CHAPTER 42: THE BANQUET TROUBLE

"Ah man, that was so good."

I let out a satisfied burp, wiping my mouth with a handkerchief like a proper gentleman—if gentlemen ever unhinged their jaws at buffets.

Nyx lay sprawled on the table beside me, his stomach comically round and rising like a loaf of bread in the oven.

Honestly, at this point, he looked more pregnant than overfed.

Around us, silence hovered like a cloud of judgment. The noble cadets stared with barely concealed disgust, their expressions ranging from offended to horrified, like I’d just committed a war crime with cutlery.

The commoners, on the other hand? They were quietly cheering me on. Not aloud, of course. But I could see it in their eyes—the subtle smirks, the restrained snickers. I was their shameless champion.

And I wore that title with pride.

Flashing the crowd a charming, unapologetic smile, I turned to make my grand exit, off to claim my reward: a long, glorious nap.

But just as I was about to leave, someone stepped into my path.

A youth, a head taller than me, deliberately bumped his shoulder against mine as he passed, like I’d somehow offended the air around him.

I stopped and turned slowly to face him.

’Ah... so it begins.’

I looked him up and down. He had a strong build, straight posture, and very polished boots. Face locked in that serious, noble expression like he was doing the world a favor just by existing.

I didn’t even need to ask who sent him.

It had to be Sebastian.

That pompous little blood supremacist must be fuming. Not only did he lose the top spot, but to a commoner, no less. His royal, blue-blooded pride probably couldn’t stomach it.

In the novel, he tried to pull this same stunt with Redmane.

Tried to send people to mess with him. To challenge and intimidate him. All that noble pride nonsense.

But Redmane being Redmane? He didn’t give a damn. He smashed through everything like a bulldozer and didn’t look back.

But I wasn’t going to do that.

I wasn’t Redmane.

I didn’t need brute strength to win. I had other ways. The so-called smart ways.

And this poor guy?

He had no idea what he’d just walked into.

I looked at him calmly and said, "How may I help you, sir?"

He snickered at my tone, like the idea of me being polite offended him.

Clearly, he had a problem with me being the North Star—and he made sure his next words spelled it out.

"That title isn’t meant for a clown like you," he sneered. "Only someone like young master Sebastian deserves such an honor!"

He raised his voice as he pointed dramatically toward the second floor of the banquet hall.

And sure enough, there he was.

Sebastian.

Standing tall with a glass of wine in his hand, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth as he watched his lackey shout on his behalf.

A circle of followers surrounded him like he was royalty.

Honestly, with the way they crowded around him, you’d think he was about to hand out blessings.

He didn’t look like the son of one of the strongest humans alive.No. He looked more like a knockoff mob boss playing pretend in his daddy’s suit.

Pathetic.

I let out a quiet breath and brought my attention back to the loudmouth in front of me.

His coat had a name stitched into it—William Gray.

Even his name sounded like a third-rate villain from some failed drama.

Then, with his chest puffed out and eyes burning with fake courage, he shouted, "I challenge you for the title of North Star! Duel me now, Loki Moe Lester!"

He flinched slightly as he said my name, like it physically hurt him to get the words out.

I raised a brow. "Hey, hey, dude. Quit making that face when you say my name! It’s not that bad, okay?"

I gave him a teasing grin and added, "Besides, I don’t even know who you are. Why should I accept your challenge? What exactly do I get out of this?"

He didn’t even pause.

"It’s your job as the North Star to accept challenges like this," he snapped. "Stop acting like a coward and fight me!"

I clicked my tongue and looked at him with mild pity. His words didn’t bother me—they just gave me a fun little idea.

Because honestly, when I was given the title of North Star, I knew things like this would come my way.

It was kind of obvious, you know?

I wasn’t the strongest cadet in our group. I didn’t come from some famous noble family with five generations of war heroes. And I definitely wasn’t anyone’s first choice.

And as for being the smartest?

Well... that one’s complicated.

Okay, maybe I am pretty smart.

I checked the rankings before I came here—just to kill time—and guess what? I was ranked first in theory.

First.

Above Serena.

Yes, that Serena—the same girl who won the Glorium Prize for her magical discoveries, the one people call the brightest mind of our generation.

And I beat her. With one hour of studying. While half-asleep. On an empty stomach.

Honestly, I’m still not sure how that happened.

Maybe it was luck. But hey, luck counts as a skill too if you know how to use it.

I mean, I could brag about it all day.

I could walk around with a crown on my head and a big sign that says "I beat Serena with one eye closed"...

But I’m not that kind of person.

Usually.

Even so, challenges like this were bound to happen. I knew it from the start.

Even in the novel, Redmane and Ray were always getting targeted just for being commoners.

Ray had it a bit easier since he was the princess’s butler, which gave him some protection.But Redmane? That poor guy couldn’t go a single day without someone lining up to get knocked out.

Still, I wasn’t planning to waste my time the same way.

I had too much on my plate already. And dealing with every loud-mouthed clown who thought they deserved a spotlight?

Yeah, that definitely wasn’t on my schedule.