I Am The Game's Villain Chapter 805: Jeanne SS [3]

The moment Aurora and Jeanne stepped onto the academy grounds, the shift in attention was fast.

As always, they walked side by side, and as always, every eye nearby seemed to turn toward them. Conversations faltered, then resumed in hurried whispers. Students slowed in their steps or openly stared, drawn by the sight of them as though something out of a story had just descended into the middle of the campus.

"Look, it’s the Princess and the Hero!"

"They’re so beautiful together. They look like they stepped out of a painting."

"As expected of the Hero sent by the gods... she really looks divine."

"Don’t get too close, idiot!"

"Lady Jeanne!"

Jeanne kept her expression composed, though inwardly she was still not used to it.

She had never been a stranger to attention, not even on Earth. Her appearance and family background had made sure of that. People looked, people talked, people made assumptions. She understood that well enough. But this was different. This was no longer mere admiration or curiosity. Here, some of them looked at her as though she were sacred. It was a strange thing, to feel herself observed not simply as a person, but as a symbol onto which everyone projected their awe.

Beside her, Aurora seemed unbothered, moving forward.

"Your Highness, good morning."

The greeting came from a young man with blue hair who approached them.

Jeanne recognized him at once. David Seaven. One of her classmates in Phoenix Class. According to Aurora, he was the son of Celesta’s Knight Commander, which meant he was no ordinary noble youth either.

Aurora nodded at him. "David."

Then his attention shifted to Jeanne, and the greeting he offered her was even more respectful. He placed a hand over his chest and bowed just enough to show respect without lowering himself too much.

"Lady Jeanne."

She gave him a small nod in return.

Jeanne would have had to be blind not to notice the flirtation in the smiles he directed at her. What made it stranger was that he seemed to cast similarly warm glances at Aurora as well, as though he saw no contradiction in it. Jeanne found that slightly odd, especially given that Aurora was already engaged.

Then again, the customs of this world were still a maze to her.

She had already learned that polygamy was common enough among powerful men, particularly nobles, and no one seemed especially scandalized by it. But when it came to women, the standards shifted with a lot of hypocrisy. A woman with multiple lovers would not be admired for freedom or influence; she would be disgraced, spoken of with contempt, reduced to ugly names. Jeanne noticed the contradiction immediately, though she also understood that such contradictions were hardly unique to this world. Earth had known plenty of them too, especially in older ages.

So while she found David’s confidence amusing, she did not think much of it beyond that.

Whatever he imagined, Jeanne doubted it would get him anywhere with Aurora. The princess might not yet be married, but she was still formally promised to a crown prince. That was not the sort of bond an academy flirtation could seriously threaten. As for Jeanne herself, she was not interested either. Still, she did not judge him too harshly. He was not being vulgar, forceful, or intrusive. He was simply bold enough to test his charm where he could.

And so, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, David fell into step with them and joined their walk across campus under the watchful eyes of everyone around.

By the time they reached their classroom building, the attention had not lessened.

The hall they entered was crescent-shaped, elegant in that grand academic way the kingdom seemed to favor, with rows of seats curving gently around the front. Most of the students were already there.

Aurora and Jeanne took their places in the front row, unsurprisingly. David sat just behind them.

By then Jeanne had already grasped a simple truth about this class: it was less a gathering of ordinary students and more a collection of people the world clearly intended to matter. Aurora, as a royal princess. David, as the son of the Knight Commander. Herself, for obvious reasons. But those three were hardly the only notable names in the room.

A moment later, two more students entered together.

The first was a dark-brown-haired young man with red eyes and a quiet, self-contained air. Jeanne recognized him as Simon Falkrona. Aurora had told her enough for the name to linger in her mind. The Falkrona House was one of the mightiest in the world, and Simon himself, despite being younger than Jeanne, was already the Duke of the Falkrona Duchy. Even by this world’s absurd standards, that was no small thing.

At his side walked a beautiful girl with dark-blue hair and clear green eyes. Jeanne knew her too: Azeliah Arvatra, the second princess of the Arvatra Empire and, by extension, Aurora’s future sister-in-law.

They were married.

That fact had surprised Jeanne the first time she heard it, though by now she was beginning to accept that early marriages among the powerful were simply part of life here. Alliances, bloodlines, strategy, duty, all of it seemed to weave itself into relationships long before people were truly old enough, in Jeanne’s mind, to bear them.

When Simon passed by with Azeliah at his side, he gave a small nod in their direction.

"Your Highness, Lady Jeanne," he greeted them both.

"Good morning, Your Highness. Lady Hero," Azeliah added with a graceful smile.

Yes, Jeanne thought, her identity had very clearly already reached the Arvatra Empire.

Aurora had been gentle in the way she spoke of such things, perhaps trying to spare Jeanne unnecessary irritation, but Jeanne had always been good at reading people. And Azeliah, beautiful and graceful as she was, struck her as exactly the sort of person who knew how to wear a pleasant expression without ever showing too much of what she truly thought.

After greeting them, Simon and Azeliah continued up toward the higher seats.

Not long after, another figure entered the room.

A beautiful woman with composed features and a stern but elegant bearing stepped to the front of the hall. Jeanne recognized her at once.

Almona Donner.

She was the homeroom teacher of Basilisk Class, though today she was here to teach them as well.

"Good morning," Almona said, offering a brief nod to Aurora and Jeanne before beginning without further delay.

The lesson concerned Mana Beasts and Enigma Beasts.

Jeanne had already heard those terms many times since arriving in this world, but hearing names and truly understanding them were two very different things. Almona used the projector to display image after image across the front of the classroom, calmly explaining the different species, their classifications, their behaviors, and the levels of danger they posed.

Mana Beasts were dangerous enough.

Enigma Beasts were something else entirely.

From what Jeanne understood, they stood at the very top, the strongest and most terrifying kind of beast known in this world. She had not encountered any herself, thankfully, but the images themselves said enough. There was something different with all of them them, even when their shapes resembled animals from Earth. They looked familiar in the worst possible way, like wolves, birds, serpents, or great cats twisted into something larger, crueler, more unnatural. Creatures that seemed to have been built from ordinary life and then warped by something else.

The purpose of the lesson, Almona explained, was simple.

Students needed to know how to identify beasts, how to react to them, and what level of threat they represented, because beasts could appear almost anywhere. Dungeons were especially full of them, and academy practical lessons, as well as examinations, would eventually force students to face such monsters directly.

That was not a prospect Jeanne found comforting.

Not in the slightest.

She listened carefully all the same, taking in the details, forcing herself to focus despite the unease creeping through her. If she was going to live in this world, then ignorance would only put her in more danger.

Still, by the time the lesson finally ended, she felt mentally exhausted.

Three long hours later, the class was dismissed at last, and everyone began to rise from their seats to head for lunch.

There were many strange things about this world, many things Jeanne still found difficult to accept, but one thing she had to admit was that the food was excellent. Different from Earth’s, certainly, both in seasoning and ingredients, yet just as good, and sometimes better. It had become one of the few uncomplicated pleasures in her current life.

When she reached the cafeteria with Aurora, she was once again guided upstairs, toward the upper floors reserved for the kingdom’s elite.

It was not treatment Jeanne wanted, at least not in principle. She disliked the implication of being placed above everyone else. But there was one advantage she could not deny: fewer people. Fewer eyes. Fewer whispers following her every movement.

That alone made it easier to endure.

By the time they reached the fifth floor, the atmosphere had changed completely from the crowded lower levels. It was quieter there, calmer, with more distance between tables and a level of service that felt closer to a noble salon than a school cafeteria.

They chose a table for four and sat down.

There was no need to fetch anything themselves. Staff would bring the meals directly, another part of this world’s insistence on treating certain people like royalty or sacred figures. Jeanne took her seat beside Aurora, and David joined them as well.

She did not especially mind his presence.

He was one of the few people here, Alfred being another, who at least knew how to behave around her without becoming annoying. Since Aurora seemed to trust him, Jeanne had no reason to object. Still, if she had been given the choice, she would have preferred eating alone with Aurora of course.

After a short while, the first plates began to arrive.

Not long after that, more students entered the same floor.

The other elites of the academy.

Jeanne had already started memorizing the important names, if only because this world seemed built on bloodlines, titles, and who stood above whom.

The first voice she heard was annoyed.

"You’re the Apostle of Lumen, Jayden. Could you at least show a little backbone?"

Jeanne glanced in that direction.

The speaker was Carla Roger, a duke’s daughter, if Jeanne remembered.

The young man beside her only laughed softly.

"Exactly because I am the Apostle of Lumen," he replied, "I don’t think I should start raising my hand at people so easily, Carla."

"I’m not telling you to hit them," Carla shot back. "I’m telling you to stop letting people mock you without doing anything."

"They’re just jealous," Jayden said with a small shrug. "I can hardly blame them for that."

"Indeed," another voice added lightly. "There is no need to concern yourself with such people, Carla."

That came from the pink-haired woman walking beside him, who smiled with soft amusement.

Jeanne stared at them for a moment.

Jayden Rayena.

Milleia Sophren.

She knew their names well by now.

Jayden, with his white hair and smiling face, was one of the kingdom’s most important figures. Like Jeanne, he held a kind of divine status, though his came from being the Apostle of Lumen rather than a summoned Hero.

And beside him walked Milleia, another figure surrounded by near worship.

She was known as the spiritual Daughter of Raphiel, who in this world was revered as the Supreme Goddess herself. That alone placed Milleia in a realm of status and symbolism few could ever hope to touch.

Jayden noticed them almost at once.

The moment his gaze landed on their table, his expression brightened, and he changed direction without hesitation, walking straight toward them.

"Hey, Aurora. Jeanne," he said with a smile as he greeted them.

"Lord Apostle," Aurora replied with a polite nod.

Jayden gave a faint, embarrassed laugh and scratched his cheek. "Come on, I already told you that sounds too stiff. Just call me Jayden. It feels weird otherwise."

Aurora nodded briefly. "Jayden but I would keep the respectful call outside."

His smile widened, pleased by the small victory, before he turned his attention to Jeanne.

"Jeanne, I hope you’re doing well here," he said. "I know it’s probably hard, the way people treat you and all that. But you’ll get used to it eventually."

Jeanne looked at him calmly. "I’m managing. I just need time."

Jayden nodded as if he had expected that answer. Then he stepped a little closer, not enough to be intrusive, but enough that it made his intention clear.

"If you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to ask me," he said. "I’ll help however I can. You, Milleia, and I are in a similar position in a way."

"Yes, exactly," Milleia added brightly as she came to stand beside him. "So if you need help, Jeanne, please don’t hesitate to ask us!"

"I will," Jeanne replied with a small nod.

They seemed sincere enough, and she appreciated that.

Still, Jeanne could not help finding Jayden slightly strange. Not unpleasant, not false, just... quick. Too quick, perhaps, in the way he tried to close the distance between them. Maybe that was simply his nature. Or perhaps, more realistically, he had been encouraged to be welcoming toward her. She doubted she was imagining that many people in the kingdom had likely been told to get closer to her, or at least to stay on good terms with her. A summoned Hero was too valuable, too symbolic, for the nobility to ignore.

Even so, Jayden did not come across as calculating.

If anything, he seemed really earnest.

"Then let’s sit over there—" He began, glancing toward the empty table nearest theirs.

"Hey, aren’t you forgetting someone?"

David’s voice cut through the moment with a clear edge of irritation.

He had been patient, Jeanne saw it. More patient than most would have been. Ever since Jayden arrived, he had been standing there just beside their table, only to be completely ignored while Jayden greeted Aurora, then Jeanne, then positioned himself in front of David as though he were not even there.

Jayden blinked and turned.

"Oh. Sorry, David. Sorry, I really didn’t see you," he said at once, laughing awkwardly.

The apology was sincere. That much Jeanne could tell immediately. Even the laugh carried no mockery. If anything, it was the embarrassed laughter of someone who had just realized his mistake.

Unfortunately, that only seemed to irritate David more.

"Figures you didn’t notice," David said, unable to keep the sharpness out of his tone. "That seems to happen often with you, doesn’t it? Especially when the only man standing there happens to be between two women."

Before Jayden could respond, Carla stepped in, her expression already hardening.

"Do you have a problem, David?" She asked coldly.

David gave her a disdainful scoff.

For a moment it looked as though Carla was about to snap back at him, but Jayden reached out and lightly caught her by the arm, stopping her before the exchange could escalate.

"It’s fine, Carla," he said, then turned back to David with the same apologetic look as before. "And David, I really am sorry. I honestly didn’t see you."

"How do you not see him?" Came another voice, tinged with amusement. "That idiot is always hanging around Aurora."

David’s face twisted hearing that.

Jeanne turned her gaze and saw a beautiful girl approaching with a smirk curved across her lips. Her curly red hair flowed down her back in rich waves, and with red bright eyes.

Rubina Scarlett.

One hand rested on her hip as she looked at the group, clearly entertained.