Leomaris knew well enough that environments shaped individuals. But membership in the Runerth family alone couldn’t guarantee his strength. He needed allies, ones whose power would shape his own.

’I intend to ally with Lucius, but that won’t be easy given how guarded he has always been. However, his comrades in the novel are a different story entirely.’

Early afternoon. Leomaris and Hazel moved from block to block across the campus, his own personal tour, verifying whether everything was exactly as it had been in the novel.

’Lucius has four comrades, but I intend to target three of them. I already have Raine, which leaves only two... but then...’

Wariness hit him like a heavy rock as always. The theoretical exam was only hours away, and as long as the novel’s information held true, victory was within reach. Even so, he had every reason to believe that allying with Lucius’s comrades before he arrived wouldn’t always come easily.

’As for Lucius, I have a fair idea of how to get his attention, but any carelessness could make me come off as creepy. The same applies to the others. I can use my knowledge of their abilities to form alliances, but unless they reveal those abilities first, this approach would likely make them avoid me.’

Leomaris and Hazel found themselves at the academy’s arena. He stood at the centre of the field with his head tilted toward the sky, taking in the warm sunshine. The lecture halls, offices, cafeteria, and the confidential hall for the top five first-year students were all checked off. But nothing made him feel nostalgic like this arena.

It wasn’t unlike the Greek stadiums he’d known in his previous life, but this was more polished, more modern. A compacted sand field that could transform into any terrain of preference with a few switches.

This was the place Lucius had made himself known after taking down a third-year who’d been bullying him. Defeating was putting it lightly. Lucius killed the bastard.

’I always knew this place had a tough crowd, but a capacity of nearly five thousand is insane. How did Lucius manage to look them in the eyes and kill someone in cold blood?’

Chills coursed through him at the thought alone. If the main character ever found out he’d played a role in his parents’ death, the torture would be something else entirely.

’Andy, the man who killed his parents, is still alive, pretending to be a loving guardian while trying to control him. He’s also the reason Lucius gets such good payments and mercenary offers. But Lucius will kill him when the first semester ends. I only have until then to make him believe I’m a good person.’

When that thought settled, a few words from Hazel caught his attention.

"Young master... I think we’re being watched."

For a moment, Leomaris’s heart skipped. His head turned in every direction, the anxiety growing apparent as he silently hoped it wasn’t Lucius.

"Look there," Hazel said, gesturing toward the entrance of the arena. "He looks familiar. I believe he’s the one who tried to pick on you a few days ago, young master."

His eyes found the individual. Dark hair. Black cadet uniform. A cocky appearance and a smug aura that he let off without effort. Leomaris remembered immediately. That was one of his future pawns.

"Young master, there are three of them now. What should I do?"

He exhaled deeply. Bullying wasn’t something he’d ever personally experienced, and the original Leomaris’s memories offered nothing on the matter either. If anything, the original Leomaris was the one doing the bullying. But experience or not, being on the bad side of these men wasn’t something he intended.

"Do you remember what I told you after my Strategic Warfare and Tactics exam...?"

Hazel motioned positively. "You want to understand others as much as possible... to be empathetic, if possible."

Leomaris smiled and patted her head. He was only two years older than Hazel in this world, but accounting for his actual age of twenty-five, that made it nine. Paired with Hazel’s cuteness, seeing her as a younger sister came naturally.

"That’s correct, Hazel."

"What are you plotting over there... you coward? You insult me and leave me waiting for hours."

Leomaris’s expression hardened. The confusion was genuine. He didn’t understand what the young man was talking about. Then it hit him. Before his interview and Strategic Warfare and Tactics exam, he’d asked this man to wait. He’d forgotten entirely, too caught up in everything else.

"Don’t play dumb. You think your father being a Duke matters to me? Tsk... don’t make me laugh. Only a fool would stand beneath a coward like you."

The young man and his personal ruffians closed in quicker than Leomaris had thought they would. Hand locked around his neck, the man drew back to strike. Hazel moved, but Leomaris held her back.

"What’s that face? You think you can threaten me with that glare?" He sneered.

Leomaris raised his hand in submission. His exams had taught him something important. If he was going to meet the expectations his sister had set in this school, controlling people was a necessity, and he’d already picked it up. It started with false empathy paired with dominance.

"I have no doubt you want to beat me up. Actually... what am I saying? You’re already doing it. Still, I wouldn’t recommend it, young man."

"What did you say?!"

Leomaris exhaled, looking almost disappointed.

"You’re in your second year, aren’t you? Then you should know what a Runerth stands for. Runerths never abandon blood, and we both know Rosalith Celeste Runerth can ruin your life for touching me. And she would be generous enough to extend that to your entire family."

The young man groaned, irritated, but Leomaris’s words were impossible to ignore. He let go almost immediately. That wasn’t enough, though. Leomaris hadn’t recruited this pawn yet.

Before the young man could leave with his anger boiling over, Leomaris spoke:

"I have a proposal."

The young man paused and turned to him, confused.

"I was very tired after two exams in a row, but that doesn’t excuse not meeting as I suggested. So let’s forget, for now, that I’m a Runerth and that Rosay is my older sister."

He frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Let’s settle this dispute in another way. The last time someone carelessly laid a hand on a Runerth in the form of a bully, my elder brother personally intervened, and even the king became involved. So that rules out any form of violence."

Leomaris gave a soft smile. "Let’s resolve this in any way other than violence."

Confusion crossed the young man’s face. As if he were genuinely wondering whether Leomaris had all his wits about him. "What’s your suggestion?"

Leomaris shrugged.

"I want you to make that decision. I did wrong you, didn’t I? It’s only natural that I repay you in some way."

The young man sneered. "Bullshit. Tsk. Forget it."

Leomaris’s smile grew even more mysterious. "That’s a shame. I wouldn’t want to be on your bad side, so just know I will help you with something in the future."

He left with his men without looking back. That expression was exactly what Leomaris had been after. The young man wouldn’t come for him again, and the chance to make him a pawn was there. But staying in his sister’s shadow wasn’t something Leomaris could afford forever.

"Someone is watching us again, young master."

Leomaris traced Hazel’s gaze to the top stands of the arena. Two figures up there, one sitting and reading, the other a man dressed in a black cadet uniform and overcoat, looking down at him with a smile.

The man smiled, clearly impressed by Leomaris’s little act, and vanished without a trace. It held Leomaris’s attention for a moment, but he knew exactly what that person was.

"That one is a Calamity. Judging by his aura, he must be in the same class as Rosay." His eyes narrowed. "Those glaring eyes... Tch. I believe he must be her rival."

"Lady Rosay is a Calamity too, isn’t she... and the Ace as well."

Leomaris nodded in agreement. The Calamities were the top five students in each year, the finest of whom was always called the Ace.

Allying with his sister’s enemies made sense if he intended to go after her someday, but for now, he had other plans. And more importantly, a flower had caught his eye.

A young woman sat reading in the stands. Dark hair. Deep dark eyes that made her look soulless, and yet stunning features that could rival Raine’s. Just as the novel had described her. One of Lucius’s allies in the story.

Leomaris smiled. ’It’s a pleasure to know you actually exist... Charlotte Greenwood.’