I opened my eyes even before the sun finished climbing the stone towers of the Royal Academy.

The silence in the dormitory was heavy, broken only by the steady breathing of Daniel and Raymond in their respective beds.

I sat up slowly, feeling the muscles in my back protest slightly from the efforts of the previous days. I ran my hand over my face, trying to shake off the last remnants of sleep, while waiting for the usual glowing signal in front of my eyes.

Strange. Nothing.

I blinked a few times, focusing on the emptiness of the dimly lit room. Usually, the System was punctual. As soon as I woke up, a list of tasks or an ironic mechanical "good morning" message would float in my peripheral vision.

But today, the interface remained dark.

The status menu was there, accessible if I made the mental command, showing my 16,100 VP and my abilities ready for use, but there were no missions. The System’s silence was, in a way, more unsettling than its absurd demands.

I stood up and walked to the window.

Outside, the academy was trying to resume a routine that seemed increasingly fragile. Even at that hour, it was possible to see extra guards patrolling the walls. The incident with the magical beast a few days ago still hung over us like a dark cloud.

No one could explain how a creature, no matter how powerful, had managed to shatter the ancient magical barrier that protected this place. The investigation was moving slowly, mainly because half the faculty was still hospitalized in the infirmary, recovering from mana shock or physical injuries sustained during the containment.

"A place of excellence that can’t even protect its own garden," I muttered to myself, watching a group of magical workers trying to reinforce the seals on one of the distant towers.

I put on the academy uniform with mechanical movements. The "mob" uniform — that of a low-ranking noble — still served me well to go unnoticed in the corridors, although I knew this disguise had its days numbered.

I washed my face in the porcelain basin, the icy water finally waking my senses.

Daniel grumbled something in his sleep about a meat pie, and Raymond simply turned to the other side, pulling the blanket over himself. They still had no idea that their day was going to be a hell of sweat and effort.

I left the room before they woke up. I needed some time alone before classes.

The corridors of the magic wing were curiously empty. Where there used to be a bustle of tutors and assistants, now there was only the occasional hurried student. The lack of teachers was evident.

Many of the practical classrooms were locked, and the notices posted on the doors indicated that lessons would be purely theoretical until further notice.

I entered the advanced magical theory classroom and sat at the back, as usual.

Olivia was already there. She was hunched over a heavy tome, her hair falling over her face as she made frantic notes. She was the protagonist of this world, the central piece that the original game intended to elevate to the status of saint, but there, under the morning light, she looked like just a girl overburdened by the weight of her own destiny.

I looked at her for a long moment.

Marie, the villainess, was busy trying to steal the spotlight, but Olivia... Olivia was the trump card I would save for the moment when the board was truly on fire.

The classes dragged on. The substitute was an elderly master who seemed more interested in reading moldy scrolls than in teaching the real application of combat spells.

I didn’t mind. I used the time to mentally review the mana structures that Aria had mapped for me. Every minute was an opportunity for refinement.

When the bell finally rang, marking noon, the academy seemed to sigh in relief.

With the teachers in the infirmary and the schedule reduced, the rest of the day was technically free for independent study. Or, in my case, for building an army of two men.

I found Daniel and Raymond in the refectory, devouring what looked like the leftovers from breakfast.

"Hey, Shade! You disappeared early today," Daniel said with his mouth half full. "I heard the afternoon swordsmanship class was canceled again. The main instructor still can’t hold a sword without shaking."

"I know," I replied, sitting down at the table and crossing my arms. "And that’s exactly why you two aren’t going back to the dormitory to take naps. Finish that up. We’re heading to the training field in ten minutes."

Raymond stopped with the spoon halfway to his mouth, looking at me with pure terror.

"Shade, man... it’s noon. The sun is a desert out there. And we just had four straight hours of theory class. My brain is fried!"

"Your brain may be fried, but your legs still work," I shot back, leaving no room for discussion. "You saw what happened with the barrier. If a beast like that gets in here again and the teachers are all lying in hospital beds, who do you think will be the first meal? The ’mobs’ who can’t even hold a shield properly."

Daniel swallowed hard. He knew I was right, but laziness was a powerful force.

"Alright, alright," he conceded, standing up and brushing the crumbs off his tunic. "But you’ll have to go easy. I don’t have your stamina."

"I’m not going easy," I smiled, a smile I knew made them uncomfortable. "I’m going to make sure you survive."

We walked to the southern training field, the one farthest from the center of the academy.

It was deserted, exactly as I had planned. The smell of cut grass and packed earth rose with the heat of the sun, creating a heavy atmosphere. The field was surrounded by wooden training dummies and straw targets, many of them already worn by time.

"Alright," I began, stopping in the center of the field and drawing my training sword. The metal gleamed under the blazing sun. "Daniel, basic guard position. Raymond, you’re going to focus on mana circulation while trying to maintain balance. I don’t want to see anyone standing still."

We started with the basics, but at a frantic pace. I corrected them mercilessly.

Every wrong foot movement, every low guard received a dry comment or a light tap from my blade to show where they would be hit.

They complained, sweated, and staggered, but they kept going.

There was something in my voice now, an authority I didn’t have weeks ago, that kept them from giving up.

About an hour later, when sweat was already soaking our tunics and fatigue was beginning to cloud their reflexes, I felt a familiar vibration at the base of my skull.

(Master Shade, can you hear me?) 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Aria’s voice emerged, clear and calm, cutting through the noise of metal striking wood.

(I’m here, Aria. What is it? Has the System finally decided to work?), I asked mentally, keeping my eyes fixed on Daniel’s movements.

(Master, my long-range sensors have detected significant movement. Rebeca Fou Holfort has just entered the main office of her family’s mansion. She requested a private audience with her parents to discuss the matter you talked about yesterday.)

I felt my heart beat slightly faster, but not from fatigue.

(She’s going to tell them about the engagement now?)

(Exactly. She seems determined. The visual connection is available if you wish. I can project the scene directly into your vision while you continue the training.)

(Do it, Aria. I want to see their faces when they find out their precious daughter is going to tie herself to a decadent Baron.)

"Take a break," I ordered the two, who practically collapsed onto the ground, panting. "Five minutes of rest. Catch your breath, but don’t lose focus."

I walked to the edge of the field, pretending to grab a water skin.

As soon as I sat down in the shade of a tree, my vision began to blur at the edges, replaced by a sharp image, as if I were floating in the corner of a luxurious room.

The Fou Holfort mansion was a monument to ostentation. Walls covered in rich tapestries, furniture made of rare wood with gold details, and a silence that smelled of power and secrets. In the center of the room, Rebeca stood with her chin raised and arms crossed. She looked like a queen, even though she was just a student.

In front of her, seated in armchairs that looked like thrones, were her parents. Rebeca’s father, a middle-aged man with a face that suggested he had never heard the word "no" in his life, looked confused. The mother, however... Baroness Fou Holfort was another story. She had sharp eyes, like those of a bird of prey, observing every movement of her daughter with a mix of curiosity and coldness.

"Father, Mother," Rebeca’s voice in the projection was firm, without a hint of hesitation. "I have made a decision about my future. I will not accept any of the suitors you suggested. I have already chosen the man I am going to marry."

Her father let out a nervous laugh, adjusting his collar.

"My dear, you have always been impulsive. But marriage is not something you choose like a new dress. There are alliances, treaties..."

"His name is Shade," she interrupted him, her voice cutting through her father’s excuses like a knife. "Shade of the Bartfort Barony. The engagement contract is already being drafted."

The silence that followed in the mansion was so dense that I could almost feel it here on the training field. Rebeca’s father turned red, his mouth opening and closing without making a sound.

"A Bartfort?!" He finally exploded, standing up. "That bankrupt clan? Rebeca, have you gone mad? This is an insult to our lineage! What will society say?"

I watched everything with an internal smile. Rebeca didn’t move an inch. She knew her father. She knew exactly where to apply pressure.

"I don’t care about society," she said, her voice lowering to a dangerously calm tone. "He is the only man in this academy who is worth my time. If you try to stop me, I swear I will make your life a bureaucratic and social hell that you won’t be able to manage. You know I always get what I want."

Her father began gesturing desperately, but Rebeca’s mother, who had remained silent until then, raised a thin, elegant hand. Her husband fell silent instantly.

She looked at Rebeca for a long time. That woman’s silence was more intimidating than her father’s shouting.

"A Bartfort," Baroness Fou Holfort repeated, her voice drawn out and calculating. "A decadent family, full of debts and with no real political influence. On paper, it is an absolute disaster."

"On paper," Rebeca retorted. "But in practice, he is different. He has... potential."

Rebeca’s mother gave a half-smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

"Useful," she murmured to herself. "If you want him that much, Rebeca, I won’t stop you. After all, a husband of inferior lineage can be much more... malleable... than an heir from a great house. If this boy is truly useful for what you have in mind, or if he can serve as a shield for our own interests, I see no problem. In the end, you will have what you want, and we will have a pawn on the Bartfort board."

Rebeca’s father tried to protest again, but his wife silenced him with a single look.

"It is decided," the Baroness concluded. "We will make the announcement at the right moment. Until then, Rebeca, make sure your ’pawn’ knows his place."

The mental projection began to flicker and disappeared, bringing me back to the strong light of the training field. I was panting, not from physical effort, but from the intensity of the scene I had just witnessed. I was now officially a "useful pawn" in Rebeca’s mother’s eyes. They thought they were letting me into their family to use me as a disposable shield. Little did they know that I was opening the doors of their mansion from the inside.

"Shade? Are you okay? You were staring into nothing for about three minutes," Daniel asked, already standing and leaning on his wooden sword.

I wiped the sweat from my forehead and stood up, feeling renewed energy. The board was getting interesting.

"I’m fine," I replied, returning to the center of the field. "Rest is over. Daniel, Raymond, back to your positions. If you thought the training was hard until now, get ready. I just found out that our time is even shorter than I thought."

"What happened?" Raymond asked, dragging his feet.

"What happened is that the world out there is starting to move," I said, raising my sword. "And if you don’t move faster than it, you’ll get run over. Now, again! Attack me at the same time!"

The sound of wood striking echoed across the deserted field once more. I fought with an almost predatory fluidity. Every blow I blocked, every dodge I made, was one more step toward the power I needed. Marie thought she controlled the academy with her smiles and manipulations. The princes thought they controlled the future with their titles. And the Fou Holfort family thought they controlled me.

They were all wrong.

While I trained my friends under the scorching sun, the seed of the rumor about the engagement must already be starting to sprout. Soon, the news would spread through the academy corridors like poison. And before the day ended, I would have to deal with the consequences — both political and familial.