The Extra's Rise-Chapter 83: Eccentric Headmaster

After the arrival of demons, the mid-terms were, unsurprisingly, thrown out the window. Instead, our rankings would now be cobbled together from the first three practical evaluations, with a hefty dose of subjective judgment from the class professors. Hardly a scientific method, but when demons crash the party, perfection tends to take a back seat.

As one might expect, Mythos Academy was in complete and utter turmoil. The attack wasn't just some random hiccup; it was a full-blown catastrophe. This wasn't a spat with rogue beasts or even the odd overzealous mage—it was an incursion by a species long believed extinct. Demons. The very word sent ripples of fear through every corner of the world. While I was one of the lucky (or cursed) few who faced a demon head-on—alongside Rachel and Cecilia, no less—the rest of the Academy wasn't exactly having a tea party. Professors and security forces found themselves embroiled in battles against cultists of the Order of Fallen Flame, a group of fanatics who had decided now was an excellent time to reemerge and declare their undying love for the creatures of chaos.

The result? Absolute chaos, naturally.

The Academy had become the center of attention for every major global power. World leaders and media outlets alike scrutinized its every move, wringing their hands over student safety and wondering aloud how an institution hailed as the strongest bastion of education could fail so spectacularly to predict such an attack. The silver lining, if one could call it that, was that no one had died—this time. But that did little to calm the storm swirling around us.

In the aftermath, we were given a few days to recover before heading home for winter vacation. A brief reprieve, though my thoughts were far from restful. 'I still can't believe Cecilia said that,' I mused, my cheeks heating slightly at the memory. Sure, Vespera's influence had a hand in loosening her tongue, but Cecilia was already dangerous enough without unfiltered honesty in the mix. And, of course, she wasn't just dangerous. She was also... well... stunningly beautiful. A very, very hot girl. Her words still lingered in my mind, much to my dismay. 'I wouldn't be straight if I didn't feel it,' I thought, shaking my head in frustration.

My brooding was interrupted by a sound—a soft but distinct noise that pulled me from my thoughts. I turned my head sharply toward the door, only to see a woman stepping into my room as though she owned the place. Which, technically speaking, she kind of did.

'Arthur,' Luna's voice echoed in my mind, sharp and urgent. 'Her power... it's way too much.'

The woman had navy blue hair that shimmered faintly under the artificial lighting and eyes of striking violet that seemed to pierce through the very air. I didn't need Luna's warning to know who she was.

She smiled, an expression so casual and confident it was borderline unsettling. "Hi," she said, waving a hand as if she were a neighbor stopping by to borrow sugar. "I just wanted to check in. Heard you killed a demon here at the Academy while I was away. Very impressive."

I stood quickly, bowing deeply out of respect. "I greet the Headmaster of Mythos Academy," I said, keeping my tone even despite the storm of nerves bubbling beneath the surface.

Eva Lopez. Rank 11. One of the eleven Radiant-rankers in the world. And, as if that wasn't intimidating enough, also the mother of Clara Lopez. A Radiant-ranker strolling into your dorm room would've been intimidating under any circumstances, but this wasn't just any Radiant-ranker. Eva Lopez was a living anomaly, a figure both revered and feared in equal measure. And she was standing in front of me, smiling like she hadn't just thrown the weight of her overwhelming presence into the room.

I straightened, forcing myself to meet her gaze. "It's an honor," I added, hoping to at least mask my unease. Behind her pleasant expression, there was a palpable sense of power—vast, unfathomable, and utterly unshakable.

She tilted her head slightly, her smile widening. "You're interesting," she said, as if she were examining a curious artifact. "No wonder Clara mentioned you."

And with that, the air in the room grew even heavier.

"Thank you?" I said, tilting my head in confusion, unsure whether her question required an actual answer or if this was one of those rhetorical traps powerful people liked to spring.

Eva didn't seem to notice—or care about—my awkwardness. Instead, she simply smiled and made herself comfortable, sitting down with the casual grace of someone who had never in their life needed permission to take a seat. "Well," she said, her tone light and conversational, "I suppose I should reward you for helping save my Academy and taking down a demon baron. So, what do you want?"

My heart skipped a beat. This was it. The kind of opportunity people wrote songs about—or at least long-winded forum posts. A Radiant-ranker offering a reward wasn't something that happened every day. Hell, it probably didn't happen every century. And Eva Lopez wasn't just any Radiant-ranker—she wasn't a ruler, like some of the others, but she was still one of the richest people on the planet. Trillionaire-rich. The kind of rich where "reward" could mean anything from an artifact of unimaginable power to a private island with its own orbital defense system.

So, what did I want? What could I ask for that would actually make me stronger? Resources like that didn't just fall out of the sky, and there were no instant solutions in this world. The best items were artifacts, so...

"I want an Ancient-grade sword," I said, my voice steady despite the thudding in my chest.

Eva tilted her head slightly, her violet eyes gleaming as if she were evaluating the request. "An Ancient-grade sword," she repeated, humming thoughtfully. Then she nodded. "Good choice. That's a solid reward. I'll have it delivered to your house over winter break."

I blinked, momentarily stunned at how easily she agreed. Ancient-grade artifacts weren't just expensive—they were astronomical in value, well beyond the reach of my family's budget. Yet Eva had waved it off like it was pocket change. Which, for her, it probably was.

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There were no shortcuts to power—not really. Spell manuals wouldn't help; I already had a Grade 5 Art I was training in. Resources that could give me an instant boost simply didn't exist, not at the level I needed. Artifacts were the best option by far, and an Ancient-grade artifact was leagues above anything I could've dreamed of owning. I had half-expected her to laugh and tell me to dream smaller, but instead, she had just nodded and agreed.

Eva stood up, brushing nonexistent dust from her coat. "You know," she said, throwing me a sly smile as she walked toward the door, "if you'd asked, I might've even given you my daughter's hand in marriage."

She winked at me, her laughter echoing as she left the room.

For a moment, I just stood there, processing her words. "Why the hell would I want to marry Clara?" I muttered under my breath, shaking my head at the absurdity of it. Clara Lopez was... eccentric, to put it mildly. Brilliant, yes, but also the kind of person who could probably turn a simple lunch into an experiment with catastrophic consequences.

Still, I couldn't complain. I was getting an Ancient-grade sword out of the deal, and if that wasn't a victory, I didn't know what was. As far as rewards went, this one was practically legendary.