Michael stumbled, experiencing the same nauseous feeling that he felt every time the headmaster used spacial magic on him.

I don't think I'll ever get used to that… he lamented, grabbing hold of the couch for some stability.

"Let me guess, the headmaster sent you back…" Rudy said, wearing a knowing look.

"Yeah, but I would have rather walked back from his office," he complained, letting out a small chuckle.

At the mention of the headmaster's office, Michael saw an intense curiosity from Rudy whose ears perked up—like a small dog who had been asked if they wanted to go for a walk.

The sight was rather amusing, but Michael keep him in suspense—quickly filling him in on all the details from the beginning. By the end of it, his friend was just as confused as him, perhaps even more so.

"Oh, and one more thing…" he added, remembering the headmaster's first comment. "It turns out there were 'bodily fluids' found in the hall this morning, from one of our friends."

"Bodily fluids?" he tilted his head in confusion.

After a brief explanation, loud and infectious laughter escaped from his mouth—echoing within the small room. Tears fell from his eyes as he clutched his sides, struggling to breathe from excessive laughter.

Michael too used the opportunity to laugh, since he hadn't had the chance in the headmaster's office earlier.

They were so caught up in their laughter that they didn't hear the door to their dorm open.

Two figures stood watching the scene with bemused expressions. A blue-haired teenager and a tall man, a weird coupling.

"What are you guys laughing about?"

Hearing Melody's voice, Michael didn't seem surprised as he replied between laughter, "Those boys… One of them pissed themsel—" he froze, mid sentence as he turned around, seeing Professor Stark's gloomy figure staring at him.

"P-professor!?" he asked, his voice rising a few octaves in shock.

"Sorry for the interruption," he said seriously, his gaze looking down at them, "but I come with a careful warning. Any direct use of magic against another student within the castle will be met with severe punishment…"

The professor added, "since it seems the headmaster's warning was not enough, let this be a reminder—such things are not tolerated here at Arcadia Academy."

Michael felt his blood turn cold upon seeing the expression of the professor. Whatever humor he shared with Rudy was instantly extinguished.

"Understood professor," he replied, sucking up the injustice. While it was true that Braydon and his lackeys had been targeting him, they had never escalated to physical or magical violence.

He was the one who drew first blood—or in this case, first bodily fluid…

The professor nodded, seemingly satisfied with the change in tune. "Enjoy your day off, school will resume tomorrow as you're aware." He stated before turning on his heel and leaving, offering no other words.

He left the three young students in the dorm, each one wearing a similar expression.

It wasn't until a few moments later that Rudy was the first to speak. "Dude, that guy is a wet blanket…" he said, letting out a sigh.

"Speaking of wet blanket…" Michael added, a grin pulling up at the corner of his lips.

However, the joke didn't land. It seemed that the mood had passed. If even Rudy didn't laugh at the joke, it was enough indication of everyone's mental space.

"So those guys are allowed to provoke us without any issues? But we're not allowed to fight back?" he asked, questioning the injustice.

"He never said that," Melody spoke up for the first time, "noble battles aren't generally fought with violence." She added, though her expression showed some annoyance.

"Words and influence, this is a nobles arsenal—at least when fighting other nobles."

"But I'm not a noble, neither is Michael," Rudy retorted, scratching his arm with some irritation, "how can we be expected to play by their rules? Whatever happened to 'might makes right'?"

"We're in Arcadia," Melody added impassively, "this is an institution owned by a noble family, and most of the students attending are made up of nobles. It is not odd that they adopt the same customs."

"Plus, do you really think they'd allow students to fight among themselves? Imagine the backlash if someone were to get seriously injured or die?"

"So what now?" Michael asked, taking a seat on the lounge. "We managed to escape punishment this time, but it probably won't happen again. Braydon will likely come after me with a vengeance after all this.

"It's fine," Rudy replied, "what is he going to do? Bully you?" he scoffed before letting out a small giggle, "we'll just spread a rumor that he pissed himself in the halls after your last fight."

Melody looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding, "That's actually not half bad," she assessed with some surprise, "the thing that most nobles prize more than anything is their reputation after all."

Under normal circumstances, Michael might think he was being too harsh. But after being a target for over a week, he'd had enough. If violence was not an option, he would take whatever was effective.

"So it's settled. If he pisses us off, we'll make sure the entire academy knows." Rudy said with glee, rubbing his hands together.

Michael stretched, feeling a little relief after things had settled down. It had been a crazy morning—the news about Newhall, the fight with Braydon and the unexpected trip to the headmaster's office.

Even now, he was kicking himself for not getting more information from the bearded man. It felt like the headmaster had an idea, or at least a suspicion of who was responsible for the attacks.

But he seemed either unwilling to share it, or he didn't have enough evidence to back up his theory.

However, Michael didn't care—he would take anything at this point. Three full years he had searched for a lead, but there hadn't even been an iota of progress.

I doubt the royal investigation will come up with anything, Michael reasoned, which means I'll have to try and get some information from the headmaster himself.

But this posed another problem.

Just as he was beginning to lose hope, he suddenly remembered the man's words, promising his support once the traits of his unique soul were awakened.

Looks like I'll need to focus on my soul from now on… he thought, his mind moving to the mysterious pills in his storage ring.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.