"Ughh…"
Letting out a soft groan, Lucas's eyelids fluttered open, his vision slowly adjusting to the bright, sterile white ceiling above him.
The air smelled faintly of antiseptic, the nauseating stench of strong alcohol.
'Where…?'
"If you're wondering where you are, this is the nurse's building."
The voice was smooth, almost melodicly so, and carried with it an air of self-assured elegance.
Turning his head toward the source, Lucas's gaze landed on a breathtaking young woman seated beside his bed.
Her long, silver-white hair cascaded over her shoulders, shimmering faintly under the fluorescent lights.
She wore a crisp black-and-white uniform similar to Lucas's. Still, despite wearing the same thing, it somehow suited her with an effortless grace that made it seem tailor-made.
Lucas blinked, momentarily caught off guard by her striking presence.
Feeling the boy's questioning gaze, the woman's lips curved upwards slightly.
"My name is Scarlett Milford, the student representative for this year's cadet group."
The name rang a faint bell in his mind, yet no clear memory surfaced.
He frowned, trying to sift through the fog clouding his thoughts. Pulling himself upright, Lucas rubbed his temples before tossing Scarlett a wary glance.
"Why are you here? No, wait… why am I here?"
"You fell unconscious at the end of your training drill," Scarlett replied, her expression neutral yet tinged with amusement. "Apparently, it's something that happens at least once every year."
Training drill? What was she talking about? He had never been part of any training dri-
Then, like a violent tide crashing through a broken dam, the memories hit him all at once.
His fingers clenched into the thin fabric of the bedsheet beneath him as he forced himself to stay composed. Swallowing the frustration bubbling in his throat, he narrowed his eyes.
"So… all of that… was just a drill?"
Scarlett nodded, her expression unreadable.
"As many of you never had a proper encounter with monsters, it was designed to desensitize you. A sort of 'shock therapy,' if you will. Usually, everyone just panics, and only one or two people manage to escape on their own. Yet…" She tilted her head slightly, her pink-grey eyes glinting with curiosity. "This year was completely different. Not only did almost everyone manage to 'survive,' but their panic was also kept to a minimum. It was quite the surprise for the people in charge."
Gazing at the silver-haired boy with her pink-grey eyes, Scarlett then continued:
"The reason for this… was none other than you."
Lucas's fingers twitched.
"You and your friend Arthur brought order to the disorganized mob and then selflessly acted as decoys to protect everyone. Then, at the very end of it all, you pushed your friend to safety, saving his life at the cost of your own."
Lucas's eyes blinked... once... twice... and then a third time for good measure.
'…What the flying fuck?'
Scarlett continued, utterly oblivious to the utter chaos raging in Lucas's mind.
"I've never met someone with such a righteous and altruistic soul before. You, Lucas Anderson, are someone who truly embodies the qualities of the ideal hunter." Her voice was steady, filled with an almost reverent admiration. "I'm truly fortunate to have enrolled during the same year as you, and I hope we get along well."
Lifting her arm, she extended her hand toward him.
Lucas's eyes flickered between Scarlett and her outstretched hand.
He could practically hear his own thoughts crashing into one another, scrambling for an appropriate response.
'What nonsense is this woman spouting with a straight face?'
Lucas never intended to help anyone but himself! The only reason his actions somehow helped others was purely an accident!
He hadn't been some noble hero. In fact, Lucas never gave a single damn about anyone else there.
Hell, he had even tried using the other students as bait!
All of that was just a horrible misunderstanding.
And yet, this woman—Scarlett Milford—was looking at him like he was some kind of saint.
The sheer absurdity of it all made his stomach churn.
However, even if he had twice the balls, saying that straight to Scarlett's face was impossible for him.
Reluctantly, Lucas extended his own hand, grasping hers briefly.
Her hands were soft… surprisingly so.
'Wait... what the hell are you thinking?!?'
Uncomfortably aware of the way his own heartbeat had quickened, he hastily withdrew his hand and leaned back, putting a subtle amount of distance between them.
"Um… so why are you here again?"
Luckily, Scarlett didn't seem the least bit offended by his awkwardness. If anything, she looked slightly amused.
After all, it wasn't the first time a boy her age got nervous around her.
"Ah, right. I forgot to explain."
Reaching for the bedside table, she grabbed a clipboard and pen and then handed them to Lucas.
Accepting it hesitantly, Lucas lowered his gaze to the words written at the top of the page.
[Hunter Academy Student Council Application Form]
'…I must have misread it. My eyes are probably still groggy.'
Rubbing his eyes, he blinked and looked again.
[Hunter Academy Student Council Application Form]
"…"
Slowly, he lifted his head, his expression blank.
"…Is this some kind of joke?"
Scarlett shook her head.
"No, what you see is, in fact, the truth. Normally, the scouting process occurs after students have their skill grades measured… for obvious reasons. However, I'm willing to make an exception for you. Even if you somehow happen to possess an F-Rank skill, I'm still more than confident that someone like you would be a welcome addition to the team.
In fact, to make the process easier for you, I already filled in all your details using the data from your student records."
Lucas stared at her like she had just grown a second head.
Glossing over the fact that she just casually claimed to have accessed his personal information to fill a form he never asked for, there was another problem as well.
"Isn't there… you know, a voting process? How can I just join the team that easily?"
Scarlett raised an eyebrow, her expression betraying a hint of amusement.
"Even if there is a voting process… won't I just win? Especially if I have someone like you running alongside me."
Lucas's brain momentarily short-circuited. He had trouble counting just how many things were wrong with Scarlett's words.
Even someone like him knew that running for Student Council President was far more complicated than it sounded.
Not only would you need to compete with members of Neo-Aristocratic families, but you'd also need to somehow convince the entire student body to vote for you, all while gaining the faculty's tacit approval.
Calling it a herculean task was an understatement. And this girl believes she'll get that role just because she wants it?
Somehow, she had even included Lucas in her nonsensical plans. He hadn't even agreed yet!
'This girl's sheer confidence borders on delusion.'
From the moment she called him 'selfless' and 'righteous,' he had begun questioning her mental stability.
Now, he was almost convinced that something was genuinely wrong with her. Was she really so sure of her victory that she didn't even consider the possibility of losing?
Lucas could already feel that there was nothing good about interacting with such a person.
Being around crazy people never turned out well.
The best course of action was to find a way to somehow get Scarlett to leave him alone.
Before he could find a way to call her an idiot and tell her to screw off, the door to the infirmary suddenly swung open.
"Ahh, there you are! I was looking all over for you, Lucas!"
Lucas turned to see a familiar blond-haired figure standing in the doorway.
It was none other than Arthur.
However, the moment Arthur's eyes landed on Scarlett, his expression froze, mouth agape with shock.
Scarlett alternated her gaze between Arthur and Lucas before smoothly rising to her feet.
"This looks like a good time to take my leave. Make sure to give my offer some thought, okay? I hope to hear back from you positively."
With that, she exited the room, leaving Lucas alone with a dumbstruck Arthur.
"Lucas… That is your name, right?" Arthur asked, his voice filled with disbelief. "Anyway, we can worry about that later. The person that just left… that was Scarlett Milford, wasn't it? H-how do you know her?"
Feeling slightly annoyed that his name was treated as an afterthought and already forgetting that he had done the same to Arthur earlier, Lucas returned Arthur's question with another: "Do you know her?"
Arthur gawked. "Do I… know her? How would I not know her? She's the daughter of the Milford Family!"
Lucas frowned. "I figured as much from her last name. She's probably not an 'Anderson' or a 'Kirk' with the last name 'Milford.'"
Arthur let out an exasperated sigh. "The Milford family is one of the richest Neo-Aristocratic clans! One of the most powerful ones at that!"
Now, it was Lucas's mouth that went agape.