Marissa, still composed, offered a polite smile.
"You don't have to worry, Referee Adrian," she said calmly. "I won't be summoning it."
She gestured toward the unconscious wolf beast near Nate.
"As you can see, it's already done its job."
Inside the contract space, Luke scoffed.
"Seriously, that was nothing."
Marissa's inner voice screamed.
"NOTHING?! You just made half the academy faint!"
Luke let out a lazy chuckle.
"If they can't handle that, they're weak," he said flatly. "What's the point of being a mage if they cry over a little pressure?"
Marissa sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"I swear, sometimes I wonder if you're actually here to help or just causing chaos for fun."
Luke's smirk was almost audible.
"A little of both."
Nate, still reeling from the absurdity of it all, took a shaky breath.
Then—
He bowed.
A full ninety-degree bow.
