The recent days have been peaceful for Maya Evergreen. With the academy on break, she spent a leisurely time.
She returned home to visit her family. Coming from an 'ordinary' farming family, she always found it difficult to adapt to city life.
Rather than participate in the noble activities in the city, she preferred to immerse herself in nature and ancient things.
This was also why she became the president of the History and Art Club. She was very interested in historical things, and art was also a topic she liked to discuss.
However, due to her preferences, she inevitably felt a little tired after returning to the academy. She was once again surrounded by reinforced concrete buildings, where no trace of nature could be found.
"Why do they like this kind of architecture? It's so strange."
After returning to the academy, life remained as ordinary as ever. Although there were some changes in the courses, she didn't mind. She was inherently good at learning, and no matter how things changed, she believed she could easily adapt.
This was not only her pride as the top student of the second year but also her pride as a mage. Without this confidence, she wouldn't have been able to maintain this position.
"How is my junior doing lately?"
Based on her intuition, she made a bold decision to invest in her junior. Now, she was full of curiosity about the changes in her junior.
"I hope he does well in the mid-term exams."
She clearly remembered that the difficulty of last year's mid-term exams was not high.
"If it's him, I believe he can definitely do well."
She understood her junior's talent and ability and was sure that he could at least improve by 500 places.
"That should be enough."
She muttered to herself while putting down the water bottle in her hand. Even though her mind wasn't fully focused on mana control, she still demonstrated amazing control.
Grumble~
"Ah, I'm hungry."
Whenever Maya trained mana control in the Elemental Room, she always forgot the time.
"It's time to eat."
With these thoughts in mind, she slowly walked out of the Elemental Room and headed towards the cafeteria.
For Maya, this was her daily routine: training in the Elemental Room, then enjoying a hearty lunch in the cafeteria. She would relax here while observing the academy's dynamics and the performance of other students.
"Hmm?"
As she walked into the cafeteria, the scene before her surprised her. Her keen senses quickly picked up on the tense atmosphere permeating the cafeteria. As someone exceptionally sensitive to mana, she immediately focused her attention on a group of students.
In the noisy cafeteria, she saw a student quietly reaching for a hidden thin needle. This small movement seemed casual but actually concealed malicious intent. With her excellent eyesight and talent, Maya immediately noticed the threat.
'He... is he trying to stab someone?'
Maya assessed the situation. Years of training and sensitivity to mana fluctuations allowed her to immediately detect the anomaly. She noticed the bully's nervous movements and the subtle details of the impending attack.
Although she had assessed the situation, her distance made it impossible to intervene in time.
'Not good!'
However, to her surprise, the targeted student slightly shifted his body, skillfully dodging the sneak attack.
It was also at this moment that Maya's gaze locked onto the spared student.
'Junior?'
This person was the junior she had just been thinking about.
Maya immediately made a decision. Without hesitation, she quickly moved through the crowded cafeteria with firm and rapid steps.
As she passed through the crowd, a familiar voice suddenly came, "Hey, Maya, over here!"
The voice was friendly, probably one of her classmates, but she ignored it and continued straight ahead.
"......" Because of this, she didn't notice the gloom on his face. Maya now had only one thought in her mind, to intervene in this dispute as soon as possible.
This was the first time in a long time that she felt angry.
'We are all classmates, why would you do such a thing?'
Sneak attacking an innocent person from behind? What kind of student would do such a thing? Even if it wasn't her junior, Maya would never tolerate such behavior.
And what angered her even more was that the students who tried to stab her junior began to push the blame onto him.
"Enough!"
Maya's dignified voice echoed through the noisy cafeteria like a sharp blade, instantly cutting through the tense atmosphere.
Her usually gentle blue eyes were now coldly locked onto the three students.
"Why are you ordering me around? Didn't you see him almost make me fall?"
The student standing in front of her showed no respect, his attitude rude.
And the other onlookers nervously swallowed.
"Someone like him deserves to be punished."
The student's words made Maya's eyes narrow slightly.
"I just saw everything that happened here," she replied coldly, her voice powerful and firm.
"Then why are you stopping me? Doesn't he deserve to be punished?"
Maya stood her ground without the slightest fear. "Everyone is responsible for creating chaos in the cafeteria, especially when that chaos involves harming others."
After saying this, Maya skillfully controlled the small vines around her, flexibly extending them towards the poison needle hidden under the student's clothes.
Her movements were quick and precise, her fingertips gently pinching the needle, exposing it to the air.
Maya's gaze coldly landed on the student who had tried to harm her junior with the poison needle. "Why are you hiding this kind of thing under your clothes?" she questioned, her tone firm and uncompromising. "The academy clearly prohibits carrying hidden weapons, especially poisoned weapons. Can you explain this?"
Being exposed and facing Maya's outburst of anger stunned the student, his face turning paler and paler. The anger emanating from Maya surrounded him like an invisible force, making it almost impossible for him to breathe and causing him great unease.
"I... it's not what you think!" the student stammered, sweat constantly dripping from his forehead. He desperately tried to find a reasonable explanation, but the situation before him made him panic.
Not only was Maya putting pressure on him, but even the surrounding students were changing their opinions under her aura.
'This task was supposed to be simple.'
The student's heart was filled with despair. Originally, the task was just to embarrass Morse, nothing more. Considering that Morse was an orphan with no background and the worst student in the first year, he never considered refusing. As long as he completed the task, he would receive a reward, which he could use to buy the resources he wanted.
His family was already struggling after paying for his tuition, and his father was running around everywhere for it.
He needed to prove himself, but reality was exceptionally difficult. Facing so many talented and powerful people, he realized he was almost worthless. This left him with only one path.
Seeking resources by any means, even if it might harm others. And now, things had spiraled out of control.
He looked towards those who had ordered him to act, only to find that they had already turned their heads away.
'Hmm?'
As if they didn't care about what was happening at all.
'I've been abandoned.'
He felt like a discarded dog, realizing that he had been abandoned.
"I was just following orders......"
He wanted to defend himself, saying that someone had instructed him to do so, but before he could finish speaking, something sudden interrupted him.
Bang! Crack!
A heavy crashing sound echoed through the cafeteria, and the student was slammed onto the table, causing the surrounding onlookers to exclaim.
"Sorry... I really couldn't hold back." The attacker, with a threatening expression, looked down at the pinned student, his hand tightly gripping the other's collar. "You talk too much, and I don't have the patience to listen."
Maya's expression became serious. The attacker was her classmate, and she was familiar with him.
"Trevor, what are you doing? This isn't how we solve problems in the academy," Maya responded calmly, disapproving of his approach.
Trevor smiled slightly and replied in a relaxed tone. "Maya, I'm just making sure justice is served. This person was creating chaos here, and I'm just taking the necessary measures to maintain order. You know how important the academy's reputation is. As a senior, it's my duty to help our juniors get on the right path, right?"
Maya sighed, narrowed her eyes, and expressed skepticism about Trevor's explanation. Just as she was about to respond, Trevor walked towards Morse, his gaze locked on him.
"Are you a freshman this year?" he asked, slowly extending his hand.
"I'm Trevor Phillips, a second-year Hunter major. Nice to meet you."
Morse extended his hand and shook Trevor's. On the surface, the handshake seemed polite, but a tense atmosphere permeated between them, their eyes communicating silently. "Morse Scott, a first-year Hunter major. Nice to meet you," Morse replied, his face expressionless.
Trevor held the handshake a little longer than normal, saying with a seemingly friendly smile. "Remember, junior, everyone in the academy has their place. It's best not to approach people you shouldn't, especially when you're new here."
Morse nodded, his face showing no change. "I'll keep that in mind, senior."
"However, I'm especially good at chasing away drooling dogs, so don't worry."
