Cæ didn't let his controlled composure slip, even when he departed from the room. He was pretty sure that the Vritra head could keep an eye on him through physical barriers, making Cæ paranoid about how much the man was keeping an eye on him.

'It was the right decision to take my leave at that moment.' Cæ's stormy gray eyes sharpened as he walked away from the medical room. 'I don't lose anything because he needs my help dearly.'

Very rarely, Cæ considers himself to be in a position of power relative to a member of an affluent family, let alone the head of the Vritra Family of the Durmen Principality, who was also a master mage.

Yet, in this case, Cæ truly thought he was in a position to make demands.

Yes, it was truly terrifying to act cocky in front of a master mage, but he knew for a fact that he had a master mage on his side as well, Headmistress Lenolia, not because of their shared partnership in the past over multiple matters, but rather because she was obligated to protect him as a student of the magicademy. He had absolutely no shame in making good use of her existence to protect himself from pressure.

On top of that, Master Leonul was not in his home nation.

He was in Elendir.

Cæ didn't know how he had gotten his hands on a permit that allowed him to enter the country on such short notice, but the truth was that the foreign master mages were walking bombs of great destruction. Allowing one into your country was extremely dangerous, and no matter what, Master Leonul could not flex his power around willy-nilly without suffering consequences that were simply not worth what he would gain by trying to bully Cæ.

With Headmistress Lenolia having arranged protection for his weaknesses, he was not in as vulnerable a position as he normally was. This made it so that Master Leonul needed him more than he needed them, and they were in a position where they couldn't really bully him without causing a diplomatic conflict between Elendir and the Vritra Family.

This would severely affect their standing in Elendir, likely biasing the entire nation and most parties against them in their conflict with the Walyn Family.

All in all, Cæ was certain that the Vritra Family had no choice but to acquiesce to his demands. By leaving the room with a degree of patience and insisting that they discuss at a later date, he was essentially signaling that whatever he wanted from the Vritra Family wasn't something he desired very strongly.

It was partially a bluff because the very thought of Vritra funds funding his heart-healing business made him extremely excited. He just needed to make sure he did a good job keeping it locked up within him until the deal was finalized.

'…They probably think I'm just another greedy pig who wants to leech on their wealth and are trying to convince Serulia of that, I'm sure.' He heaved a sigh. 'I'm sure that she was hoping more from me from the way she acted.'

It didn't matter to him; he didn't live for other people's expectations. He had every reason to demand a price for risking his life and taking time out of his busy schedule for this little problem. If Serulia had died, he might have been more amenable, but if she was alive and well, then it was truly not worth risking for free.

Most importantly, he had found a private investor for his healing surgery venture.

His eyes lit up with a hint of excitement as his hands balled into fists in a small celebration as he headed back to his dormitory, eager to return to his room and get some rest. Considering everything that he had been through, he was all but dying to crash and get some rest in his room.

"Cæ!" A familiar female voice called out to him with an urgent tone.

Cæ heaved a tired breath, turning around to find himself gazing at none other than the Student Council President and Vice President approaching him together with serious expressions.

Mileila's expression was grave, walking to him with a stiff gait and a pale complexion, while Virlyd's body language was severe. They both gazed at him knowingly, giving him a look of pity as they approached him.

"I heard what happened," President Mileila began with a serious tone. "I hope you're doing alright."

"…Just tired."

"Miranda…" Virlyd continued with a serious tone as his eyes grew darkened. "She was just as rambunctious under me. However, she never challenged my authority the way that she challenged yours. I didn't think badly of it at first, as I thought that leadership disputes were highly normal and even expected. But to think that she was this erratic, impulsive, and violent. Her record does not have any instances of violence, so this has truly come as a surprise."

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"She was most likely able to keep it under control with some modicum of rationality and self-control, but most likely something most have completely set her off, causing her to lose all control," Mileila mused with a grim tone. "Of course, that does not excuse what she has done by any means. The Headmistress has already taken it to expel her from the magicademy right away. Violence is one thing, but trying to commit full-fledged murder in cold blood as an apprentice mage, as an adult… this cannot be permitted to go without being punished to the highest extent."

Cæ nodded, relieved that she wouldn't be around in the magicademy anymore. "We will add another member to the Capture The Flag team."

"You have more important issues to worry about, Cæ." Virlyd's tone was heavy. "If you have visited the Headmistress and the Vritra Family, then you know what you're dealing with, yes?"

Cæ merely nodded wordlessly. "…I'm going to be in for a rough time."

"…Is there anything that we can do to help?" Mileila gazed at him with a serious expression. "As Student Council President, I have a lot of power. I could authorize an investigation into the magical energy signatures in the environment and collect the needed data."

"I'd appreciate that, but I'm sure that the Headmistress has already thought of that and has probably done that herself because she is a diviner herself. No investigator is going to match a master mage diviner. She will probably collect all the data that is needed to make the case," Cæ replied. "Still, I appreciate your willingness to help. I suppose the most I can bring myself to ask of all of you is to try and spread word of what really happened and not let the Walyn Family get away with spreading nonsense in the affluent family."

"We'll do what we can," Virlyd promised. "Good luck, Cæ."

Cæ nodded. "Thank you."

He turned around, walking away with a serious expression. 'This nonsense will only follow me until my testimony is over. I need to ensure that they call me as a witness, finish interrogating me all in one go, and then I'm no longer needed.'

Assuming that the Vritra Family filed the official complaint immediately, Cæ suspected that he would likely be done with his part in the process in a month or two. With the money and political pressure from the Vritra Family and from the Elendir Institute of Magic under Headmistress Lenolia, he would expect the investigation to accelerate and wrap up for the charges to be filed within days and an expedited criminal court hearing to be arranged very quickly.

He hoped to get in for one long session where he was grilled by both sides and then had the opportunity to completely get the matter out of the way and go back to his life.

While he returned to his dorm room to get some rest after the stunning events that had happened, news of the event had already begun spreading through not just the affluent community like wildfire, but also through many other circles and channels. The Vritra Family filed an official police complaint that triggered a media frenzy as a variety of journalists showed up at police stations, eager to interrogate the Vritra Representative for any scraps of information they could get on.

However, what they already knew was enough for it to be considered highly significant news. More than the actual murder attempt, what drew everybody's attention was the conflict between the Walyn Family and the Vritra Family.

It was not unusual for families to have conflicts with each other, but this was usually limited to within the country. It was more significant when affluent families from outside the nation fought with those of Elendir, and that was precisely what was happening.

Pictures of the Vritra Family had gone viral on the maginet, adding even more spice to the already exciting story. The conflict was so serious that even the Vritra head himself had come all the way from the Durmen Principality.

It had the potential to spike tensions between the Democratic Republic of Elendir and the Durmen Principality if things got ugly. Within hours, articles flooded the maginet on the matter, regurgitating all the information that they had access to, and information that wasn't even true.

Things got even more tense when the expulsion of Miranda from the Elendir Institute of Magic was confirmed, which meant that the Elendir Institute of Magic had chosen its side, for whatever reason, with the Vritra Family.

Accusations of treachery and treason, as well as accusations of being a sell-out, were flung at the Headmistress, even if it didn't so much as budge the decision. Within half a day, the Walyn Family had already released a formal statement to the press, announcing that it unilaterally denied all allegations that had been pinned on their daughter, while hinting that the Vritra Family had engaged in foul play.

The public was entirely in the dark, but the affluent community wasn't. The fact that the Elendir Institute of Magic had already expelled Miranda Walyn was proof enough that the allegations were highly credible and true. Headmistress Lenolia would not have resolutely chosen to antagonize the Walyn Family to support the Vritra Family; it didn't even make any sense.

That didn't mean that they would support the Vritra Family at the cost of the Walyn Family, of course. They had more to gain by siding with the Walyn Family as a fellow Elendir family. Weakening the nation on the international stage didn't benefit any of them.

It was all about power and incentives. Not a single one of them had any consideration for justice in their minds when it came to deciding how to handle the matter in a way that benefited them once more.

Regardless, they smelled the upcoming conflict that was emerging between the two families.

Conflicts between such powerful parties were not the kind that everybody could simply watch unfold on the sidewalk, cheering for one or the other in a brawl. It was the kind of conflict that would drag many people who had nothing to do with the conflict. Many people were not looking forward to the soft war that was undoubtedly going to unfold between the two powerful families with immense power and wealth at their disposal.

A dangerous air had settled not just in the magicademy but also in the entire city.

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