‘Hoo. Luckily, it seems like I’m not late.’
After stopping by the accommodation and finally arriving at the lecture hall,
I looked around at the students sitting in their seats.
About a hundred students were already occupying their seats early.
But just as Liliana had mentioned, there were no men to be seen, only noble ladies.
‘…Is this really right?’
I felt doubtful, but decided not to dwell on it.
After all, it looked nice.
Maybe it was because they were daughters of noble families.
Each one of them was pretty.
Looking at them like this, I was reminded of how high the standard of beauty was in this world.
‘Hmm?’
But then, while scanning the students, I made eye contact with Justia, who was sitting in the front row.
She must have come to attend the lecture.
But why does she look like that?
She was staring at me with wide eyes, and her mouth was slightly open.
‘Ah. It’s probably because of the change in my appearance.’
Come to think of it, my appearance changed overnight, so it was understandable that she would be surprised.
I made a subtle gesture with my eyes, signaling that I would explain later.
Justia nodded lightly, as if she understood.
After exchanging glances with her for a moment, I stepped up to the podium at the front of the classroom.
‘Hmm. This is surprisingly nerve-wracking.’
Maybe it’s because this is my first time teaching in front of people.
I felt a strange sense of pressure.
At times like this, if only Cheonryeo were here to say something silly, I could relax.
But I left him behind, not wanting him to be a distraction.
‘But I can’t back out now.’
The reason I came to the academy wasn’t just to meet the heroines frequently.
One of my goals was also to increase my influence in preparation for the fight against Maximilian.
Therefore, I needed to make a strong impression on the students sitting in front of me.
I collected my thoughts and then spoke.
“I am Beherit Dibelion. Somehow, I was asked to give this lecture. You probably already know about me, so I won’t go into further details.”
“…”
“The reason I accepted the Chancellor’s request was because I wanted to meet the talented individuals who will lead the future of the Empire. And I think I made the right choice. It seems there are many outstanding individuals here.”
As I spoke with a gentle smile, I could hear the sound of people holding their breath from all around.
A huge ripple quickly spread out from me.
Soon after, the students who were sitting began to whisper intensely.
“Did you see that? The Grand Duke smiled…!”
“Oh my… is this heaven?”
“He looks even more handsome up close… I think he’s the most handsome person I’ve ever seen.”
The female students kept their eyes fixed on me, chattering excitedly.
What is this?
It’s true that I would often attract attention wherever I went in the past.
But this is a bit much.
‘I didn’t think it would be this embarrassing…’
I felt myself getting a little hot and unbuttoned one of the buttons on my chest, then rolled up my shirt sleeves.
At that moment, the solid muscles of my chest slightly peeked through my white shirt.
And the prominent veins on my thick forearms twitched.
That’s when a pink-haired girl sitting in the middle suddenly started to bleed from her nose.
I called out to her with a worried expression.
“Hey, over there. Are you alright?”
“Me? Are you talking about me?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, I’m fine for today, actually.”
“What are you talking about? I’m asking if you’re okay because you’re bleeding from your nose.”
“Eh? Really? Is it bleeding…?”
“Good grief. Let me see.”
I immediately walked across the room toward the girl.
At the same time, the students turned their heads to follow me, as if tracking a target with a surface-to-air missile.
A moment later, I reached the pink-haired girl, and I slightly bent forward to examine her face.
“Good. It doesn’t look too bad.”
“Ugh… wow.”
“It’s probably because you’re tired. Even though the final evaluations are coming up, make sure to take care of your body while training. Got it?”
As I spoke, I used my fingertip to wipe off the blood.
Then, I let an aura gather at the tip of my finger and burned the traces away without leaving a mark.
I looked down at the pink-haired girl.
“Yes. Understood…”
Submissive Response.
I silently placed my hand on top of my head, then returned to my original spot.
“The Grand Duke personally wiped Miss Vivian’s nosebleed…!”
“What should I do? I think I’m in love.”
“Weren’t you the trusted aide of the Maximilian family’s Prince?”
“Shh. That doesn’t matter right now…!”
As I stood at the podium, whispers started to spread from all around.
And then, the intense gazes were directed at me.
It seems the scene where I helped the pink-haired young lady made quite an impression.
‘As expected, being handsome does have its perks.’
Honestly, it was a cringy thing to do, but I’m glad it worked.
Alright. Now, let’s ride this wave and give it a shot.
A highly biased lecture, that is.
‘Hehe. I’m going to brainwash all of you thoroughly.’
My goal for today was to turn everyone in this room into my followers.
By the time everyone leaves the classroom, they’ll be thinking of Maximilian as the scum of the earth.
With that in mind, I began an impassioned speech on the topic of ‘The Path the Empire Should Take.’
* * *
“Phew… It’s finally almost over…”
Inside the Chancellor’s office, located in the main building of the Academy.
Endless looked down at the stack of documents with a weary expression, then signed them with practiced ease.
She had been trapped in a hell of paperwork as punishment for leaving her post without permission to meet with the Arkduke.
After diligently working through her duties since then, she had finally managed to escape Kayla’s constant surveillance.
Now free, Endless glanced around the room.
“Oh my. Now that I think about it, today’s that day. I wonder how His Grace is doing?”
She suddenly remembered that today was the Arkduke’s first lecture.
Despite having had every reason to decline, he had readily accepted the professorship.
Someone of his stature, answering her request and now teaching the future of the Empire—how could she not be curious?
It felt like a shame to stay cooped up in her office and miss it.
Hmm. Kayla went to the lab… Maybe I could just take a quick look around the Academy?
A faint smile tugged at Endless’s lips at the thought.
It was the Chancellor’s duty, after all, to check on the Academy’s state.
She would just take a brief look and then return to her work.
“And maybe, just maybe, stop by to see His Grace as well.”
Yes. She was simply doing her job, taking a quick look around the Academy.
It wasn’t especially to catch a glimpse of the Arkduke in all his glory.
Nope. Not at all.
“…I wonder how it’s going?”
Somehow, it seemed inevitable that someone like the Arkduke would excel not only on the battlefield but in the classroom too.
With that hopeful thought, she stepped out of the office.
Using levitation magic to speed her way across campus, she soon arrived at the lecture hall.
“…The United Kingdom of Selectra is…”
“Oh my, looks like the lecture is in full swing.”
Peeking through the window, Endless murmured to herself.
The voice carrying clearly even outside was unmistakably the Arkduke’s.
He was at the blackboard, explaining something as he wrote.
And then—
“Gasp.”
Endless involuntarily held her breath as she got a good look at him.
Good heavens.
What was that?
His features, sculpted to perfection as if by the hands of a god.
The once decadent aura had softened, his eyes now exuding a gentle warmth.
He was so breathtakingly beautiful, she could feel a flutter low in her abdomen.
He was already incredibly handsome before… but now, he feels almost divine.
Come to think of it, the aura he gave off was even stronger than before.
Sure.
Had she reached a higher state of enlightenment?
“This can’t be real.”
To think someone so young had already reached the brink of Swordmastery.
Even seeing it with her own eyes, it was hard to believe.
“Wait a second. Isn’t that the youngest daughter of the Waltier family?”
Just as she was rubbing her thighs while admiring the Arkduke…
Endless’s gaze shifted to the young lady with pink hair.
Vivian Waltier — the youngest daughter of the Waltier Margrave family, loyal retainers of the First Prince and guardians of the eastern borders of the empire.
Rumor had it that the Margrave cherished her dearly.
Yet here she was, diligently taking notes on how the First Prince’s eastern coalition invasion could have disastrous consequences for the empire’s future.
“She’s nodding along as she writes down criticism of her own lord’s policy…”
Though the Arkryduke’s phrasing was indirect, the fact that he was criticizing the First Prince was clear — and Vivian surely understood that.
And yet, she and all the other students in the lecture hall were diligently taking notes without hesitation.
“Truly a terrifying man, the Arkduke…”
Well, with a face like that, you’d probably nod along to even the most ridiculous claims.
Not to mention that deep, charismatic voice — nothing more needed to be said.
Even though he was essentially swaying the students over to the Princess’s faction, they were nodding along without the slightest resistance.
Watching it all unfold, Endless felt certain that the balance of the succession struggle was tipping decisively to one side.
“What am I going to do? One day I’ll have to decide who to recognize as the next Emperor, as the Empire’s Guardian Dragon…”
Endless spoke in a voice tinged with worry.
Yet her gaze remained fixed on the Arkduke, unwilling to shift for even a second.
Tradition dictated that the Emperor must be acknowledged by the Guardian Dragon — a reason she had remained neutral thus far.
But at this very moment…
As she realized that the red-eyed man was beginning to occupy a place in her heart…
Endless rubbed her stiff, erect nipples against the wall.