Playing with the strings of mana along my fingers I stood amongst many others in the main hall of the Academy. It always amused me that so many people in this world had a variety of different colours of hair. Two of the best examples are the girl with ivy green hair standing a few places away from me and the man of the hour Selwig Dolvan and his lavender hair.

As the top performing student in the Academy entrance exams he was coming up to the podium to give a speech. Yet there was a factor I was forgetting…

“I could not care for all of you but know that the only one with actual potential to graduate as the valedictorian of our Academy will be me.” He said in such a dull tone it matched his grey eyes filled with a potent level of apathy. It was clear he barely even saw everyone else as people.

‘Ah I forget, he was a conceited prick that was too proud of his own talent.’ Thinking about it , I could not help but click my tongue. Even though I had nearly beat him in magic due to being a prodigy endorsed by the Magic Tower.

Afterall I was Damian, the protagonist of ‘Academy Roses’ my favourite dating simulator. A story about a commoner with a monstrous talent in magic navigating this Academy and romancing so many beautiful ladies. I had to hastily wipe the drool from my lip before anyone else saw as I thought about it. Being endorsed by the Magic Tower had been quite the boon. I recall the struggle of my first few days as a teenager in the slums before I recalled that I was in fact the Damian. Heading to the Magic Tower in the centre of the city I thankfully proved my talents before some mage shooed me off with a fireball.

The Welcoming Ceremony which I had not really bothered listening to came to an end and we were guided to the dining hall for lunch. As after this would be the opening trial of the Academy. All the students would be tasked with entering the forest of Valmore which was the Academy’s namesake and needed to find a number of flags to submit at the end of the forest. Rankings were determined by how many you found but there was a capacity of five flags as that was how the tiers of privilege for the first semester were determined. While all students may share the same living conditions for now those with more flags had better access to nicer meals, educational resources and even the semester’s curriculum guide list. These were all to prepare for the test before the second semester that determined your actual class. In a way, having people roughly equal gave those at a disadvantage a chance to climb to a better rank before second semester as having five flags made it much easier to study for that series of trials.

As being in the different classes meant everything and all your unique privileges would be completely different. To the extent those in the ‘Gold’ class could get their hands on texts and research for nearly anything they could request as well as having servants on hand at any point.

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Eating lunch was a tidy affair as the air in the hall was rather tense in preparations for the forest trial in the afternoon. Heading out of the hall early I could barely handle the stifling atmosphere and went for a walk around the hall. Yet as I got past the central floral gardens I saw a girl with blonde wavy hair and a rather well-endowed figure in many ways on the verge of crying as a familiar bastard was screaming at her. Something to do with plants or the sort but it was clear he was being far too harsh.

Getting closer I could hear the girl trying to apologise but the snake-eyed prick that tormented me in ‘Academy of Roses’ would not let her speak. A key point was the turned based combat and adventuring aspect of the game included an eventual final boss none other than ‘Bane of Humility, Lucas Alphonse’ who if you did not follow a very specific route in defeating would always kill the heroine with the highest relationship status you had with. As a man who had prided himself on the harem ending I could not dare to let a single one of those beauties be felled by him.

It clicked in my head as I listened a little more who’s voice exactly was the girl’s. The first heroine and a key support even till the final boss. Prodigy of alchemy, Lorainne Ballory. Realising this I hurried to intervene to score some points with one of my favourite girls.

“You bastard who do you think you are?” I yelled out getting between them.

Oddly he had a bloodied lip but I suppose some other student must have found him equally annoying enough to punch him.

“Who do I think I am? I’m Lucas Alphonse and get out of my damn way! That brat ruined this garden.” He sounded bitter but it was clear he was simply making an excuse of sorts. As when you asked Lorainne later on you find out he was using that as an excuse due to her rejecting him and being harassed by Lucas.

Getting close to him we actually had been rather close in stature so I decided to take the initiative. Causing the mana strings that danced at my fingers to weave into a thread I held it to his throat tightening it.

“Awfully prideful of you. I am Damian, a student sponsored by the Magic Tower itself. I’d advise you to back off.” It took nearly everything I had to avoid tightening the string just a little more and severing his neck solely because I would rather not ruin my first moments with Loraine with the blood of scum.

Lucas seemed to get the hint as he backed off with a hateful look in his eyes.

“Fine, have it your way.” With that I released the strings and watched him cursing me under his breath as he walked away.

Turning back to Lorainne I wiped her tears and offered her a smile. “It’s alright Lady Ballory, I am here to help you.”

Seeing the rose like hue greet her cheeks left me smiling softly into her eyes as I knew I had secured my first woman.