Yes!
Definitely!
Freya, who had been momentarily distracted, looked at Lyra’s strange movements beside her and felt a bit speechless.
‘My assistant seems to have something wrong with her head…’
Buzz—
The magic bell signaling the end of class rang out with a long, steady tone, breaking the silence that had settled over the classroom due to the complex derivation formulas.
Professor Mabel had just finished writing the final symbol. She set down the chalk and turned toward the students with her usual gentle smile.
“All right, that is all for today. Regarding the derivation of the ‘Stability Threshold of Multi-Complex Magic Circles,’ make sure to review it carefully when you return. It will be used in next week’s group practice. Class dismissed.”
The students breathed sighs of relief, and the rustling sounds of packing books and notes filled the air.
Freya also closed her densely packed notebook. She rubbed her aching wrist and prepared to stand up, intending to ask Professor Mabel when she would be available to discuss a few key points she had missed while she was ill.
However, before she could even stand up straight—
BOOM—!!!
A deafening explosion, accompanied by flying wood chips and the ear-piercing screech of a magic barrier being forcibly torn apart, suddenly erupted from the classroom entrance!
The heavy oak door, which was reinforced with protective magic, had been blown into fragments by sheer brute force—or perhaps a mixture of magic and physical power—from the outside!
Splintered wood and twisted metal doorframes flew in all directions, triggering screams and a cloud of choking dust.
Immediately afterward, two figures stepped through the lingering smoke and the shattered doorway, aggressive and acting as if no one else existed.
The man walking in front was exceptionally hulking and powerful.
He was at least 2 meters tall and wore a specially made, noticeably widened and thickened deep-grey academy training uniform.
The sixth-year insignia was barely visible on the fabric, which was stretched taut by the bulging, knotted muscles across his entire body.
He had a buzz cut that was nearly bald, dark skin, a square face with a wide mouth, and eyes like copper bells beneath thick eyebrows.
At this moment, those eyes flashed with undisguised rage and a condescending contempt.
Just by standing there, he was like a moving mountain, exerting a powerful sense of pressure.
Following behind him was Willow Bouquet, the one whose backside Lyra had struck with a wooden sword in the canteen at noon. He was currently walking with a somewhat awkward gait, his face twisted into a mixture of spite and triumph.
Compared to the man in front, Willow looked remarkably “small,” though he was actually of average height; he was simply made to look like a mere lackey by his brother’s exaggerated physique.
The newcomer was Willow Bouquet’s older brother, the eldest son of Viscount Bouquet, and one of the top students in the sixth-year Magic Sword Department of the Central Magic Academy—
Raymond Bouquet.
Famous for merging violent Lightning Magic with heavy swordsmanship, he possessed a volatile personality and a fierce protective streak over his own.
With his overwhelming strength, he was notoriously difficult to deal with in the Academy.
“Freya Christo Dale! Get your ass out here!”
Raymond’s voice boomed like muffled thunder, making the classroom windows rattle.
His bell-like eyes acted like searchlights, scanning across the rows of students who had instantly fallen silent with fear.
He almost immediately locked onto Freya, who was sitting in the front row and had just closed her notebook.
Without the slightest hesitation, he took heavy, thumping strides toward Freya’s seat.
With every step, the floor seemed to tremble slightly.
Behind him, Willow followed closely, a look of schadenfreude and vengeful pleasure plastered on his face.
Raymond reached Freya’s desk without pausing.
He raised a hand as large as a cattail fan and slammed it down hard onto the desk in front of Freya with the sound of whistling wind!
BANG—!!!
Another loud crash!
The sturdy solid wood desk jolted violently.
The quill, ink bottle, and notebook on the surface leaped into the air, splashing ink everywhere.
The desk even let out an overburdened groan, leaving behind a clear, scorched palm print—it was obvious that the strike had been infused with Lightning Magic.
The massive noise and vibration not only caused Freya’s pupils to contract slightly but also caused Lyra—who had been fast asleep on the desk next to Freya, lulled by the hypnotic theory lecture and even letting out faint snorts—to spring up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on!
“Who?! What happened?! Is it an enemy attack?!”
Before her eyes were even fully open, Lyra’s body instinctively entered a combat stance.
Her hands curled into claws, and the sleepiness in her red eyes was instantly replaced by a sharp, piercing alertness.
A few stray hairs on her messy white head stood up straight.
Dazed, she first looked at Freya to confirm she was unharmed, then followed the source of the repulsive pressure.
She looked up at the burly figure looming over the desk like an iron tower, blocking out almost all the light.
The classroom was deathly silent.
Every student held their breath, not daring to make a sound as they watched this tense scene unfold.
In the back row, Senior Sophie, who had been about to leave, also stopped.
Her amber eyes narrowed slightly, and her hand already rested on the magic wand at her waist.
The gentle smile on Professor Mabel’s face had vanished.
She pushed up her glasses, and the gaze behind the lenses became sharp and serious. However, she did not immediately step in to stop it, appearing to be observing the situation.
After her initial startle, Freya quickly regained her composure.
She didn’t even look at the ink spots that had splashed onto her sleeve.
She simply raised her eyes slowly, her light purple gaze meeting Raymond’s rage-filled eyes with perfect tranquility.
“Senior Raymond Bouquet—”
Her voice was clear and steady, devoid of any fear.
“May I ask what you wish to instruct me on? Furthermore, what is the penalty according to the Academy rules for destroying public property and blowing up a classroom door?”
Her calmness and direct counter-question caused Raymond to pause for a moment, which only served to fuel his rage.
He hadn’t expected this young lady—who was rumored to be exceptionally talented but looked delicate and frail—to remain so composed when faced with his direct intimidation.
She even had the audacity to question him back!
“Instruct you? I’m here to get justice for my brother!”
Raymond’s voice was like a great bell as he pointed at the smug-faced Willow beside him.
“Freya Christo Dale! You let your wild brat of an assistant publicly attack my brother at the Training Ground, causing him injury and humiliation! You must give me an explanation today! Otherwise—”
He clenched his other fist, his knuckles letting out a series of crisp pops as tiny snakes of electricity flickered across the surface.
“Don’t blame me for being impolite!”
“An explanation?”
Freya raised an eyebrow slightly, her gaze sweeping over Willow.
“Student Willow Bouquet had a ‘slip of the hand’ at the Training Ground and threw a practice wooden sword out of the ring, nearly injuring a passerby. My assistant took the necessary measures for self-defense and to prevent danger. I was already preparing to report this matter to the Academy Discipline Committee. As for whether he was ‘injured or humiliated,’ I believe many students present witnessed the event. Senior Raymond, you have broken in, destroyed a door, and threatened a junior without seeking the truth—is this the ‘justice’ of House Bouquet?”
Her words were logical and dignified. ]
She directly defined the incident as “self-defense” and “danger prevention,” brought up the Academy Discipline Committee, and simultaneously implied that Raymond’s behavior was tyrannical and unreasonable.
“Bullshit!”
Raymond roared. He was clearly not the type who excelled at debate, and Freya’s words only made him more irritable.
“My brother said it was an accident, so it was an accident! Even if he was careless, it wasn’t the place of some wild girl from who-knows-where to lay a hand on him! She even dared to use a wooden sword… to hit him in the…”
He seemed to find it difficult to mention the specific area, and his face turned a bit red from frustration.
“In short, you must make that wild girl kowtow and apologize to my brother today! Then, you, Freya Christo Dale, must also publicly apologize to him! Otherwise, I will personally ‘teach’ you what rules are!”
His words had reached the peak of irrationality; he was completely using his status to suppress them.
“Kowtow and apologize?”
Lyra, who had been standing by Freya’s side and was now completely awake, had been sizing up Raymond and Willow with a look as if she were staring at trash.
Finally, she couldn’t help but let out a sneer.
She stretched her wrists, her red eyes sparkling with a dangerous and excited light, as if she had spotted prey worth fighting.
“Based on this coward who can’t even hold a sword and can only go crying to his family? And you, his muscle-brained idiot of a brother? You want my boss to apologize? You’ll have to ask my fists if they agree first!”
As she spoke, she actually took a step forward.
Without a trace of fear, she tilted her head back to glare at Raymond, who was much taller than her, and even crooked her finger in a provocative gesture.
“Come on, big guy. Weren’t you going to ‘teach us the rules’? Let me see if those muscles of yours are as useless as your brother’s.”
Lyra’s provocation completely ignited Raymond’s fury.
He had originally intended to force Freya into submitting and apologizing to restore House Bouquet’s honor while getting revenge for his brother.
He hadn’t expected this little girl with white hair and red eyes to be so suicidal as to actively provoke him!
“You’re asking for death!”
A murderous glint appeared in Raymond’s eyes.
He stopped talking and swung his fist, which was covered in electricity, toward Lyra’s delicate yet provocative face without mercy.
The punch carried a terrifying sound of breaking wind!
If this punch landed solidly, even a stone would likely be pulverized!
“Lyra!”
Freya’s heart tightened. Her short wand appeared in her hand instantly as her mana began to surge.
“Stop!”
Professor Mabel’s voice rang out at the same time, carrying an unquestionable authority.
However, Lyra’s movements were faster than both of theirs!
Faced with the whistling heavy punch infused with lightning power, Lyra did not retreat. Instead, she ducked and lunged forward!
Her movements were so fast they almost left an afterimage.
Like a nimble fish, she slid perilously close beneath Raymond’s fist, instantly infiltrating the opening he had left by throwing the punch!
“Too slow, big guy!”
Lyra’s crisp voice carried a mocking tone.
Before Raymond’s shocked eyes, her palm moved like a venomous snake’s tongue.
With her fingers pressed together, her fingertips concentrated a sharp, pale red energy that seemed capable of piercing any defense.
She struck with pinpoint accuracy at a seemingly insignificant spot on Raymond’s chest and abdomen—
That was a node where Raymond’s violent Lightning Magic circulated, and it was also a relatively weak point in his hardened physical cultivation!