The Academy's Terminally Ill Side Character Chapter 37 37: Serena Claudia [2]

She clearly had the brains to keep classified information under wraps, so… why the sudden slip?

Was this a psychological tactic?

No. That didn't feel right.

It was confidence. Pure, effortless confidence. The kind that said, "No matter what you say, it won't shake ."

And that's why she could so casually ntion looking into my family background—because to her, it was no big deal. Just business as usual.

She was like this in the novel too.

Even when Rin's father—my father now—tried to pressure Velcrest Academy after his "son" died at the entrance ceremony, she never flinched. Not once.

Instead of folding, she turned the whole situation into an opportunity—to evaluate Ryen's potential.

Looks like she was doing the sa thing to now.

She wanted an answer.

Sothing that would pique her interest. Sothing worth her attention.

This was a test.

And I couldn't afford to ss it up.

The woman sitting across from wasn't just breathtakingly beautiful—she was a legend. Soone who had lived through wars that tore realms apart, negotiated peace between races that had been at odds for centuries, and commanded forces that even dragons hesitated to challenge.

She wasn't here to babysit cadets.

She was here to shape the future.

And if she saw even a sliver of sothing useful in soone—power, intellect, ambition—she would make it hers.

That's what she did.

That's what she was.

A force of nature, wrapped in velvet words and a disarming smile.

I t her eyes. Calm, focused, piercing. Like she was staring through and into sothing deeper.

I couldn't hesitate. Not here. Not now.

"Chairman… I know you're interested in ."

Not a lie. But not the whole truth either.

She blinked. "What are you talking about? , interested in a student?"

"Yes."

She narrowed her eyes for a second—then burst out laughing.

"That would be a scandal! Hah! Oh my, you really know how to make a woman laugh. Sorry to disappoint, but you're far too young. Maybe try chasing after two or three hundred years, hmm?"

As expected.

I didn't flinch. I wasn't the typical flustered protagonist.

Calm and composed, just like I planned.

She might've laughed, but I had her full attention now. Her poker face was immaculate, but I could tell—it cracked, if only slightly.

No one had ever done that before.

Maybe I really was on the verge of making history.

"Sorry to say, Chairman… I'm not interested in you romantically," I said with a straight face.

"Yes, you're beautiful, but you're a little too... 'OLD' for . I prefer soone closer to my age—or just slightly older. Not that much 'OLDER'."

Yeah, I was composed, but I wasn't going to be a punching bag either. I knew how to dish it out.

I just hoped she wouldn't kill for it.

Judging by the look in her eyes… she might actually consider it.

Not good.

Ti to steer this back on track.

"Hey, you—!"

"Let's get back to the main topic, Chairman," I cut in, raising a hand. "We don't have ti for playful banter. And besides, killing a cadet is still a cri, last I checked."

She stared at .

Then smirked.

"You've got quite the tongue on you. You're lucky today… but you won't always be. Now speak."

Whew.

Disaster averted—for now.

"As I was saying," I continued, "maybe you heard sothing from a professor about the entrance ceremony incident. Or maybe it's because of that ti I accidentally wandered into a dungeon with Professor Lena."

"Hm… Cadet Rin Evans, you certainly have a vivid imagination."

She was still composed, but she was clearly intrigued now.

Her smile was a touch tighter. Not mocking—calculating.

I could almost see the gears turning in her mind.

She leaned back in her chair, crossing one leg over the other, and tilted her head slightly.

"Go on," she said, her voice smooth as silk.

Alright. No turning back now.

"I think you already know I'm not… exactly like the other cadets," I said carefully. "I don't an stronger or smarter. I an different. I wasn't supposed to be here—not like this."

She said nothing, but her eyes glead.

I paused, letting that settle.

"And that's why you're interested in ."

Silence.

She didn't deny it.

Didn't confirm it, either.

But the air in the room grew heavier, more focused.

Like she was finally taking seriously.

"You think I'm hiding sothing," I continued, "and you're not wrong. But it's not dangerous. At least—not to you. Not to the academy."

Her expression finally shifted—subtle, but enough. A twitch of her brow. A flicker of curiosity.

Ti to drop sothing just mysterious enough.

"I have… limited knowledge of the future."

At that, the Chairman's expression shifted.

Her fake smile vanished. Her gaze turned sharp—cold, even.

"That's quite a claim. Are you suggesting you have precognition? You realize that's a talent only one people in the world are confird to have. And your registered gift is Enhancent, is it not?"

I smiled back.

"I'm not a prophet, and yes—my talent is Enhancent. But soone… showed glimpses of the future."

Now she was intrigued.

I could see it in her eyes—she was trying to figure out whether I was bluffing or telling the truth.

But there wasn't a single hint of a lie.

Yeah, my official talent was "Enhancent," nothing too flashy. But soone—or sothing—was feeding glimpses of the future.

I called it the Setting Book. Others might call it the novel's plotline. Nas didn't really matter.

What mattered was that I had knowledge no one else in this world did.

Now that she realized I wasn't lying, the Chairman leaned forward ever so slightly, the gleam in her forest-green eyes intensifying. Her fingers drumd lightly against the armrest, an unconscious rhythm betraying her deep contemplation.

She wasn't smiling anymore.

Good.

Now she was listening.

"Let's say I believe you," she said slowly, voice laced with caution. "Let's say soone gave you… glimpses. Visions. Warnings. Then the real question becos: what have you seen?"

I shrugged.

"Bits and pieces. Enough to know that the terrorist attack at the entrance ceremony was just the beginning."

Her eyes narrowed again. "You're saying there's more?"

"I'm saying this place isn't as secure as everyone wants to believe. And the ones responsible aren't done yet."

For a mont, the room fell into complete silence.

Even the air seed to still.

She was reading . asuring every breath, every word, every twitch of my expression. I knew the weight of this mont. One wrong move, and I'd lose whatever edge I had.

And yet—

"You're not lying," she murmured, more to herself than to . "At least, not about everything."

I didn't reply. I didn't have to.

She leaned back again, exhaling through her nose. Her expression unreadable once more.

"Do you know who they are?" she asked.

I do know but I can't just tell her. That would disturb the plot and my only knowledge of future would be waste.

"No," I replied truthfully. "Not yet. I just know they're more embedded than we thought. And that this isn't so one-ti attack. It's a prelude."

Oh, right—did I forget to ntion her na?

Serena Claudia.

A high elf.

One of those proud, mysterious beings who usually stay far away from the ss of the world. Most of her kind chose isolation, locking themselves away in a separate dinsion.

But Serena? She was different. A free spirit. Curious. Adventurous. That's why she left her people and their traditions to live here, to explore.

She's rciless to her enemies, but incredibly generous to those she deems worthy.

"Alright," she finally said.

It looked like she had made up her mind.

I already knew what was coming next.

—So what are you going to do with that knowledge of yours?—

"You said you know the future, even if only part of it," she asked, her tone calm but probing. "What do you intend to do with that information?"

A little different than I rembered, but the essence was the sa.

In the original story, Ryen got this question a bit later. His answer? He wanted to save as many people as possible.

Noble.

But I couldn't say that. Not because it was wrong, but because it wouldn't be true—not coming from . And she would see right through the lie.

Fortunately, I knew what kind of answer would impress her.

"I'll save the heroes."

"…What?"

Her expression shifted—confused, but curious.

Exactly the reaction I wanted.