Chapter 52
These days, trouble seems to have a way of finding me. I don’t know if I’m cursed or just unlucky, but it shows up all the same.
Their leader was a bulky student, kind of like Garrick. But unlike Garrick, his build leaned more toward flab than muscle, complimented by a bloated face. He waddled up to me with a greasy, self-satisfied grin as he scanned me from head to toe.
“Hmm… Who do we have here?” he slurred, his voice filled with false compassion, “I don’t think I’ve seen you around before. Are you… perhaps one of the incoming first-years?”
Something about this guy’s voice made me want to land a solid punch square into his fleshy face—but he hadn’t done anything to me yet, so I kept my response calm.
“Sorry, I wandered in by mistake.” I raised my hands in a non-threatening gesture. “I didn’t mean to walk into… this. If you just let me through, we can both go about our day.”
I could’ve forced my way through if I wanted to—but with the group of, who I could only assume were upperclassmen, stepping forward to block the alleyway exit, I figured it’d be quicker to deal with this here and now.
“Oh? No intention of interfering?”
He chuckled. “That’s real considerate of you. The problem is… I don’t remember giving you permission to leave.”
“...”
I met his gaze, and for a brief moment, I noticed him hesitate—he seemed somewhat surprised that I wasn’t being intimidated. The boy behind him remained on the ground, watching the interaction, barely clinging on to his consciousness.
“So, what is it you want? Afraid I’ll tell one of the professors?”
“Hah. Quite the attitude you’ve got there,” he sneered. “Don’t you think you should be addressing your seniors with a little respect?”
He shifted his weight, letting out a wet, chuckling snort as his eyes raked over me.
“Judging by your manners, I can tell you’re the same kind as that worthless trash sprawled on the ground over there.”
Reaching his hand forward and placing it on my shoulder, he then leaned and whispered into my ear,
“Since I’m feeling generous today, here's the deal. You will kneel down on all fours and beg—then I might let you walk away unharmed.”
I stayed silent.
Behind me, the other three started to snicker, clearly looking forward to what they thought would come next. I almost wanted to laugh—he completely believed I was already his victim, as if he was in any position to make demands.
Since he wanted to play that game, I decided I’d play along.
I pretended to bend my back, lowering myself as if I were about to prostrate. But before I could get down on all fours, my hand shot upward, slamming straight into the soft spot beneath his jaw.
“Pffuh?!”
For an instant, I could see his eyes vibrate, and his body wobble as if he’d forgotten how to stand.
“Ah, shit, did I hit you too hard, ‘Senior’?” I said, covering my mouth with exaggerated sympathy.
“Y-you bastar—-ARGH?!.”
I grabbed him by the hair and slammed his face into the concrete. In the next moment, he was the one on all fours, gasping for air, one of my feet pressing down on the back of his head, pinning him in place.
“Sorry? What was that, Senior?” I said calmly. “I didn’t quite catch what you were saying—my hearing’s not very good, you see.”
“You’re dead! You son of a bitch!”
One of the other upperclassmen lunged at me from behind. I kicked the fat one away, sending him sprawling, then stepped aside and caught the guy’s arm mid‑swing, twisting it and throwing him clean over my shoulder.
The fat one from earlier staggered back to his feet, eyes bloodshot as he glared at me with pure, unfiltered hatred.
“What’s wrong, Senior?” I asked. “Where did that confidence from earlier go? Surely you’ve got more than this.”
“Go on, keep talking,” he spat. “Let’s see how long that mouth of yours keeps working before it gets smashed shut.”
Mana began to gather in his hand, while the other two moved into position, getting ready to strike.
I glanced around my surroundings—fighting in this narrow alleyway certainly wouldn’t be advantageous for me, with the limited amount of space to move. Thinking fast, I used the man I was holding as a projectile, hurling him toward the other two.
Using the opening, I rushed toward the fatso at lightning‑fast speed. Stones erupted from the ground like jagged spikes, all snapping toward me. I easily dodged them, running along the wall before pushing off with a kick to launch myself forward.
“Don’t get cocky, you filthy brat!”
Stone Bullets
The erupted rocks and stones now hovered around him. With a flick of his fingers, they shot straight toward me. Balmung momentarily materialized in my hand, and I cleaved through every projectile, slicing them apart before a single one could touch me.
He froze, eyes wide, shock written all over his bloated face—but that hesitation was the worst thing he could have done.
Before he had time to react, I was already in front of him, my fist slamming straight into his gut. He let out a painful gurgle that sounded more like a pig as he was sent flying.
“B-boss!”
The remaining three students froze in place, clearly unsure what to do after witnessing me drop their leader in a single blow.
“Are you sure he’s really a first-year?” one of them whispered, fear evident in his voice. “He defeated Bellic so easily—what are we supposed to do?”
They cast one last glance at their leader Bellic, then back at me—who was patiently standing there, waiting. After exchanging a brief look, they squeezed their eyes shut, and when they opened them again, they seemed to have reached a decision.
Right after that, they turned and ran without even looking back once.
“?”
Even I was taken aback that they would just leave their leader behind and run. I didn’t bother chasing them, turning my gaze back to Bellic, who was surprisingly still conscious after that punch.
“G-get away from me! Do you think you can get away with this?! Do you know who my family is?!” he shouted, panic and indignation cracking his voice.
“And why should I care?”
“What?”
“Why should I care about who your family is?” I asked, tilting my head to the side. “That doesn’t change the fact that you’re here, lying pathetically sprawled on the ground.”
I stepped closer, and he instinctively backed away, his breaths coming in short, ragged gasps as panic fully set in.
“S-stop! S-stay away! Think about it—if the professors find out about this, there will be consequences!”
“You didn’t seem to care about the consequences when you and your gang were beating that guy over there,” I replied evenly. “Besides, I don’t see any professors around right now.”
Bellic was left speechless, as I cocked my fist back, intending to finish this interaction.
“H-hieeek!!!”
Before my punch could even land, his pupils rolled back until only white showed, foam began bubbling at the corners of his mouth. A dark, warm puddle spread beneath him, soaking through his pants onto the pavement.
I clicked my tongue in disbelief and pulled my fist back, looking down at the unconscious mess in front of me. I hadn’t even touched him yet.
“Are you still alive?” I asked, turning my gaze toward the boy who had been getting beaten earlier.
He was still on the ground, staring at me in a daze, blinking as if trying to process what had just happened. He’d been on the verge of blacking out just moments earlier, but it seems Ballic’s collapse seems to have given him a jolt of energy.
I knelt down to his eye level and snapped my fingers. “Hey—aren’t you going to say something? How long are you going to stare at me?”
“A-ah… s-sorry,” he muttered, flinching as my fingers snapped, his eyes darting away before settling on the ground, “T-thank you for… for saving me earlier.”
“Forget about it,” I said flatly. “We should get you to the infirmary.”
I reached out, grabbed one of his arms, and hoisted him up, supporting him over my shoulder. As for the fatso, I left him where he was.
“Oh, by the way—are you an upperclassman, by any chance?”
He hesitated for a moment, a self-deprecating smile beginning to form on his face. He fidgeted with the hem of his sleeve before answering.
“Y-yeah… you’re right. I’m a second-year. Magic Department.”
A self-mocking laugh escaped him,
“Haha… I’m sorry you had to see me like that back there. You probably think I’m pathetic, don’t you? Getting saved by a freshman when I’m supposed to be your senior…”
“Why didn’t you do anything? You could at least try fighting back instead of doing nothing,” I remarked.
“Easier said than done,” he admitted, glancing nervously at the ground. “I’m not as strong as you, so even if I tried to retaliate, there wouldn’t be anything I could do.”
I felt a twinge of empathy, seeing him in such a fragile state, so I chose not to pry any further.
…
After dropping him off at the infirmary, I wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted to do next. The hectic events of the day had drained all my enthusiasm to explore further.
I wandered for a while before I eventually found a quiet spot under a tree. Lying down beneath the shade, I closed my eyes, letting the cool breeze wash over me and the distant chatter fade into the background.
I was drifting into a nap when a sharp pain on my forehead snapped me awake. I groaned and rubbed at the sore spot, only to come face-to-face with a pair of familiar crimson eyes staring down at me.
“Seriously, not even a full day into the Academy, and you’re already sleeping?” Auntie Shira said, her tone dry, almost scolding
I sat up slowly, rubbing the back of my neck. “Oh… hey, Auntie Shira… What are you doing here? I thought you still had other things to take care of.”
“I don’t have anything on my hands right now, so I decided to come check on you.” A faint, teasing smile curved her lips. “What—got a problem with that?”
“N-no… I was just curious, that’s all,” I said, averting my gaze.
Auntie Shira’s next question completely caught me off guard.
“Did you get into a fight?”
“…Eh?”
Cold sweat prickled down my back. I wasn’t sure whether I should come clean, she’d explicitly told me to not cause any trouble, and accidentally making an upperclassman piss himself definitely fell outside the acceptable range.
“N-nooo… I didn’t get into any fight,” I said quickly. “Why would you think that?”
Those words clearly didn’t convince her. She reached out and pinched my cheek, I felt like a child getting caught red-handed.
“Oh, really?” she said coolly. “Then care to explain the bloodstains on your sleeve?”
I glanced down at where she was pointing and paused. A small smear of dried blood clung to the fabric, half-hidden along the cuff. It had probably come from when I was carrying that senior to the infirmary.
“Well… maybe I did get into a little conflict with a few upperclassmen,” I admitted quickly, scratching the back of my neck. “But, uh, I was just trying to save this one guy! So… you can’t really blame me, right?”
She let out a soft sigh, shaking her head slightly.
“I suppose, as long as you’re not hurt, I’ll let this one slide. But I’d really prefer it if you didn’t make me worry.”
Relief washed over me. The tension drained from my shoulders as she let go of my cheeks, leaving me to rub the sore spot.
“Since you don’t have anything to do right now, want to grab something to eat? I’m guessing you haven’t had lunch yet.”
“Hm…? Oh, yeah, sure. I’m down,” I replied, pushing myself up and stretching lightly.
I was starting to feel hungry anyway, so I followed her without much thought.
