A Degenerate's Tale

"It's the President!"

"I've never seen her walk with anyone like that!"

Whispers surrounded Sharon and Earl as they walked through the academy campus.

"Her smile. Ah... It's like honey..."

"Bro?"

"A host of wildflowers vying for attention; in vain, I search for love..."

Just from the amount of stares and attention they were receiving, one could infer the popularity of Ablax's First Princess.

"President, huh?" Earl muttered teasingly.

"It's a bit embarrassing when you say it like that..."

"Who would've thought that you would be the Student Council President of Ragnarok Academy?"

"I really left such a bad impression in your memory?"

"A selfish little princess."

"Ugg..." Sharon stumbled as if she was stabbed.

"Someone who must have everything her way."

"Uuuhh..."

"But nonetheless, you were very adorable."

"So embarassing~~ Earl! Do you think I will take the disrespect like this!?"

"Well, you're a bit of a pushover."

"Humph! Believe it or not, I'm the Student Council President by vote! I'm part of the reason why students can have such smooth sailing lives here on Ragnarok!"

"That's wonderful."

"Huh?"

"What, did you think I was going to be disrespectful?"

"Ahem. N-No, of course not!"

"This is why you're a pushover. But... great job. You've become a great person."

They stopped at the edge of the sky island, looking out at the floating clouds together.

They were comfortable with each other's silence.

Sharon turned her head, and her gaze landed on Earl's relaxed figure. The wind softly blew on his soft hair.

"I'm happy to see you again." She said.

Earl looked at her.

"I'm glad you haven't changed much and that you're comfortable talking to me."

Earl smiled. "Maybe I've changed, and you just don't know yet, President."

"You're right. Earl would never call me President."

At this moment, he softly leaned into her ear. "Would you prefer I call you Princess again?"

Her ears brightened up like molten up iron, and she jumped away.

'She's so cute to tease.'

"J-just call me by my name already!"

Earl laughed and began to walk away. "It will kill the vibe if I do that." He continued to walk away. "Let's talk again soon. I enjoyed seeing you."

Sharon kept her eyes on Earl until he disappeared. Then, she went back to watching the clouds.

"I've never seen you show that kind of face to anyone before." A voice rang out by Sharon's side as she joined her in watching the clouds.

"You saw?" The princess glanced at her Vice-President. Lauren LesJour, a third year at Ragnarok and also a high-ranking nobility from Ablax as well as also her protector.

Lauren then curiously asked. "It was hard to ignore once I caught a glimpse. Who is he?"

"Have you heard of the Demon Child?"

"That's him? He looks harmless."

"Right? I guess that's part of what makes him dangerous." She spoke defenselessly.

"..."

Meanwhile, Shin had just reunited with his fellow classmates.

"Shin! We were looking for you all day, you bastard!" Iori held Shin by the shoulders and shook him around like a ragdoll.

"Aha, you didn't need to do that," Shin replied breathlessly as he felt his soul being shaken out of him.

At this moment, his childhood friend, Kayo, asked with concern in her voice. "What happened?"

"I got help from one of our fellow housemates, I guess you could say?" Shin became flustered as he answered.

Click.

At this moment, the door to the dorm clicked open.

Shin's eyes lit up. "I think that's him, Earl!"

However, the figure that stepped through the door was different from what he expected.

Light blue hair tied in a bun, pointed ears, and a perfect face. She was dressed in a white garment reserved for royalty.

Ching!

Her earrings clicked together to create a tantalizing sound as she stepped through the door.

This was the Crown Princess of the Elven Kingdom, Alea Venroris. And also...

The last member to arrive at the dorm.

Alea furrowed her eyebrows at the strange sight in front of her.

"You guys are noisy. Keep it down."

She said one sentence before making her way to her room.

"U-um excuse me." Kayo suddenly spoke up.

"Yes?"

"My name is Kayo. Nice to meet you!"

"I see." Alea acknowledged. 'So these are the otherworldly heroes. There's only three here, though.'

Like Earl, she was placed in this dorm to keep an eye on them.

"My name is Alea." She decided that they were special enough for her to introduce herself.

She was the heir to the strongest kingdom on the continent. There was a baseline that must be met to be entered into her eyes.

"What about you guys?" She set her gaze on the two remaining in the room.

After Alea got an introduction out of all of them, she finally left for her room.

The three heroes collectively let out a breath of air as they felt the suffocating aura disappear.

"Whew! Isn't she kinda scary?" Iori muttered.

"She's definitely scary." Shin nodded in agreement.

"The person who helped you isn't scary like that, right?"

"Nono, not at all! Earl is a great guy!"

At this moment, the door to the house clicked open again, and the team from Earth collectively turned their head to the door.

"Did I come in at the wrong time?" Earl pleasantly spoke as he stepped through the door.

There was an unquestionable elegance to his gait, similar to Alea's, who stepped through the door earlier. However, the difference between them was the warm aura that cloaked him.

"Not at all! Come on in!"

"Thank you, Shin. Please call me Earl. I hope we all get along."

That was the heroes' first meeting with Earl.