Arun Carter

"... I know you're waiting for someone here. I mean... is the person you're waiting for also a member of the club? Our club is by invitation only."

A young man with curly hair, dressed in a white suit and possessing an artistic air, stood before Isabel with a troubled expression and asked, "If not, could you please wait across the street..."

The Princess, who usually rarely interacts with anyone, suddenly stood with a serious expression at the entrance of the White Shoes Club...

This posture doesn't look like someone waiting for someone; it looks more like someone coming to ambush someone.

Some students who were passing by gathered around or watched the excitement in the club lobby; while the alumni who had graduated were more nervous, and some were even too afraid to go in, so they just lingered nearby.

But the question posed by Curly Hair stumped Isabel.

The person she was waiting for wasn't actually a member of the club, but she was now planning to join the White Shoes Club.

—Generally speaking, she knew her guarantor should be that junior student with long blue hair who was taller than her. The problem was, Isabel didn't know her name.

Therefore, she simply pursed her lips, carefully considering how to reply.

Should I start from the beginning? This is too much trouble.

Isabel paused for a moment, then gave an affirmative answer, "Yes, I am a member."

Hearing this, the curly-haired youth was somewhat surprised.

There really is someone who dares to invite this Princess!

Just as the curly-haired youth was about to ask the person's name and was about to invite Isabel inside to sit down, a voice he hadn't heard before came from the other side. "We're here, Isabel."

The curly-haired youth turned around and saw someone he never expected.

Isn't that Iver Moriarty? The infamous playboy from Du Lac Middle School?

He disappeared after graduation, and only recently did he solve a major case, making the front page of the Glass Staircase Newspaper. However, it seems his leg is broken. There are rumors that he was beaten by his girlfriend's brother for cheating on her... Others say that he went abroad to play cricket and was ambushed by his opponent, resulting in his leg being broken.

When did he return to school? He even went to seminary...

Why haven't I heard a sound at all? And how did he get involved with that strange Princess?

"Iver!"

Isabel's eyes lit up when she heard Iver's voice.

She stopped waiting at the door and hurriedly ran over.

Curly was completely dumbfounded.

—Have they become so close that they call each other by their first names?!

At that moment, the curly-haired youth realized something else.

Those were the five or six people Iver brought, all official members of the White Shoes Club. Yet, they were surrounding Iver, as if Iver were their center of attention.

At that moment, the long-haired girl with blue hair who was standing next to Iver smiled and stepped forward to greet him.

She has a generous appearance, a cheerful smile, and dimples when she laughs. She gives off a vibrant and energetic vibe.

"Xi Si Teng, I was the one who invited Her Highness the Princess!"

"Angela ..."

The curly-haired youth hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

He shook his head, deciding not to get involved.

He then asked directly, "Is this Iver? Is he also a new member you invited?"

"Both Iver and Miss Lily are senior students."

Aiden, who was standing next to Iver, replied, "I invited Iver, and Miss Lily was invited by him."

As he spoke, he pointed to another classmate next to him.

Aiden then added, "Actually, Princess Isabel came with Iver. Strictly speaking, it was Iver who invited Her Highness the Princess."

"Actually, I'm just using the name as a figurehead!"

Angela explained with a smile.

Xi Si Teng finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He quickly opened the door and let a whole bunch of people in. He didn't even bother to verify their eligibility—he just wanted to get them in first, so they wouldn't be stuck at the entrance like a circus act.

After leading everyone inside, he immediately closed the door, keeping the curious onlookers at bay.

If nothing unexpected happens, the news that "Princess Isabel has been invited to join the White Shoes Club" will spread after today.

As soon as they entered, they heard faint music flowing from the doorway.

Isabel stayed close to Iver, looking around curiously.

To her disappointment, the place was much smaller than she had imagined, and not as luxurious as she had expected.

The White Shoes Club resembles a music restaurant with a cocktail bar.

Upon entering, you'll see a spacious hall. At the very front is a rather large stage, large enough to accommodate opera and dance troupes, and also large enough for a dozen couples to dance on. In the corners of the stage, there are musical instruments covered with cloth.

At this moment, a white-haired old man stands alone on the screen, playing the violin with his eyes closed. Behind him, behind the curtain, is a handsome young man intently playing the piano.

On one side is a long bar, and on the other side are the stairs and restrooms. Every now and then, you can see young students carrying drinks and tea upstairs—working at the club also earns you a salary.

Apart from that, all you can see are sofas, chairs, and round tables.

The second floor has an open-plan structure with protruding stands featuring silver handrails. There were a few people scattered around there, leaning against the handrails and chatting quietly with others.

On the second floor, there are several semi-open private rooms, from which one can vaguely see whether anyone is inside. Some of these rooms have drawn curtains or similar partitions. This setup clearly offers little soundproofing, and privacy is obviously not very good; those sitting in these rooms probably can't see the performance either.

But precisely because of the poor sound insulation, they could actually hear the sounds—but from the perspective of watching the performance, it was obviously better to sit on the first floor.

The students who brought Iver and the others in were greeted by acquaintances as soon as they entered, or they proactively sought out their friends sitting somewhere. Only the guarantors stayed with them and found the young man sitting behind the bar.

He had brilliant blond hair and deep-set eyes that looked as melancholic as a poet's. He was handsome, with well-defined features and the elongated ears typical of half-elf people. However, his cheeks were somewhat thin and long, making him look a little like a horse.

He wasn't a bartender; he was simply sitting behind the bartender, comfortably pouring himself a drink.

When he saw Iver and Isabel from afar, a look of surprise appeared on his face.

He immediately stood up, his tall, slender frame rising abruptly from behind the bar, carefully adjusting his bow tie. His back was ramrod straight, and he was easily over 1.9 meters tall. That quiet and swift rise demonstrated his control over his body.

"Senior Arun."

The people behind Iver greeted him politely and identified themselves as the ones who had invited him.

After exchanging greetings, Aiden quietly introduced him to Iver: "This is Arun Carter, the third-year male lead. He's also the current president of the White Shoes Club."

Then he introduced him to Arun: "This is..."

"I recognize you, Aiden. Thank you."

Arun interrupted Aiden softly. His voice, like his appearance, was deep and had a distinct bubbly quality, giving him the air of an elven poet.

He placed his right hand on his chest and bowed slightly to Isabel, saying, "Your Highness Isabel, it is an honor for you to join the White Shoes Club."

Then, Arun smiled at Iver and nodded in a friendly manner, "Iver Moriarty, it's an honor to meet you here."

Iver raised an eyebrow.

He did have an impression of this person... whether in the game or in his memories.

He is the third son of a minister, a half-elf. He is also the faction leader and reputation shopkeeper of the "White Shoes Club," a version 1.0 organization.

Iver's main memories of him are his melancholic temperament and long face. His death is also quite memorable.

During the Cruel Autumn Incident and the invasion of the Stibnite Person, Arun put up a valiant but largely ineffective resistance.

He was riding his griffin to cover the retreat of the players, Iver, and Isabel. He solemnly unleashed a bunch of Law Spell on the golem, the visual effects were cool. But he clearly didn't deal a single ounce of damage, nor did he control the golem even for a moment.

Then he was slapped down from the air by a golem that was over 30 meters tall.

... Although you can tell he's very brave, that string of 0000 and "immune immune immune" really made people a little nervous.

But he ultimately wasted one of the golem's attack opportunities by sacrificing his own life. In the end, he did provide crucial cover... and the main characters were just one hit away from being killed by the golem.

Looking back, all that was missing was Arun's face-pulling attack.

At least when faced with an irreversible defeat, Arun did not surrender to the Stibnite Person like other scions of knightly families. Instead, like a true, ancient knight, he fought to the very end.

Iver's impression of him was that he was "a good person, loyal, and brave, but a bit weak."

Or rather, it's a bit too weak.

Because Arun had no interest in the path of transcendence and instead focused on his academic studies and political career, his level was not high. Even among graduates of the same rank, he was considered relatively weak. At the time, players didn't know how he graduated early and obtained his griffin; they all said he used his father's connections.

He became the top male student in his year simply because his grades were truly excellent. Arun had a talent for linguistics and a deep understanding of law. If nothing unexpected had happened, he might have become a lawyer or a judge.

Looking back now, it seems that this precedent was set by Hai Na.

She was the first student to receive the Griffin certificate in her senior year, theoretically graduating early but still studying at the university.

—Although Hai Na never appears in the game and is probably long gone from the players' sight, the impact she had on others has been quietly preserved.