CHAPTER 15: FIRST FRIEND AT ACADEMY.

Amon’s childhood in this world was more normal than he had expected.

Born in a small but beautiful village, he lived a peaceful life with his kind parents. The village was safe, with no monsters anywhere in the surrounding areas.

Most of what Amon learned in those early years revolved around the basics of this new world, farming work, everyday chores, and of course, playing with friends.

But everything changed when Amon turned twelve.

That was the first time Amon had seen truly dangerous monsters. Before then, the only creatures he’d encountered were horned rabbits and goblins—monsters with no official rank, considered Rank 0, and weak enough that even an ordinary human could take them down.

But his peaceful illusion was shattered when a demon-led monster horde attacked several nearby villages, including his own.

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Now, walking towards the Alchemy Lab for his next lecture, Amon found himself reflecting on how far he had come.

The lab was filled with all sorts of potions and glass containers, the air thick with the scent of herbs. If he had to describe it, the place was eerily similar to the chemistry labs from his college back in his past life. The tables were neatly arranged, each set with herbs, glass tubes, and chemical-looking liquids.

Students chose their tables freely. Some joined their friends, while others simply picked whatever was closest.

Amon noticed Seraphina and Eliana had picked side-by-side tables. There was one empty table next to Eliana.

"Let’s try to be friends with them," Amon told himself with the enthusiasm of a man walking into a lion’s den.

He walked over to the empty table beside Eliana’s left side and sat on the stool beside Eliana, flashing a small, polite smile.

"Hello. My name is Amon. Nice to meet you," he said in the most neutral and friendly way he could manage.

Eliana turned her head toward him, amusement glinting in her blue eyes as she examined his face.

"You’re the one who was screaming during the first lecture, right?Help somebody help!like that" she asked with a curious tilt of her head.With amusing smile on her face.

Amon’s smile faltered, his face crumpling for a moment before he recovered.

"I... don’t know what you mean, Lady Eliana," he replied, trying his best to sound confused and innocent.

"Interesting. I never expected to see someone like you at the academy. Maybe my time here won’t be so boring after all," she said with a teasing smile.

Her smile was so dazzling that for a moment, Amon forgot she was mocking him. He blinked out of his daze and decided to roll with it.

"Well, I am an interesting man. Can’t deny that," he said, even though inwardly, he wanted to teleport out of the room.

’Great. My first impression is absolutely ruined,’ Amon thought, dejected.

Trying to give himself hope, he reasoned, ’It’s alright, I guess. Aren’t true friends supposed to tease and mock each other?’

Not one to beat around the bush, he asked directly, "Lady Eliana... can we be friends?"

Eliana blinked several times.

"You... aren’t you a commoner? Hmm. It’s amazing how casually you just asked to be friends with an elven princess," she said, genuinely surprised.

’Wait. Princess? I don’t remember reading about the elven ruler’s name. I thought she was from a noble family, but she’s actually royal? Shit,’ Amon thought, internally cursing his luck.

Seraphina, sitting on the other side of Eliana, had been quietly observing the entire interaction. Her golden eyes flickered between her friend and the very strange boy who had somehow wedged himself into their conversation.

"Hah. Princess Eliana, I apologize if my words or behavior offended you. But aren’t we all supposed to be equal in this academy?" Amon tried to sound diplomatic.

"Hmm... you’re not wrong. Okay, Amon, we can be friends," Eliana replied with a kind smile.

Amon smiled brightly in return. Success! He had made a friend—not just any friend, but an elven princess.

There was no dramatic setup, no weird coincidences, no anime-level luck that brought a commoner into the life of royalty. Just sheer nerve.A common way to make friends.

"Then I look forward to working and spending this year with you, my friend Eliana," Amon said with an exaggerated smile.

Eliana blinked again, now clearly amused. His tone had casually shifted from respectful to friendly in a heartbeat—as if they hadn’t just been talking about class differences.

Even though he was a commoner and the weakest student here, he acted with the composure of someone who truly didn’t care.

’I should try to become friends with Seraphina too. She’s been watching us for a while now,’ Amon thought.

But before he could say anything, a strong, clear voice interrupted the room.

"Since everyone seems to have settled in, let me explain. These tables will be your seats for the entire year. Now, I will introduce myself for those who don’t know me."

A tall, lean man with grey-streaked hair stood before the class. His robes were deep green, and his eyes gleamed with sharp intellect.

"I am Darven Valmont. I will be your Alchemy instructor."

And so, the Alchemy class began. Since it was their first lecture, Professor Darven decided to start with something simple: a basic healing potion.

Its effects included restoring minor wounds, stopping light bleeding, and slightly replenishing vitality. The ingredients were: Crimsonleaf Herb, Moondew Water, Sunberry Pulp, and Glowroot Dust.

Professor Darven carefully walked them through the potion-making process step by step.

Amon, unsurprisingly, copied everything Eliana did.

She crushed the Crimsonleaf? He crushed it. She stirred clockwise? He stirred clockwise. If she had sneezed, he might have done that too.

And somehow, despite the shameless copying, Amon ended up creating a perfect basic potion.

’I might actually have a talent for alchemy,’ Amon thought proudly—half-serious, half-joking.

As the class came to an end, the students cleaned their stations and prepared to leave. The other lectures continued through the day, and soon, the first day of classes at Arcadia Academy came to a close.

But for Amon Vale, it had already been quite an eventful start. He made a royal friend, survived classroom embarrassment, and brewed his first potion without blowing anything up.

Not bad for the academy’s most ordinary .