Chapter 71. Tactical Optimism
Succubi Chapter 71. Tactical Optimism
Leon clapped me on the back before heading off. “Survive your next class, lover boy.”
Evelyn just offered a dry, sympathetic, “Don’t pass out in your chair.”
Then they both peeled off toward the Valor wing, leaving me and Sera walking the same direction for a few beats before we hit the split path—Saint on the left, Arcana straight ahead.
She gave me a little wave before heading off, already humming to herself like she hadn’t just broadcasted a crush in front of her disappointed harem.
Me?
I just dragged myself down the Arcana corridor, still mildly glistening with duel sweat, my tie a bit crooked, and hair slightly messed up from dodging punches. The mana-imbued tiles under my feet pulsed gently, reacting to my energy. Even the walls seemed to vibrate slightly in response to my mood, picking up the chaos I hadn’t quite shaken off yet.
Luckily, this class was normal.
No ominous cloaks.
No dramatic monocles.
No accidental succubus moans over the speakers.
Just... standard Arcana curriculum.
I pushed the door open, stepped into the lecture hall—and yep. Adrian spotted me instantly.
He was already seated, pen spinning between his fingers like a wand, dressed crisp as always, hair combed, notes aligned. He looked at me, squinted, and gave me the look.
“Why do you attract so much trouble?” he asked as I sat down beside him.
“I don’t attract it,” I muttered, wiping my forehead with the back of my sleeve. “It just… finds me. Like a cursed magnet. Or a scam call at midnight.”
He sniffed. “You’re literally glistening.”
“It’s just a little sweat,” I said, tugging at my collar. “Not like I fought a dragon.”
Adrian raised an eyebrow. He just shook his head and went back to his notes.
The class started without fanfare. The professor was some middle-aged Arcana researcher with circular glasses and a voice that droned like a sentient breeze. He lectured about historical mana-thread ethics and case studies where spell abuse had warped local leyline behavior. Important stuff. Foundational. But dry enough to be sold as magical melatonin.
No illusions. No cursed props. No blinding spell matrices. Just good old-fashioned Arcana data, dates, and very polite diagrams.
It was boring.
But, in a weird way, peaceful.
I let myself breathe. Let my brain stop spinning from combat rhythms and social fallout. Even the ambient hum of Arcana wards circling the classroom felt like a soft lullaby.
Forty minutes in, I was finally cooling down.
And then class ended.
Just like that. The professor closed his rune book with a soft thump, dismissed us with a casual nod, and strolled out like he didn’t just siphon the life from half the room.
Students started to chatter again. Notes packed. Bags zipped. The hum of conversation filled the air.
I stretched, grabbed my bag from the floor, and slung it over my shoulder.
-Chime!
My phone buzzed.
I sighed. Loudly. “What now...?”
Adrian looked over. “Another duel invite? A girl sending you love letters? You good?”
“I swear, if this is Queenie—” I muttered, unlocking my phone.
The screen glowed.
And then I saw it.
[Congratulations, Evan Drakos! Archeline Battle Academy has received your request to participate in our mission program. Please take part in your power assessment today. 05:00 PM in the training hall, East Wing.]
My eyes widened.
My lips pulled into a grin before I could stop it.
“Yes!”
Adrian blinked. “Okay, you’re smiling way too hard for this to be bad.”
I held out my phone.
He leaned in. “Whoa. That was fast.”
“Yeah.” I nodded. “I need money. So this… this is perfect.”
He chuckled. “Most students wait half a semester before jumping into the mission system. You’ve been here what, two days?”
“And already bruised,” I said proudly. “It’s a good look.”
He stared at me like I was defective. “You’re insane.”
I shrugged. “Might as well capitalize on the chaos.”
“Do you even know how dangerous the mission program is?”
“Nope.”
“And you’re excited.”
“Yup.”
Adrian sighed. “I envy your calm delusion.”
“I call it tactical optimism.”
He laughed under his breath. “Well, I guess I’m watching your power assessment, then. I’m not missing a chance to see if you somehow start another campus incident before the weekend.”
“Please,” I said, standing up and stretching again. “What could possibly go wrong?”
That was when the lights in the hallway flickered.
Adrian and I turned to the door.
“…Don’t say that again,” he muttered.
I smirked, slid my phone back into my pocket, and slung my bag over my shoulder. “Relax. I’m sure today’ll end quietly.”
We still had about an hour to kill before five. My power assessment—basically an exam with way more bruising and way less sleep. Nothing major.
We decided to head to the cafeteria. It wasn’t too crowded this late in the afternoon. Just the usual buzz of voices, clinking plates, mana-coolers humming softly in the back, and chairs scraping along cleaned tile floors.
I headed straight for the cooler section and grabbed a cold citrus fizz bottle—crackling with gentle lightning particles swirling around inside. Adrian opted for some fancy herbal tonic with a name so long it sounded like a spell. Of course.
We’d barely sat down at one of the smaller round tables when two familiar shapes emerged from the courtyard glass doors—Leon, with his sleeves rolled up and a predatory look aimed directly at the food line, and Evelyn, who looked like she’d just finished sparring and hadn’t sweat a drop.
“Hey!” I waved them over. “Perfect timing.”
Leon’s eyes locked onto our drinks. “I need both hydration and calorie redemption. In bulk.”
Adrian looked up from sipping his leafy green bottle and gave me a questioning glance.
I gestured between them. “Right, almost forgot. Adrian—this is Leon and Evelyn. Valor reps.”
Adrian stood up politely and nodded. “Nice to meet you.”
Evelyn nodded back with a small smile.
Leon waved his drink-less hand. “Cool to meet you, man.”
We all sat down, Leon sliding into the seat next to me and immediately unwrapping a triple-layered roast wrap that probably cost someone their mana license.
I leaned back and stretched a bit. “So guess what? I just got accepted into the mission program.”
Leon’s eyes widened between bites. “You too?”
I blinked. “Wait—seriously?”
“Yeah,” he said with his mouth full. “Got the acceptance like ten minutes ago. Same thing—assessment at 5 PM, east wing training hall.”
I grinned and held up my fist.
He bumped it without hesitation. “Nice. Maybe we can go together then.”
“Less chance of me getting lost and dying alone in a hallway,” I said.
“More chances of me dragging you into some side quest,” Leon replied.
Evelyn rolled her eyes with the kind of exhausted fondness that said she’d heard this too often.
“I’ll watch,” she said suddenly, sipping her drink. Calm. Soft-spoken.
I turned toward her. “You don’t have to if you have something to do.”
She didn’t answer immediately. Just sipped again. Then slowly turned her gaze.
Across the room, a group of girls—maybe from Arcana or Saint—were not even pretending to hide their glances. Whispering. Smiling. Eyes darting between me and each other. One of them actually adjusted her blouse collar with a little flick and tucked her hair behind her ear like we were on the set of a romance drama.
Evelyn stared at them.
Not scowling. Not blinking.
Just staring.
And one by one, they noticed.
They went pale.
One of them gasped like Evelyn had silently cursed her bloodline.
And they left.
All of them.
I cringed internally. ‘Oh no…’
I mean, flattering? Sure.
But also? Terrifying.
I took a long sip of my mana-fizz and muttered into the bottle, “I guess I understand why your sin affinity is Envy.”
She glanced at me from the corner of her eye. “You say something?”
“Nothing at all,” I said with a too-innocent smile.
She smirked. “Mm-hmm.”
We settled into the table more comfortably. Adrian finally leaned back in his chair and exhaled like he’d been tense the whole time.
Leon was now five bites into a mountain of food that somehow kept expanding.
I looked over. “Dude. Are you planning to sponsor the academy kitchen or something?”
“Energy,” he said between mouthfuls. “I need fuel before my assessment.”
Adrian raised an eyebrow. “I thought you just liked food.”
“I do,” Leon said. “And money. And food that money buys.”
Evelyn arched a brow. “So you applied to the mission program just to pay off your snack tab?”
He shrugged. “Better than asking my parents for more allowance. They already think I’m using it for ‘educational scrolls.’”
I snorted. “Technically, snacks are educational. You learn… flavor profiles.”
“Exactly!” Leon grinned.
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