Dante couldn't talk to Valentina or Morgana, so he headed to his room, or rather, his apartment.
"I don't know if they are afraid of me or you," Dante said, observing how distant people stayed from him; pure fear hung over the entire place.
"Rumors spread quickly; they probably already know about our battle, just as they know that I am a Vortex. It's a shame you have to keep up appearances," Sara replied, walking by his side. She was genuinely confused by so much exposure, something she had never faced before.
"At least they're not focusing on Valentina's demonstration. Thankfully, she didn't use her 'Mental World' to intimidate these kids; they would still be having breakdowns," commented Dante.
"What is her Mental World like? I formed mine recently when Durandal accepted me," Sara asked curiously, even though she knew she might regret it.
"The Mental World of someone who killed more than 4 million people. What do you think it would be like?" Dante asked Sara, who was shocked.
"An entire world full of stacked corpses and a throne of bodies; that's the vision of my mother's world. Although I think it's false," Dante said casually while climbing the stairs.
"False?" Sara asked.
"It might be my perception, as I don't understand how the Mental World really works. But my Mental World is a representation of what makes up my existence. Hers is strange. How can bodies that haven't been extracted or absorbed be materialized? I have some unique things in my world, but nothing compared to that," Dante explained, recalling the Sword and the two Magic Tomes in his Mental World.
"She is truly a monster," Sara said, a bit shaken by what she heard.
"Morgana is like that too," Dante said as both stood in front of the room door.
"Hey, come quickly, look at this!" They both heard some girls and boys gathering in the hallway in a commotion.
"What's happening?" Sara asked, but Dante didn't know the answer. "Let's see."
They descended the stairs again and came face to face with a massive crowd in front of the First-Year Updates board.
Dante couldn't see what was in front of him, but he calmly said, "Move." Even Sara, who was by his side, was startled by the order. No one uttered a single word after Dante ordered; they calmly opened the passage for him. Most of them were weak individuals who hadn't fully awakened yet, so Dante's intimidation worked quickly.
Then he came face to face with a message and some names.
[Potential Kings - According to estimated ranking], Dante read aloud, and everyone heard.
There were few names, but he only emphasized those he knew.
"1st Sara Vortex - Queen of Clear Waters," he read, and Sara shrank a bit but raised her head and looked forward.
"2nd Elizabeth Tapes - Bloodthirsty Queen," he silently heard a "Tsk," a tongue click coming from behind him. When he turned around, he saw a woman with black hair and red eyes looking at him with a lot of anger. It was the Vampire Princess herself.
"3rd Ethan Smith - Golden King," he didn't see the person, but he knew he was the son of the Western Human Emperor.
"30th Dante Rider... Fire Mage," he read somewhat demotivated. "Seriously, imagine when I achieve something; they'll give me what title? Apocalypse-Bringing God of Flames? What a boring school," Dante said, leaving everyone open-mouthed. Even Sara was shocked by what she had just seen.
"I'm going, what a fucking waste of time," Dante said, leaving the place, even leaving Sara behind.
"Hey, Sara Vortex," Elizabeth approached her and drew her attention using a transmission technique.
"Tapes," Sara replied as she examined the girl with a dead look in her eyes.
"Why are you hanging out with him? He's the son of that trash woman," Elizabeth asked as if she wanted to force an answer. But she heard something she had never heard in her life as a Princess.
"I know, but my choices have nothing to do with your despicable lack of character, Vampire Princess. Don't meddle in my affairs," Sara said, leaving, leaving Elizabeth talking to herself. But before leaving, she didn't forget to give her a warning.
"Take care of your own life and don't antagonize someone because of the past of one of your loved ones. Or do you really expect him to be afraid of a Director, Lineage, or Renowned Clan," Sara said with a tone of superior indignation and hatred.
Sara left the huge room, leaving looks of strangeness, repugnance, and, above all... hatred.
Elizabeth Tapes, the Vampire Princess, was emanating such a strong killing intent that some of her colleagues fainted.
"Don't antagonize someone because of their past?" Elizabeth muttered, while her red eyes glowed as if they were going to shoot a laser and pierce anyone who stared at her.
"Dealing with him is going to be difficult, but you? You're just a warm-up, little princess," Elizabeth said as she left.
Some heard what she had just murmured, but ignored it. If a fight between women was really going to happen, they would love to record and show everyone how two princesses beat each other up and which one was stronger.
After all... that's how the world works, isn't it?
N/A: Hey! Soon I will add an auxiliary volume explaining basic things and a volume just with images of the characters' appearance. Vote more so the novel can reach new people! Thanks for the support!