Two freshmen — and both were actual Tier 1 Arcane Mages?!
"I need to stop them!"
Hidden within the crowd, the female teacher who had spoken in support of Linen earlier — Milian — suddenly turned pale and prepared to intervene.
But just as she stepped forward, a hand landed on her shoulder. A deliberately low-pitched male voice whispered in her ear:
"More freshmen making trouble, is it? No need to interfere, Ms. Milian. This is Eden Academy. We have our own methods for handling overconfident students. Let these young Arcane Mages eat a bit of dirt — it'll set an example for the rest."
Milian smoothly pulled away from the hand and countered, "But Mr. Ken, the academy rules say that as instructors, we must intervene before things spiral beyond control. Those two are—"
"No buts. I don't care who they are, and I don't want to hear about their 'talent.' Every year, some noble brats show up thinking their family name or magical gifts make them above the rules. Our job is to teach them respect."
Ken's voice dropped, ice creeping into his tone.
"And if it takes some blood to learn that lesson — so be it."
Then, more sharply: "And Milian, we may both be teachers, but you should still address me as senior. I'll put a stop to this soon. Just stand back and observe."
Milian fell silent, reluctantly biting her tongue.
Until now, everything that had happened was little more than nobles squabbling. But after both Linen and Hysteria had instant-cast Tier 1 spells, the situation had changed drastically.
The new students watched the standoff in confused awe. A few of the upperclassmen, more experienced, were already smirking with schadenfreude.
Then, all at once, the dormitory's plain decorations began to shimmer with faint light. The stone gargoyles perched atop the ceiling silently stirred — their eyes flickering ominously.
But neither combatant noticed.
Hysteria's voice was cold.
"You, bottom-feeder. I was willing to let this go because I thought you were at least mildly tolerable. But now—if you get on your knees and kiss the top of my foot, I might act like nothing happened."
Scarlet light flickered in her eyes. She hadn't even begun casting, yet the fire element was already rushing toward her from the surrounding air — so intensely that even the wind around Linen had turned warm and restless.
That alone said everything.
Even among Tier 1 Mages, there were levels.
And with all the absurd passives Hysteria had from her protagonist build, Linen wasn't going to win in a straight fight.
Fortunately, Arcane duels were rarely as blunt as knightly brawls. Especially at lower tiers, where mages had limited spell reserves, the opening rounds usually involved the ancient and sacred tradition of trash talk.
Too bad for Hysteria—she'd picked the wrong sparring partner.
Linen's gaze involuntarily dropped for a moment — toward her slender ankle, wrapped in black silk stockings and gold-accented heels. He frowned slightly and looked back up.
"I must apologize, Your Highness. After such a long journey, surely a proper foot soak would be far more hygienic than letting a stranger kiss your shoes. I actually happen to know a few potion recipes that help with foot odor—if you're interested."
Did… did this bastard just say my feet stink?!
Hysteria's face turned an alarming shade of crimson. In all her life, no one had ever dared mock her like that.
"I'LL BURN YOUR WRETCHED POTIONS ALONG WITH YOUR ASHES!"
Two [Fireballs], each the size of her palm, shot from her hand — but were instantly shredded by a spinning [Wind Blade].
She might've had more raw power, but Linen's [Perfect] mastery of [Wind Blade] allowed him to compensate with precision and technique.
Hysteria narrowed her glowing red eyes.
This was… the first time a peer had outmatched her in technique?
And in both words and combat?
"What a pity," Linen said lightly, his tone full of mock sorrow. "So that's a no, then."
He glanced down to the glowing notification at the edge of his vision and tried to suppress the glee rising in his chest:
[Congratulations. You have successfully been rejected by Hysteria.]
[Reward acquired!]
Knew it.
This is the only correct way to farm points off this walking powder keg.
With a temper like hers, spending hours building goodwill was pointless. One sharp jab did the trick.
As for offending her?
Ironically, among all the protagonists, Hysteria might be the safest one to antagonize.
Her personality made her quarrel with everyone, but she rarely finished her enemies off. Maybe it was pride, maybe it was imperial decorum — but she had a habit of not killing the villains she hated.
As long as he didn't push too far, Linen figured he'd stay off her hit list — or at least stay near the bottom.
Time to end this scene.
He raised a hand in a calm "pause" gesture.
And to everyone's surprise — Hysteria actually stopped.
Linen exhaled steadily.
"Your Highness. Before we continue, allow me to say this — some of your remarks, I can't agree with."
"If you're willing to stand down now, I'll still honor my promise. I'll apologize on behalf of the two students, and personally compensate for your losses."
Hysteria let out a contemptuous laugh. But this time, the flame finally lit in her palm.
"You think I don't see you stalling, bottom-feeder?"
"Well guess what — so am I."
With a flick of her fingers, she hurled a small, seemingly innocuous fireball — much smaller than her earlier blasts.
The moment it touched air, it erupted in a violent blaze.
"That's not Tier 1 [Fireball] — that's a Tier 2 spell: [Combustion]!"
Ken's eyes widened in shock — but what stunned him even more was Linen's response.
Linen spread his arms.
And canceled all the magic he'd been storing.
He wasn't dodging. He wasn't shielding.
He was going to take it full on.
Now it was Hysteria's turn to pale.
Her arrogant words aside, she'd only meant to win — not to kill him. But if he took a Tier 2 spell head-on, without any defenses, his Arcane Mage-level body wouldn't survive it.
"You lunatic — do you want to die?!"
For the first time, she looked him square in the eyes — and what she saw there matched his calm, steady voice:
"Hysteria. The weak aren't born to serve the strong. The strong exist... to protect the weak."
Her pupils shrank. Her hand hesitated.
But by the time she tried to recall the spell — [Combustion] had already triggered.
"No!"
Elena, standing just inside the dorm's main hall, gasped and instinctively clutched her hands to her chest — only to pause a second later, eyes widening.
BOOM.
The fireball exploded in a thunderous roar, flames lashing in all directions — only to be absorbed by shimmering glyphs rising from the walls and floor. The protective enchantments prevented the blast from spreading to the student body.
"Linen!"
"She really just tried to kill our prince!"
Outrage exploded from every direction. Fingers pointed like arrows toward Hysteria. Though her expression remained composed, her body trembled slightly — clearly rattled by what had just happened.
Then a furious voice cut through the chaos:
"Enough! All of you — silence!"
The smoke parted. Standing at the center, wild-haired and fuming, was Ken.
He shot Hysteria a furious glare.
He hadn't expected this.
This girl — who looked barely sixteen — had charged up and cast a Tier 2 spell.
And that boy… had just taken it.
If a noble student had died right here, even a count's son, his own career would've gone up in smoke.
Damn that Milian woman. She must've known and said nothing on purpose!
She'd pay for this, eventually.
But for now, he needed scapegoats.
There was no way he was taking the fall for this mess.
Ken turned sharply on Hysteria.
"Who is your instructor? Didn't they teach you that Arcane casting is forbidden inside the dorms?"
Hysteria — though her posture returned to haughty — didn't argue.
"I don't have a teacher. I just enrolled today."
"A new student… and your name is…"
Ken trailed off. Something clicked.
Eden Academy only had a handful of late arrivals each year. And this year, only one student had been cleared for late enrollment—
"My name is Hysteria Baier. I take full responsibility for what happened and will accept any punishment."
She spoke evenly, without flinching.
Gulp.
Ken swallowed hard.
She dared admit it, but how could he actually report her?
Punishing the imperial princess of the Flame Rose Empire on her first day of study abroad? Even if she'd killed someone — who would dare?
His gaze spun quickly… and locked on someone else — someone hiding a smile behind him.
"You think this is funny? This happened because of you. You provoked Lady Hysteria into—what? Showing off? Feel proud, do you? Casting Tier 1 spells as a freshman makes you untouchable? What's your name?"
"Are you speaking to me?" Linen asked mildly, raising a brow.
"Who else?" Ken snapped. "What — am I supposed to call you Your Highness too?"
"You're right, sir. A teacher doesn't need to call a student 'Your Highness.'"
Linen smiled faintly.
"But please remember my name carefully."
"Oh, I'll remember it just fine—just tell me what it is!"
Ken's tone was cold, impatient.
"My name," Linen said, still smiling, "is Linen Norton."
"…Right. Linen Nor—"
Ken's face froze.
"…ton."
Linen shrugged.
"But don't worry, Professor. Around here, you don't have to call me Your Highness."