Everyone gathered. And so the main part of the banquet began.
Emperor Alerion Valmir stood at the center of the hall. An imposing figure—around 190 cm tall, a confident posture, the presence of someone used to unquestioned obedience. His dark crimson hair and bright red eyes immediately marked him as imperial blood.
He began speaking. An official speech, ceremonial, empty. I only half-listened. Such things didn't matter.
My gaze drifted across the hall instead. That was far more important. People. Their names. Their futures. Their roles in the story.
Beside the emperor stood her—the main figure of this evening.
Princess Eleris Valmir.
Her hair was crimson-red, vivid like flame under the chandelier light. Her eyes matched it—bright, sharp, alive. She was slightly over 165 cm tall. Her build wasn't fragile, but not muscular either—balanced, athletic, like someone who trained regularly without turning it into obsession.
The perfect princess. Almost an ideal standard.
But not just a symbol of the throne. A battle mage.
Battle mages are those who prioritize fast-casting spells while also developing aura as a secondary system. Unlike me, where aura is the primary focus, they are more flexible… though I still try to maintain balance.
I continued scanning the hall.
Another important figure.
Mia Solarin.
A textbook fire-mage heroine: red hair, red eyes, sharp temper. Around 175 cm tall, athletic build. A classic "tsundere fire mage" archetype if viewed from the story's perspective.
Her main focus is large-scale spells with long casting time.
Adam's first heroine.
I don't care. She can handle herself. Not important enough for me to waste attention on.
Next.
Toren Servalin.
Nearly two meters tall. A walking mountain of muscle. Dark hair, heavy gaze.
Stronger than me. A simple fact I registered without emotion.
Strange… I keep noticing all my classmates. But it makes sense—they were all described in the original story.
Sigvard Helm.
A spear user from a ducal house. 175+ cm tall, brown hair, brown eyes. Nothing special. Standard "future strong side character."
I kept scanning.
Jian Lei.
A name that doesn't belong here. Too foreign for this world. Adopted son of the Tianlei Sect leader.
Their style focuses on fast sword thrusts, without relying on momentum buildup like my Storm Steps.
Blue hair, matching eyes, lean yet defined body. Extremely low body fat—nearly perfect combat conditioning.
In terms of strength, we are roughly equal. A 50–50 match in pure combat. With magic, I win more often. But in the academy, his growth will be rapid… too rapid.
The emperor's speech finally ended.
And then I noticed him.
Damian Croft.
The so-called "friend" of Viren.
The one who introduced him to drugs. Later destined to become a demon contractor.
Save him?
Pointless. No talent, no value. A waste of time.
He was walking straight toward me.
— Viren, long time no see, — he greeted with a fake smile.
— Indeed.
My reply was flat.
— So, maybe we hang out again sometime?
I knew exactly what he meant.
— No, thanks. I quit. Training is my priority now.
His smile tightened slightly.
— You can't just abandon your friends like that. That's not like you.
Pressure.
A slight headache hit me.
Mental interference. The contract is already in place.
I exhaled slowly.
— I'm not abandoning anyone. I'm just prioritizing.
Short. Controlled. Emotionless.
Damian clicked his tongue in irritation but held himself back.
Then he left.
I watched him go without relief. Only irritation remained.
People like him always get in the way.
Because of that conversation, I drew attention from others—but only briefly. Soon enough, they lost interest.
"Second Rank already?" their gazes seemed to say.
I didn't care.
Later, the dancing began.
I stayed to the side.
Drank, observed, analyzed.
Two hours passed almost unnoticed—formal exchanges, empty smiles, social games without meaning.
By the end of the evening, fatigue had built up. Not physical—mental.
Too many people. Too much noise. Too many meaningless interactions.
Finally, the banquet ended.
We returned to the estate late at night.
I went to sleep almost immediately, feeling the day slowly sink into darkness.