Chapter 3 Introduction to the Fabled Four’s Background
Aether patiently explained, “I know how to play the Theremin, and I’m not a jinx. My mom was already pregnant with me before my dad died. She loved my dad deeply and would never have cheated on him.”
The class erupted in taunts again.
“So you are a jinx!”
“Hey, why don’t you play the Theremin for us. Let’s see how nimble those fingers of yours are.”
“Just because you say your mom didn’t cheat on your dad doesn’t make it true. No one can be certain whether she was lying or not.”
“A jinx who plays the Theremin and a dad who got cucked—what a hilarious family combo. Talk about stacked debuffs.”
“And here you are claiming that the Theremin is an instrument. Who’s to say that your dad wasn’t some gigolo?”
Aether couldn’t take it anymore. She stormed off the podium and shoved the offender—desk and all—to the ground. “Why drag my parents into this? Do you not have parents? Were you raised in a barn?”
The offender, red-faced with fury, immediately got up and slapped Aether hard across the face. Others shoved her to the ground and began kicking and beating her.
Aether curled up into a ball, shielding her head.
Gloria stood up and intervened. “Stop, all of you! If you don’t stop, I’ll report this to the Fabled Four.”
At her voice—and especially the mention of the Fabled Four—the attackers finally backed off.
Gloria crouched beside Aether and helped her up. “Are you okay? Let me take you to the nurse’s office.”
Aether was left covered in dirt, her once delicate face now smeared with dust from the floor. Her eyes were bloodshot—whether from anger or pain, even she couldn’t tell.
She hadn’t expected the homeroom teacher to just stand by, silently watching as students mocked her family and attacked her. The teacher made no move to stop them at all.
Aether followed Gloria to the nurse’s office. The students had long grown accustomed to teachers turning a blind eye to classroom fights.
In Rosvenia, the authorities only intervened when a lower-ranked individual harmed someone of a higher status. The offender would be imprisoned without question. But no one batted an eye when the powerful oppressed the weak or when fights broke out between equals.
Here, such things weren’t just tolerated. They were legal, justified, and entirely within the rules. After all, human rights simply didn’t exist for those of lower rank.
When they arrived at the nurse’s office, the school nurse was nowhere to be found. So, Gloria grabbed a few medical supplies and began tending to Aether’s wounds.
“At Imperialism Royal Academy, as a Class F inferior human, you’ll have to learn to endure all kinds of abuse thrown your way. Otherwise, you won’t survive till graduation.”
“Thanks for telling me this.”
“You’re new, so you might not know yet, but aside from those in our class, there are four people in this school you should never cross.” Gloria began explaining the Fabled Four’s background to Aether.
“They’re known as the Fabled Four, and they are all from Class S.
“First, there’s Neil Hubbard. He hails from a renowned lineage of scholars, with generations devoted to scientific research across various fields. The Hubbard family had made remarkable achievements in pharmaceuticals and weapon development.
“But at the same time, the more brilliant they are, the less normal they tend to be. Neil possesses an unparalleled intellect, but he carries a murder gene. He experiments on living creatures with disturbingly cruel methods, and murder excites him. He’s not as kind or approachable as he appears on the surface.
“Next is Russell Harper. His family has ruled politics for generations. Once he graduates, he will seamlessly take over as the ruler of this nation, governing us all. Academically, he is unparalleled. He is the only true polymath at Imperialism Royal Academy, with perfect scores in every subject.
“Yet, he’s also the mastermind behind the deadly games. He selects a group of people each time and forces them into his twisted games. Those who follow the rules and clear the challenges get to live, while the losers get handed over to Neil for experiments.
“Russell calls it genetic selection—a way to weed out inferior genes and preserve only the strongest, all in the name of strengthening Rosvenia.”
“If Neil’s such a genius, how is Russell the only true polymath?” Aether asked.
“The Hubbard family specializes in STEM subjects but falls short in the humanities. On the other hand, Russell scores full marks in every subject, making him a true polymath.”
Aether nodded, and Gloria continued her introduction of the next two members of the Fabled Four.
“The third member is Zachary Conner, son of Rosa Hanna, the world’s wealthiest woman. His mother provided immense financial support to Rosvenia, which is why the country is named after her. However, Rosa amassed her wealth through her beauty.
“She was an exceptionally stunning and captivating woman with an uncanny ability to win anyone over. She was also the top courtesan in Rosvenia. She was so highly ranked that she could perform without selling herself. Every man would willingly fall at her feet, ready to obey her every command.
“Back then, a rival nation’s king was so desperate to have Rosa that he willingly handed over his entire country to her. In this society, even top-tier men would abandon their wives and children at her slightest request.
“Rowena’s father was one of those men. He had an affair with Rosa and murdered his wife. He then forcibly severed his father-daughter relationship with Rowena. Ultimately, he gave away his entire fortune to Rosa without expecting anything in return.”
Hearing this, Aether couldn’t help but feel a bit emotional. It was because Rowena often used her top-tier status to bully Gloria, which led Zachary to have Rosa intervene—ultimately destroying Rowena’s family and reducing her to a fallen socialite.
Yet, despite all this, Rowena still loved the Fabled Four deeply. Just like her father, Seth Blair, she had been seduced by beauty.
Gloria continued, “Zachary inherited all of Rosa’s best traits. He’s breathtakingly handsome—so much so that even the slightest smile or frown from him could make every girl in the academy willing to die for him. He changed girlfriends at least once a month. No one has ever lasted longer than that.
“Most of the women he dumped ended up taking their own lives. Because of this, he became known as the ‘Maiden Killer’—not just in name but in the truest sense. He has the power to make people fall for him so deeply that it leads them to their deaths.”
Aether recalled that even the original Rowena had given her first time to Zachary, and their relationship lasted precisely one month.
During that time, Zachary had treated her with nothing but affection. Sweet words and honeyed lies came effortlessly from his lips. But when her “expiration date” arrived, he dumped her without hesitation.
“The last member of the Fabled Four is Wesley Grant,” Gloria continued. “He holds power in both the military and the criminal underworld. The Grant family is naturally gifted with extraordinary strength and athleticism and controls vast military resources.
“Whenever they make a move, their enemies rarely stand a chance. But maintaining such a massive force requires substantial funding. That’s why the Grant family operates in the criminal underworld as well.
“They took money to eliminate disposable targets and profited from illicit dealings in enemy nations, amassing a fortune from human lives. On top of that, Wesley has bipolar disorder and can’t handle any kind of provocation.
“If pushed too far, he’ll lose control and kill without meaning to. He’s hot-tempered, arrogant, and utterly domineering. No one dares to cross him.”
Aether listened patiently until Gloria was finished with the introduction. Aether had already read “The Elite Academy’s Fabled Four Forces Their Love on Me”, so she was not surprised by any of this information.
Even so, she was still touched. Nodding gratefully, she asked, “Thank you for telling me all this. Can we be friends?”
“No, you can’t!” Wesley stepped forward and kicked the hospital bed beside them. He then yanked Gloria to his side and shot Aether a deadly glare. “Where the hell did this pretty boy come from? How dare you try to get close to my woman!”
