36  School life continues?

This whole situation is out of hand! It's been two weeks since Markorn showed up at our school. Since then he evolved into something like the local boss of a gang! 

He seriously wounded some students, who didn't jump on his every whim. All in all he is acting like he owns the world. 

Though at the moment it really seems like nothing can stop him. After Angrod couldn't scratch him in special class, he challenged me a few days later. 

I couldn't do anything to him either. He is using a mana aura, which is protecting him. It is similar to my technique, but much much worse in terms of mana consumption. Unfortunately he has huge amounts of mana to waste. 

"You already have an idea how to stop that guy?" I ask Angrod. 

"Nope." He shakes his head and leans back in his seat. "He has too much mana, he can toss it around in any way he wants. Maybe we can take him down if we fight together." 

"Then we fight together, he is a real bother. Yesterday, he appeared and tried to lead me off somewhere!" This guy is dangerous! 

"Ok. Then let him do you. While his guard is down, you ram one of those hairpins into a vital spot and the problem is solved! A good plan." Angrod nods to himself with a smiling face. 

Scum! Idiot! I will not forget this! Wait and see, my revenge will be painful! 

"H... How could you suggest this! I am your fiancée!" -Me 

"No hairpin? Well you are right, too dangerous. Poison then! We will poison him, mwahahaha. Oldest trick in the book!" Angrod smiles at me. 

"Don't you have any shame?" I ask agape. 

"No? What's wrong with poison? Do you think he has some kind of resistance?" Angrod now has a worried look. 

"I think we are not really talking to each other! Do you even pay attention to me? Look up from your book when I am talking to you! It feels like you aren't taking me seriously." I am in dismay. This doesn't feel like a proper conversation at all. 

"I am sorry Celes, but I really have to think about the coronation. It's in two months and I have to win that fight somehow. On the side, I have to take care of breaking the shield of that stupid city! So let me read this book, it helps me to concentrate." -Angrod 

"Fine, tell me if I can do something to help. I will go and visit Tanja. She promised to load a new spell into my ring." I turn around and walk away. 

"I hope it isn't another indecent spell to hide your presence, just to sneak into my room! Besides, I have to talk to Tanja anyway. So bring her if you find her!" Angrod calls after me, but I just wave my hand at him and turn around the corner. 

I loathe it! Why can't I build a decent relationship with him again. A few times it looked pretty good, but when he gets stressed, he always falls back into the old behaviour and I can't get through to him. 

If he would be the old.... . Nah. What am I thinking. Maybe he was really right and we should forget about the past. We are really different people from then. 

Maybe I just don't want to admit it, but I could be different too. Heck! It has been a few thousand years since then! 

*Bump* 

Ah! I ran into someone! "Um, sorry! I guess I didn't pay enough attention." A student, about two years older than me is blocking my path. Three other guys are behind him. 

I step to the side but they block my path. When I turn around I see that three other students are behind me and the hallway is suddenly empty. This was set up? 

"We would like to have the honour of escorting you." The older student says. "And why should I let you?" I ask with an annoyed voice. 

"Because king Markorn wishes to see his future queen." The older student answers like nothing is wrong. 

"Do you have some kind of brain damage? Markorn is nothing of the sort!" What's wrong with those guys! 

"We have watched your duels in special class and we are pretty sure that he is stronger than you. It's good to be on the good side of the future king. So we will bring you to him if he asks for it." The student grabs my shoulder. 

That's not the right way to treat me! I grab his hand and twist while I redirect the flow of my mana. 

*Snap*  "AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" 

Oh, shut up! Grabbing his shoulder while twisting further I shove a little, and the offender exits the hallway through the window beside us. 

*Crash* "AAAAAAAAaaaaaahhh" *Thud* 

"Th.. This is the th... third floor!" One of the other minions stutters with a shocked voice. But I am not done and kick another one into the groin. 

I feel something getting crushed and finish the guy with a fist to the face before the rest of the gang can recover from their shock. 

The rest is about to jump on me, when someone starts to clap his hands. 

"Well, that's enough. I expected you wouldn't be able to bring her. So I came to check myself." Markorn appeared out of nowhere. "Would you guys please wait around the corner, I have a few things to discuss. No one is allowed to disturb us." 

The remaining minions take their fallen comrade/eunuch? and leave. When they are out of sight Markorn addresses me again. "I know, this isn't very gentle, but you refused to talk to me on every other occasion." 

"What do you want?" -Me 

"I just want you to realize reality and team up with me, that's all. I will get the crown at the coronation and you will have no other choice than to marry me anyway. You will profit from this too. Don't you want the best candidate for the job too?" 

"..." 

He continues. "As I see it, this weakling isn't fit for the job. This world needs a strong leadership and not a strange guy who hides himself behind books, or inside a strange facility. A King needs to show presence and strength if he wants to lead a country. He needs to be smart too." 

"Being able to set some traps like I just did is an important part of leadership." -Markorn 

"And why is it such a great trap to send some bullies after me?" -Me 

"Because everyone of them is now a witness. You went crazy and attacked two Tirna nobles, after they refused your orders. It should be enough to cause quite the commotion don't you think?" He smiles at me. 

"I still don't understand what you would gain from that?" -Me 

"Of course you have a really good reputation at the moment. But everything that damages that reputation will make it easier for me to take over! The Stricc princess, going rampage on some Tirna nobels. If that wouldn't shake up the state of affairs, I don't know!" -Markorn 

"It's good then. Without any witness, there won't be any commotion." 

Angrod walks around the corner, pulling a limp body behind him. Angrod! I run up to him and embrace him. Oh, he came for me after all! 

"There are enough witnesses! I have at least four Tirna nobles and three people from Stricc, who....." 

Angrod throws the limp student at Markorn, who steps aside and the student lands on his back. While staring into the ceiling, the student breathes slowly and regular. 

"You are awake? Get up and bring the others!" Markorn kicks the student, but gets no reaction. 

"Don't bother. I had our friend Tanja investigate your connections inside the school. Then I begged her to tell me, when you would leave your …. I will call it hideout for the lack of a better term. When she reported you gone, I went there and had a little talk with your employees." 

"Everyone from Tirna got a nice little treatment from me, while I had the guys from Stricc watch. I doubt that they are willing to risk anything for you by now. Afterwards I came here and had a nice chat with your guards." 

"I hope you won't be so foolish, as to attack me here in public, because everything that happened until now was within my legal jurisdiction of punishing disobedience." 

Angrod smiles at Markorn and turns me around to leave. As we pass the group of minions from earlier, I see the Tirna nobles lying limp on the ground, staring into nothingness like the other student. 

The guys from Stricc watch Angrod with pale faces and press themselves against the walls to gain the highest possible distance. They act like they are in the same room with some kind of monster. 

"How did you find me?" -Me 

"There is a tracking function inside your ring. I also hid a tracking device inside Markorn's clothes during training. We share the same changing room after all. When you two were in the same position, I came to check." -Angrod 

He is tracking me? He …... DOES that mean he cares for me in his own way!? 

"And what did you do to those students?" -Me 

"Nothing. Just a punishment according to disrespecting orders during a time of war. You threw that guy out of the window too, didn't you?" -Angrod 

"I didn't kill him!" -Me 

"Tanja finished it from the shadows. I explained the situation to her." -Angrod 

"She would never!" No. Tanja is a nice girl. She wouldn't. 

"She would do everything for you, her friend. Markorn is right when he thinks that a commotion right now would disturb the balance. Tanja knows that too, probably better than both of us if you think about her family background." -Angrod 

We turn around another corner and Tanja steps out of a shadow and hugs me. "Everything okay Celes?" 

"I am not sure. I feel like I was used as a bait!" I answer honestly. 

"Sorry. It wasn't intentional, I promise. But everything played out like this, when you went to look for me. And Angrod had to deal with those thugs." Tanja fiddles with her fingers. 

"What did he do to them?" I ask worried. 

Tanja turns pale. "It's better if you don't know....." And looks away. I keep pestering her for the rest of the day, but she won't tell. 

Nor did I hear any rumours from the other Stricc nobles.