The Gamer's POV

The lecture continued for the next hour or so. For the second ring’s safe haven, all cadets were instructed that upon crossing the bridge, they should make their way to a place called the "City under the Sea," which was a Grade Three territory.

At the end of the lecture, Cedric, who was currently absentmindedly spinning the tip of his fountain pen, suddenly felt a finger poke his cheek.

Poke.

His eyes alone shifted to his right to see Audrey staring at him with a slightly surprised look.

When he arched a questioning brow, she said sheepishly, "You didn’t sleep through class like you usually do. That’s unlike you."

Cedric blinked, as he didn’t quite know how to react to that.

Audrey chuckled. "Either way, want to visit the art club for tea?"

’Well... I do not have any other plans.’ Cedric smiled. "Why not?"

They both stood up and elegantly walked out of the class together. However, after entering the crowded, noisy hallway, Cedric could see a lady approaching them.

The third-year, whom Cedric could recognize thanks to his knowledge from the game, was a member of the student council and a formidable Grade Three. She seemed to be looking at him in particular with a slightly amused expression.

She had long, green hair and golden eyes, and she looked to be in her early twenties. A green snake was coiled around her hair and nested against her nape like a living hair ribbon. The snake, Medusa, seemed to be saying something to her as its fork-tongued head flicked near her ear.

Cedric quickly but imperceptibly checked her profile. Just like he expected, she was level twenty-nine.

’From what I can recall, she became a Grade Three sometime last year,’ Cedric mused internally, pulling his attention away as he turned to Audrey, who was asking him which club he had joined in the Bastion.

"Oh. I haven’t joined any so far. But if I were to join any of them, it would be the Art Club, just to see what you’re working on."

For some reason he didn’t understand, Audrey’s cheeks instantly flushed crimson at his words.

Before she could reply, the student council member finally reached them, stepping right into their path with a graceful halt. She tilted her head, and her golden eyes glinted with amusement. "You must be the famous Cedric that everyone has been talking about recently."

Both Cedric and Audrey exchanged quick glances, before Cedric turned back to the third-year.

"Yes, I am."

The lady smiled, though her snake hissed softly in tandem. "It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. I am Vivienne."

Her voice was smooth and laced with a dangerous sweetness, and as she spoke, Cedric could see that her canines were unusually sharp, peeking out like small fangs whenever her lips parted.

Cedric remained perfectly composed, keeping his expression neutral despite the subtle intimidation.

"Are you particularly busy right now, Cedric?" Vivienne asked, crossing her arms as her golden eyes locked onto his. "The Vice Dean requested an audience with you, and I am here to escort you to his office."

Cedric quickly looked away from her reptilian eyes. He then turned back to look at Audrey, who quickly nodded and gave an encouraging smile. "It’s alright, Cedric. We can always grab tea some other time."

After a few seconds, he nodded and smiled. "Alright. I’ll make sure to hold you to that tea later."

He turned and stepped forward, and Vivienne turned with him, matching his pace.

After a few minutes of walking in silence, Cedric could no longer bear the sideways glances she kept throwing his way. He had been noticing her staring at him the entire time, so without looking at her, he finally spoke up. "If you have something on your mind, Miss Vivienne, you might as well just say it out loud."

She chuckled. "Was I that obvious?"

"Yes," he exhaled. "Yes, you were."

She hummed softly, and her lips curled into a playful pout as she slowed her pace slightly.

After a few seconds, she tilted her head. "You keep avoiding my eyes. Is there a reason for that?"

For more than three seconds, he was quiet, and then he replied, "I don’t need you in my head, Vivienne."

"Oh," she arched a brow, and her snake mimicked the movement by raising its head from her hair. "So you also know about our bonded ability?"

Cedric shrugged casually. "Well, everyone has wondered at least once why those in the top ten and the student council are so monstrously out of our league."

She smiled.

"Fair." She conceded with a light laugh.

After another brief silence, she sighed softly, and her playful demeanor shifted into something much more calculating. "You are a strange one, Cedric. I just don’t get you. How did a bondless, unassuming nobody suddenly become the center of everyone’s attention? I even hear silly rumors that you are powerful enough to stand on almost the same ground as the Princess and the Ace. Isn’t that a bit too ridiculous to believe?"

"Why is that difficult to believe?" He asked, finally tilting his head to look at her. "You can believe the many other miracles of the empire, but can’t believe a miracle like me?"

Vivienne arched a brow, though her amused smile remained fixed on her lips.

After a moment, she looked away and said, "You don’t need to be wary of my eyes. I won’t use my bonded ability on you."

The corner of Cedric’s lips curled up. "No offense, Miss Vivienne, but forgive me if I do not believe you. I mean... the creature form of your bond is a snake."

Vivienne let out a soft, delighted laugh, and the snake at her neck hissed quietly, almost as if it were laughing along with her.

"No offense taken."

***

They reached the Vice Dean’s office after about ten minutes.

Since the Vice Dean was the one calling this time around, Cedric assumed that the Dean, Veronica, was likely away on a journey to one of the rings.

Vivienne knocked twice on the door, and without waiting for an answer, she pushed it open, revealing a massive study that smelled faintly of old parchment and expensive tobacco.

The room was lined with towering bookshelves stretching all the way to a high, vaulted ceiling. Heavy velvet curtains partially blocked the afternoon light, casting deep shadows across a polished mahogany desk covered in neatly stacked documents.

Sitting behind it was the Vice Dean, looking over a glowing map floating mid-air.

He was a well built man in his fifties with short white hair and sharp red eyes. He was dressed in a pristine, deep crimson military-style uniform that bore the gold-embroidered crest of the Bastion, and he held a tobacco pipe casually between his fingers.

As Cedric scanned the office, he was a bit surprised to see that there were others present as well.

On the plush velvet sofa near the window, the Princess was sitting elegantly, her fingers wrapped around a teacup, and her posture was as perfect as ever. Leon was leaning against the nearby wall, his arms crossed over his chest as he stared at the incoming Cedric with a neutral expression.

Almost immediately, Cedric could feel that the atmosphere was grim.

’What’s this about? Is something bad about to happen?’

Cedric gave a nod to the Princess as he stepped fully into the office, before offering a polite bow toward the desk to show his respects to the Bastion’s second-in-command.

"Welcome, Cedric Mortimer," the Vice Dean said, his deep voice cutting through the silence of the room as he set his pipe down on a silver tray. "Take a seat. We have a rather urgent matter to discuss."