Succubi Chapter 3. First Rival
I swear, at this rate, the Academy was personally testing my patience.
"Move it already."
A sharp voice cut through my thoughts.
I blinked and looked up just in time to see a tall, broad-shouldered guy standing in front of me. His eyes narrowed in obvious irritation, and his perfectly styled blond hair practically glowed under the artificial lights. If there was ever a poster boy for 'Protagonist Syndrome,' it was this guy.
He was dressed like he already won the school year, arms crossed over his muscular build, exuding pure arrogance.
"You've wasted enough time here," he continued, voice dripping with impatience. "Some of us actually came to this Academy to make something of ourselves, not cause a scene everywhere we go."
I squinted at him.
The hell did I do to him?
Leon, standing beside me, tilted his head. "Who even are you?" he complained in displeasure.
The guy barely spared him a glance before slapping his registration form onto the staff's desk.
"Ares Bellator."
The name rang a bell.
Even I, a guy who hadn't even been at this Academy for an hour, had heard the murmurs. Ares Bellator—the rising prodigy.
Top scores on the entrance exams. Insane combat results in preliminary trials. The kind of guy who trained with elite warriors before even setting foot here.
And apparently, he already hated my guts.
I gave him a blank look. "Nice to meet you too, sunshine."
His jaw twitched.
The staff, completely unfazed by the tension, took Ares' form and nodded. "Alright, step in."
Ares brushed past me like I was dirt on his shoe and strode into the scanning pod with unshakable confidence. The moment he did, the room quieted down, everyone waiting for his results like it was some kind of royal announcement.
The pod lit up, scanning his high-and-mighty existence.
Then, the results came in.
Ares Bellator
[Class: Holy Blade Knight]
[House of Valor]
The room erupted in murmurs.
"Of course he got Valor."
"He was basically born for it."
"A literal knight in shining armor."
Ares smirked, clearly pleased with himself as he stepped out of the pod. His gaze flickered to me, his smirk shifting into something sharper.
Like he had already decided I was some kind of obstacle he needed to crush.
Leon leaned in, grumbling under his breath. "Great. I get to be in the same House as that guy."
I snorted. "Sucks to be you."
Leon elbowed me. "You're supposed to say something comforting, dumbass."
"Would you prefer I lie?"
He scowled. "Yes."
Too bad.
I was about to make another sarcastic remark when my attention shifted elsewhere.
In the next line over, someone else was stepping forward.
Dark green hair. Pale skin. Emerald eyes that reflected the scanning pod's glow like gemstones catching the moonlight.
She was quiet. Mysterious. A cold beauty.
The kind of person who could be in a crowd and still go unnoticed.
And yet, the moment I saw her, something in my gut told me— She was different.
The staff glanced at her form. "Evelyn Nocturne?"
Her gaze flickered up slightly at her name, but she said nothing. Just walked silently into the pod.
The room hushed again, but for a completely different reason.
Not like Ares, where people whispered about expectations.
This was uncertainty.
Curiosity.
And, in some cases, unease.
Like they didn't know what to expect from her.
The scanner finished, and her results appeared.
Evelyn Nocturne
[Class: Shadow Assassin]
[House of Valor]
A ripple of uncertainty passed through the students.
"Shadow assassin…?"
"That's kinda rare, isn't it?"
"More than rare. It's dangerous."
Evelyn stepped out of the pod, her face unreadable as she glanced at her results. If she had any emotions about it, she didn't show them.
I don't know why, but the moment her emerald eyes passed over me, I felt something.
It was brief. Just a flicker.
But for some reason, I got the strongest sense that she already knew me.
Like she'd been watching me this whole time.
And just like that, she was gone, fading into the crowd like she was never there to begin with.
I exhaled, shaking my head. This day was getting weirder by the second.
Leon nudged me again. "You good?"
"Yeah. Just… thinking."
"Thinking about what?"
"...Nothing."
Because how the hell was I supposed to explain that?
"Oh, it's her, right? I saw that," he whispered, leaning in. "You totally stared at her for way too long. You got a thing for the spooky type?"
I gave him a deadpan look. "Dude. I just watched my System malfunction in front of an entire room of people. Romance is the last thing on my mind."
He snickered. "Right, right. But you gotta admit, she's kinda hot in a 'mysterious' way."
I rolled my eyes. "I'd prefer not to be stabbed in my sleep, thanks."
Leon shrugged. "Hey, some guys are into that."
I ignored him, rubbing my temples. "You're unbelievable."
"And you're deflecting," he shot back. "First Lilith, now this Evelyn girl? What, are you collecting dangerous women?"
I sighed. "No. The dangerous women are collecting me, apparently."
Leon let out a mock gasp. "Oh no! Poor you! Forced to live with beautiful women, targeted by mysterious girls—"
I smacked him on the shoulder.
"Ow!" He laughed, rubbing the spot. "Come on, man. I'm just saying, your first day here has been insanely eventful."
"Yeah, and not in a good way," I muttered.
-Thud!
We barely made it two steps toward the exit before someone stepped right into my path.
I didn't even have to look up to know who it was. I sighed, rubbing my temples. "Do you need something, or do you just like standing in people's way?"
Ares Bellator. Because of course, it had to be this guy.