Of course, I don't get away with slapping a professor so openly in front of everyone.
"How dar-" "Quiet!" But the one who takes control of the situation is Malrik. Silencing Relkan's protest with a single blunt command.
Before he turns to me. A grin steals onto his lips as he steps closer to me. Hidden from the others. But not from me. "From anyone?" He asks with a quirked eyebrow. "Yeah. From anyone." I reply flatly. Meeting his gaze straight on.
The world narrows down to just us two in that moment. "Is that so?" "Yes." "Then what would you do if I were to insult your family?" "I'd beat the fuck out of you." Any attempt at propriety on my part was completely forgotten. I just have the unfiltered truth left.
"You think you can hit me?" Malrik asks while raising his chin. As if to invite me to punch him. But of course I don't. Even while angry, I'm not that delusional.
"No. But I would damm well try. I'd do my best to hurt you if you did." I know damn well he would destroy me before I could even lift a finger. With or without magic.
However, that doesn't change the fact that I would indeed try. Even if he turned me to dust for doing so. `At this point, I don't think I have much to lose anyway.` Of course, it's not entirely true that I don't have anything to lose.
But whatever I do have to lose does not take precedence over my own stubbornness. Not in this situation. Were it's all about honour and principle for me. Things I stubbornly refuse to let go of.
"Oh? Is that so?" Even in the face of Malrik. `Quite literally.` I don't know when it happened, but our faces are so close to each other that our noses almost touch at this point. And clearly neither of us is going to back down. "Yes." I repeat bluntly.
Our exchange left everyone else absolutely stunned. Maybe even more so than the fact that I just slapped a teacher not a minute ago. Openly threatening the headmaster. To his face. It was probably not something that many dared to do.
So that it was now me. A student in his first year. Surprised everyone present. "Hmm." Except Malrik. He just chuckled at my repeated affirmations. "Then maybe we should fight." He muses aloud.
Really looking like he would. Like he would actually fight me. Luckily, Seraphine, his assistant, finally finds her voice again to stop us from actually clashing. She stops me from getting torn to shreds for my stubborn pride. And I'm grateful to her for it.
"Marlik!" She exclaims like a Mother who just caught her child doing something wrong. All hands on her hips and fingers pulling his ear. Not that she actually does this. But her tone just conjured up that mental picture.
And it's a tone that indeed shakes Malrik out of it. He pulls back with a laugh. "I'm joking. I'm joking." He replies while waving his hands around playfully. Trying to play it off.
Though him and me both know that's a lie. He was totally ready to fight me just to make a point. And so was I.
But even if I was ready to fight him. I'm glad I didn't actually have to. I breathe a little sigh of relief after he backed down. `I would have been so cooked.`
"Of course, that does not change the fact that what you just said can be ignored." Malrik continues as he schools his expression back into a more serious one. "Not only did you fight with another student. You slapped a teacher. And now you even threatened a staff member." Sounding much more official and stern, as he recounts everything that I have done wrong, than before. Almost looking like an actual, respectable Principal of an elite school.
"This indeed warrants some serious punishment." Malrik's next words, unfortunately, bring back yet another participant of the conversation. Someone who, until just now, had kept rubbing his cheek and glaring at me silently.
"Yes. Yes. I absolutely agree." Relkin exclaims as he puffs out his chest angrily. The slight sting of my slap was instantly forgotten the second it seemed like he would get his way.
Because it probably didn't even hurt in the first place. My physical stats are still lower than average for kids my age after all. My slap most likely felt more like a gentle tap to him. My hand hurt more than his face probably did. Even right after I slapped him.
It was more the indignity and humiliation that shut him up previously. But now that he had someone backing his opinion, he went back to spouting his nonsense proudly. "Expel him immediately. A violent individual like him has no place at this school."
His words should not have elicited any response on my part. I should have waved them off like I did before. But after all of this, I was too wound up to just let him talk. Too fed up and angry to not say something in response.
"Oh shut up." I click my tongue in disgust and grumble. "You ra-" I bite my tongue to stop myself from actually insulting him. Just barely. `I haven't fallen that low yet. I gotta be better than them. Don't bark. Just bite.` Reminding myself that this isn't who I want to be. I don't want to insult others because of irrational emotions.
And while I'm aware that this is hypocritical after everything I just did. After knocking someone out and even slapping a teacher. I at least don't want to lose that. I don't want to lose the fact that I have to yet insult anyone in this world.
So before anyone can say anything in response to my angry grumbling, I turn towards the door. "Give me whatever punishment you see fit. I'm done talking." To walk out. To try to distance myself from this whole mess.
Before I can make things even worse. Before I get myself into even deeper shit.
But just as I was about to step out of the room. Back into the hallway, I freeze. Not because of anything anyone says, mind you. `What the fuck?`
My whole body locks up right at the doorstep. Like some kind of invisible force had taken hold of me. `What the fuck?!?` I try to fight it. But all I can manage to do is make my fingers tremble slightly. No other movement happens even as I strain and try my best to break free of whatever is holding me.
Like every part of my body is chained down and forced to disobey my command. I can only imagine that this is what it feels like to be paralysed. A wholly unpleasant sensation if I do say so myself.
Unlike with paralysis, which can have multiple culprits, I can at least figure out the culprit fairly easily. It's Malirk. Or so I assume. Since he speaks next. "Ahh. Ahh. We are not done talking just yet." Probably using Magic to hold me in place. `Yeah. That makes sense.`
Though I can't verify this. I can't turn my head. I'm frozen solid.
But I assume he stands behind me with his magical focus in hand. Which was a staff, I believe. At least I vaguely remember he had a staff in his hands when we were at the entrance ceremony.
Not that it matters. None of this matters. Whatever he had to say. I didn't care anymore. I just wanted out of here. To find a place to calm down and center myself a little again.
Now even more so than before. The fact that Malrik could so casually stop me from leaving pissed me off. `Fuck you! LET ME GO!` I would have insulted him. I would have screamed. I would have broken my vow not to be like them.
If I could voice any complaints right now. But even my mouth was frozen shut. The only thing that I could still move were my eyes. I couldn't even blink properly.
Leaving me with no other choice but to listen to whatever Marlik still had to say. Even if I wasn't going to listen to a word from his mouth. Not when he is forcing me to listen like this.
"There is no need to run off while grumbling about how unfair this is, my dear student. I've already decided on your punishment. And I think you will agree that it's quite fair." Malrik continues in an annoying tone. Though it really is just his normal tone. I just think it's irritating because of the situation.
`Fuck you. Like I care what you decided, you fucker.` I think angrily as I continue to fruitlessly break free from the magic hold he has on me. To little effect. It just feels like I'm trying to push a mountain off me. Even using all my strength, there is nothing I can do.
"This clearly all just happened because you have too much energy."`Fuck you.`"So instead of expelling you or sending you to work yourself to death at the Everfrost wall."`I wouldn't die even if you sent me there fuckface.` "I've decided to have you channel that energy into doing something useful with your free time."
His words really should make me sigh in relief. I'm just too angry to accept them right now for what they are. Mercy. "Your punishment will be you helping out the community by working off all your excess energy."
My punishment basically boiled down to the old-timey equivalent of what is today called community service. Or so I assume. A light punishment, all things considered.
And one that not everybody agreed with. "He- Headmaster. You. You cannot be serious." Relkin stammers in protest.
But he quickly shuts up again after. Well, something happens. I can't tell what exactly. Since I'm still just facing out of the room. But it was probably either Seraphine or Malrik shooting him a freezing glare.
Either way. He shuts up. Letting Marlik continue with a tone that was authoritative and final. "I will have my lovely Secretary, Lady Vaelcor, write down the details and send them to you later. But I hope that this will serve as a lesson to you."
He finishes with a tap of his staff against the ground. "And next time you cause trouble like this, you will be expelled. End of discussion. You may go now."
Which finally releases the magic hold he had on me. Sending me stumbling forward. But I catch myself. Straighten up. Shot him an angry glare over my shoulder as I smooth out my robes. And then I turn and stomp off. Before I can say or do anything that would get me into even more trouble. Or expelled, as Malrik said.
Though I'm not done getting punished today. Because I was dragged off to Malrik's office, I'm late for class. Which Calveth punishes by detracting a point.
The few points I got on the test yesterday for answering all the questions correctly. Now basically gone again. After being late today and talking during the test yesterday.
Leaving me with nothing to show for the achievement of acing the test. Something I worked my ass off to do. Something I almost couldn't believe I actually managed to pull off.
Luckily, Calveth at least doesn't ask any questions after I apologise for being late. Something I only do because I managed to calm down on the way from the office to class.
Thanks in no small part do to my fairly reasonable verdict. `The punishment really isn't that bad.` I muse to myself while there was a slight lull in the current lecture on Runes. `I still wonder why Malrik seems so taken with me? Haven't figured that out at all. All I know is that he is definitely going out of his way to make things easier for me.` I ponder.
`But why?` These questions occupy my mind whenever I have a free moment to think throughout the day. I'm so distracted by my own thoughts that I don't even really notice that the rest of the day passes by without me being bothered even once.
Even the glares I get seem to have reduced in number. A quiet victim that doesn't do anything and a victim that can and will just knock you out when you push too far are two very different things after all.
Though I barely notice that. Too caught up in my own thoughts to really pay attention to anything beyond my immediate surroundings. My concentration-based stupor is only really broken when I finally get back to my dorm room for the day.
Where I spent a good long while just lying on my bed with my hands on my face. `Bruh. We are so back.` While I laugh to myself. At the fact that I essentially got off scot free.
"I cannot believe I made it out of that without being expelled. I really owe Malrik." The anger I felt towards Malrik previously is completely gone now that I'm thinking clearly again.
And I find myself grateful instead. To him and Seraphine both. `They are good educators. They definitely deserve my respect.` I recognise now that they really stuck up for me when that weasly Relkin did his best to get me expelled. Or worse.
So I'll try to follow what they say in the future. Or I'll at least do my very best to do as they say. Not that I had planned on getting into more fights anyway.
I hope that me crashing out just this once was enough to convey to everyone else not to mess with me in the future. Though I doubt that it will be that easy.
—
"Headmaster." Relkin blusters as he watches the insolent student stomp off. "How could you just let hi-" But he is interrupted by Malrik.
"Quiet." A single word. Spoken in a casual tone. Yet the simple command carried such weight that it shut him up instantly.
"My decision is final. Relkin. You may leave now." And in just another nine words, it's over. There was nothing more Relking could say. Nothing more he could do but leave. Left to stomp down the same hallway as that insolent student he had not too long ago dragged here.
Not in defeat. This was just a strategic retreat. But he'd make sure that others would hear of this. They would hear of this clear favouritism from the headmaster. And the insolence of the student.
Important people. Like Vice Principal Solmere and the other noble faction members who would surely take his side on this matter.
He'd make sure that this student gets expelled. If not today, then soon. And that the Headmaster suffers consequences for his actions. Or rather. His inaction. That much he knew.