CHAPTER 40: FAME IS INCREASING

After I finished my little villain arc on stage, I strolled through the academy corridors, still riding the high of triggering a full-blown identity crisis in half the noble population.

My fingers toyed with the North Star badge pinned to my chest as I walked.

This badge wasn’t just a shiny piece of metal.

It was everything.

The perks that came with it were insane. Most importantly, I didn’t have to pay a single coin in tuition as long as I held the title. Free education at the best academy in the empire? That alone would’ve made anyone cry with joy.

But it didn’t stop there.

If I remembered the novel right, Redmane — the original North Star — was given a monthly allowance of ten thousand crans.

Ten. Thousand.

Crans were the official currency of the Pendragon Empire. One cran was roughly equal to one U.S. dollar back on Earth.

So yeah, do the math.

For someone like me, who had spent most of his life digging through trash bins for stale bread, this badge was more than just a title.

It was freedom.

It was survival.

It was a second chance.

And I wasn’t about to let it go.

Eventually, I reached the administrative wing. It was the quietest place I had seen all day.

Located in the central region of the academy, it gave off serious vibes.

Behind a wide wooden desk sat an old man with round glasses and a permanent frown etched into his face. He looked like someone who’d worked here since the empire’s founding and hated every second of it.

As I approached, he didn’t even bother looking up.

"Name?" he asked, voice dry and bored.

"Loki Moe Lester," I said, with the confidence of a man who had no shame left to lose.

That got his attention.

His eyes lifted. His mouth twitched like he was trying to decide if he’d heard me wrong or if the world was just getting worse by the hour.

"...You’re serious?"

"Unfortunately."

He blinked, sighed, then started rummaging through a stack of envelopes and neatly folded uniforms stacked behind the desk.

Then his gaze landed on the badge pinned to my chest. His eyes went wide.

"You’re the North Star? The best of this generation has Moe Lester as his last name?"

I just smiled.

He froze for a second, then slumped back into his chair with a noise halfway between a groan and a prayer. Muttering about the decline of civilization, he shuffled through the stack until he pulled out a crisp black envelope and handed it to me.

"Rising Star Dormitory," he said, like the words physically pained him. "It’s along 27th Lane."

I took the envelope with a polite nod and turned to leave.

According to the orientation schedule, after collecting our dorm keys, we were supposed to gather in small groups for a guided tour of the academy.

The meeting point?

That was conveniently written in the file, of course.

I glanced at the location of our meeting and started heading that way.

***

Soon after, I arrived at the meeting point near the academy gates.

Students began gathering around, all waiting for the guide who was supposed to show us around. But something felt off.

They were keeping their distance from me.

Some glared outright, like I’d done something unforgivable.

And the girls?

They looked at me like I was some creep lurking in the shadows. A stalker, almost.

It took me a moment to click.

Ah. Right.

The name.

I have registered myself as Loki Moe Lester.

In my defense, it was funny at the time. A little self-inflicted chaos never hurt anyone, right?

Apparently, it hurt my reputation.

A low voice drawled from as Nyx appeared beside me. I had already informed the administrative office and had permission to keep this little furball.

"Remind me again..." Nyx muttered. "Why exactly did you choose to brand yourself as a serial creeper?"

"It’s pronounced Moh-leh-stair," I said, straight-faced. "It’s Elvish."

Nyx snorted, the sound more insult than a laugh. "Elvish, huh? Did the Elves also specialize in public humiliation?"

"I’ll have you know," I replied, adjusting my collar with great dignity, "that in ancient Elvish culture, Moe Lester was a revered title. Worn only by the wisest of mystics."

"Oh yes, I’m sure they were very well-known," Nyx said, curling his tail around his paws as he sat beside my boots. "Mostly in the wanted posters."

I crouched slightly so only he could hear. "Look, I needed to stand out. It was either this or Darkflame Doomslayer the Third."

Nyx tilted his head. "Why not just go with a normal name?"

I paused.

"...Too boring."

"You’re unbelievable."

"I try to be."

A girl walked past us, clutching her bag like it held anti-creep spray. She whispered something to her friend, who glanced at me and visibly flinched.

Nyx’s ears twitched. "They think you’re the reason they have emergency alarms installed on campus."

"Well," I said, straightening, "if people are going to assume the worst, the least I can do is own it."

"You named yourself Moe Lester."

"Exactly. If they fear me, they won’t try to mess with me. Psychological warfare."

Nyx stared up at me, blinking slowly like he was reconsidering every decision that led to this moment. "You’re not a war general. You’re a scholarship student with poor impulse control."

"And yet," I said, proudly tapping the badge on my chest, "I’m the one with ten thousand crans a month and a penthouse dorm."

"...At what cost, Loki?"

I didn’t answer.

Because that was when the guide finally arrived.

A tall upperclassman in a pressed uniform, with a smile too perfect to be genuine.

The type who probably smiled while delivering bad news and still got applauded for it.

His gaze swept across the group, then landed on me.

His smile twitched.

"...You must be Loki."

The crowd subtly stepped further away from me, as if confirming the guide’s suspicions.

I nodded, offering my most polite grin. "In the flesh."

His eyes flicked to Nyx.

Then back to my badge.

Then—hesitantly—to my name on the roster.

"...Right," he said, clearing his throat. "Well then... welcome, everyone! I’ll be your guide for today. Follow me, and please stay close. Especially you, Mister... Moe."

"Lester," I corrected with a wink. "But you can call me ’Star.’"

Nyx groaned.

The tour had officially begun.

And somehow, I was already the academy’s biggest urban legend.