The moment Lukas heard the voice, his fist stopped
The pressure vanished
He withdrew his punch and turned
"Lady Elice," he said, straightening slightly. "What brings you here?"
Whispers immediately spread through the classroom like wind through dry leaves.
"Lady Elice?"
"You mean that Lady Elice?"
"From the Imperial Court?"
"Look at her eyes…"
All heads turned toward the doorway.
There she stood
A pair of faintly glowing violet eyes looked calmly across the room
Every student recognized them instantly
In Eldria, noble clans were not defined by wealth or land
They were defined by bloodline techniques
Abilities that passed from parent to child like an inheritance written into the bones.
If a child was born without that gift…
They were no longer considered family.
For the royal bloodline, that gift was unmistakable.
Those violet eyes.
The Astrapyx.
An eye technique that allowed its wielder to lace lightning through any spell they cast.
Any spell the sorcerer casts gains a lightning arc around it. Fire spells crackle with electricity. Wind spells carry shocking currents.
Even a simple magic bolt can jump from one enemy to another like chain lightning.
"I'm here," Elice said calmly, "to stop the ongoing ruckus."
She stepped fully into the classroom.
The students finally saw her clearly.
A soft wave of stunned silence followed.
Her face was as neat and cute as that of a porcelain doll
Her flowing silver hair made her feel like a goddess sent to judge the earth
But what the hell was wrong with that ridiculously small cup size.
Raven shook his head in disappointment
"definitely not my type"
Elice's head instantly shot toward Raven "What did you just say"
Raven blinked, mildly surprised she had heard him.
Then he lazily pointed toward Lukas.
"I said he should definitely knot his tie."
"…What?"
Elice glanced at Lukas, and immediately understood.
His tie had twisted at a strange angle.
The top of his shirt had loosened during the attack, revealing part of his heavily built chest.
Lukas stiffened.
Without a word, he turned and fixed his collar.
"Tsk."
Elice turned to Raven again, her brows furrowed
"You're the Hart's family brat right?"
Raven arched a brow, and pointed at himself. "Me?"
Elice shook her head affirmatively.
"Oh... I don't recall identifying as brat though. Maybe you've had too many of them in your life so you just instinctively call same to anyone you see....."
fwooooshhh
The air in front of Raven exploded.
One moment Elice was standing several meters away.
The next—
She was gone.
No footsteps were heard
No warning.
Only a violent gust that swept across the classroom, ripping papers off desks and sending notebooks slamming shut.
Several students gasped as their hair whipped across their faces.
Before Raven could even move his hand to construct a barrier…
She was already there.
Right in front of him.
A blade of pale blue ice materialized in her hand mid-dash, condensing out of swirling frost and mana. The temperature around Raven instantly dropped several degrees as the sword formed completely.
The tip of the ice blade stopped less than an inch from his throat.
Cold vapor curled lazily around the edge.
The entire classroom froze.
No one had seen her draw a weapon.
No one had seen her cross the distance.
One blink.
That was all it took.
Raven's barrier had not appeared.
His fingers hadn't even twitched.
Elice leaned closer, the silver strands of her hair sliding across Raven's shoulder. Her violet eyes glowed faintly as she tilted the blade just enough for the sharp edge to graze the skin of his neck.
A thin line of frost formed instantly.
Anyone watching would have thought the transfer student was about to die.
But Raven didn't move.
Didn't blink.
Didn't even look at the blade.
His eyes stayed locked calmly on her face.
Behind them, several students had already stopped breathing.
Even Instructor Lukas narrowed his eyes slightly.
She was Fast.
So this is the strength of an imperial member
Elice's voice lowered until it was barely more than a whisper brushing Raven's ear.
"So this is the famous Raven Hart."
The ice blade shifted a fraction closer..
"I must admit… I expected someone a little less reckless."
Raven's expression didn't change.
But inside, his mind was racing.
Too fast.
He hadn't even sensed her move.
No mana surge.
No killing intent.
If she had aimed to kill him instead of threaten him…
His barrier would have come up too late.
That thought alone made his stomach tighten.
Still—
His face remained perfectly calm.
Elice continued speaking softly.
"I know everything about you."
Her voice was quiet.
But each word landed like a hammer.
"I know about the Hart clan."
"I know about the political mess your family left behind."
"And most importantly…"
Her violet eyes sharpened.
"I know exactly why you enrolled in this academy."
Raven's pupils shifted slightly.
Just slightly.
But Elice noticed.
Of course she noticed.
Her lips curved faintly.
"You're not here to study."
The ice sword traced lightly along the side of his neck as she leaned closer.
"You're here to cause problems."
"To provoke teachers."
"To break rules."
"To push the academy until it throws you out."
The frost along the blade crept slowly across Raven's collar.
"Chaos."
"That's your real goal."
Raven finally let out a quiet breath through his nose.
So she had done her homework.
Impressive.
But still…
He said nothing.
Elice's whisper grew colder.
"You planned to get expelled."
Her fingers tightened slightly around the hilt.
"But unfortunately for you…"
She paused.
Then delivered the final sentence like a knife sliding between ribs.
"That won't happen."
For the first time, Raven's eyes narrowed.
Just a little.
Elice leaned even closer until her lips were right beside his ear.
"Because before you arrived…"
"Your brother contacted the academy."
That single word echoed in Raven's head.
Brother.
The air around him seemed to grow heavier.
Elice's voice dropped even lower.
"He made a very specific request."
The ice blade pressed faintly against Raven's neck.
"Keep Raven Hart inside the academy."
"No matter what."
Raven's fingers slowly tightened on the stone he had picked up earlier.
But his face stayed calm.
Perfectly calm.
Elice watched him carefully.
Studying every micro-reaction.
Then she delivered the final warning.
"And if you try to run…"
Her violet eyes glowed brighter.
"…he gave us permission to do anything necessary to keep you confined here."
Silence swallowed the room.
The students could only see a beautiful teacher threatening a lazy transfer student.
But what was really happening was far more dangerous.
Two people were testing each other.
Measuring.
Waiting.
After several seconds, Raven finally leaned back slightly in his chair.
The ice blade followed the movement instantly.
Never leaving his neck.
Then slowly…
Very slowly…
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"Wow."
His voice remained calm.
Almost amused.
"Family really does care huh."