The girl who spoke seemed to be from an aristocratic family.
She waved to her fan elegantly as she asked,
"Who was the boy with you? I've never seen him before."
Layla answered confidently,
"Of course, he is my partner."
"Partner?"
The other girl's voice was filled with curiosity and surprise.
She smiled slyly and said,
"I didn't expect the Ice Queen, who fearlessly killed thousands of monsters, to have this kind of taste in men. Many hearts must be breaking at this sight."
The girl glanced at Xerox and added,
"Aren't you worried about your partner being harmed by your admirers? He looks quite young."
"They can try, if they dare,"
Layla replied calmly.
"Don't underestimate him because of his age. I believe he'll reach 5-Rank in less than five years."
"5-Rank in five years?"
the girl asked, raising an eyebrow.
"How old is he now?"
"Fifteen,"
Layla said without hesitation.
"Fifteen? That would make him 5-Rank by twenty. Are you saying he's more talented than you? Is he Aerox, the one everyone claims has more potential than you? But I remember Aerox having black eyes."
The girl had seen Aerox's details in the records at The Authority, but Xerox didn't match his description.
"No, he's not Aerox,"
Layla said, her voice steady.
"His name is Xerox Zee. He's not well-known yet, but I believe his name will shine soon."
The girl smirked.
"Seriously? Someone more talented than you? Even Aerox pales in comparison. I guess we'll see his limits in time."
While the two chatted, someone else wasn't as happy.
Professor William sat nearby, seething with anger.
When Xerox arrived holding Layla's hand, Lance's mood soured.
He had spent years pursuing Layla and now, a boy he disliked was by her side.
His friends knew how he felt and avoided mentioning Layla to avoid provoking him further.
But Justin Scott, one of Lance's acquaintances, saw this as an opportunity to gain favor.
Justin approached Lance with a glass of wine in hand.
"Lord Lance, do you know the boy who came with the Ice Queen?"
Lance scoffed.
"He's a nobody."
Justin, now reassured, smirked.
"Would you like me to make him leave the party?"
Lance hesitated for a moment.
He knew Justin was trying to curry favor with him.
He also realized that dealing with Xerox himself could get him into trouble with Eclipse Academy, where he had already been warned about breaking rules.
Finally, he nodded.
"Go ahead."
(Justin wants my favor, and I'll enjoy seeing Xerox suffer,) Lance thought.
He didn't care about the consequences as long as Xerox was humiliated and removed from the party.
"Who are you?"
"I'm Justin Scott. I don't think I've seen you before. How did you get invited to this party?"
Justin Scott?
Who is this guy?
I've never heard his name before, but his tone doesn't seem friendly.
"I came with Layla Costine,"
I replied confidently.
With Layla's reputation, most people wouldn't dare mess with anyone associated with her—or so I thought.
"With Ms. Layla?"
Justin scoffed.
"I don't think you're qualified to be with someone like her. Show me your invitation card, or I'll have to ask you to leave."
What is this guy saying?
Does he think he owns the place?
It's obvious he's one of Lance's lackeys, sent to pick a fight.
I decided to ignore him and took a sip of my juice.
Explaining myself would be a waste of time—he wouldn't listen anyway.
"You… How dare you ignore me!"
Justin's face turned red with anger.
Justin Scott was the son of a gold-ranked federation leader, but he had no talent to match his father's legacy.
At 30, he was still only Rank-4.
For someone else, that might have been acceptable, but for Justin, who had all the resources in the world, it was a failure.
Throughout his life, Justin had used his father's influence to bully others, but those with real power always ignored him.
Being dismissed felt like the ultimate insult.
"You'll regret this!"
Justin shouted.
He unleashed his Mana Aura, trying to intimidate me.
But no one in our group even flinched.
Silvana, Lily, Trival, Aerox, and I were all strong for our rank, and his weak aura had no effect on us.
Justin gritted his teeth and increased his intensity, but I kept calmly sipping my drink, not even sparing him a glance.
This only made him angrier.
"Guards!"
Justin yelled.
Two men in black suits appeared.
"What can we do for you, young master Justin?"
one of them asked.
"This guy doesn't have an invitation card. Throw him out,"
Justin demanded.
The guards exchanged nervous glances.
"We've seen him come with Ms. Layla,"
one of them said.
"We can't touch a guest of the Ice Queen."
"What? You're letting an uninvited guest stay? Throw him out now!"
Justin shouted.
The guard's tone became firm.
"Young master Justin, we strongly advise you to leave him alone. If you offend the Ice Queen, even your father won't be able to protect you."
Hearing Layla's name, Justin hesitated.
He knew her reputation all too well.
But his pride wouldn't let him back down.
"So what if he came with her? This party is hosted by Silverblade, and he needs an invitation card to be here,"
Professor Lance said as he stepped forward.
Lance, another troublemaker, wasn't about to let this go.
He released his Rank-6 aura, making the guards tremble under the pressure.
A crowd began to gather, sensing the tension.
I stood there, unsure of what to do.
I wanted to help the guards since they were only in this mess because of me, but at Rank-2, I was powerless against Lance.
Suddenly, a barrier formed around the guards, shielding them from Lance's aura.
"Lance, don't act like you own this place,"