"So you agree that you knew about yesterday," the Golden Boy spoke up.

Kael stepped forward. His fists were clenched at his sides, trembling slightly. His eyes were bloodshot—he clearly hadn't slept well after seeing the massacre.

"Yeah. I had my guesses," I said, keeping my tone poker-flat.

At that, a look of raw anger contorted Kael's face.

"How could you be so calm about it?" he demanded, his voice rising. "Do you know how many people lost their lives yesterday? If you knew, you could have warned the authorities! You could have told the Knights! Many lives could have been saved!"

I looked at him.

He was right, morally speaking. A hero would have warned everyone. A hero would have tried to save everyone.

But I wasn't a hero. And if I had warned them without proof, I would be in a dungeon right now for "conspiring with terrorists."

But I couldn't say that. Not to him.

So, I put on my mask.

"Hey, you commoner," I sneered, my lip curling in disdain. "Shut your trap. I have no obligation to do whatever you want. It's my business what I do with my information."

I stepped closer to him, looking down my nose.

"And besides… what does the life of some commoners even matter? The important people survived. That is sufficient."

The air around us froze.

"You…!!"

It seemed I touched a sore point. Kael's eyes bulged, the veins in his neck popping out.

The Hero's justice snapped.

Suddenly, a fist seemed to be increasing in size in front of my vision.

I could see it. With my stats, I could comprehend it.

But I didn't react.

Partly because I was surprised that the "righteous" protagonist would attack a student unprovoked in broad daylight. And partly… because I let him.

CRACK.

Pain exploded in the center of my face.

My head snapped back. I stumbled, hitting the stone pillar behind me.

I tasted copper and sour bile on my lips.

I reached up, touching my nose. My fingers came away slick with bright red blood. My lip was split.

I realized what happened. That commoner bastard had actually punched me.

"Oh my god!"

"Did Kael just punch Lucien?"

"He deserves it!"

A crowd gathered instantly, whispering and pointing. No one came forward to help. No one offered a handkerchief. To them, the Villain just got what was coming to him.

Kael stood there, breathing heavily, his fist still raised. Then, reality crashed in. He looked at his hand, then at my bleeding face, realizing what he had done.

Assaulting a noble within Academy grounds.

Even Celestia, Elisha, and Mariella seemed stunned into silence by his sudden outburst.

"Kael…" Celestia whispered, stepping toward him.

Anger flared inside me. A hot, molten rage that wanted to draw the shotgun and blow his kneecaps off.

'Calm down,' I told myself. 'Many eyes are here. Can't lash out like a hooligan. That's what Kael does.'

Kael tensed, shifting his stance, preparing for my counterattack. He expected fire. He expected a brawl.

But I just stood up straight.

I took out a pristine white handkerchief from my pocket.

I wiped the blood off my nose. I dabbed my split lip.

Then, I looked at him.

Calmly. Coldly. Without a single spark of mana.

My silence was heavier than any spell.

"Don't do anything rash, Cadet Lucien," Celestia said quickly, stepping between us, her hand on her sword hilt.

I looked at her, then let out a short, dry chuckle.

"Don't worry, Princess. I am not the old Lucien who would lash out like a petulant child."

My voice came out chilly, devoid of emotion.

I folded the bloody handkerchief and placed it back in my pocket.

My calmness was unnerving them. They wanted a monster; they got a statue.

I looked past Celestia, locking eyes with Kael.

"You have spirit, commoner. I'll give you that."

I straightened my collar.

"Be prepared."

I didn't say for what. A duel? Expulsion? A lawsuit? An assassination?

I let the ambiguity hang over his head like a guillotine blade.

I turned around and walked away, the crowd parting for me not out of respect, but out of fear.

Behind me, the Hero stood surrounded by his friends, but he looked smaller than he ever had before.

*****

I walked back to the classroom, dabbing my lip with the now ruined handkerchief.

'Is this what the System meant by getting bad luck?'

I winced as the stinging sensation pulsed through my nose.

'Getting sucker-punched by the protagonist in broad daylight… Damn, it hurts. Physical pain is definitely not something you get used to.'

I pushed the heavy oak doors open and stepped into the lecture hall. It was still relatively empty, save for a few diligent students.

I walked to the back row and slid into my seat beside Ariana.

She was organizing her alchemy notes, humming a soft tune. She looked up, smiling—

The smile vanished instantly.

Her eyes went wide, horror washing over her face.

"Lucien!"

She dropped her quill and grabbed my face with both hands, pulling me closer to inspect the damage.

"Your lip! And your nose is swollen… and there's blood on your collar! What happened? Did you get attacked? Was it an assassin?"

"Calm down, it's not—"

"Don't speak!"

She scrambled for the leather pouch at her waist. Her hands moved with practiced speed, pulling out a small vial filled with glowing green liquid.

"Drink this. Now."

She uncorked it and practically shoved it against my lips.

I sighed internally and drank.

The liquid tasted like mint and raw mana. As it slid down my throat, a cool sensation spread through my body, rushing toward my face.

Tingle.

The throbbing pain in my nose vanished. The metallic taste of blood in my mouth faded. The split in my lip knitted itself back together in seconds.

I ran my tongue over my lip. Smooth. As if nothing had happened.

'No matter how many times I see it, it wonders me every time,' I thought, handing the empty vial back.

Back on Earth, a split lip meant a week of stinging pain and scabs. A broken nose meant a hospital visit and black eyes for a month. No matter how much medicine you used, the body needed time.

Here? One gulp of magical Gatorade and it's all gone.

"Better?" Ariana asked, her voice trembling slightly.

"Much better. Thank you."

"Now," she said, her violet eyes hardening. "Tell me what happened. You were gone for ten minutes."

"It's not my fault," I said, raising my hands in surrender. "I was just standing in the courtyard, minding my own business."

I recounted the event—the confrontation, the accusations, and finally, Kael's sudden loss of control.

As I spoke, I watched Ariana's expression shift. The worry evaporated, replaced by a cold, burning fury I had never seen on her face before.

Just then, the classroom door opened again.

Kael, Celestia, and their entourage walked in.

The atmosphere around them was heavy. Mariella, looking nervous, sneaked a glance toward the back row to see my reaction.

She froze.

She turned her head away quickly, shivering.

It wasn't my gaze she had met.

It was Ariana's.

The shy, quiet alchemist was staring at Kael with eyes that looked like they could incinerate him on the spot. If looks could kill, the Hero would have been a pile of ash.

****

[The Front Row]

The group sat down, the tension palpable among them.

"Why did you do that?" Elisha asked in a hushed whisper, leaning toward Kael. "Hitting him… that creates a mess we don't need."

Kael sighed, running a hand through his golden hair. He slumped in his seat.

"I don't know. I just… snapped."

He looked at his hand, clenching and unclenching his fist.

"His nonchalant reply… saying the commoners didn't matter… it just angered me too much. And before I knew it, my fist was moving. Sigh."

"Whatever the reason, this time you were in the wrong," Mariella whispered, glancing back fearfully. "He didn't even raise his mana."

"I know," Kael muttered.

Princess Celestia sat perfectly straight, staring at the blackboard, but her expression was troubled.

"What's done is done," she said quietly. "What we have to think about is what happens next."

"Indeed," Bordon grunted, crossing his massive arms. "Lucien is not the type to take a punch and just swallow it. Did you see his face? He didn't get angry. He got… quiet."

"It would have been better if he just lashed out like normal," Mariella shivered. "This changed him… it gives me goosebumps."

"Yeah, who knows what he is gonna do next," Elisha added. "He's rich, he's petty, and now he has a legitimate grievance."

At that, Kael scoffed lightly. He sat up straighter, his natural confidence returning.

"Don't worry. Whatever he is planning, I can take care of it."

He looked at his friends with a reassuring grin.

"What can he really do? At most, he'll hire some hooligans to try and jump me in an alley. Or maybe try to get me expelled—but the Academy values strength over status."

"Hah," he chuckled. "He will have to hire at least a few Platinum-rank knights to take me down now."

Seeing Kael's arrogant expression, Celestia sighed inwardly.

She hated this side of him.

He was brave, yes. He was kind, yes. But he was extremely arrogant.

He acted as if the world revolved around him. He didn't take threats seriously because, in his life, everything always worked out. If he got in trouble, a hidden master would save him. If he broke a rule, he'd be forgiven because of his talent.

'He thinks the world will always be on his side,' Celestia thought.

And she was right. Kael did think so.

Whatever happened, everything always turned around in his favor at the end. It was the law of his existence.

Well, that was natural, as he was the Protagonist.

But he was not aware that this time, he wasn't just clashing with a transmigrator.

He had punched an Anomaly. And the narrative armor he relied on was about to get tested.

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