How to survive in the Romance Fantasy Game

Chapter 518: A New First For Lucas Interlude

By the time morning came, both Reina and Flamme had already gotten their well-deserved rest.

”Haah~ this is the life~” Flamme stretched lazily, her voice full of satisfaction.

”You really have no shame, you know that?” Reina muttered, watching her in disbelief.

”You just noticed?” Flamme grinned, lying back without a care in the world.

Reina let out a small sigh as she looked over at Flamme, who was completely relaxing in the river near their resting area.

She was floating on top of her summoned wind spirits like they were a personal luxury raft.

With her arms behind her head and her eyes half-closed, she looked more like someone on a vacation than a student participating in a difficult exam.

”Aren’t you even a little worried about your rank?” Reina asked, raising an eyebrow.

”Hm? Not really~” Flamme replied casually, glancing up at the sky.

As expected, her name was still at the top of the leaderboard, but a few others were starting to close the gap—some students had been hunting nonstop ever since Stacia and Vanessa got eliminated.

”I never really cared much about this exam anyway,” she continued. ”Honestly, it’s kind of boring. Unlike some of our seniors, we don’t have anything major on the line. For us freshmen, this is just another one of the many tests and exams we always go through. And even if someone does outrank me, so what? Points are just numbers. It’s your actual performance that matters~”

Reina rolled her eyes. ”And your latest performance is... running away.”

Flamme smirked. ”I could say the same to you, coward Reina. And it wasn’t running away—it was a tactical retreat. Know the difference. That’s just how you handle Senior Rose~”

”Right...” Reina muttered, already regretting asking in the first place.

While Flamme’s words were technically true, that didn’t mean they could just lounge around and bother their senior without a care in the world.

Not to mention...

[POINT RANKING: REINA HELL — 21]

Reina’s eyes twitched slightly as she stared at her rank.

She had dropped a couple of spots recently.

Sure, like Flamme said, their positions weren’t exactly on the line the same way it was for the seniors. But that didn’t mean Reina wanted to slack off or look incompetent.

She was still an S-rank student among the first years.

Expectations surrounded her—some from others, many from herself.

She had to at least show her worth.

If she didn’t, how was she even supposed to face her brother?

Let alone the senior who personally trained her.

The worst part?

The exam was set to end by tomorrow morning.

She didn’t have much time left—barely a day.

And at this point, it was impossible to catch up by just hunting monsters.

The mystery reward at the center of the map?

Out of the question—too many high-ranked students already made that place a battlefield.

That left her with one option: hunt students.

She looked up at the current rankings again, brows furrowed.

[#1 – ??? – Unknown Points]

[#2 – ??? – Unknown Points]

[#3 – ??? – Unknown Points]

[#4 – Lucien Illois – 5,400 Points]

[#5 – Hailey Stein Walker – 4,000 Points]

[#6 – Karlsen Magnus Dain – 3,400 Points]

...

...

The top three were hidden—but Reina already knew Flamme was sitting at the top, probably far above the rest.

There was no point in trying to catch up to her now.

But the ones below the hidden top three?

Their scores were doable. Beat a few of them in direct combat or steal their points, and she could claw her way back into the top ten—maybe even higher.

It wasn’t ideal.

But it was her only shot now.

”You two, breakfast’s ready.”

Lucas’s voice echoed from behind them.

Flamme instantly perked up. ”Coming~!”

”Such shameless enthusiasm...” Reina muttered with a sigh, watching Flamme hop her way back toward the camp without a shred of restraint.

She followed soon after, and the two girls were soon seated around the small makeshift table where Lucas had already set out their food.

The aroma hit them first—warm, savory, freshly made.

As soon as they took a bite, both of them paused.

”This is... surprisingly really good,” Reina said, blinking.

”You actually know how to cook, senior?” Flamme added, eyes sparkling. ”This is sooo good~”

Lucas chuckled, scratching his cheek a bit awkwardly. ”Haha, thanks. Actually... I only really learned how to cook recently. Someone helped me out a lot.”

”Oh? Was it that red-haired senior? Janica, right?”

Lucas shook his head lightly. ”No... well, Janica did teach me the basics—and she yelled at me a lot for messing up—but the one who really taught me how to properly cook was someone else. Kind of pushed me through the hard part.”

”Hmm~ is that so~” Flamme said.

Reina continued quietly eating, but her eyes flicked toward Lucas.

After swallowing another bite, she spoke. ”By the way, Senior... are you assigned to stand guard here the whole time?”

”Ah, no actually,” Lucas said, sitting down across from them. ”As of yesterday, we got word from the principal. We’re allowed to let go of our monster roles now—we can hunt other students too if we want.”

Flamme’s eyebrows lifted. ”Oh~? Then you’re basically just another competitor now?”

”Pretty much. But don’t worry, I won’t attack you two.” He smiled. ”Not really interested in picking a fight unless I have to.”

Reina narrowed her eyes a bit. ”Then... what about the mystery reward? Is it already taken?”

Lucas leaned back slightly, thinking. ”From what I heard, it’s still at the center. No one’s gotten it yet. Since it’s something the Academy itself stashed away, it’s probably something of importance. But I’m pretty sure they’ve got something guarding it too. The faculty wouldn’t leave something like that just lying around.”

”I see...” Reina muttered under her breath.

She glanced at Flamme, who was still stuffing her face like she didn’t have a single care in the world.

Time was running out.

If the reward was still there, and if Lucas wasn’t lying... it might still be worth aiming for.

Even if the odds were slim.

”Then... you’ll allow me to go forward?”

Reina’s voice was calm, but beneath her composed tone was a quiet resolve that made Lucas pause for a moment.

Lucas blinked, a little surprised by her directness. ”...Well, you can. But it’ll be dangerous,” he replied softly, his gaze momentarily lingering on her eyes. ”I might not be guarding the road anymore, but I can already sense a few clusters of monsters up ahead. It’s not exactly safe.”

”It’s fine,” Reina said, her lips forming a small smile. ”Actually... despite how it might look, I do want to give it my best in this evaluation. I’m not like a certain lazy, shameful someone...”

Her eyes flicked briefly toward Flamme, who clicked her tongue in mock annoyance.

Lucas let out a quiet chuckle. ”You really are impressive, Reina,” he said. His words were light, but there was something more behind them—a quiet admiration. ”And... what about you, senior?” Reina asked after a beat. ”Isn’t your rank on the line too?”

Lucas scratched the back of his head. ”Yes, technically... but the junior I trained already secured my high rank for this evaluation. She really went all out.”

”Ah, right,” Flamme suddenly chimed in, her voice rising with a mix of realization and complaint. ”I forgot about that part. Weren’t you seniors being evaluated based on your junior’s performance for the past month? Tsk... maybe I should’ve picked a more laid-back route. I’m basically dragging my assigned senior to the top for free. He never even trained me!”

”...Didn’t you completely ignore him?” Reina asked with a subtle side glance.

”Haah~” Flamme sighed dramatically. ”If I can ignore him so easily, that just proves how pointless and utterly unremarkable he was. End of story.”

Reina looked at her like she was the embodiment of shamelessness.

Lucas, meanwhile, laughed softly.

The faint tension in the air needed to be brushed away—and so, with a gentle tilt of his head, he turned back to Reina.

”Since you’re planning on heading toward the center...” Lucas began, his tone softer now, almost tentative, ”you wouldn’t mind if I tagged along, would you, Miss Reina?”

Reina blinked at him in surprise, then smiled, a hint of curiosity playing on her lips. ”Is that alright?”

”Actually... aside from being evaluated through our juniors’ performance, we’re also getting points for our own individual actions. So, earning a few myself is still necessary.”

Lucas’s voice turned faintly sheepish as he glanced away.

”That... and I wouldn’t feel right letting you walk down such a dangerous path alone. I mean no offense, of course—please trust that I’m just... worried something might happen to you.”

The last part came out softer, almost like he was holding something back. Reina caught it instantly and laughed gently, the warmth in her voice evident.

”Fufu~ Alright. Having a reliable senior by my side actually puts me at ease too,” she said, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. ”I’ll be in your care for a while longer, then...”

From behind, Flamme’s eyes narrowed as she observed the exchange.

She always thought Reina had a thing for this overly handsome, gentlemanly senior...

But now she wasn’t so sure.

Was it actually the other way around?

’But then again... this senior does have a thing for Riley too, doesn’t he?’ Flamme thought to herself as her gaze drifted lazily toward Lucas. ’So maybe... he’s just into the Hell family~? Hah. That’d explain a few things. My spirits said he was acting like a total wuss in front of that other blonde-haired senior of ours too. Hmm... maybe he’s got a blonde complex?’

She tilted her head, amused at her own theory.

’But wait... he doesn’t act that way with Senior Rose. So maybe it’s not just any blonde—maybe it’s blonde with blue eyes? Tch. So oddly specific. His taste is weirdly refined for a sword freak.’

In the end, though, she shrugged.

Well, it wasn’t like it mattered to her.

Not right now anyway.

She just wanted to rest.

”By the way, Senior,” Flamme called out lazily, shifting her posture, ”since you’re free from your role, does that mean the other top seniors are free now too?”

Lucas glanced at her and nodded. ”Yes, for the most part.”

”Alright then~ I’ll stay here.”

”You really don’t care about your rank, huh...” Reina muttered, glancing over.

”Kuku~ of course I don’t,” Flamme grinned without shame. ”I already told you that, didn’t I? Besides, this spot’s basically the only safe haven I’ve got right now. I’m not about to go wandering around and get caught by a certain golden-haired senior again...”

Reina wanted to call her out for sounding like a coward—especially after the whole scene with Rose—but... well, she couldn’t exactly blame her either. She knew how intense Senior Rose could get when someone caught her attention.

She literally knows.

Afterall her cheeks got squeezed dry back in her hometown when Rose found her a tiny bit interesting...

Reina looked over at Lucas, who was quietly adjusting the strap of his blade.

”Let’s go then, Senior.”

Lucas gave a small, warm nod. ”Alright.”

But behind that calm smile, Lucas had his own goals as well....

No, he had someone he wanted to challenge in this evaluation... someone whose strength he had long been excited to face once more.

Yet here he was, circumstances shifting his path once again—because now, there was someone to protect.

Ever since the day his sword had spoken to him, urging him to protect those he considered dear... that worthy of the light... something had quietly settled inside him.

Reina.... Was part of those worthies.

His reasonings are not just as a knight, but as a person, and... perhaps something more.

So, even if she didn’t ask for it, even if she didn’t need a bodyguard... he’d walk beside her.

Afterall she was the sister of someone special in his heart... someone who’s strength he aspires to reach and someone who he wanted to see the essence of his sword.

In truth, this kind of situation was a first for Lucas.

Almost everyone he usually associated with were people who stood on their own—fighters, mages, or knights who didn’t need to rely on his strength.

That was why helping out a junior like Reina... felt new to him.

Strange, but in a way, comforting.

There was a warmth to it—a warmth that came from being relied upon. And he liked that feeling more than he cared to admit.

Of course, it wasn’t as if he had never protected someone before. He’d done so countless times. But this was different.

To be trusted this openly, to be relied on without hesitation—it stirred something deeper in him.

Something that touched the part of his soul shaped by his ideals.

It was the kind of knightly duty he’d always dreamed of.

Not a grand battlefield.

Not a duel under a blood-red sky.

Just... walking beside someone who trusted him to be there. Someone who saw him as their shield.

Yup.

That was it.

It definitely wasn’t because he felt like some proper guardian or a noble knight in front of Reina.

And it certainly wasn’t because she was the sister of someone whose strength secretly inspired him.

Nor was it because—maybe just maybe—he found himself a little mesmerized by Reina’s subtle beauty.

Nope.

Not at all.

It wasn’t about wanting to earn some favor points either.

It was... purely from the heart. From his code as an aspiring knight.

That’s what he told himself.

So, as they stepped into the heart of the forest—its silence tense and sacred—Lucas quietly vowed.

This would be his first true knightly mission.

To protect this young lady until the very end. Whatever dangers awaited them, he would shield her with his life.

And yet—why?

Why did it end like this?

”M-Miss Reina...?”

SHUCKK!!!

A sharp, crystalline blade pierced clean through Lucas’s chest.

His breath hitched. Blood poured from his lips as the world around him blurred.

His limbs refused to move—frozen, powerless—as the celestial magic trap that had activated silently dissolved all around them.

The surrounding mana field faded like mist, its beautiful glow mocking the horror that had just unfolded.

He collapsed to the forest floor with a heavy thud, his knees giving way beneath him.

”I... I’m really sorry, Senior Lucas,” Reina said, her voice trembling. ”But I... I really needed the points.”

Lucas wanted to speak.

To ask why.

To say anything.

But he couldn’t.

His vision dimmed.

His thoughts blurred.

His body shattered into fragments of light.

He didn’t even get the chance to scream.

—

When he opened his eyes again, he was in a soft, white bed—back at the recovery station prepared for defeated students.

His hand instinctively went to his chest, as if expecting the wound to still be there.

It wasn’t.

But the pain—the betrayal—still lingered.

Lucas let out a quiet, half-hearted laugh.

”...That was a first.”

The pain in his chest was worse than any sword had ever caused him.

And for the first time... it wasn’t just physical.