Jobless Transmigration: I'm the only one who loves monsters.-Chapter 109: Is this Ego or Arrogance?

Chapter 109: Is this Ego or Arrogance?

The lone figure who had appeared in the sky began to descend slowly, almost casually, as if gravity were merely a suggestion that he had decided to humor for the moment. As he drew closer to the ground, everyone present finally got their first proper look at him, and what they saw was, on the surface at least, he looked quite average in the literal sense.

He appeared to be nothing more than a common middle-aged man, the sort one might pass on the street without a second glance, with features that were neither handsome nor ugly, neither young nor old, simply average in every conceivable way.

He wore what was clearly the academy’s official uniform, a close-fitting black and white ensemble that looked more like a battlesuit than any sort of academic attire, all sharp lines and practical design with no wasted fabric or decorative flourishes to be found anywhere upon it.

But while his appearance might be unremarkable, the air that surrounded him was anything but that.

There was something about his presence and the way he simply existed in their presence that commanded attention without demanding it, that inspired respect without needing to ask.

His eyes seemed to hold within them countless stories and decades of accumulated experience, those eyes told anyone wise enough to look that this was a man who had seen things, who had done things and one who had survived things that would have broken lesser souls a thousand times over.

"Whatever your reasons might be for this disagreement, I would implore you to hold back any such grievances until after the examination has run its course." The middle-aged man’s voice carried that same quality it had possessed when he first spoke from above, calm and measured and absolutely impossible to argue with.

He looked at the princess with those ancient eyes, then at Lucuis, then back again, his expression revealing nothing of his own thoughts or preferences. "If the both of you successfully pass the entrance exam, then you need only request a simple duel with him through the proper channels, and that request will be honored. If he fails to pass, however, then I will not hold it against you to do as you please once you are both beyond the bounds of academy grounds. What happens between you after that point is no concern of mine or of this institution."

The third princess, whose name Lucuis now understood to be Lucinda based on the murmurs running through the crowd, fell silent at these words, her lips pressing together in a thin line as she considered the offer. It was not everything she wanted, clearly, but it was enough, a path forward that would allow her to maintain her dignity while still pursuing the vengeance she so clearly craved. She opened her mouth to respond, to accept these terms and put this whole unpleasant incident behind her until a more convenient moment for retribution presented itself.

But before she could utter a single word, before anyone could move or speak or even fully process what was happening, her eyes suddenly went wide with shock so profound that for a moment she seemed to forget how to breathe entirely.

An arm had wrapped itself around her shoulder, pulling her close with the casual familiarity of an old friend greeting someone after years apart, and that arm, that impossibly presumptuous limb, belonged to none other than the very man she had been threatening to execute moments before.

The crowd erupted into stunned silence, which was a difficult thing to accomplish but somehow everyone managed it perfectly. Hundreds of eyes went wide, every single jaw dropped open, all of their minds struggled to process what they were seeing because surely, surely this could not actually be happening they thought.

The first son of the Morningstar household, the man who had just been moments away from death at this princess’s hands, now stood there with his arm draped over her shoulder as if they were old companions out for a leisurely stroll through the street.

Lucuis wore a smile on his face that could only be described as utterly carefree, the sort of expression one might wear when greeting a beloved relative after a long separation or running into an old schoolmate in an unexpected place. There was no fear in that smile, nor was there a hint of tension, or awareness whatsoever that he was doing something that should have been absolutely unthinkable given the circumstances.

"Many thanks, sir!" Lucuis directed his words toward the middle-aged man who still hovered slightly above the ground, his voice carrying genuine warmth and appreciation that seemed completely at odds with everything that had just transpired.

"It brings great joy to my heart to see that the academy is not at all what I had feared it might be. Seeing such a magnanimous and impartial sage as yourself standing here today has born new hope in my weak and trembling little heart."

The middle-aged man regarded him with a look that was difficult to interpret, something between amusement and curiosity and perhaps a touch of recognition, the expression of someone who had just encountered a specimen they had not quite expected to find and was now trying to determine exactly what to make of it.

Without missing a beat, Lucuis turned his attention to the princess who was still frozen in place beside him, her body rigid with shock, and his smile somehow grew even wider, and warmer, as if he were genuinely delighted to have made her acquaintance.

"For both our sakes, I really do hope that the both of us manage to pass this examination." His voice was filled with enthusiasm. As if he had no fear of her whatsoever.

"It has been quite some time since I last encountered someone like you, and I must say, I find myself rather looking forward to seeing what comes of this whole situation."

" Not once have I ever gotten the chance to crush a princess." His next words stunned everyone present even more.