A Background Character’s Path to Power Chapter 38 38: Gaslighting a Dragon for Peace

"Alright, team! One last dance practice before the big night! You in, Aman?"

I closed my book with a soft thud. "I'll pass."

Livia tilted her head, giving that familiar look of faux disapproval. "Still refusing to learn? You'll be the only one standing against the wall tomorrow."

"I'm comfortable with that," I said, rising from my seat. "I know my strengths, and dancing isn't one of them."

Emilia gave a flat stare, one brow arching. "You could at least try. It's not that difficult."

"It is when you have no interest in it," I replied evenly. "I'll be fine observing."

Aeron shrugged, ever the cheerful peacekeeper. "Suit yourself. But don't complain when all the girls are taken by the ti you get to dance."

"That's a risk I'm willing to take." I nodded, slinging my bag over my shoulder and making my way toward the door. As I said before, I had no intention of dancing.

"Your loss!" Livia called after , her voice teasing rather than bitter.

I didn't look back, though I could still hear Aeron rallying the others: "Alright, let's go over that tricky turn again…" His voice, along with the others', faded behind .

The corridors of the academy buzzed with the sa electrified atmosphere—students pouring out of their final classes like bees from a kicked hive. Laughter, chatter, and the occasional squeal of excitent echoed against marble walls, all centered around one singular obsession: tomorrow's ball.

I adjusted the strap of my bag as I navigated the crowded hallway, slipping past classmates, juniors, and the hybrid chaos that existed in between.

"Did you hear? Lady Rosaline is going with Sir Cedric!"

"No way! I thought she hated him after the duel last month!"

"Well, hate is just love with sharper edges, isn't it?"

I barely suppressed an eye-roll.

"I spent three months' allowance on this dress—it's imported silk from the Eastern Isles!"

"Pfft, that's nothing. My family commissioned a mageweave gown. It changes color with my mood!"

I tuned them out.

I pity your parents...

They were all typical students.

Worried more about dance cards and dresses than exams, career prospects—or basic survival skills, which was insane, considering this was a world with monsters and magic.

"At least sports would've been fun," I muttered under my breath.

Football, basketball—hell, even dodgeball. Now that would've been entertaining. Imagine a bunch of stiff-backed nobles tripping over their own robes while trying to kick a ball across a muddy field.

But no.

This world's version of "fun" was spinning around in circles, pretending not to step on your partner's toes while exchanging awkward pleasantries.

I was halfway through planning a fantasy sports league in my head when the latest gossip wave hit like a splash of cold water, like they'd been piped directly into my brain.

I blinked, instinctively flinching at the sudden clarity.

Huh.

…Right. The pill.

Ever since that "bath-ti nightmare" Virion put through, my senses had been… different. My body felt stronger, sure, but my senses in particular had sharpened noticeably.

I could pick out whispers from across a crowded room now, like they were being spoken just beside . The clarity was eerie—like tuning into a private radio channel I wasn't supposed to hear.

Which is why the next conversation hit long before I reached its source.

"Did you hear the news?"

"No, tell >-