. I wasn't complaining though since everyone else seemed to be a cast of weirdos. Could it be because she wasn't a named character in the game, or because of my limited interactions with her within the last few months? Either way, it was a breather. I was sitting on my bed.

Nervousness was building up inside me. I told Lily that we would get breakfast at the academy's cafe and then explore the campus. It was best to become familiar with it since the exams were gonna be lightwork. I didn't tell her that part, of course, but I was sure we would both pass. I ended up doing some stretches before retiring for the night.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

The sound of someone knocking on my door woke me up. The sun was already up. I must have been even more tired than I thought since normally I would have been up already.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

The knocking got louder. I got up and rushed to the door.

"What is it!?" I opened the door. "Oh Lily, it's you," I yawned.

"How are you gonna lecture me to get up early and then sleep in?" She pouted and crossed her arms.

"My bad, Lily. That was a result of my own negligence," I apologized. "Let me get dressed real quick," I let her inside.

"It's fine. Just hurry up! I'm hungry," She said as she plopped herself on the couch.

The dorms consisted of a living area, kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom. It was more of an apartment but still had that dormy feel. It was better than most academies in this world since this academy was world-renowned, but it still had poor-quality dorms. I walked into my room to get dressed and brushed my teeth in the bathroom.

"Alright, let's go."

Lily shot up and hummed to herself.

"Okay!"

With the help of a map of the campus and some tour guides, we found the cafe. The campus was bigger than I thought, and I was bad at reading maps. The cafe was next to the training grounds for warriors. It was conveniently placed, so after training, the students could grab dinner before ending their nights. As we walked past the field, I saw my former best friend.

Ace was swinging a sword in the field… but something felt off. I looked more closely. What! He had the Hero's sword! How did he get it already!? In the game, players weren't able to get it until after the second boss was defeated. The difficulty of things just rose now that he had the sword so early. Not only that, but his arms were covered in scars. He had a new scar that bridged across his nose, but his face was basically undamaged.

I wanted to scan his stats, but Ace glanced over at me. Our eyes met and time seemed to freeze. It felt like there was a void between us. We were in two completely different worlds. Ace smirked at me which caused a chill to run down my spine. He returned to his training as I opened the door to the cafe.

"Lily, avoid that man at all costs," I warned her.

"Hmm? Why? He seems like a normal knight," She innocently made a comment.

A brief moment of rage rose inside of me. If Ace hurts Lily in any way, I will make him pay dearly. Lily saw this and panicked for a moment. I noticed a faint purple glow on her face.

"Ahh! Ok, ok. I'll avoid him," She nodded her head repeatedly.

"Good," I sighed. "Please be careful. He's a dangerous man," I gave another warning.

Lily nodded her head as she looked down. I could see a mixture of fear and trust in her eyes. I took a deep breath before continuing.

"We'll be at this academy for two years. You should try to become as strong as possible during those two years. It will quite literally shape our futures," I explained.

"I swear, you sound like an old man sometimes. I got it, Dad," She teased me before giggling.

"Whatever," I chuckled myself.

Lily was one of the few people I have met, in both of my lives, that was so carefree. Despite that, she never treated me differently as other people did. She was like a sister… minus the fact that I was technically her boss.

When we walked into the cafeteria, I noticed that it was crowded. I was surprised that so many people came a week early… or maybe that was the norm? I was surprised nonetheless. It was set up similar to a buffet.

It was a very spacious room with rows and rows of tables and seats. The food court was separated into two different parts. One was the typical school lunch, and the other was for students who could pay for meals. Since the academy hasn't started yet, both sections were free. I went to grab food with Lily close behind. We managed to find two empty seats.

"I didn't expect this place to be so busy," I commented.

"Maybe if someone woke up sooner, we could have beaten the lunch rush," Lily gave me a cheeky smile.

"But then we wouldn't have this opportunity," I smiled. "We can see all of our competitors and potential classmates. This is the perfect place to analyze them."

I was hyped. If I took the time to look for potential candidates for my future party, I would get a head start at forming the best… wait, I can't be in a party. Whatever, I could at least see who was weak and who was strong.

"Creep," Lily mumbled.

"What!? Why?" I looked back at Lily.

"Why can't we just make friends? People aren't tools you know," She scolded me.

"I know they aren't tools, but it's still a good idea to…"

"Lady Luna! Please marry me!!" Someone yelled which broke my train of thought.

What are the odds that this was the same Luna I knew? I followed the voice to see a man kneeling before an old friend.

Luna was now more mature and… sadistic. She was using one guy as a seat and another as a footstool. Two other guys stood behind her like they were bodyguards. She scoffed at the man proposing.

"As if I would stoop so low to marry a pig like you!" She spit on him.

I expected him to be angered, but it was just the opposite. I didn't want to describe what happened next, but just knew it ruined my appetite. I scanned her stats.

Lunafreya Crestiala

Age: 16

Strength: 2.5

Intelligence: 4

Agility:2

Charisma: 5.3

Magic: 5

Class: Saint

Mana: 1500/1500

She grew considerably since the last time I read her stats, but something was still off. Her personality did a massive 180.

Since the last encounter with the user, the user's interaction with Lunafreya caused her personality to drastically change. She went from being a timid and weak woman to a glutton of power and confident woman.

The system explained to me. Great. I couldn't tell if this was an upgrade or not, but I decided not to take any chances. Unfortunately, I didn't have a choice.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't my ex!" Luna walked towards me.

"Huh! You dated this big-boobed princess?" Lily exclaimed.

"Not now Lily," I sighed.

Luna hovered over me. She sat herself on my lap and caressed my jaw. I felt an unholy amount of jealous stares. This Luna had an aura of arrogance and pride.

"You are still so handsome, yet devoid of any actual emotions," Her voice oozed with admiration and seduction.

"And you seem… different to say the least," I moved her hand. "I can tell you matured some."

Lily along with the unwanted crowd was leaning forward. I was surprised that Lily wasn't complaining, but she was actually eating this up! I did not want to be the MC of a romantic tale!

"It was only natural. I haven't seen you in some time, so I was bound to change," Luna smiled as she leaned even closer to me. "As my former fiance, I'll give you one more chance, Smarus. If you ask… no… beg, I'll reconsider marrying you. There will be conditions, of course."

I wanted to mollywhop this girl. A few months ago, she was a timid, but gentle girl, and now she seemed like a self-centered piece of shit!

I had to keep my composure. She smelled like flowers, and she was wearing a dress that exemplified her figure. Despite all my efforts, my male instincts were kicking in. I took a deep breath.

"Luna, get off of me," I coldly told her.

Everyone in the room gasped. Luna's face grew red with anger as she clenched my collar.

"What?"

"Want me to repeat it? Perhaps another language will do?" I smirked.

"Yeah Smarus, you show her!" Lily fist-pumped the air.

"And who are you?" Luna glared at her.

"She's my assistant and friend, Lily. I hope you don't mind the late introductions, but I never expected to meet you today," I intervened.

"Don't tell me you two are…"

"We are just friends, Luna. Then again, I doubt you could handle the fact that it is possible to befriend the opposite gender," I pushed her off my lap.

She hit the floor and groaned in pain. Some of the boys yelled at me, but I ignored them. I looked around the cafe and took in just how much of an audience I had. I had the sudden urge to give a speech… I had some form of enjoyment from the attention. Could it be a side effect of being in the villain's body? That his emotions and thoughts were still alive somehow? Regardless, I stood on the table and looked down on everyone.

"What are you doing Smarus!? First, you broke off our engagement, and then you slapped me, calling me weak. And even when I have every boy around my fingertips, you still toss me to the side!" Luna's yelled at me. Her eyes were threatening to break out into tears. "What is it that you want?"

I thought for a moment. Even though I thought of Luna and Ace as my best friends… well former… I haven't actually been a good friend since coming to this world. If anything, I only sped up the path that this world would take. Maybe it was the world correcting itself. Maybe I was just meant to be a villain. Either way, I finally had a clear goal. My face broke out into a smile.

"What do I want? It's simple Luna," I glanced at all of the faces around me. "I want to be above everyone and everything! To be it simply…" I stared down at Luna. "I will achieve a level of strength that man can only dream of."

Ding! Lily's character log updated! Luna's character log updated!

Lily was awe-struck while Luna's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. Neither of them expected this from me. The other students had mixed reactions, but that didn't bother me. I had a lot of knowledge about this world, so why wouldn't I want to just take it over?

"And I won't settle for anyth…"

Bam!

The doors of the cafeteria flew opened and everyone, including me turned their heads to see the reason behind it. A scarred man smirked as our eyes met.

"If you want to be the strongest, then you'll have to be better than the Hero himself!" Ace challenged me.