Sweep Through the Arcane Society

With Borne maintaining such a high profile, some people finally couldn't help themselves.

A senior student intercepted the young woman who had been delivering snacks to Borne, incessantly questioning why she would break up with him.

Was it because he was a commoner? Did she look down on him and prefer a "great noble" like Borne instead? And so on and so forth...

Borne was stunned after hearing this. Good grief, he had just been labeled a "great noble" out of nowhere.

The girl was dazed at first, but she immediately shook off the senior and began explaining to Borne that they hadn't been broken up for a long time, and that the senior had just been rambling on and on...

The crowd gathered around them grew larger, and as the two argued intensely, the onlookers began to "fill in the blanks" of the plot based on the constant revelations.

Although Borne stood to the side without saying a word, the people around him wouldn't let him off the hook just because he didn't argue; instead, they interpreted his silence as a sign of a guilty conscience.

Even the girls who had previously been fond of Borne began to look at him with increasing hostility, some almost having the word "scumbag" written across their faces.

As the drama reached its climax, Borne felt the timing was just about right.

He walked straight between the two, and his sudden intrusion caused both of them to focus their attention on him instantly.

Then, with a crisp "snap," both felt a wave of mental dizziness, and their gazes began to unfocus.

Borne lowered his right hand and asked the girl, "Who told you to come?"

"Pa... Payam, Payam Morien."

"What is the objective?"

"Approach Borne Ioulaum and pretend to be enamored."

When the name "Payam Morien" was mentioned, the surrounding crowd erupted in an instant.

They had thought it was just some noble gossip, but they hadn't expected such a shocking reversal.

This was a scandal worth talking about for a year!

Borne asked a few more questions and, finding that there was no other information beyond approaching him, turned his target to the male student with the same questions.

"Alde Kilan."

Heh, another "great noble."

Borne continued his inquiry, "Who is he? What benefits did he promise you?"

"Alde is a fifth-year student at Giles Academy; he promised to recommend me to the Arcane Society once the job was done..."

"Enough!!!"

A fierce shout rang out. The two students, whose eyes had been unfocused, immediately regained their clarity, looking at Borne with sheer terror in their eyes.

The interruption of his spell did not cause Borne any displeasure. After the "great noble" scheme was exposed, today's events had already become a joke. There were few fools among those who could enter Giles Academy, and they quickly understood what was going on.

"Borne Ioulaum, I am Archie Nasif, Minister of the Student Council Disciplinary Department. Because you have violated regulations by using magic within the academy and casting spells on a fellow student in a public place, the impact is extremely severe!"

A handsome man walked toward Borne, wearing the badge of the Arcane Society on his chest. "In the name of the Arcane Society, I am now asking you to come with us!"

The few members of the Arcane Society following behind him began to disperse the surrounding crowd.

"Hmm? A 3rd-circle [Dispel Magic]?"

Borne didn't care much about the newcomer, but the technique he had just used piqued Borne's interest.

It influenced a certain area through sound, expanding a spell originally intended for a single target into an area-of-effect magic.

This shared similarities with Borne's [Hypnosis], though the former was relatively stiff in both technique and execution, lacking the smooth, natural flow Borne possessed.

Although Borne held the title of "Youngest Arcanist," he was still just a student within the academy.

Seeing Borne unmoved—or rather, seemingly "contemptuous"—made Archie, who had long served as a high-ranking member of the Arcane Society, feel that his authority was being challenged.

Archie grew slightly angry and, without a second thought, reached out to grab Borne.

Slap.

The hand was swatted away.

"Hmm? What did you just say?"

Borne looked at him in confusion. He had been a bit distracted, but his instincts as a level 3 Monk had reacted automatically.

Archie's expression, however, turned exceptionally ugly as he loudly questioned, "Are you openly opposing the Arcane Society and defying the academy!"

Good grief, that was quite the heavy accusation to pin on him!

"The Arcane Society does not represent the academy. Abusing the power granted by the academy only serves to smear its reputation."

Borne sneered, "I was originally going to play along with you, but it seems that won't be necessary now."

Archie suddenly had a bad premonition. "What are you going to do!!!"

"What am I going to do? Flip the table, of course..."

Pale blue magic manifested in front of Borne. Archie hurriedly retreated at top speed, but it was too late; he was violently sent flying by a massive force.

"Don't say I didn't give you a chance. I'll give you 3 seconds to chant!"

Borne crossed his arms over his chest and said indifferently.

The surrounding people were stunned to see their minister sent flying, but those who could join the Arcane Society were no mediocrities, and they immediately began to launch their counterattack.

They waved their hands and chanted incantations, each preparing their most proficient magic.

Three seconds passed in a flash, and just as everyone finished their preparations, a voice rang out.

"Too slow!"

The gathered magic was struck hard before it could be released, instantly interrupting their casting and leaving them collapsed on the ground.

Two of them reacted slightly faster and released their magic early, but they were also knocked unconscious by the point-blank detonation.

Seeing this, Borne shook his head. "Is this the level you're at..."

"Don't you know how to buff yourselves first, cover each other, and alternate attacks? And you call yourselves elites of the Arcane Society..."

Although they didn't understand what Borne was saying, they clearly understood the mockery behind it.

With their casting interrupted, they immediately suffered from mana backlash. Though their heads felt like they were splitting, the collapsed Arcane Society members struggled to get up, desperate to fight Borne to the death.

Borne swept a calm glance over the fallen group.

Boom...

An explosion erupted behind Borne.

"I thought you would stay down there forever..."

Borne turned around slowly, a pale blue magic shield standing firm before him.

Not far away, Archie wore a look of disbelief. "What kind of magic is this? Is it Arcane?"

It was not only versatile in form, capable of both offense and defense, but it also completely subverted his understanding.

"Monster! You monster!!!"

Amidst Archie's roar, he cast several more first-circle spells in succession, but aside from creating some colorful smoke, they caused no damage to Borne whatsoever.

At this moment, several black dots in the distant sky were rapidly growing larger, and the sound of something tearing through the air reached them from afar.

"Look, someone is coming."

"That uniform... it's the Enforcement Squad!"

No matter the world, there are always those who love a spectacle; people driven away by the Arcane Society hid far off to watch the show.

"Alright, the performance is about over, time to exit the stage."

As Borne's voice fell, the look of fear and excitement on Archie's face froze.

"What?"

A wave of dizziness washed over him, followed by a sharp pain at the back of his head, and he lost consciousness.

Borne watched the Enforcement Squad land on the ground one after another and smiled. "Let's discuss who is going back to notify your president."

Enforcement Squad: ???

When the president of the Arcane Society arrived, the members of the Arcane Society and the Enforcement Squad were already 'strewn about' and wailing on the ground.

Looking at Borne standing in the center of the field, Skolin suppressed his anger.

"Why did you do this?"

"According to the standard script, that should have been my line, but I don't have time to play house with you. Are we going through the motions, or are you conceding on behalf of the Arcane Society?"

"What do you mean... no, wait..."

Although Borne's words were inexplicable, Skolin seemed to grasp something; as a noble scion, his upbringing in a prominent family had been thorough.

"Damn it!!!"

Skolin gritted his teeth and cursed under his breath.

"It seems you weren't aware of it; you were used as a pawn."

Borne continued, "If you represent the Arcane Society and publicly clarify the incident, then today's matter ends here."

If possible, Borne didn't want to flip the table either. After all, the Arcane Society represented the academy; although the personnel under the Arcane Society were pulling various petty tricks, they were all within the rules.

Flipping the table would be a blatant violation of the rules, and whether he won or lost in a conflict with the president of the Arcane Society, it would undoubtedly be a provocation against the academy.

For the first time, Skolin felt that the position of president was a trap. He scanned the area, checked his own people, and breathed a slight sigh of relief after confirming there were no major injuries.

"Don't worry, I know how to pull my punches. Otherwise, it wouldn't be you arriving here, though they will definitely need to lie down for a few days."

"Regardless, thank you!"

Skolin gave Borne a slight noble bow, then drew his longsword from his waist.

"Let's begin!"

"Is it worth it?"

"I am the president of the Arcane Society!"

"Understood. As a sign of respect, I will give it my all!"

Pale blue mana emerged from around Borne's body.

"Pardon the intrusion!!!"

Skolin held his longsword, a faint glow shimmering along the blade.