Chapter 41: Rivals

At this moment, there were already more than a hundred people following behind the demi-human girl.

Sinclair swept his gaze around and found that they were basically all first- and second-year students, with only two or three familiar third-years mixed in.

Judging from the situation now, what lay ahead was bound to be a storm of blood and conflict.

It could be said that one general’s success would be built upon countless bones.

Chasing after the girl was definitely not a wise choice.

And she was even a demi-human girl.

But once that feeling surged up, let alone Tier 4 or 5, even Earth tier or Heaven tier wouldn’t be able to restrain it.

Sinclair knew that heart-pounding feeling very well.

It was something even the idol singers from the Performing Arts Institute couldn’t give him.

He felt that if he missed this chance, he might never again meet a girl who could make his heart race like this.

Either way led to death, so why not gamble once?

What if, in the end, the one who succeeded and walked away hand in hand with the girl was him?

On the Western Continent, there were clear rules that nobles could not marry demi-humans.

Even taking them as concubines was forbidden.

They could only be slaves, servants, or even playthings.

But Sinclair was a man with strong opinions.

If it really came to that—

Are kings and nobles born different?

Why discriminate against demi-human cat-eared beauties!

This rotten nobility—he could quit it whenever he wanted.

He could just live in seclusion.

At worst, he could go to a demi-human nation or the Eastern Continent.

With his talent, reaching Earth tier was only a matter of time.

And what if he truly broke through to Heaven tier?

The sky is high enough for birds to fly.

The sea is vast enough for fish to leap.

Then he’d have a few mixed-blood children.

A daughter like her.

A son like me…

Hey!

This life!

Absolutely amazing!

Nice!

It wasn’t that Sinclair was thinking too much.

Anyone who could follow behind Keke was already fantasizing about having a chance to succeed and hold the girl’s hand.

That was why they dared to charge forward even knowing a bloody storm awaited them.

First-year students with weak strength fantasized that maybe they were interesting people.

Perhaps they’d just happen to suit the girl’s taste and be chosen.

As for Keke, she was simply marveling that the academy chosen by Miss Yiluo truly lived up to expectations.

There were so many freshmen who looked strong and full of vigor.

She also needed to work hard.

.

In the Battle Academy, Warrior Major, First-Year Class 17, the homeroom teacher Edward—over ninety years old, with a head full of white hair and a face so aged it was covered in wrinkles—used his finger to push up his reading glasses.

He looked at the list of over fifty names on the parchment, then at the classroom that could accommodate two hundred people.

At this moment, it wasn’t just completely full.

There were even students bringing their own small stools to sit in the aisles.

And in the empty space at the back, two full rows of students were standing.

“Uh…”

He adjusted his glasses with his hand, squinted his eyes, and counted the names on the list again.

No matter how he looked at it, the number of people present didn’t add up.

“Students…”

“Did anyone come to the wrong class…”

The students below were all full of energy.

Aside from the fact that most of their gazes weren’t focused on him, they looked fine enough.

“No!”

“Teacher, I don’t have a seat!”

Apart from a few older students who answered Edward, a few freshmen waved their hands to complain.

They were quickly blocked by the older students right away.

“Uh… that dog-headed student…”

“What was your name again…”

“Sigh… getting old…”

“I can’t remember…”

“I remember teaching you three years ago.”

“Weren’t you already promoted to second year?”

With failing eyesight and fading memory, Edward thought everyone looked about the same.

But he had a deeper impression of the dog-headed demi-human below.

After all, among students who always stuck their tongues out, aside from a lizard demi-human, there had only been one dog-headed demi-human in recent years.

That dog-headed demi-human was, of course, also captivated by Keke’s beauty and had followed along.

Seeing that the teacher recognized him, he wasn’t flustered at all and said,

“Teacher Edward, your lectures are just too good.”

“With the new semester starting, I wanted to listen again and solidify my warrior fundamentals, woof.”

Edward nodded after hearing this, feeling quite gratified.

But he then looked again at the freshman list in his hand and the number of people in the classroom.

After that, he spoke earnestly,

“This dog-headed student, the teacher is very pleased…”

“But…”

“There are a bit too many students here today…”

“Although my attainments in basic warrior theory are indeed quite high, let’s still leave this opportunity to the new students.”

“With so many people, it seems no one skipped class.”

“So for the first lesson, I’ll first introduce our academy to you.”

“……”

At this moment, Sinclair was sitting behind Keke.

Looking at the demi-human girl’s beautiful silver hair, her occasionally twitching cat ears, and her lovely back beneath the school uniform, he was so happy he could hardly contain himself.

This seat was practically a super-luxury VIP seat.

It allowed him to openly and legitimately admire the demi-human girl’s back from close range throughout the entire class.

The only downside was that it was too cramped.

A long bench that could normally seat ten people was now squeezed with over twenty.

People on both sides were still pushing inward.

The long bench wobbled precariously, looking like it might collapse at any moment.

But being able to keep looking at the beautiful back of the demi-human girl made it totally worth it.

It was an absolute win.

At this moment, he glanced at the dog-headed demi-human in the two rows ahead, who occasionally pretended to turn around.

That “slurp, slurp” tongue was hanging out the whole time.

Sinclair was full of disdain.

A second-year student at mid Tier 4.

Plus that kind of appearance.

Completely not his competition.

He swept his gaze around again.

In the end, the two people squeezed beside him posed the greatest threat.

On the left was a blue-haired man with long hair, his classmate.

A third-year student at lower Tier 5.

The eldest son of a prince from the Elva Empire.

His sworn rival.

He was always generous in spending and had high looks as well.

On the right was a black-haired youth who seemed to come from the Eastern Continent.

Although Sinclair didn’t know his name, the number 111 on his chest clearly indicated he was no ordinary figure.

His strength was definitely above Sinclair’s.

Naturally, the two on either side also regarded Sinclair as their greatest opponent.

The three of them shared a tacit understanding in that moment.

After glaring at each other for a while, they began to focus on appreciating the demi-human girl’s back.

Grudges could be settled later.

The wonderful time passed like sipping light tea on a balcony rocking chair in the afternoon.

Eyes half-closed in comfort, drifting between sleep and wakefulness.

In the fleeting moment when colorful butterflies seemed to flutter before one’s eyes, time quietly slipped away.

“That’s all for now.”

“We’ll continue after a thirty-minute break.”

Following homeroom teacher Edward’s words, not a single student in the class moved from their seat.

Everyone knew that if they stepped out for a stroll now, they probably wouldn’t even find a place to stand when they came back.

As for Keke, she held her pen and densely recorded everything that had been taught onto the parchment.

At this moment, she was murmuring as she reviewed with full concentration.

She didn’t want to miss a single key point, in case Miss Yiluo asked her something she couldn’t answer.

Behind Keke, Sinclair and his two rivals were glaring at each other.

The three of them had their hands locked together, flames burning in their eyes.

Yes.

After class, all three of them wanted to be the first to strike up a conversation with Keke.

They wanted to gently tap the demi-human girl’s shoulder and ask if there was anything she didn’t understand, so they could explain it carefully and leave a good impression.

As a result, the three hands reaching toward Keke’s shoulder directly grabbed onto each other.

No one was willing to let their goddess’s noble shoulder be touched by anyone else.

But even though the three were already locked together, they couldn’t make too much of a scene.

Otherwise, they might disturb the demi-human girl in front.

So aside from secretly exerting strength with their hands, it came down to whose glare was fiercer.

Just like…

Fighting roosters…

While these three were battling fiercely, how could the others not be the same.

Even those who didn’t dare to be the first to strike up a conversation still didn’t want others to seize the initiative.

So all they could do was sabotage things.

Back and forth, the entire class descended into chaos.

Aside from the freshmen who truly came to study and were squeezed without seats, and the older students causing trouble over Keke, the only one wholeheartedly thinking about Miss Yiluo and earnestly reviewing was Keke herself.

However, this situation didn’t last long.

It ended with a voice coming from the doorway.

“His Highness Ruixin, Prince of the Demi-Human Lion Empire, has arrived!”