"...And that's why you never wear jeans to a bar!"
A blue-haired elf in a lavish gray and black suit with a black mask on his face exclaimed as we nodded our heads.
After a few drinks and some pointless small talk to alleviate the awkward silence between Amelia and me, we were approached by Kent.
He stood before us now, regaling us with a story that I didn't care to hear.
"By the way, did I interrupt something?" Kent inquired, casting a knowing glance in my direction.
"No," I dismissed his look, uninterested. "Where are the others from our class?"
It was clear that Amelia wanted to speak with me about something. My suspicion was that she wanted to discuss my lost memories.
I knew that she wasn't stupid. After my reaction that day, she has likely concluded that I have forgotten some fragments of my past. I have lost bits and pieces of my memories.
However, I didn't want to have that conversation with her now.
My focus, right now, needed to remain on the vampire assassin we were facing today.
That wasn't to say that I wouldn't speak with her about it later. I intend to do so after the battle. Besides, I want to learn more about Lucas' past anyway.
The more I know about Lucas before I transmigrated, the more information I have to work with and draw speculations from.
"Most of them have already arrived," Kent answered, scanning the surroundings before returning his attention to me.
"Only Nero, Anastasia, Aster, and a few others have yet to show up," he added.
If my memory, which I can't seem to trust these days, serves me right, then Magnus Bloodhound should appear right when Nero and Anastasia would show up for the party.
I looked at my luxury watch – yes, I emphasized the fact that I wear luxury watches – and saw that it was almost time for the party to start.
He must be on his way.
Alerting the Military Police and letting them deal with Magnus would have been the optimal approach to handle this situation efficiently.
However, the credibility of the information I possess is questionable since I don't have any evidence to back it up.
So even if I do inform the Military Police, the likelihood of them believing me is low, if not downright zero.
In fact, they may even accuse me of engaging in suspicious activities and arrest me after the attack happens.
Since my father has disowned me, even the family name of Morningstar won't be enough to get me out of that situation.
I could drop them the information anonymously, but I doubt that they would trust an anonymous source.
One more option I have is to inform Drake and Emma about the situation. They are third-year cadets and may be better equipped to handle it efficiently.
However, doing so would draw the attention of the Cadet Council in my direction, which I'd rather avoid at this time.
There are many actions I could take to prevent the massacre today, but I choose not to do so.
Why? Because the events of today are crucial to Nero's development.
In the end, he is the protagonist of this story.
And as the protagonist of this story, he will face the Vampire Monarch and the Kali race in the future, so he must be prepared for it.
The massacre today will serve as a powerful motivator for him to get stronger.
When he'll almost die while fighting the vampire assassin today, he will realize he is not as strong as he had thought.
He will realize he is nowhere near ready to take his mother's revenge or fight the noble vampires.
That realization will fuel him.
"Oh, there they are."
As I was immersed in my own thoughts, Kent's voice shook me back to reality.
I looked at Kent before looking at the hall's entrance. As soon as I did that, I felt chills running down my back.
Through the doors to the banquet hall, a group of our classmates entered who were left to show up.
In front of the group walked Anastasia and Nero.
For a moment, the world itself seemed to have stopped as the main characters of the story entered the ballroom, and all eyes present turned to them.
Anastasia was a vision in her black, off-shoulder ballroom gown, which perfectly accentuated her slim yet curvy figure.
Her long, lustrous black hair was elegantly tied up in a bun, while a black eye mask added a touch of mystery to her already alluring appearance.
Her crystal golden eyes sparkled as she gracefully walked into the room.
Nero, on the other hand, exuded a suave and sophisticated aura in his navy blue suit, paired with a crisp white shirt and matching trousers.
As he strode into the hall with confidence, a half-face oni mask covered part of his face, adding an element of intrigue to his handsome features.
Despite the absurdity of the mask, he wore it with effortless charm, drawing the attention of all the maidens around him.
Haa, even though I was clearly more handsome than him, I guess I can't beat the protagonist's charm just yet, huh?
Anyway, what drew my attention was the person who entered the room after the group of our classmates.
Dressed in a pristine white suit with a black inner coat and a cravat tie, a black-haired man with a sharp jawline and scarlet red eyes walked in.
Even though a party mask covered the upper half of his face, the chills I got all over my body instantly told me his true identity.
He was Magnus Bloodhound.
"Fuuu," I let out a breath to calm myself while clenching his fists.
"Hmm?" but I furrowed my brows as I noticed an enchanting blonde woman walking alongside him, dressed in a stunning one-piece red dress that hugged her mesmerizing hourglass figure.
Instantly, questions raced through my mind.
Who is she?
Does she know him?
Why is she accompanying him?
I don't think the novel mentioned any woman accompanying Magnus to the ballroom party. So then, who is this woman?
Wait… Ah, I see now.
The scene at the start of the party was only briefly introduced in the novel, without much detail.
Perhaps this woman, whoever she is, had accompanied him to the party for some time before taking her leave later in the evening – before a cadet uncovered Magnus' identity and the massacre happened.
But then, if that's the case, then is it safe to assume that she's a vampire? So, there are two vampires present in this banquet hall right now?
Damn it. I didn't even think of that. I have to move with precaution. If anything goes sideways, we'll have two vampires to deal with instead of one.
If that happens, I doubt even Anastasia and Nero will be able to defeat them both together, especially when I don't know anything about the other one.
No, I shouldn't think like that. It's fine. Everything is fine. I'll just let the story proceed as it's supposed to be.
If I remember correctly, the massacre happened after the third round of the dance started.
That obviously means the woman who's accompanying Magnus right now will leave before then.
"Okay," I muttered under my breath. "Let the game begin."
"What game?"
"...."
Kent, who was standing right next to me, suddenly leaned in and whispered in my ears in a spooky tone.
"...A drinking game," I said, covering up. "Let's play a drinking game."
"Ooh! Yes, it will be fun!" Kent jumped in excitement before turning to the black-haired girl. "Will you play with us, Amelia?"
"No thanks," Amelia said, waving her hand and getting up from the bar stool. "And I'd suggest not drinking too much to you two since we'll be returning to the academy after the party ends."
As she said that, Amelia began to walk off.
But before she could even take a step, I called her out. "Wait," I said. "Where are you going?"
"Ahh, to them," Amelia replied awkwardly before pointing in the direction where Nero, Anastasia, Aster, and a bunch of other main characters were standing.
No, no, no, no! I can't let her go join the main cast!
They all will be standing near Magnus when he'll decide to unleash his mind control spell.
If I don't stop her, she'll be caught in his spell and turn against her. And I really don't want her fighting against us.
"Oh, come on, Amelia," Kent frowned. "I can guess from here that they are talking about some boring stuff. Instead of going there and getting bored to death, stay with us and play a drinking game!"
"Yeah, again, no thanks." Amelia merely waved her hand again and started walking off.
"Never mind her. Come on, bro! Let's start the game–"
Before Kent could finish talking, my mind raced, and I thought about a solution to get out of this predicament.
It didn't take me long to come up with something. Although I didn't want to do this, I had no choice.
"Sorry, Kent. Let's play it another time," I said before getting up and storming off in Amelia's direction.
As soon as I reached her, I grabbed her by her waist and turned her around to face me, causing her to let out a shriek of surprise.
"Aeik! What the hell, Lucas?" she looked at me sharply, her voice hushed.
"Let's dance," I suggested.
"I-I told you, I don't wanna dance–"
"Just one?"
"Haaa," hearing me, the black-haired girl let out a sigh. "F-Fine. Just one dance."
