Stay calm. Act normal.

She opened the door and Lucian stood there, holding some armor plate.

Ten minutes earlier.

Lucian lay flat on his back on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Despite his exhausted body, his mind refused to shut down. The day’s pointless drama had drained what little energy he had left.

Shit. If these two keep going at each other’s throats like this, I’m going to get caught in the crossfire for no damn reason.

He stayed in that uncomfortable position a while longer, then suddenly sat upright. His eyes locked onto the wooden desk across the room. The curse instruction book Myra had given him sat there alongside the loot from last night’s fight—those heavy Bear Armor Plates.

He walked barefoot across the cold floor to the desk. Bending down, he lifted the thick armor plates with both hands.

Hmm... these should work. I’ll give these plates to Seraphina for now. They’re no use to me anyway since I’m not a close-range sword fighter.

His gaze shifted to the book lying beside them. He immediately shook his head.

No. Just the armor plates for now. Teaching her those curse instructions would be too risky for me to handle.

Without even opening the book, he already knew what was written inside — after all, it came from his shameless mentor — that woman was never up to anything good."

I have to push past my current magical and physical boundaries if I want a chance against the upperclassmen. With the tournament approaching, I need to take advantage of the fact that my curse is gone and my mana is finally at full capacity. It’s all about raw practice and stat gains from here on out.

He felt his breathing grow heavy as he considered his next obstacle.

Then there’s Marcus. That bastard is bound to cause trouble by next week. Given his high-class standing, I’ll need to double his stats just to survive whatever he throws at me.

Exhaling a long, weary sigh, he tried to steady himself.

Seriously... did the author of this trash novel have to pile every single problem onto this villain? Damn it all.

He was well aware that Marcus was nothing compared to the threat Cassian posed. To make matters worse, various underground cults were already watching him, waiting like vultures for the moment he fell.

Shaking off the grim thoughts, he grabbed his uniform blazer from the chair and pulled it on. Even though it was nearly midnight, he decided he couldn’t wait any longer to deliver the armor plates to Seraphina.

Dumbass.

Present time.

All I need is raw practice and base stat gains.

His breathing grew heavier as the next thought hit him.

And the biggest problem... that bastard Marcus. He’s definitely going to start some new shit by next week. To handle attacks coming from his high-class background, I absolutely need to double my stats before next week.

He drew air into his chest and released a long, exhausted sigh through his nose.

Aughhh This is so damn frustrating... Why did this shitty novel’s dumbass author have to dump every single problem on this villain’s plate? Damn it.

He knew these other problems were nothing compared to Cassian. And then there were the countless underground cults already eyeing him like hungry vultures, waiting for his death.

He pushed those thoughts aside. grabbed his uniform blazer from the chair and slipped both arms through the sleeves, putting it on. At nearly midnight, he decided this was the perfect time to give Seraphina those armor plates.

Dumbass.

Present time.

Lucian stood in the dim corridor. Sera’s core temperature spiked the second she saw him. Blood rushed to her face, heating her skin.

"L-Lucian?" Her voice shook. "What are you—"

"Sera." Lucian shifted the armor plates in his grip. The heavy metal ground together, a harsh, grating sound in the quiet hallway.

"I brought you something."

Sera stared at the plates.

"These plates." Lucian’s tone was flat, utterly practical.

"Take them. Consider it payment for backing me up against Marcus."

Sera’s gaze dropped to the floorboards.

The heat in her face spread down her neck, disappearing under the collar of her robe. She reached out as her fingers trembled and they gripped the cold steel.

Just as her skin grazed his bare knuckles.

A sharp, electric jolt snapped at the contact. She yanked her hand back like she’d touched an open flame, she forced a tight smile and met his gazes.

"You didn’t... you didn’t have to do this, Lucian. I didn’t stand with you because I wanted a reward. But... thank you."

Lucian frowned. His eyes tracked from her shaking hand to the rapid, uneven rise and fall of her chest.

"Are you sick? You look—"

"Fine. I’m completely fine." 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"Just exhausted. From training."

The raw smell of sweat hung in the narrow doorway. Lucian didn’t step back. He shifted his weight forward, his massive frame blocking out the hall light.

"Can I come in?"

"We need to talk."

Absolutely not. Not right now. Not in this state.

"Sure. Yeah. Come in."

Why the hell did I just say that?

Lucian stepped past her and sat on the bed, looking here and there. Sera also closed the door and turned to face him.

Sera tries to stay completely calm, shifting her focus and forcing her spine straight. She locked her trembling hands behind her back.

"Yes, tell me Lucian what was the matter..."

"I recently found out a few things —"

As soon as he said this, his gaze went to Sera’s body. He could clearly see that how Sera was sweating in an unnatural way.

He triggered Villain Gaze.

[Congratulations. Your inner demon’s passive aura is so overwhelming, it is actively destabilizing the heroine’s base stats. Her internal heat regulation is currently spiking off the charts.]

Ah, her body temperature... I guess this is fine.

But the truth was entirely different. She was burning up from the inside. And after seeing the man she was imagining just minutes earlier — now standing right in front of her, giving off the scent she craved — it was completely overwhelming her

bedsprings shrieked as Lucian stood. He crossed the floor in two long strides, his expression entirely analytical.

"Are you alright?" You’re sweating through your clothes. Your skin is completely flushed. I think we need to get you to the infirmary."

"N-No! I’m fine." She stumbled backward. Her voice cracked, panicked and shrill. "It’s just — I’ll throw it — I mean, training! It’s from training! I don’t need a nurse."

Lucian didn’t buy a single word of it. He took another step forward.

"You can barely stand, Sera. Look at yourself —"

He hadn’t even completed his sentence when suddenly his foot slipped on something lying on the wooden floor. That thing was nothing else but Seraphina’s same fallen underwear which was left there in the hurry.

His center of gravity vanished.

Sera lunged. Her hands grabbed blindly at his solid chest plate, desperate to stabilize him.

It didn’t work.

Sera tried to catch him, but Lucian’s body came falling straight on top of her. Both fell on the floor with a thud.

As they tangled on the way down, Lucian’s right leg’s knee drove straight between her bare thighs. It pressed in hard — right against the slick, hypersensitive center she had been desperately trying to ignore.