Vinny still had a sense of ceremony for his first day of academy. His class was in a standard lecture hall, similar to the structure of university classrooms in his previous life, but that was where the similarities ended. The environment was incomparable.
The classrooms of Carillian Academy were lavishly decorated, with various exotic animal-shaped red jade incense burners filled with alchemical herbs that refreshed the mind.
The entire classroom exuded a faint herbal fragrance. Bright crystal chandeliers illuminated every corner, and the warm sunlight reflected off the mahogany podium and desks, making them gleam. The pear wood walls were adorned with numerous artistic paintings.
From this alone, one could see why Carillian Academy was the top institution on the Terraria continent.
In the eyes of everyone, there were only two types of academies on the Terraria continent: Carillian Academy and all the others.
The atmosphere of the classroom alone was unmatched by any other academy.
At Carillian Academy, the morning schedule consisted of cultural classes for the entire class, while the afternoons were reserved for elective courses chosen by the students.
The first class was poetry, taught by a hunched old man with reading glasses, a clean-shaven face, and a well-tailored suit.
His teaching style had a bardic quality, with even the ends of his sentences rhyming.
That said, his teaching wasn’t dull or boring. It held the students’ attention well, and even Vinny, who wasn’t particularly interested in poetry, listened attentively throughout the class.
It wasn’t until the bell rang that he realized how quickly time had passed.
The last class of the morning was combat training, similar to physical education in his previous life, but with one key difference: here, PE class couldn’t be taken over by other subjects.
Shikondell had taken a leave of absence due to feeling unwell, so the rest of the students gathered on the large training field. After warming up, everyone was eager to begin.
The front room of the training field was a changing room where students could swap their inconvenient academy uniforms for specialized training attire.
As the name suggested, combat training was a class focused on various forms of hand-to-hand combat without the use of mana, aimed at improving experience in chaotic battles without relying on spells.
Even students specializing in magic were required to take this class.
You didn’t have to master it, but you couldn’t be completely ignorant of it. After all, this skill might save your life on the battlefield. Carillian Academy emphasized well-rounded development.
The combat training teacher was a spirited female instructor. This class focused on explaining a few combat techniques and strategies, after which the students were free to train on their own.
It was one-on-one sparring.
After the teacher finished explaining the rules, she clapped her hands, signaling everyone to find a suitable partner for training.
Vinny frowned, a bad feeling rising in his heart.
If he were just an inconspicuous nobody, it wouldn’t be a problem. But he was a notorious villain, with his hatred and presence maxed out.
To make matters worse, he didn’t seem to get along with some of his classmates.
The situation didn’t look good. It was best to slip away or find a magic-focused classmate to spar with casually.
“Hey, blue-haired trash, your name’s Vinny, right?” However, as expected, things didn’t go as planned.
Millian, with her lotus-like arms and legs exposed, her golden hair tied into a high ponytail, approached him.
“Classmate, you’ve got the wrong person,” Vinny glanced at her figure, which even the largest training uniform couldn’t fully contain, and silently averted his gaze.
“Tsk! Blue-haired trash, where are you looking??” Millian placed her hands on her hips, a hint of anger in her eyes.
“What can I do for you? If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going. My training partner is waiting for me.”
“What training partner? The teacher just dismissed us. How could you have found a partner already? Hmph, Millian doesn’t believe you.” Millian clearly didn’t buy it, her olive gem-like eyes fixed on Vinny.
“Come on, let’s go!” Millian pointed to an empty training field.
“Go with you? Classmate, please behave. It’s still class time. Don’t just drag someone off to some unknown corner. Even if you want to confess your feelings in private, you’ll have to get in line. There are plenty of people chasing after me. Did you win the lottery or something?” Vinny raised an eyebrow, the experience he’d gained from dealing with Aesphyra allowing him to spout nonsense effortlessly.
“You!... Who would confess to trash like you?? Don’t taint me!” Millian’s cheeks flushed with anger. If it weren’t for her upbringing preventing her from cursing and her limited vocabulary of insults, she might have already exploded.
Virtue +50.
Current Virtue: 254.
“Then what do you want from me?”
“Hmph, what else? Isn’t it training time? You don’t have a partner, do you? I think we’re a good match, blue-haired trash. How about it?” Millian bit her small fangs, enunciating each word.
“No, no, no. Please don’t say things that could be misunderstood. We’re not a good match. I already have someone I like. I’m not familiar with you, really not.” Vinny waved his hand in refusal.
“You’ll have to get familiar!” Millian grabbed Vinny’s sleeve with a look of disdain. “Come on, let’s go! Let’s see what each of us is made of!”
It’s more like “try and die”!
“Classmate, don’t be like this. There are so many people watching! You might not care about your reputation, but I do!” Vinny struggled.
“What reputation?? Ugh! It’s not like I don’t care about mine either!” Millian’s cheeks turned red, like a ripe, cute apple.
“Isn’t that exactly what you’re doing? In human culture, no girl would drag a stranger she barely knows to a corner.”
“You blue-haired trash, don’t you remember me?? We met at your place not long ago!”
“Really not familiar, really not.”
“Millian doesn’t care if you’re familiar or not! You’ll have to get familiar, come on!” Millian huffed, pulling Vinny toward the training field.
In truth, she felt embarrassed with so many eyes on her, but she had no choice. She needed to find a private place to settle things with Vinny!
As for Vinny, well, he was about to become the public enemy of all the boys in the class.
It’s not fair! What’s so great about this jerk, aside from being good-looking? Why did he get dragged off by a beautiful elf girl on the first day of academy??
Most of the boys, unfamiliar with each other, were hesitant to approach the girls for training. But this guy?
He didn’t even have to try, a girl came to him asking for a sparring partner, and it was the beautiful elf princess with the huge... heart!
They thought this class was full of beauties, and they’d have a chance to get close. But this notorious scoundrel didn’t even have to lift a finger to gain the favor of a beauty.
And he had the audacity to act reluctant! What’s there to be reluctant about?? If you’re not willing, let me take your place! I’m more than willing!
All the boys in the room were green with envy.
“Pfft, Vinny is quite popular, isn’t he?” Just as one wave subsided, another rose. A familiar voice called out to him.
Then he saw the silver-haired girl, who usually wore her hair down, now tied into a ponytail, walking over with a smile.
“How enviable,” Aesphyra teased.
To others, it sounded like a joke, but Vinny knew Aesphyra wasn’t lying.
She was probably genuinely envious, envious that he could get so close to a beautiful elf girl.
“Great!” Vinny slapped his thigh as if he’d found a savior. “Aesphyra, no need to be envious. Millian here is looking for a training partner, so it’s decided, you’re it!”
“Millian, stop pulling me. I already have a training partner. Stop clinging to me. I’ve found you a better one. Aesphyra here will definitely meet your standards.”
If that’s the case, why not let Aesphyra and Millian spar? Everyone wins.
“No, I don’t want to train with her.” However, Millian refused. For some reason, when she met Aesphyra’s purple eyes, she felt an ominous and dangerous premonition.
She wasn’t stupid. The silver-haired girl in front of her was the top student in their grade, a once-in-a-millennium Breaking Shackles level elemental affinity user. Even though combat training didn’t allow the use of Soul Armament, Millian still felt intimidated.
There was no point in challenging an opponent she couldn’t possibly beat.
“Oh, Millian doesn’t want to? What a shame.” Aesphyra cupped her face, feigning disappointment. “In that case, Vinny, could you reluctantly train with me~?”
“Huh? Me?” Vinny’s expression said, “Are you kidding me?”
Me, fight the destined heroine? Really??
“Aesphyra, I’m only ranked 23rd. I’m afraid I can’t meet your expectations.”
“And Millian, you too. Why don’t you top five students train among yourselves? Don’t drag someone like me, who’s not even in the top ten, into this.”
“Not necessarily. Combat training doesn’t allow Soul Armament. It’s purely about fighting skills. How can you be so sure you’ll lose?” Aesphyra smiled.
“Aesphyra, I think you’re using this as an excuse to settle a personal score.” Vinny pouted. “If you want to punch me, just say it. Why all the roundabout talk?”
“Oh? So if I say it directly, I can punch you?” Aesphyra’s eyes sparkled with mischief.
“I didn’t say that! And you just admitted it? Not even pretending anymore??”
“No, this trash human has already agreed to train with me. You’ll have to wait your turn!” Millian tightened her grip on Vinny’s sleeve.
“Oh my, Millian, why are you so insistent on training with Vinny? You could train with me too. If you won’t train with me, and you won’t let me train with Vinny, it’s quite troubling.” Aesphyra seemed unwilling to back down.
What??
Vinny was momentarily confused.
Being fought over by two stunning beauties, almost to the point of being embraced by both, was he experiencing the protagonist’s treatment?
Well, rounding up, it probably counted.
Unfortunately, the truth wasn’t so glamorous. Other protagonists were fought over because the girls genuinely liked them. In his case, the girls were fighting over who got to beat him up.
As the saying goes, comparing people leads to death, comparing goods leads to throwing them away.
Ah, forget it. Whether they’re fighting over who gets to beat him up or not, the fact remains that two beauties are arguing over him!
The two pairs of beautiful eyes clashed in the air, neither willing to back down.
With the scene unfolding like this, who could focus on training? Two top-five beauties at odds, what could be more captivating?
So, while the students appeared to be training, their attention was entirely focused on this spectacle.
As for Vinny?
He was silently chanting, “Fight, fight!” Hoping they’d start pulling each other’s hair on the training field so he could slip away.
But his hopes were destined to be dashed.
After a long stare-down, the two girls finally reached a decision.
“You go first, or should I?”
“I don’t know. How about rock-paper-scissors?”
“Sure!”
“...Huh?” Watching the two go from a tense standoff to a simple game of rock-paper-scissors, Vinny was dumbfounded.
He felt like a prize, with the winner getting to beat him up.
In the end, Millian won the game.
“Bad luck,” Aesphyra shook her head, not disappointed but rather with a look of amusement.
“Hmph! Come with me, princess!”
“Hahaha, no way.” Vinny crossed his arms, standing firm.
“You! You’re ranked 23rd, how can you be so cowardly??” Millian puffed out her cheeks.
“It’s not cowardice, it’s caution. I think you’re not here to train and improve but just to beat me up.” Vinny adopted a “come what may” attitude. “Taking a beating for no reason isn’t worth it.”
“Sparring requires both parties to be willing. That’s what the teacher said.”
“Hmph, fine then? Everyone has to have at least one match this class. Who else would be willing to spar with you?” Millian snorted.
“Oh, plenty!” Vinny scoffed, then raised his arm. “Dell, I need you!”
“...” There was no response.
“Hehe, did you forget? Dell took a leave of absence for combat training because he ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) wasn’t feeling well.” Millian smiled triumphantly.
“Hmph, even so, you pointy-eared girl underestimate the bonds between men. Do you think I can’t find someone willing to train with me??”
With that, Vinny waved to the male students and shouted, “Brothers! It’s time to prove our male camaraderie. Who’s willing to save me from this predicament and be my training partner??”
“...” Dead silence.
All the boys acted as if nothing had happened, not even turning their heads.
Vinny’s expression froze, his finger pointing at his male classmates in disbelief.
You guys, how could you be so cruel!?
“Hehe.” Millian smiled brightly, clenching her small fists, her little fangs showing, as if she couldn’t wait. “Looks like you have no choice. Just accept your fate and come with me.”
“Guys, how can you ignore our bond like this??” Vinny looked at his male classmates with a pained expression.
“Sss, did you hear a dog barking?”
“Must be your imagination.”
The male students ignored him completely, as if they hadn’t heard a word.
“Ahem, Vinny, since no one else is willing to train with you, you’ll have to train with Millian. Remember, keep it friendly.” The teacher finally spoke up.