The private villas reserved for the S Ranks stood far away from the main dormitory district, isolated near the upper section of the Academy grounds overlooking the surrounding mountains.
The area itself felt quieter than the rest of the campus, protected by advanced magical barriers and surrounded by enormous gardens illuminated by floating mana lanterns drifting peacefully through the night air.
Kael had been talking nonstop for the past ten minutes.
“Okay but seriously… how rich IS this Academy?”
Nobody answered.
Mostly because the villa standing before them had already destroyed everyone’s expectations.
The building looked less like student housing and more like the residence of high-ranking nobles.
Massive glass windows reflected the moonlight while black and silver stone walls surrounded the enormous property.
Several balconies overlooked the mountains beyond the Academy, and a gigantic illuminated pool stretched through the center courtyard beside an outdoor jacuzzi constantly releasing warm steam into the cold night air.
Even Faelyn looked impressed.
“…Alright.
This is ridiculous.”
“It’s beautiful…” Lyra whispered softly beside her.
Meanwhile, Kael had already sprinted toward the entrance before anyone could stop him.
“FIRST COME FIRST SERVE FOR ROOMS!”
“WE HAVEN’T EVEN ENTERED YET,” Faelyn shouted immediately before chasing after him.
Varkas sighed deeply.
“…Children.”
Noctis silently observed the villa for a few seconds longer before following the others inside.
And honestly…
He understood their reaction.
The interior somehow looked even more absurd.
The main living area alone was larger than most houses Noctis had seen since arriving in this world.
Massive sofas surrounded a gigantic enchanted fireplace while magical lights embedded directly into the ceiling illuminated the villa in soft golden tones.
Nearby stood a fully stocked bar filled with expensive alcohol, an enormous dining area, multiple staircases leading toward the upper floors, and even a private entertainment room containing magical billiard tables and enchanted projection artifacts.
Kael’s scream echoed through the entire villa.
“THERE’S A GAME ROOM.”
A loud crash followed immediately afterward.
“…I REGRET NOTHING.”
“YOU BROKE SOMETHING ALREADY?!” Lyra shouted in horror.
“Maybe.”
Faelyn burst out laughing while Varkas slowly pinched the bridge of his nose like he already regretted every future decision this group would make.
Then Kael suddenly reappeared upstairs somehow carrying three decorative pillows for absolutely no reason.
“I CLAIM THIS PLACE IN THE NAME OF GREATNESS.”
“You have brain damage,” Faelyn answered instantly.
“No.
I have ambition.”
Noctis almost smiled again.
Almost.
Then several magical symbols suddenly illuminated throughout the villa simultaneously.
A soft feminine voice echoed naturally through the building afterward.
“Welcome, S Rank students.
Academy uniforms have been prepared inside your assigned rooms.”
The entire group froze briefly.
Then Kael pointed upstairs dramatically.
“ROOM RACE.”
And vanished again.
Chaos resumed instantly.
A few minutes later, Noctis finally entered his own room.
Silence greeted him immediately.
The bedroom alone was almost the size of a small apartment.
Massive windows overlooked the Academy below while dark polished stone mixed with silver decorations throughout the room itself.
A gigantic bed stood near the center beside a private lounge area, bookshelves, a luxurious bathroom large enough to belong to a royal palace, and even a private training space connected directly to the outdoor balcony.
But what immediately caught Noctis’s attention was the uniform resting neatly atop the bed.
Black and elegant, the long coat design was reinforced with mana-thread fabric and silver runic patterns woven directly into the material itself.
The Academy emblem rested near the collar while subtle abyssal-colored lines remained dormant across portions of the outfit.
Noctis slowly approached before placing one hand against the fabric.
The uniform reacted instantly.
Darkness flowed naturally through the silver runes before the lines illuminating the outfit shifted completely into deep abyssal black mixed with faint violet reflections.
The shadows around the room subtly reacted afterward as though recognizing the mana connected to the clothing itself.
Interesting.
The door suddenly opened without warning.
Kael walked inside.
“…Bro.”
Noctis slowly turned toward him while Kael pointed dramatically toward the uniform with shining eyes.
“WE LOOK COOL AS HELL.”
The next hour descended into absolute chaos.
Kael somehow managed to claim and abandon three different bedrooms within twenty minutes after repeatedly discovering “better ones” deeper inside the villa.
Faelyn spent most of that time insulting his taste while simultaneously searching for the room with the best balcony view.
Lyra carefully explored the massive kitchen and living spaces with visible amazement while Varkas remained quieter than the others, silently observing everything around him with the cautious expression of someone still struggling to believe any of this was real.
Meanwhile, Noctis simply watched and listened.
He was standing inside an enormous villa while his friends argued over bedrooms like idiots.
Comforting.
Eventually everyone regrouped downstairs wearing their Academy uniforms for the first time, and honestly… the result looked absurdly good.
Kael’s black uniform carried glowing electric-blue lines spreading naturally across the runic patterns woven into the coat, faint sparks occasionally dancing around the fabric itself whenever his mana fluctuated.
Faelyn’s own outfit displayed elegant emerald-green accents moving almost like flowing wind through the silver engravings, while Lyra’s uniform glowed softly with intertwined silver-blue and golden lines representing both water and light.
Then there was Varkas.
Crimson infernal patterns illuminated portions of his long black coat while faint heat distorted the air around parts of the fabric itself.
The demonic energy flowing through the runes gave the uniform a dangerous appearance without making him look monstrous.
Kael stared at him for two seconds before grinning.
“Okay that one is unfairly cool.”
“…I know,” Varkas admitted quietly.
The demon sounded genuinely surprised by it.
That alone made Noctis notice something important.
Varkas was slowly relaxing.
Not fully.
Not completely.
But little by little, the constant tension surrounding him had started fading ever since joining the group.
Nobody here looked at him with fear or disgust.
Nobody treated him like a monster simply because of his race.
For perhaps the first time in years, Varkas looked like someone allowed to exist normally.
Then Kael ruined the atmosphere instantly by kicking open the terrace doors dramatically.
“POOL TEST.”
“No,” Lyra answered immediately.
“POOL TEST.”
“It’s midnight.”
“THE WATER IS HEATED.”
Faelyn crossed her arms before smirking slightly.
“…Honestly, he has a point.”
“You are all impossible,” Lyra muttered quietly.
Ten minutes later, everyone except Varkas was already inside the enormous illuminated pool.
Kael had immediately attempted to dive from a decorative statue before slipping halfway through the jump and nearly smashing into the water face first.
Faelyn laughed so hard she almost fell into the pool herself while Lyra desperately tried to heal Kael’s wounded pride despite him insisting he had “absolutely intended to land like that.”
Meanwhile, Noctis remained quieter than the others while sitting near the edge of the pool with one arm resting against his knee.
Warm lights reflected across the water while distant mountains surrounded the Academy beneath the night sky.
The atmosphere felt peaceful in a way he still struggled to fully understand.
Then movement beside him made him glance sideways.
Lyra quietly sat down next to him.
For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.
Below them, Kael was currently attempting to convince Faelyn that combat techniques should “absolutely” count as dance moves while she threatened to drown him.
“They’re loud,” Lyra whispered softly.
Noctis watched the group for another moment before answering calmly.
“Yes.”
A brief silence settled between them before he unexpectedly added:
“I like it.”
Lyra slowly smiled afterward, and Noctis noticed that too.
Every day spent with these people made the idea of losing them feel slightly worse.
And he wasn’t used to that feeling at all.
The peaceful atmosphere around the pool lasted approximately four minutes before Kael ruined it again.
“I HAVE AN IDEA.”
“No,” Lyra answered immediately.
“You don’t even know what the idea is.”
“I don’t need to.”
Kael looked deeply offended by that while floating lazily in the illuminated water.
Nearby, Faelyn rested against the pool’s edge with one arm behind her head while Noctis quietly observed the group from the side.
Warm lights reflected across the surface of the water while steam from the heated pool slowly drifted upward into the cold mountain night surrounding the villa.
Honestly…
The place felt unreal.
Then Faelyn suddenly looked toward Varkas.
The demon still hadn’t entered the water.
Instead, he remained seated near the outdoor bar with a glass in one hand, calmly watching the others destroy what little peace existed inside the villa.
Faelyn smirked immediately.
“Ohhh, I get it now.”
Varkas narrowed his eyes slightly.
“…Get what?”
“You’re scared.”
Silence.
Kael instantly looked interested.
“No way.”
Varkas slowly sighed.
“I am not scared of water.”
Faelyn’s smile widened dangerously.
Sure.”
The elf slowly stood up afterward before crossing her arms while looking directly at him.
“What?
You scared to show your muscles or something?”
Kael immediately lost his mind.
“OOOOOOOOOH.”
Lyra covered part of her face in secondhand embarrassment while Noctis quietly watched the disaster unfold.
Varkas stared at Faelyn for several seconds.
Then he slowly placed his glass down.
“…You really enjoy provoking people.”
Faelyn smirked proudly.
“Yes.”
“And you’re terrible at it.”
“Then get in the water.”
“No.”
“Coward.”
The atmosphere froze for half a second.
Then Varkas stood up.
Kael immediately pointed dramatically toward him like someone witnessing history itself.
“OH SHE GOT HIM.”
“No,” Varkas answered calmly while removing part of his coat.
“I’m simply ending this stupidity.”
Faelyn’s eyes immediately flickered downward for approximately one second before she instantly looked away again.
Noctis noticed.
Interesting.
Kael noticed too.
His grin became dangerous.
“Well damn.”
“Say one more word and I drown you,” Faelyn answered instantly.
A few moments later, Varkas finally stepped into the illuminated water while infernal-red reflections danced softly across portions of his skin beneath the pool lights.
The demon clearly looked less comfortable than the others despite trying not to show it, but little by little, even he started relaxing as the conversation resumed around him.
Then Kael made the catastrophic mistake of speaking again.
“You know… if we all lived together permanently, we’d probably become legendary.”
“We literally met like two days ago,” Lyra answered.
“AND YET THE BOND IS REAL.”
“The brain damage is also real,” Faelyn added calmly.
Kael ignored her completely before suddenly turning toward Noctis.
“Actually… this whole thing is your fault.”
Noctis slowly raised one eyebrow.
“How?”
“You gathered all the weird people together.”
“That’s true,” Lyra admitted softly.
Varkas crossed his arms afterward while leaning against the edge of the pool.
“…Honestly, I still don’t fully understand why you invited me here.”
The atmosphere shifted slightly after that.
Not awkward.
Just quieter.
Because despite everything, part of Varkas still expected rejection eventually.
Noctis answered without hesitation.
“You’re part of the group.”
Simple.
Direct.
Obvious.
And somehow, that seemed to hit Varkas harder than expected.
The demon remained silent for a few seconds afterward before quietly looking away toward the mountains surrounding the Academy.
“…Right.”
Faelyn glanced at him briefly after that.
Then smirked again.
“Don’t get emotional on us now.”
“…I changed my mind,” Varkas answered calmly.
“I should’ve left you outside the villa.”
Kael immediately pointed between them.
“THE TENSION IS CRAZY.”
“We are not doing this conversation,” Lyra muttered while sinking slightly deeper into the water.
Meanwhile, Noctis quietly leaned back against the edge of the pool while watching the group continue arguing beneath the night sky.
The warm water, the distant Academy lights, the constant noise surrounding him…
It all still felt strange.
But not unpleasant anymore.
Not at all.
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