Vol2 Chapter 29: Bullying

“Now, both sides present your evidence. You may debate, but the final judgment lies with us.” King Solomon struck the gavel again.

It was like a starting bell. Andrew shot up. “The Board’s doubts about the College’s management are backed by solid evidence! Bai Ci’s bloodline is highly unstable and dangerous—undeniable! Allowing such a risky bloodline into the College is gross negligence.”

“Why so worked up?” the Vice-Principal said calmly. “Bai Ci’s a good kid. Top grades, Principal’s Scholarship winner, looks great in a swimsuit, and kind-hearted. I’ve seen her feed stray cats by the road multiple times.”

The audience burst into laughter.

“Really?” Andrew sneered. “The Board’s first piece of evidence will show you how dangerous she is.”

A video played on the big screen, timestamped October 10, 2009, 10:49. Clearly a surveillance clip.

Everyone recognized it—Cassell College.

A flaming figure cut through the night, molten red steel swirling around it, lava dripping and sizzling into scorched pits on the ground.

Even through the screen, the oppressive force was palpable, making some breathe heavier.

It was Constantine, the Bronze and Fire King.

His target was clear—Lu Mingfei’s Bugatti Veyron. He swooped in, wings vibrating, but as his claws neared, his fiery body was blocked and slammed into the ground, the heatwave shaking the footage.

A girl in a Cassell uniform appeared at the screen’s center, clutching her arm, her frail figure standing before Constantine. She charged, engaging him in combat. Then the footage cut off.

“What’s the point of this video, Team Leader?” Fingel shouted. “It only proves Bai Ci stopped Constantine. She’s a hero! Why continue the hearing? Let’s end it here.”

“That footage was supposed to have more, but it was shamelessly cut!” Andrew smirked. “To hide Bai Ci’s dangerous bloodline. However…”

The video resumed, showing faint white dragon scales on the girl’s face.

“Didn’t I tell you to delete it all?” the Vice-Principal whispered to Fingel.

“I did! But they backed it up faster than I expected,” Fingel said, surprised. “Don’t worry, Vice-Principal. We’ll just deny everything and muddy the waters!”

Fingel stood, clearing his throat, drawing all eyes. “I can explain.”

“What’s Constantine?” he said theatrically. “A newly hatched Dragon King! Our classmate Bai Ci is an S-rank with extremely high dragon blood concentration. You can’t judge hybrids the same way. We know so little about S-ranks. In the last decade, Cassell’s only had a few, and recently just two—Lu Mingfei and Bai Ci. Lu Mingfei can barely pass exams, yet he’s S-rank. Does he look dangerous? Bai Ci goes to class, leaves, gets good grades, and stays out of trouble. Her worst offense? Eating all the cafeteria’s late-night snacks.”

“Her scales? Probably Constantine’s influence. He’s a Dragon King, and she’s a high-concentration S-rank. Isn’t it normal for her to be affected?”

Andrew froze, then turned to Parsi. “Is that a thing?”

Lacking traditional dragon-slaying education due to his low blood concentration, Andrew, a Yale Law grad, wasn’t versed in obscure dragon lore.

“There’s a theory,” Parsi whispered. “Like the Black King’s Word Spirit Emperor, which can awaken unactivated hybrids, triggering their bloodline.”

“Then why only her? Lu Mingfei’s also S-rank—why no dragonization? Everyone saw her transform alone. Your explanation’s nonsense!” Andrew snapped.

“So what? She was face-to-face with Constantine, practically kissing distance. Isn’t it normal she’d feel the call?” Fingel spouted more nonsense.

“Absurd! Even if that theory exists, your claim’s ridiculous!” Andrew slammed the table, furious. “How do you explain the second piece of evidence?”

The screen showed a deleted forum post with a blurry photo—shattered debris and a vague figure atop it.

“This is Bai Ci! My phone’s pixels suck, so it’s blurry, but I swear I saw dragon scales on her! Am I imagining things?”

“There were bone spikes and claws too, like the Deadpool photos from class.”

“This isn’t me talking—it’s your students!” Andrew raised his head smugly. “The evidence is ironclad. It’s online, seen by Chicago University and regular people. It’s been submitted to the jury. Explain that!”

He shot Fingel a disdainful glance, certain of victory.

“Who says photos and comments are proof?”

Fingel flashed a smug, punchable grin. “Speaking of which, I saw a post yesterday about this very thing.”

The Vice-Principal snapped his fingers, and a new post appeared on the screen.

“Bai Ci’s definitely shady! I saw her sprout dragon horns, covered in golden scales, like she’s about to ascend as a dragon!”

“Bullshit, they were white scales! Her eyes glowed blue—she’s turning into a Blue-Eyes White Dragon!”

“Stop talking nonsense! She’s Chinese, not some Yu-Gi-Oh card! I saw five-fingered claws—emperor vibes!”

“No way, I saw her fly, covered in red scales with a ruby on her head. You’re all wrong!”

“Reminder: Groudon doesn’t fly.”

“Maybe she’s related to a dragon? Maybe her last name’s Ao!”

Bai Ci bit her lip, stifling a laugh.

This senior really had a knack for debate.

After a brief silence, Fingel led the Lionheart Society in a standing ovation, followed by Professor Guderian and the faculty. Only Caesar’s student council stayed seated. The jury exchanged glances. The old scientists and theologians, long detached from the outside world, knew vaguely of Blue-Eyes White Dragon and Groudon but understood they weren’t real. Thus, as the Vice-Principal said, media had fallen so far in recent decades that the investigation team’s evidence was unreliable.

The tenured professors nodded.

“Order! Ladies and gentlemen, reduce unnecessary disputes. This hearing’s core is whether the administration erred gravely in bloodline assessment, introducing a dangerous bloodline to campus,” King Solomon said sternly. “This is one of our greatest taboos. In ancient times, we established ironclad rules via the Abraham Blood Covenant to purge impure bloodlines. These rules still bind us today. You signed to uphold them upon enrollment, so we’re all subject to them.”

“We all carry human and dragon sides—white and black, good and evil, love and hate, peace and slaughter. We’re neither purely good nor evil. We have the power to kill but must not desire it. We stand with humanity. Only if human goodness overcomes draconic evil are you our ally. If you can’t restrain that evil, letting your soul be consumed by power’s allure, you become our enemy.” King Solomon closed the heavy Abraham Blood Covenant. “At that moment, our pact ends, and our blades point to those who fall into the abyss.”

“Esteemed investigation team, from the debate, online forums aren’t reliable sources. Questioning one of our own’s bloodline is serious. We need stronger evidence.” King Solomon turned to Andrew.

Andrew laughed arrogantly, as if assured of victory, clapping his hands. “Parsi! Bring out her lab report!”

A blood test result projected onto the screen.

The jury’s elderly professors gasped, their cloudy eyes flashing with disbelief. Over 40%, nearing 50%?

Was she even a hybrid with that much dragon blood? Shouldn’t she be a Deadpool by now?

“Her blood concentration is dangerously close to the critical threshold. Any slight fluctuation could push her over, toward Deadpool status,” Andrew said.

“A hybrid teetering on the edge—do you really think she’s safe?”

“She is safe. Her concentration’s just a bit high, which is why she’s one of only two S-ranks in decades,” the Vice-Principal countered. “It’s normal for an S-rank.”

“The College has never admitted a student with such high purity. With no precedent, how can you claim she’s safe?” Fingel looked at the professors, his gaze childlike. “Respected professors, I, Fingel, may have poor grades, but I deeply respect you all. I’d never deceive you. The test results show Bai Ci’s perfectly safe—no risk of falling.”

He wasn’t wrong. Aside from high dragon blood concentration, everything else was normal.

“But that raises a question,” Parsi said, smiling, his heterochromatic eyes scanning the room. “Her blood isn’t just ‘a bit’ high. She can dragonize freely, unaffected mentally. Doesn’t that suggest her concentration might exceed S-rank? She could be hiding her true bloodline!”

“Esteemed professors, isn’t that terrifying? A monster capable of dragonizing at will, hidden among us, even rated S-rank. She might not even be a hybrid—but a true dragon!”

“Nice imagination, but it’s just that—imagination,” Fingel waved dismissively. “If guesses count as evidence, I could spin a whole chain to prove her bloodline’s safe.”

“Guesses aren’t evidence, but I have a proposal,” Parsi said, raising his voice. “I suggest suspending Bai Ci’s enrollment! Hand her to the Board for a year’s observation. If she remains safe, we’ll confirm she’s harmless and let her return.”

Did her bloodline matter? No one cared. The Board just wanted a pretext to oust Angers.

Everyone knew their game. They said one year, but it could be five, ten, or longer—until Angers relinquished his power at Cassell.

And whether they’d release her after? With Angers gone, why bother?

Andrew grinned smugly, his lips practically touching the sky, glaring at Fingel and the Vice-Principal, as if venting all his pent-up frustration.

“You guys… aren’t you being a bit too much?”

Oddly, the thin voice echoed through Valhalla, miraculously cutting through the noise, like a lion’s low growl.

“What did you say, Lu Mingfei?” Andrew’s smile stiffened.

“I said… you’re being too much.”

The hall fell silent, then erupted in murmurs.

“Lu Mingfei, you’re out of line!” Andrew’s voice rose, furious. “You’re disrespecting the hearing! Is this what Angers teaches?”

Lu Mingfei heard King Solomon’s gavel, the warnings, the hall quieting.

Lu Mingfei, you said you’d make something of yourself.

If someone tries to harm the girl you care about, crush them all.

He laughed suddenly—not from nerves this time.

He closed his eyes, his smile fading. When he opened them, molten gold flowed in his dark pupils, blazing with cold, fierce intensity.

His gaze swept the room. No one could meet his eyes; they fell in an instant, defeated.

Looking around, none dared hold his stare, flinching from his majestic golden pupils as if stung.

He’d hidden his supreme strength behind a goofy facade, like a rabbit among wolves. They mocked his weakness, but when he revealed his lion’s roar, all fell silent.

“I’ve been wondering—why is she standing here, judged like a criminal?”

“She’s a hero who saved everyone, isn’t she?”

He crossed the audience, striding toward the central table.

“If this is a hero’s fate, I’d rather be a villain.”

“You want to take her? Fine.” Lu Mingfei glanced back at Bai Ci. “Beat me until I can’t stand. Or simpler… kill me.”

They were used to this rabbit’s weakness, but his rage carried a majesty fiercer than a lion’s.

No one spoke. No one moved. The suffocating pressure seemed ready to tear them apart.

Bai Ci stared at his back, dazed.

Her lips pressed together, her breathing quickening.

Thump, thump, thump…

What was that?

Her heart?

Beating faster?

No way…

She clutched her chest, her heart racing.

But… she was happy. An indescribable joy.

She was truly moved.

The dormant S-rank shone before all, destined to grow brighter, more popular—no longer the loser everyone knew.

He’d become outstanding, drawing more girls’ attention.

Bai Ci watched his back, tears falling onto the wooden table.

Don’t do this to me, Lu Mingfei… or I’ll really fall for you.

I’m… a bit selfish.

Just stay that loser, okay? I’m not used to this.

If you get a girlfriend, you won’t ignore me, right?

I’d… be jealous of her.

It’s weird… I always wanted you to succeed.

But now… why do I kind of want you to stay a loser?

A loser… who’s only with me… always by my side…

Bai Ci bowed her head, watching more droplets pool on the table…