PROLOGUE

As Nikolai immersed himself in reading his web novel on his phone, he reached the final chapter. His eyes skimmed over the words that gave life to an emotional epilogue.

{Episode 235 - Epilogue (3)}

[...]

In a serene and well-kept garden, next to a crystal-clear lake, five figures sat around a small table. Princess Isalia, with determination and fervor, exclaimed, "Then let's live together, Oz! You don't have to cling to your past. Live for me, and let's share the rest of our lives."

The young Ozymandias, overwhelmed by sadness and discomfort, replied, "I... don't believe I deserve to live, not after all the harm I've caused in this world."

Kiana, with his deep voice and a small smile on his lips, crossed his arms and said, "Don't worry, Oz. With Isalia's help, I'm sure we can move forward and perhaps achieve forgiveness from the world."

Ethan, adjusting his square glasses, expressed with determination, "I forgive you, Oz! In the name of our Lord and Isalia, I have forgiven you from the depths of my heart. Although your actions have been atrocious, I know you didn't do them with intent."

Ava, with evident anger and disdain in her voice, added, "Hmm, I don't think I can forgive you, not even in your next 100 lives, but... I can try, for Isalia." With a slight turn of her head and a faint blush, she softened her tone with the mention of her lover.

"You are all too good for me!" exclaimed Isalia with embarrassment. Clearing her throat slightly, she added with determination, "Oz, you should give it a try. I won't let you go until I get a yes as an answer."

Stunned by Isalia's incomparable beauty, Ozymandias gazed at her for a few seconds, then his expression softened.

With tears in his eyes, Ozymandias said excitedly, "Of course!"

End.]

With a small murmur, Nikolai wondered, "Err... Is this supposed to be the ending?" However, his murmur was drowned out by the noise of people in the surrounding classroom.

'Sincerely, I don't know what I expected from a reverse harem novel... It was obvious it would end with the typical enemy-to-lovers resolution,' Nikolai reflected as he put away his cellphone and settled into his seat.

Click.

A middle-aged man entered the classroom, causing an almost immediate silence. As he made his way to his desk, the man said, "Good morning, everyone. I hope you've studied trigonometric functions because we'll be covering them all day today."

Following his words, the previously silent classroom reacted in unison, exclaiming loudly, "What?!"

As Nikolai's classmates began to get noisy again, he found himself pondering a question during a moment of daydreaming. 'If I were the protagonist, I'd probably do the same, even if it's not moral or ethical to manipulate influential people in their most vulnerable moments for my own benefit. But I wonder, what would I do?'

Continuing his previous train of thought as he got lost in his own reverie, Nikolai set his brain to work to reach an answer to his question, thinking, 'I'm sure I wouldn't mind exploiting everything at my disposal to become a king and then conquer the entire continent. Although, I'm certain this is just a beautiful daydream of mine.'

Finishing his silly musings, the curious Nikolai paid attention to the math class taught by the teacher.

...

As time passed and noon approached in classroom 13-B, where the teacher was delivering a lecture on trigonometric functions in a monotonous voice, a faint light, barely perceptible, began to glow beneath one of the students.

As the seconds ticked by, the light grew in intensity, capturing the attention of everyone in the classroom, including the student at the center of it all.

It was a swirling mosaic of shapes spinning at a high speed, each figure tracing its path on the floor, leaving behind trails of radiant light that intertwined and faded away in a mesmerizing dance.

Curved lines transformed into straight lines, and the figures merged and separated in a fluid and harmonious motion.

Then, in the blink of an eye, the motion abruptly ceased, replaced by an intense burst of light that engulfed the entire room for a duration of ten seconds, temporarily blinding everyone in its brilliance.

As some exclaimed in discomfort from the sudden and overwhelming luminosity, and others remained stunned by the unforeseen appearance of the mosaic, they failed to notice that one student had vanished from their midst.