After the hellish second class ended, Revan dragged his battered body toward the only place in this academy that didn't make him want to commit suicide: The Cafeteria.
The Aethelgard Academy cafeteria was massive and noisy. Hundreds of noble students sat in groups, laughing and gossiping. Yet, in the middle of that crowd, there was one table that seemed to have an invisible barrier.
Revan's table.
Completely empty. Not a single soul was willing to sit within a two-meter radius of the "Class Trash."
For a normal person, this social isolation might be depressing. But for Revan? This was a blessing.
'Good,' Revan thought as he set his tray down. 'I don't need noisy NPCs discussing mana formulas or family trees while I'm eating. It ruins my appetite.'
For Revan, lunch was the only positive thing about this damn reincarnation. The only reason he hadn't burned this school to the ground yet was that the chef here was a genius.
"Hmmmm... The smell..."
Revan took a deep breath, inhaling the aroma of the steaming roast beef in front of him.
"Oh god... Surviving two hours of boring lectures was worth it just for this moment."
And that was when the miracle—or nightmare—happened.
Revan's face, usually gloomy with dead eyes and permanent dark circles, underwent a miraculous transformation.
His eyes sparkled like the protagonist of a Shoujo Manga. His cheeks flushed red. The corners of his lips lifted into a wide, genuine smile, and a little bit of drool even escaped his lips out of sheer anticipation.
It was the natural reaction of a true foodie.
But for the other students who happened to witness it, the sight was more terrifying than seeing a ghost.
Silence spread to the nearby tables. Students from his class, who knew how cynical Revan usually was, dropped their jaws, spoons hanging in mid-air. Their gazes weren't of admiration, but of pure terror.
Some even looked nervous, glancing anxiously at the cafeteria entrance.
They knew the unwritten rule of this class: Revan is not allowed to be happy.
If Erison or his lackeys walked in and saw that stupid smiling face, it would be an open invitation for a beating. To the bullies, Revan's happiness was an insult that had to be destroyed immediately.
But Revan?
He didn't care about the tense atmosphere. In his eyes right now, the outside world didn't exist. There was only him and the mushroom sauce steak on his plate.
"Mmm... Heaven..."
Revan closed his eyes, savoring the explosion of flavor on his tongue. This meat... this was insane. Even the expensive A5 Wagyu he used to eat back in Tokyo couldn't compare to this. The texture melted like butter, the sauce was savory perfection.
Just as Revan was thanking the God of Food, a timid voice ruined his sacred moment.
"U-uhm..."
"Hm?"
Revan's face, which had been smiling like a lottery winner, instantly dropped. His eyes returned to their signature dead, cynical glare.
Standing in front of him was a girl holding a tray of fruit salad.
If there was a dictionary for "Overused Webnovel Tropes," her face would be on the very first page of the Shy Girl chapter.
Short green bob cut? Check. Oversized round glasses that hid half her face? Check. A posture so hunched she looked like she wanted to disappear from existence? Double check.
She was the walking definition of the "Nerdy Librarian" archetype. A character design so generic, it seemed like the developer just hit the "Randomize" button on a background NPC.
But Revan knew better. Behind that unremarkable appearance lay a terrifying status.
She was Elara, the only daughter of Archmage Thorne.
Her father wasn't just a regular mage. He was The Imperial Grand Sage—a man feared across the continent as a "One-Man Army." It was said that he once erased an entire mountain range just because it blocked his view.
And here was his daughter, the girl known in the game as the "Goddess of Healing."
With a face burning red and trembling hands, Elara stammered.
"C-can I... c-can I sit here?"
Revan stopped chewing. He slowly scanned the cafeteria.
The students who had been secretly watching them immediately turned away. Some pretended to cough, others suddenly found the wall incredibly interesting.
'These cowardly NPCs,' Revan cursed internally.
He looked back at Elara. Her face was getting redder by the second; she looked like she would faint if Revan stayed silent for one more second.
Revan sighed. He put down his fork, wiped his mouth, and stood up with exaggerated grace.
He bowed ninety degrees—a perfect, theatrical bow of a loyal butler. It was a gesture so polite it reeked of sarcasm.
"Please, Lady Elara," Revan said, his voice flat but loud enough for everyone to hear. "This lowly servant feels incredibly honored just to sit and breathe the same oxygen as you."
Elara flinched, nearly dropping her tray.
"Re-Revan! Y-you don't need to do that every time!"
Revan didn't reply. He just shifted his body and gestured for her to sit.
His cynical smirk softened into a thin smile. A smile that was... genuine?
'Hah...' Revan sighed internally.
If Elara were a normal girl back on Earth, Revan would be over the moon. His heart would be exploding with joy. Why? Because this girl was the absolute definition of Revan's Ideal Type.
He knew her well. Too well.
Back when he was still a "Toxic Gamer" on Earth, Elara was the only reason he didn't uninstall this trash game.
Revan hated the plot. Revan hated the Main Character. But for Elara? Revan was willing to become a "Whale".
He spent a fortune topping up just to buy skins for her. He read every line of her item descriptions, memorized her lore, and re-watched her animations like a creep.
He loved this character.
And what was the reward from the game developers?
A Tragic Death.
Whether in the Bad Ending or the Good Ending, Elara's fate was the same. She would be accused of being a heretic because of her curse, and then killed by the Hero's sword in the name of "Justice."
That was why he deliberately performed that butler pose. It wasn't because he was used to being a slave, but out of a lingering sense of devotion to the character he once cherished
But reality slapped him back.
Behind that innocent face, Revan knew her true stats.
She was a genius. An academic monster. At age 10, she was as smart as an Assistant Professor. Now, at 16? She could lecture the old professors in this academy about advanced magic theory.
But she also carried a bomb. The [Curse of Withering]. The more people she healed, the faster her own body rotted from the inside.
"Th-thank you..."
Elara's small voice pulled him back to reality.
"F-for yesterday..." she whispered, squeezing her skirt, her head bowed low.
"Y-you saved me..."
Revan raised an eyebrow.
"...?"
"Yesterday?"
Revan's brain rewound to the previous day.
Ah. Right. The incident in the Alchemist corridor.
He remembered seeing Elara trip. She had dropped a glass jar containing a very dangerous ingredient: [Volatile Fire Essence].
If that small jar had touched the floor and shattered...
It wouldn't have been a simple "Boom." The explosion would have been strong enough to wipe half the academy off the map. Anyone standing nearby wouldn't even have time to scream; they would be instantly atomized into dust.
Remembering that moment, a chill ran down Revan's spine.
He stared at the shy girl in front of him with horror.
'What kind of lunatic brings a pocket-sized nuke to school?!' Revan screamed internally.
'She is only sixteen, and she carries an S-Class Catastrophe Item in her pocket? As expected of the genius. Her definition of "school supplies" is clearly on a different level.'
But on the outside, Revan kept his cool. He flashed a smile—activating his "Charming Prince Mode."
"It was nothing, Lady Elara," Revan said smoothly. "It was just a natural reflex. Any man would move faster than light if he saw a cute girl like you in trouble."
"Cu... Cute...?"
Elara's face, which was already red, officially overheated. Steam practically exploded from her ears. Her eyes swirled, ready to faint from a compliment overdose.
But, before she could hit the floor...
SLAM!
Someone pounded a hand on the table.
Revan sighed. 'Ah, here comes the cliché.'
A girl with fierce eyes stomped toward them. Revan recognized her immediately. Sera, the "Mad Dog" bodyguard.
'Look at her,' Revan narrated to the audience in his head. 'Another cliché character created by the lazy Author just to act as a cheap roadblock. Right now, she wants to kill me. But I bet in 50 chapters, the Author will make her fall in love with me after I save her once. Basic Tsundere route. So predictable.'
Sera hoisted him by the collar. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY LADY, YOU MONGREL!"
"Hah..." Revan didn't fight back. He just stared at her with dead fish eyes.
Revan glanced sideways at Elara. 'Let me guess. Elara will pull her back and say...'
In his head, Revan mimicked Elara's voice with a mocking tone: 'Stop it! Don't bully my Revan! I just want to thank him!'
And sure enough. Reality followed his imagination.
"M-Mooo! Stop it, Sera!" Elara pulled her friend's arm frantically. "I just wanted to thank Revan! Let him go!"
Sera looked at her Lady in disbelief. "But, My Lady?!"
"Sera!"
Elara cut her off, trying to sound firm. Her usually gentle face was now trying to look "angry." She puffed out one of her cheeks, pouting adorably. She was trying to be intimidating, but to Revan, she looked more like an angry hamster.
Seeing that rare sight, Revan's defenses crumbled.
'Whoa... So cute!' Revan roared internally.
He didn't say a word. His lips remained sealed. But his eyes... his eyes couldn't lie.
Revan's signature "Dead Fish Eyes" vanished. Instead, he stared at Elara with overflowing warmth, as if he were looking at the most adorable creature in the universe. It was the gaze of a hardcore fan looking at his favorite idol.
"Ehhh...?"
Feeling that sudden, intense gaze, Elara's confidence shrank.
Her "angry mode" malfunctioned instantly. Poof. Her anger deflated, replaced by a face that turned beet red.
"Now, apologize," Elara whispered hurriedly, promptly lowering her head.
Sera gritted her teeth. Cornered by her Lady's order, she had no choice.
She turned to Revan, her face twitching as if she were swallowing broken glass. She performed a stiff, forced curtsy typical of nobility.
"I... apologize," Sera said robotically, her voice trembling with suppressed rage.
"Thank you... for assisting... My Lady."
Revan smirked. But before he could reply, Sera snatched Elara's hand.
"We must go. The Headmaster has summoned you, Lady Elara!"
"Eh? Wait, Sera—!"
Dragged away by her bodyguard, Elara stumbled backward. She managed to look back at Revan one last time, waving her hand awkwardly.
"U-Until we meet again, Revan!" she stammered nervously.
Revan watched them disappear into the crowd, leaving him alone at his empty table once more.
He looked down at his plate. The mushroom steak was still half-eaten, but his appetite had suddenly vanished.
"Hah..."
Revan sighed heavily.
Meeting Elara was a pleasant surprise, but it also served as a harsh wake-up call. Seeing her face reminded him of the cruel reality waiting in this world.
Revan glanced out the window, looking toward the distant horizon where a massive structure pierced the sky.
The Grand Clock Tower of the Royal Capital.
In Legends of Valtheris, time wasn't just a number. It was a countdown. The entire game's timeline revolved around the date shown on that tower.
Revan did a quick calculation in his head.
'If I follow the Grand Clock's time... today is the 3rd Month, 15th Day.'
Revan's eyes narrowed.
'That means... the First Arc begins on the 6th Month, 1st Day.'
"In other words," Revan whispered to himself, his voice serious. "I only have three months left before the prologue ends and the real hell begins."
And that hell wouldn't be triggered by a Demon King or a dragon attack.
No.
The chaos would begin with the debut of a single person. The game's most notorious Villainess.
The very person Revan was forced to serve like a dog after his own family fell.
His master.
Sylvia von Vespera.