A ripple of laughter spread through the classroom instantly.
"I think he finally snapped."
"Can you blame him?"
"I’d lose my mind too if Drey dumped me."
"I heard half the entire academy are already gathered to watched him get dumped"
Every pair of eyes was fixed on Ethan as more mummurs spread through the room. He, however, wasn’t looking at the students, nor the silver-haired instructor glaring at him from the front of the classroom.
His attention was completely occupied by the torrent of memories crashing through his mind and the splitting headache he was having trying to understand the situation.
He had died.
Then he had transmigrated.
"..."
Of all the ridiculous things that could happen after being eaten alive by zombies... this had to be the most ridiculous. A dry laugh almost escaped him.
He had expected heaven.
Hell would’ve been understandable too.
Instead, he woke up in a classroom. Life—or whatever came after it—clearly had an interesting sense of humor.
More memories surfaced, weaving themselves naturally into his own, this world was nothing like the one he had left behind. They were monsters, rifts, dungeons and all of that...
Humanity still stood at the top of the food chain, but only because of two groups of people.
Sentinels and Guides.
Sentinels possessed extraordinary physical abilities far beyond those of ordinary humans. They hunted monsters, entered dangerous Gates, and protected the Empire from threats no normal soldier could face. But immense power came with an equally devastating price.
The stronger a Sentinel became, the more unstable their mind grew.
Without regular Guiding, corruption would slowly consume them until they completely lost themselves.
That was where Guides came in.
A Guide’s spiritual power soothed a Sentinel’s mind, cleansed corruption, and allowed them to continue fighting without descending into madness.
The stronger the Guide...
The more valuable they were.
Unfortunately, Ethan Ashford belonged to the complete opposite category.
His Guiding compatibility had never risen above five percent, despite coming from one of the Empire’s oldest Guide families.
Every practical examination ended in failure, every assessment placed him at the bottom of the rankings, and every student knew his name-not because he was talented, but because he was a joke. His family had long since given up on him, his classmates mocked him, even the academy instructors treated him like dead weight.
Ethan rested his forehead against his hand and let out a long, defeated sigh.
Haah...
Even after being betrayed and eaten alive by zombies, the heavens still refused to show him even the slightest bit of mercy. Instead, they had thrown him into a life that somehow looked just as miserable.
Still...
This was a second chance, he had already died once, and he had absolutely no intention of dying again. Who knew where he’d end up if there was a third life? Judging by his luck, it’d probably be somewhere even worse.
No.
This time, he was going to live for himself, a quiet life and peaceful life.
And the very first step toward achieving that dream was staying as far away as possible from someone as powerful and famous as Lord Drey Valen.
Which meant...
Cancelling their engagement.
According to the original Ethan’s memories, the engagement had been arranged years ago by both families, who believed their children would one day become the Empire’s strongest Guide and Sentinel.
Back then, everyone had expected Ethan Ashford to awaken extraordinary Guiding abilities.
Unfortunately...
Reality had other plans, while Drey awakened as the Empire’s youngest S-Class Sentinel, Ethan became the weakest Guide in history.
Since then, the engagement had become nothing more than a laughingstock.
And today...
Drey intended to end it.
"...Perfect." The word slipped out before Ethan even realized he’d spoken.
"Ethan Ashford!" The instructor’s furious voice exploded through the classroom. "If you’re done talking to yourself like a madman, then let me remind you that you’re already several minutes late for your engagement dissolution!"
The icy glare directed at Ethan looked cold enough to freeze water. "...Alright."with another helpless sigh, Ethan rose from his seat and followed the instructor toward the academy’s central hall.
By the time they arrived, quite a few students with free schedules had already gathered to watch the spectacle unfold.
But Ethan barely noticed any of them because the moment he stepped inside, his attention was stolen by the man standing at the very center of the hall.
...
Good Lord. The man was breathtaking.
Short black hair framed a face so perfectly sculpted it almost looked unreal. His sharp jawline, striking brown eyes, and calm, indifferent expression gave him an almost unreachable aura. Dressed in the academy’s black-and-gold Sentinel uniform, he somehow managed to look ten times better than everyone else in the room.
That was Drey? His Drey? His supposed fiancée?
Whoa.
He was ridiculously handsome. For one dangerously brief second, a ridiculous thought crossed Ethan’s mind.
If I wasn’t straight...
...I might’ve actually reconsidered cancelling this engagement.
"..."
His eyes widened.
Wait.
Oh my God.
I am straight! Why did my brain even go there?
With a horrified expression, Ethan immediately tore his gaze away from Drey.
No.
Absolutely not.
A handsome face was just...
...a handsome face and that wasn’t enough to shake his principles.
Right? The fact that he’d actually had to question himself was already concerning.
Before he could continue spiraling, his attention shifted to the blond-haired young man standing beside Drey, leaning closer, the blonde whispered just loudly enough for Ethan to hear. "He came... He actually came. For a moment there, I thought you’d have to resort to another method to end the engagement."
At that exact moment...
Ethan felt a pair of eyes settle on him causing him to look up and for the first time since entering the hall, Drey was looking directly at him.
Those deep brown eyes held no warmth, no affection, no hesitation. Only quiet indifference...
... along with the faintest trace of annoyance.
Ethan waited, surely Drey would say something now. After all, he was the one who wanted to end the engagement.
But...
Nothing.
The man simply continued staring at him in silence.
"..."
Ethan resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
Nope. I’m not standing here having a staring contest with this guy.
Clearing his throat, he broke the silence first. "I’m here now." He looked directly at Drey. "So... are we calling off the engagement or not?"
The hall instantly fell silent as the students exchanged stunned looks. Did Ethan... just say that? The same Ethan who had clung to Lord Drey for years?
The same Ethan who refused to let this engagement end no matter how many times he was rejected?
Not only had he shown up...
He was the one urging Drey to hurry up and cancel it.
Even Drey seemed momentarily surprised. One of his elegant brow rose slightly before the surprise disappeared behind his usual calm expression.
He gave a faint, almost mocking shake of his head before walking toward Ethan, stopping only a few steps away, he looked down at him with effortless confidence, with a small, arrogant smile curved at his lips. "I’m glad you came."
His voice was calm. "And I hope you truly want this as much as I do." He paused before adding," I also hope you won’t try any tricks to get close to me after this engagement ends."
"..."
The smile on Ethan’s face twitched, the hell Who did this guy think he was?
...No.
A better question was...
Just how shamelessly had the original Ethan chased after him for this man to be this full of himself?
Well... He wasn’t the original Ethan and this overly confident man was about to receive a reality check.
"Hmph." Ethan folded his arms. "Trust me. I won’t."
For the first time, Drey studied him for a second longer than necessary. "...Good." Satisfied, he turned around and returned to his original position.
The Headmaster stepped forward. "As many of you know, Lord Valen has long been engaged to Guide Ethan Ashford."
Without hesitation, Drey continued. "Today, I am officially dissolving our engagement." His expression remained cold as he spoke. "I cannot bind my future to someone incapable of guiding even low class Sentinels, I want nothing to do with him."
The moment the words fell whispers erupted throughout the hall.
Ethan couldn’t have cared less. If anything, he felt relieved. Being tied to someone as powerful and publicly adored as Drey Valen would’ve only brought endless trouble.
Now he could quietly disappear into the background and enjoy the peaceful academy life he’d always wanted.
When the headmaster finally turned toward him, Ethan merely shrugged. "Of course. I agree."
Another wave of stunned silence spread through the hall.
Even Drey looked at him again, this time... There was the faintest trace of surprise in his eyes. Completely ignoring it, Ethan smiled brightly before giving the most exaggerated, overly polite bow he could manage.
"I sincerely hope you find someone who’s actually compatible with you."
Without waiting for another response he turned around and walked away leaving behind a hall full of stunned faces...