Heh.

I barely held back a grin as my lips parted.

This—right here—was exactly why I wanted Ceres beside me.

Alright, let me break it down for anyone still confused.

Aurhea Aurel, the actual Student Council President herself, had personally shown up to see me.

Yeah.

After the whole Dungeon Incident… after Nicodemus's rampage and that disturbing revelation, I ended up in a coma from sheer exhaustion.

By the time I came to, it was over. Done. Tied up with a neat little bow.

I was back at the academy, but let's not pretend things just went back to normal.

The entire place was still humming with tension—weeks later. Whispers, theories, paranoia. The aftershocks were everywhere.

Investigations were well underway.

Every first-year cadet involved was being picked apart and interrogated. No exceptions.

Including me.

Even while I was still admitted to the clinic, a steady stream of people kept showing up—lecturers, representatives from the Disciplinary Council, Cadet Affairs, outside investigators… you name it.

All wanting answers. All asking the same tired questions.

It was standard protocol, sure. Nothing excessive, considering the scale of the incident.

Tiring? Definitely. But understandable.

Still, I gave them a textbook response. Said the same thing to every single one of them.

The truth.

At least, from my perspective.

Even then, I was told I'd probably have to meet the Student Council eventually—for further questioning.

Troublesome, yeah. But I wasn't worried.

I was airtight.

All my statements lined up with everyone else's. No contradictions. No gaps. No cracks to poke through.

I was already more than halfway in the clear.

Just a few more rounds of the same questions, repeat the same answers I'd already memorized—

And I'd be done.

Free.

Right?

That's what I thought.

Then I found out I'd been Branded.

The Curse Mark I hadn't even realized was there until yesterday… meant I was now carrying another secret.

Before, I could at least claim ignorance. Technically, I wasn't lying. I didn't know.

But now?

Now I was fully, painfully aware of the Karma etched into my left palm.

And that changed everything.

Still, maybe it wasn't all bad.

At least I knew. Which meant I could hide it—carefully—before the Academy ever found out.

Because if Aegis found out?

Phew.

Let's just say I'd be finished.

It wouldn't matter how clean my testimony was, or how well it matched everyone else's.

No one would care once they realized I was harboring a reincarnating Demon inside my body.

But at the same time… no one had realized.

Not even me.

I'd spent weeks in the clinic, subjected to tests, scans, magical evaluations—hell, they even ran a Re-assessment using the older standard, just to be sure.

But aside from my allegedly "capped" Talent and Potential, nothing showed up as out of place.

Which meant, technically, I was in the clear.

At least for now… and the unforeseeable future.

So why was I so on edge?

Why, despite all that, did the hairs on the back of my neck refuse to settle?

It's exactly because I know all of this that made the current situation so unnerving.

There was no reason for the Student Council President—Aurhea Aurel herself—to show up before me the way she did today.

It didn't add up.

I couldn't explain it.

And that… that meant there was something I didn't know.

And when you don't know what you don't know?

That's when you're in real danger.

I didn't know much about the Student Council firsthand, but I wasn't stupid.

Thanks to Adrienne, I knew better than to underestimate the kind of power they held.

And not just physical or political power—

Information.

Adrienne had been part of the Council during her time at the Academy.

Not just a member, either.

She was President by the time she hit Third Year.

Yeah.

I know.

Big sis is a legend. Still is.

Smart. Brilliant. Deadly beautiful. And terrifying when she wanted to be.

She was the kind of person you never saw coming—until it was already too late.

But... setting aside how completely awesome and badass Adrienne is— Aurhea showing up personally meant one thing:

There was something I didn't know.

Could be.

Most likely.

I kept my gaze steady on the girl before me—the unnervingly beautiful golden blonde who looked less like a student and more like the physical embodiment of a sun goddess.

Everything about her shimmered with unnatural poise.

Aurhea Aurel radiated presence like a blade gleams under sunlight—sharp, cold, and impossibly difficult to ignore.

Her charm wasn't warm.

It was unyielding.

Polished and perfect, yet still, somehow… predatory.

I didn't know how powerful she truly was.

Didn't want to check either.

Even if I could use Eyes of Discerning, I wasn't about to scan her Rank or Status. Not unless I had a death wish.

Out of everyone in Aegis, she was the one I understood the least.

Which made her the most dangerous.

Paranoid? Maybe.

Far-fetched? Possibly.

But when someone that incomprehensibly overwhelming appears in front of you—for you—with a deceptively serene smile and eyes that seem to pry open every sealed door in your mind…

…and you've got this many things to hide?

It's almost impossible not to think you've been busted.

"No… but I also still haven't."

The thought simmered in the back of my mind.

Because if the Academy—if Aurhea herself—had really seen through me, then why all this?

Why the detour?

Why not just confront me?

Why hadn't I already been politely "invited" to a secure room for further questioning?

Why bring me here?

Why invite me to lunch?

Why waste so much time on empty small talk?

Why let Ceres come with me?

Or more specifically—

Why allow Ceres to tag along?

Was this a setup?

My senses dialed up.

I swept the cafeteria with heightened awareness, every instinct on alert.

Outwardly, I looked calm. Maybe even aloof. But inside, I was coiled tight, every cell on guard since the moment Aurhea said her name.

I couldn't sense anyone tailing us.

Nothing obvious, no sudden spike in mana.

Aside from the stolen glances from the other Cadets, everything looked… normal.

But normal was often where the threat hid best.

If this was an ambush, it either meant —

Whoever was watching me was good. Skilled enough to blend beneath my current level of Perception.

They'd be top-ranked Cadets. Maybe part of the Student Council. Or Student Affairs.

People who could hide in plain sight without even trying.

Or there really weren't any. Aurhea the president herself was more than capable enough to suppress me at sny given time. Could be why she came alone, although that was still overkill.

Aurhea met my gaze. I could swear she perceived the tension in my body and eyes and her smile inched wider like a predator slowly prancing around a captured prey waiting to toy with it—

Before reaching for its neck.

Whatever the case, i couldn't act carelessly. And letting Ceres tag along like this worked advantageously for me.

For now, all i could was speculate the worse — which was, The student council, or Aurhea's having some suspicions at the very most.

If that were the case, then they needed enough substance - evidence perhaps — before all the rights to do anything against me.

This is where bringing along Ceres with me came into play exactly the way i wanted.

Ceres, who could also be considered one of the main contributors of the Incident, had been with me, along with Don, Deandra, and Xavier.

They were my alibi.

Although, I'll admit i had no idea about the already existing tension between Ceres and Aurhea. But at this moment, i was glad for it.

Ceres was actively fulfilling her part in dissuading whatever approaches or assumptions Aurhea was hoping to take at me.

Mhm. She was doing spectacularly well! As expected of my besto friend in the world!

So that was it. This was why i wanted Ceres with me when against Aurhea.

I was glad the enigmatic First ranked Cadet of my year showed up exactly when she did. But frankly, it didn't necessarily had to be Ceres.

Even Xavier, Deandra, and probably even Chelsea and Alexander, would have done well.

Aurhea smiled—beautifully. Effortlessly.

All charm, all confidence, like someone who'd already won a game no one else realized they were playing.

"Well," she said, leaning forward just slightly, "didn't I already say it? That's because Vic and I go way back."

And there it was again.

That thing she kept alluding to. That shared history I couldn't remember—or didn't know existed.

I blinked once.

Still no clue what she was talking about.

I furrowed my brows, ready to press her again—

But the moment broke as the familiar waiter returned, sliding in with a tray.

"Ohh!" Aurhea's face lit up like a child at a festival. She clapped her hands delicately. "Looks like our food has arrived!"

Three plates were set down—one before each of us—laden with surprisingly extravagant servings. Despite the vibrant arrangement, it was all unusually healthy: a rainbow of vegetable salads, peas, yogurt, grilled carrots, and other clean, nourishing choices.

I blinked at the table, not even trying to hide my confusion.

Aurhea caught my expression and gave a proud little harrumph, chin tilting.

"You just got out of the hospital, right? You should eat well if you want to recover quickly," she said, voice laced with that familiar brand of gentle manipulation she wore so well.

"Right…"

Across the table, Ceres' gaze flicked to the waiter, then to the food.

Her eyes lingered a beat too long on the carrot-and-pea salad. She quietly nudged it aside, barely making a sound — like no one was watching.

Then, just as Aurhea reached for her cutlery, Ceres spoke—voice flat, but loaded.

"What do you mean you and Victor go way back?"

Aurhea paused mid-scoop. Her spoon hovered over the yogurt as she slowly raised it to her lips.

She took a graceful bite, then turned to me—her gaze soft, but deep. Disconcertingly deep. Almost... affectionate.

"Well," she said, licking the edge of her spoon with a flick of mischief, "his sister and I were very close, you see."

Her eyes lingered on mine.

"In fact, I inherited the Student Council presidency from Adrienne."