CHAPTER 292: THE BIG BAD WOLF [PART 2]

While Alex was grumbling deep inside, he remained calm on the surface.

"Right, I have a bad reputation," Alex said in a sad tone. "People call me the Blackmail King, but that was my only choice to protect my club members. Is that a bad thing?"

To his surprise, the young lady in front of him spoke the words he never expected to hear from her.

"No. You did the right thing," Lapiz stated. "Back then, I thought you looked really cool... even though you were wearing a mask."

Alex did two fist pumps internally. It was a big win if Lapiz had a good impression of him. Because of that, he decided to help the young lady for a bit.

"With my reputation as the Karaoke King and the Blackmail King, I, Alex Stratos, promise to help you with your problems." Alex patted his chest with confidence. "So, who bullied you? I’ll make sure that they regret making you cry."

"But I’m not crying?" Lapiz blinked.’

"Ahem! So what’s the problem?" Alex brushed off the fact that he made a mistake with ease. "Did you have an argument with someone? I’ll spank them for you!"

"... You’ll spank my older sister?" Lapiz blinked a second time. "Are you courting death?"

"I’ll spank anyone who makes you sad," Alex replied fearlessly.

"You’re strange, Mr. Alex."

"Don’t call me Mister. I’ll only be eighteen in two months. Eighteen is still young, right?"

Lapiz smiled faintly because the notorious Blackmail King wasn’t as scary as people portrayed him to be.

Even during the Battle Royale, Alex didn’t do anything to harm or eliminate her. His little companion, Dim Dim, even guarded Lapiz when the Demon Worshipers suddenly appeared in the Mistral Weave Forest.

"Um, should we go somewhere to talk?" Alex asked. "A cafe perhaps? I don’t know what happened, but sometimes, eating sweets can make you feel a little better."

Alex didn’t know if this was the right thing to do, but if Lapiz had really left the Obsidian Fang, like what happened in the game... There was no need to guess. Obviously, he would invite her to his club, so she could be in a safe place where she could grow as a person.

Her older sister, Aeris, was hailed as the Perfect Heroine because she was truly perfect in every sense of the word.

Lapiz developed an inferiority complex thanks to this. She was talented in her own right, but no matter what and how well she did, she would always be compared to her perfect sister, whom she couldn’t surpass in any way.

Aeris was indeed a wonderful person, at least on the surface. But the perfect Heroine wasn’t really perfect.

She was just better than others when it came to hiding her true character. This was one of the reasons why Alex never put her in his list of Queens.

He preferred the hardworking Lapiz, who would cry silently inside her room whenever she made a mistake that made her feel inferior to her sister.

Lapiz lowered her gaze, her silver hair cascading over her shoulders like a curtain, hiding the flicker of emotion in her eyes.

"I’m fine, Mr. Alex," she muttered. "But I’ll take you up on your offer."

"Great!" Alex did a victory pose in his heart. In his eyes, he had just won a small but important battle.

They walked side by side toward the nearest campus cafe, a cozy corner spot that smelled faintly of cinnamon and fresh bread.

Inside, the quiet chatter of students created a soft background hum. Alex ordered two cups of steaming herbal tea and a plate of sugar-dusted pastries, placing them on their table with a flourish.

Lapiz cupped her tea with both hands, letting the heat seep into her fingers. Her shoulders relaxed ever so slightly.

Alex observed her, painfully knowing the internal battles that she fought everyday.

Lapiz was in Class A like Princess Xenia and Mary, proving that she was a very talented student.

She excelled in Archery, and Wind Magic.

However, she had a secret.

She was also very proficient in Black Magic.

The one magic Elves hated the most.

For them, Black Magic was vile because it was something that the Demon Race specialized in.

Of course, Elves hated other races too, but the hate they had for Demons surpassed their hatred toward the other races combined.

This deeply rooted prejudice was the reason Lapiz’s family hid her talent to wield Black Magic. The young lady was forbidden from practicing it, and she obliged out of fear that someone might discover this secret.

Lapiz also hated demons very much. After all, the power she possessed was synonymous with them. If she were exposed, she’d be branded a traitor of her own race despite doing nothing wrong.

Alex knew about this and also knew about an episode where Lapiz would be used as a sacrifice to summon the Demon Lord inside Frieden Academy.

That was one of her Bad Endings, and he didn’t wish to see no matter what.

"Can you tell me what happened?" Alex asked softly. "Maybe I can help you?"

The young lady had just finished drinking a bit of her tea, which calmed her a bit.

She then looked at Alex, who seemed to be at the center of many important events that were happening in the academy with a solemn gaze.

Truth be told, she had no idea about what to do after leaving the Obsidian Fang.

Her sister said that she wouldn’t accept Lapiz’s resignation and would still keep her as a member whether she liked it or not.

Now that she was calmer, she pondered if any other club would accept her.

Many knew she was Aeris’ sister, so no one really dared to antagonize her.

The influence of Obsidian Fang within the academy surpassed that of the other Crest Clubs, with the exception of the Merchant Alliance.

In short, Lapiz was considered as one of the "Untouchables" in the academy purely because Aeris got her back.

But she didn’t want to always rely on her sister. She wanted to carve her own path.

As Lapiz stared at the young man in front of her, she realized that Alex might be one of the people whom even Aeris wouldn’t want to mess with.

He had single-handedly brought the downfall of the Lionheart Society and almost made the Merchant Alliance lose their credibility within the academy.

She wanted to ask if Alex was still recruiting members for his club, but she was too shy and embarrassed to ask him.

While she was thinking on what to do next, the young man brought down his tea cup and asked her a question.

"Lapiz, would you like to join my club?" Alex asked. "We have a special promo right now. If you join, I, the President of Endless Horizon, will grant you one wish."

Lapiz didn’t know if Alex was joking or not. But she felt that if she didn’t take this opportunity to take a leap of faith, she would forever be in the shadow of her older sister, Aeris, who made her feel that she was a failure at life.