Because he was a year older, Kieve entered the academy earlier than Zandro. His days in that place were peaceful and he enjoyed every moment of it but when Zandro entered the following year, it became a chaotic experience. At the age of fifteen, the crown prince became even more arrogant that his own parents noticed it too.
They then decided to send him to the academy in hopes of changing his attitude and yet it became a regret at the end. Zandro started to gather people who would later on become his servants. They would go around the academy and flaunt their power and wealth.
The Academy was a place where anyone had the privilege to enter as long as they had the aptitude for it. Neither the royal family nor the high magus's family had control over that place. It was an independent institution that aimed to mold and teach the future generation of the kingdom.????????????????????????????????.????????????
It was divided into two categories, magic and physical abilities while the students were divided into three grades. It was also a place where discrimination was prohibited but because there were nobilities, friction couldn't be avoided. And now that Zandro was there, this kind of bullying became so rampant that no one dared to stand up against him.
This news did not escape Kieve. He did not have the strength to deal with the other though because he was focused on graduating. He remained neutral throughout his second year but when he became a third year, it happened.
One of the students that Zandro and his group has been bullying for some time now got injured because of a prank they pulled off. The professors were adamant on letting the king know about it but no one wanted to be a witness to the incident. The students were too scared to confront the son of the king.
When Kieve got wind of what happened, he became indignant and his patience broke. He planned on graduation quietly and yet that person was only there to harass the other students. They were doing nothing and were focusing on their studies and yet this division in the social class was disrupting their concentration. Now, one student almost lost his life and yet the mastermind wasn't willing to take responsibility.
"Zandro Syentia," Kieve spoke in a moderate voice to get the other's attention. He found him and his gang at the training ground behind the main building for the non-magic users.
Zandro was pissed when he heard his name being called. He turned around to see who it was who had the guts to call out his whole name and was surprised to see that it was Kieve. He hadn't seen the man for a long time and would only catch a glimpse of him but aside from that there was not much interaction between them.
He whistled and chuckled as he stared at the person that he hated the most. "Look at who we have here. I thought you were going to hide forever!" He laughed, "And what do you need from me?" His voice was full of sarcasm with his mouth forming a smirk.
"Have you had enough?" Kieve did not answer his question and instead glared at the crown prince of their kingdom.
Zandro's smirk disappeared because of the frosty look that the other was giving him. His amusement was replaced with anger. He gritted his teeth and managed to speak despite that. "Just because you are the son of the high magus doesn't mean that you already have the right to disrespect me."
Kieve laughed. "Disrespect? I didn't do that because in the first place, I did not respect you because you don't have the right to be respected. Your father and mother are the only people I respect aside from my own parents."
Zandro became even more pissed because of what the other said. He thought that Kieve would remain hiding in the academy but he was wrong. He must have felt like a hero right now because he knew the reason why Kieve was there.I think you should take a look at
"Hah," Zandro sighed, "you must be here because of that student, right?" Zandro asked as he watched the man's expression. "Are you here to bring justice for him? Do you really want to be a hero that bad?"
"The king must have been very disappointed to have a son like you. He even hoped that you grow up loving and protecting your people but look at how you turn out. You are no prince or an heir to the kingdom of Lunaira, you are just a bully who knows how to take advantage of the weak." Every word that Kieve said was full of spite and disgust at the person who called himself a crown prince.
"What did you say?" Zandro growled. The veins on his forehead were bulging as he clenched his fists tightly. He had been holding himself back against the man but he was really getting on his nerves at that moment.
His eyes were looking at Kieve like he was about to go and kill him. This man had gone out of line with his words and did it in public. Now, all eyes were focused on the two of them. The students clearly heard each word that they said to each other.
Kieve was the only person who had the courage to confront the prince and even if they wanted to support him, they couldn't do it openly. The students could only watch on the side as the two of them face off each other. Even the other students who were with Zandro chose to step back.
"Do I need to repeat it twice? You are not a prince. You are just a bully. You don't deserve to be the heir to the crown. You are just a disappointment to King Xenos." Kieve spat without a filter and it only incited Zandro.
Those words prompted the prince to attack. He picked up the sword that was lying on the ground and used his unnatural speed to attack Kieve. The man calmly faced the prince and easily blocked the tip of his sword that was aiming for his neck.
Several attacks from Zandro came for Kieve and each attack was done with the full intention of killing him. The prince's anger and hatred for the man was boiling so he activated the gift he received. His speed and physical strength doubled so Kieve was forced to use a stronger barrier to block the sword.
With no other choice, Kieve also attacked with magic. Like his father, his mana was of the color of red. It was vibrant unlike his father's mana that was close to maroon in terms of color. The mana covered Kieve's hands and he used it to use a palm strike towards Zandro.
Zandro came at him again with his sword raised above his head. He brought it down and Kieve caught it by his mana covered hand. After he made sure that his grip was tight, he pulled the sword towards him and used his right palm to hit the prince's stomach.
The hit was strong enough to push back the prince and sent him flying a couple of feet away before he landed on the ground with a thud. He coughed a few times before he managed to push himself up. His eyes were unfocused as he sat there in a daze because he did not expect that there would come a time that he would be defeated and publicly humiliated.
This was the scene that the professors saw when they got to the area where they were fighting. The crowd was silent after the prince landed on the ground but no one dared to walk up to him to see if he was okay. Instead, one of the professors did that.
