I stood outside the Grand Hotel of Lumina, waiting for Mina to arrive.
I had called her and sent her on a quick errand; she complained but still went.
Other nobles my age gathered around me, most likely here for the entrance exam as well.
I recognized a few from the game—some were arrogant young masters, others were potential heroines.
But I had no intention of interacting.
My reputation was already in the gutter—if I so much as talked to a girl, people would probably assume the worst.
People didn’t even bother hiding their stares—openly glaring and whispering just loud enough for me to hear.
That only proved my point.
“Hey, look over there—isn’t that the useless Dragaoth heir?”
“Pff, it really is him.
I remember his face from the banquet,” another guy laughed.
“You should’ve seen his face when he got rejected.
Hahaha, it was hilarious.”
“What do you mean, ‘should have seen it’?
I was standing right next to you when it happened.” The guy scratched his head, embarrassment flickering across his face.
Nearby, I overheard a group of girls talking off to my left.
“Wait, isn’t that the princess assaulter?” My left eye twitched.
Princess assaulter?
Seriously, that’s what people are calling me now?
“Yeah, that’s definitely him.” A girl chimed in.
“He’s such a creep.”
“But isn’t he kind of… too handsome?” another muttered, scrutinising my face.
“I don’t remember him being this good-looking at the banquet.”
“You’re right.
Did he turn into an incubus overnight or something?”
“Girls, don’t let his devilish face fool you.
He’s still the princess’s assaulter.”
“I’d let him assault me any day if he looked like that,” a girl said dreamily, jumping into their conversation uninvited.
See?
I wasn’t exaggerating—I really did look unnaturally good.
The girls’ comments only inflated my ego further.
A guy jumped in.
“Yeah, but are you really going to let him get away with assault just because he’s good-looking?”
“Is that jealousy I smell?” the girl who was practically drooling shot back.
“No, he’s right,” another said.
Soon, more people joined in—some debating whether I should be pardoned for my crime because of my looks, others insisting I should go to jail.
Most of those vouching for me were, unsurprisingly, women—but there were also a few men.
I felt a twinge of concern.
Attracting guys wasn’t exactly my goal, but maybe I was overthinking it.
Maybe they just wanted to get on the good side of a future head of an eight-star family.
I tuned them out and focused on the road, where a sleek matte-black car rolled in.
Definitely inspired by the Porsche 911 from Earth, but it wasn’t your average Porsche 911 from Earth—this one was special.
How was it special?
I have no clue.
I just told Mina to buy the most expensive Roscha 911 at the dealership.
It looked no different from its Earth counterpart, and I saw that as positive because Porsche was my favourite car brand.
When the car stopped, an absolutely stunning woman stepped out—Mina, though she looked different.
Her once-silver hair now shone snow-white, and her pale skin seemed to be much smoother.
Her emerald eyes glowed a deep green, and her cat ears twitched—just like they always did when she was irritated.
The commotion died instantly as every eye turned to Mina.
“Ew, what’s a disgusting furry doing here?” a girl’s voice rang out in the crowd.
“I think she’s the princess’s assaulter’s shadow,” a guy said.
I saw a scoff involuntarily escape Mina’s mouth at my nickname.
“Do you think he assaults her too?” another guy chimed in.
“I mean, if she was my shadow, only God could stop me.” Every eye in the crowd turned to glare at the guy who’d just said something so absurd.
“What?” The guy looked around.
“I’m just being honest.” Their gazes morphed into outright disgust.
But my mind was elsewhere.
I’d finally pieced something together—Mina’s sudden boost in appearance, and the crack in the orb.
It all made sense now.
I’d suspected something about the orb before—maybe it only had a certain number of uses before the cracks broke it.
I’d wondered why it was already cracked, but assumed it happened before I got it and just didn’t notice at the vault.
But seeing Mina now explained everything.
That son of a bitch used it on herself without telling me.
I let out a disbelieving scoff at her audacity.
My lips curled up in bafflement as I walked up to her.
“Get in the car—we have something to discuss,” I said, my tone leaving no room for argument.
Mina knew what I meant and was about to step into the driver’s seat, but I stopped her.
“I’m driving.” Mina tilted her head in confusion.
“Asmari, you haven’t driven a day in your life.”
“I’m driving,” I repeated.
Mina knew there was no point arguing with me when I got like this.
She walked around the car and took the passenger seat.
I slid behind the wheel, ignoring the staring nobles, and drove off.
The engine hummed as we pulled away from the hotel.
I didn’t waste any time and immediately questioned Mina.
“Did you use the orb?”
“I did.”
Why are you lying fo—wait, what?” I gazed at Mina, baffled by her honesty.
I thought she’d at least try to lie, but she didn’t even bother to hide the truth.
If I’m honest, I felt a bit disappointed that I couldn’t use my Aspect to catch her in a lie.
“Focus on the road,” Mina reminded me.
I tore my gaze away from her, checked the GPS, and took a left.
“I felt like it.” I gripped the wheel tighter as I merged onto the motorway.
My anger simmered, but it was too late to change anything now.
I sighed and asked,
“So, what did you get?” Mina looked surprised at the question.
“You’re not mad?” she asked, hesitant.
“Don’t get me wrong—I’m fuming.
But I realized your growth could benefit me as well.” Mina nodded in understanding.
“My Aspect evolved from photographic memory to perfect memory.” I frowned.
“Isn’t that the same thing?” Mina shook her head.
“It’s not.
Photographic memory lets me perfectly recall anything I’ve seen—unless I don’t want to remember it.”
“And perfect memory?”
“Perfect memory means I can remember anything I’ve experienced.
Anything I hear, see, touch, smell, or taste—I’ll never forget it.”
“So if you mastered a move, or felt a certain type of pain, you’d never forget it?” Mina nodded.
“Isn’t that insanely good for almost anything?” Mina nodded, a hint of pride in her posture.
I wasn’t sure if I should be delighted or worried—was I supposed to be happy about having a living memory bank next to me, or worried she might steal my Black Star spot?
The entrance exam was more of an evaluation than a test, and strength wasn’t everything—it was more important to impress the evaluators than to be the strongest.
First, I’d be in a room with five of the academy’s greatest professors, answering general knowledge questions.
I can’t remember how many times I did this as Kevin in the game.
The game’s starting point was almost at that exact moment, so I remembered every question they asked.
Still, I didn’t rule out the possibility of them throwing something new at me.
Then came the second test: they’d put me in a scenario where I had to choose between two options.
This one matters because it tests a person’s character.
The third part was the combat assessment.
They’d pit me against a second-year student and see how I’d handle someone ranked above me.
Every part of the exam mattered for the Black Star spot—the more I impressed the evaluators, the better my chances of becoming the Black Star.
And Mina could easily excel in the first two tests, and she wasn’t weak by any means.
She had a unique combat style passed down from her family.
And once she got her second Aspect, she’d be one of the fastest students in the academy.
I couldn’t let her become a threat to my position.
“Mina.”
“Yeah?” She tilted her head.
“Don’t do too well on the entrance exam—I can’t let you take the Black Star spot.” Mina’s lips curled into a sneer.
“You think I want that damn Black Star position?
The high nobles are already racist enough—I don’t need even more discrimination piled on top of that.”
“Fair enough.” I shrugged and continued driving for another ten minutes until we reached the entrance to Lumina Academy.
Metal walls surrounded the entire academy, making sure no one could come and go unnoticed.
I jumped out of the car and headed for the entrance.
I was finally about to see the academy where the legendary sovereign’s story began—Lumina Academy.
A/N
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