For soone who had spent most of his recent ti locked in a cell, my first day outside passed in the blink of an eye.
I saw Ada first. My sister was truly happy to see again ... and had developed that annoying personality trait where she acted like she was my mom.
I was particularly shocked when I opened her status window…
Na: Ada Starlight
Affection Points: 99
The number was terrifyingly high. I'd thought 50 was the cap.
Unlike Phoenix's window, Ada's status page was incredibly long ... like it could drill into the ground if I let it keep going.
With affection that high, I could see everything about her. Her thoughts, her abilities, what she liked, what she hated…
Every detail, in overwhelming clarity.
That's when I started wondering ...what use did I even have for this ability?
Oh, and I should ntion ... I tried using Third-Person pov on Ada.
It worked. Terrifyingly well.
I really did feel like a player, watching her from behind.
It was a relief, honestly, that Ada seed to be the only person this ability worked on.
If not... who knows what I might end up doing to them?
Yes, Ada was the only one.
...Or so I thought.
"What's with that look on your face? If you keep zoning out like this, I'll beat it back into focus."
A fist slamd against my sword, forcing back a step.
"…Sorry."
"Being locked up for so long dulled your combat instincts... Let's keep going until that body of yours rembers how to move again."
Carn cracked her knuckles, her eyes glowing as she locked onto .
In response, I took my stance, gripping Balerion, and muttered under my breath:
"…What am I even fighting for anymore? What's the point of regaining these instincts?"
Ignoring my idle remarks, Carn pressed forward, launching attack after attack in hopes of shaking the rust off before I returned to the Temple.
I understood. She was doing this for ... even if she didn't say it. And I was grateful, especially for how she had always protected Ada.
Not to ntion… the mont I opened her status window, I felt completely at ease.
Na: Carn Starlight
Current Affection Points: 50
Rank : SS-
Combat Style: Stardust
This person trusts you and sees you as both an ally and soone important.
Her affection score was high enough to reveal a lot. And apparently, it wouldn't rise above 50 unless I did sothing about it—
Sothing I'd done by accident with Ada.
Even now, I still didn't fully understand how this new system feature worked.
I spent a full week inside the Starlight estate.
The manor we stayed in was isolated from the rest of the capital, peaceful and quiet.
Ada didn't leave my side for even a minute that whole week. She clung to constantly.
And strangely enough… I didn't mind it.
Sohow, I'd started seeing her as a real sister.
I never would've guessed that sothing so simple could change our relationship so drastically.
I still rembered the surprise and joy in her eyes when I started treating her like family, after all those old barriers between us had crumbled.
Family... That was all I'd fought for up to this point.
And now, that family was right here ... manifested in Ada Starlight.
That warmth I felt… maybe this was what my father ant when he told to live.
This.
This kind of life ... maybe that's what he always wanted for .
Deep down, I hoped that was the answer.
I wished for a future kind enough to allow such a life to bloom.
…
…
…
Ti really flies.
Before I knew it, I was back at the Temple again.
The place hadn't changed at all.
And strangely enough, I realized I'd made a lot of mories here over the past year ... from my first days and bitter struggle, to the final battle of the Victoriad.
Now, I was no longer a first-year. I had officially joined the elite class of the second year.
I didn't realize it until I tried to enter my old room on the first floor and found a younger girl standing inside.
Awkwardly, I had to carry myself upstairs, drawing unwanted attention and stirring up a commotion I could've done without.
And in that mont… I realized how the others saw now.
I saw hatred in their eyes ... disgust.
To them, I was a criminal. And to be fair, I had just co out of prison.
But among the disgust, I saw sothing else ..
Fear.
Dread.
Without even noticing, my na had started to carry weight.
Far more than it ever did when I was just "Frey, the guy who tried to rape a noble's daughter."
Not that it mattered. I never cared what people thought of anyway.
I climbed the stairs, step by step, to the second floor ... marking one more level of progression in my Temple life.
And then, I saw soone else heading to the sa place I was.
That broad back… platinum blonde hair… a towering, muscular fra that was hard to forget.
We had once fought each other to the brink of death not so long ago.
Now, he glanced sideways at , a golden eye gleaming with raw intensity.
"Well, well… Frey Starlight. Decided to show your face at last?"
Daemon turned fully toward , his temper as explosive as ever.
"Daemon. You being the first one I run into here… What's wrong? Did you get lost and accidentally wander into the elite class?"
I smirked, ready for our usual war of words.
But Daemon responded coolly.
"Hmph. You'll be seeing a lot from now on."
He pulled out a black card engraved in gold, revealing his new designation:
Elite Class – Rank AB-11
Now that I looked closely, his uniform wasn't one from the Abyss class.
"AB-11?"
I raised an eyebrow, and Daemon explained:
"It ans I belong to both elite classes now."
Which made sense.
The only reason he'd been placed in the Abyss class to begin with was due to the political struggle between the prince and the princess.
To maintain neutrality, he wasn't allowed in either of their classes.
But now, with the looming threat of war, that neutrality was abandoned.
Daemon was officially added to the elite class ... though in a rather strange way, as a mber of both Class A and B.
However, being assigned rank 11 in both classes… that was a clear slight against him.
He read my thoughts instantly, smirking as he pointed at my own card.
"What's wrong? Is Number One pitying now?"
Just as he said… my rank in Class B had changed since last ti.
Frey Starlight – Class B-1
Apparently, ever since the Victoriad, I'd beco number one.
I sighed, replying to Daemon.
"Numbers don't an anything."
"True."
He agreed, and we continued up the stairs together.
I was surprised by how civil he was being with . I still rembered how hostile he used to be.
"You seem like you've got a lot on your mind," he said.
"I do, honestly. Since when can we exchange more than three words without fighting?"
I asked, confused, and Daemon raised an eyebrow.
"What? You'd prefer if I started insulting you again?"
Honestly… I kind of thought he would.
"No. I just assud you looked down on people like ."
"I do."
He answered quickly, but didn't stop walking.
"I look down on those who fight for aningless things ... people who act like they've achieved sothing when they haven't. That kind of shallow pride makes them shallow people."
I nodded.
That was Daemon Valerion... his warrior's philosophy laid bare.
He turned slightly to look at .
"But you're different, Frey Starlight."
"Huh?"
"I've never seen anyone fight with such desperation… the way you did. That raw hunger… the drive that said losing would be worse than dying. Like it was truly the end."
Daemon paused, recalling our semifinal match.
"Soone who fights like that… is a true warrior."
His words left with a strange feeling.
Daemon Valerion ... the combat-obsessed lion of House Valerion ...had just acknowledged .
I knew what he said shouldn't matter.
It was aningless, really.
But for so reason, I couldn't think of anything to say back.
My thoughts stalled.
So the first words that ca to mind left my lips instead:
"A true warrior? I'm just a killer."
I'd ant it more as an insult to myself than anything.
But Daemon just laughed as he walked ahead toward his room.
"A killer? Open your eyes, Starlight. You're surrounded by people who've all killed at least once."
Killing in this world, in this era, didn't carry the sa weight it used to.
The real reason everyone freaked out back then wasn't about who I killed… it was how I killed them.
The danger I represented.
The ones who judged for my "cris" were people who had slaughtered thousands themselves.
It was never about morality.
And Daemon understood that ... unlike the common students who despised for it.
"I'm looking forward to our next fight, Frey Starlight. Be ready."
With that, he ended the conversation and disappeared into his room.
I smiled too, then turned toward my own.
"I'm looking forward to it." I muttered.
I couldn't help but check Daemon's status window out of pure curiosity.
And what I saw caught off guard.
Na: Daemon Valerion
Affection Points: 30
Rank : B
Combat Style: Dragon's gate
This person respects you and considers you a rival.
I needed to stop treating the elite class students like characters from so story.
They were more real than I was, in many ways.
I still didn't know what I was supposed to do next…
Or how I was ant to live.
Even the final mission from my system was still blank.
But whatever the answer was…
I was sure I'd find it here, within the Temple walls.
And just like that ... My second year at the Temple began.
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