Miranda Bloom
"Listen here you little shit," Stan's face was red with anger.
He and Eren were on the verge of a physical altercation when Eren unexpectedly collapsed to the ground, clutching his stomach in apparent agony.
Stan was taken aback, unsure of what had just happened. Eren didn't waste any time and cried out for help.
"Aaaaagh! Reece... help, Stan... he is trying to kill me," Eren wailed, calling out to Reece, who was approaching from behind Stan. Upon hearing Eren's distress, Reece swiftly cast a movement spell, her legs engulfed in green flames, and disappeared from her position. In the blink of an eye, she reappeared beside Eren, embracing him in her arms.
"Eren... what... what happened to you?" Reece asked, her voice filled with concern. Eren, still seemingly tormented by pangs of pain, explained the situation.
"Reece, remember when you asked about the wounds I sustained during training? I lied to you. They were all inflicted by this guy and his gang," Eren confessed, his face contorted with agony. He continued, recounting the events that had transpired.
"Today, while I was waiting for you, this guy came out of nowhere and punched me. I don't know why they keep harassing me, both physically and verbally, for no reason."
With Reece's assistance, Eren stood up, using the opportunity to subtly show his intimate connection with her by placing his arm around her shoulders, accompanied by a barely noticeable smirk. Despite the pain he was in, his face wore a complex blend of expressions, as if he was wearing multiple masks simultaneously.
"I'm afraid if this continues, I might not survive long enough to reach Rank 1. Could you ask Captain Miranda to help me in my current state?" Eren implored Reece.
Reece stared at Stan, her face initially blank, but those who knew her well could discern her seething anger. She was on the verge of launching an attack on Stan, but Eren intervened.
"No, Reece. Let's not stoop to their level. We're better than that. Let's file an official complaint against Stan and his group. We'll let Captain Miranda handle the rest," Eren suggested, restraining Reece's anger. Reece hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement, allowing Eren to keep his arm around her shoulders as they walked away, portraying a semblance of vulnerability.
Throughout this exchange, Stan remained silent, unable to comprehend what had just transpired.
"Did I really hit him?"
Stan questioned himself, his mind replaying the scenes over and over. Confusion and frustration welled up within him, exacerbated by Eren's sudden change in demeanor and behavior. Stan wanted to assert that he was the victim in this situation, at least in this exchange of theirs.
***
Following the incident, Miranda Bloom, their team captain, took swift action.
She prohibited Stan, Jayce, and Ralph from participating in the upcoming raid and imposed a heavy fine of 10 mana quartz each for the damage they had inflicted on Eren. The trio wore expressions of confusion, anger, and disbelief. Stan gestured for Jayce and Ralph to remain silent and meet him outside since they were no longer involved in the mission for the week.
Miranda, with her radiant golden-blonde hair, gray eyes, and captivating features, possessed not only beauty but also a remarkable ranking status as a Meta in the 9th stage, on the cusp of breaking into the Awakened rank. Despite her youthful age, she commanded respect and admiration.
Miranda had always appreciated Eren's conduct and the work he carried out. She had suspected that Stan and his companions had been causing trouble for Eren for some time, but she couldn't intervene without Eren seeking help.
The punishment she meted out to Stan and his group was the maximum penalty she could impose on Metas for mistreating a non-ranker. It would have been a different story if Eren were also a ranker. Societal and official rules were heavily skewed in favor of rankers, leaving mortals and non-rankers at a disadvantage.
While rules existed to safeguard the well-being of mortals and non-rankers, they were more like guidelines when it came to the ranker population. If a ranker engaged too much with mortals, it was seen as a sign of losing their standing among their peers. Rankers who bullied weaker individuals were viewed unfavorably.
It was highly unlikely that mortals or non-ranked individuals would invoke these rules against rankers, as they feared the repercussions that would follow. Rankers were notorious for holding grudges, and mortals preferred to avoid any potential consequences of getting a ranker entangled in legal trouble.
However, the Vik within Eren wasn't concerned about these assumed repercussions. Not taking action had negative consequences of its own. He preferred to face any repercussions head-on rather than allow others to trample over him.
At least this way, he could anticipate the challenges and take necessary measures to protect himself.