Azriel walked toward his homeroom classroom, his expression as icy as ever.

As usual, he had been assigned as the homeroom professor for Class A, the class reserved for the top thirty students.

Since official rankings hadn't been established yet, the temporary class placements were based entirely on the orientation results, just like the dorm assignments.

Once the full evaluations were complete, the classes would be rearranged.

But right now, none of that mattered.

Because one particular student was bugging at the back of his mind.

"Rael Von Ashborn."

Azriel greeted his teeth the moment the name crossed his thoughts but he was a professional. He knew better than to let personal feelings interfere with his duties.

Still… every time he remembered the way his Goddess Morvana had looked at that Rael… His anger threatened to break through all over again.

Even on the very first day, when his Goddess had ordered him to summon that filthy human, Azriel had deliberately teleported Rael directly onto Morvana's lap.

He knew exactly how much she despised being touched by any male.

He expected her disgust to crush whatever curiosity she held for the boy.

But none of it worked.

And the moment Rael finished his entrance test, the day he was chosen as the successor of the Demon King, Azriel saw him walk out of Morvana's office with a smile on his face.

That was the day Azriel realized his plan hadn't just failed…

It had backfired.

He had once been a student of this academy himself… and he had admired Morvana even back then.

He knew she belonged to the Demon King, everyone knew, but that never stopped him.

He was determined to grow stronger than the Demon King someday, to free his Goddess from that fate, to stand by her side.

That was the dream that carried him.

He reached S-Rank at the record age of twenty-four, then took a position at this academy just to stay close to her…

And now some nobody, some filthy human, had the audacity to hover around her, to steal her attention, her smile and her curiosity.

How was he not supposed to be angry?

Especially since that filthy human was using Arza to get close to his Goddess?

Just then, he reached his classroom and instantly slipped back into his cold, controlled professor persona.

His eyes shifted across the room.

Twenty-nine students.

One missing.

The moment he registered that, a small smile appeared at the corner of his lips.

He looked at the clock on the wall…

There were barely five minutes left before class officially began and Rael Von Ashborn was nowhere in sight.

Perfect.

He couldn't allow his personal feelings to interfere in his professional duties because doing so would disappoint his Goddess.

But a late student could be punished however he found appropriate.

And Rael just happened to be late.

Azriel stepped toward the podium with calm, measured steps, every movement controlled… yet he couldn't control the satisfaction in his eyes.

He opened the attendance list and began calling out each name one by one, deliberately saving Rael's for last.

"Viola Von Astravore."

"Present."

"Noah Ashen Noctharion."

"Present."

…

…

"Sylvie."

"Present."

…

"Arthur Drakenheart."

"Present."

…

…

"Arza Ashen Noctharion."

"Present."

Azriel's expression never shifted but the excitement as the name of that filthy human closed in was undeniable.

One by one, the names echoed through the room until only two remained.

"Alden Drakhal Redspire."

"Present."

Finally.

Azriel's anticipation reached its peak as he spoke the cursed name he had been waiting for.

"Rael Von Ashborn."

He called it knowing full well no answer would come.

Thirty seconds left before class officially began.

So he called the name again.

"Rael Von Ashborn."

Silence.

For a moment, Azriel allowed himself to imagine the perfect punishment for that filthy human but before the thought could fully bloom….

CRACK!!!!

The window cracked with a sharp sound slicing through the room, as something golden shot through it like a blur.

But Azriel saw it clearly with his sharpened senses.

A card?

It was a card depicting a man standing beneath an infinity symbol.

And right in front of Azriel's eyes, the card erupted into green flames, the fire stretched outward, expanding across the air like it was alive.

Azriel didn't move.

He could feel those flames were harmless.

"Present."

"Present."

A mischievous voice echoed from within the emerald fire as a boy with black hair and crimson eyes stepped out with a devilish grin like it was tailor-made for him.

His white cloak fluttered behind him dramatically as if it was being paid extra to make it do that.

Azriel was shocked for a moment before his eyes immediately moved towards the clock.

Only one second remained before class would have officially begun…

…just one single second before Azriel could have punished the boy standing in front of him for being late.

One second between Rael and the justice Azriel had been fantasizing about.

"Hope I'm not late, professor," Rael said, his smile stretching even wider.

Azriel controlled his anger, he was a professor, after all.

"No. You. Are. Definitely. Not. Late."

He said each word deliberately slow.

"Take your seat."

"Thank God," Rael sighed dramatically, walking toward a seat in the center row at the very back… with that same irritating smile plastered across his face as if he hadn't just shattered a classroom window and made an entrance like some magical delinquent.

—

[Rael's POV]

Phew… barely made it.

After that lunatic woman wasted my precious time, I already knew my chances of arriving on time were slim.

Still, I wasn't the type to give up.

I sprinted through the academy like a man possessed, tracing the mana threads leading toward the classroom building while navigating that ridiculous maze.

But just as the building came into view…

I spotted Azriel through a window on the first floor. He was standing at the podium, already taking attendance.

And that was the moment enlightenment hit me.

I knew there was no way I would make it if I went through the front entrance like a normal student, then hunted for my class like a lost puppy.

So, I decided to use a shortcut and that was to use my Card of Arcana to make a dramatic entrance…

And I succeeded with barely a second left…

So yeah, I considered it a success.

But the moment I actually sat down, I could feel all kinds of stares but three specific glares felt like someone had just pressed knives against my neck.

The first one was exactly who I expected— Viola.

She was sitting in the second row, turned halfway in her seat, glaring back at me like she was ready to snap my spine in half.

I ignored her.

She had been like that ever since I got officially engaged to Arza and flashed her the rings. She accepted it, sure… but she was furious I didn't invite her.

And the second glare was from…

Azriel.

That bastard was staring at me from the podium, expression perfectly calm… but I swear I could feel him chopping me into a hundred pieces in his head.

His bloodlust was thick enough for me to see visuals.

I still had no idea why that bastard was angry at me in the first place.

Still, I had already expected these two but I was confused about the third one.

Who else wants me dead now?

I slowly turned my head to the left, right beside the window I had just shattered.

Sitting there was a boy with golden hair and cold blue eyes. Two pure white horns curled around his head like a crown.

He was absolutely decorated in tiny glass shards… and glaring at me like I had personally ruined his entire bloodline.

I watched the pen in his hand snap in half as his frown deepened even further.

Great.

Just what I needed.

I recognised the boy immediately because those blonde hair and white horns were like a symbol in itself.

That bastard was Alden Drakhal Redspire or more popularly known as The Son of Dragon Emperor.

Still, I averted my gaze immediately because no matter how pissed he looked, that guy wasn't the type to pull any stupid nonsense.

He was a man of principle.

If he wanted to fight, he would challenge me outright.

So I didn't bother giving him another glance.

Because, in simple words… that bastard was a pushover.

Just on the first official day of class… I ran into a nutcase martial artist woman.

Made a dramatic and borderline-illegal entrance.

Pissed off the professor for reasons unknown.

And somehow managed to piss off the Dragon Prince too.

Perfect.

What more could I possibly ask for?

"Good morning, class." Azriel's cold voice echoed through the silence. "I will be your Homeroom Professor for this year… and also your instructor for Mana Application class."

He didn't blink.

"Since this is the first day, I won't go too deep into theory just yet and instead, I will show you a practical demonstration."

Oh no.

Oh no no no.

"For that, I will need a volunteer."

Fuck.

I already knew exactly where this was going.

I prayed that he wouldn't say it.

And right on cue,

"Rael Ashborn… would you mind coming to the front to help me demonstrate the basic mana application theory since you were the last to arrive in class and also broke the window?"

His face was blank and emotionless as stone.

But somehow…

I could see him smiling.

And I could feel the day was just getting started.

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