No More Being Polite

Hansen looked as if he had been struck by lightning. He gave a shudder and froze in midair along with the dozen or so mages behind him.

Th-this... this...

He did not even know how long he had stood there in a daze. His mind was utterly blank; all he could see was Benjamin's half-smiling gaze fixed upon him. When he finally came back to his senses, his face instantly turned as ugly as if he had swallowed dog shit.

H-how could this be?

The terror of being exposed, the shame and rage of being mocked, the unease of losing control over the situation... all kinds of emotions surged up at once, making his head burn. It was as though a bomb had exploded in his chest, jolting him so badly that he nearly wanted to spit out three pints of blood. He had the urge to turn around and run.

It was not something he had never considered, but it was a sight he would rather die than face.

"Y-you... you... what is going on with you? How could you be that principal? Y-you're lying! Wait, w-what are you doing? Get away! I have nothing to say to you! I..."

Overwhelmed by emotion, he spoke angrily, yet he could not even get his words straight. No one knew what he was trying to say.

Benjamin shook his head helplessly.

"What's wrong? When we met a few days ago, Your Excellency was nothing like this." He spoke slowly. "Is it embarrassing? You stole our Rune Meditation Method, then prattled on for so long right in front of me. If I had done something like that, I would not have the nerve to look anyone in the eye."

"Y-you... how could you... how could this..." Mage Hansen still stared at Benjamin,