Extra's Path: The Eternal Frost Monarch-Chapter 16: First Day At Novaris Academy (4)

"May I come in?" the protagonist, whose name was Damien, asked with a small smile on his face.

Morgana folded her arms beneath her chest, her posture straight and imposing. Her violet eyes were cold and strict as they stared at him.

"No," she replied flatly, her expression unmoved. "You are not allowed to enter. You are late."

A faint murmur spread across the classroom.

Damien blinked once, still standing at the doorway.

With a calm expression, he said, "Master, it was only ten minutes."

Morgana’s eyes sharpened slightly. "Ten minutes," she repeated, her voice turning colder. "In a battlefield, ten minutes is enough for an entire squad to be wiped out."

The air inside the classroom grew tense.

Some students exchanged confused glances.

Master?

Did he just call her master?

Damien sighed softly, looking slightly awkward. "I-I was fighting a E+ rank monster. Then there was traffic near the inner gate. And the guard insisted on rechecking my ID."

"Excuses," Morgana cut him off sharply. "An elite should account for delays before they happen."

Damien’s smile twitched slightly. "You’re being too strict on the first day."

"I am always strict," she replied without hesitation, her gaze unwavering. "That is why you are alive."

The classroom went completely silent.

The students stared at the two of them in disbelief.

Was the top-ranked student... actually her disciple?

Damien scratched the back of his head with a helpless expression. "Master, you trained me yourself. You know I wouldn’t be late without reason."

Meanwhile, Noah was enjoying the scene. It felt like he was watching a TV series of some novelkiss.

’This looks more fun.’ He thought while watching everything with interest.

He continued to throw peanuts into his mouth, chewing them and enjoying the show.

Morgana’s eyes narrowed slightly. "And yet, you are late."

With a dramatic expression, Damien placed a hand over his chest. "Are you really going to make your favorite disciple stand outside like a criminal?"

A few students gasped quietly. Favorite disciple?

Morgana’s expression darkened.

"Do not twist words, Damien Ashworth," she said coldly. "You are my disciple, yes. That is precisely why I will not tolerate your indiscipline."

The pressure in the room subtly increased.

Damien gave a helpless smile. "Then please allow this unworthy disciple to enter and accept punishment afterward."

A pause.

The two locked eyes.

Munch.

Munch.

The tension between them was strange. Not hostile, but charged with familiarity.

Finally, Morgana exhaled softly.

"You will run fifty laps around the training grounds after class," she said sternly. "And you will report to me personally in the evening."

Damien’s shoulders slumped slightly in disbelief. "Fifty? Master, that’s cruel."

Munch

Crunch

"Seven—"

Suddenly, Morgana stopped scolding Damien. Her sharp violet eyes turned toward Noah, meeting his crystal blue eyes.

Noah stopped biting whatever he was eating. His breath paused for a moment. A shiver ran down his spine.

’What? Why is she looking at me like that?’

Noah instinctively pushed the wrapper of peanuts under the desk toward the student who was sitting beside him.

The guy beside him gave him a confused look.

"Noah Eldritch!" Her voice echoed through the classroom.

Noah stood up immediately.

"Yes, ma’am!" He straightened his back.

Morgana looked at him coldly. "This is your first day at the academy. The first lecture of it... and you are blatantly eating something with that smiling face, like you are enjoying some show."

’Shit! She knew it!’

Students soon started to murmur.

Things like he sure is troublesome.

First day and already causing unnecessary issues.

And more.

Even the protagonist looked at Noah with interest. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

The attention that Damien was getting soon turned to Noah.

For what?

Because he was just comfortably sitting while eating some peanuts and enjoying the show.

He gulped down whatever he had not chewed.

With a respectful expression, he said, "I’m sorry for my behavior, Instructor Morgana."

Noah bowed for forgiveness.

Again, this made several people shocked because the way Noah spoke seemed surprising to them. He was talking very politely.

Morgana studied him for a while, her expression unreadable. Then she sighed softly.

"Since this is the first day, I will overlook it. But if I find you doing something like this again, you will be punished."

Noah nodded immediately. "As you say, Instructor. I will behave from now on."

"You may sit down."

Noah sat down calmly.

"And you... you may enter," Morgana said, turning her cold gaze back to Damien, who was still standing at the door.

Damien bowed his head slightly with a faint smile. "Thank you, Master."

He walked inside, the door closing behind him.

Every pair of eyes followed him.

Whispers immediately erupted in low tones.

"So he’s really her disciple..."

"That’s why he’s Rank 1..."

"No wonder..."

Again, everyone’s attention turned to Damien, but not as strongly as before, because some of the students were murmuring about Noah.

Though many main characters were looking at Damien with interest.

Meanwhile, Noah quietly took his packet of peanuts and put it inside his storage ring.

’I will eat this later.’

Noah, sitting at the back, leaned against his chair with a faint grin.

’But this is really amazing.’

The legendary hero of this game. The only being having the potential to reach Mythical Core and the top-ranked student had just been arguing as master and disciple on the first day.

This was far more entertaining than reading academy guidelines.

Noah had just been scolded by Morgana, but that did not matter to him. It was not his first time getting scolded. During his college days, he had heard things like this many times.

Right now, he was more interested in these characters of the game who were now alive.

’The protagonist truly lives a different life,’ Noah thought.

Meanwhile, after scanning his ID, Damien calmly walked toward the front row, as if nothing unusual had happened.

Morgana returned behind the podium, her expression once again emotionless.

"Attendance for today has been done," she said coldly.

And just like that, the classroom was reminded. This was no ordinary academy. And this was no ordinary instructor.