[Vol. 7] Chapter 128: There Seems to Be a Lot of Boomerangs Lately?
“Hah!? It really is you, you bastard! How dare you show up in front of me!?”
Hearing Violet’s obviously teasing remark, the red-haired young man immediately recognized her. His eyes widened in fury, and his first reaction was to turn to the two academy-uniformed bodyguards behind him and bark an order.
“Seize her!”
But before they could even make a move, Yulia had already stepped forward, placing herself between Violet and them, her expression completely emotionless.
“Ahem. Prince Xiluo, please mind yourself.”
Only then did Xiluo finally shift his gaze to the composed woman dressed in a pristine steward’s uniform. A flicker of realization crossed his eyes as he narrowed them.
“You’re… that one from headmaster Lucine’s side. Hmph. So, you’re protecting her? Are you planning to go against me? Or is this the headmaster’s will?”
Yulia, ever calm and collected, did not immediately reveal Violet’s identity. Instead, she kept her expression neutral and responded evenly.
“I wouldn’t dare offend Your Highness. However, this is Sainz Academy, which does not fall under imperial jurisdiction. Even as a prince, you still need a valid reason before you can detain someone, don’t you?”
“Reason? Hah! Ask her yourself, this woman dared to…!”
“Ah, Prince Xiluo, what’s going on now?”
Just as Xiluo was about to explode in anger, a robed middle-aged man, none other than the one he had just chewed out in the office, rushed out, drawn by the commotion. Other faculty members on the same floor also stepped out of their offices, their gazes filled with curiosity, apprehension, or thinly veiled disdain.
“Tsk…”
Realizing that things had escalated too much, Xiluo seemed to hesitate. Seeing that Yulia had no intention of backing down, he was forced to abandon his plan of taking Violet on the spot. He shot both women a fierce glare before storming off with his guards.
“…Just you wait.”
As he passed by, his low, venomous words reached Violet’s ears. But instead of being intimidated, a faintly amused smile curled at her lips.
“~”
Oh dear, this is going to be fun.
With the troublemaker forced to leave, the gathered faculty members quickly lost interest and dispersed, leaving behind only two young women and the middle-aged man who had conveniently stepped in, pretending to mediate, but in reality, using the situation to defuse the conflict.
Yulia frowned slightly as she watched Xiluo and his guards disappear down the corridor.
“Lady Violet…”
“Alright, alright, I know what you’re about to ask,” Violet waved a hand dismissively.
“I ran into that guy while traveling with some friends a while back. We got into an argument, and I might have given him a bit of a beating. But he was the one who started it! And besides, we had no idea he was a prince at the time…”
Hmm… Even if they had known, she probably still would’ve hit him.
“W-what?! You beat up Prince Xiluo?!”
The middle-aged teacher, who had been about to walk over, flinched so hard that he nearly dropped his staff. Even Yulia’s expression stiffened for a moment, clearly displeased.
“So there’s bad blood between you two… No wonder he was so furious. Even knowing I’m the headmaster’s aide didn’t make him back down at all. This could be troublesome, we need to inform Her Highness immediately…”
“Is it really that big of a deal? And what’s his deal, anyway? Why is an imperial prince from Austre Empire even at Sainz Academy?”
With a resigned sigh, Yulia explained.
“As you’ve just seen, Xiluo Frederick, son of the current Emperor, 25 years old. He’s the only royal family member sent to study here as an official representative of the empire. He’s been at the academy for over six years now. Early on, he was personally chosen by the Swift Wind Sword Sword Saint as a disciple, and he’s one of the most renowned martial artists of his year. He’s also the president of Lionheart Society, one of the academy’s three major student organizations.”
“Prince Xiluo has a notoriously short temper and believes in strength above all else. He never lets a grudge go and has a lot of loyal followers. He even holds some indirect influence in the academy’s governing council. His reputation is extremely polarizing, many dislike him, but he also has a significant number of devoted supporters. Few dare to openly oppose or offend him.”
“…One of the top martial artists, huh?”
Instead of acknowledging Yulia’s clear warning, Violet just pulled a skeptical face and muttered about something completely unrelated.
She hadn’t forgotten.
Back in the lawless zones of the Human United Kingdom’s southern region, she had personally witnessed Xiluo and his gang get effortlessly tossed out of a window, one by one by Epunia.
Not a single one of them could put up any resistance. Sure, that guy called the “Battle Maniac” was a seasoned Legendary-tier warrior, and as a half-beastman, his strength was naturally overwhelming. But even so, watching Xiluo get thrown around like that made it really hard to associate him with the title of “martial arts expert.”
“In any case, I’ll report this matter to Lady Lucine and let her handle it,” Yulia continued.
“However, you should know that Prince Xiluo is a central figure in the imperial faction at the academy. His relationship with Lady Lucine has always been strained. While he might not dare to take direct action against you due to your status and the headmaster’s influence, there’s no guarantee he won’t try something behind the scenes. Please be extra careful during this time, Lady Violet…”
“Yeah, yeah, same old warning, right?”
“…Mm.”
Yulia gave her a few more concerned reminders but didn’t press the issue. Instead, she shifted her attention to the middle-aged teacher who had been standing awkwardly on the sidelines.
“Alright, let me introduce you. This is Lord Ismael, one of the key figures in Lady Lucine’s faction and the head of resource management at Sainz Academy City. He oversees the distribution of more than half of the academy’s supplies. Additionally, Lord Ismael is a highly skilled alchemist and played a crucial role in the recent development of magitech railway systems.”
“Oh, please, Yulia, you’re giving me far too much credit. All I did was provide some initial concepts and help fine-tune the material composition of the power cores. I hardly qualify as a key figure…”
Ismael had the air of a gentle scholar, mild-mannered and reserved. A row of small, keratin-like scales lined his forehead, hinting that he belonged to a rare demonic race. But such things weren’t uncommon at Sainz Academy.
Hearing Yulia’s praises, he glanced at the stunningly beautiful priestess standing before him, only to grow visibly flustered. He quickly lowered his gaze, hesitating slightly before instinctively raising a hand, seemingly about to offer a handshake.
“…!”
But the moment he noticed the odd look Violet was giving him, he immediately caught himself. In a smooth recovery, he switched to a formal Imperial-style chest salute and let out an awkward laugh.
“My apologies, my apologies! Bad habit of mine. You must be the legendary Priestess Violet, yes? I’ve heard many stories about you! It’s an honor to finally meet you! By the way, everything Yulia requested is ready. Please, follow me.”
Ismael enthusiastically led them into his office. Instead of diving straight into business, he first prepared two cups of hot tea for them. Only after that did he walk over to a storage cabinet, unlock the magical seal, and pull out a large, overstuffed package. He carefully placed it on the desk in front of Violet.
“Thank you for waiting! Here are the custom-made student uniforms and professor robes, along with the necessary identification, border pass stamps for entering and leaving the city’s barrier, and a few additional items Lady Yulia requested. Please check if anything is missing.”