Approximately six hours had passed since my visit to the training chamber and since Amy and Hari had informed Neko-sensei about what had transpired in the meeting—I didn't need to reiterate.
To be honest, it felt exhilarating to skip classes; perhaps my rebellious phase had simply arrived later than others.
"Oppa, are you sure you don't want revenge?" I glanced at Hari, who was hugging a pillow tightly on the bed, curling her toes slightly.
'It seems she was worried I was feeling down.' I smiled faintly.
"Oh, I do want revenge, just not now... There are more important matters at hand," I replied.
"You mean the Deerheart case?" Hari asked, and I nodded in response.
"I get that you want to push the plot forward..." she added. "But can't you leave this for Matt and the rest of the cast?"
I glanced at Hari before returning to the food simmering over the fire. "You do know Cordelia is also part of the main cast, right?"
Hari shrugged, diverting her gaze from the kitchen. "I don't know what you're talking about, big bro."
The smell of the soup filled the air, as the bright lightning of the room elevated the appeal even further, making even me, who was cooking, drool.
Snapping myself out of the trance I continued. "Well... I suppose you're right, I could leave it to the main cast."
"So why do otherwise?"
"This is my story, remember? I don't care whether the plot changes or not. In fact, I want it to change. Just thinking about how THD was before my transmigration makes me feel like hanging myself."
"I think that's an exaggeration," Hari said firmly.
"And I'm not about to let Matt and the others hoard all the fun. Why be in a magical world if I'm not going to use magic?" I placed the bowl of soup on the table and sat beside Hari.
After taking a spoonful, her face flushed with excitement. "I missed your cooking, Oppa," she exclaimed, barely holding back tears.
"Don't overreact, it's just chicken soup."
"What about kimchi next time?" she requested.
"I'll consider it." I took a sip, then added, "Have you done it?"
Putting her bowl down, Hari nodded. "Yes, I've done it, but why do you need a virtual pod anyway?"
"None of your business. Now eat quickly before Anica arrives."
"Oh ho, is Oppa building a harem?" Hari's tone was teasing, which slightly irritated me.
"Don't even start with that. You know I despise those kinds of relationships—harem dynamics are just another form of cheating," I said while closing my eyes like a lecturer.
Hari slammed her hand on the foam like a judge passing a verdict. "Spoken like a real homie."
We both burst into laughter at the clear reference to our fathers. Those were fun days, but we still had looming dangers ahead.
"Let's end it here for today. It wouldn't look good if people saw you leaving my room." I took another sip and stared at her.
"Yes, Commander, but the Commander must include takeaways." Hari raised her hand in salute, which I reciprocated with a smug expression.
"Sergeant, you're greedy, but I shall grant you as many rations as you need." I played along.
"The fleet and I will now be departing... Two servings, please."
I smiled and walked to the kitchen, serving soup and a frozen chocolate bar into a bento box. "Here you go, missy. Don't come back too soon."
Hari took the two boxes from my hands, gave a small wave, and exited the room.
Taking in a deep breath from the room that smelt both like soup and lavender, I collapsed onto the bed. "Hari's right," I mumbled. "Even if I want to alter the plot, now isn't the right time."
Changing the plot might be important to me, but that didn't mean I was willing to sacrifice my pride for it.
The main cast had been the first to get on my bad side, and they did so in the most brutal way. Even so, I still gained something from it.
But letting them suffer a little wouldn't be so terrible. That said, I wasn't going to let myself be consumed by a petty notion like revenge.
Even if I wasn't actively trying to change the plot, TDH was still dangerous. The only reason it didn't feel that way yet was because I was still confined within the four walls or rather, four gates of the academy.
But once that comfort vanished—
"Let's think of better things for now."
It was best to avoid dwelling on extreme dungeon and gate scenarios for now, as the real dangers of Noctis would begin after the Deerheart incident.
"Come to think of it, I have to infiltrate Deerheart's lab with Anica tomorrow." I covered my face with my arm. "My schedule is once again fully booked."
My plans were slowly falling into place. All I needed now was to confirm the situation with Anica, who was posing as my guard.
My hands trembled as a particular memory of Deerheart crossed my mind. Gritting my teeth, I pushed it away.
I wasn't going to hesitate, no matter how dark his backstory was or how much he pleaded.
But I also wasn't certain I'd have the resolve to take a life. It's easier said than done.
"Ending someone's life, huh?"
The trembling in my hands reminded me strangely—that I was still human.
'Yes, even if I were to kill someone, as long as I retained even a sliver of sympathy, no matter how faint, I was still human.' I thought clenching my fists.
I glanced at my phone. After replying to both Amy's and Matt's messages, I turned it off.
It would be best to rest before Anica arrived, since tomorrow I wouldn't just be heading to the necromancy lab—I also had a dungeon class.
Which, unlike the combat class, would be far worse, as it would take place inside an actual dungeon... and I wouldn't be with my team.
Meaning I might get placed with a group of jerks... Though the dumber they were, the easier it would be to manipulate them.
"Haaa... A nice nap doesn't sound too bad."
------
The rest of the day passed quickly—from Neko-sensei's calls, to Anica's visit, and even Matt's, which I had scheduled in advance.
That morning, I received a message informing me that the council wanted to see me, but thanks to Neko-sensei's intervention, I was excused.
"Damn princess," I whispered. It seemed the princess was determined to have me expelled.
I slipped my phone back into my pocket and made my way toward the eastern building of the first-years' area.
Today was packed with events, and the fact that Charlotte Handstime—Kaiser Vanguard's childhood friend wanted to meet me only made it more hectic.
The walk to class was rather short since the eastern wing was close to the first-year dorms, so I arrived within ten minutes.
And judging by the expressions of the students, it seemed the news of the meeting had spread throughout the school.
Still, I couldn't quite grasp why the students: mostly boys were angry at me. It wasn't such a big deal to be on the princess's bad side. At least the girls were relatively friendly.
The class venue wasn't a large or small building, but an open space made of marble, with a massive gate at the center and a large screen that displayed the teams and dungeon overview—though it remained blank, as no one had entered yet.
Matt waved at me from a distance, and so did Amy, as the class was a joint lecture for both Class C and Class A.
Because of that, I could already predict which team would place first, second, and third.
First would likely be the team featuring Derick Hillman from Class A—arguably the strongest first-year, excluding Anica, of course, since she didn't participate in most combat-centric classes.
Second place would most likely go to Edo Ikenna, also from Class A, since he was the main deuteragonist and had a much more ruthless personality than the righteous Matt.
And finally, in third place, would be Matt, not due to any lack of strength, but simply because he was too kind-hearted.
In a dungeon, survival was paramount, and since monsters could appear at any time, someone like Matt, who bore the burden of protecting his comrades—was a poor match.
Either way, I was certain my score wouldn't be high, primarily because my team wouldn't agree to make proper use of me.
"Welcome, students, to today's class. I hope you gain valuable insight from this dungeon raid."
The man standing before us was one of the Xianan priests from the Seven Demonic Churches.
Alyan Page—The Joker.