A week later, "tap," Ard, dressed in his academy uniform—a black blazer with gold trim over a white undershirt, a blue tie, and gray trousers—stopped in front of the academy gate. He gazed at the magnificent academy building before him. "Grip," he tightly held his school bag.
"Finally, I'm standing in front of the academy that I've avoided for nine lifetimes because I refused it repeatedly," Ard muttered to himself.
"Tap... tap," suddenly, someone tapped him on the shoulder from behind. He turned and was instantly startled, because the person who had tapped him was Alicia. Ard immediately took a step back. Alicia stepped forward and examined Ard's face, then "slide," she gently brushed his black hair.
"Hmm... you're my Prince, aren't you... Arden Larsen Fredonia? Why did you make your hair black? Your hair should be red, the symbol of the royal family," Alicia asked, smiling.
"H-huh... you're mistaken," Ard stammered. "Oh no... I'm dead, she recognized me... she must have seen my fight with Princess Eva last week... she's the only one who knows my secret," Ard thought to himself.
"Hmm? There's no way I'm mistaken. (Sniffing Ard's uniform) You smell the same as my Prince. You must be my Prince. Thank goodness... I thought you weren't coming to the academy," Alicia said cheerfully.
Ard immediately grabbed Alicia and pulled her into a tight embrace, leading her away and into the cover of a nearby bush.
"Shh... please don't say who I am here. You know my nickname, right? I'm pretending to be a commoner here," Ard whispered.
"Oh, I see... His Majesty said you ran away from the palace... so you wanted to enter the academy but not as the Prince, huh?" Alicia asked, whispering.
"Yes, so please pretend you don't know me, please," Ard replied.
"Okay, I'll pretend not to know you, my Prince," Alicia said, smiling.
"Great, thank you, Alicia," Ard replied.
"But there's one condition," Alicia countered.
"What is it?" Ard asked.
"When they divide us into teams for the monster hunt later, you have to be with me. We are in the same class, right? Since the hero class has so few people, we'll definitely be grouped with Class A. I don't want to be separated from you," Alicia answered.
"Oh... okay, if that's all, then no problem," Ard replied.
"Promise?" Alicia asked.
"I promise," Ard answered.
"Okay, my Prince... from now on, I don't know you, hehe," Alicia replied.
"Please stop calling me 'my Prince.' Just call me by my name like you did when we were kids," Ard pleaded.
"Alright... my Prince Ard," Alicia responded.
"Haaah... whatever you say," Ard replied, exhausted.
"Um... what are you two doing here?" a girl asked.
Ard and Alicia turned to see Milia peeking from behind the bush, looking at them crouching down.
"Whoa... Milia," Ard said, standing up.
"What are you guys doing here? Why aren't you going inside?" Milia asked.
"The Prince and I... oh... I mean Ard, we were discussing something, haha," Alicia replied, standing up and brushing off her skirt.
"Yeah, that's right, hahaha," Ard added.
"You guys are weird. Let's go in together," Milia suggested.
Finally, they walked toward the school building together, with Ard walking behind Alicia and Milia, who seemed to be chatting while carrying their bags in front.
"The two most important girls from my past lives are now right in front of me... if I think about it... my first life, I spent with Alicia, and my third life with Milia... I just hope no more girls show up from my other lives," Ard muttered to himself.
As they neared the entrance to the building, Ard saw several student council members welcoming the new students, standing by the gate and shaking hands with all the passing newcomers. When it was Ard's turn, he extended his hand and his eyes widened upon seeing the girl in front of him.
"Blugh," Ard immediately fell backward and scrambled away until his back was pressed against the gate's supporting wall. His face was pale as if he had just seen a ghost.
"Hey... what's wrong?" asked the girl he was supposed to shake hands with, walking closer.
The girl was very beautiful, with tanned skin, long black hair, and seemed slightly muscular. Her uniform indicated she was a third-year out of the five academy levels and a member of the student council.
"Cla... Claudia?" Ard asked.
"Hah... who are you? How do you know me?" Claudia asked.
"S-sorry, is the Tribal Chief doing well?" Ard asked unknowingly.
"Hah... how do you know I'm the daughter of the Barbarian Chief?" Claudia asked.
"Crap... I actually asked about that... that's Claudia Bargesk. I saw her die right next to me... and we dated in my fourth life... aaaah," Ard replied in his heart.
"Hey... why are you acting like this?" Claudia asked.
Alicia and Milia immediately rushed over to Ard and crouched down on either side of him. Alicia instantly placed a hand on Ard's pale forehead.
"Are you okay, Prin... ah, I mean Ard?" Alicia asked.
"Come on, Ard, let me help you up," Milia added, taking hold of Ard's arm.
"Ahem," Claudia, Alicia, and Milia immediately turned to the side. Their eyes widened, then they instantly stood straight and moved away. Ard's eyes widened because he saw Eva standing right beside him and staring intensely at him with a seemingly angry, though almost expressionless, face. Then Eva walked calmly in front of the still-seated Ard. She smiled, but it was not a normal smile—it was a ready-to-kill smile.
"What are you doing, Ard?" Eva asked, calm and cold.
"N-nothing, Princess, I... just fell, haha," Ard replied, standing up.
Eva turned to look at Claudia, Alicia, and Milia, then she gave a chilling smile, both hands holding her bag in front of her.
"Thank you for wanting to help Ard stand up, but now I'll take care of him," Eva said coldly.
"Eh?" Alicia, Milia, and Claudia asked, confused.
Without further delay, Eva immediately stepped next to Ard, who had just stood up and was dusting off his uniform. "Clutch," she instantly looped her arm through Ard's, then pulled him until Ard nearly stumbled, leading him into the luxurious academy building.
Ard looked back to see Claudia and Milia standing frozen with stunned faces watching him being dragged away by Eva. Alicia looked angry and noticeably very jealous seeing him taken by Eva. Then he turned to look at Eva, who had a cold face but continued to firmly hold his arm.
"What is her problem... why is she pulling me like this? Oh no... I feel guilty towards Alicia... how do I handle this?" Ard asked in his heart.
"Listen, Ard, next time you will come with me because I have already arranged for your accommodation in the royal girls' dormitory," Eva replied.
"Huh... w-what?" Ard asked. "What does that mean? What is happening... oh man... why is it turning out like this," Ard thought to himself.