Chapter 63: The Story Goes On

Though really, Rian didn’t care too much about which House he was going to get sorted to.

What mattered more now were the various main characters who stood at the center of the original story.

And well, it didn’t take too long to find one of them.

Surrounded by a group of students, his hair was just a lighter shade of blue than the Dragon banner above his head, gathered and tied neatly into a ponytail. His narrowed eyes were observant, giving off that competent vibe that everyone looked toward for guidance.

’Declan Fontaine...’

The highest-ranked prospect of the incoming class and prodigy of the Blue Magic Tower. He was the direct protégé of Tower Master Eis Albrecht.

Had Rian not searched through his mother’s room and discovered her old correspondence with Eis Albrecht, he might have believed Declan was the only genius the Tower Master had personally raised.

Though what made it stranger was the fact that there was a servant standing behind Declan. He wore a shiny certification badge of Eidelgard Retainer College and carried no luggage but a leather folder filled with registration documents.

The novel maybe mentioned the servant by one or two sentences.

’Well, whatever, it’s not like I can afford to remember every extra that pops up.’

During that time, it seemed like Declan had grown tired of the crowd and moved forward until he disappeared through a set of double doors.

"He’s...not taking the entrance exam?" Rian asked.

"Oh yeah," Charlotte replied a second later. "Apparently, that guy already did a private examination."

"Lucky him."

Not long after Rian watched the prodigy go, Rian turned around, only to bump into someone a bit shorter than him.

"Whoops! I’m so sorry!"

The boy in front of him staggered backward. His soft blond hair was already messy, while the collision had knocked his round glasses crooked across his face. He hurriedly adjusted them with one hand while rubbing his nose with the other.

"No, it was my fault."

Yet as Rian looked at him, he couldn’t escape a peculiar sense of familiarity. He knew this person, and not because of the novel’s information either.

"Wait," Rian said slowly, examining the boy. "Are you Julius?"

"...Rian?!"

Julius pushed his glasses properly into place and stared at him, recognition flashing in his eyes. "It really is you!"

Although under every other circumstance, Rian’s behavior was quite inappropriate. Charlotte, however, got onto one knee before offering a bow to the boy.

"Your Highness."

Several nearby students instantly turned toward them, staring in disbelief. Julius shrank under the attention. "Please don’t announce it so boldly!"

Julius Eidelgard, the third and youngest prince of the kingdom, and Rian’s cousin, who was just older by a couple of months.

The two of them had spent some time together as children, as they both shared a love for books and magic in general.

Of all his relatives, Julius had been one of the few who wasn’t particularly hesitant to check up on Rian, and treated him like a person instead of someone about to pass over the very next second.

"I didn’t expect to run into you here," Rian said.

"Me neither," Julius replied, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "I heard that you recovered, but I wasn’t certain whether the rumors were true..."

"Well, let’s call it a half-truth."

Rian’s attention drifted toward the stack of books cradled beneath his cousin’s arm. Every title appeared to concern magic in one form or another.

’Still a magic-lover. This guy never changes, does he?’

"I take it you’ve been doing well?"

"Not particularly..." the blonde boy in front of him frowned. He looked both ways before lowering his voice and continuing on.

"The Royal Palace is in chaos over what happened in Eisenbran. Both Magnus and Cassius have been using the incident as another excuse to attack each other’s factions."

Julius released an exhausted sigh. "Father hasn’t even chosen a successor yet, and they’re already tearing the court apart. Is becoming heir truly worth all of that?"

Before Rian got a chance to respond, a familiar white glint caught his attention from across the hall.

A young man stood alone near one of the pillars, far removed from the crowds gathered at each of the four banners. His clothes were well-tailored but modest compared to those worn by the higher nobles, while a plain sword rested against his side.

With white hair, clear blue eyes, and an excessively handsome face...it was a no-brainer who this person was—

Orion Ascher.

Yet something about the sight felt profoundly wrong.

In the original novel, Orion stood at the center of this hall. The students crowded him, eager to meet the young hero who had saved Eidelgard Academy before the school year had even begun.

Now, no one was paying him any attention.

One student even brushed past Orion without offering an apology, and the young man quietly stepped farther toward the wall to avoid obstructing anyone else.

Rian stared at him with a perplexed expression, before the reason finally struck him.

’Ah...he never saved the Academy, did he?’

The incident that had launched Orion into prominence had never occurred. Rian hadn’t transformed into a ten-meter-tall monster, teleported onto Academy grounds, and rampaged through the campus until Orion heroically put him down.

Without Monster Rian, Orion Ascher had entered Eidelgard Academy as exactly what he had been beforehand...

The unremarkable son of a low-ranking noble family.

Apparently, killing Rian had been doing quite a lot of heavy lifting for his reputation.

And by now, the true person who was controlling that body, transmigrator Yoo Jinsung, was probably wondering why none of that happened.

’Ah...an unfortunate transmigrator who entered a story that was already wrong from the beginning. Poor bastard.’

As if sensing Rian’s stare, the young man suddenly looked in his direction. Their eyes met across the hall, and Orion Ascher knew exactly who he was looking at.

’However, not my problem.’

Rian simply offered him a soft smile that was taught by all noble children as proper etiquette, before looking away and rejoining Charlotte and Julius on the side of the hall.

If Orion was truly this world’s protagonist and hero, then he should prove that he has the capability to be one.

Rian, on the other hand? He would keep doing things his own way, even if it obstructed Orion or strayed into morally questionable territory.

If that was what it took to achieve his goals, then so be it.

The story would go on.

Just a little differently this time.

According to the original novel, the next major incident should still happen exactly as Rian remembered it. The same betrayal, the same accused villain, and the same hero who would eventually uncover the truth.

There was only one problem. This time, Orion wouldn’t be the only person who knew what was coming.

Rian looked toward the white-haired young man standing alone in the corner, and a faint smile appeared on his face.

’Let’s see what you’ve got—’

’Hero.’