Chapter 69 : A cringy realization

After making that grand speech to Henry—promises about justice, resilience, standing tall despite adversity—Alex felt like he’d just acted out the final scene of some B-grade hero flick.

He stared straight ahead as they walked, trying to maintain his dignity, but internally?

Cringe.

A full-blown secondhand embarrassment directed at himself.

‘What the hell was that performance?’ he thought, mentally smashing his head against a brick wall. ‘You’re still standing, aren’t you? That means you haven’t given up.’ He groaned inside.

‘Seriously, Alex? You sounded like a righteous dad from a bedtime moral story. All that was missing was dramatic background music and a slow zoom-in on my face.’

He glanced sideways at Henry, who was still wide-eyed and clearly moved by the speech.

‘Great,’ Alex thought. ‘At least the audience of one appreciated it. Thank god no one else heard me or I’d have to dig a hole and jump into it headfirst. Maybe seal it shut while I’m at it.’

Trying to recover his mental balance, he exhaled and decided to shift gears.

“So,” Alex began, his voice more casual now, “what’s Lorenzo’s deal anyway?”

Henry blinked, clearly still in awe. “What do you mean?”

“I mean—” Alex gestured vaguely, “—the way he acts. That arrogant noble crap. Is he always like that, or is he just particularly interested in making your life hell?”

Henry hesitated for a moment before responding, “He’s always like that. He thinks being a noble gives him the right to act like a king. He targets people he thinks won’t fight back. And since I’m… well, not exactly ranked high or particularly intimidating…”

Alex raised an eyebrow. “So, you’re saying he’s just a rich coward who picks on people weaker than him.”

Henry gave a sheepish nod.

“Good,” Alex muttered.

“Good?” Henry asked, confused.

“Yeah,” Alex replied with a sly smile. “Makes it easier to kick him off his high horse.”

On alex mind was another thought took place.

‘Then why the hell is he messing with me? I’m not an easy target, that’s for sure—with people like Alden and Ethan being my friends. Or… is someone else controlling him?’

Before Henry could reply, Alex clapped his hands once and said, “Alright. We’re done here. Let’s head back. Ava’s probably worried about you.”

The two of them began walking back toward the table, passing by students who mostly ignored them—though a few did throw curious glances. Alex ignored them. He was too busy replaying his own cringeworthy monologue in his head like a cursed memory.

‘Ugh. I’m never giving life advice again unless it comes with a bottle of wine and a mysterious backstory.’

Trying to distract himself, he glanced at Henry. “So… how do you know Ava?”

Henry blinked and looked away, his hands fidgeting nervously. “We were… childhood friends. She and her family lived in my hometown. But her father got transferred to the capital for work, so she moved away.”

Alex nodded thoughtfully. “Let me guess—you met her again when you came to take the entrance exam?”

Henry nodded frantically, a small smile tugging at his lips. “Yes. Even though we were in different cities, she always kept in touch. Every holiday, every festival—even if it was just short messages, she never forgot.”

His voice softened slightly. “And then during the entrance exam, I was shocked when we were grouped together. She hadn’t changed at

Alex tilted his head, curious. “Just the two of you in the group?”

Henry shook his head. “No, there were two others—a boy and a girl. They were strong too. We had a pretty solid team dynamic.”

“Hmm.” Alex rubbed his chin. “So, four-man team, and you guys fought together through the entrance exam?”

Henry smiled proudly. “Yeah. We stuck together, covered for each other. Everyone gave their all. We worked like a real squad—and we made it. We all passed.”

There was a quiet moment before Alex glanced at Henry sideways and asked, “Alright then—what’s your rank?”

Henry’s proud smile twitched. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “Uhm… 1889.”

Alex stopped walking for a beat, blinked, and then let out a short laugh. “Well, that explains why you’re getting bullied.”

Henry’s face twisted in mild betrayal. “Hey, that’s harsh!”

Alex grinned. “Not untrue, though.”

Henry grumbled something under his breath.

Alex patted him on the back. “Hey, at least you didn’t die during the exam. And you’re still in Zenith. That’s a win.”

Henry sighed. “I guess…”

After a few steps, Alex asked, “So, tell me something important—how strong is Ava, really?”

Henry paused, then looked Alex dead in the eyes. “A lot stronger than you think.”

Alex raised a brow, intrigued.

Henry continued, “Don’t let her quiet personality or shy demeanor fool you. She’s an excellent mage.”

Alex blinked. ‘…You make her sound like she has a second personality.’

Henry looked away again and mumbled, “…I’m not saying she does, but… you wouldn’t be the first one to say that.”

Now Alex was really interested. “Seriously?”

“I—I probably shouldn’t say more. Ask her yourself,” Henry replied quickly.

Alex squinted suspiciously, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. ‘So the cute little bird has claws, huh? Interesting.’

They were almost at the table now, and Alex casually muttered, “Hmm. I might have underestimated her. That makes things more fun.”

Henry gave him a confused glance. “What do you mean?”

Alex smiled but didn’t answer. Instead, he adjusted his coat and straightened his posture.

The moment they reached the table, Alex’s instincts prickled.

Something… was wrong.

Everyone at the table—Ava, Charlotte, Ethan, Alden, Draven, even Seraphina—had suspiciously suppressed grins on their faces.

Seraphina was trying to look regal, but even she had her hand over her mouth, failing to hide her amusement.

At the center of the table, a tiny gleaming device was being quietly palmed by Draven.

Alex narrowed his eyes. Wait a second…

Before he could open his mouth, Alden leaned in, cleared his throat, putting his left hand on his chest and dramatically recited:

“You’re still standing, aren’t you? That means you haven’t given up!”

Charlotte gasped and added in a perfect imitation of Henry’s soft tone:

“But they’re strong they have all things you just talked about connecting, power, money… how can I fight them?”

Alden continued, mocking Alex, “Don’t worry, you have the most cringeworthy and someone much less handsome than Alden as your backing.”

Draven clutched his stomach and whispered in mock awe, “Such drama… such passion…”

And just like that, the entire group exploded in laughter.

Seraphina had tears rolling down her face, laughing silently.

‘They heard it?! These lunatics heard my motivational speech?! That wasn’t supposed to leave the warehouse of shame in my brain!’

Alex stood frozen, staring at them like someone who’d just had his search history leaked on a big screen. His face slowly morphed into a look of horror.

Even Ava—sweet, gentle Ava—was shaking like a leaf in a storm trying really hard not to laugh, finally letting out peals of laughter.

That did it. Everyone at the table burst out laughing, clutching their stomachs. Ava, who had been trying to hold back, was laughing uncontrollably.

Henry, completely confused, looked around and asked, “W-what’s happening?”

Alex stared at Ava. She was supposed to be the nice one.

‘Wow,’ he thought with mock betrayal. ‘I was only gone for five minutes and they corrupted her. What a sweet girl she was… and now look at her. Laughing like a little goblin. Well, nothing I can do now.

Guess I’ll just find a nice quiet hole, crawl in, and never come out again. Shouldn’t be too hard—Zenith’s a big place.’

Wiping away imaginary tears. ‘Before I do that, I’ll take this bastard down with me.’

He turned his eyes toward Draven. The dwarf stiffened under his gaze.

Draven took a step back. “Wait! Wait, I can explain! It wasn’t me! It was Alden and the princess’s idea!”

Alex cracked his knuckles.

“No worries,” he said with a smile that screamed danger. “We’ll deal with them later.”

Alden and Charlotte flinched in sync, sweat appearing on their foreheads.

“But you, my dear dwarven prince… You’re first.”

He moved toward Draven with a small but menacing smile. Draven, horrified, screamed, “Don’t come near me!”

Alex grabbed Draven by the collar and dragged him away from the table. ‘Well, I was thinking of dealing with that Lorenzo guy later. But that did it. I need to blow off some steam.’

He took Draven to another table while Draven frantically thought of excuses to get out of the situation.

After sitting down, Alex started with a good friendly smile that made Draven stiffen in his spot.

“Do you remember that prototype we talked about when we were roommates?”

Draven nodded his head.

“Give it to me. If you do that, then maybe a dwarf who is about to get beaten black and blue will be saved,” Alex said.

Draven, moving at lightning speed, took out a ring-shaped device. Looking like he was about to cry, he said, “It cost 2 million credits, you bastard.”

Alex gave him a devilish smile. “Amazing, isn’t it? For just two million, you get to save that dwarf. That dwarf must really be lucky after what he just did moments ago.”

Draven swallowed hard, tears welling up. “Of course, you’re always right. That bastard is really lucky to have a friend like you.”

Alex nodded. “Of course. And you know what? You get to do another good deed. You’re coming with me to beat up a noble’s ass.”

Draven yelled, “What did you say?!”

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