Spank!

From the balcony entrance, a group of heavily armored guards marched in, their bronze plates gleaming under the sunlight. The clanking of their boots echoed across the ruined balcony as they quickly filled the area, forming a tight formation. Suddenly, a plump man with a wide, noticeable mustache and dressed in a tuxedo suit emerged from the middle of the group, holding a pipe of tobacco in one hand. He had a head of messy brown hair and was noticeably shorter than the guards.

As he entered Lucien's field of vision, the man calmly asked, "Who's responsible for this mess?" His tone was deceptively calm, but there was an undercurrent of threat beneath his words that sent shivers down Lucien's spine.

Lucien felt his throat tighten, and his mouth went dry as he struggled to speak, his mind racing with the consequences of the situation. But before he could utter a word, he heard Charlotte calmly raise her hand and confess in a collected manner. "I am."

The plump man narrowed his eyes at Charlotte before speaking hesitantly, his thick mustache twitching in annoyance. "Excuse me, but may I inquire if you are a student of this institute? Your face seems rather unfamiliar to me." He took a puff from his tobacco pipe, eyeing Charlotte up and down suspiciously. The other guards shifted uncomfortably, their hands resting on the hilts of their swords.

Charlotte calmly held out her student card. "I am a student of this institute, sir. Please feel free to verify my identity."

The plump man ordered one of the knights to retrieve Charlotte's student card.

One of the knights quickly obeyed and went to retrieve Charlotte's student card, while the plump man watched with an air of suspicion. As the knight returned and handed the card to him, the man's eyes widened in surprise at the name on the card. "Charlotte Martinez. A liberal arts student?" he exclaimed incredulously. He looked at Charlotte with a mixture of confusion and disbelief. "How can a liberal arts student possess such destructive magic power? No wonder... no wonder I wasn't able to recognize you. You're not even part of the sorcery school." the man shakes his head in amusement.

Charlotte responded with honesty, admitting, "I had difficulties awakening my Arcane Nexus previously, so I decided to enroll in the liberal arts program. I wanted to explore other avenues of learning while still pursuing my interest in magic." Her voice was calm and collected, as if she had nothing to hide.

The plump man's eyes widened in disbelief. "You meant...you just awakened your Arcane Nexus recently?" he asked, his tone laced with a mixture of shock and disbelief.

"Yes," Charlotte nodded in approval.

"Unbelievable," he muttered in disbelief before quickly regaining his composure. "Anyway, you need to come with me to the dean's office," he said with authority. "The disruption you caused today was quite extensive and affected many nobles, some of whom are heirs to their respective families. The consequences of your actions could be severe, so it's important that you prepare yourself for any potential legal or violent repercussions that may follow. Please be mindful of your behavior and words when we reach the dean's office."

"Understood," Charlotte nodded before addressing the plump man. "But before we go, I would appreciate a few minutes to speak with my friend here in private," she requested with a polite tone.

The plump man raised his eyebrows, then took another puff from his pipe before giving a slight nod. "Very well, but please do not take too long. We have a lot to discuss," he replied before stepping back and gesturing for his guards to maintain their positions.

"Youngsters these days," the plump man muttered under his breath, his voice barely audible, "even when faced with disaster, they still prioritize their personal relationships."

Lucien and Charlotte exchanged an awkward glance, their faces flushing with embarrassment. Nevertheless, they didn't explain their relationship as they had more pressing matters.

"Are you alright?" Lucien asked, his concern evident in his voice. He had been worried since the moment Charlotte had unleashed her powerful spell. He wondered if Charlotte had been overloaded by the pill he had given her. The pill was designed to increase intelligence by 110 points, and he had no idea how much magical power that would translate to in the real world. Nonetheless, the number was already astronomical in his eyes.

"I'm fine," Charlotte replied with a smile. Her eyes held a hint of exhaustion. "Though, if I didn't unleash that lightning wave, my body might have exploded in electric sparks." She chuckled, trying to make light of the situation, but her voice was still shaky from the intense magic she had just wielded. Lucien could tell she was still reeling from the experience.

"And you still have the nerve to laugh?!" Lucien shook his head helplessly and changed the topic. "By the way, I was wondering if it was wise to reveal that you had just recently awakened your Arcane Nexus. Won't it draw more attention to you?"

"That's precisely what I was aiming for," Charlotte replied confidently. "After they confirmed that I had just awakened, I believe the institute will regard me as a prodigy and begin to treat me like I'm their precious pearl. That way, when those nobles inevitably file a complaint, the institute would have no choice but to step in to cover up for me. Isn't that a winning situation for me?"

Now that Charlotte had pointed out her plan, Lucien began to understand and see the logic in her words. Although he was not well-versed in the world of magic, he knew that talent was the most valuable asset a mage could possess. While wealth could provide access to artificial boosts such as elixirs or other magical supplements, they could never replace natural talent. The difference between natural talent and artificial boosts was vast, and natural talent was always superior.

Therefore, it was highly probable that the Rivenhall Institute would take Charlotte's side as they found her promising. If they didn't step in and protect her, it would be their demise instead, as there were many other sorcery schools and factions eager to recruit her. Once news of her magic aptitude leaked out, they would surely offer their support and resources to lure her away, even if it meant offending the very nobles who were terrorized by her outburst incident.

If the institute proves incapable of handling this situation, fails to protect Charlotte, or refuses to take the risk of offending certain nobles, she may deem them unworthy to be her sponsor and ultimately get poached by other organizations. Therefore, an exception must be made, as the institute cannot afford to lose such a valuable asset.

"That's very clever of you," Lucien complimented with a thumbs-up gesture.

"It's all thanks to you. If you hadn't given me that pill, I would still be lost in the dark and wouldn't be standing here today. I'm struggling to think how I should repay you now." Charlotte beamed with gratitude.

"Don't worry about it too much." Lucien replied in a casual tone. He couldn't take credit for the pill he gave her as it was a gift from Auman. Technically, Auman was the one who deserved her gratitude, but Lucien couldn't exactly explain Auman's existence to Charlotte, could he?

Charlotte bit her lips and looked up at the sky. Her cheeks blushed all of a sudden as she stammered. "C-can you wait for me at the school's entrance at the end of school hour?" Her heart was pounding with nervousness as she waited for Lucien's response.

"Sure," Lucien readily agreed.

At that moment, a plump man stepped in and interrupted, saying, "Miss Charlotte, we must be going now. We'll be running late if we linger any longer."

"Alright, sir," Charlotte replied back and turned to Lucien with a smile. "Wait for me, okay?"

Lucien nodded and was about to bid her goodbye when his expression conflicted. He then reached out to Charlotte, stopping her in her tracks. She was taken aback by his sudden move and looked at him questioningly. Before she could say anything, he whispered to her, "Forgive me for what I'm about to do, Charlotte."

Confused, she was unprepared for what came next. Lucien's arm snaked around her waist and he gave her a sharp slap on her buttock, creating a loud noise that echoed particularly strident in the quiet balcony. Charlotte was stunned, and the guards and the plump man were equally taken aback by this unexpected behavior.

Then, the notification from the system came.

[Ding!]

<Daily Quest: Spank Charlotte Lawrence's derrière in public with atleast fifty onlookers has been completed!>

<Rewards: 500 Exp and 5 stats points.>

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AN//

In order to better fit the story's worldbuilding, I have decided to change the terminology used for magic practitioners from "sorcerer" to "mage", while still allowing for the term "sorcerer" to exist as a specialized class. Additionally, I have increased the reward for completing daily quests from 100 exp to 500 exp to provide a greater sense of achievement for the characters.