NTR School: S Rank Student

Raphael froze in place, in disbelief at what he had just heard.

It can't... That fast?

He wanted to leave the room, but the maid was blocking the doorway. To get out, he'd have to barge past her.

The Emperor rose from his bed and put on his gown to cover his naked body.

"What do you mean a death? That can't be. It hasn't even been a week yet!" The man said, anger thick in his voice.

"It's true, Your Majesty. Not many details have been received yet as the news didn't come from a scout but rather from a fleeing student. He said that the culprit was a dragon and that he wished to be nowhere near it."

"..."

It's over...

Raphael didn't want to, but he prepared the three dragons, ready to fight when the Emperor struck.

He glanced over at him from the corner of his eye, keeping himself on guard.

But The Emperor simply stood there, rubbing at his chin.

"A dragon? Dragons haven't been around for hundreds of years."

Raphael couldn't believe it.

He let out a silent sigh of relief.

The man doesn't know of my abilities or title. There's still a chance to escape.

However, before Raphael was able to turn around, his eyes met with the Emperor's wife.

And she flashed him a smug grin.

From the simple look on her face, Raphael knew it with certainty. The Emperor's wife knew that it was him.

But the woman didn't say anything. She simply lay there, voluptuous body exposed.

After the maid left the room, with nothing else to report for now, Raphael quickly followed closely behind her and hurried out.

If he did not need to rush before, then he certainly did now. It would only be a matter of time before his name was spread alongside the news, marking him as the Emperor's target.

So he sprinted to the guest room that he and Lillian were staying in.

---

To Raphael's luck, he found Lillian inside the room. She wore only a towel which covered her body up to her breasts, clearly having just come out of the bath.

When she spotted Raphael, out of breath and heated, she was filled with surprise.

"Raphael, I've been looking for you-"

"There's no time Lillian; we need to leave the Palace and fast." He spoke frantically, stumbling over his words as he made his way over to pack his things.

Lillian stood there confused.

"What? But we only just got here."

"I know, and now we need to leave. Have you heard the news about the death at the Three Divine Academies?"

Lillian nodded her head. She was around when the student had run by the palace, screaming in fear.

"That was me. I killed Christopher Reynolds, the man who was supposed to marry the Emperor's daughter, Juniper, and I did it on the school grounds. Everyone saw me do it; there's only a matter of time before the whole story gets to the Palace".

Lillian stood there for a few moments in disbelief. Could Raphael really commit murder? She asked herself with doubt.

The green-haired girl had many questions for the man she had travelled with, but there was no time. Judging by his reactions, Raphael was telling the truth.

He had killed the student.

Without wasting any more precious seconds, Lillian flung off her towel and began to get dressed.

Raphael didn't wear his red school jacket, but rather just the white school shirt and his back trousers. The last thing he needed to do was stand out.

Once they were ready, the two hurried out of the room and made their way towards the palace exit.

They almost made it to the door, unnoticed by anyone of importance, until they heard a familiar voice come from behind them.

"Fleeing the crime scene, are you?"

Raphael turned around to see Joshua standing there, and beside him was his sister, Juniper.

Raphael and Lillian were both frozen, unsure of what to say.

Joshua. I completely forgot about him.

Is he going to try and stop me? Am I going to have to hurt this innocent boy?

Joshua took a step forward, his face solemn. His sister held the same expression. Not angry, but certainly not joyful.

"You've done what you came here to do, right?" Joshua said, his face suddenly breaking into a smile. "Run, don't worry, I'll cover your tracks."

It was Raphael's turn to be in disbelief. Both he and Lillian let out a breath of held air and flashed a smile at the boy they had once called annoying.

"Thank you, Joshua. You don't understand how much help you've been."

Joshua waved his hand, as though he didn't desire the praise.

"Don't mention it. And don't miss me either. I'll return to the Five Schools once my business here is done. However, you have left my sister without a future husband..." The boy spoke in his casual comedic tone.

Raphael had hardly been paying attention to the woman and neither did he feel bad for her.

He had fingered her the night before. She had already shown that she had no affection for Christopher. She had even admitted that he was not a good man. There was no reason for her to mourn his death.

Juniper stepped forward, showing a pleading face.

"Please, take me with you! You don't need to earn me a spot in the Five Schools, but at least take me to the region. I want to be around you..."

The words caught Raphael off guard. His instincts told him to disagree, but that would only lead to more conversation. He could hear the palace growing chaotic, as the news of the schools spread.

Any minute now, his role in the story would be known to all.

"Alright, but come quickly. I'd like to avoid battle if we can."

The woman's face twisted with a smile of pure joy and surprise. She clearly had not expected her proposal to be so easily accepted.

She quickly hugged her brother goodbye and joined Raphael and Lillian as they prepared to leave.

Lillian flashed Raphael a questioning glance, wondering why he would accept to take her with them.

However, Raphael's mind was elsewhere. If she wanted to travel then Juniper was free to do it.

As long as she could be of use to him.