The Extra's Reincarnation

"Now that we're all here, let me outline our formation for the Capture the Flag game,"

"We'll be following a standard combat configuration with specialized roles based on your individual strengths."

She gestured toward three students standing near the practice weapons rack.

"Kaelen, Rivaleno, and Ravi will serve as our battle mages. They'll form our primary offensive line and engage the second-years directly."

Julian observed the three with interest. Kaelen stood with quiet confidence, his posture relaxed yet somehow alert. Beside him, Rivaleno Pyre—a tall redhead with perpetually narrowed eyes—seemed to radiate barely contained aggression. Ravi Chandresh, shorter than the others but broad-shouldered, nodded with enthusiasm at his assignment.

"Tiberius and Lennard," Francine continued, indicating two burly students who looked more like professional athletes than academics, "will be our tanks. Their role is to absorb damage and create openings for our battle mages to exploit."

Tiberius Ashworth, a mountain of a young man with close-cropped black hair, crossed his massive arms over his chest and nodded solemnly.

Lennard Blackthorn, nearly as large but with a shock of blond hair, cracked his knuckles in anticipation.

"Atiana will serve as our primary support,"

"And Elenore will be our flex. She'll alternate between support and frontcaster as the situation demands."

Elenore smiled warmly, her golden eyes bright with enthusiasm.

"I'll do my best,"

Then Francine turned to Julian.

"Which brings us to you, Julian. What position would you prefer? If it conflicts with our current arrangement, we can adjust accordingly."

Julian's eyes widened slightly at Francine's question.

He hadn't expected to be given a choice in the matter.

For a moment, he considered his options carefully. If he chose a combat position, he'd inevitably have to reveal some of his abilities—abilities that might raise unwanted questions.

But taking a supporting role might seem suspicious given his physical build.

"I'll be the second support," he said finally.

"This game needs another supporter. I can fill that role while Elenore focuses on damage output."\\

hmm…

Francine's perfectly composed expression faltered for the first time since Julian had met her.

"You're joking," she said, her tone somewhere between disbelief and suspicion.

"With your height and build, you'd be far more effective as a frontline combatant or even a tank."

Julian shrugged, maintaining an air of casual indifference.

"I enrolled as a support specialist. I'd rather stick to my role."

"Support specialist?"

"Are you messing with me? One of the only special admission students in the academy wants to play backup?"

Several of the other students exchanged glances, clearly surprised by this development.

Tiberius and Lennard looked particularly confused the two assumed he had to be a tank to some extent but for him to say something as crazy as that would've thrown anyone off guard.

"I'm not messing with you," Julian replied evenly.

"I'm most comfortable in a supporting role. It's what I'm trained for."

Francine's frustration was almost palpable.

She had clearly expected to learn more about Julian's capabilities by seeing him in direct combat.

A support role would keep him largely in the background, making it harder to assess his true potential.

"Fine, you'll be our second support alongside Atiana. Elenore will focus on frontcasting."

She glanced around at the assembled team.

"I need to inform the Vice President of our final roster. The rest of you, take this time to discuss strategy."

Without another word, she turned and strode toward the stairs.

As soon as Francine disappeared up the staircase, the other students broke into smaller groups, discussing tactics or examining the weapons arranged along the wall.

"Haah… she's one crazy woman."

Julian let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

He'd successfully avoided giving Francine what she wanted—a clear demonstration of his abilities.

For now, at least, he could maintain some semblance of the low profile he'd been aiming for.

Then with an easy stride a person approached Julian with a hand extended in warm greeting.

"I don't think we've been properly introduced. But I'm Kaelen Nazara from Riverbrook."

"…!"

Julian felt a strange flutter of excitement in his chest as he clasped hands with the protagonist of the story he'd read so many times before.

It was surreal, it felt like it was meeting a fictional character who had suddenly stepped off the page into reality.

"Ah- I'm Julian Uzziel."

"It's nice to meet you."

Kaelen's handshake was firm but not overpowering, exactly how Julian had imagined it would be from the novel's descriptions.

"So you're a support specialist, huh?" Kaelen said, releasing Julian's hand.

"That's not what I would have guessed."

Julian raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? And what would you have guessed?"

A small smile played at the corners of Kaelen's mouth.

"A cross mage or in old terms a swordsman," he said simply.

"There's something about the way you carry yourself. The balance in your stance, the calluses on your palm when we shook hands. I could go on and on but you know there's a lot of signs haha…"

Julian tensed slightly. Kaelen's observation was uncomfortably accurate. While he'd chosen to present himself as a support mage, his training with Vykekard had indeed focused primarily on swordsmanship.

"What makes you say that?"

"Just intuition, I suppose. I've spent most of my life around swordsmen. You develop an eye for it after a while." Kaelen shrugged, his expression open and honest.

Before Julian could formulate a response that wouldn't reveal too much, a melodious voice interrupted their conversation.

"There you are!"

Elenore Blanchefleur glided toward them, her golden eyes bright with curiosity. Up close, she was even more striking than she had appeared in the classroom earlier.

Her presence seemed to fill the space around her with a subtle radiance that had nothing to do with magic and everything to do with her natural charisma.

"I've been wanting to properly meet you since I saw you in class," she said, focusing her full attention on Julian. "Why didn't you come say hello earlier?"

Julian blinked, momentarily disarmed by her directness.

In the novel, Elenore had been portrayed as kind but somewhat reserved—a dignified princess accustomed to maintaining a certain distance. The young woman before him now, however, radiated an openness and warmth that took him by surprise.

"I, uh, wasn't sure if it would be appropriate," he managed, which wasn't entirely untrue.

"Inappropriate?" Elenore laughed, the sound like silver bells in the undercroft's dim atmosphere.

"Why would greeting a classmate be inappropriate?"

Before Julian could formulate a response, a crackling sound echoed through the chamber as the academy's announcement system activated.

BEEP!

"Attention all Capture the Flag contestants," a disembodied voice boomed from unseen speakers embedded in the stone walls.

"Please proceed to the central platform immediately. The exhibition match will commence in five minutes."

Elenore's expression brightened with excitement.

"That's our cue!" She turned to Julian, her golden eyes gleaming.

"We'll continue this conversation later. I'd still like to hear your reasons."

Julian nodded, feeling a feeling relieved.

"Of course."

The team gathered in the center of the undercroft where a large circular section of the floor was now glowing with a soft blue light. Francine had returned and stood at the edge of the circle, gesturing for everyone to step onto it.

"This will take us directly to the arena floor,"

"Remember your positions and stay focused. The second-years may have experience, but we have the element of surprise."

Julian hesitated for a moment before stepping onto the platform alongside the others.

As soon as all eight first-years were in position, the blue light intensified and the floor beneath them shifted lifting everyone to the top.

"Good luck, everyone," Francine smiled turning to her first year group.

As they ascended into the arena proper, Julian blinked against the sudden brightness.

The first thing that struck him was the sheer scale of the spectacle. The stands that had seemed moderately filled from his earlier glimpse were now packed to capacity with students of all years.

Banners representing the various houses and factions of the academy fluttered from the highest tiers.

This event or tradition was by no means small, it seems everyone likes seeing the first and second years go at it in their yearly battle.

"Wow…" Julian whispered.

"Impressive, isn't it?" Kaelen murmured beside him, seeming entirely unfazed by the attention.

"They really go all out for these events."

As Julian's eyes adjusted to the arena lights, he spotted the second-year team rising on a similar platform just a few meters away. At their center stood Marcel Dorn, his posture radiating confidence bordering on arrogance.

The second-year captain was tall and broad-shouldered, with carefully styled auburn hair and piercing green eyes that surveyed the first-years with undisguised contempt.

Marcel's gaze lingered on Elenore for a moment too long before sliding to Julian with sudden interest. Julian

The seven students flanking Marcel looked equally formidable. Unlike the somewhat mismatched first-year team, the second-years moved with the coordinated precision of a unit that had trained together extensively.

HWAM!

A hush fell over the arena as a tall, weathered man strode onto the platform between the two teams.

Professor Riggs Bourne, former principal and current head of Combat Arts stood on the stage looking around at the crowd within the arena.

"Welcome," his voice boomed across the arena without the aid of magical amplification, "to this year's Capture the Flag tournament between our first-years and second-years!"