Some familiar faces

Off to the side, Dean Como frowned. "Discuss this among yourselves in private. Right now, I still need to take him for his placement test."

Then he turned to Eros. "Let's go!"

The crowd outside cleared a path of their own accord, and Eros followed Dean Como to the examination room.

They soon arrived. The invigilator was surprised to see the three deans, but after asking the colleagues following behind them, he learned what had happened.

With three deans accompanying Eros, the test papers were brought over almost immediately.

Eros then began answering the questions under the watchful eyes of the three deans and the invigilator, stationed in front of him, behind him, and on either side.

Looking at the four people surrounding him, Eros's mouth twitched.

He had never experienced an exam like this in either of his lives. Fortunately, he no longer needed cheat sheets.

He picked up his pen and wrote down the answers without hesitation. Before even a third of the allotted time had passed, Eros handed in his paper.

The three deans gathered to inspect it. To their surprise, Eros had answered only eighty percent of the questions-exactly eighty percent, no more and no less.

They did not know whether to laugh or cry. After all, Eros had just asked how to enter the fifth year. How could they fail to realize he had done this deliberately?

But once they saw that every answer was correct, they felt it was only natural. He was the Holy Son, after all. This was perfectly normal; anything less would have been strange.

Dean Como nodded. "That will do. Next, you can collect your uniform and choose your room. We'll be leaving now. We still need to report your situation to our superiors."

Once Eros acknowledged that he understood, the three deans left the examination room, one leading the other two.

Only after the deans and teachers had gone some distance away did Wendy lean closer and ask expectantly:

"How did it go?"

"Just barely made it into the fifth year!" Eros wore an expression that suggested he had given it his all.

Wendy, however, was delighted. She hugged Eros's arm to her chest and dragged him along, saying excitedly:

"I'll take you to collect your uniform! Though you don't really need one. The academy doesn't insist that we wear them. In that case, let's just go straight to my villa. You're going to live with me from now on."

Outside the crowd, Saliba's frown deepened at the sight. He said to the attendant beside him:

"Send word back to the palace that the Elf Race bloodline has reappeared. Also, ask whether the elders of the family have any interest in Elf Blood."

The attendant withdrew with his orders. Saliba watched Wendy, Eros, and Joni disappearing into the distance, a cold glint flashing through his eyes.

That night, Wendy had originally intended to sleep with Eros, but Joni stayed over too. Surely the three of them could not share a bed?

Left with no other choice, Wendy sent Eros to another room and shared hers with Joni.

However, she noticed that ever since Joni learned Eros had awakened his Elf Race bloodline, she seemed even more curious about him.

Joni pestered her all evening with questions about Eros's past, setting alarm bells ringing in her head. She grew wary of her "best friend." Had Joni fallen for that bastard?

The next day, Eros was taken to the fifth-year classroom. Quite a few students had already arrived, and they looked curious when they saw the three of them enter.

After all, word of yesterday's events had already spread. Most people knew that the heir to the Rose Duke House had awakened his Elf Race bloodline.

Now that he had appeared before them in person, they could hardly help being curious. These were the legendary long-lived beings who had vanished tens of thousands of years ago, after all.

While they studied Eros, he was studying his future classmates too.

After looking around, however, the corners of Eros's mouth lifted. He had spotted someone interesting.

It was the frail boy sitting in the far-right corner. More precisely, everyone else saw a frail boy, but in Eros's eyes, he was a girl with long red hair.

The girl's face looked somewhat familiar, resembling the red-haired woman Eros had seen in an alley shortly after arriving in the Imperial Capital.

But the girl before him was clearly much younger and less worldly, while the woman in the alley had been mature and alluring. Were they sisters?

Interesting. He even went to the trouble of disguising himself to infiltrate the academy. Clearly, he's not on the same side as the Three Great Churches that founded this place. Looks like there'll be some juicy drama to watch.

The red-haired girl was evidently curious about this classmate who had awakened his Elf Race bloodline too, and looked over at Eros.

Their eyes met, and Eros gave the red-haired girl a friendly grin.

The red-haired girl clearly had not expected to catch the new student's attention and immediately returned a shy smile.

Meanwhile, Wendy waved from her seat, motioning for Eros to sit beside her.

Eros shook his head at her. Under Wendy's puzzled gaze, he strode over to the red-haired girl and plopped down beside him.

Then he reached out, slung an arm around the girl's shoulders, and leaned in with an enthusiastic expression.

"Hey, buddy, mind if I sit here from now on?"

Unaware that his disguise had already been exposed, the red-haired girl stiffened. He quickly recovered, then stammered as though he had been startled:

"S-s-sure!"

Seeing this, Eros chuckled and held out his hand. "I'm Eros Renka North."

The red-haired girl hesitated at the offered hand, but eventually extended his own, which looked somewhat rough under the illusion, and shook Eros's hand. "My name is Thomas!" he stammered.

"Thomas? Do you have a little tank engine, then?"

"Huh?"

The red-haired girl was bewildered. What on earth was he talking about? My disguise is obviously an honest, simple commoner's son. Surely anyone can see that.

Then why is this young noble asking whether I have a train?

Does he think everyone owns a private train? Is he an idiot?

Eros naturally had no idea that the red-haired girl had already labeled him an idiot. Hearing the name had merely reminded him of Thomas the Tank Engine, which he had watched in his previous life, so he had asked on a whim.

The red-haired girl tried to pull his hand out of Eros's grip, but several tugs failed to free it.

Still holding the red-haired girl's hand, Eros gave his wrist a squeeze and clicked his tongue. "Your hand is so slender!"

Feeling Eros's hand constantly stroking his delicate hand, the red-haired girl shuddered with revulsion.

He still did not know his disguise had been exposed and assumed that the young noble before him had some peculiar fetish.

The thought sent goose bumps rising all over him. He yanked his hand back as though it had been burned, but at that very moment, Eros suddenly let go.

The red-haired girl lost his balance and nearly fell backward, only for Eros to catch him around the waist.

Eros moved his hand up and down along his waist, feeling it out, and frowned.

"Why is your waist so slender too? How does a grown man have a waist as narrow as a woman's? Haven't you been eating enough?"