Unbending

The larger figure got close enough to Pixel before anyone could jump to her defence and swung their fist towards her.

The person who attacked had a look of anger and malice on their face as they attacked and they did not hold back their power against a child.

Just as the fist was about to come into contact with her, Pixel moved quickly and ducked underneath it. 'Thankfully I can detect such an attack now.'

It was not so easy for her to be caught off guard against such an attack out in the open.

Some stealthier Minks who had greater abilities to avoid being detected by Observation Haki would be able to catch her off guard when they approached or attacked.

The opponent was someone who did not intend to conceal their actions because they were acting on their emotions and they believed that their attack would work on an inexperienced child.

If it had hit anyone else her age then they would have been left with a slight injury just from one hit but Pixel could easily avoid it while looking like she had just barely done so at the last moment.

Her eyes turned cold as she felt the wind on her body from the punch which had barely missed her cheek.

A look of surprise was on her opponents face then it turned much colder as another punch was thrown out towards her.

Pixel dived and rolled out of the way then started to run towards the person who was best to protect her. "Scatter."

Her companions were frozen in surprise but upon hearing her words, they quickly moved away from the area to avoid being caught up in the fight.

They trusted in Pixel enough to not attempt to get involved with a fight against an adult, especially one with a noble title which would only cause them more problems in the future.

The figure chased after Pixel but as they were close enough once again, Rufus had already gotten close enough.

The fist was caught in his hand as he stood before the other person. "That is enough. Explain yourself!"

The other person saw that the situation had turned unfavourable due to their outburst but did not cower even with many eyes on him. "Explain? What is there to explain? See what your granddaughter has done to my son!"

He pointed his finger and many heads turned towards the direction he had pointed to.

There was a young hyena Mink which was covered in bandages with a brace supporting his shoulder. "Father.."

He put on a pitiful appearance as if he had suffered a great injustice and had been bullied which made many look back towards Pixel as they began to gossip.

"So young and already so vicious."

"To harm someone of a higher status, does she not fear the trouble she could bring to her family?"

"Shh.. I want to see how this plays out."

"Will Rufus abandon the child to preserve the families honour or will he support her?"

There were many that had already condemned Pixel in their minds but there were others who were very curious towards what would happen next.

In their eyes, Pixel's fate was about to be determined by how Rufus reacted.

If a family refused to repent and protected a bad seed within their family which offended those above them then they would be in danger of being excluded from the other noble families or they would suffer suppression from them in the future.

As the head of the family, Rufus had to place the family first and had to make sacrifices for the sake of its stability.

To them all, Pixel was just a worthless child who possessed the blood of the main line of the family but had no right to inherit the family.

However what they had been expecting did not happen because Rufus did not act in a way they expected.

He was very calm and collected as he answered. "My granddaughter did that to your son? Good! It shows that the strength of the Meridian family has not weakened over the years. Your son made the trouble first with our family, he could not beat a single girl so he only made a fool of himself but that is not the worst of it.

He could not win so he went to his father to get justice for himself? Since when can the adults get involved in the matters of the children?"

The current head of the Glutt family took a step back upon seeing Rufus display an unbending attitude towards him. "What do you mean? I admit that I was angered momentarily but that was because my son has been harmed by that vicious child. It is still a fact that your granddaughter caused my son harm! The Glutt family will not let this matter rest so easily."

Rufus stepped closer and said in a low voice. "Do you really want to take this further?"

The head of the Glutt family grit his teeth and was triggered by the stern warning. 'This old man is so arrogant!'

He then composed himself and pointed towards Pixel once again. "My son and those that were with them have all spoken up and told the truth! There were some disputes about the prey which were killed which lead to some disagreements between the two groups but once Pixel of the Meridian family showed up, things became much worse as she turned violent and beat my son along with many others. How did the Meridian family raise such a wild child who does not know how to act as a noble and is unable to follow the rules!"

His plan was to make his family the innocent party who had been in an unavoidable disagreement due to the the parties hunting in the same area which lead to them often hunting the same prey while Pixel was the one who took everything too far.

His words triggered the other nobles who were nearby who valued the rules and etiquette of the nobility so they started to look down upon her like she was a wild and unruly child.

The words attacked at Pixel but they also attacked the Meridian family who failed to raise her the correct way.

"Hmph.. unruly children must be taught properly so they do not bring shame to their families."

"Such a disgrace."

Most had already forgotten the fact that a single girl had managed to fight off more than one person her own age and had come out of it unscathed.

They had forgotten that not everything was as simple as it looked on the surface and fell for the information which had been carefully worded to suit their own views and bias.

Rufus let out a sigh all of a sudden and then spoke up. "I warned you but it seems that you do not intend to give up. I already know everything since my grandchildren have told me everything and there are many witnesses who have backed up their words.

Your son has kept provoking my eldest daughter and her companions which lead to some being slightly injured. Felice did a good job enduring but he did not leave her alone. Pixel's actions even if she did cause your son harm.. I will support them and do you know why?"

Many had become silent all of a sudden once there was a strong murderous aura coming from the body of Rufus.

Rufus continued. "Pixel stood up to others who tried to cause damage to her family even if there was a chance that something like this could happen. She took action even when knowing that there could be damage done to her reputation and even if it meant making an enemy out of a family of a higher rank"

He pointed towards Pixel. "See that? Even with your presence being nearby and threatening her, she does not cower and stands tall without bending a little. Is my granddaughter really unruly? I do not think so. A true noble has to set an example for everyone else so that others would be willing to follow them. While it is good to know when to bow down to others and make compromises, there are times when one must show a unbending will in the face of unfairness and injustice.

My granddaughter has shown such qualities unlike your son who only knows how to cause trouble and has to run to his father once things do not work out for him. If you continue like this then the Meridian family will not back down even if you are a higher rank than us. We do not fear you."

The family head of the Glutt family stood silently on the spot while worrying to himself. 'What is happening! Why is he going so far for that child? This is not what I had expected!'

He had expected a quick result which was in his families favour and Rufus had chosen to resist then applying a little more pressure would make him reconsider supporting Pixel anymore.

He had never believed her to hold an important place in the heart of Rufus enough that he would be willing to publicly announce the intention for the two families to go to war.

The peace which the two families had upheld on the surface for so long had been kept and left as it was for a long time so that Zou could remain stable so he never expected Rufus to be the one to step forward and end that peace for the sake of a trivial granddaughter who had no value. 'I miscalculated! I miscalculated!'

The sound of clapping came as a smaller figure walked towards then giving an applause. "Excellent! Truly!"

Many eyes turned towards the person who had intruded into the argument of the two families.