Inside the Noble clubroom, located on the top floor of the second-year central building.
From there, the scenic landscape of Kizen, surrounded by mountains, rivers, and towering ramparts, could be seen at a glance. As a young man walked across the luxurious carpet, several second-year students quietly whispered among themselves while watching him pass.
An individual who had recently become quite the hot topic, even within Noble itself.
Malcolm Randolph. Special Entry No. 10 among the first years.
After receiving an invitation from Noble, he came here alone.
Swoosh.
A second-year female student waiting beside the door lightly waved her hand.
"Are you ready, First-Year?"
"Yeah, I guess."
The girl gave a small nod before opening the door.
"Your Highness... I mean, President. The first-year is here."
The heavy door slowly opened.
The room beyond was just as luxurious as Malcolm had expected. Antique furniture filled the room, an expensive carpet stretched across the floor, while fruits and refreshments had already been neatly prepared on the table. At the very center stood a magnificent chair that resembled a royal throne.
Unfortunately, although the clubroom was lavish and the chair looked majestic, the person sitting on it wasn't.
Normally, Andre always wore an arrogant and prideful expression befitting the Third Prince of Dresden. Right now, however, his face looked completely haggard. Although the arm severed by Knox had already been perfectly reattached, the psychological trauma remained deeply etched into his face. Moreover, the consequences of that duel were still haunting him to this very day.
Before Andre even had the chance to properly rest after losing the duel, Molly came to visit him.
She didn't waste a single second. The King and Queen of Dresden, who were also his parents, had already reached their decision.
Andre Dresden was officially removed from the royal family.
Hearing those words, Andre felt as though his entire world had collapsed.
Unfortunately...that was only the beginning.
The news of Andre publicly threatening Knox Aznable had already spread throughout the Dark Alliance. From ordinary citizens to influential nobles, protests continued pouring into the Dresden Kingdom day after day. The King found himself under tremendous pressure. If he failed to calm the growing outrage, he knew that a riot would probably be the smallest of his problems.
As if that wasn't enough, another piece of news soon reached the royal palace.
Jean and Tenerife, the two Legion Commanders openly declared that their future relationship with the Dresden Kingdom would entirely depend on how the kingdom handled this incident.
The moment he heard those words, the King almost had a heart attack.
It wasn't because he believed the two Legion Commanders would immediately declare war against Dresden.
Rather, he fully understood what losing the support of two Legion Commanders truly meant. Diplomatically, politically, economically, and even militarily, the damage would be immeasurable.
But, if the King suffered because of the kingdom...
Then the Queen suffered even more because of herself.
Andre had always been considered one of the central figures within her own political faction, a faction well known for its hostility toward Kizen. Now, countless merchants, influential nobles, and many others had already begun considering cutting every business relationship and political connection they had with her.
Then came the final blow.
Jean and Tenerife officially announced that, from that day onward, they would completely sever every connection with the Queen and everyone belonging to her faction.
There was one important difference, however.
Regarding the Dresden Kingdom, the two Legion Commanders merely said they would cut ties depending on the kingdom's final decision.
But toward the Queen, there was no "would." The declaration took effect immediately.
In a single day, the Queen watched her influence, authority, and political standing plummet. And that wasn't even the end of her problems. To put it shortly, she was screwed!
Even so, although Andre was undoubtedly a scoundrel, he was still their son.
The King and Queen still had to preserve the dignity of the Dresden royal family. Therefore, despite expelling Andre from the royal family, they decided to leave him with one final chance.
As long as he could achieve something worthy of recognition while refraining from causing any more trouble, there was still a possibility for him to return.
Hearing that, Andre's emotions became incredibly complicated. At first, he felt as though his entire world had been destroyed. Then, after learning that he still had one last chance, he finally managed to see a faint ray of hope.
Unfortunately, that hope almost disappeared again when discussions about expelling him from Kizen began circulating.
Fortunately, although the Dresden Kingdom had paid an enormous price and suffered tremendous losses, they ultimately managed to keep him enrolled at Kizen.
But, if Andre stopped causing trouble, would he still be Andre?
The answer was simple.
No.
"What are you waiting for? Sit." Andre's cold voice pulled Malcolm back to reality.
"Yes." As Malcolm took his seat, Andre casually gestured with one hand.
A girl dressed in a maid outfit silently approached and placed a cup of tea together with several refreshments before Malcolm.
...Insane.
Putting aside Andre's attitude, this girl wasn't his subordinate. She was a second-year Kizen student.
Someone who should have stood on equal footing with Andre was now forced to wear a maid outfit and serve him like a personal servant. Even she kept her head lowered throughout the entire process, seemingly embarrassed by the situation.
The rumors were true.
Malcolm had no idea what leverage Andre held over her. However, if either the Student Council or the professors ever discovered this, Kizen would undoubtedly be thrown into chaos.
Of course, even if someone exposed everything to the public, society would probably dismiss it as nothing more than another childish prank committed by a foolish prince. Andre, as royalty, would receive nothing more than a light punishment.
Meanwhile, the whistleblower would be the one living through hell.
Knox: Really~?
Of course, Malcolm knew nothing about Andre's current situation.
Had he known that the so-called Third Prince of Dresden had already been removed from the royal family and was now nothing more than an ordinary second-year student standing only one step away from expulsion, he wouldn't have bothered acting politely at all.
Having witnessed countless absurdities throughout his life, Malcolm quickly adapted to the situation.
He casually gestured toward the girl with a flick of his hand, treating her exactly like a servant. The girl silently bowed before leaving.
Watching the scene, Andre smiled faintly. "Do you know why I called you here?"
"I have no idea." Malcolm calmly raised his head.
"Just stepping foot in this room is already enough to ruin Noble's reputation."
"I'm well aware."
Andre leaned back comfortably in his throne-like chair.
"You're the son of a vulgar gang leader, after all."
At the word vulgar, Malcolm's eyebrow twitched ever so slightly.
Even so, he didn't react. Right now, what interested him far more was why the former Third Prince of Dresden had summoned him here. The answer came almost immediately.
"I'm giving you a chance to join Noble."
The maid-like girl quietly returned, carrying a quill together with a registration form before placing both of them in front of Malcolm.
Andre looked directly into Malcolm's eyes.
"If you have any sense at all, you'll realize this is a pivotal moment that could completely change the course of your life."
"..."
Andre leaned forward, his expression darkened by anger.
"This is a chance for that trashy gang of yours to connect with the powers of the Dark Alliance. Once word gets out, your father might just go wild with joy!"
Although gangs were violent criminal organizations, they still needed connections with both local authorities and central powers to keep their businesses running smoothly.
If Malcolm's gang could gain access to a place filled with influential figures from across the Dark Alliance, their organization could easily grow several times larger than it was now.
"...What are the conditions?" Malcolm asked calmly.
Allowing the son of a gangster to join Noble was no different from splashing sewage onto an expensive pearl. There was no way Andre would willingly tarnish Noble's image without demanding something in return.
"Nothing much." A faint smirk slowly appeared on Andre's face.
"Your opponent in the upcoming Duel Evaluation is Special Entry No. 1, Simon Polentia, isn't it?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"That guy rejected Noble's invitation! Sure, it was influenced by that devil Knox Aznable, but still, how dare a mere first-year reject me!"
The moment Knox's name left his mouth, Andre's fingers twitched ever so slightly before he forcefully ran a hand through his hair.
"For other students, I'd simply let it slide. As for Knox Aznable... he's a special case. But for a mere Special Entry No. 1 without any background to reject Noble and join another club? That hasn't happened in twenty years! Twenty years! A very important tradition has just been broken!"
His expression twisted further as he ground his teeth.
"And of all times... it had to happen under my leadership!"
Malcolm remained silent, though a single thought quietly crossed his mind.
You should care more about your loss against a first-year.
"External pressure keeps coming and coming! Not only because of that damned duel, now another first-year actually dares to challenge Noble's authority! At this rate, I won't even have the face to meet the former Noble presidents after I graduate!"
Andre let out a long breath before leaning back against his throne-like chair, exhaustion clearly visible on his face.
"So, what I need to do is get revenge?"
"No! Not revenge, but uphold tradition!"
Andre's eyes immediately lit up again.
"Isn't there already a perception throughout Kizen? Beware of Noble. If you make an enemy of Noble, things will only get worse from there. Even if everything seems to be going well, once Noble marks you, everything starts falling apart. I'm merely reenacting those well-known traditions."
As he finished speaking, Andre reached into his coat and tossed something toward Malcolm.
Malcolm caught it with one hand before lowering his gaze. It was an artifact bearing the royal crest of the Dresden Kingdom.
"Senior, borrowing someone else's artifact during a Duel Evaluation is against Kizen's rules."
"It's not a loan."
Andre's grin slowly widened.
"This is your advance payment. From this moment onward, that artifact belongs to you. You may even register it under your own name at Kizen."
"...!!"
For the first time since entering the room, Malcolm's calm expression noticeably changed.
"In front of everyone, completely crush Simon."
Andre's voice gradually became colder.
"Although I really want that bastard Knox Aznable to pay, at least I can make the other Special Entry No. 1 pay in his place! That mere country bumpkin will do just fine."
He slowly raised his hand before tracing the shape of an R in the air.
"The moment the duel ends, make this gesture."
The meaning couldn't have been any clearer. Defeat Simon. Then dedicate that victory to Noble, and to Andre Dresden.
"I understand what you're saying."
From Malcolm's point of view, there was hardly any reason to refuse.
Andre had suffered a devastating blow to his pride after everything that happened with Knox. At the same time, overwhelming pressure from every direction continued to bear down on him. Now, he wanted Simon, the first-year who had rejected Noble and, in his eyes, had also become one of the reasons Knox confronted him that day, to pay the price instead.
At the same time, he could restore Noble's authority while using Malcolm as the one to carry out the task.
It was a picture Malcolm could understand easily. In this world, a noble's pride was often more precious than life itself.
"With everything that's happened recently, I've been holding back, but it seems that's no longer possible. We must remind everyone what happens to those who dare defy Noble through the downfall of the other Special Entry No. 1! Soon, everyone will understand that Simon Polentia was never worthy of joining Noble in the first place. And with that, everyone will also believe that the other Special Entry No. 1, Knox Aznable, was never worthy of Noble either!"
Andre's expression became increasingly sinister. "I'll make him regret humiliating me!"
Malcolm silently picked up the cup of tea before him and finished it in a single gulp.
Only after placing the cup back onto the table did he tuck the artifact into his coat, his thumb lightly brushing across the R engraved on its surface.
"In front of everyone, I'll show them that Noble is still alive!"
A satisfied smile finally appeared on Andre's face.
"Good! Make sure to humiliate him!"