When Xian stepped through the portal, he found himself in a spacious white hall. He recognized this place, something that used to be stationary before his eyes. But now, the grandness it displayed could not compare to the simple memory of his.
Ivory pillars lined both sides of the hall, supporting tens of meter high ceiling, resembling a path for a king. Sunlight filtered through the structure through colored glass windows, bathing the floor in ethereal reflections of colors.
The path had a continuous opening on each side from where one could see the outside. From the distance, the scope of the city could be seen on the farthest horizon, and closer is the academy facilities, reckoned Xian.
'It's the academy main lobby.' The place where most students passed through and gathered at the same time to enter and exit the academy. The entire structure was built atop a massive ridge, with steep cliffs stretching along both sides as it led toward the academy's main building.
'Then, they must be waiting for me.' He looked ahead and sure enough, three people stood upon a wide podium. He immediately recognized Aleandro on the left as his eyes turned to the other two.
There was also a figure in the middle, but his gaze was left lingering on the woman right next to that figure.
Feeling his gaze, she fiddled with her elongated round-framed glasses, straightened her posture, and smoothened the office suit-themed uniform that she wore.
Her naturally thin lips were tinged with a natural pink and the skin of her perfectly almond-shaped face was poshed with light makeup, framed by straight tendrils hanging neatly by her cheeks. At the back, her hair seemed tied in a bun, secured by a plain silver pin.
"Ahem."
Xian's eyes turned to the source of the cough. In the middle was a towering man who wore a rather plain brown robe, resembling a bear's fur, and shoulder pads made of unknown glistening carapace.
His thick, straight beard covered his mouth and reached all the way to his stomach, as did the straight hair that cascaded from his brushed-up crown. If Xian didn't know better, he'd think he was currently facing Bigfoot.
But this man was the current headmaster of Rozenfall, known to only listen to his own whims and answer with a fist. At least, on the surface.
Xian strode toward them. The hall remained empty, no other soul in sight. After all, he was the 'first' to finish this year's entrance exam.
It was an achievement to be honored and rewarded, not just with prestige but also benefits, granted by the headmaster himself. Even more so, if the entrant put on an incredible show that satisfied a particular individual.
That individual being, Astor, who watched from behind the scenes, following along the struggles of entrants listed as the 'Top Contenders', a list gathered by information sources seen by eyes all around the world.
Either to make a bet, to keep track of future potential, and sometimes, to check on their rival enemies. The bet was a fun show for those who liked to see competitions and had nothing better to do with money, secretly ushered and funded by the headmaster himself.
His eyes might be glued to the top contenders, but surely, a dark horse was much more of an attractive entertainment to his tastes.
"Hoho, Welcome to Rozenfall, child! You did well making it here before anyone else, out of the roughly 1800 entrants!" Astor's gaze brimmed with excitement and curiosity as it fell on Xian. Aleandro simply let his gaze wander downward as if unconcerned and Vica wore a faint helpless smile.
"To meet the legendary figure and very foundation of the academy himself, the pleasure is all mine." Xian bowed, fully embodying his butler mode. Much like authoritative figures such as Carmillia, Astor was no better even though he appeared to be more laid back and informal.
"Oh? Hehe, the duke has some wonderful subordinates huh? I think you should ditch him and be my daughter's butler instead! Hahaha!" Then he elbowed the girl beside him and spoke with a playful grin. "You seemed to like my daughter more, leering at her up and down. Vica, isn't such a bold man, interesting?"
'The heck…' Xian didn't expect the headmaster to be this blatant and was unable to respond. When he played as the protagonist, their interactions were mostly serious and distant, concealing this streak of mischief.
He had nearly forgotten that the man was infamous for his extreme reactions whenever his only daughter was involved.
As for gazing all over her body… Xian couldn't help it. Vica was one of the 'mature' sub-heroines he admired in the game but was never able to experience, because he was too busy clearing other heroine's routes.
"Stop jesting, headmaster. Entrants will soon fill this place. We shouldn't waste this child's time, he must be tired." She turned to Xian.
"Please ignore what our esteemed headmaster just said. He is like this sometimes due to age." Vica's tone was soothing and friendly as she stepped forward to meet Xian's eyes directly.
"I'm Vica, the Chancellor of this academy and this old man's daughter." She held out her arm for a handshake that Xian slowly took, wary of the headmaster.
From her other hand, she held a rolled certificate and a dark, gold-rimmed card, which she placed in Xian's grasp.
"As of this day, you are a student of Rozenfall, the first placer of the 146th batch entrance examination." Xian held the black card and certificate given to him, while Vica busily tried to pin an emblem on his collar herself.
"You're not wearing your uniform yet, but here's your pin. Put it on your uniform later when the classes start okay?" She smiled at Xian whose sense of smell was assaulted by the wafting sweet scent of perfume she wore. A golden pin embedded with a crown was placed in his butler uniform's collar.
"There, you are now officially a student of Rozenfall."
"Thank you."
"Alright that's enough, it's my turn now, my dear daughter." The large man gently picked Vica out of the way like a doll.
He glared fiercely at Xian before taking out a golden key. "Do you know what this key signifies?" The headmaster asked.
"No."
"I don't believe you." He squinted his eyes, gaze filled with suspicion. "That duke must've briefed you about this place." Astor said with a pouting expression.
But Xian really didn't know. Though he assumed that it was the key for the academy's treasure vault, to be opened only by the 'top three' entrants of the examination as a gesture of congratulations. In the game, a list of treasure would conveniently appear on the screen where the player was free to choose any one item. After taking the treasure, the scene cut to the gathered entrants and speech of the headmaster.
"Here, take it! But only the first level of the academy's treasure vault will be opened haha!"
"… Can I exchange this reward for something else?"
Vica and the headmaster looked at each other in bewilderment.
"You don't want the treasures in the vault?"
"No." Xian was tempted, but right now, an item he longed for was much more important than any treasure in a level 1 vault.
"Hm, that's strange. What do you want then? Just a heads up but if you push your luck and say something like my daughter's hand…" The surroundings rumbled as the headmaster made an attempt to oppress Xian.
"Father! Why are you still messing around!" Vica's voice cracked with exasperation.
Xian's [Defiance] activated instinctively, helping him withstand the crushing aura.
Of course, pressure from a being like the headmaster, was not something he could even withstand half or even a quarter of.
Xian grunted as he momentarily lost balance and dropped to one knee, his head involuntarily lowered and he saw beads of sweat falling on the ground.
"Oh? You're resisting me?" Astor raised his eyebrows. He wanted to test the extent and worth of this special individual with Renedon's persistent recommendation and sponsorship. Little did Xian know, that several key individuals of the academy were watching this farce right now.
"I—! I would never!" Xian barely coughed up a response.
'Renedon doesn't disappoint.' Astor had a grin behind his thick flowing beard. Just now, he had intended to make Xian faint and to be taken care of properly later on, giving him and Vica time to know more about this student.
The pressure subsided and Xian was finally able to catch his breath. He didn't expect to experience the 'oppression' of a strong individual this soon. Xian promised to fix his habit of getting mesmerized with heroines at first sight, the way he gazed at Vica might've provoked the headmaster to pressure him.
"Hmph. Alright, tell me what you want. I hope you now know what line not to cross."
They listened to Xian's request and were once again bewildered.
"I wish to pick and choose items from the headmaster's office."
Astor and Vica's minds spun, trying to figure out the reason why Xian asked for such a reward. While the headmaster's office was open to guests and students, it was strange to choose one of the items inside there.
All that Astor left in that office was a bunch of paperwork and random junk he couldn't even remember.
"Alright. But no peeking or touching the documents." The headmaster permitted it in the end.
With his permission, the little farce had ended. Because Xian didn't take the key to the academy's vault, Vica had to guide him to the much farther headmaster's office instead.
The fact that Vica would be alone with him made Astor fume inside and he gestured to Xian, pointing at his own two eyes and then to him. Meaning that Astor was watching at all times.
'Those pitiful guys…' He thought of Carmillia and whoever comes next to face the fuming headmaster.
The journey to the headmaster's office was a lengthy one, due to the size of the academy. They used an elevating platform to get around the higher floors. In the game, the interior of the elevator wasn't even drawn, his screen just faded to black and voilà. He's on a different floor.
"Pardon me but, if it's not too rude to ask? How did Xian end up as the butler of the Duke's Daughter?" Vica spoke his name casually with familiarity like they were long-term acquaintances.
Hearing that, Xian thought that they likely checked his background at the last minute. The academy didn't hide that fact either, as a clear background was needed to be admitted for most people anyways.
He didn't mind it either way, if they could find information about this body, it would even be helpful. Glancing at her, he observed her current affection score.
[GRAY: 60]
"I'm sorry, but I can't provide an answer to that." Honestly, he wanted to find out too. He was surely using the protagonist, Adrian Wylert to navigate the estate's surroundings. How and when it changed into the body he had now was a mystery.
"I see, that's unfortunate." Vica thought it was a shame but didn't insist. She wanted to hear some stories to break the ice between her and this potential top student. They'll be seeing each other plenty of times in the academy after all.
Soon, they stood in front of imposing doors to the headmaster's office, accented with wood patterns and chiseled surfaces. Due to the headmaster's massive frame, the door was almost as big as a small city gate that guardsmen would raise and lower.
Still, Vica easily pushed it open, sliding smoothly regardless of its weight, then gestured for Xian to come.
Inside, Xian briefly looked around and walked over to a rather inconspicuous spot in the room without hesitation. Vica was surprised to find him standing before the headmaster's junk pile as though he knew its location from the start. Although the items there were consumables, their value paled in comparison to any treasures in the academy's vault.
'Just what is he thinking?' She watched Xian rummage carefully, afraid to break something.
'Finally. My favorite item.' He was holding the Glimpse Lens. A permanent item that when worn, can show the information and potential of characters.
The reason why it ended up in the junk pile was its worn-down design and the fact that it couldn't work due to the headmaster's level of strength. It was quite a brittle and sensitive item after all.
A faint grin spread on his lips that baffled Vica even more. She didn't even remember whose glasses those were.
Although he said one item, while he's at it, he hoarded several high-quality potions lying around in the junk pile. Vica silently watched with interest and didn't stop him.
"That's all I need." Satisfied, Xian turned to Vica and spoke. "We can leave now."
"Alright let's go then." Vica held the door and twisted the knob halfway, but paused. They stood for a while in silence, confusing Xian.
"Ms. Vica?"
"Say, I have another question." Turning around, she gazed at Xian with a somewhat dangerous glint.
"!" It startled Xian who had his guard down and he was swept away by Vica, who swiftly spun around and pinned him on the wall.
'Isn't she a magic class? Why is she so strong?'
Just then, Vica brought her lips close to his ears and whispered. Due to his height, she had to lean and press her chest slightly against his body, making both of them feel each other's heat.
"Earlier, father asked if you were really leering at my body and if you were after me." Each word she spoke came with a mist of hot breath tingling Xian's neck.
"Were you really?" She spoke with a teasing tone and barely concealed smiled.
Xian knew Vica as a prim and proper heroine, who filled the role of someone who acted rationally whenever those around her were messing around. The way she's acting right now confused him greatly.
"… it was just a careless mistake. If Ms. Vica is angry, I'll accept any punishment you have." However, Xian's other head wasn't filled by the fear of punishment. Such close contact with the opposite sex was taking a toll in his mind.
Vica purposely pressed her legs between Xian and tightened her hold.
"But you answered that you would never… Do you mean it?" She spoke with a gloomy expression and continued. "Would you really never?" Her eyes became slightly moist with tears, as if she were truly hurt by that statement.
'This is absurd!' Xian knew that Vica is trying to seduce him, but he couldn't figure out her motive for doing so. The way she acted is far from the character he knew.
However, he understood that everyone might as well be two-faced among the major and side characters in this academy. This was only the tip of the iceberg and the lengths that they will go to for their objective.
"I lied." For now, Xian gave the answer she seemed to want.