Then, three surges of mana flared across the hall, bright and urgent.

Violet. Calyra. Rosalin.

They moved without thinking, without speaking — an instinctive reaction that came too late to matter.

A ripple of purple energy surged toward Ruvian and Julian. A burst of flame followed, flickering wildly between them. Even a wall of ice began to form, and the space around them twisted, as each spell clashed in a chaotic mix of fury and panic.

But it was all futile.

Too slow.

And too far.

Julian’s lightning had already reached its mark.

Or so it should have.

"That’s enough!"

The words were firm and they cut through the air, absolute and ringing with command.

Boom!

A force crashed into Julian’s spell with terrifying finality.

The lightning shattered mid-attack, purple arcs scattering like broken glass, vanishing into the air with a hiss of displaced power. The sheer pressure of the collision warped the hall, and all other spells recoiled.

Then, from amidst the fading purple sparks—

A white-gloved hand held Julian’s wrist, fingers closed not in control. Effortless. As if the lightning had been nothing more than a tantrum swatted from a child’s hand.

Julian’s strike had been stopped.

"Tch!" 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Clicking his tongue, Julian snapped his gaze to the hand that held his wrist, then slowly rose to the figure now standing between him and Ruvian.

White. Immaculate and unwrinkled, the coat gleamed faintly under the dim light, its gold embroidery shining with authority.

Three crests, each etched with painstaking clarity.

The symbols of power and authority enshrined by doctrine, tradition, and absolute rule.

Not one representative.

But three of them were there.

Three voices of Velthia Academy’s highest echelon now stood in full view, their timing were exact. Their presence alone silenced the hall and extinguishing even the thought.

The dining hall, moments ago electric with heavy tension, now held a quiet that was not empty but watching. (+300PP)

Julian’s face darkened as irritation seeped through from him.

’Of all the damn time... why are they here?’

*****

[Ruvian’s POV]

Three representatives of Velthia Academy’s highest authority stood before them, their mere presence silencing the dining hall.

Nereus Calleon, Osiris Malvain and Parisa Fuviol.

They were Velthia’s strongest scholars across all batches.

The Scholar Council.

Ruvian thinly smiled.

He had expected them to come eventually. That part was not surprising to him at all. But what he did not expect... was how much mana they were releasing. It was far more than he had thought.

Standing before him, Ruvian saw a senior scholar with dark navy hair and cold blue eyes, his hand still gripping Julian’s wrist tightly, firm like iron and refusing to let go.

The scholar was Nereus Calleon.

’You arrive at a fine time, Mr President.’

Then, Nereus finally spoke.

"You seem to have forgotten yourself, top seat scholar, Julian Rozenberg."

At Julian’s left side, a young woman stepped forward.

Her striking gold eyes gleamed with amusement. Her high-collared Scholar uniform bore the weight of rank and pedigree without the need for ornament.

At her fingertips, golden light still flickered. The remnants of the intervention spell that had unraveled Julian’s lightning effortlessly.

Parisa curiously regarded the two of them — Julian, simmering behind a veil of pride, and Ruvian, impassive as usual.

Then, she spoke after a sigh.

"Seriously? An altercation within academy grounds," she said while staring at both of them. "How foolish. Have the two of you already forgotten the gravity of where you stand? Haa~ Scholars these days..."

Then, her gaze drifted to Ruvian, and something playful danced behind her golden eyes.

"And you. Did you think provoking a noble in public would end in anything less than a spectacle? What kind of foolishness is that?"

Despite the word being directed at Ruvian, he doesn’t even reflect on it whatsoever, his eyes were still locked at Julian with a slight playful grin.

Then the third figure, Osiris, a tall scholar, adjusted his glasses, and studied them both before speaking in a stoic voice.

"Velthia Academy is built on order, not personal feuds. Whether it’s a noble flaunting his power or a commoner with a reckless tongue, neither will be excused."

The weight in the room shifted.

Julian stiffened, the storm in his eyes cooling a little, though the frustration was still there. As for Ruvian... he only let out a slow breath, his clenched fists slowly loosening.

In truth, Ruvian had planned all of this from the very beginning.

The provocation. The timing. Even the setting itself. Everything was arranged the way he wanted. He needed Julian to act... and now, he had.

At this hour, the Scholar Council would always pass through these halls for this event — just as he remembered from the novel. Thus, getting caught here was not a mistake, but was part of his plan all along.

’Either way... it’s not like Julian would try to kill me here. He has his temper, sure, but he is not foolish enough to murder a scholar in the dining hall. At most... he would just electrocute me. Perhaps.’

Because Julian, for his part, also understood the game well enough to know where the lines were drawn, and more importantly, how far he could push.

And this was where he couldn’t push further anymore, not when the Scholar Council was here.

Parisa sighed, arms folding with a rustle of fine fabric.

"Anyway, since you provoked him first, do you understand your situation now?"

Her sharp gaze landed on Ruvian.

Ruvian only gave her a brief sidelong glance, his eyes brushing past her as if she were of little concern.

’...Was she always this talkative in the novel? What a nuisance.’

"Hey, I’m talking to you. You really think that wouldn’t be addressed?"

But before anything else, the three figures — Rosalin, Calyra and Violet stepped forward. Their movement was simultaneous but not impulsive.

"Wait! We are willing to provide our testimony," Rosalin spoke first.

Ruvian slightly turned his head.

’Erm... honestly, you guys don’t need to.... but on second thought, having them involved is good too.’

The others stepped forward soon after Rosalin, showing their agreement. (+100PP)

Murmurs from other scholars rippled across the hall.

From the side, Irene remained silent, watching the situation without feeling the need to speak. Or maybe, she was simply enjoying the scene.

Her expression showed a small trace of pity, as if she regretted that Silvena was not present to witness today’s chaos.

Meanwhile, Rosalin continued, choosing her words with care.

"This didn’t happen for no reason. Julian approached the scholars of Class E with the clear intent to humiliate them. He was the one looking for a confrontation. Ruvian only stepped in to prevent things from escalating further."

Then Calyra spoke, not bothering to raise her voice as she brushed her bangs. "From what we witnessed, Ruvian did not seek violence. He acted only when it could no longer be avoided. What he did was simply to protect his classmates. Nothing more."

The surrounding voices grew louder for a moment, tension thickening in the air as different opinions began to form.

Then Nereus’ voice cut through the noise with absolute authority.

"Enough," he said, composed as always. "Your testimonies will be formally recorded and reviewed according to academy procedure."

"However, the academy’s decision will not change so easily. When scholars enter conflict, no matter the reason, both sides still carry responsibility. The academy places discipline above personal opinion. Because of that, both parties will remain accountable under the Academy Rule’s Codex."

But Ruvian paid no mind to the verdict.

He had never expected fairness to begin with.

That was never why he chose to act.

And he knew, just as well, that he was not without fault here too.

As the crowd shifted and their attention turned toward the Scholar Council, Ruvian quietly took the opportunity he had been waiting for.

Now that he stood within an arm’s reach — close enough to observe Julian in full, exactly as he needed.

Only then did he turn his focus inward.

Skill activation: [Character Sheets]

...

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[Chapter 138: Velthia’s Highest Echelons (1)]

Plot Points= 22,950