The Academy's Terminally Ill Side Character
Chapter 45 - 45: Sacred Flame [2]

In Velcrest Academy, the classes were divided into five: Sacred Flame, Sacred Stone, Sacred Tides, Sacred Grove, and Sacred Blade.

As a longtime reader of the original novel, I had once asked the author why the classes had names that sounded like some kind of fantasy RPG starter packs.

His response?

"What's wrong with the names? Aren't they cool?"

Of course, that was the answer of a true otaku—completely delusional.

I tried to convince him to change them, maybe give them more serious or thematic names. But he wouldn't budge. So eventually, I just gave up and kept reading his cliché-filled passion project.

Still, I was genuinely surprised when Leona told me she'd been assigned to Sacred Blade.

Why?

Because in the original novel, she was in Sacred Flame.

That change meant something. A ripple caused by my interference. Maybe it was because no one died during the opening ceremony this time, unlike in the novel.

Yeah, in the original timeline, that incident reshuffled a lot of class placements.

But here we were—alive and well. And Leona was now part of a different class.

I guess I had to accept that.

As I walked beside her, still turning things over in my mind, she spoke.

"Anyway, class placement doesn't really mean much, right? Since most of them are electives."

I glanced at her and nodded.

"Yeah, that's true."

Velcrest wasn't like a traditional school. The academy followed a system closer to a university's—students picked their courses based on their interests and specialties. The only thing the "Sacred" classes determined was your homeroom group—the instructors who monitored your growth and the classmates you'd see the most during evaluations and team missions.

So no, it didn't matter all that much.

But it still bugged me.

Not because I had some deep obsession with canon accuracy—okay, maybe a little—but because Leona being in Sacred Flame was important.

It was where the main cast had been.

Where the plot actually happened.

So Leona ending up in Sacred Blade, the class mostly known for close combat fundamentals and practical techniques, felt... wrong.

Like seeing your favorite band suddenly playing in the wrong genre.

And the worst part? She didn't seem to care.

So I won't care either.

It's not like I can change anything.

But....

I was still nervous, sure—but nowhere near as tense as before. Something about having someone to talk to helped ease the weight pressing on my chest.

Leona and I chatted casually on the way down—random, meaningless stuff that two seventeen-year-old boys might talk about. Classes, uniform discomfort, breakfast rumors… that kind of thing.

It felt normal. Easy. Natural.

.

.

.

…Wait a second.

Did I just mentally refer to her as him?

Damn it. I almost forgot.

Leona was a girl—cross-dressing as a boy.

And the scary part? She was really good at it.

Her posture, voice, mannerisms—if I didn't already know the truth, I'd be completely fooled. Honestly, I still was kind of fooled. She was that convincing.

I had to remind myself not to slip up.

This wasn't some rom-com. I wasn't about to get caught ogling a 'guy' and end up with some ridiculous misunderstanding.

Mental note: max out my defense stat immediately.

No unnecessary eye contact.

No suspicious stares.

No slipping up.

"Alright, I guess I'll head this way now," Leona said, stopping at the corridor where our paths split.

I nodded. "Yeah. See you around, Leon."

"Mm. See you, Rin."

With that, we went our separate ways, and I took a deep breath.

Okay.

Time to officially step into Velcrest Academy life.

Let's see what this world's got for me.

***

Sacred Flame.

The class where all the important characters—aside from Ryen and Leo Taylor—gathered. It was basically the training ground for the main cast.

After checking my seat number on the glowing holographic screen in the hallway, I made my way toward it.

But as I approached… someone was already there.

"Seriously…?"

A girl was sitting on my desk. Not at it—on it. Legs crossed, laughing with her friends like she owned the place.

Annoying? Yes.

But I couldn't get mad right away. …Students messing around and treating the classroom like their personal hangout zone was pretty typical for the first day. I got it.

But still, sitting on my desk?

That felt a bit too on the nose.

I walked up casually, trying not to draw attention. Most of the other students were still milling around, finding their seats, catching up with middle school friends, or just standing awkwardly in corners pretending they weren't nervous.

I stopped a few feet from the desk and cleared my throat.

"That's my seat. Could you move, please?"

No reaction.

Not even a glance.

Weird. Was my voice too quiet?

I looked around—and sure enough, a couple of students seated further away had turned to look. So yeah, my voice was definitely loud enough.

Which meant—

I was deliberately ignored.

—and just to confirm it, I caught the faintest smirk on her face as she pretended to laugh at something one of her friends said.

Ah. So that's how we're playing it.

A classic opener. Establish dominance early. Make someone look small in front of the crowd.

I'd seen it before. In real life and in fiction.

The only difference? In the novels, this kind of scene usually ended with the protagonist pulling some badass counter that flipped the power dynamic on its head.

In real life?

Well… I wasn't exactly feeling like a shonen protagonist right now.

Still.

I wasn't about to roll over either.

I stepped closer. Not aggressive, but not meek. Just enough that my shadow fell directly over her crossed legs and perfectly polished boots.

"Once more," I said, calm but clear. "That's my seat."

This time, she looked up.

Slowly.

Like I was barely worth the effort.

"Ahh! Seriously! Could you just shut up for a moment?"

...Wait, what?

Was I wrong for asking for my own seat now?

Buddha, God, Jesus, ancient spirits of wisdom—anyone out there—please lend me the strength not to explode right here in homeroom on day one.

I took a deep breath. Then another. Centered myself. Calm. Inner peace.

"Look," I said, as level as I could manage, "I'm just asking you to sit on a chair, not on my day."

The moment the words left my mouth, I regretted the phrasing. Damn it, that sounded cooler in my head.

A couple of nearby students chuckled—not with me, probably at me—but hey, noise was noise. At least now eyes were on her, not me.

The girl finally gave me her full attention.

She looked young—maybe our age—but there was this weird air around her. Not noble, not rough, just… confident. The kind of confidence that made you think she'd been the main character of every room she'd ever walked into.

She stared at me with a half-lidded boredom that bordered on insult.

"I'm sorry," she said, still seated. "Are you under the impression that this desk belongs to you?"

I blinked.

"…Yes?"

She let out a light laugh, all teeth and mockery. "Oh. That's adorable."

The three girls behind her started giggling. One of them even pulled out her phone and whispered, "I'm recording this."

Oh great.

Day one of Velcrest Academy and I was already in danger of becoming a meme.

I wasn't sure if I was more annoyed at her or myself.

Still, no backing down.

I stared her down, forcing my voice to stay even.

"My name is Rin Evans," I said. "And that's my assigned seat. You can check the list if you don't believe me."

She tilted her head. "Oh, I believe you."

…

Then what was the problem?

I waited for her to move. She didn't.

She just sat there, smug as hell.

"You know," she said, twirling a strand of hair around her finger, "you've got this whole 'new transfer with something to prove' energy going on. But you're going about it all wrong."

My brow twitched. "Excuse me?"

"If you want to make an impression, start by doing something cool. Something worth remembering. Not whine about your seat like a toddler."

More laughter from the peanut gallery.

I gritted my teeth. This girl…

So this was how Sacred Flame operated now? Arrogance and humiliation?

I'd read the novel.

This wasn't how it was supposed to be.

"I don't care about making an impression," I said, voice lower now. "I just want to sit where I was told to."

She looked amused by that. "Hmm. Honesty. I like that."

Like What exactly?

This girl giving me headache, and that's obviously I don't want.

"Look, why don't—"

"Excuse me, what's going on here?"

Before I could finish, a third voice cut in.

My expression twitched slightly.

I recognized that voice all too well.

"Ahh! Leo!!! How are you today?"

Yup. Called it.

Leo Taylor. The second protagonist of World's Greatest Hero. A cold hearted Protagonist who just ignored anyone decided to come here.

Something is strange here for sure.

The moment he stepped into the room, the girl sitting in my seat jumped up like she'd just been caught stealing. Her entire attitude shifted instantly. Gone was the sharp tongue—replaced by sparkly eyes and a smile so fake I thought I could hear plastic stretching.

She practically beamed at him, her tone flipping like a light switch. "You look amazing today, Leo!"

I held back a sigh and muttered under my breath, "Of course he does."

----,

Thanks for the reading the chapter.

I hope you will continue to do so more in the future.

Bye bye.

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.