"A Coward's End?" The classroom exploded with exclamations of shock and outrage. Everyone knew what it was, but no one had actually used it in years, to the point it was considered just a myth.
"How despicable!" The leader of the pack was desperately trying to search for a way out. This was the first time in her life that she had her back against a wall.
"You made me say those things, I just fell into your trap, it's all your fault!"
Arthur and Morgan's laughter filled the room.
"Seriously? That's your excuse? 'They made me do it'? You did it all by yourself, and everything that happened since I walked into the classroom has been recorded. I doubt anyone would find an image of me begging to get my a*s kicked."
She had realized the idiocy of her plan the moment she said it out loud, so she decided for a subtler approach.
"Look, I get it. We started off on the wrong foot, but we can still fix everything."
"But of course! I can report everything to the Headmaster or use the Ballot to summon help. Either way, you'll permanently be out of my hair forever."
The girl turned as pale as a ghost but refused to back down.
"Don't you have any shame? Incapable of doing anything on your own, hiding behind a crutch made for cripples and weaklings? It's no surprise that you commoners can't get any respect in here, you do not deserve it!"
Arthur and Morgan laughed even harder.
"Playing the pride card? Maybe if I was a five-year-old, it might even work. But you know what? It's rich hearing a speech about shame and incapacity from you. The pot calling the kettle black.
"You are three years older than me, and together with your friends, gang up against a single person. To make things worse, the only reason you did it was to torment someone you consider an inferior being, just because you think that you are untouchable.
"You can call me a coward for using a Ballot, but then what's your excuse? You are nothing but three pathetic little girls, used to hiding behind their parents, who cower in fear when they have to face the consequences of their foolish actions.
"It's not being brave or strong when the only reason you are so cocky is because of your family name. That's cheating. If you really think what you are doing is right, you should attack me, Ballot or not, uncaring of the consequences.
"After all, the Headmaster is just a puppet, your words. If the White Griffon is really in your hands, what do you have to fear? But if you do not make a move, it's because you know that you are wrong and that you are just a hypocrite!"
She wanted to kill them, shove all their words down their throat, but she could not, and neither could her friends. They were already at risk of being expelled; the only option remaining was damage control.
The Headmaster had issued a zero-tolerance policy against bullying, and everyone in the Court knew that there was the hand of the Queen pulling his strings.
Her father, Duke Hertia, had been crystal clear with her.
"Do whatever you want, I'll cover for you as long as you don't get caught red-handed. I don't give a sh*t about commoners' or small nobles' lives, but I worked too hard to lose everything for such a petty reason.
"If you are so incompetent to leave proof, our family will be put under scrutiny, our assets frozen during the whole investigation. I'd rather throw you to the wolves than put the family name at risk. I can always have another daughter, after all.
"It's only my Dukedom that's irreplaceable."
Too many mages had defected from the Griffon Kingdom after graduating from the academies, trading all the secrets they had learned in exchange for the promise of revenge and riches.
The system had proven to be corrupt decades ago, but now it was crumbling under its own weight, snowballing out of control faster and faster.
Despite how the noble families and magicians' bloodlines had always been opposed to the changes, after losing two Magus-level mages due to the unfair treatment they had received, both the Queen and the Mage Association were out for blood.