Ancient Dragon in Arknights

Nesario glanced at the room across the street, which was supposed to be his roommate's room, but the problem was that his roommate hadn't shown up yet.

"There are still 1 hour and 17 minutes until the opening ceremony. Let's head over there early."

Nesario knew that being late was never a good thing, especially at important moments; he had nothing important to do at the moment, so rather than leisurely arriving just in time, he might as well get there early.

Soon, Nesario arrived at the playground, where a group of people had already gathered before his arrival.

Several small groups were chatting animatedly, clearly having found companions or teams; while someone stood alone to one side, even his military uniform seemed to lose its luster.

Does Nesario have any companions? It seems not. During his week in Victoria, he spent most of his time tracking gangsters and exploring the Sadion district; the rest of the time he studied in his room.

As for his friends from the Colombian era?

Nesario didn't have any close friends in high school. The people he interacted with were basically of three types: first, fanatical fans who admired Saria and tried to get more information about her from his younger brother Nesario; second, fools with unrealistic fantasies who tried to use Nesario as a stepping stone to woo Saria; and third, people who were beaten up by Saria and tried to use Nesario to threaten her.

This is one of the concrete manifestations of "Nesario living in the shadow of Saria".

Nesario treated different people differently.

When dealing with the first type of person, Nesario's approach is to ignore them; eventually, they will naturally give up.

The second type of person is categorized by gender. If a man approaches, Nesario will introduce him to a gay party, deceiving him by saying that Saria will also be attending the party. The guy, driven by his lower body, will naturally be impatient and usually won't show up in front of Nesario again the next day. If a woman approaches, Nesario will seriously tell her that Saria's sexual orientation is intellectual and that if he wants to woo her, he should first surpass her academically.

Nesario prefers the third type of person. By letting the other party strike first, he gains the right to self-defense and immunity from liability—and can then release all the pressure he has accumulated from dealing with the first two types of people.

Getting back to the main point, Nesario won't meet any companions in Victoria; he'll need to build his own social circle.

What are some ways to expand your social circle?

While Nesario was still racking his brains about how to make some friends, he had unknowingly become the focus of attention on the playground.

'Hey, hey...look over there.'

'*Victoria's profanity* What the hell is that Vayvan?!'

'That tail...is he an Adakles?'

Have you ever seen Adakles with horns?

"Hey, there's a super handsome guy! Let's go, want to go talk to him?"

'His physique clearly identifies him as a Sentinel, while we look like a Warlock.'

Who are you calling a warlock?

"..."

Nesario wasn't without 'acquaintances,' if you could count nodding acquaintances.

Chen Huijie, dressed in a Victorian women's military uniform, was also standing on the parade ground. She already had a touch of aloofness, but after putting on the uniform, she had an even more unique charm. Her appearance, which was different from that of the Victorian women, also attracted some attention. However, due to her imposing manner, no one dared to come up and talk to her.

Like Nesario, Chen Huijie, who is strong-willed, upright, and self-disciplined, did not deliberately socialize during this period.

She had no opinion on this, because socializing was not a necessity of life. She had things more important than making friends, and she would probably continue like this for the next four years—unless something unexpected happened.

"Chenchen! What are you looking at so intently? Let me see!"

A warm, slightly silly voice rang out from behind Chen Huijie, accompanied by its owner's leap.

Fiona Young—a passionate Vaiva girl with long orange hair and purplish horns extending from the back of her head to the sides; her azure eyes seemed to be shining, and her beautiful face was full of excitement and smiles; the originally serious and handsome military uniform looked cute and playful on her.

She was the unexpected person Chen Huijie encountered; Fiona was her roommate.

This enthusiastic girl, Vaiva, had no sense of boundaries whatsoever. In just one week, she had Chen constantly arguing with her. The key point was that her arguing was all well-intentioned, and Chen Huijie couldn't refuse.

And that's how she made her first friend.

Chapter Fourteen: A Trip for Two

"Wow! It's one of my kind! But... isn't its tail a bit too exaggerated?"

Fiona followed Chen Huijie's gaze and saw Nesario standing in the very center of the playground.

As fellow members of the Waifan tribe, Fiona originally wanted to go up and say hello immediately, but the intense stares from those around her made even the usually outgoing Fiona hesitant to approach.

"Chen Chen, do you know what's going on? Is he some important person?"

"I don't know... I met him once when school started, but I don't know anything else about him."

"Oh, okay. Should we go up and strike up a conversation?"

"How did you jump to this idea?!"

"Because... Chenchen, you kept staring at her. I thought you liked her..."

Before the enthusiastic but somewhat naive girl, Waifan, could finish speaking, her best friend stopped her, saying, "If you can't speak, you don't have to."

Besides Chen Huijie and Fiona, two other people were also eyeing Nesario.

Miss Rupert, with her long blonde hair and a cold, serious expression, was also paying attention to the young man, Vaivan, whom she had met once before. Rita sympathized with his reserved and cautious attitude.

Her striking appearance sometimes attracted attention, but it was tolerable; the real danger was her surname—whenever it was revealed to the world, the perception of Rita instantly changed dramatically.

Some people look at Rita with longing, respect, and curiosity, while others instantly show disdain and malice. She is all too familiar with this situation of being surrounded by gazes and emotionally oppressed.

This is not a pleasant experience, and in severe cases it can even cause harm; she had related nightmares more than once when she was young.

Should I go and help him?

Rita hesitated. Nesario was just a casual acquaintance to her, and he might not even need her help. The only thing that motivated her to do this was her sense of justice.

"Oh my? My dear Rita, what are you looking at? You seem quite engrossed in it."

A large green cat quietly walked up behind Rita and gently rested its face on Rita's shoulder. Their gazes met—both turned toward Nesario.

If Nesario had noticed this, he would have found Miss Felin to be very familiar—so familiar that he could taste the sweetness of cream on his tongue and smell the fragrance of a clear spring in his nose.

She is none other than Miss Lothiri, who had a romantic encounter with Nesario just a few days ago! But at this moment, she also has several other identities: a freshman at the Royal Guard Academy and Rita Scamanderos's roommate.

"!"

“Losiri, how many times have I told you not to suddenly get close to me?”

"Were you scared?"

"I'm just not used to it."

Losley concealed her emotions without batting an eye. Of course, she noticed Nesario; his face wasn't unfamiliar to her, after all, the two had a very Victorian romantic encounter not long ago.

'Isn't this too much of a coincidence...'

Yes, it's a very coincidental thing.

The Royal Guard Academy has only 1200 new students this term, which wouldn't even fill two blocks in Londinium; while Lothie met one while having afternoon tea, and something happened between them.

Ah... recalling what she had done back then, Lothiri felt her cheeks warm up slightly; she had been too excited about being accepted into the Royal Guard Academy and arriving in Londinium for the first time, and normally she would never have had so much interaction with Nesario.

If it were her now, she would only express her gratitude verbally in response to Nesario's humility, and would not offer him another cake; the problem is that she was in a high mood at the time and acted a little impulsively, which led to so many things happening afterward.

"Rita, what's your purpose in paying attention to her? Could it be that this sheltered young lady has found a boyfriend?!"

Although the freshmen gathered now possess a certain level of military knowledge and skills, most of them have never received any military training and are the newest of the new recruits. As they enter university for the first time, their hearts are pounding with spring fever, and when they encounter the opposite sex, they mostly think in that direction. Lorily's teasing is not inappropriate; it is a kind of fun unique to this age group.

"No, I'm wondering whether I should help him. The gazes from those around us are... very intense."

"I don't think it's necessary."

"Why do you say that?"

Rita frowned slightly. Over the past few days, she had gotten to know her roommate better: she was very beautiful, and her dressing and makeup skills were excellent, making her seem more like a girl than herself; she had an unpredictable quality in her speech and actions, always making her feel like she was being teased; apart from that, she didn't seem like a bad person.

Now that she's faced with people in need of help, is she going to stand idly by?

"Don't look at me like that. Look—he crossed his arms and tapped his fingers lightly on his arms at a certain rhythm; his expression was calm and fearless; he didn't respond to the gazes around him; and his distinctive big tail remained motionless. All these signs indicate that he is not flustered at all, and the gazes around him have no effect on him."

Lori and Rita were close together, and she spoke slowly and deliberately, thoroughly analyzing Nesario's expression and actions at that moment.

Although Rita had no professional training in this area, her keen observation skills made her believe in this intelligence.

'More importantly—I know this guy! His composure and calmness at that moment couldn't be broken by a mere glance.'

In the end, Rita didn't meddle, and Nesario never felt pressured by the stares of those around him.

During this time, many people noticed him, but no one dared to come up and talk to him.

Chen Huijie is being tormented by her roommate, Miss Fiona. She feels exhausted by the super enthusiastic and silly girl.

The upright and serious Miss Rita is engaged in a battle of wits with her unpredictable roommate. The two take turns saying things, from the conspicuous Nesario to the renovation of the playground, and then from the playground renovation to the motto and rules of the Guardian Academy.

What's the point of all this idle gossip?

It may seem useless, but it was indeed the opportunity that brought the two girls together.

Time ticked by, and finally, with only 10 minutes left before the ceremony, some teachers arrived at the scene.

Chapter Fifteen: Restless and Twisted Youth!

"All freshmen, find your class and line up! Get moving!"

"Yes! Sir!"

Military academies naturally have their own style, and many people already knew this before they came. As for the teacher giving instructions in a military tone, they only felt a surge of excitement.

A thought inexplicably crossed my mind: 'Ah, from today onwards, I am a student of the Royal Guard Academy.'

The stringent requirements filter out the useless, leaving only the elite.

Everyone quickly found their class and lined up neatly from left to right according to their height. The only noises and conversations were occasional, and the only other sounds were the orderly footsteps.

As expected, Nesario stood in the first row, the first line of the team, the so-called front position.

That's inevitable, since he has the kind of face that makes you think, "Ah, this guy is definitely good enough to be at the front of the line."

Interestingly, while organizing the group, Nesario discovered two "familiar faces" in his class. They were Rita and Chen Huijie, whom he had met once before. The three of them had arrived at the school first and were then assigned to the same class.

Okay, Nesario has made up his mind. He'll go and try to get closer to the two of them to see if he can take the first step in opening up their social circles.

After the team was assembled, the management of the Royal Guard Academy appeared one after another. They were all from the Victorian political and military circles, with rich abilities, qualifications, and experience, more than qualified to be teachers, and could be described as a strong teaching force.

Interestingly, no matter what kind of school it is, there are always the same few familiar procedures.