Professor Vaughn took out the usual old map from the Kingdom's founding, ying it across the stand with practiced elegance. Her long chestnut hair was tied neatly in an elegant bun, and her light brown eyes scanned the room with a calm, steady gaze.

  "As we learned in previous csses," she began, her voice warm and composed, "after the treaty between Haldonis and Laten that gave birth to our Halt Kingdom, and the recmation of the Valmere and Branwyth cities, our kingdom finally achieved food stability. This was accomplished by expanding the farmnd around both cities and constructing a strategic network of walls. These provided peace of mind for the peasantry and bought the militia time to mobilize in the event of conflict."

  She paused, tapping a well-manicured finger on the map near the northern reaches.

  "If King Deron III had stopped there and patiently allowed the kingdom's military strength to grow, historians might remember him as one of our wisest rulers. But success often breeds ambition. Spurred by greed—and no small amount of pressure from the nobility—a new army was conscripted. Their target: Redbrook and the old coastal road. Control of this route meant access to salt, fish, pearls, and improved trade with the Dwarves and Elves."

  She allowed a moment for the students to absorb the context, encouraging their curiosity with a thoughtful smile.

  "In the eleventh year of his reign, King Deron’s army—5,000 strong and led by his second son, Prince Rafael—marched north toward Redbrook. The journey was expected to take one week to reach the town, followed by another week and a half to reach the coast. At first, the march was uneventful. But as they neared Redbrook, the army was spotted by a small group of demons who had taken control of the settlement."

  A ripple of interest passed through the css. Professor Vaughn’s tone softened slightly, but her words held weight.

  "The demons, unwilling to surrender the territory, devised an ambush. They raised an undead force from the corpses of sin vilgers, poisoned the wells, and lured wild beasts into the ruins, trapping them until the soldiers arrived."

  The room grew quiet, students leaning forward in their seats.

  "As the army approached the outskirts of Redbrook, Prince Rafael ordered the troops to set up camp just outside the city. While they were busy pitching tents and organizing supplies, the demons struck. Three emerged from different directions—east, west, and south—each commanding a horde of undead. In the chaos, Prince Rafael commanded the soldiers to fall back and take shelter within the ruined city, believing its buildings would offer a defensive advantage. But that decision proved costly. Once inside, hidden demons lurking in the shadows released wild beasts and unleashed spells from all sides. The army managed to shoot down the spellcasters with arrows, but not before enduring two hours of brutal chaos. By the end, twenty percent of the army y dead, and more than forty percent were seriously wounded."

  She stepped around the podium, making eye contact with several students as she continued.

  "Even so, it could have been seen as a hard-earned victory—until the poisoned water took hold. As night fell, soldiers began to colpse one after another, stricken with sudden illness. With no means to continue the march or secure the city, Prince Rafael, filled with shame, gave the order to retreat. But the worst was yet to come. Halfway back to the capital, their strength depleted, bodies wounded and spirits broken, disaster struck again. They were ambushed—this time by more than a hundred orc troops. Whether the orcs were working with the demons or simply seizing an opportunity, history does not say. What is certain is the outcome: near-total annihition. Only Prince Rafael and a few dozen surviving retainers made it back alive."

  Gasps and stunned expressions followed her words.

  She gave the css a moment of silence before speaking again. "History is often harsher than legend. It teaches us not just through victory, but through loss."

  Then, with a gentle nudge toward discussion, she asked, "So, why do you think King Deron chose to press the campaign rather than focus on strengthening internal stability? Let’s hear your thoughts before we turn to page 137 and examine what the records tell us."

  Oliver was the first to speak up, though his voice was tentative. “I think… the King might’ve seen it as an investment. Salt and pearls could boost the economy. Maybe he thought short-term risk was worth long-term gain?”

  Professor Vaughn nodded thoughtfully. “A valid perspective, Oliver. Economics often pys a rger role in war than most realize.”

  Daniel leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, but clearly intrigued. “Sounds more like the nobles pressured him. Probably didn’t care how many soldiers died as long as they got their trade routes.”

  Several students murmured in agreement. Professor Vaughn raised an eyebrow but smiled. “A more cynical take—but certainly not an uncommon one in historical contexts.”

  A girl near the front spoke next. “I still think the whole march was unnecessary. If the demons were in Redbrook, shouldn’t we have just left them there? I mean, they weren’t attacking anyone. Why provoke them?”

  A few students nodded in hesitant agreement, but Professor Vaughn gently tilted her head. “An interesting thought, Rosa. But remember, Redbrook wasn’t just some uncimed ruin—it was a once-thriving town within our borders, full of citizens and resources. Would ignoring it have been the responsible path for a growing kingdom?”

  The girl shrank slightly in her seat, but nodded. “I guess not. Still feels like a waste…”

  Anya raised her hand. “I think the army should’ve just burned the whole town from afar instead of marching in. Like, unch fire spells or something. No way the demons could’ve countered that.”

  Daniel snorted. “Sure, genius. They were being attacked on 3 sides, so of course they will have the time and personnel to also burn the whole town at the same time!”

  Some of the css ughed. Even Professor Vaughn cracked a smile. “Creative, Anya, but perhaps a bit impractical given the context of things. Once the ambush started, all they could do was find the best method to defend themselves. And Daniel, it's not right to make fun of your colleagues!”

  Anya chimed in again, now more thoughtfully. “I meant before the ambush took pce... why didn’t they scout better? No one saw the undead or the beasts waiting? It feels like such a basic failure.”

  “That is a valid critique,” Professor Vaughn agreed. “Many historians bme the ck of proper reconnaissance. Overconfidence and a poorly structured command chain contributed heavily to the disaster.”

  Then she looked toward Ethan, who had been quiet until now. "Ethan? Any opinion on why he risked so much?"

  Ethan tapped his quill against his desk, eyes narrowed as he stared at the map. “Maybe it’s not just greed or ambition. I think it’s fear too. He knew how fragile the kingdom was. Maybe he thought expanding quickly would secure things before another power moved in. The whole country was in ruins, ready for being taken. And since demons were found there, that's exactly what was going on.”

  There was a brief pause. Even Daniel gnced over, impressed.

  Professor Vaughn’s gaze softened as she nodded. “Insightful, Ethan. Fear can drive even the boldest leaders to make desperate choices. And desperation often writes the bloodiest pages in history.”

  She took a slow breath, her tone growing slightly more serious. “And you’re right to consider what might have happened had those demons been allowed to fortify. If they had increased their numbers, dug in deeper, and strengthened their hold on Redbrook, the cost to remove them would’ve been far worse. This tragic defeat, as costly as it was, also prevented future trouble from brewing right beneath our noses. Sometimes history offers no clear victories—only choices between greater and lesser disasters.”

  Professor Vaughn smiled again, her expression proud. “Excellent. The discussion today has been one of our best. You’re all learning to see history not as a list of events, but as a series of decisions—each one complex, sometimes fwed, and always human.”

  She gestured to the map one st time. “Now, turn to page 137. Let’s see what reforms followed—and whether or not they truly learned from this loss.”

  As the final bell rang and students began packing up their things, the hum of conversation drifted across the room—some chatting about the lesson, others already discussing lunch pns or gossip. Professor Vaughn rolled up the map with a practiced hand and offered a warm smile to a few lingering students before returning to her room.

  Ethan didn’t move right away.

  He stared at his parchment, quill still in hand but unmoving, lost in a lingering thought that tugged at him more than it should’ve.

  What would this story sound like from the demons’ side?

  He imagined Redbrook not as a strategic point to recim, but as, for example, a final refuge for exiles—cornered, outnumbered, and desperate. Raising the dead, poisoning wells, unleashing beasts… cruel tactics, sure. But if they believed this was their st stand, wasn’t it just another form of survival?

  Ethan frowned slightly.

  Maybe it was because he had the memories of a past life that the world didn’t split neatly into good and evil for him. Bck and white blurred far too easily into gray. Still, even so… poisoning wells? That felt like crossing a line. Even if the demons had won, they couldn’t have lived there afterward. So what was the point?

  Did they already know they would lose? Was it vengeance? Spite? Or something deeper?

  He thought of Professor Alric’s cynical wisdom: Being called human is the right of the victor. What if they had no intention of surviving in first pce? What if they didn't care about losing their humanity to achieve their objective? Whatever it was, there was something compeling them to act to the point suicide was a viable option.

  What were they trying to do? Were they trying to kill? Or to protect? And if it's to protect, then… who?

  His brow furrowed but soon shook his head.

  Well… there's no use worrying now about something from so many centuries ago.

  Whatever they had hoped to achieve—whether survival, vengeance, or something else entirely—they failed. Or perhaps, in some twisted way, they succeeded. And now, unknowingly, people lived with the results. Carried them. Reinforced them. Without even realizing who had paid the price.

  Ethan stood slowly, slinging his bag over his shoulder. The css was already emptying out around him—Daniel chatting with a group of cssmates near the door, Oliver nervously fumbling with his books.

  He cast one st gnce at the now-empty Professor Vaughn’s desk.

  Being called human is the right of the victor…

  The phrase echoed in his mind like a whisper too close to truth. Ethan felt a chill crawl down his spine—a sensation that tightened in his chest like the breath before a fall. A thought had risen, dark and dangerous, like unearthing a secret that should’ve stayed buried.

  No. That can’t be possible... That’s just—

  He shook his head, almost violently, as if trying to fling the idea from his mind.

  Refusing to give it space to root any deeper, he gathered his things and turned away. Yet as he stepped into the hallway, the shadow of that thought clung to him—quiet, persistent, and cold.

  Then after a short lunch break, it was time for Math. To Ethan, Math was the easiest css by far. Not because Ethan was a genius at Math, but because he had perfect memory of everything he experienced in his past life—Math csses included. He remembered every single formu and example, making it incredibly easy to replicate them again just by adapting the numbers. Funny enough, this perfect memory came after his death, not before it, so that in his past life when he told himself he’d only understand the subject once he was dead… he had been completely right!

  After watching his cssmates suffer through the whole css, the st css of the day arrived—Monster Ecology. This time, once again, Professor Halden Marren brought them out to the field, where a dozen cages were waiting for them near the pit.

  "Forest wolves!" Daniel noticed.

  "Wow! How cute! I want to hug their tails!" Anya commented.

  "Look at those ears! They're twitching!" a girl squealed.

  "I wish I could take one home!" another girl said dreamily.

  "It’s a bit early, but because of the tournament preparations we are unable to have this css next week, so it can’t be helped," the professor expined. "Remember the goblin test? This is the same—but instead of going one by one, you’ll move in teams of four. And I won’t intervene unless one of you is this close to death."

  His sharp words made the whole css freeze in pce… well, maybe not the whole css. Daniel and Celica still behaved normally, and Eliza didn’t seem fazed at all.

  "Now, grab your numbers and gather in teams!" he said, offering a ballot full of papers with numbers written inside. One by one, each student drew a number, and the css quickly sorted itself into teams.

  "Hey, long time no see!" a cheerful voice called out.

  Ethan turned to see Li grinning at him. The petite girl had her reddish-blonde hair tied into twin tails, and her bright sky-blue eyes practically shimmered with mischief. The way she spoke—half-joking, half-flirtatious—oozed the same theatrical fir she always carried.

  "Hahaha, must be fate we’re meeting again here!" said another girl, stepping beside her with a soft ugh.

  Nora's amber eyes gleamed with amusement, and her honey-brown, shoulder-length hair swayed as she moved. Though slender and graceful, her figure was notably curvier than her friends’, especially across the chest, which she carried with unconscious confidence. She offered Ethan a casual handshake, her smile pyful.

  "You two… who are you again?" Ethan asked bluntly.

  "How horrible! After everything you did to us!" Li faked a tearful pout.

  "Yeah! You held us so strongly that time, I still feel the warmth of your hands over our skin!" Nora added dramatically, hugging herself.

  "What!? I never did such a thing!" Ethan replied, clearly confused and a bit armed by the incriminating tone.

  "Okay girls, stop bullying the little guy. He’s got a girlfriend, remember?" a third girl interrupted.

  Kate stepped forward with her typical confident air, her voice was sharp and no-nonsense. Her steel-gray eyes were steady and unamused, and her short, dark brown bob gave her a stern look that suited her no-frills personality.

  "Kate! You’re no fun!" Nora huffed, dramatically clutching her chest. "If you don’t tease them while you still can, you—"

  "If you say another word, I’ll be sying a cow instead of a wolf," Kate snapped.

  "Look Ethan! See how she treats me! Isn't she the worst?" Nora compined while faking tears.

  "So, really—who are you again?" Ethan asked again. "Sorry, but I really don’t remember you at all."

  "Sigh… I guess we didn’t leave much of an impression, this sucks." Li groaned.

  "Seeing the sincerity in your eyes makes it feel a thousand times worse." Nora added, looking down.

  "Then let me answer instead, Ethan," Kate said pinly, ignoring the pouting of her two teammates. "These two are the ones who kissed your cheek after you helped them deal with those goblins st time."

  "…Oh! Those two!! Of course I remember them!" Ethan said, even though the memory was still a bit fuzzy.

  "Really? Then what’s my name?" Nora challenged.

  "You know it, I know it—no need to say it out loud! Or else it’ll lose its mystery!" Ethan deflected quickly, trying to steer the conversation away.

  Cp Cp Cp!

  The professor called for attention.

  "Now I’ll call the numbers, and you go down the pit one by one with weapons in hand. You know the drill. Once the beast is down, kill it using what you’ve learned in css!"