bookpower Chapter 96 Simp
Chapter 96 Simp
"Now Run," Caspian shouted.
CLANK!
The world flipped upside down.
Caspian barely had time to register the impact before he was flying through the air.
A sharp, stinging pain erupted across his face, and for a brief moment, his thoughts blurred into static.
THUD.
He crashed into one of the farthest seating areas, the wind knocked out of his lungs.
The taste of iron spread in his mouth as he pushed himself up, a mixture of shock and irritation flashing across his face.
"Who the fuck—" Caspian started, wiping his mouth as he looked up.
And then he froze.
Standing there, her emerald eyes burning with fury, was a woman with flowing green hair.
Her presence alone made the air tense.
An elf.
No—not just any elf.
Arianna.
His teacher.
Realization hit like a hammer.
She closed the distance in an instant.
SLAP!
His head snapped to the side. Before he could react, another came.
SLAP!
"You idiot!" Arianna's voice cracked with emotion. "Do you think you can just run away from the royal family and no one would know?"
"There are cameras everywhere, and they have your ticket details, so I don't think you can just run away. It's a good thing I asked Valtira if you were here, or I would have panicked if I'd lost you somewhere."
"You —idiot,"
Caspian didn't say a word.
His cheek burned, but the heat of her anger felt heavier than the pain.
Arianna trembled. Her fists clenched at her sides before she suddenly grabbed him, pulling him into a tight embrace.
Her breath was unsteady.
"Do you know how worried I was?" Her voice wavered. "You just vanished. No word, no trace. I thought—" She exhaled sharply, gripping his shoulders.
"At least you could have told someone."
Caspian hesitated.
"...I'm sorry, Teacher Arianna." His voice was quieter than usual.
She pulled away just enough to look at him, her eyes searching his face.
And then she sighed, rubbing her temple like she was exhausted beyond belief.
"We haven't told the Arcwrights where you are," she finally said.
Caspian exhaled slowly, tension easing slightly from his shoulders.
That was good. He wasn't ready to face them.
Arianna sat down on a bench nearby, motioning for him to do the same. He hesitated before dropping onto the seat next to her.
For a moment, there was only silence between them.
His form was sloppy, his steps unsteady, but he kept pushing forward, his breath ragged and strained.
It was reckless, painful to even watch—but Caspian couldn't deny it.
That level of obsession, of relentless drive, was the kind of thing you only saw in a protagonist.
"Tch. Guess that's a necessary trait," Caspian mused, watching as Lyrius pushed himself further.
Then—the sharp clang of the school bell echoed across the campus.
Ring!!!
School was over.
Caspian expected Lyrius to keep going. To collapse, maybe.
But the moment the bell rang, Lyrius came to a halt.
"What the hell?" Caspian raised an eyebrow.
Lyrius didn't stop because he was exhausted. He didn't stop because he had reached his limit.
No, the bastard ran off, disappearing behind a building.
Curious, Caspian followed at a distance.
He spotted Lyrius near a fountain, hurriedly splashing water onto his face, washing away the sweat and grime.
Then, with sharp, practiced motions, he tore off his bandages, fixed his collar, and ran his fingers through his hair, smoothing it down into something more...presentable.
Caspian's eye twitched.
"What the hell is he doing?"
Then, realization hit him.
"Oh... oh, you fucking simp."
And right on cue, she appeared.
A girl with long, golden hair and striking green eyes, walking with effortless grace.
Calenthir Reyes. The main heroine.
Lyrius saw her and immediately bolted towards her like a starving dog chasing a bone.
Caspian pinched the bridge of his nose. "You gotta be kidding me."
Now it made sense. Lyrius wasn't just training. He was hiding his training.
The whole 'beaten-down outcast' thing? He didn't want her to see that side of him.
He was trying to act cool.
Caspian let out a long sigh.
Lyrius wasn't some battle-hardened warrior training in secret for revenge or survival.
He was a goddamn simp.
And not just any simp.
A top-tier, peak-fiction simp.
The kind of guy who gets beaten to a pulp daily and still shows up with a smile just because a girl acknowledged his existence.
Caspian shook his head, turning away. He had seen enough.
"Yeah, I'm done," he muttered, walking towards his dorm.
———
When Caspian reached his room, however, something was off.
The door was open. Too open.
And inside, a group of students were already gathered, sitting around like they owned the place.
Marco was among them, standing in the back with his arms crossed.