Humyr's Point of View:

I couldn't help but whistle when I saw Maki's quick reaction—he jumped in to defend those elders with enviable speed. I like seeing someone so young with real guts; he's not afraid of the consequences as long as he follows his ideals. I'm growing fonder of our new friend by the minute. We all rushed toward them right after Maki punched the drunk in the stomach.

When I got there, I felt a huge pressure around the drunk man. He had recovered a bit from the hit and was trying to break free, but every attempt was crushed by Maki's Imra and mana. I've always been proud of my own Imra control—it's something I've excelled at since awakening my cube. I might even be among the top three students in the academy. But Maki… he has nothing to envy.

"What the hell were you thinking, idiot?" Those were the first words I heard from him. Earlier, we couldn't make out what the argument was about. Maki looked truly furious; I could feel his rage burning, almost suffocating the drunk man kneeling on the ground.

The drunk tried to speak but only moved his lips without producing a sound. The pressure from that strange skill of Maki's wouldn't let him. The vast difference in their foundations didn't help either—the younger one had better control of his mana, Imra, and even his Banner. Maki slightly loosened the pressure to let the drunk speak.

"Do you know who I am? Let me go, idiot! You don't know the consequences of touching me!" The man kept trying to conjure a skill, but Maki broke it apart by force with his Imra before it could even form.

"I couldn't care less who you are. You should be more worried about who I am." His killing intent leaked just enough to make the drunk sober up immediately. The air grew thick with murderous pressure, so much that even the poor old couple—emerald ranks—were suffocating.

"Control yourself a bit," Areci was the first to act. She placed a hand on Maki's shoulder and gestured toward the old couple with her lips. Maki looked at them and instantly hid all traces of his killing intent.

"Damn brats, you have no idea who you're messing with. You're all finished!" the idiot kept barking. Areci's face turned cold and terrifying, and when I looked at Brendu, I could only swallow hard and feel pity for the man.

"I'm Areci Pors, daughter of Susan Pors. He's Maki, my mother's protégé. Now, tell me more about these consequences you're talking about." The drunk's face went pale as soon as he heard their names—everyone in this city knows who the director is.

Brendu moved to Maki's other side and placed a hand on his shoulder. Her expression was pure disgust, as if she were looking at something lower than garbage. "Go on, keep talking. I, Brendu Qolud, will judge your words." Hearing the princess's name drained all color from the man's face. He froze, completely silent.

Everyone around us stopped moving, waiting to see what would happen next. Even the old couple stood frozen in place. First, there was Maki's suffocating killing intent, and now the revelation of two identities powerful enough to shake this whole territory.

A distant whistle echoed—the police were arriving. Most of the bystanders scattered the moment they recognized that familiar sound.

Maki's Point of View:

"I'm sorry, I moved without thinking. I didn't mean to get everyone involved in this mess." I bowed slightly to the group. When I saw that drunken fool about to strike that poor elderly couple, I lost control—my body moved before I could think of the consequences.

That idiot will get what he deserves in jail. He'll have to pay a massive fine for disturbing the peace and compensate the elders for psychological harm. My heart feels warm remembering their grateful words—they were terrified at first, but seeing their relief made me happy. At least I did something right today.

"Don't worry, that idiot got what he deserved. He'll probably lose all chances of inheriting his family's company. His father's a strict man—I know their family a bit. They've attended some of my mother's events," Areci explained. Apparently, the father had been torn between choosing this fool or his brother as heir.

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After today, the younger brother's chances are at 99%. No one wants an heir who's angered one of the region's leaders and a princess from a neighboring kingdom. If the father doesn't act decisively, all his efforts will go down the drain.

"It was nothing. I'd do that and more for you," Brendu said from beside me, winking in that way that made her intentions obvious.

"Next time, warn me first—I wanted to punch that bastard too." Humyr crossed his arms behind his head, his confident grin making me trust him even more. I appreciated the sentiment.

"I'm just glad no one got hurt. By the way, Maki, what was that skill? You completely locked him down—he couldn't even activate anything," Ogine asked curiously.

"It's something I've been practicing for months—a kind of prison that uses two of my affinities and my Imra. Recently, I've added my Banner to it. It was easy to capture someone that weak." The guy really was pitiful—one of the weakest sapphire ranks I've ever seen, with unstable foundations, probably built up through pills, cores, and other enhancers.

"Can you try it on me? I want to see how it works," Ogine asked suddenly. Odd request, but I had no reason to refuse.

"I'm in too. Sounds fun," Humyr said before I could start.

I released my mana—gravity mixed with ice—in two opposing directions, exerting strong pressure on every muscle to restrict their movements. My Imra projected over them to strengthen control, and whenever I sensed a hostile intent or spell formation, I struck their cubes with my willpower to disrupt them.

My Banner was the new element—it boosted everything, pressing harder against their cubes to stop them from using mana or Imra. It felt like my Banner actively sought out theirs to interrupt any attempt at action. I'd only managed to suppress that drunk so easily because he was weak. Against trained fighters like these two, it was harder—but not impossible.

If they wanted to break free, they'd have to go all out—and during that time, I could attack as I pleased. The only drawback was the activation delay; it took nearly two seconds to reach full strength, enough time for a sapphire rank to evade or counter it.

I tightened the pressure slightly, forcing them to struggle. Their surprised faces made me grin—they hadn't expected something that strong and suffocating. "What do you think?" I asked, winking before releasing them.

"Oppressive—it feels like being strangled," Ogine spoke first.

"Splendid. A fine use of mana, Imra, and Banner," Humyr added, giving me a thumbs-up.

"Enough training. Let's go visit some shops and have fun," Areci clapped her hands to get our attention, and Brendu lightly tapped my head.

"Come on, we've drawn enough attention. Let's lose ourselves in the crowd for a bit." Brendu reached for my hand but hesitated when she saw the people watching us.

I extended my hand toward her. "If you're not embarrassed, I can handle a few stares and rumors." She had jumped into danger beside me without hesitation—I owed her at least that much. Areci had also earned my loyalty; if she ever needs help, I'll be there.

"Embarrassed to walk with you? If I were, I wouldn't have done it back at the academy." She quickly took my hand. Areci was watching us with a smile I couldn't quite decipher. Now that I think about it… where's Shawu? She's been avoiding us all day. Just as I think that, she shows up carrying a ridiculous amount of food.

We told her everything that happened, and she looked a little sad about missing it. "I wish I'd been there—I would've punched him too. You did the right thing, Maki." It was the first time all day she looked directly into my eyes. Then she quickly glanced at Brendu and looked away. My brain connected the dots instantly—this traitor had been hiding to avoid being blamed.

"Really? I can't trust you after selling me out for desserts." I looked at Brendu, who was already laughing—she caught on immediately. "So, how did you figure out where I was last week?" Shawu gave her a pitiful look, silently begging not to be blamed.

"On my own. No one helped me," Brendu answered smoothly. Shawu nodded frantically. "Since no one helped me, I don't owe anyone anything." Shawu's mouth opened slowly as the meaning hit her. She opened and closed it a few times, speechless.

We stopped teasing her when Areci insisted we move along. Shawu walked like a zombie for a while. Apparently, her favorite desserts are a specialty from Brendu's kingdom, and the princess's personal chef is one of the best at making them—that's why Shawu can't find anything similar in this entire city.

We spent the next few hours having fun—tasting food, playing games, watching shows. But as all good things do, it came to an end. It was time to return to the academy and prepare for another week of classes and assignments. We all went back together the same way we came. Shawu had recovered and was now talking non-stop, trying to convince Brendu to sell her some pastries.

I felt my bond with the group grow stronger. I'd already considered them friends since that party, but now the feeling was deeper. Once home, I organized my things and checked my mail—there was a letter from Professor Gustav.

"Six student groups, each composed of five members." The main professor would handle more than half the class, leaving me with the incomplete ones. Tomorrow begins a new week!

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