Chapter 48: The Twelve Zodiacs (1)

Words : 1041 Updated : Sep 17th, 2025

Chapter 48: The Twelve Zodiacs (1) "Arty..." Cale called out, waving from the entrance of the dorm. He and Vicky squinted, seemingly unsure who was behind him. As soon as they recognized Ellie, they stepped closer to Arthur and whispered. "Hey man, I don’t mean to pry into your personal life, but please don’t cheat on your wife. She is seriously terrifying," Eric said, visibly nervous. Vicky placed a steadying hand on Eric’s shoulder and glared at Arthur. "Dude, do you want to get us all killed?" Before Arthur could respond, Ellie raised her hand. "But I’m Arthur’s wife too." She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "And if it’s Unnie you’re talking about, then yeah, she can be scary sometimes." Vicky, Cale, and Eric all froze with wide eyes. Then Cale asked, "Art, just curious, but how many wives do you actually have?" Arthur opened his mouth to respond, but Ellie beat him to it. "We’re a happy family of seven, Arthur and six of us." Vicky’s glasses nearly slipped off his face. "What?!" he exclaimed, prompting Cale to cover his mouth. "Here I am searching for one true love, and you’re out here marrying six girls. And let me guess, they’re all drop-dead gorgeous?" Ellie, standing behind Arthur, nodded. "Some are even more beautiful than me. Though, I’m still the cutest." Vicky scoffed, turned, and stomped away. "Screw you, Arthur. We’re not bros anymore." Cale gave a small wave to Eric and Arthur as he followed Vicky. "Go ahead. I’ll try and calm him down." Arthur turned to Eric, who stared at him with his hands casually laced behind his head. "What?" Arthur shook his head. "Nothing. It’s just that you don’t seem surprised at all." Eric paused for a moment, then let out a tired sigh. "Well, I’ve got three wives back home." Arthur nodded. ’I keep forgetting Eric is both handsome and popular, and his people really love women.’ Eric, Arthur, and Ellie walked in sync. "So, where do you think the academy is taking us?" Arthur glanced at Eric, then back at the road. "No idea." In truth, Arthur knew exactly where. It was a pivotal mission from the game. Many players had failed it miserably. Some even quit because of the sudden spike in difficulty. Arthur remembered this mission clearly. It was the stage where Route 6 ended. And the only route he managed to beat it with was Route 27. Yes, he had failed 21 times, despite the fact that the version he played wasn’t nearly as punishing as the original. Plus, he even had guide videos for reference. That’s how brutal it was. The Demonic Forest arc. An arc that didn’t just have a mid and final boss, but also required protecting countless NPCs and facing the dungeon boss itself. Arthur let out a deep sigh. ’Just when life was getting good.’ "Hey Eric." "Yeah..." Arthur turned to him, their eyes meeting. "Can you call a meeting for everyone in our faction?" Eric’s face grew serious. "Alright. I’ll let the prince know." This time, Arthur needed to use every chess piece available and manipulate them if necessary. "Art... Art..." He wasn’t sure if Ayla’s group would offer support, but his own faction, though small at just ten members, was full of elites. That gave him some peace of mind. Information was everything here. Nothing else mattered. "...Husband." Arthur snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Ellie, who was pouting. "Yeah?" She exhaled. "Why did you walk us all the way to the third street cafeteria?" Arthur looked around, a small smile tugging at his lips. "I don’t know either." ------ The day’s classes were far more engaging than those from the first week, especially Magic Science and Analysis, which focused on merging spells without actually casting multiple magic circles. That single concept sparked a flurry of ideas in his mind.novelhall) During the mid-day break, he spent time at the café with his wives, though he wasn’t entirely sure why he was still hiding from the others. The final class of the day was Runes and Ancient Civilizations, a refresher on information everyone already knew. Like how gates and mana beasts ranged from E-rank up to SSS-rank. How spells were ranked from Tier 8 to Tier 1, while sword arts or techniques followed Stage 8 to Stage 1. And how artifacts and runes, not being rankable, were simply categorized from low-tier to high-tier. Ellie was even more absorbed in the lesson than he was, jotting down notes and asking questions enthusiastically. "Art, do you think Unnie knows about runes?" Ellie asked. Arthur knew the answer, but phrasing it delicately was the real challenge. "Well, she should. She’s from that era, after all. But she’s... well... not the type who learns from lectures. She’s more hands-on and picks things up fast when doing practical work." Ellie covered her mouth with her hand and nodded. "Got it." Arthur let out a breath of relief. He was glad she understood. Classes were finally over. It was time to meet with his faction members. He’d been putting it off, but if he wanted to survive the upcoming events, he needed their support. "So, where exactly is the meeting point?" Arthur had already thought it through. Besides the café he visited with the girls, the only safe place that came to mind was the bookstore. Sure, the owner was a pervert, but at least he wasn’t a snitching pervert. Arthur turned to Ellie. "The bookstore." She nodded, glancing cautiously around the street. As soon as her gaze landed on the group of girls who had bullied her at the academy and those who treated her poorly after her family’s title was revoked, she quickly locked arms with Arthur. "What’s wrong?" Arthur asked, clearly caught off guard by her sudden closeness. She continued to stare at the girls, who were now glaring at her with jealousy, and smiled sweetly. "Nothing, Husband. Absolutely nothing."novelhall Within a minute, they arrived. The small bookstore, barely big enough to qualify as a building. And standing in front of it were the remaining eight members of his small faction. No, there were ten of them. ─── ✦ End of Chapter ✦ ───

Chapter 48: The Twelve Zodiacs (1)

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