"You have to be joking..."
Sitting in my dorm room, I stared at the ceiling in disbelief.
Today, the plain white ceiling tiles suddenly seed a lot more fascinating than the previous day.
The color, the texture, the intricate pattern - it was all so srizing!
"..."
Okay, I was spouting bullshit.
My mind was hyperventilating to process what just happened an hour prior.
"Well, at least I wasn’t placed in the sa party as Ian."
I muttered to myself, trying to find so semblance of comfort in the fact that I had avoided the worst-case scenario. But even as I said it, I knew it was a hollow consolation. The reality was still staring in the face and it wasn’t any less daunting.
Because the person who had raised their hand to join my group wasn’t just anyone.
It was Aveline. The Princess.
The sa Aveline who had been staring at with an intensity that could lt steel.
And now, we were going to be in the sa group for the trip to Leden.
I groaned, dragging my hands down my face. This was a disaster waiting to happen.
’Will I be banished from the empire?’
Staring at the ceiling, I pondered my fate.
There was no escaping this.
No amount of wishing, complaining, or staring at ceiling tiles was going to change the fact that Aveline, the Aveline, was now part of my group.
And, worst of all, Leden wasn’t just any ordinary destination. This trip wasn’t just so casual academic exercise. Sothing was bound to happen.
I knew it.
The elven realm wasn’t just a beautiful and mysterious land, it was a volatile one and if my mory served correctly, this was the ti when one of the more catastrophic events in the ga’s history would unfold.
The demon attack.
The very mont that would send ripples across the world and be the very first ti most characters encounter noble demons.
And sohow, I was going to be right in the middle of it.
I wanted to scream.
But what could I do? Run? Pretend to be sick and skip the trip?
No. That would be even worse.
The mont I started acting suspicious, the professors would get involved. Aveline herself might start questioning why I was behaving strangely. And I could not afford to have her scrutinizing any more than she already was.
So, there was only one option left:
Act normal.
...
Easier said than done.
I groaned again, rolling over on my bed and burying my face into my pillow.
How does one act ’normal’ when they know a calamity is coming? How do I casually sip tea and chat about coursework while knowing that, in just a few days, demons would tear through the elven lands like a wildfire?
I had no idea.
But I had to try.
If I slipped up, if I let my knowledge show, who knew what would happen?
Best-case scenario, people would think I was insane.
Worst-case? I could beco a target.
And there was one person in particular who would definitely take an interest in if I acted out of line.
Aveline.
The Princess wasn’t just a noble. She wasn’t just so sheltered royal who sat in a palace all day. She was dangerous. Intelligent.
That alone was terrifying.
I needed to tread carefully.
I needed to survive this trip.
And most importantly...
Act normal.
***
The next few days passed in a blur as I tried to ntally prepare myself for the impending doom.
All I did was train, train and train again.
I even skipped a day or two of lectures just to focus on honing my swordsmanship.
The professors were not pleased, but they couldn’t exactly punish for it either since I was a first ti offender and was in the Top Ten.
Anyways, I’ve managed to beco a second tier knight.
In this world strength is determined by two main factors: the tier of your profession and your level/attributes.
While one’s level and attributes show their overall power, the tier of their profession acts like an indicator over the mastery of one’s specific class.
For example, a fifth tier magician would be able to cast spells with far more power, precision and efficiency than a first tier one, even if they had the sa level.
Sa went for a knight.
From the mont I managed to break through to the second tier I felt a noticeable increase in my combat capabilities.
Everything that had to do with swordsmanship had been enhanced - my footwork, my swings, my defensive capabilities.
It was so subtle that no wonder, I never truly felt the difference whilst playing the ga. But now, as I swung my blade against the iron training dummies, the change was palpable.
Today was already Wednesday, which ant that tomorrow was the day of the trip. I had done everything there was to prepare and planned to spend the rest of the day simply resting in my dorm.
"What a good decision..."
Just as I was about to close my eyes and sleep, the sound of my doorbell ringing jolted awake.
Ring... Ring...
Sitting up in my bed, I imdiately grabbed my Odachi.
As far I recall, I didn’t order anything, nor did I have any friends that would co visit unexpectedly.
Slowly inching towards the door, I unlocked it and peeked through the small gap.
"Hel-"
I froze in the mid-greeting as I saw who was standing on the other side.
It was a stunningly beautiful woman with long black hair that gently fell down all the way to her waist.
Her crimson eyes looked directly at and even though I was a whole head taller than her, I felt utterly dwarfed by her presence.
"..."
For a mont, I just stared at her like an idiot.
I was totally caught off guard.
I an, who wouldn’t? Why is the Princess standing in front of my door?
"...May I co in?"
Her voice was smooth, refined yet there was sothing about the way she asked that made it sound less like a request and more like a statent of intent.
I hesitated.
The logical part of my brain scread at to say no, to co up with an excuse, to tell her I was busy, sick, anything. Letting the Princess inside my dorm room was a dangerous move.
But the problem was.
Could I actually refuse?
Would rejecting her outright put in an even worse position?
I swallowed, stepping aside.
"...Of course."
Aveline didn’t hesitate as she crossed the threshold, moving with the grace and poise of soone completely in control of the situation.
I quietly shut the door behind her, my mind racing as I turned to face her.
She took a slow, deliberate look around my dorm and... took a seat on my bed.
"..."
I felt my eyebrow twitch. This was not how I expected my day to go.
Trying to break the increasingly awkward silence, I cleared my throat and asked the first thing that ca to mind.
"Do you want so coffee?"
Aveline’s crimson eyes blinked, her expression montarily shifting into sothing oddly reminiscent of a startled deer.
"What is... ’coffee’?"
I stared at her. She stared at .
For a few monts, we just stood there in mutual silence, both processing the absurdity of the situation. Eventually, I sighed, shaking my head.
"It’s a drink. Bitter, but good. Gives you energy."
Her gaze sharpened slightly at the ntion of energy, but I didn’t give her ti to probe further. Instead, I turned on my heel and made my way to the small kitchenette. There was no way I was going to explain the entire history of coffee to a princess in my dorm room.
Actions spoke louder than words, anyway.
As I prepared two cups, I decided, on a whim, that it was best not to introduce her to the full bitterness of black coffee just yet. I poured a generous amount of strawberry syrup into hers, hoping it would be enough to mask the initial shock.
A few minutes later, I returned, handing one of the cups to her.
She accepted it with the sa regal grace she carried in everything she did, lifting it to her lips and taking a cautious sip.
Imdiately, she frowned.
I tensed, waiting for her to spit it out. But then, to my surprise, she took another sip. And another.
Thank god I added the syrup.
For a while, we drank in silence. I focused on my own coffee, trying to gather my thoughts.
The fact that Aveline was in my room, sitting on my bed, drinking coffee like this was normal, was sothing my brain was still struggling to process.
Eventually, I decided that sitting in complete silence wasn’t going to get any closer to figuring out why she was here.
So, I finally asked the question that had been hanging in the air since she arrived.
"So... what is it you ca here to talk about?"
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