Chapter 47: More Rage Baiting
More Rage Baiting
Mike didn’t bother turning his head, but he sensed 4 people approaching, and the gazes he felt, at least on him, weren’t the friendliest.
He noticed Theresa’s eyes narrowed slightly, and Kris looked the same, but there was a subtle tensing in his shoulders, and Mike immediately smelled the unease radiating from him, and it quickly became apparent why.
"May we have a moment of your time?" A saccharine voice sounded out, polite yet forced, and Mike resisted the urge to sigh.
’Namor Vortan.’ Mike noted as he was completely ignored. Well, not completely, but the sheer level of contempt he felt let him know that he wasn’t going to be addressed.
"..." Kris didn’t reply, and Mike subtly turned his head to see the situation. Kris still looked as impassive as ever, but he had stopped eating. Meanwhile, the four students, Namor among them, all stood there with amicable expressions on their faces, and yet, Mike could see the tightness, the way they forced themselves to be polite, and how they kept sending contemptuous looks his way.
Namor wasn’t even trying to hide it, though.
He was considerably muscular. Not over the top, but certainly higher than average, with fair skin and an angular face, with long hair tied into a ponytail. He had a confident smirk on his face, and Mike was almost blinded by the sheer aura of arrogance radiating from him.
Okay, that was an exaggeration, but he was one of the prime examples of what he imagined the students would be like when he entered this Academy, at first glance anyway.
He threw Theresa a look, and she caught his eye, giving him a look that pretty much said ’Don’t do anything’.
Mike didn’t plan to.
"I noticed you came to sit here. Not that I’m gonna say where you can and can’t sit, but don’t you think it’d be smarter to sit by, you know..." He glanced at Mike and the absurd amount of food he had with disdain. "... People who actually matter?" He finished, and Mike just sighed inwardly.
’Just let me eat my food, bro.’ He lamented inwardly.
"I’m fine here..." Kris mumbled, not bothering to look up at Namor.
Mike easily saw that it was due to wanting to cause a confrontation.
Namor saw it as being dismissed.
"Haa. I tried, you know?" He shook his head as he moved closer until he was towering over Kris slightly.
"They said I should do my best to befriend you, but you really aren’t giving me an inch, huh?" He folded his arms and sneered.
"But the more I think about it, the more I wonder why it’s such a necessity. They seem so confident that you can revive the Fulgur line. But even if you could..." His smile turned cruel. "... Why should we bother trying so hard to ally with a second-rate family that can’t even stop itself from getting wiped out?" The moment his words dropped, the temperature in the room seemed to drop a few degrees.
Mike’s brows furrowed slightly. He may be oblivious to certain matters, but even he could tell that was a low blow.
He was about to speak against his better judgment, but he paused as he noticed a change in Kris that made his eyes widen slightly.
Beneath the anxiety and nervousness, a trace of anger started to bubble up rapidly.
"What did you say?" Kris produced a sentence without a single pause, his voice icy as he finally glanced at Namor, who was smiling like he’d won some lottery.
"So you do have emotions. Good to know." He snickered. "But you heard what I said. I don’t know why people are pining after you so much when your family couldn’t even keep itself alive. And they expect YOU to somehow revive it? For all we know? You can’t even do anything worth a damn, talk less of reviving your whole family." He shrugged.
"I mean, it’s clear you aren’t even trying that hard. Look at you, sitting with a reject and a nameless guy. And you seriously intend to bring your line back up? Please."
Mike saw Theresa flinch. It was subtle, but there, and THAT is where Mike’s patience started to fray.
"You don’t know what you’re talking about." Kris shook his head, seeming calm, but Mike felt like his hair was standing on end, as though he was next to some static electricity.
"Don’t I? Or do you seriously think that you can get any meaningful progress on what you want to do without proper connections? That you can do it on your own?" Namor scoffed, and many of the students in the cafeteria seemed to nod in agreement.
"Well, regardless, when you see how pathetic it is to stand near... wastes, I’m still open to a reasonable conversation." Namor shook his head and started to turn.
"It’s also pretty pathetic that the only way you know how to get your point across is by putting other people down.
Freeze.
Namor froze, blinking a few times like his brain didn’t quite comprehend what he had just heard.
He slowly turned to look at Mike, who was resting his head on his hand almost lazily.
"... I’m sorry, did you say something?" Namor said darkly, and Mike slowly looked at him, which made Namor frown.
He felt a faint shiver...
"I mean, I’m pretty sure I was loud enough." Mike shrugged, and Namor grit his teeth before smiling angrily.
"Heh, alright. So you aren’t just a decoration. Doesn’t make you any less retarded for speaking to me like that." Namor said sharply, shaking off the odd feeling as he fully regarded Mike.
"Calling me retarded for pointing out your own idiotic behavior hints at a strong lack of cognitive function," Mike said like he was speaking about the weather. He could feel Theresa glaring at him, probably wanting him to shut his mouth, but he didn’t care at this point.
When Namor’s insults turned too pointed, he didn’t care that he’d been called nameless since that was kinda true, but calling Theresa a waste and a reject? He felt like he’d been personally attacked.
And oddly enough, he felt the same way towards Kris, and even if it wasn’t the wisest move, he felt that staying silent would go against something fundamental within him. So he spoke up.
"Heh. Hehe." Namor actually chuckled, but the way he clenched his fists and veins bulged all over his muscles hinted that he wasn’t as amused as he sounded.
"You have a sharp tongue. I’ll give you that, but I don’t exactly like it. So how about I rip it out?" He took a step towards Mike, and Mike simply leaned forward. His instincts told him that Namor was dangerous, and yet, he didn’t cower.
"You bark a lot." He said in that infuriatingly light tone.
He saw Kris shift slightly, and sensed Namor’s subordinates were mere moments away from lashing out.
"You seemed pretty durable during Combat Class. You’d make a nice punching bag." Namor smiled cruelly.
"Cringe statement." Mike shrugged.
There was silence for a moment, then in the next second, multiple things happened at once.
Namor lunged forward just as Mike activated his aura. Several chains appeared around Kris, and Theresa summoned her bow while drawing it as Namor’s subordinates also activated their abilities, but just as the two groups collided.
"Need I remind you that fighting in the cafeteria is strictly prohibited?" A voice echoed, and the group froze. Not willingly, mind you, but because of something else
Mike felt all his muscles lock up against his will as several odd markings appeared across his skin, and from what he could see, the same happened to everyone else as these markings also covered their bodies.
Mike sighed inwardly as a familiar scent entered his nose.
The gentle clacking of heels approached them, and Mike moved his eyes to see the first Eventide official he’d ever properly conversed with.
Beatrice
She regarded the frozen group calmly and lightly shook her head.
"While fighting isn’t prohibited, there are certain locations where such a thing is off-limits. The cafeteria is one such place. If you have a dispute, settle it elsewhere." She said and Mike felt her glance at him.
"Moreover, even if you are new, students, this is still a considerable offense and may get you punished." She continued.
"If I may," Mike said and moved like nothing happened.
This got a reaction out of Beatrice.
"I noticed the cafeteria had cameras. In that case, wouldn’t it be appropriate to review what truly happened? We were the ones who got approached and antagonized first. Moreover, he made the first move. We were simply preparing to defend ourselves. Or does Eventide punish students for not wanting to get hurt?" His tone was polite, but the challenge in his tone was unmistakable.
Many students stared at Mike like he was insane. Was he seriously challenging an Eventide official?
But to everyone’s shock.
"Naturally. If it is as you say, then there is no need for concern." She nodded slightly, her gaze on Mike lingering for a while before shifting away.
"Until then, any further violence carried out here will be punished immediately. You have been warned." When she said this, the markings on their bodies vanished, and everyone could move again. She gave them each a warning look before walking away.
"Lucky bastard." Namor mumbled and glared at Mike before walking away with his group.
As for Mike? Well, other than being unable to tolerate such disrespect, there was another reason why he so confidently stood up against Namor.
He’d known Beatrice was following him since the day started.