Freechel felt more at home as she worked through her first week’s training schedule .
The training was tough, but it was also very refreshing for Freechel as she finally felt that she was learning something new . It finally felt like she was now attending the great school known as the Hebrion Academy .
Desir’s party taught her so many things and it all became fuel to further drive her studies . For example, she successfully completed casting [Watering], the so-called hardest First-Circle water magic to cast .
‘What’s in store for me tomorrow? What will I learn?’
Freechel’s confidence had increased . To the shock of other people that knew her, she now greeted everyone with delight . They asked her things like:
“Is this really Freechel?”
“… ?”
Freechel walked past a hallway and saw a crowd murmuring about something . Her feet naturally led her to the epicentre of the trouble .
It was where the lockers were located . Once there she saw a familiar face . She pushed herself through the crowd and as soon as she saw the face of the person sitting in the center of the crowd, she couldn’t help screaming .
“Erje!”
Erje was Freechel’s former party member . She was a pleasant person that was always surrounded by friends . Of course, Freechel was one of her friends . Erje was staring at her locker with a pale face .
Freechel was speechless when she saw the condition the locker was in . There was an unbearable scent wafting out from inside it . The intestines of some kind of animal were thrown into the locker and blood had splattered everywhere, even dripping down onto the floor .
“Oh, this…”
Freechel was familiar with the scene in front of her . It was all too familiar to her .
“Erje! Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
“Freechel… ?”
Erje turned her head and found Freechel in the crowd . Her eyes changed as if she had suddenly found herself face to face with a mortal enemy .
“Wh… What’s wrong, Erje?”
Erje wiped her tears with her sleeve before speaking .
“You’re such a hypocrite . You’re disgusting . ”
Freechel didn’t expect to hear this . Freechel and Erje were not best friends, but they were still relatively close . Freechel found herself without any clues as to why the Erje standing in front of her was consumed by hatred . Freechel’s face betrayed her bewilderment at this change of heart .
Erje manically grinned .
“If you didn’t leave, this wouldn’t have happened to me . ”
Her words tore Freechel’s heart into pieces .
“Who do you think I’m doing all of this for?”
All of this .
Hazing .
This was something that Freechel had been on the receiving end of up until she left the party . After she moved to Desir’s party, the bullying stopped .
She thought it had stopped .
No, it hadn’t . The target of it had just changed .
“It’s all because of you . Because you ran away . ”
“…”
The new target of the bullying was Erje . The charm that she usually displayed had completely disappeared .
“Get the fuck away . I don’t need your pity . ”
Erje turned around and started cleaning up her locker .
Freechel’s heart hurt so much . She was in this exact situation, getting bullied all the time up until recently, and nobody helped her . She was all alone . Freechel understood how Erje felt . She must be sad, miserable, and resentful .
But that’s all it was .
“Erje, I think you’re missing something . ”
Erje stopped moving her hands .
“It’s not me who you need to hate . I didn’t do anything wrong to deserve your blame . ”
“… What? I became the new target all because you transferred to another party! What the heck are you talking about?”
Erje growled .
“Why do you think it’s because of me? You are bullied because there are bullies out there! Stop trying to avoid reality . ”
“You became so ballsy, Freechel . Does your new party teach you how to lecture someone?”
*Click-clack*
A girl in a school uniform walked down the hallway .
Llada Iddel .
She was a member of the party that used to give Freechel’s previous party work and also happened to be the one that had bullied her .
“… I’m saying what needs to be said . I should have spoken up about this issue before . ”
Freechel stated with pure determination .
“Really? So what difference does talking about it now make? Whatever you say, it will only tickle me . ”
Llada said as she shook her hand as if shooing away a fly .
“I have no interest in you anymore . You better stay out of my way and watch from the sidelines . This has nothing to do with you . ”
“No, I can’t do that . ”
“What? You…”
“Now, I can see it so clearly . You are just a coward who only picks on the weak . ”
Freechel’s impassioned words had clearly upset Llada .
“Freechel, you seem to have misunderstood something . ”
Llada started casting magic .
“The fact that you are now in Desir’s party doesn’t mean that your blood has now changed . ”
It was a violation of the rules to cast magic in the school building, but Llada didn’t care . Second-Circle magic was hurled at Freechel .
[Empage]
Freechel cast defense magic, but she was only a First-Circle magician . Her magic couldn’t block it .
[Water Shield]
“Owww!!”
*Thud*
It didn’t do anything at all . Freechel’s defense magic was torn as if it was a thin piece of paper . A wooden fist struck her abdomen and she flew back into the lockers .
“Arrgghh…”
Llada had clearly heard Freechel moaning in pain but she didn’t care . She walked towards Freechel and stomped on her back . It didn’t look like anyone would step up to stop her rampage . She walked back a few steps and then cast another Second-Circle spell .
[Root Binding]
*Crack*
From the magic web, tree branches spread out and wrapped Freechel’s body . The pressure it exerted was overwhelming .
“Now, repeat after me . ‘I as a worthless commoner, blamed a noble, and therefore deserve death . ’”
“… You are the worst . ”
“Well, if you say so . ”
The tree branches started to tighten even further around Freechel’s body . Her bones were at extreme risk of breaking into pieces, assuming she could withstand this pain for much longer .
However, Freechel didn’t let any sound of discomfort escape her lips .
“That’s enough . ”
*Snap*
Some unknown force instantly destroyed Llada’s magic . The tree branches around Freechel disappeared .
“You!”
“Get away from Freechel . ”
It was Desir . He slowly walked toward the girls and gestured with his hand . Llada felt embarrassed, but she knew how strong Desir was . She stepped backward .
Llada didn’t notice Desir’s casting . His magic and capability were so overwhelmingly strong that her ability was nothing great in front of Desir .
“Desir…”
Freechel got up as she coughed . Desir noticed some bruises on her skin . He also saw some red marks here and there too .
“I tried so hard not to yell at students . ”
Desir sighed as he continued walking .
Llada felt the rage emanating from Desir and instinctively walked backward in an attempt to escape . But she found herself backed into a wall . There was no where else to go .
“This is too much . ”
[Slate]
[Create Marsh]
Llada felt her back start to get wet . It then felt as if the wall was about to swallow her whole . She stirred her body into action to get away from it, but as she moved her body sank into the wall faster .
“Wa… Wait! What are you doing?”
In the span of just a second, her body was half-buried in the wall . She could only twitch her fingers .
“Get me out!”
“I wouldn’t bury you if I had to take you out so soon . ”
Llada tried to cast magic to escape, but Desir simply swung his hand and blocked her magic . Llada was truly helpless .
“Do you think you’ll be okay after this? If any professor comes by, you’re dead meat . ”
“Worry about yourself, kiddo . Your body is trapped in the wall under my Slate magic . I can rip your body into pieces very easily . ”
“What?”
Desir started casting magic again .
Llada sensed that she was in danger . She struggled in an attempt to free herself, however it was all in vain . After her struggles she found herself in the exact same place in the exact same wall .
The magic was almost complete .
“And this is magnifying magic . I usually use this to enlarge the size of an object, but today, I can use it to fill up the gaps and holes in the wall . ”
Desir’s finger swung in a curved shape towards where Llada was buried in the wall .
“Imagine if you were the hole in this wall . What would happen to you if I just closed up this hole?”
She’d be suffocated .
“… !”
“I guarantee that it’s pain on a whole other level to what you have experienced in your life so far . ”
*Grin*
Desir’s smile gave everyone a chill .
“Stop! This is enough! I understand what you’re trying to teach me!”
“Did you stop torturing others when you were told to stop?”
The magic cast started to glow .
“Aeeeeeiik!”
‘Is he even going to stop?’
Tears poured out of Llada’s eyes . She started sobbing uncontrollably . She was well past the point of caring about how shameful she would look . She then screamed .
“Sorry! I’m so sorry! Please forgive me!”
Her make-up blended with her tears and started to streak down her face . Her face became uglier as she cried and shouted . Desir didn’t seem to care . He continued with his magic .
“I’m so sorry! Please… Please forgive me!”
The magic was invoked and left Desir’s finger . Llada closed her eyes tight and screamed .
“Yaiiiikkkkkkk!”
Llada bounced out from the wall as if it had barfed her out .
“Screeeek!”
Llada didn’t feel any pain . It was strange . She carefully opened her eyes, and she saw Desir standing in front of her looking down on her with a bleak face .
“That’s how you say it . ”
“…”
Desir turned around and walked towards Freechel . He helped her to her feet .
“I’ll bring you to the medical center . ”
“How did you know I was here?”
Freechel inquired with a look of curiosity plastered on her face .
“I was walking by and sensed that someone cast magic . I just came by to check it out . I didn’t expect this . ”
If Freechel was only abused physically, then Desir wouldn’t have realised until it was too late .
“I’m so sorry, Freechel . I know you tried to solve this by yourself, but I couldn’t help myself from jumping in . ”
Freechel was beat up mercilessly . Desir couldn’t walk away from what he saw .
Freechel smiled at Desir .
“No, thank you very much Desir . Thank you for helping me . ”
Desir saw an unmistakable trace of agony concealed behind her smile . It was a bitter grin .