The moment those words left my mouth—
I regretted them instantly.
Not because I feared Kevin.
But because I could physically feel Damian's leftover emotions bleeding into my reaction like poison leaking through cracks.
Disgust.
Arrogance.
Instinctive hatred toward "commoners."
It surged so naturally that for half a second, it genuinely felt like my own thought.
…It was really annoying.
Kevin's eyes sharpened immediately.
The atmosphere shifted.
Until now, the situation had mostly felt chaotic.
Embarrassing.
Even ridiculous.
But the instant the word commoner left my mouth—
Everything changed.
Because now people remembered exactly who Damian Valtor used to be.
Victor was still wheezing against the broken desk while blood dripped from his nose.
Meanwhile, Kevin stepped forward calmly.
Which honestly made him feel more dangerous somehow.
"Let him go," Kevin said evenly and calmly.
And somehow—
That calmness irritated Damian's instincts even more.
My grip tightened unconsciously around Victor's arm.
"Ughhh!"
Bad.
Very bad.
I immediately forced myself to relax before I accidentally snapped the idiot's elbow entirely.
Kevin noticed.
Of course he noticed.
That guy observed everything.
Behind him, Alice Draken watched silently with narrowed eyes while Grace subtly shifted her posture.
Knight stance.
Ready to intervene instantly if things escalated.
Meanwhile, Elena just looked at me with hint anger on her face.
She probably remembering some horrible memories where Damian used these words on her as well.
I clicked my tongue softly before shoving Victor away from me.
The blond noble stumbled backward immediately while clutching his bleeding face.
"Cough—! Y-You bastard…!"
"Relax," I said flatly. "I was generous."
Victor looked like he wanted to say more.
Then our eyes met, he shut up instantly.
Good choice.
Kevin remained standing between us.
Honestly, protagonist aura really was annoying.
"You've made your point," Kevin said.
I stared at him for several seconds.
And damn—
The body reaction was still there.
Hostility crawled beneath my skin instinctively.
Like some leftover muscle memory desperately trying to drag me into old habits.
I hated it.
Still—
I forced a smirk onto my face.
"Look at that," I said casually. "Playing hero again already."
Several students tensed instantly.
Probably expecting another fight.
Kevin's expression didn't change.
"If stopping you from crippling someone makes me a hero, then sure."
Ouch.
Direct hit.
I sighed internally.
Yeah, okay.
From an outside perspective, I absolutely looked like the villain here.
Which—Fair enough honestly.
I had just slammed someone's face through a desk.
Though to be fair—
Victor did attack first.
Details mattered.
Meanwhile, Victor finally recovered enough courage to speak again.
"T-This isn't over, Damian—!"
I looked toward him.
Victor flinched so hard he nearly bit his own tongue.
"..."
Amazing.
I hadn't even said anything yet.
Honestly, fear worked wonderfully.
Kevin noticed that too.
His gaze narrowed slightly.
Probably realizing something important.
The old Damian relied on groups.
Status.
Pressure.
But just now—
I handled Victor alone.
Calmly, Efficiently.
Without losing control completely.
Which unfortunately made me look significantly more dangerous.
Here's goes my plan have my first good impression on him.
Then—
The classroom door slid open again.
Professor Catherine Vale entered calmly while carrying several documents beneath one arm.
The moment she saw the broken desk, the blood, Victor's face, and the gathered crowd—
Silence consumed the room instantly.
Her purple eyes slowly swept across everyone.
Then landed on me.
"..."
I raised one hand slightly.
"In my defense—"
"No."
Damn.
She didn't even let me start.
Catherine pinched the bridge of her nose tiredly.
"It's barely lunch break."
Fair criticism.
Victor immediately pointed toward me dramatically.
"P-Professor! Damian attacked me!"
Several students looked away awkwardly.
Cowards.
Catherine glanced toward the shattered desk.
Then toward Victor.
"...Did you attack him first?"
Victor froze.
"..."
Oh?
She noticed immediately.
Victor's hesitation lasted barely two seconds.
Unfortunately—
That was enough.
Catherine sighed.
"Medical office. Now. After that in my office."
Victor looked horrified.
"B-But—"
"Now."
Instant suppression.
The three noble idiots immediately fled the classroom without another word.
Meanwhile, Catherine's gaze slowly returned toward me.
"...And you."
Ah.
Execution time.
I straightened slightly.
"Yes, Professor?"
Her eyes narrowed faintly.
"After classes end today."
A pause.
"You will also be in my office. Don't even think about ditching it."
"..."
"Yes ma'am."
After that, I glanced one last time at Kevin and others before walking away from classroom.
Now after all that hard work I'm hungry.
Whithout stopping, I continue to walk towards the cafeteria.
Now, everyone will know not mess up with me.
I already knew beforehand that I will become target as soon as I walked back to Imperial Academy.
What I did inside now was stunt already prepared if someone tries to mess up with me.
It was to send messages to those to not me lightly even if I don't have my family protection or numbers of followers.
Damian Valtor was still crazy.
And I think my display actions helped me to send messages easily.
I also didn't want it to become entirely my fault later.
So I deliberately let Victor throw the first punch.
That part mattered.
A lot.
Imperial Academy's disciplinary system heavily favored technicalities.
Who attacked first.
Who escalated.
Who used excessive force.
Every detail changed punishments drastically.
And while I absolutely slammed Victor's face through a desk—
He did try punching me first in front of dozens of witnesses.
Meaning at worst?
This became "mutual conflict."
Not "Damian Valtor randomly assaulted another student."
Honestly, surviving in this world felt less like fantasy and more like managing legal loopholes with violence attached.
"Haaa…"
I rubbed my forehead tiredly while walking through the academy hallways.
Students moved aside instinctively when they saw me approaching.
Some whispered.
Others avoided eye contact entirely.
News really spread fast here.
It had barely been fifteen minutes.
At this point, the entire first-year division probably already knew Damian Valtor folded Victor Hale into a desk during lunch break.
Exactly the kind of reputation I wanted after trying so hard to reform.
Still—
Fear was useful.
People feared unstable individuals.
And right now, I needed people hesitant to provoke me casually.
Because if every random noble brat started testing me daily, my academy life would become unbearable fast.
Sometimes violence solved future violence.
Unfortunately—
There was also one major downside.
Kevin.
I clicked my tongue quietly.
That body reaction earlier had been dangerous.
Very dangerous.
The moment Kevin stepped in, Damian's leftover instincts practically exploded inside me.
Hatred.
Superiority.
Aggression.
All directed toward him specifically.
Like my body itself rejected his existence automatically.
And the worst part?
Kevin definitely noticed.
That guy missed nothing.
From his perspective, Damian almost looked calmer and smarter now—
Until Kevin appeared.
Then suddenly the old hostility surfaced again instantly.
"...Tch."
I shoved both hands into my pockets while continuing down the hallway.
At least I recovered control quickly.
If I'd completely lost control back there?
Things could've escalated catastrophically.
Eventually, I reached the academy cafeteria.
The massive hall buzzed with noise, packed full of students eating, talking, arguing, laughing.
Honestly, the food smelled surprisingly good.
Imperial Academy clearly invested absurd amounts of money into student facilities.
Which made sense.
Most students here came from wealthy or influential backgrounds.
The empire treated this place less like a school and more like an investment .project.
The moment I entered—
Conversations nearby noticeably quieted.
Ah.
Right.
I was today's entertainment headline.
Several students immediately looked away when our eyes met.
One guy near the drinks section physically turned around and left.
Damn.
Was Damian really that terrifying before?
Actually…
Considering everything I'd learned so far?
Yeah.
Probably.
I grabbed a tray quietly before moving toward the food line.
Quickly it was my turn I paid 2570 Credits and got steak rice.
Without wasting any moment, I moved and sat on an empty table.
At least it was peaceful here.
"Young Master Damian!"
Ah.
Never mind.
My peace was over again.
I slowly turned toward the source of the voice already knowing exactly who it was.
Jin Sam Black waddled toward me while carrying enough food trays to feed a small army.
His breathing already sounded exhausted.
"...Why do you have four desserts?" I asked immediately.
Jin looked offended.
"That's a rude question between friends."
"...Is that so?"
He dropped into the seat across from me dramatically before leaning forward excitedly.
"YOU'RE AMAZING."
Several nearby students immediately looked toward us again.
"What now?" I sighed.
Jin slapped the table loudly.
"Victor Hale! The desk! The phone call thing! Damian, you were magnificent!"
"...Please lower your voice."
"No! The entire academy's talking about it already! Someone even started calling you 'Desk Breaker Damian!'"
I froze.
"...I'm going to kill whoever invented that."
Jin gasped dramatically.
"See?! That's exactly the aura I'm talking about!"
Dear god.
Why was this man my ally?