Marla quickly found the talent she was looking for in the first-year lot.
“You…”
She pointed at one student and asked him to come forward with her finger. She looked very dominating while doing that.
“What’s your name, boy?”
The boy she was talking about had short, dark golden hair and golden eyes. He was tall with clear skin that had a tinge of red.
He was built muscular, a testament to his strict practice routine and sheer will. Among the bunch of boys that looked like they hadn’t hit their growth spurt yet, he looked like the only one who could be called a man.
The kid lacked a beard. So he still had the boyish charm accompanying him with his seemingly mature body. A deadly combination for all the young girls’ fluttering hearts.
“Name’s Ken Riverine, ma’am.”
Ken answered with a slight bow. His voice was firm and serene. He had the kind of bass in his voice that made him sound like an important man.
“Hmm? A Riverine kid? From the house Earl Riverine? But I checked all the reserved seat names. Your name wasn’t in them.”
“That’s because I entered the academy by clearing the entrance test, ma’am.”
All the students were surprised at Ken’s shocking statement. He was from the house of an Earl. As if that wasn’t shocking enough, he didn’t avail of the reserved seat quota.
And entered the academy through an entrance test like a commoner.
Almost all the girls had already started becoming his fan-girls, commoners and nobles alike. The guys looked like they were looking at their biggest arch-rival. Even all the professors including Marla were amazed by Ken. The Amazoness couldn’t help chucking:
“Hehehehe! Now that’s what’s called a hero-like entry. Kid, I have high expectations from you. Don’t let me down. I’ll visit you after a few days to discuss an apprenticeship under me.
Of course, I won’t force you to take it. You’ll come to know the benefits and disadvantages of having an apprenticeship soon enough.
Normally, apprenticeships start from the second or third academic year, depending upon the students and their merit points as well as their overall performance. But your BTP is already 18. You’ve just crossed the initial stage and entered the mid-stage of F-Rank. That’s impressive at your age.
That’s why I’ve decided to break the unwritten rule of initiating apprenticeship in students’ second or third year for you. So at least think about giving it a try.”
Ken’s eyes flashed with opportunities. But he wasn’t dense. Marla talked about the disadvantages of taking on an apprenticeship.
Therefore, Ken needed to know about them before committing something this serious. He had already been given a window to think about. The scion from Earl’s house decided to make full use of it.
He nodded at Marla and went back to his earlier position.
What nobody noticed was Eren was looking at Ken with pure hate in his eyes.
‘The protagonist is here.’
Eren thought to himself begrudgingly. He had an old but now-nonexistent score to settle with this guy. He even called him the protagonist like it was some derogatory term.
‘The vixen should be nearby if this guy has made an entry.’
Eren thought about the couple that was on their way to stardom and fame in the Edinburgh kingdom in his previous timeline. His blood started boiling even more when he thought about that vixen and finally located her in the crowd. She was glancing at Ken. Anyone could tell she was interested in him.
Jake was standing nearby Eren. He suddenly noticed a shift in Eren’s aura after Ken made his appearance. But before he could ask him about it, the butcher controlled his killing intent and made it disappear in the thin air.
The students were then introduced to their dorms after being led to a distant place. The first-years’ dorm region looked like a medium-sized and well structured urban township.
Every two students would be assigned a moderately big, single-story suburban house that had two bedrooms, two restrooms, and one common living space. It also had a small courtyard where students could practise their combat and movement skills.
The houses were a set distance of 30 meters apart from each other. The regions were divided by lush greeneries acting as the fences.
The first year’s canteen was a few distances away from the township. The students were made aware that the canteen had set timings for breakfast, lunch, supper, and dinner.
Students had a one hour window for each food schedule. The next serving would only be made available at the next schedule if the students were to skip a particular time window.
Eren used his connection with Lin and made him assign a corner house at the far end for him and Jake. Lin had heard about the boy. That he didn’t involve himself with kids his age. Therefore, he didn’t mind cooperating with the same butcher that he was once hunting and currently felt hunted by.
Eren and Jake were in the same class, 1/C. And they also had potioneering as a common subject of interest. They were particularly polar opposite of each other when it came to personalities. And that’s what allowed them to get along with each other just fine under one roof.
The day was long and tiring. It was 6 PM by now. The sun had started to set.
The students had their supper at the canteen. It didn’t look like many would show up for dinner. Eren and Jake decided dinner wasn’t necessary for them either. Jake had his snacks. So he’d be fine even if he ends up waking up at midnight due to sudden hunger pangs.
They both went inside the far-end house they were assigned to. The house had a security array. The energy shield was only lowered when it identified the occupants’ identity with their ID stones. And it was raised back once again when they both went in.
Eren and Jake decided to call it quits early. They were going to have their aptitude test early in the morning tomorrow, followed by their consultation and their first-ever lecture. The lecture would cover the academy’s rules as well as new and improved ID stones’ functions.
Jake was excited for tomorrow. He hadn’t checked his element affinity and was looking forward to prominent results.
Eren only looked excited from the outside. But he knew about his aptitude beforehand. Instead, he was looking forward to starting his revenge on people that had messed up his entire life in the previous timeline.
Eren retired to his room. And secured the door behind him with the imprinted locking array on it using his ID stone. He decided to rest on his bed as soon as he found it.
Closing his eyes, Eren thought about the one major incident in the academy that had single-handedly changed his life. It had made him considered by others as the worst student to ever graduate from LA.
It had all started with a girl!
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Author’s Note: Brace yourself. The incident that had been mentioned in chapter 19 is going to unfold from the next chapter. ?