"HOLY SHIT! HE JUST KISSED HER?!" a guy in the front row screamed, knocking his own chair over as he scrambled backward.
"IN BROAD DAYLIGHT?! IN FRONT OF VALCREST?!" another student yelled, slapping both hands over his mouth in sheer disbelief.
"A-CLASS MANALESS GUY JUST STOLE LUCIEN'S GIRL RIGHT IN HIS OWN DOORWAY!"
"NO WAY! DID YOU SEE THAT SIDE-EYE?! THAT WAS THE UTTERMOST DISRESPECT I HAVE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE!"
"NO WAY— NO FUCKING WAY— I'M FUCKING NO WAY!!!"
"Wait… does this mean, Aveline's dating the manaless guy?!"
"Someone record this— SOMEONE RECORD THIS RIGHT NOW—"
"Valcrest is gonna kill him—"
"Did you see the tongue?! OUHOOO~~~~ I SAW THE TONGUE!!! FRENCH KI—" he busted a nut.
Chairs scraped. Students stood up on desks. Phones came out. The crowd in the hallway surged forward until the doorway was completely blocked.
Someone in the back started laughing so hard they choked.
Another girl near the windows actually screamed. The noise level inside Class 1-B went from dead silence to absolute chaos in less than three seconds.
I finally broke the kiss, still keeping Aveline pressed against me with one arm.
She was breathing a little hard, cheeks flushed, lips shiny.
Lucien stood frozen a few feet away, the perfect noble mask cracked wide open for the first time.
His blue eyes were wide, and for a split second there was nothing polished or controlled left on his face at all.
I gave Lucien a lazy, deadpan smirk, keeping my arm wrapped tight around Aveline's waist as she rested her head against my shoulder, breathing heavily with a deep, victorious blush covering her entire face.
"So," I muttered, my voice carrying clearly over the screaming crowd. "Satisfied with the proof, Valcrest?"
Lucien Valcrest stood frozen in the middle of the classroom doorway, his head hung low, staring blankly down at the carpeted floor as if his entire worldview had just suffered a catastrophic failure.
Well, it did. LMAO.
For 3 agonising seconds, he didn't move a single muscle.
Then, with a sudden, violent jerk, his head shot straight up to lock onto me.
His eyes were blown wide open, his nostrils flaring, and his arti… Atri… fuck, artistocratic jaw contorting into a hideous, cringing grimace of sheer humiliation.
A genuine chill ran down my spine just looking at him.
WHAT THE FUCK... how the hell does a supposed top-tier high noble manage to look so utterly grotesque when he loses his temper? ᄒᴥᄒ… go damnit, thank god I'm handsome asf.
Slowly, hesitatingly, Lucien began to stalk forward.
One heavy, uneven step at a time, he closed the distance until he was standing just a few feet away from where Aveline and I were rooted.
"Y-You... you dirty, manaless commoner..." he rasped out, his voice cracking violently beneath the weight of his rage as he pointed a trembling finger at my chest. "You manipulated my Aveline, didn't you?! You put some kind of low-class illusion magic or memory-altering hex on her!"
I blinked at him, completely unbothered, and offered a flat tilt of my head. "Nah."
Dumbass… I'm a Manaless… I mean, not really… but. Ah fuck this guy!
The heavy blush on Aveline's face quickly faded, replaced by a sudden rush of cold, unflinching confidence.
She pulled back slightly from my chest, planting her feet securely on the floor, and stared Lucien down with absolute disdain. "There! That's your damn proof, Lucien! We are officially through! Now leave me the hell alone!"
The sheer volume of her voice echoing off the hallway walls seemed to strike him like a physical blow.
Lucien raised both of his hands to cover his ears, his pale face flushing a bright, furious shade of crimson as the surrounding students started pointing, snickering, and recording his pathetic breakdown.
The humiliation finally snapped whatever tiny thread of sanity he had left.
His blue eyes went completely bloodshot, and with an unhinged, guttural roar, he pulled his right hand back, channeling a sharp burst of blue wind mana into his palm, and swung a heavy, spell-infused slap straight toward Aveline's face.
Before the blow could even travel halfway, I stepped in front of her.
SNAP!
Lucien's hand stopped dead in mid-air, a bare fraction of an inch away from Aveline's nose.
My fingers coiled tightly around his wrist, completely killing the momentum of his strike.
The crackling wind mana around his fingers shattered into useless sparks, scattering harmlessly across the threshold.
The entire classroom, the hallway crowd, and even the ambient noise of the academy went instantly, dead silent.
I slowly lifted my head, my eyes locking onto his trembling face with a murderously cold glare.
"YOU FUCKING BITCH?!" I roared, my voice booming across the second-floor corridor like a thunderclap.
'Shit... shit, shit, shit…' I cursed in my head, my knuckles whitening around his joint. 'If it weren't for this fucking system, I wouldn't have the reaction to step in!'
「SYSTEM NOTIFICATION — AUTOMATIC CLAIM (4SECONDS AGO.)」
[QUEST CONDITION SATISFIED: DOMESTIC THREAT]
• Condition Detected: Target attempted physical retaliation against Aveline Arden and refused relationship termination.
• Rewards Automatically Claimed:
+15% Intimidation Aura
+50 Mana
Please immediately shove your right hand and block the incoming hit.』
The second the System window flashed into existence, the newly unlocked Intimidation Aura detonated out of my body like an invisible, suffocating shockwave.
The air temperature in the doorway plummeted instantly.
A heavy, soul-crushing pressure crashed down on the immediate surroundings, making the wooden doorframe creak under the sudden atmospheric shift.
The students sitting in the front row of Class 1-B gasped for air, instinctively scrambling backward in their seats as an overwhelming sense of primal dread filled the room.
"What the fuck!? Isn't he Manaless?! Whatahell is this BS!?"
*WHISPERS, WHISPERS*
"Are you actually trying to kill her?!" I snarled, tightening my grip on Lucien's wrist until the delicate bones inside his joint began to creak and pop under the sheer force of my physical strength.
Lucien gasped, his face draining of all color as intense pain shot up his arm, forcing him down onto one knee.
"F-FUCK YOU TWO!!!" he screamed, his voice strained and pathetic as he fruitlessly tried to pry my fingers off with his free hand.
「DOMESTIC THREAT — SIDE QUEST (PART 2)」
• Primary Objective Updated:
Target has explicitly refused relationship termination and escalated the conflict.
• Resolution Requirement: PENDING.
• WARNING: Noble House Valcrest has officially became aware of Rex Knox… please accept the battle.
• Quest Reward: Unknown Exclusive Title + Secondary Rewards. 』
I stared down at the groveling noble kneeling at my feet, my dark eyes completely devoid of warmth as the System's heavy aura settled over us like a shroud.
I gave his wrist one last, brutal twist before casually shoving him backward onto the floor, letting him clutch his bruised arm while his classmates stared on in absolute horror.
"Consider this your final warning, Valcrest," I muttered softly, my voice carrying a quiet, terrifying weight that echoed through the silent corridor. "Touch her again, and I won't just stop your hand."
"FUCK YOU, MANALESS MUDBLOOD COMMONER!" Lucien screamed, his face completely contorted in a terrifying mix of agony, embarrassment, and raw, hatred.
With a desperate, trembling motion, his left hand lunged straight into the inner pocket of his high-noble coat.
He whipped out a slender, polished obsidian wand inlaid with glowing crimson runes. "ᛏᚢᛁᛚ" he whispered against the wand and hurled it directly at my chest with everything he had. "Accept my request this instant!"
I didn't even flinch. My hand shot out, snatching the obsidian wand clean out of the air before it could strike my chest.
The smooth, cold stone buzzed violently against my palm, radiating an ancient, binding spellwork designed specifically for high-stakes noble challenges.
I glanced down at the wand, its crimson runes pulsing like a frantic heartbeat, and then let my gaze flicker toward the floating pink interface hovering right over Lucien's enraged face.
「DOMESTIC THREAT — (2) DUAL SYSTEM OVERRIDE」
• Event: Formal Noble Duel Issued by House Valcrest.
• Status: High-Risk Conflict.
• Objective: Obliterate Lucien Valcrest in public combat.
Do you accept the challenge? [YES] / [NO]』
I gritted my teeth, and a slow cold smirk tugged at the corner of my lips. "I accept."