Chapter 11: He Insulted Me!

Chapter 11: He Insulted Me!

A group of white-robed magic apprentices burst into the tavern, led by a figure with a blazing white orb floating before them—the orthodox mage’s favored illumination spell, Inch Light.

With their sudden entrance, the tavern fell silent.

Though many in the tavern boasted of being "magic apprentices," everyone knew it was nothing more than empty bragging.

In the face of real magic apprentices, they were nothing.

In the Keville Empire's magic certification system, being a magic apprentice was less about rank and more about status.

It marked one as part of an elite group—qualified to study magic and potentially enter the empire’s centers of power in the future.

They had to complete five to ten years of foundational magical education, gain preliminary mastery over the seven conventional schools of magic, and pass the Apprentice Mage assessment before they could even call themselves mages.

Though different magic academies might have varying standards, even the lowest-tier academy’s graduates were leagues above self-taught practitioners.

Just the basic grasp of the seven schools of magic granted any one of them the ability to handle most complex situations!

These were the real magic apprentices.

"Daisova, why haven’t you replied to my messages? We’ve been looking for you all day! How can you just sit here drinking? Come with me and apologize to the instructor! You’re so talented—if you just apologize, they’ll definitely forgive you. Don’t worry, I’ll beg my father to put in a good word for you too..."

Among the apprentices, a long-haired girl, about sixteen, rushed forward in distress, grabbing Daisova’s arm and trying to pull him away.

"Daisova, just swallow your pride this once. It’s no big deal. Even the God of Magic, Colof, once apologized to a magic apprentice—what’s our little issue compared to that?"

"Yeah, yeah, stop making a scene!"

"Online Classes might be an alternative, but it’s still untested. Who knows how reliable it is? Why not stay at Felix while taking online courses? I heard the academy’s stance on the Internet Divine Technique is softening anyway."

The other apprentices chimed in with their own advice.

Daisova froze, his eyes reddening slightly—whether from alcohol or emotion—as a flicker of conflict flashed in his gaze.

"Bro, you’re dropping out?"

The young man whom Daisova had treated to drinks looked at him in surprise.

This was none other than Yu Sheng’an—though not his true body, but a projection.

The reason he had struck up a conversation with Daisova was simple: he was the first user to receive a Featured post, a detail Yu Sheng’an remembered clearly.

"Who is he?"

The magic apprentices turned their attention to Yu Sheng’an.

The girl holding Daisova’s arm suddenly paled, pointing at the ring in Yu Sheng’an’s hand.

"That’s the Mithril Ring I gave Daisova! Why do you have it?"

Holy—!

Yu Sheng’an’s mind blanked for a second as he stared at Daisova in disbelief.

Damn, this guy’s a certified 24-karat titanium-grade straight man!

"He’s my friend. I gave it to him," Daisova said.

"But that was the Mithril Ring I gave you! I went through so much trouble to hide the Internet—how could you just give it away?" The girl’s eyes welled up with frustration.

Yu Sheng'an placed the ring on the bar with an awkward expression. "Miss, you’ve misunderstood. The ring fell on the floor, and I was just picking it up for him."

"Get lost! This has nothing to do with you!" The girl’s temper flared instantly as she pointed at Yu Sheng'an and cursed. "I knew it! Why else would Daisova suddenly want to drop out? Did you corrupt him? Huh? He’s always been so outstanding—a second-year student who could improve magic spells! There’s no way he’d go astray on his own. It must be your doing, right? Admit it!"

Her furious accusations left Yu Sheng'an completely dumbfounded.

What the hell? How is this my fault?

I just got here, for crying out loud!

Damn it, she’s just like my college roommate’s girlfriend!

What, is it my fault if he plays games? If his grades drop? Am I some kind of bad influence dragging him down like a water monkey?

"Daisova, what are you saying?" Dorothea snapped.

"You’re yelling at me?"

Dorothea covered her mouth, staring at Daisova in disbelief as her eyes instantly welled up with tears, which began falling in rapid succession.

The surrounding magic apprentices were stunned, frozen in place, unsure whom to side with or what to do. Their minds were a complete mess.

Weren’t we just here to convince Daisova not to drop out?

How… how did this guy get dragged into it?

What the hell is even happening?

Just as Yu Sheng'an expected Dorothea to turn and run away, she suddenly pointed at him, tears streaming down her face as she shrieked:

"I get it now! You’re an evil god believer, aren’t you? You deliberately seduced my Daisova, didn’t you? You—go die!"

With that, she abruptly raised her arm, activating the magic runes inscribed within her body.

An advanced version of Burning Hands—Scorching Ray—roared forth!

A blazing heat ray, as thick as an arm, shot straight toward Yu Sheng'an’s face.

Daisova paled in horror. His own runes reacted instinctively, and a Stone Barrier erupted from the ground, shattering the wooden floorboards as it intercepted the Scorching Ray!

The sudden violence left everyone in the tavern stunned.

Some ordinary patrons scrambled away in panic, fleeing the conflict zone, though they couldn’t resist lingering to watch.

"Dorothea, stop!" The other magic apprentices finally snapped out of their daze and rushed to restrain her, preventing her from casting another spell.

If she actually killed someone, even with her powerful background, she’d likely be locked up for at least a year as a formality—and they’d all suffer the consequences too.

"Don’t you dare hide! Come out here!" Dorothea screamed at Yu Sheng'an.

"Dorothea, he’s not an evil god believer! You’re overthinking it! Look at him—there’s not a trace of energy fluctuation on him. He’s just an ordinary person!"

The apprentices clung to Dorothea, desperately trying to reason with her while shouting at the young man.

"Just leave already!"

"Yeah, what are you standing around for?"

"Get out of here! Do you want to die?"

Daisova also looked grim as he said, "Brother, you should go. Don’t worry, I’ll talk to her. She won’t trouble you again."

"Talk to her my ass, you clueless blockhead!" Yu Sheng'an scolded, exasperated. If you didn’t want the girl’s gift, you shouldn’t have accepted it in the first place. And if you did, why the hell would you give it away?

"You dare insult my Daisova?" Dorothea exploded with rage.

"Not only am I cursing your precious Daisova, I'm cursing you too! What's the matter, little missy? Think just because you're high and mighty, everyone has to put up with your tantrums? The guy you like gave the ring to me—what's that got to do with me? Tell me, aren’t you just pathetic? If he dared to trample on your gift, why don’t you have the guts to go beat him up? What’s the point of throwing your weight around with me?"

Yu Sheng'an pointed at Dorothea and unleashed a torrent of scathing words. Though few were outright vulgar, each one struck like a dagger to the heart!

Not only Dorothea, but even Daisova and the other magic apprentices were stunned speechless.

"I’ll kill you! Let me go—if you don’t let me go, I’ll make you all pay!" Dorothea exploded, claws bared, even threatening her own companions as her magic surged violently around her.

The surrounding magic apprentices' expressions darkened, their gazes filled with hostility as they glared at Yu Sheng'an.

They thought he was utterly ungrateful!

They had even given him a chance to leave, yet not only did he stay, but he dared to hurl insults?

Did he really think they were charity volunteers or something?

Just then, Daisova, who was facing the door, suddenly paled and exclaimed, "Dean?!"

The others also stiffened, whipping their heads around—only to freeze as if they’d seen a ghost.

In unison, they released Dorothea, straightened their backs, and bowed respectfully. "Dean!"

The moment the words fell, the tavern plunged into dead silence, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Countless onlookers gaped in shock toward the entrance, where a middle-aged man with silver-streaked black hair stepped inside.

The crowd was stunned.

The Dean?

A black-haired man?

Then… could he be the head of Felix Magic Academy, one of the Empire’s Four Pillars—the God of Magic, Dandell?!

At that moment, everyone was struck with awe, their gazes toward Dandell brimming with fanaticism!

A few seconds later, the sound of chairs and mugs clattering to the ground erupted as patrons scrambled to their feet in hasty respect.

Then, a saccharine voice sliced through the tavern’s stunned atmosphere:

"Grandpa Dandell! You have to stand up for me—this man insulted me!"

Dorothea had long shed her furious, claw-baring demeanor.

She stomped her foot, pouting as she pointed at the young man, her expression pitiful and eyes brimming with tears. Like a delicate flower drenched in rain, she looked utterly heartrending.

The moment she spoke, countless eyes in the tavern turned toward Yu Sheng'an.

Only this time, every gaze was filled with pity and sympathy—and, of course, no small amount of schadenfreude.