I Swear I'm Not a Demon Masquerading as a Human

Rows of buildings made of red brick and stone stood tall and solemn, embodying the ancient engineering and wisdom of the College of Magical Engineering. Lance and Princess Vivian walked along the campus paths that were next to these buildings. A clear stream meandered beside the road, reflecting the lush green foliage of the trees.

The morning air was exceptionally tranquil. Further ahead, the flower fields on the opposite bank belonged to the College of Alchemy's botanical garden. It was a facility that served as both a teaching and research base for bioengineering. Passing through this tree-shaded lane led directly to the main area of the Sages' College.

Vivian thought for a moment and decided against scolding Lance. Instead, she chose to offer him proper guidance. "If you want to challenge a Shadow Realm dungeon soon, you really ought to consider joining a team and learning the ropes there. Choosing the right team would be hugely beneficial to you."

Since Lance had humbly asked her about the difficulty of Level 3 Shadow Realm challenges, he clearly wasn't some reckless fool. He simply possessed a level of self-confidence that matched his exceptional talent. That was only natural for someone his age.

Besides, even if she were to speak harshly to him, he would likely maintain his usual gentle, composed demeanor. Vivian hated hurting genuinely good-natured people. Scolding someone like that would only leave her feeling guilty.

Lance fell silent for a brief moment. After passing the exam and chatting with Hyperion, he had indeed done some research into the university's Shadow Realm challenges. There were several teams within the school that were widely acknowledged by the student body as the strongest.

Some had been formed in recent years. Others had existed for ages, with leadership passing down through generations, yet retaining their original names to this day.

The teams that earned the title of strongest were not just because they were led by seasoned Gold Licensed challengers, but also because some of them boasted Platinum Licensed members. Whether they were fourth year students or those on extended enrollment, those behemoths anchored the team.

Although top-tier Platinum Licensed powerhouses mostly held only nominal roles, rarely interfering with the team leader's decisions or actually working with other students, the occasional pointers they offered were incredibly valuable to newcomers.

Furthermore, every Platinum Licensed challenger was backed by a real top-tier Association Registered Permanent Team. If a person was fortunate enough to catch their eye, they could, upon reaching sufficient strength, be given a referral to a team that stood at the very pinnacle of the Southern Continent! That would be a shortcut to reaching Platinum Licensure.

However, that wasn't something Lance needed to worry about just yet. He still had a long way to go before even reaching Copper or Silver Licensure.

In fact, he had received a notification from the Southern Continent Shadow Realm Management Association today. The school had submitted all the necessary documentation for his registration exam waiver, so he simply needed to visit the Association to complete the final steps and become a Registered Iron Licensed Challenger.

Lance finally sighed and said, "I'm not really sure what kind of team would suit me."

He had basically no connections in the capital. Much of the information he now possessed had been kindly shared with him by Hyperion and Vivian.

Vivian calmly said, "Don't worry about it. Once the semester starts, there will be plenty of ways to find out, and teams might even approach you directly."

It would be a lie to say she wasn't envious of Lance taking first place. She had initially believed she was a strong contender for the top spot in the Sages' College. To her surprise, the final composite scores showed a significant gap between herself and the refined, gentle young man standing before her. Historically, freshmen who achieved outstanding results in the entrance exam became highly sought after prospects for many teams.

She added, "Even though your true strength remains a mystery to all the upperclassmen, your status as the top-ranked entrant for the Sages' College alone is enough to make people want to recruit you."

Details of his performance in the third test of the exam had been personally sealed by Dean Lawrence. Even Vivian, a royal princess, couldn't get wind of any details. Consequently, there was a fair amount of skepticism regarding Lance.

For instance, some claimed that Lance and Hyperion had only managed to pass the third round by sheer luck, capitalizing on the fact that the examiner, Ferrat, had suffered from a sudden hemorrhagic stroke. After all, the Sages' College offered no official explanation, and the powerful figures behind Ferrat, who likely knew the truth, remained tight-lipped about the exam's events.

"Is that so?" Lance hadn't expected that he might actually be actively recruited once the semester started. However, choosing a team and turning down the enthusiastic invitations of others would be a rather painful process.

He also wasn't sure which team would suit him best, or if there were even better options out there. That meant investing time and effort to find out.

Observing Lance's slightly absentminded expression, Vivian asked curiously, "You don't like the feeling of being popular?"

She was puzzled as to why he didn't seem particularly happy about it. Instead, he appeared somewhat troubled. Lance smiled modestly and turned to look at Vivian. "Being singled out and having expectations placed on you by strangers... doesn't that just feel incredibly stressful?"

Although Vivian had slightly misinterpreted his actual thoughts, he could easily guess what was going on in her mind.

After a brief silence, the princess nodded. "...You have a point."

Lance's expression was serene, and his voice was gentle as he remarked, "It must be exhausting, bearing the weight of everyone's expectations as a princess of the realm, right?"

Vivian sighed. "Ah... it really is exhausting."

As a royal burdened with significant responsibilities, she probably shouldn't have agreed with Lance's rather self-centered and laid-back perspective. Yet, deep down, she felt exactly the same way.

Sometimes, she just wanted to lie down on the grass and sleep. She didn't want to spend every day rushing about, striving endlessly to play the part of a dignified, noble princess.

Wait a minute. Vivian quickly noticed that something was off.

She had intended to ask Lance a question. But how did the conversation inexplicably shift to a discussion about life? Moreover, the more they talked, the more she felt the urge to simply give in to her inner desires and slack off.

He was speaking quite naturally, yet his words felt like a devil's whisper, unconsciously stirring up the deep-seated laziness she had long kept suppressed. Vivian hurriedly shook her head, stopping herself from continuing this digression with Lance.

"Lance, if you don't have a specific preference, you might want to consider the team I'm in. I can put in a good word for you. It's mostly made up of students from the Sages' College and the College of Magical Engineering, so getting card commissions handled is convenient. Plus, we have a Platinum Licensed member who is the strongest magical engineer among the fourth years."

Vivian had already secured her spot in the team. Having grown up in the capital and holding a position of high status, she naturally had plenty of connections. She was confident the team was highly attractive, and she wasn't just making any random recommendation to Lance. As one of the university's top teams, their standout feature, compared to others, was their exceptionally robust logistical support.

For instance, trying to commission a card from an excellent card maker at the Card Maker's Association often involved pitfalls: dealing with exorbitant prices, facing long wait times, or even outright rejection. Within her team, however, things were much more flexible, and it was easy to befriend the card maker themselves.

Lance asked, surprised, "Does the College of Magical Engineering have combat-oriented roles?"

Clearly, his focus wasn't on the team itself. Vivian felt a bit frustrated. She had made the offer sound so appealing, but it was all in vain. Lance likely had no idea of the value in befriending a promising card maker from the College of Magical Engineering!

As expected, a young man from the border frontier still lacked a depth of insight regarding the Shadow Realm. Vivian sighed helplessly but still offered an explanation. "Just because someone from the College of Magical Engineering goes to the Shadow Realm doesn't mean they're a battlefield card maker. The truly formidable magical engineers are no less capable in a fight than students from the Sages' or Knights' Colleges."

As if recalling something unpleasant, Vivian then added another remark, "As for the College of Alchemy, don't underestimate them either. Provoke the wrong person there, and you could find yourself in serious trouble."

Lance let out a sound of puzzlement. "Huh?"

He knew that the College of Alchemy was home to a large number of scholars, doctors, pharmacists, and alchemists, which were professions inclined toward research. However, according to Vivian, there were a rare few among them who excelled at combat. But just what kind of person would be considered "the wrong person"?

Vivian shook her head in distress, speaking as if she had suffered greatly at their hands. "I don't know who started it, but the Information Studies program at the College of Alchemy has gradually morphed into something resembling a pack of unscrupulous tabloid reporters in recent years...The Hutton Times was actually founded by the College of Alchemy. It's grown massive and powerful recently. If you get on their bad side, you're likely to face a vicious smear campaign."

As a high-profile princess, Vivian lived in constant fear of being caught in some act of impropriety.

Lance sucked in a sharp breath. He couldn't help but feel that, compared to joining a Shadow Realm team, he'd much rather join a newspaper. In a society governed by law, wasn't manipulating public opinion far more powerful than mere brawling and brute force alone?

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!