Chapter 208: So infuriating it’s almost unbearable.

Ludwig glared viciously at the people snickering at him.

He had been so focused on Hector just now that he had barely paid attention to the people accompanying him. Now that he took a closer look, he was surprised to find that every one of them possessed outstanding looks and bearing.

Were they nobles?

Ludwig sneered.

So what if they were? Anyone willing to associate with Hector was probably from some declining noble family too, the sort that wasn't worth mentioning.

Suppressing his anger, Ludwig swept his gaze over the magical badges pinned to their chests. Including Hector, only three of them were Senior Mage Apprentices. The rest were either Intermediate or Junior. Hardly worth taking seriously.

What a bunch of clueless fools!

Ludwig looked contemptuously at Hector and clicked his tongue several times. "Hector, you've really sunk low. Making friends with a bunch of beginners? You're disgracing your father."

Hector's fury erupted. He strode up to Ludwig, seized him by the collar, and glared at him fiercely.

"Who gave you permission to mention my father?"

Ludwig grabbed his wrist, his expression arrogant. "I mentioned him. What are you going to do about it? Hit me?"

Hector closed his eyes briefly and forced down his anger. He shoved Ludwig away and growled, "Ludwig, I don't feel like wasting words on you right now. Get lost!"

"You're the ones who should get lost!" The lackey standing to Ludwig's left pointed at Shu Li and the others. "We're sitting at this table. Move!"

The other two lackeys chimed in and pulled out chairs, preparing to sit down.

"Hey, wait." Siti reached out to stop them. "Ever heard of first come, first served? We got here first, you came afterward, so this table is ours. I suggest you leave before you make yourselves even more annoying."

Ludwig had already taken a dislike to her. He had chosen to overlook her earlier mockery, only for her to push her luck and insult him again.

"Do you know who I am?" he asked haughtily.

Siti looked him up and down, then shrugged. "Who are you?"

"Hehe, exactly! Who are you?" Dixio stepped forward and folded his arms, clearly enjoying the show.

"If you don't tell us who you are, how are we supposed to know who you are?" Budno spread his hands.

"Hector called him Luhiger just now," Shu Li said with complete seriousness.

"No, his name was Luwit," Angel corrected with a smile, starlight glimmering in his amber eyes.

"It's Witshi," Kumandi said solemnly.

"I think it was probably Shitli," Amanda said uncertainly, scratching his hair.

Nasha and Siti exchanged amused smiles and joined in the nonsense.

"It was Tishiwi!"

"Obviously it was Witshi!"

"You're all wrong. His name is Lushit."

"It's clearly Shitlu!"

"Listen to me. His name is Tiluwi—"

...

Before long, every member of the Light Squad except Ace and Hector was engaged in a heated debate over what Ludwig's name actually was.

Hector stared at them dumbfounded.

How could such a short name be mangled in so many different ways? They had already gone through more than a dozen versions without repeating a single one.

He looked helplessly at Ace, who made a calming gesture, signaling him not to worry.

Hector sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose with a headache.

This was a feud between him and Ludwig. He didn't want the friends he had just made to get dragged into it.

Amanda might have a powerful uncle, but Ludwig was an important heir of the Snowor family in the northern Pross Empire. More importantly, someone on his mother's side of the family had become a Saint Mage and now served at the Magic Tower in the Central Court. If they offended Ludwig too badly, there was no telling whether he might go crying to that Saint Mage.

That Saint Mage was said to be notoriously protective of his own. If he learned that a younger member of his family had been bullied, he would undoubtedly make trouble for them.

That was precisely why Hector had swallowed his anger time and again.

"Ktot."

"Telak."

"Krudo."

"Oh, stop arguing!" Angel proposed. "Since none of us can figure out his name, why don't we just agree on one?"

"Then let's call him Luwiger!" Shu Li said.

"I still think Shitlu sounds better." Dixio spread his hands. "But if Sperien likes Luwiger, then Luwiger it is."

"I agree." Budno raised his hand.

"Me too," Angel said cheerfully.

Soon, the rest of the Light Squad raised their hands without objection.

As the person whose name they were discussing, Ludwig stood there with veins bulging on his forehead, fury boiling inside him like a volcano on the verge of eruption.

Watching these people completely ignore his existence while casually changing his name, he finally reached his limit.

"Enough!"

The Light Squad, having settled on his new name, turned toward him in perfect unison and stared at him with bright, attentive eyes.

Ludwig was breathing hard with rage. He pulled a high-ranking magic staff from his storage ring and aimed it at Shu Li and the others, his face twisted with fury.

"Get this through your heads! My name is Ludwig Snowor, designated heir to the Grand Lord of the Snowor family of the northern Pross Empire! Commoners like you aren't even worthy of speaking my name!"

"Apologize to Young Master Ludwig!"

His three lackeys hurriedly pulled magic staffs from their storage pouches.

"You want to fight?" Amanda's eyes widened.

"They seem really angry," Angel observed.

"A fight? I like fights!" Dixio immediately whipped out his magic staff, eager to begin.

"Fighting in the dining hall probably isn't a good idea, is it?" Budno said, even as his right hand produced a magic staff and raised it high.

"There are only four of them, while there are ten of us. We don't want anyone accusing us of ganging up on them, so let's send out four people too!" Shu Li said. "Who else wants in?"

"Me, me, me—"

Amanda, Siti, and Nasha all gripped their magic staffs and assumed combat stances, ready to cast.

Hector reached out desperately to stop them. "Don't..."

This was bad. The conflict was escalating!

It was all his fault. He shouldn't have gotten carried away thinking about making powerful connections. He had forgotten his current circumstances and insisted on joining the Light Squad, only to drag his teammates into trouble that had nothing to do with them.

Ever since his parents died, he shouldn't have allowed himself to hope for anything.

Ace placed a hand on his shoulder and said calmly, "It's all right. You have to trust Sperien."

Hector involuntarily looked toward the black-haired boy at the front.

Although Shu Li hadn't taken out his magic staff, his entire body was poised for battle, as though astonishing power might erupt from him at any moment.

Never in Ludwig's life had he suffered this kind of humiliation. Everyone who learned his identity immediately fawned over him. Yet these reckless fools actually dared point magic staffs at him!

"I'll make you kneel and beg for mercy!"

He raised his magic staff and rapidly began chanting.

"Great God of Water—"

Clang—!

The sudden ringing of a sword pierced the air so sharply that everyone's ears buzzed. Pain stabbed through Ludwig's ears, abruptly breaking his incantation.

When he recovered, he was stunned to discover a golden longsword pressing down on his magic staff.

"Who are you?" he snarled, glaring furiously at the sword's owner.

The next instant, his pupils contracted slightly.

The newcomer was a young man who appeared to be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight, with brown hair, black eyes, handsome features, and a tall build. His presence was imposing, carrying both the aura of magic and the sharp edge of a swordsman. Although he wore a high-ranking magic robe, an ornate, gem-studded scabbard hung at his waist.

Holding the sword one-handed, the young man regarded Ludwig with a cold expression and piercing eyes. With the slightest pressure, he effortlessly forced Ludwig's magic staff downward.

Unwilling to concede, Ludwig glanced toward the young man's left breast, wanting to see what rank of magical badge was pinned there.

...Senior Mage.

Tch.

He had thought this person might actually be someone impressive. He was only a Senior Mage.

"Who are you?" Ludwig demanded through gritted teeth.

The lackey standing to his left saw the newcomer and shuddered. He hurriedly put away his magic staff and tugged at Ludwig's robe.

"Young Master Ludwig, put your magic staff away. Quickly."

If Ludwig were the sort of person who listened, he wouldn't be Ludwig.

He sneered. "I won't."

A cold gleam flashed through the brown-haired young man's eyes.

He exerted the slightest pressure.

Ludwig's fingers abruptly went numb.

Clatter!

The magic staff slipped from his hand and fell to the floor.

"What?"

Ludwig stared in disbelief.

The brown-haired young man gave him an indifferent glance, smoothly sheathed his golden sword, and turned toward Shu Li and the others.

The instant he had appeared, Shu Li and his companions had tacitly put away their magic staffs. Now, when he looked their way, they all simultaneously gave him bright, harmless smiles.

The brown-haired young man's gaze flickered.

Without changing expression, he said, "St. Velia Magic Academy prohibits private fights between students. Since you're new students and aren't familiar with the academy rules yet, you'll receive a verbal warning this time."

"Sorry. We'll be more careful from now on," Shu Li obediently admitted.

Dixio, Angel, Budno, and Amanda followed suit.

"Sorry. We'll be more careful from now on."

Kumandi and Ace said nothing.

Hector said shamefully, "I'm sorry. This is all my fault. They had nothing to do with it."

Siti bristled. "Why are you apologizing? They're the ones who should be saying sorry!"

Nasha nodded in agreement. "They deliberately tried to steal our seats and insulted us. Then, when they couldn't win the argument, they tried to threaten us with force. They're the ones in the wrong."

Ludwig trembled with rage. Pointing at the brown-haired young man, he demanded, "Who the hell are you to interfere in my affairs?"

The young man remained unmoved by his fury.

"Anyone who violates academy rules will be expelled."

Ludwig was accustomed to acting however he pleased at home. There was no way he could swallow this humiliation.

He picked up his magic staff and aimed it at the brown-haired young man.

His three lackeys nearly had heart attacks. All three lunged forward and restrained him.

"Young Master Ludwig, put your magic staff away!"

"That's Senior Seriu! He trains in both magic and swordsmanship, and he also helps enforce discipline at the academy."

"That's right! He's only a Senior Mage, but his combat strength is comparable to an Intermediate Magic Instructor."

Ludwig frowned at their words and finally reined in his temper.

His rage had clouded his judgment just now, nearly making him lose control. After hearing his lackeys' warnings, some of his reason returned.

As one of the heirs of a great noble family, he wasn't stupid.

Being expelled would be far too humiliating. He absolutely could not allow that to happen.

He shot Hector a vicious glare and left him with a threat.

"Just you wait!"

With a dramatic sweep of his magic robe, Ludwig stalked away with his lackeys following behind him.

Shu Li spread his hands, utterly unable to understand the thought process of these spoiled young nobles.

This wasn't the Pross Empire. Ludwig couldn't throw his weight around here. If he had any brains, he would put away that young-master attitude. Otherwise, if he caused real trouble, his family's influence was too far away to save him.

Then he'd just have to wait for someone to cut him down to size!

Having settled the dispute between the new students, Seriu turned away coldly. As he passed a nearby table, he picked up the tray he had left there with one hand, found an empty seat, and resumed eating his breakfast at an unhurried pace.

"That annoying guy is finally gone." Budno rubbed his stomach. "I'm starving. Can we eat now?"

"I'm hungry too," Amanda said pitifully.

As a young dragon, he had an astonishing appetite. But to maintain his disguise as a human, he couldn't eat much at meals. Instead, he supplemented his diet in the middle of the night with sea fish from his storage ring.

Unfortunately, the journey to the magic academy had taken a month, and his storage ring was running low on supplies.

"Let's take turns getting food," Shu Li said.

They needed someone to hold the seats. If everyone left at once, other students might take the table.

As for him and Ace, they would just have to find two extra chairs and squeeze in with everyone else.

The Light Squad immediately sprang into action, with half going to get food while the other half guarded the table.

Five minutes later, all ten of them were enjoying a fragrant breakfast.

Shu Li had gotten lucky and found two spare chairs, allowing him and Ace to sit with the others.

The food at St. Velia Magic Academy was excellent. The fruit and vegetables were fresh, the meat had been cleaned and prepared meticulously, and whether roasted, stewed, or fried, every dish looked and smelled delicious. The milk was rich and sweet, the bread soft and fluffy, and the wheat cakes crisp enough to make it difficult to stop eating.

"Mmm, mmm! So good!"

Budno and Amanda, the two food lovers of the group, ate with obvious delight.

Shu Li took several bites of his wheat cake and murmured thoughtfully.

This texture...

It was every bit as good as what the Fairies made. The quality of the flour in particular was astonishingly high.

Could it be... wheat exported from the Elven Kingdom to the Central Court?

It was possible!

Danlov was the Elven King's eldest disciple. Perhaps they had been cooperating in secret for a long time.

"Hector, what's the story between you and that Ludwig guy?" Shu Li asked the human young man sitting across from him.

The other members of the Light Squad all slowed their eating and looked at Hector.

Hector set down the bread in his hand and paused.

So now he could suddenly remember Ludwig's name correctly?

Shu Li blinked and flashed him a toothy grin.

He was all grown up now and had mastered more than ten languages. He was no longer that Fairy cub who constantly mangled people's names.

Of course, when he got flustered, his tongue still slipped every now and then.

Hector sighed and lowered his head.

"First, I owe all of you an apology."

"Huh? Why?" Budno asked, his cheeks stuffed with food.

Hector smiled bitterly. "I've brought trouble on all of you."

Before he was strong enough to protect himself, he shouldn't have tried to make more friends. Otherwise, he would only bring disaster down on them.

"One of Ludwig's elders is a Saint Mage at the Magic Tower." Hector clenched his fist, regret filling his voice. "He definitely won't let this go after leaving today."

Kumandi frowned. "The Magic Tower?"

Shu Li tilted his head. "A Saint Mage?"

"That sounds pretty powerful!" Angel said.

But Danlov was a Mage Sovereign.

He was even more powerful!

"So... I'm sorry," Hector continued. "I shouldn't have dragged all of you into the feud between Ludwig and me."

Siti took a bite of her wheat cake and said indistinctly, "Don't rush to apologize. Tell us what the feud between you two is about first!"