"…and that is how mana-overdose feels. A person can't breathe properly and their nervous system slowly begins to shut down before death embraces them."

Azriel's cold voice echoed through the classroom while he stood beside Arthur who was now breathing like he had been dunked underwater for ten minutes, his eyes bloodshot and unfocused.

Not a single student said a word.

Viola watched the scene with a deep frown, like she couldn't decide whether to be disgusted or furious.

Sylvie looked calm but her eyes kept twitching, so yeah, she was absolutely not okay.

Arza… well, she wasn't normal or sane to begin with. She was casually eating a chocolate bar like this was normal.

And Noah… that bastard looked amused, like Azriel torturing Arthur was the highlight of his morning.

It had been nearly an hour since class started and…

I never thought I would say this in my entire lifetime but I actually felt pity for that poor guy, Arthur.

Azriel had forced an immense amount of mana into Arthur's body and ordered him to connect with a mana thread under that condition.

Harsh, yeah but still within the realm of "barely acceptable."

But Arthur… breezed through it.

He connected to the mana thread even while being crushed by the pressure of an S-Rank resonant.

And that was where his suffering truly began.

Azriel immediately shifted the lesson, using Arthur as a live demonstration for every mana-effect resonants could experience, pushing him through one brutal scenario after another.

The poor guy suffered beyond anything normal.

Still, I had to give him credit… not once did Arthur kneel, break or lose conviction.

He just kept enduring it.

But this was getting ridiculous and honestly, I was starting to get pissed… not because of Arthur but because if Arthur hadn't volunteered… that would've been me.

I would've been up there, getting roasted alive by mana.

Yeah, I can't wait anymore.

I still didn't know what kind of grudge this bastard Azriel held against me but I had been planning to postpone dealing with him.

He was useful for a few things… and strong, way stronger than me right now.

But with this level of pettiness? Yeah, no.

I can't leave him running around freely anymore.

So I guess… I'll have to neutralize this threat before he decides to do anything stupid.

Just then, the bell finally rang, signaling the end of class and the mana pressure crushing Arthur vanished instantly.

"So, this is all for today's class." Azriel's cold voice echoed across the room like nothing utterly traumatic had just happened. "We will begin the official theory from tomorrow."

He paused, his eyes scanning over the half-shaken, half-traumatized class.

"The next class will begin in fifteen minutes. If you have any questions, I will be in my office on the top floor of this building."

With those words, that bastard walked away.

Arthur collapsed onto the floor completely, his breathing ragged and his clothes drenched in sweat.

And still… not a single student moved to help him.

Everyone just carried on, chatting amongst themselves, forming little friend groups or staying glued to their seats while silently hoping someone else would deal with him.

Tsk.

I clicked my tongue and stood up.

This bastard got into this mess because of me… and honestly, he was a useful pawn. He was going to become someone very strong in the future, so earning his gratitude wasn't exactly a waste.

As long as he didn't start acting like a creep again.

I walked up to him and extended my hand towards him.

"Hey, are you okay?"

I said casually with a smile.

Arthur looked half-dazed as he lifted his head slowly, his eyes following my hand before settling on my face.

A weak, awkward smile stretched across his lips.

"I… am… okay, brother." he stammered, still smiling, not blaming me even once for the hell he had just gone through.

He was calling me brother.

That alone explained why he kept smiling at me like that.

In the novel, his backstory wasn't detailed much but it was said that his entire family was slaughtered by the Empire and his sister was taken away…

He was left with nothing.

And maybe because I carried the Dragon Slayer Myth, something about me felt familiar to him.

Like every drowning man reaching for anything that floats, he must have latched onto me and imagined me as the brother he couldn't save.

It was a form of survivor's guilt in psychology, where losing someone violently can twist grief into this desperate need to keep that person alive through someone else.

This kind of person was a whole different category from Seraphina… but just as easy to manipulate.

After helping him back to his seat and handing him a healing potion, one that couldn't do anything about the mental damage he had just suffered, I talked to him for a bit longer, just enough to keep the connection alive for future use.

Then I walked back to my own seat, already shifting my focus to far more important matters.

I needed a plan.

A real one.

Because sooner or later, I had to deal with the walking headache known as Azriel.

—

"Monster anatomy is quite interesting and that will be the main focus of this subject."

The old man wrapped up his lecture as he prepared to leave.

This was the third and last common class of the day and unlike that crazy bastard Azriel, this professor actually behaved like a normal human being. He just explained what the curriculum would look like for the rest of the year.

Not that I listened to most of it.

After this, we would have an hour-long break before the elective classes started.

But I wasn't interested in grabbing lunch.

I had something far more important to do.

As I was lost in my thoughts, the professor finally left the room but before I could even stand up, a shadow fell across my desk and I looked up to see the last person I expected.

And from the expression on their face alone, I already knew…

This was going to be annoying.

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