Leon did not get the time to have breakfast.

It was not that the classes were starting too soon. He still had nearly half an hour left, and it was not that he was not hungry either.

His stomach made that clear the moment he stood up. He just wanted to reach the class before everyone else.

Wearing his Eclipse uniform, Leon buttoned his coat properly and slid his glasses into place. After a brief glance around his dorm room, he stepped outside the building.

The lecture hall for Class S was only about ten minutes away.

Leon walked onto the main road that led straight toward the classroom building.

The morning was bright, just like it always was. Sunlight filtered through the trees lining the path, casting long shadows on the stone road.

Students from different years walked in small groups. Some laughed loudly, some whispered among themselves, others argued about trivial things.

It was the usual sight in Eclipse.

Leon adjusted his glasses and walked at a steady pace.

"Let's see what classes I have today…" he murmured.

He pulled out a thin metal slip from his pocket. The surface had all the weekly schedules displayed in proper manner.

Leon scanned through it quickly before closing it again.

"Professor Esther first," he said quietly. "Then… weapon mastery."

He nodded twice.

Leon had rarely attended weapon mastery classes until now. Most of the time, he either skipped them or treated them very lightly.

'I need to be consistent,' he thought.

Even as a research scholar with countless privileges, Leon had no intention of wasting the opportunity Eclipse Institute provided.

The professors here were among the best in the whole wide world.

And right now, improving his weapon mastery mattered the most.

'According to my sister, my movements become repetitive over time…'

Leon exhaled softly.

As someone who had never held a sword in his previous life, this was his first real experience with weapon combat. Being taught directly by Lumina, the greatest swordmaster in history, had given him an absurd advantage.

He had learned two sword style techniques from her.

But there was a problem.

Those techniques worked properly only when he wielded the Moonblade.

Leon's gaze dropped briefly toward his waist, where a plain white sword rested in its sheath.

Without the Moonblade, he could not reproduce the techniques to their full effect.

Yet Lumina had been able to perform the same moves even with a battered, ordinary sword of Leon.

"I am still too far," Leon muttered, realizing it.

Soon, he stepped inside the academy building dedicated to S rank students.

The hallway was quiet this early morning. His footsteps echoed softly as he walked in a straight path.

Leon stopped in front of the Year 1 Class S room and pushed the door open.

The classroom was empty.

"No one's here…?" he said quietly.

They were probably still on their way.

Leon walked toward the back row on the right side, towards his usual seat beside Ethan's. He sat down, placed his belongings neatly to the side, and rested his chin on his hand.

His gaze drifted toward the large board at the front of the room.

'It feels like I just returned from a long holiday,' he thought.

And yet, it had only been two or three days.

"Yaaawn…" Leon yawned.

"It's so quiet."

Rumi remained silent.

Leon knew she would only speak when asked or when it was absolutely necessary. Otherwise, she preferred to observe in silence.

He had no complaints about that.

This world was still new to her. After losing her memories during that incident, Rumi now saw the world entirely through Leon's understanding. She knew everything Leon knew. The system, the game design, the demons, Ethan, and even herself.

Leon closed his eyes briefly.

'Rumi,' he asked inside his mind, 'you can hear my thoughts, right?'

There was a short pause.

Then her sweet voice answered calmly.

'Only when you allow me to read them.'

Leon opened his eyes slowly.

That was right.

She always asked for permission before reading his mind.

And without it, she would not dare intrude even once. And the main thing was, just like her, Leon could read her thoughts and memories too, but for that to happen he too needed her permissions.

He asked for her permission, and tried reading her old memories, but all Leon could see was empty void except for his own memories.

'I wonder what she would think after seeing Eula?' Leon wondered.

'Although he already knew the answer, still it would be interesting to see how Eula would react reuniting with her elder sister's spirit bond.

Leon stretched his arms lightly and leaned back in his chair.

During lunch break, he would go see her.

Eula usually spent most of her free time in the library, buried between stacks of books that most students never even touched.

And now, Leon no longer needed to take precautions when meeting her in public.

It was already common knowledge.

Eula Lunovar had taken a royal stance for him.

That single decision had changed many things within Eclipse. For Leon, it made things considerably easier. He no longer had to worry about being seen with her, nor did he need to carefully plan their meetings like before.

To outsiders, any interaction between them would simply look like discussions related to her stance, her future role, or politics.

No one would suspect anything deeper.

Of course, Leon would still cast a silent barrier whenever they talked about sensitive matters, such as Geo politics, Twilight Order, demons, etc. Those were not things meant for wandering ears.

But to everyone else, it would look clean.

Leon suddenly snorted.

"Pfttt… hahaha…"

He covered his mouth lightly, realizing he had laughed out loud.

The image of Eula's fan club losing their minds flashed through his head.

All the nobles, those who had tried their shot with her, and especially Rowan.

'That guy is going to hate me even more now,' Leon thought, amused.

Too bad.

Leon was not letting her go that easily.

Leon's smile slowly faded into something calmer.

He had plans for her.

And until those plans were complete, he would not allow her to be harmed.

Even if it took years.

But first…

'I need to save her from dying.'

Her ending was drawing closer. After two or three major arcs, Eula would be cornered in unavoidable circumstances.

But, Leon would not let that happen.

He had already delayed it once by diverting the Vallahail case, preventing Twilight Order from being dragged into that web too early.

It bought her time.

But time alone was not enough for that one particular event.

"Oh, you are early."

A familiar voice snapped Leon out of his thoughts.

He straightened slightly and turned his head toward the door.

Ethan was walking in.

Leon blinked once, then smiled.

"Hmm, how are you doing Ethan, I rarely see you these days."

Ethan's eyes twitched after hearing this.

"You got some nerve saying this to me."

Leon chuckled.

"What? I have a solid reason for my absence, you know."

"Yeah right," Ethan replied flatly as he took the seat beside him.

He dropped his belongings down and leaned back, rubbing his neck.

Leon shrugged lightly.

"Guess I felt motivated today."

Ethan gave him a long look.

"…That's even more suspicious."

Leon smiled faintly, resting his chin on his hand as he stared toward the front of the classroom.

Ethan followed his gaze for a moment, then glanced back at Leon.

"…By the way," Ethan said casually, though his eyes were sharp. "A day back, you revealed your Light affinity in Tiara Town. Could you tell me the reason?"

Leon did not react much. He just nodded once.

"That's correct," he replied. "It's because the Demon God's vessel forced my hand to do it."

Ethan's expression stiffened.

"…I know that,, but what's eating me was…" he repeated slowly. "Couldn't your sister handle a mere vessel herself? She was nearby, and I still find that strange."

Leon narrowed his eyes at him, studying his expression. He let out a quiet breath.

"She could," he said. "But the situation escalated faster than expected."

Ethan leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on the desk.

"Till now," he continued, lowering his voice, "only the King knew about my Light affinity. And after that day, he knows about you too."

Leon didn't deny it.

"Believe me," he said calmly. "The situation made me do it."

Ethan stayed silent for a second, then spoke again, this time more seriously.

"I know you're smart, Leon," he said. "But be careful of the King."

It was a warning.

Leon finally turned his head and looked at him.

For a brief moment, he saw something burning in Ethan's eyes. He didn't understand what it was…

Leon shrugged lightly.

"Don't worry," he replied. "That bastard of a king didn't do shit to me."

Ethan nearly choked.

"Hey now," he hissed, glancing around the room. "Watch your tongue. That person is still the King."

Leon waved his hand dismissively.

"Don't worry," he repeated. "That bastard failed miserably."

"…Hey, be careful with how you speak," Ethan muttered, then sighed. "Oh well, with the second princess sticking with you, I think you will be fine."

Leon chuckled. "That's true, I still can't believe she took this bold step for me."

Ethan raised his eyebrows in a teasing tone, "Okay, I get it now, you are after the elder sist—"

"No way." Leon cut his words.

"Hahaha… I am just joking, anyways, from what I heard, the second princess is a bit rebellious."

"You heard all of it correctly."

Then Leon stopped.

His gaze lingered on Ethan's face for a fraction longer than necessary.

And out of nowhere, a thought crossed his mind.

It was an impossible one.

'Did the King manipulate Ethan too?'

Memory alteration was possible for the king. He even altered all the memories of all the witnesses of Charlotte's death.

"..."

But, Leon immediately discarded it.

'No. Not possible. That would be crazy.'

Everbright was watching over Ethan too closely. That bastard would never dare lay a finger on him.

But even so…

'Then why didn't Everbright warn Ethan about the king, and made him stay away from him?'

Leon's thoughts slowed. 'From what it's known from the story line, Ethan was still listening to the king.'

Or maybe, he already knew, and just didn't let it show on his face.

He connected fragments of small to large incidents that had happened till now. Leon also connected to his future knowledge of the game.

Ethan was still unaware of his relationship with Everbright. So, Ethan was not aware that Everbright is keeping an eye on him.

'What am I missing…?' Leon racked his brain, and in an instant, a puzzle connected instantly. '

"…?!"

A chill ran down Leon's spine.

His fingers curled unconsciously in a fist.

'No way!'

Leon swallowed hard after his discovery.

"What happened?" Ethan asked, noticing the change in his expression.

Leon did not answer him.

Instead, his thoughts spiraled.

'Am I the one who was supposed to prevent this happening to Ethan?'

Everbright and Silvermoon were vengeance sisters. They could communicate freely.

And if Everbright adored Ethan this much…

Leon would not be surprised if she requested Silvermoon to nudge Veronica. To let Leon take center stage instead of Ethan.

To let Leon reveal his light.

That way, the King's attention would split from Ethan, to Leon.

'Ah… fucking hell.'

Leon almost laughed.

He rubbed his face lightly.

'Some S+ intelligence I have.'

If that was true…

Then Leon receiving Light affinity was not an accident.

It was a preparation set by Everbright.

And if so…

Then those two Calamities were aware of Haru's transmigration.

And if they were aware…

Leon's lips curved into a bitter smile.

'I'm getting played.'

At that moment, the classroom door slid open.

A familiar figure wearing an irritating expression wearing a rough uniform walked in yawning.

Leon's eyes met her ruby red eyes.

Alice blinked when she spotted Leon inside the classroom.

And when she saw him seated at the very back, beside Ethan, instead of going to her usual seat, she walked straight toward him and took the seat right next to him.

"..."

"..."

"..."

The three stared at each other.

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