Rudi's eyes widened. The skinny lackey beside him could only stare, mouth hanging open.
They had no idea what just happened. One second the big guy was charging forward, the next he was flying sideways, sticking his butt out like a lamb happily offering itself for slaughter.
But reality was still reality.
The big guy had fallen. And he had been punished.
And judging from that kick to the rear… it definitely wasn't light.
Rudi's pride snapped.
"Y-You… how did you—"
He and his remaining lackey exchanged a glance. Neither of them knew any real martial arts. Just posturing. Just bullying the weak.
Now?
They weren't so confident anymore.
Both of them raised their fists, but their stances were beyond amateur—awkward, stiff… almost embarrassingly flimsy.
Al was already walking toward them.
Each step made them swallow harder.
Rudi quickly glanced around. A few students were watching—but they were all weaklings. No teachers. No security.
His own fault for picking such a secluded spot to bully someone.
Not a single person here looked reliable.
His mind raced.
Should I use my family name to threaten him?
Or bribe someone to step in and buy me time to escape?
They weren't dependable in a fight—but for creating a distraction? That might be enough.
But before he could act on any of those plans—
Al's hand was already gripping his wrist.
Rudi froze.
He hadn't even seen Al move. One second he was a few steps away. The next—he was right in front of him.
Al wore a strange smile.
A smile that felt like it crawled straight out of hell.
The grip wasn't tight.
Just enough.
Yet Rudi couldn't move at all.
His arm felt like it had been locked inside iron shackles.
Al leaned closer, studying him up close.
Rudi instinctively glanced to the side, looking for his lackey—
Only to see something disgusting.
The skinny lackey had already collapsed onto the ground without even being touched. His face was pale with terror. And beneath him… something dark and wet was spreading.
Rudi snapped his head back toward Al, forcing himself to act tough.
"H-Hey, orphan… what do you think you're doing?" he barked, though his voice trembled slightly. "Do you even know who I am?"
Rudi's expression twisted.
"Let go!"
Al leaned even closer.
"I don't care who you are or what kind of background you have," he replied flatly.
His voice dropping to a calm whisper.
"Just remember this. Next time you corner someone… make sure you can handle the consequences."
For a brief second—
Rudi felt something suffocating.
An overwhelming pressure.
As if he were standing before something far more dangerous than he had imagined.
Then—
"Enough!"
A calm but firm voice echoed through the corridor.
Footsteps approached.
A student stepped into view.
Idham Tamarvich.
Black hair slicked neatly back. Perfect posture. His uniform was immaculate, not a single wrinkle in sight. A gold-and-white school badge gleamed proudly on his chest.
A direct descendant of the Tamarvich family—one of the top ten families in Indorosia.
His very existence was the reason Rudi couldn't freely dominate HIHS just by throwing around his family name.
He, Rudi, and David were known as the Three Princes of Makazhar City—born in the same generation from the three most powerful families in East Indorosia.
His calm gaze swept across the chaotic scene.
"Rudi. Causing trouble again?" he said, sounding genuinely fed up, as if this wasn't the first time.
"Violence on school grounds," Idham added evenly, "is against regulation."
Rudi looked visibly relieved at Idham's arrival. Normally, Idham's presence only annoyed him—after all, he was the main reason Rudi's bullying schemes often failed.
But this time?
He felt like a savior had just descended from the heavens.
Unfortunately, Idham's words still cut into him.
"Hey! Are you blind!? No matter how you look at it, I'm the victim here!" Rudi protested.
Idham, who didn't fully understand the situation yet, carefully examined the scene before him.
And he was slightly surprised by what he saw.
Al—the scholarship orphan student—was gripping Rudi's arm firmly.
Rudi's two lackeys looked pitiful. One was sitting on the ground in a puddle of his own urine, his face pale with fear. The other was lying on the floor, clutching his aching butt in pain.
Idham knew of Al.
But only as that lucky street kid who somehow managed to get into HIHS. There was nothing particularly special about him—aside from the rumors about his excessive laziness.
So naturally, Idham was skeptical that Al could've done all this.
Yet reality stood right in front of him.
And this situation needed to be handled first.
He turned to Al.
"Al. Was this your doing?" he asked, glancing at Rudi's restrained arm. "And… please let go of Rudi. That kind of behavior isn't appropriate."
Al shot him a lazy look.
He wasn't satisfied yet. The other two hadn't been properly punished.
But if he continued in front of Idham, things might escalate—and that would interfere with his precious morning nap schedule.
"Huff… you're lucky, rich boy," he muttered at Rudi.
Reluctantly—and with a tiny, subtle trick—he released Rudi's wrist.
The moment Rudi felt free, relief washed over him.
But before he could even process it—
A strange force sent him stumbling backward. He fell hard onto the floor, landing squarely on his butt.
"Ouch—!" Rudi groaned in pain.
"Ow… not my fault," Al commented casually. "I already let you go. You were just too excited."
Rudi glared at him with burning rage—
But he hesitated.
Now wasn't the time to confront him again.
Meanwhile, Idham simply shook his head and stepped closer.
"You two," Idham said calmly. "If you have disputes, settle them properly. Don't act like barbarians—especially in a school of this caliber. We are raised as elites, not common thugs."
Al nodded lazily.
Rudi could only curse inwardly and look away while pushing himself up.
"I'll have the disciplinary team investigate this. But class is about to start. End this now and return to your classrooms," Idham concluded.
Humiliated, Rudi didn't even bother checking on his useless subordinates. He turned and walked off first.
"Tch. Don't lecture me, Tamarvich," he spat, venting a bit of his frustration as he left.
Idham didn't respond.
He was used to it.
The silence itself was an answer.
After a few seconds, Rudi stopped at a distance he deemed safe enough to threaten Al.
"And you, orphan. This isn't over," he shouted coldly—before quickly hurrying away.
Al let out a small chuckle at the sight of him fleeing and simply shook his head.
"Don't forget—you still owe me. And now the debt just increased," he called out casually.
He glanced at Rudi's two miserable lackeys.
Huff… whatever. I'll deal with those two some other time.
Before long, the area finally cleared.
Only Al and Idham remained, standing a few meters apart.
Al briefly explained what had happened—from his version of events.
Idham listened, nodding slightly. He would verify it later.
Their eyes met.
Neither smiled.
Neither spoke for several seconds.
Then Idham gave a small nod.
"Thank you for cooperating. And for not escalating the matter."
Al returned a light nod. He wasn't close enough to Idham to bother with extra politeness.
"Sure."
Then he turned around.
"I still have a nap waiting for me. So I'll head off."
"Nap?" Idham muttered, confused.
Al nodded. "Yup. I'm in the afternoon class, you know. I just happened to come early today and had too much free time."
"I see," Idham replied. Then he added quickly, "By the way, you don't need to worry. As for the Norvalien family—if Rudi tries to use his family name against you, just contact me. I'll handle it."
Al nodded once more. "It's fine. Even if he and his entire family come at me together, I can deal with it."
Then he turned and walked away as if nothing had happened.
Idham was slightly surprised—and faintly irritated—by that blatant arrogance.
He said nothing, but his jaw tightened subtly.
He hadn't expected an orphaned scholarship student to carry himself with such confidence.
A moment later, Al stopped mid-step.
He turned back with a small smile.
"By the way… thank you."
Then he continued walking, hands in his pockets, disappearing down the corridor like the whole incident had been nothing more than a minor inconvenience.
Idham remained standing there, watching Al's back as he disappeared down the corridor.
A faint thought flickered across his mind.
Al was from the afternoon class. Yet he had effortlessly knocked down Rudi's burly lackey… and even dared to confront Rudi himself.
For some reason, a certain mysterious name surfaced in his thoughts.
Masked King.
"…Could he be the Masked King?" Idham muttered under his breath, curiosity creeping into his voice.
But no matter how many times he replayed the scene in his head, analyzing every detail—
It didn't add up.
The biggest flaw in that logic was simple.
Al was just an orphaned scholarship student.
How could someone like him possibly lead those arrogant elite students from the afternoon class?
"Impossible," Idham concluded, shaking his head lightly.
"More likely… he's just one of Masked King's trained lackeys. That would explain his confidence."
Yes. That made far more sense.
And with that rationalization, Idham turned and walked away—though the faint trace of doubt in his mind refused to disappear completely.
His jaw tightened faintly.
"…Troublesome," he muttered under his breath.
But whether that word carried disdain—
—or caution—
No one could tell.