Roland’s Grand Entrance and Fluwu’s Humiliation

“Mmm—” With her long hat brim pulled down low, Roxy couldn’t see the path ahead, and in an instant, she stumbled and fell.

Roland instinctively reached out a hand to steady her, only to find a short-haired, blonde man already supporting Roxy.

“Are you alright, fellow student?” the blonde man asked, his demeanor elegant and courteous. He wore a knee-length, pure black magic robe, its collar and hem adorned with intricate gold-threaded lines. On the left side of his chest, near the collar, a golden diamond emblem with an eye-like design—symbolizing the Philosopher’s Stone—clearly marked him as a member of the Alchemy Department.

“N-no…” Roxy nervously pulled her hat brim even lower, yet as she was being helped to her feet, her disguise inevitably faltered.

“Ah…” Through the brief opening, the blonde man caught sight of her familiar face and long blue hair. His elegant smile instantly stiffened, and he withdrew the hand that had been steadying Roxy. A cold sneer twisted his handsome features as he remarked, “Hehehehe… I never expected to see you here, our genius alchemist maiden, Miss Roxy?”

Roxy’s body trembled involuntarily at the sound of her name. She stammered a desperate denial.

“No, you, you’ve mistaken me, me…”

“Impossible,” the man asserted, glancing around to see a few students beginning to cast curious looks their way. He leaned closer to Roxy’s ear, a brow raised, and spoke through gritted teeth, “When you rejected me, I carved your magic fluctuations into my very soul.”

“Fluwu…” Roxy’s voice was barely a whisper, laced with fear. “I was wrong before, and I apologize. But I need to go back now, you…”

“Leave?” Fluwu’s hand shot out, seizing Roxy’s arm, a fierce glint in his eyes. “You utterly humiliated me in front of the entire school back then…”

“I’m sorry, I…” Roxy tried to shake off his grip, but in terms of strength, she was no match for him.

“Oh?” Fluwu pulled her a little closer. “I heard you disappeared for several months, and then you were found in Loran Forest, didn’t you…?”

“…” Roxy’s face went terrifyingly pale. “It’s… not what you think, I…”

“What do we think it is?” Fluwu gently lifted a corner of her hat brim, finding immense pleasure in her look of anguish. “We were all so worried about you~ Not just me, but many classmates missed you terribly~”

“Tell me… should I call out your name right now, in front of all these students? Let them come comfort you? Hahahahaha…” Fluwu’s face twisted into a sinister smile. “And while I’m at it, maybe I’ll ask them if those Goblins pleased you… cough cough—”

A powerful hand suddenly clamped around Fluwu’s neck, forcing him to involuntarily release Roxy’s arm.

Seizing the opportunity, Roxy swiftly pulled her magic hat back on and fled in a flash.

“Hey!”

Seeing Roxy’s retreating figure, Fluwu tried to stop her, but his neck was held in an unyielding grip, rendering him utterly immobile.

“Let go!” Fluwu glared furiously at the man who had appeared so suddenly. “Who are you? Why are you stopping me!?”

“I’m your father,” Roland quipped with a shrug, then casually tossed the man onto the ground. “Student, there’s no need to be so excessive.”

“Cough, cough, cough—” Finally able to breathe again, Fluwu gasped for air on the ground, his eyes fixed on Roland with a sinister glare. “You… do you even know who I am!”

‘Damn it,’ Fluwu fumed internally. ‘If only this guy’s magic fluctuations weren’t so much higher than mine! I would have incinerated him into charcoal with a Blaze Spell long ago!’

“I don’t know,” Roland replied, utterly unconcerned.

“Heh heh… Hahahahahahaha—” Fluwu threw his head back and laughed, then dramatically covered half his face, revealing a provocative, arrogant smile. “Listen carefully, you! I am a noble from the Kingdom of Engler, a second-year student in the Alchemy Department of Grey Academy of Magic, a disciple of the great Alchemy Master Isaac, the 32nd Academy Star, and the runner-up of the 41st Academy Cup Alchemy Competition—Fluwu Niubi!”

“Damn!” Roland couldn’t suppress his urge to retort. “How can anyone have such a tasteless name!?”

“Scared now? And what about *your* identity?” Fluwu stood up, his magic energy locking onto Roland. “A noble? Unlikely; your attire is far too common… Military? Impossible, I know everyone in the military around here…” He patted the dust from his school uniform. “Why are you helping that lowly mud-blood?”

‘Mud-blood’ was a derogatory term used by mage families with superior bloodlines to refer to individuals from less renowned magical lineages. As one’s magical lineage was a significant factor in determining innate talent, many mages of noble birth often looked down upon, or even ostracized, those considered to have ‘inferior’ blood.

However, bloodline wasn’t an absolute determinant.

“You’d be better off not knowing my identity,” Roland said with a sigh. “Those who know my identity rarely come to a good end.”

“Who are you trying to fool!” Fluwu scoffed, pulling a small wand from his robes. As magic slowly gathered upon it, he declared, “If you don’t reveal an identity that scares me to death today, you won’t be leaving here unscathed!”

“Oh ho—” Roland’s expression turned playful. “Must I reveal an identity?”

“Absolutely!”

“And it must scare you to death?”

“Absolutely… huh?” Fluwu paused, his face flushing crimson. “What are you talking about? Are you going to tell me or not?”

Hearing the loud argument between the two, a crowd of curious students slowly began to gather, whispering amongst themselves.

“Oh, isn’t that Fluwu from the Niubi family? What’s he doing here?”

“It looks like he’s arguing with a stranger,” a green-haired student remarked curiously. “This Fluwu is an Engler noble; getting into a dispute with him is never a good thing.”

“Not necessarily,” another student chimed in. “Fluwu’s magic level is only LV20, and the man opposite him is a full five levels higher. If they truly fought, Fluwu definitely wouldn’t win.”

The green-haired student shrugged. “Fighting is forbidden on campus, and it looks like that man isn’t one of our academy students. If he dares to make a move, the guards will surely arrest him.”

Indeed, although Fluwu had adopted a stance of gathering magic, he made no active move to attack. His entire purpose was to provoke the other party into striking first.

He was well aware of the academy’s strict no-fighting rule: students who violated it would incur a loss of academic credits, while non-academy personnel would be apprehended as aggressors.

Knowing his own magic level was inferior to Roland’s, he was certain Roland was unaware of this rule. Thus, he brazenly pushed the boundaries, trying to bait Roland into making the first move. This way, even if his magic level was lower, he could rely on the guards to punish the man.

‘Hmph, you ruined my plans,’ he thought darkly. ‘I’ll make sure you learn what a truly despicable scoundrel can do!’

Roland couldn’t fathom why his opponent remained so fearless despite possessing a lower magic level; he sensed a definite scheme at play.

‘This feels just like Freya setting a trap for me again…’

‘Otherwise… perhaps I should show off a bit myself?’

‘I’ll try!’

“Cough, cough,” Roland began, taking a few steps back and clearing his throat. He shed his usual playful expression, adopting a look of utmost seriousness. “Since you’ve asked so sincerely, then I shall mercifully inform you—”

Fluwu’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably; for some reason, he was overcome by a terrible premonition.

“To prevent the world from being destroyed—”

Roland clenched his left fist, his expression solemn.

“To protect world peace—”

He raised his right hand high, gazing upwards in contemplation.

“To carry out love and true evil—”

Next, he placed his right hand on his hip, extending his left arm straight out, pointing directly at the now-speechless Fluwu.

“I am—” Roland declared, bringing his left hand back and pointing his thumb at himself, “the son of the Shadow Assassin League’s chief assassin, the future bane of the Church, the husband of the 34th Demon Lord, the 121st Sword Hero, the dream lover of countless maidens, the most boastful and strongest of all—Roland Auditore!”