Chapter 11: He Insulted Me!

A group of magic apprentices dressed in white robes entered the tavern. The leader had a bright white orb floating in front of him—it was a conventional illumination spell known as Inchlight, commonly used by orthodox mages.

As soon as the magic apprentices barged in, the tavern instantly fell silent.

Don’t be fooled by the people in the tavern who claimed to be magic apprentices; everyone knew they were just boasting.

In front of real magic apprentices, they were nobodies.

In the Kewell Empire’s magic certification system, being a magic apprentice was more of an identity than a rank.

—It meant they were eligible to learn magic and were potential candidates to enter the core of the Kewell Empire’s power structure in the future.

They had to complete basic magic education within five to ten years, initially mastering the conventional seven magic schools, and pass the apprentice magician assessment to qualify as magicians.

Different magic academies might have varying standards for the apprentice magician assessment, but even the academy with the lowest standards produced magic apprentices far superior to mere amateurs.

Just the elementary mastery of the conventional seven magic schools was enough to grant them the ability to handle most complex situations!

These were the true magic apprentices.

“Desowa, why haven’t you answered my messages? Did you know we’ve been looking for you for half the day? And yet you’re here drinking! Hurry up and come with me to apologize to the mentor. You’re so brilliant—if you apologize, the mentor will surely forgive you. Don’t worry, I’ll also ask my father to put in a good word for you…”

Among the group of magic apprentices, a girl with shoulder-length hair, around sixteen years old, rushed over with a worried expression. She grabbed Desowa’s arm, trying to pull him outside.

“Desowa, let’s go. It doesn’t matter if you lower your head once. Even the Archmage Kolof once apologized to a magic apprentice; what’s the big deal?”

“Yeah, yeah, don’t make a fuss!”

“Online courses might be an option, but no one’s certain how it’ll turn out. It’s better to stay at Felix while taking online courses. I’ve heard the academy has loosened restrictions on Internet Divine Magic.”

The other magic apprentices all chimed in, trying to persuade him.

Desowa was stunned. Perhaps it was the alcohol, but his eyes reddened slightly, and a trace of conflict flashed in his gaze.

“Brother, are you dropping out?”

The young man who had invited Desowa for a drink looked shocked.

He was none other than Yu Sheng’an, although this wasn’t his real body but rather a projection.

The reason he had approached Desowa was because he was the first user to earn a featured post—it left a memorable impression.

‘Who is he?’

The magic apprentices who were advising Desowa all turned their gaze over.

The girl holding onto Desowa’s arm suddenly had a drastic change in expression. Pointing to the ring in Yu Sheng’an’s hand, she said, “Why is the Mithril Ring I gave to Desowa in your hand?”

What the hell!

Yu Sheng’an’s mind buzzed as he stared at Desowa in confusion. Damn, this guy is such a 24-karat titanium alloy-coated socially oblivious straight guy!

“He’s my friend; I gave it to him,” Desowa replied.

“You—That was the Mithril Ring I gave you! I went to great lengths to hide the Internet… How could you give it away?” The girl was so anxious that her eyes were turning red.

Yu Sheng’an awkwardly placed the ring on the bar counter and said, “Miss, you misunderstand. The ring had fallen, and I just picked it up for him.”

“Get lost! This is none of your business!” The girl lost her temper and pointed at Yu Sheng’an, shouting angrily. “So this is why Desowa suddenly wants to drop out—it’s all your fault, isn’t it? Huh? He was always so excellent, improving magic as a second-year student. How could he go bad? It must be you who’s been leading him astray, is that it?”

The girl’s frantic accusations left Yu Sheng’an completely dumbfounded.

What does this have to do with me?

Wait… I just got here, okay?

Damn it, why does this remind me of my college roommate’s girlfriend?

What the heck? Blame me for playing games? Blame me for his poor grades? So I’m just his bad influence, dragging him down?

“Dorothy, what are you saying?” Desowa scolded.

“You’re scolding me?”

The girl, Dorothy, covered her mouth in disbelief, staring at Desowa with eyes that quickly turned red, and tears began to fall.

The surrounding magic apprentices were dumbfounded, rooted in place, unsure of who to help or what to do.

Everyone’s heads were spinning as they tried to make sense of the situation.

Weren’t they here to persuade Desowa not to drop out?

How… how did it end up related to this guy?

What on earth is going on?

Just as Yu Sheng’an thought Dorothy would turn away and run, she suddenly pointed at him, her tear-filled eyes glaring as she yelled:

“I get it now! You’re a follower of the Evil Deity, trying to seduce our Desowa, aren’t you? Go to hell!”

With those words, she abruptly raised her arm, and the Magic Seals inscribed within her activated instantly.

The advanced version of Burning Hand—Scorching Ray—roared forth!

A scorching line of fire, as thick as an arm, shot straight towards Yu Sheng’an’s face.

Desowa’s face drained of color as he reacted instinctively, activating a Magic Seal that summoned a rock barrier from the wooden floor, blocking the searing ray!

The sudden turn of events stunned everyone in the tavern!

Some of the ordinary patrons scrambled to get away from the conflict area, yet they were reluctant to leave, turning back to watch.

“Dorothy, stop!” The other magic apprentices finally came to their senses and rushed to hold Dorothy back, preventing her from casting more spells.

If she killed someone, even with her strong connections, she’d likely be jailed for at least a year!

If that happened, all of them would be dragged down with her.

“Don’t you dare hide. Get out here!” Dorothy shouted at Yu Sheng’an.

“Dorothy, he’s not a follower of the Evil Deity. You’re overthinking it. Look at him—there’s no magical energy fluctuations around him; he’s just an ordinary person!”

While they tightly held Dorothy back, the magic apprentices tried to calm her down, shouting at the young man.

“Hurry up and leave!”

“Yeah, what are you just standing there for?”

“Go, go! Are you waiting to die?”

Desowa’s face also looked grim as he said, “Brother, you should leave first. Don’t worry; I’ll calm her down and make sure she doesn’t trouble you in the future.”

“Calm her down, my foot! You dense jerk!” Yu Sheng’an snapped, feeling frustrated. The girl gave you something; if you didn’t want it, why did you accept it? And if you accepted it, why give it away?

“How dare you insult my Desowa?” Dorothy instantly blew up.

“Not only did I insult your Desowa, but I’m also insulting you! So what? Is your temper so bad that everyone has to cater to it? Desowa gave me the ring you gave him. What the heck does that have to do with me? Don’t you think you’re being ridiculous? He dared to mistreat your gift, so if you’ve got the guts, hit him! Why are you trying to act tough with me?”

Yu Sheng’an pointed at Dorothy and scolded her. Though there weren’t any curse words in his rant, every word struck deeply!

Not only Dorothy, but even Desowa and the other magic apprentices were completely stunned.

“You—I’m going to kill you! Let me go! If you don’t let me go, I won’t let this slide!” Dorothy burst into a rage, baring her teeth and even threatening her companions. Her magic energy surged uncontrollably.

The surrounding magic apprentices’ faces turned ashen as they stared at Yu Sheng’an with hatred.

They thought he was utterly ungrateful!

They had worked so hard to give him a chance to leave, but not only did he stay, he even had the audacity to hurl insults?

Did he really think apprentices of magic were charity workers?

At that moment, Desowa, who was facing the entrance, suddenly blanched and exclaimed, “The Headmaster?!”

Everyone else also paled and quickly turned their heads, then froze as if they had seen a ghost.

They immediately let go of Dorothy, stood up straight with their chests out, and nodded in greeting: “Headmaster!”

The tavern fell into dead silence in an instant; one could hear a pin drop.

Countless onlookers stared at the entrance in shock—there stood a middle-aged man with black and silver hair, making his way into the tavern.

Everyone was utterly stunned.

The Headmaster?

A middle-aged man with black hair?

Could it be the Headmaster of Felix Magic Academy, one of the four pillars of the Empire, the Archmage Dundar?

At that moment, everyone was thrilled to the point that their scalps tingled, and looked at Dundar with fervent eyes!

A few seconds later, the clattering of stools and glasses echoed throughout the scene, as countless patrons scrambled to stand and pay their respects.

Then a delicate voice cut through the tavern’s tension: “Grandpa Dundar, you have to stand up for me! This man insulted me!”

Dorothy was no longer in her aggressive, towering rage.

She stomped her feet, pouting as she pointed at the young man, her expression pitiful, with tear-filled eyes that made her look like a fragile flower, stirring sympathy in all who saw her.

As the words fell, countless eyes inside the tavern turned to Yu Sheng’an.

But this time, everyone’s eyes were filled with pity and sympathy, as well as a bit of schadenfreude!