"Would you really be alright if I had joined Michael to beat up Mr. Klein and the Zan Twins? Wouldn't that implicate you, and create bad blood with the Zan household, and cause problems in the academy?" Kaleb asked Alice as the siblings walked across the pavement.
They were on their way to the security department where Alice hoped to receive a copy of recordings made by the watchtower's security camera before anyone else could. She wanted to ensure that nobody could alter the recordings.
The recording made by the Barbaric Couple existed but it was quite obvious that the recording focused on Mr. Klein. The couple wanted to humiliate Mr. Klein and release the footage all over Starnet 'anonymously'. However, Alice made sure that this wouldn't happen. She took their recording in her custody and made sure that the Barbaric Couple deleted the original.
Alice didn't really care about Mr. Klein's reputation, or anything like that, but she cared enough about Michael to understand that he would be in more trouble if the video went viral over Starnet. The fact that he beat up a teacher was already troublesome enough. If billions of people found out about it, Michael would definitely face a big problem. His actions wouldn't be in the jurisdiction of the Saphirelake Military Academy but the government, and that was something Alice wanted to prevent to make sure that Michael wouldn't be punished harshly for his actions.
"Mr. Klein might be the weakest teacher in the academy, and he might have entered the academy through connections, but he is also a Tier-3 Awakened. If Michael had been just a little bit weaker, or if Mr. Klein hadn't grossly underestimated Michael, the one lying in the medical room would have been Michael not Mr. Klein," Alice mumbled, somewhat absent-mindedly.
She wanted to add that Mr. Klein was also one of the few teachers, who're willing to teach the secrets of Soul Manifestation and the unique technique he uses to empower his Armored Knight, but she let it be since she understood that these facts were actually good reasons in Kaleb's favor.
Her attention switched to the holographic screen in front of her.
"Defeating Mr. Klein without sustaining heavy injuries should have been quite difficult even if you and Michael had teamed up. I didn't expect Michael to–..." Alice stopped speaking suddenly, and she halted in her tracks, forcing Kaleb to slow down as well.
"This…" She mumbled, only to close her mouth the next moment.
Curious as to why Alice slowed down suddenly, Kaleb threw a glance at her holographic screen. She was looking at the video recorded by the Barbaric Couple. Kaleb figured that Alice was not looking at Mr. Klein's humiliation. In fact, Alice didn't seem to enjoy the video in the slightest. She wore a deadpan expression and the most she did was frown a few times.
Kaleb noticed that her frowns deepened whenever golden streams shot out of Michael, and when the silver blades manifested around him.
"If I remember correctly Michael was in a Lord Rift. Did he obtain Soultraits from there?" Kaleb asked when he realized why Alice frowned.
Michael already possessed a lot more Soultraits than the vast majority of Awakened could manifest, yet it looked like his friend had obtained a few new ones. Kaleb had been too focused on the fight and didn't even question Michael's powers.
"I…guess so…" Alice said in a tone that made it seem as if she was asking a question.
Kaleb looked at Alice, who was pulled back to her senses only after she received a call on the crystal watch.
It was a call from the security department of the Saphirelake Military Academy.
Alice furrowed her brows. She accepted the call and spoke for a few minutes with the head of the security department. During the call her expression worsened gradually. Her face contorted in fury when the call ended, and she had to take a few deep breaths to calm down her racing heart.
"What happened?" Kaleb asked, feeling a little restless in his heart.
"It seems like a few families heard what Michael did. They seem to want to make an issue out of today's incident, stating that my 'disciple' is out of control. The head said that these families highlighted that the Zenovia family should pay more attention to their disciples, and that the security department should investigate thoroughly before deciding on a punishment for Michael and me," Alice answered after she sighed heavily.
"Punish? You?" Kaleb asked, not quite believing what he just heard.
"Yes, they want to punish me as well. After all, a master is responsible for his disciple's actions to a certain degree. The head of the security department said that my teaching had too many shortcomings and that they will have to punish Michael harshly to make an example. After all, a situation like this has never happened before. Well, I expected this kind of nonsense. Some of it, at least."
Alice looked annoyed but she was not shocked. Her ability to calm down in an instant and to stay composed even after getting schemed against allowed Kaleb to not worry a lot.
"Michael will be alright…right?" He asked nonetheless.
Kaleb trusted his sister but that didn't mean he took the other supreme families, great clans, and high nobles lightly. Kaleb was fully aware that most powerhouses were searching for an opportunity to strike Alice and the Zenovia family – now more than ever.
"He undermined the hierarchy and authority of the Saphirelake Military Academy, and he severed the arms of fellow students in broad daylight. Even though they started insulting him, they didn't attack him physically," Alice responded. She fell deep in thought and added, "It would have been much easier if they had fought in the arena. Severed arms may not be that problematic given the medical treatment that can be provided in the academy, but his actions are actually enough for them to demand destroying his War Rune. He would probably be considered a criminal by the government's standards, so destroying his War Rune would be an appropriate punishment."
"Destroying his War Rune?!? They can't do that!" Kaleb shouted loudly. He pulled his sister's shoulders back and stared deep into her eyes, hoping that she was lying.
However, there was no trace of a lie, or exaggeration in her eyes.
"Of course, I won't allow that. Not only did all of that happen because I didn't pay enough attention to Michael's mental state, but he was also pulled in the schemes of the adults because of me," Alice said calmly.
She intentionally left out a few facts – such as the fact that the Berserkers and Warlock Centaurs wouldn't be able to trust the Zenovia family if Alice allowed other families to destroy her disciple's War Rune without a fight – but Kaleb didn't have to know these facts, in the first place.
Alice took Kaleb's hand off her shoulder and turned away. She accessed the crystal watch, typed a few messages before she made a call.
"It's me. I have to use the favors your family owes the Zenovias…Yes…You already know about that? Well, that makes it easier. Help me out a bit…. Yes, he is worth it. But don't bother… No, that's not necessary….Exactly…Thanks…"
Kaleb couldn't hear everything Alice said but the few sentences were enough to plaster a bright smile on his face.
Even though Kaleb had no idea whom Alice called just now he instinctively knew that everything would be fine.
He stared at Alice with a broad smile as his shoulders sagged in relief.
'My sister is really the best!'
"Alright…I will see what I can do. Bye."
After talking for a few minutes Alice finally ended the call. She looked at the log of the call and changed the name of the person she'd just called, gritting her teeth.
"This is a little bit annoying," She mumbled after a while.
Alice turned to the security department's building and began walking toward it once again. The holographic screen of Michael's fight with Mr. Klein was still playing. After she watched the replay a few times, Alice closed the video, and dragged the file to Starnet Messenger where she dropped the file in an empty chat with the woman she had called seconds ago.
"Why is that bitch always so demanding? What's the use of all those conditions?" Alice cursed under her breath, clearly recalling every single word exchanged in the earlier call.
She sent the video file, closed the crystal watch and continued to curse as they walked to the security department's building.
A few minutes later, she received several notifications, containing laughing emoticons and a particular message that annoyed Alice the most.
[Demanding Bitch: Michael Fang was his name, right?]
"Fuck off."
