Raul Bernard was on a bench under the street light wearing gym clothes drenched in sweat, gasping for air. Suddenly a human figure appeared from the dark, and was standing under the streetlight.
Raul, noticing the shadow that appeared before him, turned his gaze towards the streetlight and saw Nigel standing there nervously.
"What the hell do you want?" Raul asked exasperatingly.
Paralyzed with fear Nigel muttered to himself "... cafe tomorrow." as he avoided eye contact.
Frustrated with the situation, Raul got up from the bench irritatingly, and walked up to Nigel and stood in front of him, and stared in his eyes intensely.
Nigel mumbled, fidgeting with fear, as his eyes darted away, as Raul met his gaze directly. A moment later, Nigel breathed heavily, calming himself down, and met Raul's gaze.
"You have to come to the Silver Spoon cafe tomorrow."
"Why should I?" Raul asked as he stared at him.
"You will know once you come." Nigel said firmly.
"And I won't. So p*** off." as Raul said he turned away from Nigel and walked away.
Nigel, who stood there, jumped in front of Raul and blocked his path. Nigel, overcome by desperation, started to fidget again.
"You have to come."
Raul, annoyed with the situation, gazed at Nigel intensely.
"You are getting on my nerves." "Get lost before I lose it."
Nigel slowly walked towards Raul as a low, rumbling laugh started from deep within his chest and stood in front of Raul. Raul stood there perplexed, dumbfounded by what he saw.
"What's with him?"
"If you don't show up, something is going to happen to Malorie." As Nigel leaned on to Raul whispering in his ears with a dry, crackling laugh.
Raul's gaze turned from confusion to anger and Raul pushed Nigel away with rage, and grabbed his collar.
"You bastard." "What did you do to Malorie?" as Raul tightened his grip
"If you don't want anything to happen to her, come tomorrow" Nigel smiled creepily in a crackling voice.
Raul pondered for a while and loosened the grip on Nigel, grimaced with pain. Nigel got up, smirked at Raul and as Nigel walked away.
"Don't forget." "...Silver Spoon cafe."
***
A day later
Raul stood far away from the cafe as he watched Nigel and Malorie drink tea. Raul's blood boiled and he clenched his fists as he saw Malorie being tricked by Nigel. But Raul didn't make a move, as he remembered what the Academic Committee warned Raul a few weeks ago.
A man stood in front of Raul in a foggy place, who released immense pressure on Raul, which made even standing difficult for Raul.
"Raul Bernard."
"This is your final warning."
"If you commit or cause another incident, ..you will be expelled."
As the fog disappeared, Raul, who remembered these words, stood far away from the cafe helplessly.
Nigel glanced across the street and noticed Raul. Nigel, who started to smile creepily, immediately grabbed Malorie's hands gently.
Raul, who could not hold it in any longer rushed towards Nigel, picked him by his collar from the chair and threw NIgel on the ground. Raul then punched Nigel on his face in a fit of rage .
Nigel then started to laugh in a crackling voice.
"I knew you wouldn't be able to hold it in." in a crackling voice.
Raul circulated mana in his body.
[Body Strengthening][*2]
Raul who lost all his reason continuously punched Nigel in the face using mana, making him bleed through his nose. Nigel circulated mana and used body strengthening, but it wasn't enough to stop Raul's punches.
"You acted so high and mighty just because you are a noble." as Nigel continued to mutter as he lost blood.
"...Look at you now, you won't be able to stay in the academy any longer." Nigel muttered in a shaky voice while losing blood with an unsettling smile.
Raul didn't stop. He continued to punch as every student around him stood still, cowering in fear.
Nigel's body started to scream in pain. But Nigel continued to taunt him.
"With you gone, I can be together with Malorie." as Nigel said that he passed out.
***
Back to the present in the Disciplinary Hall.
Raul stopped explaining, as me and Emma were on our chairs behind the desk, dumbfounded by what we just heard.
"That's sickening." said one of the Disciplinary Committee members standing at the corner of the room.
From the information the Disciplinary Committee had gathered, Nigel is a class 2 - D student. He is a social outcast, with almost no contact with other students. Malorie Desjardins was the only one he ever talked to.
It seems like he also had an inferiority complex as someone who was born to a commoner household.
"His methods were wrong but he didn't commit a crime." I said that in a firm voice. "So we can not take disciplinary action against him."
Emma sat beside me as she listened to me helplessly closing her eyes.
"What's gonna happen to me?" Raul said as he looked at my face.
Raul Bernard on the other hand, is a problem child, who caused multiple incidents in the past, but no action was taken against him, as he is the younger brother of 6th Knights Order Captain.
But this time the Academy won't stay still. Raul almost killed someone. Is there no other choice to expel him.
'What I don't understand is, why did Nigel choose the roundabout way? Is there a reason why he called Raul to the cafe where so many students gather?'
'I have so many questions.'
***