Chapter 24: Cope, seethe, mald
Cuman’s smirk was no longer on point. His eyes turned from Miro to the radiating scorch mark between them, then to the woman striding calmly forward. His posture didn’t change, but Fabrisse could feel that Cuman wasn’t used to being interrupted mid-performance, especially not by someone outside their year.
What good is a bully without his smirk? All that was left was to cope, seethe, and mald.
Fabrisse cursed his neglect once more. If he hadn’t failed four times, he would’ve been in the same class as Liene, not Cuman and Severa, both of whom were several years younger than him.
She didn’t look at Cuman. She walked right past him like he was another overgrown shrub and stood beside Fabrisse instead, hands at her hip.
“Oh, you’re back, little Lugano,” Cuman said, schooling his voice back into that familiar shade of casual cruelty. “The Rock Witch’s personal watchdog returns.” He gave her a theatrical bow. “Didn’t mean to ruffle your feathers, Miss . . . Assistant Mentor? Magus Exemplar? How high have you risen now with all that dazzling academic ingenuity?”
“Try again,” she said.
Cuman clicked his tongue. “Relax. No need for the girl to get defensive. Or is this a family business now?”
“I'm not his family,” Liene said. “I just hate watching cowards pick duels they won’t finish.”
Cuman’s grin returned, though it looked slightly forced. “Right. Well, enjoy hiding behind your big sis, Kestovar. I’m sure the next time you try throwing rocks, she'll let you use both hands.”
That sentence doesn’t even make sense.
For a second, he felt a stupid, itching need to do something. To fight like a reckless, glowing idiot. But he didn’t.
Cuman turned on his heel, gave Miro a shove to get him moving, and stalked off without another word.
As he watched them take off, Fabrisse exhaled shakily, brushing dust from his sleeve. “Thank you,” he whispered to Liene.
Liene stepped beside him, brushing soot from her coat. She looked him up and down, then jabbed a thumb lightly against his arm. “Are you bleeding anywhere? Or worse, emotionally leaking?”
Fabrisse gave a lopsided smile. “Only my pride took a minor structural collapse.”
“Ah, that’s fine then.” She wiped a strand of hair that was covering his left eye, ignoring his startled yelp. “Didn’t suit you anyway. Looked like a wizard trying to cosplay a wilted leaf. At least they didn’t mess up the cute hair.”
He laughed—an actual, startled laugh—and for a moment, the lingering tension in his chest eased.
“Thanks for the timely sunbeam,” he said. “I didn’t know you were into dramatic entrances.”
“I time them to your moments of maximum idiocy,” she said as she ruffled his hair. “Which is often.”
He reached up and gently, awkwardly, touched her wrist, guiding her hand away with a motion that was more sheepish than resistant.
“Easy,” he murmured, not quite meeting her eyes.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Liene asked again as she peered down at him.
He was about to respond before the glyph showed up.
| [NEW SIDEQUEST UNLOCKED: “Rock and Retaliation”] Objective: – Strike Cuman Gollivur with a Stone-Based Thaumaturgy spell – Bonus Objective: Humiliate him publicly Reward: ✦ Spectral Appraisal (Rank I) The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. – View target’s basic combat stats: FP, attributes – Limited insight into behavioral patterns and resonance volatility Time Limit: 7 days (Standard Calendar) [SYSTEM NOTE: Violence is not always the answer. But sometimes, a well-placed pebble is.]
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