I tried taking a nap.
Keyword being tried.
Unfortunately, Imperial Academy students apparently suffered from a collective inability to shut up.
The classroom buzzed nonstop with overlapping conversations, laughter, chair movements, and pointless gossip loud enough to drill directly into my skull.
Honestly, the atmosphere reminded me way too much of my old high school and college days back on Earth.
Groups forming naturally.
Popular students surrounded by people.
Loners pretending not to care while secretly caring a lot.
Overachievers already reviewing notes before class even started.
Humanity really stayed the same no matter the universe.
"Haaa…"
A tired sigh escaped me as I leaned further back into my chair.
…To think I had to go through school life all over again.
Truly tragic.
Especially because this version came bundled with mana, political conspiracies, hidden royal bloodlines, and world-ending catastrophes.
Wonderful educational environment.
Still…
Oddly enough—
I wasn't panicking.
Which honestly felt strange.
By all logic, I should've been losing my mind right now.
I had transmigrated into a fictional world.
Not metaphorically.
Literally.
Something that should only happen inside novels somehow happened to me personally.
And not only that—
I transmigrated into the body of a doomed side villain with catastrophic reputation, family trauma, terrible stats, and future death flags attached from every direction.
Yet despite all that…
I felt strangely calm.
Maybe because reality still hadn't fully settled into my brain yet.
Or maybe—
After failing for so long in my previous life, even this insane situation somehow felt preferable.
At least here…
I had a chance to matter.
"…Damn," I muttered quietly.
That thought sounded way more depressing when phrased out loud.
Since sleeping was impossible and talking to classmates was equally impossible thanks to Damian's reputation, I ended up simply watching people enter the classroom instead.
Which honestly became more entertaining than expected.
Some students walked in confidently like they owned the place.
Others looked nervous.
It was also funny to see how many of them avoid eyes contect with me whenever my gaze landed on them.
Their reactions was funny as they flinched back.
I could also tell Kevin was keeping an eye on me from the corner of his vision.
Subtle.
Careful.
Ready to react the moment I tried anything suspicious.
Honestly, his cautious made sense.
From his perspective, Damian Valtor was still the same unstable noble trash who had spent months harassing him.
A violent idiot who traveled in packs and attacked weaker targets whenever his pride got bruised.
The fact that I hadn't approached him yet probably only made him more suspicious.
People trusted predictable enemies.
Sudden personality changes were far more dangerous.
Unfortunately for him—
I genuinely wasn't planning anything.
At least not right now.
My current survival strategy relied heavily on not getting stabbed by future protagonists.
Turning my gaze away from Kevin, I glanced toward the third row near the windows.
There sat Jake Wood.
A side character.
Though calling him "just" a side character honestly felt unfair.
Jake played a far bigger role in the story than most readers realized.
Messy brown hair.
Relaxed posture.
The kind of approachable face that naturally made people lower their guard.
At first glance, he looked ordinary.
Too ordinary.
But Jake possessed something incredibly rare in this world.
Kindness without ulterior motives.
Which, ironically, was exactly why he died later.
I studied him quietly for a moment.
Right now, he and Kevin only seemed loosely acquainted.
Not close friends yet.
That development came later.
And honestly, it wasn't Jake's fault their friendship progressed so slowly.
Kevin simply trusted nobody.
Years of hiding his identity as the last surviving Crown Prince of the Astral Empire had turned him painfully cautious.
Still, looked at him surrounded by his harem with smile on his face.
What hypocrisy!
Anyways, later Jake and Kevin became friends
Unfortunately, that friendship later became Jake's death sentence.
Because Jake eventually died protecting Kevin's secret during one of the major story arcs.
Honestly…
I regretted writing that scene slightly.
Then few seats ahed of me was seated Lisa Voss.
A side cherecter that will later betray this class.
Why? Because she—
SLAM—!
The classroom door suddenly crashed open loud enough to shake the walls.
The noise instantly ripped me from my thoughts.
At first, I barely reacted, I assumed it was just another student arriving late dramatically.
Probably some extra trying too hard to look important.
But then—The entire classroom went silent.
Like someone had pressed mute on reality itself.
Even the constant background chatter disappeared completely.
That alone made me look up.
And the moment I saw who entered—
My body stiffened slightly.
Ah.
Him.
The newcomer walked into the classroom calmly, closing the door behind him without a trace of hurry.
Yet somehow—Every movement carried overwhelming pressure.
The kind possessed only by people who had already stood near death enough times that ordinary students subconsciously recognized them as dangerous.
Raven-black hair.
Pale skin.
Dark eyes that looked almost unnaturally empty.
Like the gaze of someone constantly evaluating whether a person was worth killing.
Leon Ardor.
One of the story's major antagonists.
And without question—one of the most dangerous people currently inside the academy.
The terrifying thing about Leon wasn't merely his strength.
Though yes, he was monstrously powerful.
A near-perfect genius in Shadow Magic.
A combat prodigy capable of fighting experienced veterans despite his age.
But strength alone didn't explain the atmosphere surrounding him.
No—
The truly frightening part was this:
Leon controlled rooms without speaking.
Without trying.
Without effort.
Meanwhile, rumors surrounding him had practically reached mythical status already.
Stories claimed he fought on frontlines during border wars.
That he wiped out entire enemy squads alone.
That veteran soldiers feared him despite his age.
That he'd survived battlefields where adults died screaming.
The academy practically treated him like a living legend.
Of course—
Most of those stories were heavily exaggerated.
Not entirely false.
But exaggerated enough to become propaganda.
Because the real Leon Ardor was even more dangerous than the rumors suggested.
The public believed he was merely a gifted young war hero.
A once-in-a-generation military talent.
A loyal prodigy serving the empire proudly.
But that image—was fake.
Carefully manufactured.
The truth?
Leon worked for [Shadows].
A secret organization personally created by the Emperor himself.
Officially—They didn't exist.
Unofficially—They handled everything too dirty for the empire to acknowledge openly.
Assassinations.
Espionage.
Political disappearances.
Silent massacres hidden beneath national security.
The Emperor ruled the continent publicly through armies and nobility.
But in the shadows—He ruled through monsters like Leon.
And right now—That monster was attending Imperial Academy for one reason only.
The Emperor suspected the Astral royal bloodline survived somehow.
No proof.
No evidence.
Just instinct.
But rulers capable of conquering empires didn't survive by ignoring instinct.
So the Emperor prepared quietly.
Carefully.
Cautiously.
And Leon Ardor had been sent here to investigate whether the last surviving heir of the Astral Empire was hiding among the academy students.
And if he found them—
He would kill them without hesitation.
And the worst part?
Kevin had absolutely no idea.
Right now, the future Crown Prince of the fallen Astral Empire sat only a few rows away casually chatting with classmates while the empire's most dangerous hunting dog walked directly into the same room.
Honestly, the irony was horrifying.
Leon moved silently through the classroom.
No smug expression like the typical "cold genius" stereotype.
Eventually, Leon reached an empty seat near the back of the classroom.
Unfortunately—he took the besides me.
Wonderful.
Absolutely fantastic.
Of all available seats in this massive classroom, why here?
Did fate personally hate me?
Leon pulled out his chair calmly before sitting down without a word.
Silence lingered awkwardly around him.
Nobody approached.
Nobody greeted him.
Even nearby conversations remained quieter now.
Meanwhile, I slowly turned my gaze back toward the window while pretending not to care internally.
Because attracting Leon's attention early was catastrophic.
This man instincts are very sharp, he could easily spot the difference in human behaviour easily.
The best thing to do now is simply Ignored him.
And I also think that Daiman wasn't dumb enough to mess with him.
If he was, I wouldn't having these thoughts right now.