Liam stood in silence for several seconds after the upperclassn finished their theatrical display of outrage, their voices still echoing faintly in the open space around them. Each accusation had been delivered with the kind of exaggerated indignation that only people trying far too hard to appear righteous tended to possess. To anyone watching from a distance, the scene might have looked like a group of seniors confronting a junior over so serious misconduct.
But standing in the center of the circle they had ford around him, Liam saw it for exactly what it was.
Petty retaliation.
His calm red eyes moved slowly from one face to another, studying them with quiet patience. Despite the way they had deliberately surrounded him, despite the hostility practically dripping from their expressions, Liam himself looked completely unbothered. Only a faint irritation lingered in the back of his mind, persistent and quietly gnawing, like an itch that refused to fade no matter how many tis you tried to ignore it.
What made it worse was the simple fact that this entire situation could have been resolved instantly.
The thought returned to his mind again, uninvited but persistent.
All he had to do was use Void Passage.
A single step into the shadows and he would vanish from the space between them, reappearing sowhere else entirely and leaving the four upperclassn standing there looking like idiots. It would have been effortless. Clean. Efficient.
But the problem was where they were.
They stood in the middle of the academy grounds, a place where students constantly walked through the paths, crossed between buildings, or gathered in small groups to talk. Using a technique like Void Passage here would attract exactly the kind of attention Liam had spent the entire morning trying to avoid.
So instead of choosing the easy solution, Liam slowly exhaled through his nose and settled for the far more frustrating option.
Reason.
His red eyes shifted calmly between the four students before he finally spoke, his voice level and controlled, carrying neither anger nor defensiveness.
"If you truly believe I behaved inappropriately toward senior students," Liam said evenly, "then the proper thing to do would be to report it."
The response was not what they had expected.
For a mont, the four upperclassn paused slightly, their earlier montum interrupted by the calmness of his reply. The expression on the one standing directly in front of him flickered with faint confusion, as though he had anticipated either denial or outrage—not quiet logic.
Liam continued speaking before any of them could respond.
"False accusations between students are also violations of academy conduct," he added in the sa steady tone. "So if you are confident in what you claim, we can go to the disciplinary office together and allow the matter to be investigated."
Silence followed his words.
The four students exchanged quick glances with one another, subtle but noticeable. Liam’s response had shifted the nature of the confrontation entirely. What had begun as a public spectacle ant to corner and humiliate him had suddenly been dragged into the realm of official procedure and formal inquiry.
And that was precisely the opposite of what they wanted.
The student standing in front of Liam narrowed his eyes slightly, clearly weighing the situation. For a brief mont, it seed as though he might simply abandon the confrontation and move on.
But then his lips curled upward into a thin, mocking smile.
"Oh," he said slowly, drawing out the word as though savoring it. "That’s clever."
The other three glanced toward him, waiting.
"You think you’re smart, don’t you?" he continued, folding his arms across his chest as he looked down at Liam. "Trying to twist the situation around like that."
The slight hesitation among the others quickly began to fade as confidence returned to their expressions. Once one of them found a way to push back, the group’s montum returned almost instantly.
"You’re acting like this is so kind of misunderstanding," the third-year continued, his voice sharpening slightly. "But the truth is you already know what you did."
"Yeah," another one added from Liam’s left, his earlier sneer reappearing. "You’re just trying to scare us into backing off by bringing up the disciplinary office."
The student standing behind Liam chuckled quietly, leaning forward just enough that his shadow stretched across the ground beside Liam’s feet.
"But if we did go there," he said with faint amusent, "you’d be the one answering questions about why a first-year was staring at upperclassn like so kind of creep."
Their earlier uncertainty evaporated completely, replaced once again with smug confidence.
The student in front stepped a little closer.
"And honestly," he continued casually, "you suggesting that we report it ourselves just makes you look even more suspicious."
He leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice with mock amusent.
"People who are innocent usually don’t try this hard to control the situation."
The other three smirked faintly in agreent.
For a mont, Liam simply looked at him without speaking.
Then he sighed inwardly.
’So they decided to double down,’ he thought. ’How utterly exhausting.’
His expression remained calm, though a faint flicker of annoyance appeared deep within his eyes. He had already offered them a reasonable way to resolve the situation without unnecessary conflict. If they chose to ignore that opportunity and continue embarrassing themselves, that was entirely their decision.
Liam opened his mouth slightly, preparing to speak again.
But before he could say anything, a calm voice suddenly cut through the tension from behind the group.
"What is happening here?"
The voice was not loud.
Yet its effect was imdiate.
All four third-year students froze where they stood.
It wasn’t the question itself that triggered the reaction.
It was the voice.
Slowly—almost chanically—the four of them turned toward the direction it had co from.
Liam followed their gaze.
Standing several steps behind them was a tall figure dressed in simple, casual clothes. His posture was straight and composed, his presence quiet but unmistakably commanding as his sharp eyes examined the scene before him.
Percy Granger.
The mont the third-years recognized him, the confidence that had returned to them only monts ago seed to evaporate completely.
The student standing behind Liam took an unconscious step backward.
"P–Prince Percy..."
Percy’s expression remained calm, his face unreadable as his blue eyes moved from one student to another before briefly settling on Liam.
There was no anger in his gaze.
But there was sothing far worse.
Disappointnt.
Percy walked forward slowly until he stood only a few steps away from the group.
"I asked a question," he said evenly.
The student who had been leading the confrontation swallowed before attempting to regain so composure.
"Prince Percy," he began quickly, straightening his posture. "We were just addressing a matter involving this junior."
Percy’s gaze flicked briefly toward Liam before returning to him.
"What matter?"
The third-year hesitated for the briefest fraction of a second before continuing.
"We saw him staring at so senior female students in a... disrespectful way," he said carefully. "So we confronted him about it."
Another student nodded imdiately.
"Yes. It was very inappropriate behavior."
Percy listened without interrupting. When they finished speaking, he remained silent for several seconds, considering their words.
Then he asked a simple question.
"And what did he say in response?"
The four students exchanged quick glances.
"He tried to twist things around," the first one answered. "He suggested we go report the matter to the disciplinary office."
Percy’s gaze shifted toward Liam again.
Liam t it calmly.
For a brief mont neither of them spoke. Then Percy looked back at the upperclassn.
"And that," Percy said quietly, "did not make you question your accusation?"
The students blinked in confusion.
"What?" one of them muttered.
Percy’s voice remained steady.
"If soone accused you of misconduct," he continued, "and your response was to suggest a formal investigation... would you do that if you were guilty?"
None of them answered.
But the silence itself was answer enough.
Percy’s gaze hardened slightly.
"I don’t know what you hoped to achieve from this useless confrontation with a junior," he said calmly. "But understand that it is utterly worthless."
The third-years stared at him in disbelief. They had expected Percy to support them—to stand with his fellow seniors against the student who had humiliated him the previous day.
But his words were clearly heading in the opposite direction.
"Liam here," Percy continued calmly, "is not soone who would behave in the manner you just described."
He paused briefly before finishing.
"I know that because he is smarter than you idiots."
The words landed like a hamr striking stone.
The students’ expressions shifted instantly from confidence to stunned disbelief.
"Prince Percy—" one of them began quickly.
"Enough."
The single word cut him off imdiately.
Percy’s voice remained calm, but there was now a firmness within it that left no room for argunt.
"You surrounded a junior student," Percy continued, "blocked his path, and attempted to intimidate him using a baseless accusation."
None of them dared interrupt him now.
"That behavior," Percy said quietly, "is far more inappropriate than anything you claim he did."
The students lowered their gazes slightly.
Percy observed them for a mont longer before speaking again.
"Leave."
The command was simple.
But none of them moved imdiately. One of the students opened his mouth as if preparing to protest.
"Prince Percy, we were just—"
The words died in his throat the mont he t Percy’s eyes.
Because the person standing before him was not simply another student.
It was Percy Granger.
The number one ranked senior in the academy.
Continuing the argunt would only make things worse.
"...Understood," the student muttered reluctantly.
One by one, the four third-years stepped aside and began walking away. The arrogance that had filled their posture only minutes earlier had vanished entirely.
Within monts, they disappeared down the academy path.
Silence returned to the courtyard.
Percy watched them leave before finally turning his attention back toward Liam.
For a brief mont neither of them spoke.
Then Percy exhaled quietly.
"I assu you were looking for ."
Liam nodded slightly.
"Yes."
Percy studied him for a mont before glancing around the courtyard.
Students continued passing through the distant walkways, so casting curious glances in their direction.
"This isn’t the place to talk," Percy said calmly.
He gestured toward a quieter path leading away from the main grounds.
"Co."
Without waiting for a response, Percy turned and began walking.
Liam followed beside him as they left the courtyard behind, heading toward a far quieter part of the academy where their conversation could continue without interruption.
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