Chapter 16: Permission

A bright red laser as thick as a young man's slender wrist poured out of the Sentinel's orb and onto Yanael's shield, splattering the ground and air in vivid pink sparks. The force behind the laser was enough to push Yanael's feet backward, creating shallow trenches in the hardened soil.

The laser stopped after a couple of seconds. Yanael's shield had a scorch march at the center but was otherwise undamaged. The only thing hurt by the laser was Yanael's pride.

Even when she had anticipated and perfectly defended against the laser, it had still been enough to push her backward.

It had nothing to do with their respective ranks.

Yanael didn't care too much about being an S-rank or that the Sentinel was A-rank.

She was an angel. She wasn't going to let a flying stone push her back.

What if she had been in a position where she stood in front of Zach and was under attack?

Logically, he would be able to back away since the laser wasn't that powerful and only pushed her back less than a step each second it was active.

But the mere fact that the laser pushed her back was the problem.

What if it had been more powerful?

Yanael couldn't guarantee a perfect defense and the safety of her master.

She was tempted to go all out and show the Sentinel what would happen if it attacked her or Zach for real. But above all else, Yanael couldn't lose her composure.

So, she took a moment to calm down before raising her shield again and sprinting toward the Sentinel, her feet disappearing beneath her dress.

The Sentinel's head spun, and its glowing eyes blinked as it met Yanael's charge with raised swords and orb-carrying claws.

Yanael acted like she didn't even see the Sentinel and rammed straight into it with her shield knocking it back. Before it could right itself in the air, Yanael lunged forward with her sword sweeping through the air like a swift breeze.

The Sentinel's arm twisted and raised one of its sword arms to block the strike. The position would have been impossible for a human or anyone with bones and muscles to maintain in the face of Yanael's powerful strike.

But the Sentinel's strength wasn't bound to anything like the tensing and relaxing of muscle fibers strapped to a flimsy skeleton. It could use its full strength in any position.

Yanael pressed her sword against the Sentinel's to gauge its strength and durability. She then used the rebound to hop back and deflect another laser. She raised her sword…

"Stop! Cease this fight right now!" Instructor Jarron shouted while running over from a nearby exit.

As Zach looked around, he noticed that they had attracted a minor crowd of spectators. Yanael and the Sentinel hadn't fought for long, but they had made enough of a ruckus for the students nearby to hear and come watch.

"You two! With me!"

Jarron walked up to Zach and Dukiel and picked them up by their collars before storming off with them. The crowd quickly dispersed.

Jarron dragged Zach and Dukiel into his office before throwing them into separate chairs.

"What were you two doing?! What were you thinking, having your familiars fight like that?! I thought you two got along!"

Zach and Dukiel glanced at each other, more than a little confused.

"Aren't we here to become stronger summoners? What's wrong with asking our familiars to spar?" Zach voiced his doubts as soon as Jarron was silent long enough for him to speak.

Jarron looked at Zach like the young noble was an upside-down ghost.

"Where does it say that you have to fight your friends' familiars to become stronger summoners?!"

Zach shrugged.

"I don't know. But I was just helping him understand his Sentinel and maybe learn how to activate his skill." Zach turned to Dukiel.

"How did that go by the way? You looked like something happened right at the start."

Dukiel nervously glanced in Zach's direction, still very much aware of Jarron's stewing anger.

"I—"

"Idiots! So you weren't settling a dispute or anything? You were just training?"

Zach tilted his head and looked at Jarron.

"Of course. Why would we be fighting?"

Jarron sighed and leaned back in his chair. He rested his hand on his palm as he closed his eyes and seemingly aged another year after what the principal had put him through.

"Idiots. You need permission to fight. And unless the two of you noticed, your familiars are pretty high-ranking. Even without much training, they can cause significant damage to the surroundings, each other, and anyone unfortunate enough to be nearby."

"Oh…" Dukiel answered meekly and hung his head in shame.

Zach was not the same. He leaned forward in his chair and looked at Jarron.

"Then, can we get permission or whatever so that we can pick up where we left off?"

Jarorn's face was frozen as he turned his creaking head to look at Zach.

"No!" Jarron's outburst spooked Zach back in the chair.

"You're forbidden from sparring! Both of you! Three weeks! You are banned from sparring or asking for permission to spar for three weeks!"

"But…—"

"Four!" Jarorn interrupted Zach before the latter could even try to make excuses or complain.

Zach bit his tongue.

'Unfair.'

He wanted to complain that no one had told them about the rule that said they had to ask for permission. But with Jarron being so obstinate and bossy, Zach could only grieve in silence.

Jarron ground his teeth for a few more moments while looking at Zach and Dukiel, only one of whom seemed apologetic or remorseful.

"Dismissed." Eventually, Jarron had enough. He still had to get through all the work the principal had saddled him with.

"Next time, read the student handbook before doing stupid shit."

Zach slowly turned around with his hand on the doorhandle to look back at Jarron in disbelief at what he had just heard. Sёarch* The Novёlƒire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

"There's a student handbook?"

"...Ah."