Fucking hell.' Liam froze, eyes wide as the elves walked in.
'I've seen magic. I've seen monsters. But standing this close to elves? That's the crown jewel.'
He leaned back in his chair, pulse racing.
'The only thing that could top this would be fucking dragons.'
The novel he'd read had claimed elves were basically half-fairies, which honestly explained a lot—like why the air shifted when they entered a room, or why they smelled like a florist's shop and a pine forest had a baby.
While the teacher introduced them, Liam's gaze lingered on the amber-haired girl with striking turquoise eyes.
Despite being a minor character in the novel, he had always admired her.
To him, she radiated that "hot neighbor" kind of allure, and seeing her here, in the flesh, was a surreal delight.
Standing next to her was another girl he recognized—a major supporting character.
Silver-white hair, silver eyes, and an aura so regal it practically screamed, "Bow down, peasants."
The type who didn't need to try to draw attention—people just gravitated toward her.
And then there was the last one: a boy with blond hair so pale it was practically white.
'…Do I even remember this guy?' Liam squinted. 'Nope. Blank.'
But then, a certain scene from the novel replayed in the back of his mind.
His lips curled into an awkward smile as he looked at the boy.
'Yikes. Poor bastard. You deserved better, buddy.'
***
"Historically, the Fourth Era has been the most uneventful—mainly because the world was focused on healing the scars accumulated in the Third Era."
Liam paid rapt attention as their history teacher—an elderly man in scholarly robes—gave in-depth explanations of lores that had only been briefly mentioned in the novel.
"And then there's the Fifth Era, equally as destructive as the Third, albeit longer," the teacher added.
Unlike the previous eras, Liam knew a lot about the Fifth. After all, the novel had detailed many opportunities and events born out of the strife of that era.
"Sir!" Anita, the girl seated beside Liam, raised her hand.
"Yes, Miss Moriarty?" the teacher responded.
The whole class turned to her.
"Peradventure I come across a question asking which of the two eras was the most destructive, what should my answer be?" she asked, her voice firm, unfazed by the stares.
"Hmm." The teacher nodded slowly.
"That is a very good question, Miss Moriarty.
Of the two eras, the Third is considered the most destructive. It divided, reshaped, and forever altered our maps.
As for the Fifth Era, although not as destructive as the Third, it is recorded as the most miserable the inhabitants of Terra had the misfortune to endure."
The teacher stood poised, hands behind his back, his presence commanding as every gaze stayed locked on him, hungry for more.
"We are almost out of time, so that will be all for today. For your assignment, I want a short essay summarizing everything we discussed about the Fifth Era—the major roles humanity played, and why it is not just called the Demonic Era but also the Second Expansion Era. In no fewer than ten pages."
Whispers of dissatisfaction swept through the class.
'What do you mean, a short essay?' Liam grumbled inwardly. 'How can ten pages be considered short?'
'I'd hands down consider history my favorite subject if only this old fogey would stop handing out essays as assignments.'
***
When the next class began, Liam was mentally absent for most of it. He was too busy going through everything he needed to ensure his survival.
'Why did I even bother caring about the plot?' Liam thought in frustration, slumping over his desk.
'If only I'd stuck to collecting opportunities from the hero, my rise to power would've been smooth sailing. Now I can't do any of that because of a clash in elements.'
"Are you okay?" Anita asked, worried.
"Y… yeah," Liam muttered.
Anita gave him a knowing look.
"I can give you math lessons if you like. It's not that hard once you get the hang of it."
Liam laughed awkwardly.
"I appreciate it."
"You're taking Cultural Studies, right?" Anita asked.
"Uh-huh," Liam nodded.
"And you, Arcane Theory?" he asked.
She nodded absently, her eyes trailing a certain group leaving the class.
Liam chuckled.
"You'll probably be in the same class as them."
"Huh?" Anita asked, flustered.
"The elves—you'll probably be in the same class as them," Liam repeated while packing up his books.
"...Probably," she replied, uncertain.
'I wish I had my storage ring. Carrying all these books would be so much easier,' he thought.
Once they finished packing, they walked out together. At the door, Liam split off, heading for his Cultural Studies class.
***
When he finally got there, he noticed a hand waving him forward.
"Liam!" Jack called from the last row.
Liam walked over.
"Is it true?" Jack asked.
"Is it? …Is it?"
"At least let me sit down before you start bombarding me with questions," Liam grumbled.
He placed his bag down and settled comfortably into his chair.
"Well?" Jack pressed impatiently.
…Sigh.
Liam sighed.
"It's true. I'm afraid of goats. Don't laugh."
Jack groaned in frustration.
"Not that!"
"Elves… I heard you've got elves," Jack insisted.
Liam smiled a crooked smile.
"I haven't got any elves, bro. In fact, I didn't even know they sold them."
"Argh!" Jack pulled at his hair in absolute frustration.
"There've been rumors about your class getting transfer students from Eryndor, but no one's actually seen them yet," the boy seated beside Jack chimed in.
"Well… yes," Liam said with a smile. "We did get transfer students this morning."
"But are they elves?" Jack asked.
"...Yeah," Liam nodded, a smile tugging at his lower lip.
"Lucky," Jack muttered.
"The teacher isn't here yet? That's odd—he's usually ahead of time," Liam said.
"You didn't check your band?" Jack blinked.
"My what?"
Jack groaned. "Your band. Look."
Liam glanced down. The schedule update blinked at him: Cultural Studies suspended.
A free period, just like that.
…Sigh.
Liam sighed.
"And I was looking forward to today's lesson on Dark Humans."
Jack pulled a face.
"You're weird, you know that, right?"
Liam chuckled.
"And by the way," Jack added with a crooked smile, "Isabella is back."
Liam's heart dropped. His face drained of color.