Chapter 72: Golden Spoon

Lorenzo’s POV

As I entered the classroom, I saw several familiar faces from yesterday.

Some students had bandages wrapped around their arms and heads, while others appeared to have escaped the ordeal without a scratch.

However, there was one noticeable difference.

Many seats were empty.

Well, I suppose not everyone had the luxury of returning to the academy in one piece.

Yesterday’s survival exercise had been far more dangerous than the academy’s instructors had probably intended. Between the hordes of Ice-Yetis, the D-rank monster, and the desperate scramble to escape Antarctica, it was a miracle that so many students had made it back alive.

At that moment, someone approached me.

"I’m really grateful for yesterday!"

I turned my head.

Lilly Ashfaq stood before me, wearing a bright smile. Her blue hair was tied into a high ponytail, and despite the exhaustion that lingered on her face, she seemed to be in relatively good spirits.

It appeared that Lilly Ashfaq was genuinely grateful to me.

"Thanks to you, I was able to return to the academy without getting killed. Thank you."

Behind her, John Snow remained seated at his desk. The tall, black-haired young man gave me a quiet nod in greeting.

Joseph Goldberg, who was sitting in front of me, clicked his tongue and deliberately avoided eye contact.

Sunny Blackstar glanced at me for a few moments before turning his attention elsewhere.

And then there was Alice Storms.

She appeared to have made several female friends already, judging by the group surrounding her. However, her expression suggested that she would much rather be left alone.

I can relate to that feeling.

Several other students also looked at me with grateful expressions.

"Don’t mention it. I had to do something."

I smiled modestly.

After provoking a D-rank Ice-Yeti and dragging hundreds of monsters toward your classmates, of course you had to do something.

Honestly, I was impressed by how quickly people had forgotten the circumstances surrounding their rescue.

I was the one who had attracted that ridiculous horde in the first place. If I hadn’t dragged those monsters toward Joseph’s group, they might never have encountered such a terrifying situation.

Yet, somehow, I had managed to emerge from the incident looking like a hero.

Well, I wasn’t about to complain.

If people wanted to thank me, who was I to refuse?

Besides, I hadn’t exactly planned to save everyone. I had merely opened an escape route for myself, and the others had happened to benefit from it.

Sometimes, being mistaken for a good person is surprisingly convenient.

Still, not everyone had forgotten what happened.

Joseph was obviously still holding a grudge, and Alex Valor, the student council president’s younger brother, probably wasn’t going to forgive me anytime soon.

Well, what can they even do?

I casually took my seat.

One by one, the remaining students began entering the classroom, gradually filling the empty desks. Judging by their exhausted expressions and sluggish movements, they must have had a miserable time yesterday.

Some were discussing their injuries, while others complained about the ridiculous difficulty of the survival exercise.

A few even appeared to be reconsidering their decision to enroll at Golden Dawn Academy.

Understandable.

If this was what the academy considered an introductory lesson, I couldn’t imagine what it had planned for the rest of the semester.

Just as I was checking the time on my smartwatch, someone suddenly appeared beside my desk.

"You! You! From now on, we’re best buddies!"

I slowly raised my head.

A blond-haired young man with several piercings was grinning at me as though we had been lifelong friends.

Capone Lucas.

Best buddies? When did that happen?

"You look like you’ve got lots of money, right? So, of course, we’re going to be best buddies!" He slapped a hand on my desk before leaning closer. "By the way, at least tell me who you are!"

I stared at him.

If you don’t even know my name, how exactly did we become best buddies?

This guy was truly beyond shameless.

Yesterday, he had tried to extort money from other students by offering to take them across the freezing sea on a boat that didn’t even belong to him.

Now, he was trying to befriend me because he thought I was rich.

His principles were remarkably straightforward.

Money first, friendship second.

Actually, considering how desperately he seemed to need money, perhaps friendship was somewhere around tenth place.

"Golden spoon."

I gave him a vague answer before returning my attention to my smartwatch.

I wasn’t particularly interested in explaining my circumstances to him.

However, just as I opened my smartphone, it vibrated.

A notification appeared on the screen.

[Lorenzo Directory Updated]

[Lucas Capone]

—New profile information available

[Name: Lucas Capone]

[Affiliation: Capone Family, under the Riina Organization]

[Description: The sole son of Romero Capone, head of the Capone Family. He inherited his father’s outstanding assassination abilities but lacks his composure and restraint.]

---

I stared at the screen.

Then I looked at the blond-haired idiot standing beside my desk.

Then I looked back at the screen.

His father is Romero Capone?

I had assumed Lucas was merely some random member of the Capone Family when I first heard his surname.

But no.

He wasn’t just a member.

He was the direct descendant of the family’s boss.

How much more information about this damn world am I missing?

Romero Capone was practically an established name in the underworld. His reputation as a hitman was well known, and his skills were supposedly exceptional even among experienced Awakeners.

And now, his son was standing in front of me, begging to become my best friend because he thought I had money.

What a disgraceful way to represent your family.

Although, to be fair, I had no idea what Romero was like as a father.

Perhaps he was a strict parent who refused to give his son any money.

Or perhaps Lucas had squandered his allowance on gambling, women, and other questionable activities.

Considering the man’s personality, the second possibility seemed considerably more likely.

"Hey—!"

"Everyone take your seats before I throw you back to antartica again."

Before he could say anything, Classroom door opened and Yuki Hayasaka walked in and said while looking at Lucas with evil grin.

Lucas shudders in fear and quickly took a seat besides me.