Chapter 11: Welcome to the Circus!

The old professor adjusted his glasses before turning toward the classroom.

"We have two new students joining the sophomore class," he announced. "Lady Lydia Valendorf, an F-Rank Guide transferred from the Elite Class. And Lady Rishe Arestionne, a new transfer student from the Luanna Kingdom. I expect everyone to get along with them."

The moment he finished, whispers spread across the classroom.

"An F-Rank Guide? So the rumors were true. That adopted girl really is the outcast Valendorf."

"Shush! She’s the Crown Prince’s fiancée."

"Two beautiful chicks!"

"Kyaaah! Lady Rishe is so gorgeous! She’s totally my type!"

"Girl, you’ll scare her with your squealing."

Uproar and chaos.

Perhaps those were the best words to describe Regular Classroom. Lydia had barely sat in her new classroom, and the gossip had already started.

Apparently, being the adopted daughter of House Valendorf came with a lifetime membership to everyone’s rumor mill.

Professor Greg pointed toward two empty desks beside the windows. "You two may sit there."

Lydia nodded and followed Rishe toward the seats. The desks were positioned side by side, giving them a clear view of the courtyard outside.

Sunlight streamed through the windows, falling across the polished wooden floor.

At least the seats weren’t bad.

Lydia placed her books on the desk and settled down beside Rishe. She could still feel curious eyes following them from across the classroom, but she ignored them.

By this point, Lydia has gotten used to being the center of attention. She had spent too many years worrying about what other people thought of her.

This time, she had more important things to worry about. Like surviving university without getting dragged into another disaster.

Unfortunately, that hope lasted only until the class ended.

The moment Professor Greg left, three students approached Lydia and Rishe.

One of them was a young woman with sparkling green eyes and a face covered in adorable freckles.

She practically gooning at Rishe as though she’d just discovered the greatest treasure in the Empire.

"You’re so pretty, Lady Rishe. Can we be friends?"

Girl, you’re practically drooling.

Lydia had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing.

"Tone it down, Kathy! You’ll scare her," a young man beside her warned. "She always has the hots for women. Please don’t mind her questionable behavior."

After giving Kathy a light jab in the side, the calm young man adjusted his glasses.

His scholarly appearance made him look more like a professor than a student. The blue uniform he wore immediately marked him as a Guide.

"She already lost it, Simon," said the third student.

A deep baritone voice rang out clearly. A muscular young man wearing a red uniform. His broad shoulders, muscular build, and red uniform color made it obvious that he was a Sentinel.

"Kathy was beyond saving. A lost cause, I’d say."

"Shut up, Hugo!" Kathy swatted his arm. "I am trying to complete Project 101: Befriend the New Young Ladies!"

Hugo barely moved from the hit. "But you called it Project 101: All Pretty Girls Belong to Me—Kathy’s Angels, just five minutes ago."

Lydia’s gaze fell on the embroidered patch attached to the left side of his chest. A large bear was stitched onto it.

She glanced at the other two students.

Kathy had a fox embroidered on her chest, while the young man with glasses had a raccoon.

Right. Spirit Animal insignias.

Belfort University required students to wear uniforms according to their abilities. Sentinels wore red, while Guides wore blue.

Each student also wore a patch displaying their awakened Spirit Animal as a form of identification.

Lydia’s gaze dropped to her own chest. There was no patch. Of course there wasn’t, yet!

She had awakened her Spirit Animal only yesterday. The academy hadn’t had time to update her student records yet.

Still, the empty space on her uniform felt strangely noticeable. Most students had their Spirit Animal patches displayed proudly on their uniforms.

I should drop by the Faculty Office and report my Spirit Animal awakening later.

Meanwhile, Kathy’s enthusiasm did little to faze the elegant young woman. A soft laugh escaped her lips as she gave the three students a graceful curtsy.

"It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Rishe Arestionne. Please take care of me."

"Kyaaah! She’s even more beautiful when she smiles! I can die as a happy woman now."

"Do I need to prepare a funeral for you now?" Simon tapped his bracelet and started browsing cemetery plots and gravestone prices.

"And that’s how Kathy went to heaven." Hugo grinned at Lydia.

Kathy puffed out her cheeks. "I’m not!"

Lydia couldn’t help it anymore. A small laugh escaped her. These people are way much more fun than students in Elite Class.

The three students turned toward her.

"And you must be Lady Lydia," Kathy said brightly. "I’ve heard about you."

Lydia’s smile stiffened.

Oh, great.

"Hopefully nothing too terrible," she replied.

"Not at all!" Kathy waved both hands. "Well, except for the rumors. But I don’t believe everything people say."

"That’s good."

At least she wasn’t nosy. Lydia could already tell she was going to like Kathy.

Loud rumbles from Hugo’s stomach suddenly filled the room, making everyone freeze in surprise.

"I’m hungry."

Simon adjusted his glasses. "I am well aware we can hear that, Hugo."

Hugo ignored him and turned toward Lydia and Rishe. "Do you want to hit the cafeteria? They have spaghetti today!"

"We aren’t deaf, Hugo," Kathy squeaked. "Stop yelling. And you just ate my snacks five minutes ago."

"Why does a C-Rank Sentinel like you have a bottomless pit for a stomach?"

"Sentinels need more energy, Simon. You know we do."

Hugo rubbed his stomach with a sigh. "We’re naturally bigger than normal humans and Guides. Once we start training and developing our Resonance, our bodies need even more fuel to keep up."

Kathy rolled her eyes before hooked an arm through each of theirs, happily putting herself between Lydia and Rishe.

"Cafeteria, then! Let’s go, girls!"

The conversation quickly became livelier. Classes, professors, cafeteria food, and several students Lydia had never heard of flew past in a blur as Kathy enthusiastically filled them in.

For once, being surrounded by a group of people felt strangely fun. Lydia almost forgot how unusual it was to have others casually include her in their little circle.

Something brushed against Lydia’s shoulder. When she turned, a pair of orange fox ears had popped up on Kathy’s head, and a fluffy tail was swishing happily behind her.

Rishe simply smiled.

"You’re wondering about her ears?" she asked softly.

"Very much."

"Those are just physical traits from her Spirit Animal. They tend to show up when emotions run high. Sentinels and Guides can both do it."

Lydia nodded slowly.

So that was how it worked.

Lydia had seen people fully transform into their Spirit Animals during battles in her previous life.

Seeing Kathy’s fluffy fox ears and tail pop out reminded her of Ephraim’s lion ears and tail.

Perhaps I should try to ask Ephraim if I can stroke his lion ears and tail next time.

The five of them eventually found an empty table in the cafeteria and settled down with spaghetti, cream soup, and grilled chicken.

A small silver delivery robot rolled up to their table, its blue display flashing as it delivered their meals one by one.

Compared to the meals in the Elite Dormitory, the food here was painfully bland. The soup was watery, while the chicken desperately needed more seasoning.

Still, it was edible.

Kathy kept the conversation going while Lydia quietly picked at her meal. Across from them, Hugo was already shoveling down his food at an alarming speed.

For the first time since returning to the past, university felt almost normal.

"Chew your food properly," Simon said. "Slow down, Hugo," Simon reminded him for what was probably the third time.

Rishe laughed softly at their argument. Lydia found herself smiling again.

This was strange.

Maybe being transferred to the Regular Class wasn’t completely terrible. After they finished eating, the group eventually parted ways.

Lydia watched them leave with a small smile before turning toward Rishe.

"Let’s head back to the dormitory."

"Of course, Lydia."

They walked through the university passage together.

The afternoon crowd had begun to thin. Most students were either heading to their next class or returning to their dormitories.

Thin blue light-lines glowed along the walls, guiding students toward different sections of the academy as the automated signs shifted between class schedules and room numbers.

Sunlight poured through the tall windows, casting long shadows across the stone floor.

Lydia was still thinking about the strange little group she’d met when Rishe suddenly slowed beside her.

Someone was standing farther ahead in the passage.

"Ephraim..."

The Crown Prince didn’t answer. His gaze never left Rishe.

The polite smile he usually wore was nowhere to be seen. His jaw tightened as he stood in the middle of the passage, making no attempt to hide his displeasure.

Lydia glanced between them.

Rishe stopped beside Lydia and gave Ephraim a graceful smile.

"Lady Arestionne, I presume? I didn’t expect to see you again so soon."

A faint smile peeked out from behind her purple rose-patterned fan. "Neither did I. Then I suppose this must be fate. Good afternoon, Your Highness," Rishe greeted gracefully.

Ephraim’s expression hardened.

Oh, this was bad. Very bad.

The last time these two had met, Rishe had accused him of harassing and molesting Lydia in front of half the university.

And now they were standing face-to-face again.

Please don’t tell me they’re about to fight.