Duel.

The hallways of the Academy were quieter at this hour, the usual chaos of students either dying down or shifting elsewhere. Which was fine by me—I had enough noise in my head without needing more from outside sources.

Cassandra's assessment stuck with me. Puppet magic and mana sealing weren't things that just happened to people. Someone had done this to her, and whoever it was, they had enough skill to make sure it wasn't obvious.

The problem? I wasn't in a position to do anything about it. Yet.

I sighed, rubbing my temples as I made my way toward my office.

At least I'd earned a few moments of peace—

"Professor Drelmont!"

I stopped walking.

Of course not.

A second later, a familiar figure skidded around the corner, nearly slamming into the wall in his rush. Bright red hair, desperate expression, an aura of pure bad luck—yep. It was Felix.

"Help," he wheezed, looking like he'd just survived a battlefield.

I blinked. "You didn't even start your lap yet."

"It's not about the lap!" Felix grabbed onto my sleeve like a drowning man clinging to driftwood. "There's—there's a duel happening outside and someone's about to die."

I raised an eyebrow. "You do realize duels happen all the time here?"

"Yes, but usually one of the people fighting isn't an actual psychopath!" Felix pulled harder, his panic practically radiating off him. "Come on! If we don't stop this, someone's going to get seriously hurt!"

I sighed. So much for peace.

"Alright, alright." I pried his hands off me and started walking. "Lead the way."

Felix didn't hesitate—he bolted, and I followed at a more reasonable pace.

__

The dueling grounds were packed. Students crowded around in a loose circle, watching the fight like a circus show. I spotted Julien and Mira near the front, both looking unusually tense. Garrick stood nearby, arms crossed, while Wallace was muttering something under his breath, trying to predict something.

I pushed through the crowd and took one glance at the fight.

Ah. Well. That was a problem.

On one side, there was a student I vaguely recognised—some noble brat from Class B. He had the overconfident smirk and polished dueling stance of someone who thought they were untouchable. A standard academy type.

On the other side?

Leo.

And he was losing. Badly.

His uniform was already torn in places, and I could see burns along his arms. The noble was fast, aggressive, and clearly enjoying every second of the fight.

"Leo!" Mira called out, but he barely reacted. His stance was shaky, breaths ragged, but he refused to go down.

'Ah, damn it.'

"Leo you damn brat! It's not a duel just kick his ass" I shouted.

Leo didn't react to my voice, but the noble sure did. His smirk widened like he'd just been given permission to go even harder. He lunged forward, fire trailing behind his blade.

I clicked my tongue. "You really want me to use my precious creations" after saying that I threw a stone towards the noble brat.

A blinding light flashed the moment it hit the ground, The brat barely had time to flinch before the air cracked with a burst of energy, knocking him back a few steps. His flame-covered blade sputtered out, and he staggered, blinking away the afterimage.

The crowd went dead silent.

Leo, to his credit, didn't fall over. He just swayed in place, looking like he was processing whether he was still alive.

I stepped forward, brushing some imaginary dust off my sleeve. "You done now?"

The noble scowled. "You interfered in a sanctioned duel!"

I rolled my eyes. "I intervened before you turned a schoolyard fight into a murder case. You'll thank me when you still have a future."

His face turned red, whether from anger or embarrassment, I didn't care. "This isn't—"

I held up a finger. "Think very carefully before you finish that sentence."

He snapped his mouth shut.

"Smart kid."

I turned to Leo. "You. Infirmary. Now."

Leo exhaled sharply, but before he could argue, Garrick grabbed him by the collar and started dragging him off.

I looked back at the noble. "As for you, congratulations! You just won an all-expenses-paid training session with me for the entire week."

His eyes widened. "Wait, what—"

"You like fighting so much? Great. I'll make sure you really learn something from it." I smirked. "See you at dawn."

His face paled.

Satisfied, I dusted my hands off and turned to the rest of the students. "Show's over. Get back to whatever you were supposed to be doing before this mess started."

The crowd hesitated before dispersing, murmuring among themselves.

Julien let out a low whistle. "You really know how to kill a mood, professor."

I shot him a look. "You want to join his training?"

He raised his hands in surrender. "Nope. Just appreciating from a distance."

Mira sighed. "Leo's not going to let this go, you know."

"I know," I muttered.

That was a problem for later.

Right now?

I needed that damn coffee. I walked towards the cafeteria then a voice called out me. "Professor Drelmont, headmaster Evercrest wants to talk to you."

'Fuck, I'm screwed because of that damn brat. Bye bye my precious life.'

The urge to just keep walking and pretend I hadn't heard was strong. Maybe if I ignored it, whoever was calling me would give up.

No such luck.

I turned to see a nervous-looking staff member waiting for me, shifting from foot to foot like he was scared I'd bite him.

"Right now?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

He nodded quickly. "Yes, sir. Headmaster Evercrest requested you immediately."

I sighed. There went my coffee break.

Felix, who had somehow stuck around, winced. "Oof. Good luck, professor."

Julien grinned. "Try not to die."

Mira patted my arm in mock sympathy. "If they execute you, can I have your desk?"

I shot her a glare. "You're all terrible."

They didn't even try to deny it.

Grumbling under my breath, I followed the staff member.

_

Headmaster Evercrest's office was as fancy as ever—towering bookshelves, elaborate furniture, enough magical artifacts to stock a museum. The kind of room that screamed power.

And sitting behind that massive desk, with his usual unreadable expression, was the man himself.

Evercrest steepled his fingers. "Lucian."

I straightened, keeping my face neutral. "Headmaster."

He gestured to the chair across from him. "Sit."

I sat.

For a long moment, he just studied me. Then, finally—

"We have an agreement right? If any of the class c students cause trouble that it will reflect on you."

Ah. So we were starting with that.

I kept my expression neutral. "Yes, I remember."

Evercrest leaned back in his chair. "Then, I assume you're aware of the multiple complaints I've received about today's duel."

"Let me guess," I said dryly. "A noble family is outraged, their precious heir was 'humiliated,' and they demand swift punishment for me and my entire bloodline?"

Evercrest sighed. "Close enough." He picked up a letter from his desk, glancing at it. "The Whitmore family is particularly vocal. They're insisting your actions were 'unjustified interference' and are calling for a formal review of your conduct."

I barely stopped myself from rolling my eyes. "Unjustified? I stopped their idiot son from turning a spar into a murder scene. You saw the duel logs. Leo was already badly injured before I stepped in."

Evercrest nodded. "I did. And I don't disagree with your reasoning. But you interfered with a sanctioned duel."

I exhaled slowly. "So what, I should've let Leo get carved up? Let Whitmore strut around after nearly killing someone?"

Evercrest tapped his fingers against the desk. "This is an academy, Lucian. Duels are expected. Students get injured. It's part of their education."

"There's a difference between 'injured' and 'crippled for life.'" I crossed my arms. "Or would you prefer I let them settle it the old-fashioned way? You know, with vendettas, assassinations, and back-alley poisonings?"

Evercrest gave me a flat look. "You are not helping your case."

I shrugged. "I'm just saying, if I hadn't stepped in, this would've gotten a lot worse. Now all Whitmore has to worry about is sore muscles and bruised pride."

Evercrest sighed. "I agree. But that doesn't change the fact that you made a spectacle of it. A very public one." He gestured vaguely. "Blinding light, crackling energy—you might as well have sent up fireworks."

I coughed. "Dramatic effect."

Evercrest pinched the bridge of his nose. "Lucian."

"Alright, alright." I raised my hands in surrender. "I'll be more subtle next time. And one more thing headmaster who sanctioned the duel without my permission, since you brought up the agreement, I remember having full authority of the class c students."

Evercrest's expression didn't change, but I caught the slight twitch of his fingers—a rare tell.

"Duel requests don't require direct instructor approval unless it involves restricted combat techniques," he said smoothly. "It was logged and accepted through the standard academy system."

I leaned back in my chair. "Right. And remind me—who's in charge of reviewing those logs for Class C?"

Evercrest didn't answer immediately, which meant he already knew where this was going.

I pressed on. "Oh, that's right. Me." I gave him a pointed look. "And yet, I wasn't informed. Almost like someone knew I wouldn't approve it."

Evercrest sighed, rubbing his temples. "Lucian."

"Headmaster."

A long silence stretched between us.

Then, finally—

"I'll look into it," he admitted, though he didn't seem pleased about it.

I smiled. "See? That wasn't so hard."

Evercrest exhaled sharply, then picked up the letter from his desk again. "Regardless, the Whitmore family is still demanding an official response. And since I do have to keep noble relations in mind, I can't just ignore them."

I waved a hand. "Great. Give them an official response. Something diplomatic. 'The academy values all students equally, and Professor Drelmont acted within reason to prevent unnecessary harm.'" I tilted my head. "Maybe throw in a line about how their son showed 'admirable combat prowess' or whatever nobles like to hear."

"Don't cross your line Lucien, you need to think about to who you're talking to." The amber eyes of Evercrest flared up, and I could feel the pressure from just his gaze alone.

I held my ground, keeping my expression even despite the weight pressing down on me. Evercrest rarely flexed his magic like this, but when he did, it was a reminder—he wasn't just the headmaster. He was an Archmage. One of the strongest magic users alive.

And I was, technically, an ant in comparison.

But I wasn't about to let him see me flinch.

I took a slow breath, keeping my voice measured. "I know exactly who I'm talking to, Headmaster. And I know exactly what I did. If I'd let that duel continue, we'd be having a very different conversation right now."

The pressure didn't lessen. If anything, it grew sharper, curling around me like a snake.

"And yet," Evercrest said, voice dangerously soft, "you still presume to dictate what I should do?"

I met his gaze head-on. "No. I presume to advise. Unless, of course, you'd prefer the alternative."

The pressure cracked like a whip, then vanished entirely.

Evercrest studied me for a long moment, his expression unreadable.

Then, to my surprise, he chuckled. "You're a stubborn bastard, Lucian."

I exhaled, tension easing. "Part of my charm."

He shook his head, leaning back in his chair. "Fine. I'll draft a response that keeps the nobles from rioting while also making it clear that your actions were, technically, justified." He shot me a look. "But you will be more careful from now on."

I smirked. "Of course."

Evercrest sighed. "Dismissed. Get out before I change my mind."

I didn't need to be told twice.

As I left his office, I resisted the urge to pump a fist in victory. I wasn't out of the woods yet, but at least I wasn't getting executed today.