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“Die, you faggot!”
A massive fist, accompanied by a chilling cold wind, collided with Kolen’s disgusting face, producing a dull thud.
In the moment of silence in the training ground, it rang out particularly clearly.
Everyone was stunned, including Teacher Kaide.
In an instant, many eyes stared in shock at the sudden turn of events in the arena, rendered speechless.
Only Mu’en, watching the delicate-feigned, disgusting man contorting under his fist, flying backward and collapsing without even a scream, immediately felt a wave of relief wash over him.
“Phew… That felt good.”
He took a deep breath, feeling his spirits lift.
In the words of a cultivation novel, his thoughts were clear and bright.
What did noble upbringing matter? What did external appearances matter? It was unparalleled to have taken down that disgusting homo first.
If it weren’t for Teacher Kaide still being present, knowing he would certainly have no chance to strike again, he would have rushed over for another strike.
“Mu’en Campbell!”
But the initial thrill of hitting someone quickly turned into a mountain of pressure that bore down on Mu’en, causing his stance to wobble.
Teacher Kaide unleashed a deafening roar of anger, a powerful aura rising from him.
What did he see?
Someone actually struck at another teacher in his class, right in front of him?
This was the Empire’s top academy, St. Maria Academy; even the princess would just be an ordinary student here, subject to the academy’s rules!
“Mu’en Campbell! What on earth are you doing?”
Teacher Kaide reached out his large hand towards Mu’en; no matter what, he had to subdue this lawless brat first.
But just as his hand reached out, he saw Mu’en raise both hands, performing a standard military salute from a certain country in his past life:
“Wait, wait, wait, Teacher Kaide, I’m afraid of pain, don’t grab me, I won’t run.”
“You!”
Teacher Kaide’s hand froze.
To hit someone and not run, and even to remain this calm, he had never seen anyone so outrageous before!
“Mu’en Campbell, do you know what you’ve done? Hitting a teacher in St. Maria Academy, even with your special status, you must face severe punishment!” Teacher Kaide’s gaze darkened.
“Indeed, hitting a teacher should be punished.”
Mu’en nodded, then spread his hands, saying:
“But I did not hit a teacher.”
He paused, speaking earnestly:
“I hit a mountain bandit, a disgusting mountain bandit. I merely saw a mountain bandit sneak into the academy and acted to eliminate the threat.”
“You’re still spouting nonsense!”
Teacher Kaide was nearly dizzy with rage:
“You’ve repeatedly slandered an upright and excellent teacher. What are your intentions?”
“I’m not slandering; I’m stating the truth.”
“You—bastard!”
Teacher Kaide was so furious that he almost wanted to personally teach Mu’en a lesson.
But this was the academy; as a teacher, he did not have the authority to impose private punishment.
Let alone to someone of Mu’en’s status.
So he was also mulling over how to properly handle this matter.
At that moment, the students in the audience, after a brief shock, gradually began to process what had happened.
What was going on?
That Mu’en Campbell actually struck a teacher?
So thrilling?
Most students were merely eager spectators wanting to see the drama unfold.
So upon witnessing such a rare event, they immediately erupted into excited discussions.
In fact, at this moment, nearly all onlookers were caught up in the excitement and noise of witnessing something juicy, after all, even if their impressions of Kolen had been positive before, they did not have any real connection with him.
Thus, not many people thought about who was right or wrong.
Until—
“Mu’en Campbell, how could you do such a thing?”
A sudden accusation rang out, cutting clearly through the noise.
The arena fell silent again.
Mu’en’s gaze sharpened as he quickly scanned the audience.
Nothing to be found.
The voice came from a noticeably different position than the first time.
“Yeah, Mu’en Campbell, how could you hit a teacher?”
“Hitting a teacher is wrong!”
“Teacher Kolen is such a good person…”
“Mu’en Campbell, even if you are the duke’s son, you shouldn’t act like this! The academy is not a place where you can do as you please…”
“Apologize quickly.”
“Yeah, apologize!”
Seeing someone take the lead to rally against him, some students, brimming with a sense of justice but previously hesitant because of Mu’en’s status, suddenly found no reason to hold back.
The first bird gets the shot, but now that someone has stepped up, what was there to fear?
And even if Mu’en Campbell held power, there were many of them, including high-ranking nobles; he couldn’t take them all down, could he?
Thus, righteous accusations filled the air.
Some even turned red-faced, reveling in the rush of playing the brave against the evil dragon.
That’s right, relying on his identity as the duke’s son to do as he pleased, Mu’en Campbell was the evil dragon.
And they were the brave warriors clinging to justice and righteousness, unafraid of authority.
Normally, they would be submissive and wouldn’t dare challenge him, but now that they stood on moral high ground, could they not point fingers at him?
—At that moment, whatever Mu’en had done no longer mattered.
“You…”
Teacher Kaide frowned, finally realizing that the students’ emotions seemed somewhat off, just as he was about to intervene—
“If you hadn’t said anything, I would’ve almost forgotten.”
A clear voice echoed as Mu’en stepped forward, standing in front of the crowd.
He straightened his somewhat disheveled student uniform from the earlier altercation, looked at everyone, and displayed an unassailable warm smile:
“I, Mu’en Campbell, am a well-known duke’s son, you know.”
“……”
The arena fell silent immediately.
Everyone stared at Mu’en in shock.
What’s happening?
Was Mu’en Campbell really going to stand against so many people by leveraging his status as the duke’s son?
“Even if he is the duke’s son, he cannot do as he pleases!”
From the crowd, a voice spoke up.
“That’s right, even the duke’s son cannot do as he pleases.”
“Mu’en Campbell, you are too arrogant and tyrannical!”
“Apologize to the teacher first.”
More voices joined in agreement.
“No, I think you misunderstand my intentions.”
Facing the numerous accusations, Mu’en remained unfazed.
His gaze was scanning the crowd while he calmly continued:
“I don’t intend to pressure anyone with my status; I simply want to prove to you that I’m right.”
“How do you prove that?”
“Did I not say? I am the duke’s son.”
Mu’en looked at everyone, smiling, but his tone was unusually cold:
“How long do you think it would take, with the resources of the duke’s mansion, to verify a person’s identity?”
“……”
“A day should be sufficient.”
Mu’en turned to Kaide:
“Teacher Kaide, what do you say? If I find out that Kolen is a mountain bandit, is my previous action still a mistake?”
“This…”
Kaide frowned.
If Kolen really was a mountain bandit, then Mu’en’s actions would naturally have been justified.
In fact, the academy would have to commend Mu’en for exposing a dangerous individual lurking within its walls.
But…
How could a perfectly fine teacher suddenly turn out to be a mountain bandit?
The disparity in identity was just too great.
And this teacher Kolen was so robust, vigorous, and eloquent; he really fit the kind of qualities he admired.
So when the Pink Bear suggested he come as his teaching assistant, he had been rather pleased.
However, upon calming down to think about it, while Mu’en Campbell had a bad reputation, he truly had no reason to suddenly target a teacher.
“I can’t believe…”
Kaide recalled the Pink Bear’s historically unreliable demeanor, a sudden sense of foreboding struck him.
……
“But what if you fabricate the results?”
Just as some began to think Mu’en’s words might carry some credibility, a drifting voice chimed in again.
Like a stone bouncing over a calm lake, it stirred up new ripples.
Thus, the ‘just’ warriors found ‘evidence’ of the evil dragon’s wickedness once again and eagerly pressed on:
“That’s right; you are the duke’s son. Framing someone should be easy for you.”
“If you’re given time, wouldn’t you put Teacher Kolen in danger?”
“Perhaps the duke’s mansion would even go as far as to kill and silence him. Oh, that’s terrifying!”
“Mu’en Campbell, we don’t believe you!”
Mu’en’s expression darkened slightly.
He felt that things were taking a turn for the worse; if public opinion was swayed in this direction, his identity would actually become a hindrance to the truth.
After all, most people would harbor extreme mistrust towards power that they couldn’t attain.
Forget them for now, then reveal the facts later, or say…
“Indeed, it is very easy to fabricate results afterward.”
At that moment, a cold voice suddenly echoed through the vast training ground.
“In that case, it’s better to prove it in front of everyone.”
The voice wasn’t very loud, yet it carried an inherent nobility and pride, instantly silencing the noisy arena.
“The student council president?”
“Celicia?”
Everyone instinctively turned their heads towards the silver figure that had appeared at the entrance of the training ground, looking puzzled.
“Student… student council president, are you going to side with Mu’en Campbell?”
That unsteady voice rang out again, trying to label Celicia as someone biased towards Mu’en from the outset.
However, this time, no one replied.
Because the name Celicia held too much weight.
Even though everyone knew she had a marriage contract with Mu’en Campbell, when she stood there, no one thought she would do something so trivial as “favoring Mu’en Campbell.”
As such, only one of the students who had been most fervent just now, turned pale and mustered the courage to ask:
“Wha… what do you mean by proving in front of everyone?”
Celicia glanced somewhere in the crowd, a hint of mockery flashing through her eyes, but she did not speak, instead turning to Mu’en and asking:
“Mu’en Campbell, will you be responsible for what you just said?”
Mu’en paused for a moment, then nodded vigorously:
“Of course.”
“Slandering and assaulting a teacher in St. Maria carries quite a serious accusation.”
“He is not a teacher; he is a mountain bandit,” Mu’en said earnestly.
Celicia stared into Mu’en’s eyes and, after a long moment, nodded suddenly:
“Alright then, I hope what you say is true.”
With that, she flipped her hand and took out a uniquely shaped Communication Stone.
Soon, the Communication Stone connected, and a respectful voice came through.
“Your Highness.”
“Connect me to the Third Intelligence Office of Bairland.”
“Yes.”
A burst of static came from the Communication Stone, and then another aged voice spoke up.
“What orders do you have, Your Highness?”
“Investigate all wanted individuals in Bairland and surrounding areas for the past three years. Keywords: mountain bandit, Kolen, scar, bald, male.”
“Yes.”
The Communication Stone fell silent.
Along with it, the vast training ground was plunged into quiet.
Everyone held their breath, staring in disbelief at the girl who casually wielded power beyond ordinary people’s imagination, not daring to speak too loudly.
Even Mu’en felt a rush of astonishment.
Indeed, it was Celicia; this aura that could uproot your entire lineage at a moment’s notice was irresistibly compelling.
But Mu’en also felt slightly nervous; what if Kolen wasn’t actually wanted…
“Your Highness, the results are in.” Soon, the Communication Stone stirred again.
“Speak.”
“Kolen Voso, mountain bandit, has been active in the mountains around Beipole Lake for three years. Notable features include a large scar on his face, with a strength level around peak Second Rank.”
“Peak Second Rank?”
Celicia raised an eyebrow: “Such a weak mountain bandit has managed to stay active for three years?”
The sound of pages flipping could be heard from the other end of the stone, as if referencing something.
“According to the report, while Kolen Voso’s cultivation is not high, he masters an unusual escape technique and is exceptionally cunning. Additionally, over these three years, he has only robbed money and not harmed anyone, so after several failed capture attempts, he was placed at the lowest priority, with a bounty of only five thousand Emyr.”
“Alright, I understand.”
Celicia abruptly hung up the Communication Stone.
Simply put, those below deemed this individual too difficult to catch, and after a few attempts at appearances, they stopped taking it seriously.
After all, he posed no real threat.
This was how he could be wanted while still wandering about without changing names or appearances.
“But what I didn’t expect was…”
Celicia’s eyes grew cold, “Our Pink Bear president really has made a big mess of things for me.”
No matter how low the threat level, he was still a mountain bandit.
Under normal procedures, ordinary teachers entering St. Maria tend to face multiple layers of screening; any hint of wrongdoing within three generations would disqualify them from this noble-heavy, brilliance-soaked top academy.
Yet such a prestigious institution, which wouldn’t even let someone in with a hint of illicit behavior, had allowed a mountain bandit to teach?
If this got out, the entire Empire would laugh at the academy!
Things the Evil God couldn’t manage, the Pink Bear nearly achieved with ease.
“The largest flaw in the academy turned out to be its headmaster?”
Celicia couldn’t help but laugh in anger.
But whatever, there was no need to get worked up over it; someone would clean up after him later.
Now…
Celicia looked down at Kolen, who lay on the ground.
“Are you still pretending to be dead, Mr. Mountain Bandit?”
“……”
“Ha.”
Seeing Kolen still motionless, Celicia reached out her hand, and an icy crystal long sword appeared in her grasp.
“Since you haven’t awakened, let me try my sword a bit.”
“Wait—wait, I’m awake, I’m awake! Please take that sword away!”
Kolen sprang up, terrified as he looked at the chilly long sword in Celicia’s hand:
“My technique of pretending to be dead can fool even a Fourth Rank warrior; how did you see through it?”
“I certainly couldn’t see through it.”
Celicia set down her sword and coldly replied:
“I just thought that with how soft and powerless Mu’en Campbell’s little body is, he shouldn’t have knocked you out for this long. I simply wanted to test you a little.”
