Chapter 22

When Shannon sent the upperclassman called Oliver or whatever his name was flying across the lake, all the second-years in the dormitory backyard rushed toward her.

There were just over twenty of them.

They surrounded Shannon in a semicircle and tried to create a threatening atmosphere with menacing gestures and murmurs.

They wanted Shannon to be afraid.

How stupid. They’re the ones scared, not me.

Jacqueline and Rita stood beside Shannon as if to protect her, but even that was unnecessary.

To Shannon, their display looked no more threatening than a pack of small frightened dogs baring their teeth and growling.

One of the “dogs” barked.

“Hey, do you even realize what you’ve done?”

“What did I do? Please, go ahead and tell me.”

“Ha, seriously… Are you really asking that?”

“I should be the one asking. What are you seniors doing here? Weren’t you admitted to this academy to study magic? Wouldn’t reading even one more line of text be more helpful to your lives than wasting time like this?”

A few of them cursed, as if they were triggered.

Shannon pointed to one of them.

“You there, the one who just said something about a rude bit*h. Step forward. Yes, the one with the earring. You. Don’t try to hide…. come on out.”

“What? I didn’t say anything…”

“Don’t play dumb. I heard you loud and clear.”

The female senior that Shannon singled out stood there like a mute who kept mumbling without a word.

But of the twenty or so who had gathered, not a single one came to her aid.

Instead, they all subtly stepped back, as if to say they had nothing to do with it.

In the end, the senior was practically pushed forward and raised her voice in protest.

“Who do you think you are, telling me what to do?”

“Well, I’m a mage who can do quite a few things. Like, say… burying you at the bottom of that lake over there. Right now, if I felt like it.”

“A-Are you threatening me?”

“If that’s how you took it, I’m sorry to hear that. But you asked, didn’t you? Who I am.”

“Then may I ask you something now? What exactly are you doing here on the weekend, harassing first-years? Who do you think you are?”

“I’m… I’m your senior, okay?!”

“Then you should have acted like one. I can’t recognize someone with neither skill nor character as a proper senior. So, let’s try that again. What are you now?”

“I’m your fucking senior…”

Shannon gave a wry smile.

What a predictable answer.

When Shannon had singled out one of the upperclassmen, the so-called advantage of numbers had vanished, leaving only an individual.

And stripped of what was borrowed from others, of what society had granted, there was nothing left of that individual.

That was their essence.

A pitiful human being, devoid of even a shred of meaning.

And yet, that very person had been acting like they were someone important, using that illusion to torment others.

“Do yourself a favor and understand your place in the world.”

“You little—!”

The female senior raised her hand as if to strike Shannon.

But she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

She was afraid.

Afraid she’d end up like Oliver, brought down by magic.

In the end, she just placed her raised hand on her forehead, trying to bluff her way through.

“Hah… dealing with a crazy bit*h is driving me crazy.”

“And what makes you think I’m crazy?”

“Oh, you’re not? You freshmen could’ve just shut up and endured it for one day. But no, you had to blow the whole thing up like this. Unbelievable.”

“Endure what, and why should we? No one has the right to abuse others.”

“Shut up! Hazing rituals are an academy tradition. You think we didn’t go through it too? Ours were even worse. Compared to getting all your body hair shaved off or being hung from a lamppost all day, what you guys went through was nothing.”

“So just because you went through it, that makes it okay to become the abuser? Is that your logic? Are you stupid or something?”

Not only the girl in front of her but even the seniors listening from behind turned red in the face.

One of them stepped up to back her.

“Hey, you think you can talk to your seniors like this and still make it through the academy in one piece? We’ve got three more years until we graduate. Sure you’re ready for that?”

“And what exactly can the seniors do? If you could kindly explain it step by step, I’ll make sure to include it in my report to the academy headquarters.”

“You little brat… You think the academy is all you have to worry about? Even after graduation, everyone ends up working at the same handful of places. You’ll have to see our faces again. What are you going to do then? Act like this there too? Right now we’re just one year ahead of you, but in the real world, there are people decades above your rank. You think they’ll be okay with how you behave?”

“I’m an international student, actually.”

“…What?”

“Why would I get a job in this country? I’ll just study for a bit and head back to Kalaf.”

“I mean, well… So as long as you’re fine, that’s all that matters?”

“What else would there be?”

“Your classmates! Thanks to what you did today, they’re all going to get marked and have a hell of a time.”

“How is that my problem?”

This time, it wasn’t just the seniors. Everyone, including the new students, went silent like their mouths were glued shut.

“Y-You’re talking back when a senior is addressing you…”

The conversation circled back to where it started.

And in that moment, it became clear: they had no way of dealing with Shannon.

Things had gotten to the point where, ironically, the seniors started watching the other freshmen instead of Shannon.

It was fear. Fear that if they backed down now, they’d lose the authority to command their juniors in the future.

But that authority, built on illusion, had become a trap they’d dug for themselves.

“This is your last warning. Swallow your pride and back down while I’m still being nice.”

“No.”

“So you’ve learned a bit of magic, huh? You really think you can take all of us on by yourself, no matter how good you are?”

“Go ahead and try.”

“What?”

“I said, go ahead. I’ll tear you all apart.”

The seniors exchanged glances.

It didn’t take long for them to make up their minds.

“That’s it. Do it.”

At that signal, the seniors began chanting spells in unison.

Judging by the verses they recited, it was clear they were preparing basic destructive magic.

Probably spells they’d learned at the academy.

Of course, this wasn’t exactly the kind of situation those were meant for.

Shannon let out a bitter smile.

They might’ve had a better shot if they’d just charged in directly.

These seniors who fancied themselves mages… weren’t even worth calling by the title.

Compared to that man, Winter Winslet… they’re nothing.

Finishing her thought, Shannon opened her mana field.

At the same time, she spread her palms wide.

Her magic gathered in her hands.

The shape of mana she drew in the air resembled the roots of a centuries-old tree, stretching far forward.

The moment the magical structure reached completion was the same moment the spell was ready to fire.

And Shannon finished her preparations in an instant.

Her hair rose as if defying gravity.

A few strands shot upward toward the sky. As if they were harbingers of lightning to come.

All she had to do now was pull the magical trigger, and this entire area would be engulfed in a storm of thunderbolts.

It all happened before the seniors could even get halfway through their sluggish chanting.

While Shannon was carefully adjusting the range and power of her lightning spell so that no one would get hurt, and even if someone were shocked, their life wouldn’t be in danger—

“Stop.”

Suddenly, everyone staggered.

A powerful surge of mana had burst in, sweeping between Shannon and the seniors.

Boom. Crack!

Small explosions erupted one after another among the seniors.

It was the side effect of their spells misfiring.

Only Shannon maintained complete control over her mana.

With her spell just a trigger away from casting, she frowned and scattered the magic.

The identity of the sudden intruder was…

Clop, clop.

“A horse?”

A horse on campus?

But the important thing wasn’t the horse. It was the person riding it.

Gasps erupted from the seniors.

“Wait, what is he doing here…?”

“We’re screwed.”

“Professor Winslet…”

At the sight of Professor Winslet, Shannon’s eyes narrowed upward.

But the professor didn’t even glance her way. Instead, he turned his mount around.

He swung his arm in front of the frozen second-years.

Whoosh.

Telekinesis used as natural as breathing.

The load tied behind the saddle hit the ground.

It was a soaked person.

Oliver. The senior who had been blasted across the lake by Shannon earlier.

“……”

The professor dropped him in plain view as if to say, “Take him.”

But none of the second-years stepped forward to approach the unconscious Oliver.

Doing so felt like confessing to Professor Winslet that they were responsible for the whole mess.

Amid the awkward and unnatural silence that lingered, the blond man didn’t ask what had happened or who was responsible. He simply said one thing:

“Pathetic.”

With that, the situation came to an end.

***

Two days later, on Monday morning.

A rumor spread through the dorms.

Word was that every senior who had been at the freshman hazing two days prior had packed their things and left the academy….without exception.

Before lunchtime, the rumor was confirmed when an official notice appeared on the central bulletin board of the Magic Department.

All second-year students involved in hazing the freshmen were expelled, and their scholarships were fully revoked.

Some questioned the academy’s unusually swift and severe action, which was unprecedented in its history, but those doubts quickly faded when people remembered the name Winter Winslet.

There had reportedly been outside guests invited by Professor Winslet at the scene, so the general consensus was that this outcome was actually a rather lenient one, considering the disgrace they had brought upon him and the academy.

Some speculated that Professor Winslet had stepped in to protect the freshmen, but that idea was quickly dismissed.

After all, the infamous villain of the academy would never care about students.

Regardless, the first-years were more than satisfied with the disappearance of the tyrants who had ruled over them.

Another change that came over the freshmen was how they viewed Shannon.

She was previously seen as just a foreign exchange student with a beautiful appearance. Now Shannon was a well-known figure among her peers.

Some looked up to her with respect that was almost worship, while others harbored resentment.

“Didn’t you hear what she said? She doesn’t care what happens to us later. Said it’s none of her business, remember?”

“She probably didn’t even think about how it would affect others. Just wanted to show off. And she calls herself a hero?”

“If Professor Winslet hadn’t shown up, we’d be in hell by now. It’s not like the upperclassmen are only second-years. Thanks to him, no one’s going to mess with us over this anymore.”

Of course, Shannon couldn’t have cared less what others thought of her. Not even a grain of rice’s worth.

She simply found the attention annoying.

Her only concern was the duel with Winter Winslet.

So on Monday afternoon, as soon as she finished her classes, Shannon headed straight to the office of the Dean of the Magic Department.

She was looking for someone to officiate the duel.

A Department dean was second only to the headmaster in rank at the academy.

And it was said that the Dean of the Magic Department had only just been appointed this year.

Every professor Shannon had approached so far had refused to officiate. They seemed to be too afraid of Professor Winslet. But maybe this person would be different?

Maybe they would even be willing to help Shannon.

With that hope in mind, Shannon knocked on the dean’s door.

Knock knock.

In short, Shannon didn’t even get to see the dean’s face.

To get to the dean’s office, she had to pass through the secretary’s office and the stern-looking secretary stopped her.

“What brings you here?”

“I’m here to see the dean.”

“Do you have an appointment?”

“No.”

“Then I’m afraid that’s a problem.”

Shannon asked,

“Is the dean not here right now?”

“He’s here, but… um, he’s in a meeting.”

“Then I’ll wait.”

“Huh?”

The secretary shook her head with a troubled expression.

“Listen, student. You can’t just wait around and expect to see the dean.”

“Then what should I do?”

“You need to make an appointment first. The dean sticks to a schedule. If you want a meeting, you’ll have to book one in advance.”

“Then please set up an appointment with the dean. As soon as possible. When would be a good time?”

When Shannon asked that, the secretary let out a sigh.

“The dean handles his own schedule. You’ll have to arrange it through him directly.”

“What? Are you kidding me right now?”

You need to meet the dean to make an appointment, but you need an appointment to meet the dean.

If that’s not a flat-out rejection, what is?

But the secretary simply replied in a businesslike tone,

“It’s policy. I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do.”

Back in Karaf, Shannon had never been treated like this anywhere.

And it wasn’t just this moment. She had already started feeling disappointed with how this academy operated since last weekend.

The secretary’s indifferent attitude finally pushed Shannon over the edge.

Should I just set the place on fire?

A dark impulse stirred within her.

Just then, a voice behind her made her flinch.

“Shannon Quinlivan.”

A cold, low voice, that felt smooth as ice.

She spun around…and there stood a tall man with his blond hair hanging down like a curtain.

It was Professor Winter Winslet.