Confrontation

Everyone froze in their positions as an eerie silence descended in the classroom. Not a single person dared to move as everyone became tense for what was about to come next.

No one dared look toward him but every single person in the class could tell who the voice belonged to. It was none other than Lucas Morningstar.

The cold atmosphere emitted by Yelena intensified and all the cadets except a few began to tremble. She looked at the cadet who dared to challenge her authority. It was none other than Lucas Morningstar who sat on his seat with his legs arrogantly folded.

"What did you say?" Yelena asked as her voice turned cold.

"Reign in your ice magic will ya? If this goes on then some of the cadets present here will get frostbite." Lucas said completely ignoring Yelena's question.

Yelena's eyes became much more chilly after seeing Lucas's attitude but she calmed herself and the atmosphere of the classroom soon returned to normal.

"Cadet Lucas, I asked you to repeat your statement. And stand while speaking to me."

Lucas sluggishly rose from his chair at Yelena's words and repeated his words while gazing apathetically at her.

"What if we wish to receive justice instead of becoming a memory?"

"Does that mean you wish me to deliver judgment directly instead of deciding with winners and losers?" Yelena asked.

"To put it bluntly, yes," Lucas replied nonchalantly as he looked Yelena in the eye.

"And why should I do that? Why should I waste my time on a bunch of first-year troublemakers?" Yelena casually asked, her words laced with authority.

Right now, everyone in the class was fully attentive to the conversation between the two siblings.

In all honesty, everyone in the class was dissatisfied with Yelena's way of solving the issue. Although her speech was impressive, it didn't change the fact her methods were unfair.

But no one was brave enough to oppose the supreme ruling party of the Academy whose authority was second only to the king. However, Lucas stood up to her.

"Judging by your words, it seems that you intend to punish whoever loses this game of yours and the entire class will have to participate in this game. Did I get that Miss Queen?" 

"...and what about it?" Yelena asked not understanding where Lucas was going with this.

"Aren't you contradicting your own words, Miss Queen? You say you don't want to pass the wrong judgment yet still decided to settle this with a game. Isn't that hypocritical of you?" Lucas said in a mocking tone as he recollected Yelena's previous words.

"If that was your attempt to shame me then you failed at it. Hypocritical or not, your words can't change my decision. Why would I even bother with what you first years have to say about me." Yelena replied in an equally mocking tone as she gazed at Lucas.

Lucas wasn't fazed by her words and simply continued with the conversation.

"Then it is the same for me. why should I do that? Why should I waste my time on this game just because you were too lazy to do your job?"

Yelena's face contorted in anger as she gazed at Lucas. It was clear to her that Lucas was specifically targeting the words spoken by her.

"You dare to challenge my ruling. I already said this before but I will not tolerate insubordination, Lucas." Yelena threatened.

"Of course not. I am just saying that even if you proceed with your ruling I will simply not take any part in it."

Yelena now realized what Lucas was aiming for. By cleverly saying that he wasn't against her verdict but simultaneously stating that he would not participate in this game, he was essentially making it so that it was impossible to blame him on the grounds of insubordination. 

But it wasn't like she could allow it either. If she allowed Lucas then without a doubt many others would do the same. Then the whole point of this game would be lost.

"If that's the case, I would also prefer not to take part."

-"Then me too."

-"I too will not participate."

-"Yeah, it was unfair to begin with."

Sure enough, when one person followed Lucas's decision, the rest soon joined. Even though Lucas's reputation was not good within his class and no one liked him, seeing him stand up to the Queen ignited a spark of courage within them. 

"Silence!"

Yelena shouted as a wave of magical energy surged through the entire class. Instantly the weather within the class turned ice cold as every cadet began to shiver.

"Staying true to your words, are we? When things don't go as you planned you immediately resort to brute force, is that it? Is that your definition of a hero?"

Lucas said sarcastically causing Yelena to stop. The cadets regained their composure but kept quiet this time.

All of their courage and determination vanished in an instant as a look of fear overtook their faces. Now they realized just how foolish it was to oppose the supreme authority in front of them. The gap between their powers was too vast even to entertain the idea of standing up to her.

Even Nero's face visibly darkened at Yelena's power. With a simple release of mana and not chanting any spells, she was able to exhibit an immense amount of power. It was clear that the current him was no match for her.

He looked at Lucas to see what he would do next. If things continue to go this way then he might face disciplinary action or at worse even get expelled from the Academy. After all, the Queen has enough authority to do that. 

All the students couldn't help but lament the fact that Lucas was still going against the Queen.

"Enough. Cadet Lucas, report to the disciplinary committee immediately. If you continue to act like this then keep in mind that you will be expelled." Yelena said reaching the limit of her patience. 

Dealing with first-year student fights was already an annoyance, but her brother's actions only added to her frustration.

But as if this wasn't enough, Lucas continued speaking.

"I'll pass. I don't see any reason why I should face any punishment when you are the one who is being unreasonable. As for expelling me, keep in mind that you will also get in trouble."

"You.."

Yelena's expression twisted in anger as she listened to his words. In her entire life, this might be the first time for her to be this angry. And the fact that she couldn't even do anything against him infuriated her even further.

She might have the authority to expel a student, but for her to do that she must have a valid reason. If she expels Lucas, it will be known to everyone that he was punished for disobeying her unreasonable orders.

That would cause the Student Council to lose its credibility. After all, no one would be willing to follow an organization whose leaders are too lazy to do their job. 

Although she didn't like him, it would be a lie to say that she hated him. She always regretted the way she treated Lucas in the past but it wasn't like she could do anything about that now.

That's why she tried to intimidate Lucas in the name of punishment so that he would step back and she wouldn't have to seriously punish him.

But Lucas had already seen through her and decided to take the argument a step further. He was confident that Yelena wouldn't expel him and even if she did it wouldn't have bothered him much. 

At this point, it would have been better for her to fold but she doesn't want to appear weak in front of everyone. That's why she decided to take a different approach. She took a deep breath to calm herself and continued with her words.

"Even if you are dissatisfied with this decision there is nothing you can do about it. But since you guys find it so unfair I am willing to compensate in another way. What do you say about that?" Yelena said as she looked at Lucas.

Lucas frowned slightly at her words but immediately reverted to his usual indifferent face. Although things didn't go as planned, it was still better than nothing. 

"Fine, since the Queen herself is saying that she will compensate us then it is only natural that I accept her decision."

'Hypocrite'

That was the unanimous thought everyone had after listening to his words. This whole fiasco happened in the first place due to him but now he is talking as if he was a loyal follower of Yelena.

"Would be alright if we decided the type of compensation we get right now?" Lucas asked not minding the stares he was subjected to.

"That....fine, but it better be something reasonable," Yelena said reluctantly. At first, she tried to oppose him but stopped herself since she didn't want to have another argument with him.

"Then I want you to give us the reward you were planning to give to the winning class regardless of the outcome."