The Return Of The Exiled Villain

The day of the Inter-Academy Exchange had finally arrived.

The grand arena that was a colossal structure located in the neutral heart of the capital, was already buzzing with energy as students from all major academies gathered.

Banners of different colors fluttered in the wind, representing the various institutions.

The air was thick with anticipation, mana, and the chatter of thousands of talented students.

Clementine’s Sword & Magic Academy arrived in full force, their students marching in organized lines under the proud banner of a silver sword crossed with a golden book.

Aurora walked at the front, her presence commanding respect as Headmistress.

Gray walked near the middle of the group, hands in his pockets, his expression was as always calm and slightly lazy as he observed the massive arena.

The arena itself could be called a masterpiece of architecture, with a vast circular structure with tiered seating that could hold tens of thousands, a central fighting stage large enough for large-scale battles, and floating platforms for aerial combat.

Flags from every academy hung from the high rafters, creating a colorful yet intimidating sight.

As Clementine’s students took their designated part of the area, Gray leaned back against a stone wall, crossing his arms, while his half-lidded black eyes scanned the other academies with a hint of laziness.

’...When is this going to end?’

[You just got here, Gray...]

Jasmine commented, rolling her eyes.

’Boring.’

[Boring, huh?]

Jasmine actually agreed with him. Compared to what he had been the past few months, this tournament was nothing more than a waste of time.

After all, Gray was already powerful enough to even rival the professors, and even the Headmasters if the Authority of Destruction was brought into life.

[Who told you to make that promise to Aurora?]

’I didn’t expect that I would sleep with her, or get so strong simply by absorbing her Primordial Yin,’ he sighed inwardly.

”Mhm...?”

Suddenly, from across the arena, he felt a huge amount of intense glares directed at him.

”Oh... no wonder,” he chuckled.

Gloria Academy’s students were being particularly obvious on their glares.

A large group of them stood together, their uniforms crisp and their expressions hostile. Several of them pointed openly at Gray, whispering furiously.

Some even made threatening gestures, clearly still bitter about his departure and the circumstances surrounding it.

Gray met their glares with complete indifference.

Then, he noticed Maelis.

His step-sister was standing among Gloria’s students, waving her hand excitedly at him with a bright, enthusiastic smile.

Her long black hair stood out among the crowd as she bounced on her toes, clearly happy to see him.

Gray raised his hand slightly and waved back, a faint nod accompanying the gesture.

To Maelis’s left, he also spotted Cassandra.

The girl stood as cold and composed as ever, her arms crossed. But the moment her eyes met Gray’s, a small, almost imperceptible smile appeared on her lips.

”GRAYYYYYYY!”

A sudden, loud shout cut through the noise of the arena.

Gray turned just in time to see Ronan shooting toward him like a human missile, his arms wide open as he tried to jump straight into Gray’s arms.

Seeing this...

BANG!

Gray’s foot shot up instantly, planting a firm kick directly into Ronan’s face.

Ronan flew backward a few meters, landing hard on the ground with a loud thud. He groaned dramatically, clutching his face as he rolled around.

”Owww...! Why’d you kick me, man?! I was going for the bro hug of the century!”

Gray lowered his leg, his expression still lazy as he looked down at his former classmate.

Ronan quickly scrambled back to his feet, rubbing his nose as he clung desperately to Gray’s leg, refusing to let go.

”Why did you leave us, Gray?!” he wailed, voice loud and theatrical enough to draw attention from nearby students.

”We were such good buddies! Besties even! You just up and left to Clementine’s without saying goodbye! Do you know how boring the class became without you? Leon kept trying to act cool, but he’s nowhere near as cool as you! And Adrian... well, he’s alright, but he doesn’t have your vibe! And the girls... they all kept asking where you went! I had to tell them you were off doing secret training or something cool like that! But now you’re back and you kick me in the face?! This is betrayal of the highest order, man! Best friend betrayal! I demand compensation! At least let me hug you properly this time!”

Ronan clung tighter to Gray’s leg, looking up at him with exaggerated puppy eyes.

”Come on, Gray! Just one hug! For old times’ sake! We can be the dynamic duo again! You be the cool mysterious guy, I’ll be the lovable comic relief! It’s perfect! Don’t leave me hanging like this! I even practiced my cool poses just in case you came back! Look, I can do the finger guns now! Pew pew!”

He demonstrated with both hands, making ridiculous finger gun gestures while still clinging to Gray’s leg.

The nearby students from both academies stared at the spectacle, some laughing, others looking confused.

Gray sighed, looking down at the idiot still attached to his leg.

”...Get off.”

”But Grayyyyyy!” Ronan whined, refusing to let go.

”You owe me! You left me with all the dumbasses! At least let me be your hype man for the competition! I’ll cheer the loudest! ’Go Gray! Kick their asses!’ See? I’m already good at it!”

Gray pinched the bridge of his nose, clearly regretting many life choices.... but it didn’t seem like Ronan was going to stop at all.

”Gray, you heartless monster! Do you know how many nights I cried myself to sleep missing my best bro? We were legends together! Remember that time we snuck into the forbidden library together and almost got caught by that grumpy librarian? You used that shadow technique to hide us, and I had to hold my breath so long I nearly passed out! We were unstoppable! Besties for life! And then you just... left!

Gray sighed, trying to shake his leg free, but Ronan only clung tighter, continuing his rant with even more enthusiasm.

”And then there was that time we fought those demon beasts in the training grounds! You were all calm and collected, slicing them apart like it was nothing, and I was running around screaming but somehow still helping! We made the perfect team! The girls in class even started calling us the ’Mystery Duo’ because we were so cool together! And now you’re here with new people, and you kicked me in the face like I’m some random stranger! This is betrayal of the highest order, Gray! I demand compensation! At least let me tell you about all the stories I made up about you while you were gone. There was one where you became a secret agent for the kingdom and saved a princess from a dragon! Oh wait, that one might’ve been inspired by the princess standing right there!!!”

Before Ronan could continue, more figures began approaching from the Gloria Academy side.

Selene was the first to break away from the group.

The hidden half-mermaid’s usually graceful demeanor cracked as she spotted Gray. Her light blue hair swayed as she practically ran over, her eyes sparkling with unrestrained joy.

She wore the standard Gloria Academy uniform, but there was an unmistakable glow about her, likely from her hidden mermaid heritage.

”Gray!” she called out, her voice full of happiness as she reached him.

Without hesitation, she threw her arms around him in a tight hug, pressing close.

”I missed you so much! It’s been so long since we could meet properly. I was worried you’d forget about me after switching academies...”

She pulled back slightly, her cheeks faintly pink, but her smile was bright and genuine. As a secret lover, she kept her voice low, but the affection in her eyes was clear.

”I’ve been training hard, you know? Hoping I could show you how much stronger I’ve gotten. When I heard you’d be here for the exchange... I couldn’t wait to see you again.”

Selina followed close behind, her dark blue ponytail bouncing as she walked with confident steps.

She gave Gray a small, warm smile. Selina had always been straightforward about her feelings, and the time apart had clearly made her miss him deeply.

”Gray,” she said softly, standing beside Selene.

”It’s good to see you. The academy felt... different without you around. I missed our talks. And our matches. I got a lot stronger too. Maybe we can spar again sometime soon?”

Her blue eyes held a quiet longing, but she kept her composure better than Selene.

Then came Claire.

The once-shy girl had undergone a noticeable change. Her previous timid nature was gone, replaced by a confident stride as she walked straight up to Gray.

Without a word, she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a close embrace.

Her body pressed against his as she hugged him tightly, her face buried briefly in his shoulder before she pulled back just enough to look at him.

”Gray! We’ve finally met again! You have no idea how much I missed you!”

Gray blinked in genuine surprise, after all, the only day he had seen Claire acting so confident and intimate to him was when she was drunk!

It seems that she really had changed after that night.

Adrian and Leon remained in the background, not approaching.

Adrian’s eyes were locked on Gray with clear, burning hate. It was obvious that he blamed Gray for Lyra leaving the academy.

Leon stood beside him with his arms crossed, mantaining a neutral expression.

Gray noticed the looks but didn’t react outwardly.

Then, Ronan continued his dramatic monologue, refusing to let go of Gray’s leg.

”Seriously, man, you can’t just abandon your best bro like that! We had plans! Remember when we talked about forming our own team after graduation?”

”Ronan,” Gray finally said, cutting him off with a calm but firm tone.

”Let go of my leg before I kick you again.”

Ronan pouted but slowly released his grip, standing up and dusting himself off dramatically.

”Fine, fine. But I’m not done talking! There are so many stories I need to tell you!”