I don’t know if Curly understood anything, but, lying on the floor with his hand behind his back, he alternately yelled and swore, demanding to be let go immediately. Zikki sat on top and said something quietly. I suspect that she promised to tear off this very hand and insert it into some indecent place. Ognevichka did not study in boarding schools, and freedom of expression of thoughts in her had not yet been brought into the system of decency.

Having come to their senses, Curly’s comrades rushed to help, but a wall of fire that flared up right in front of their noses cooled the ardor. But for some reason I didn’t like the expression on their faces. It was somehow suspiciously pleased. As if something like this was expected.

– Zikki, no! – Lisel screamed, but it was too late.

The alarm sounded. Zikkaera, her defeated opponent, as well as two guys rushing to his aid, froze in the positions in which they were caught. Their figures were shrouded in a shimmering veil, and all they could do was breathe and blink.

– What's going on here? – Dean Krieger’s voice came from the stairs.

“Eshsheri dean, this crazy woman attacked me!” – Harvey blurted out. “I think she even broke my arm!”

– And she also used combat magic in the wrong place! – one of his friends complained.

– What a bat! – Ada hissed.

The word was unfamiliar, but definitely dirty.

– Is that so? – Estella Krieger came closer and carefully examined the scene. – Adepts, it seems to me that you have not yet realized where you are? The Academy is not a boarding school or a nursery; no one here will coddle with you. We have strict rules and you will follow them or we will say goodbye. And so you understand better, as an exception, everyone gets a minus point!

– For what? – Yumi squeaked, and her eyes filled with tears.

– This is unfair! – Khvoyana was indignant.

– Yes, I actually had nothing to do with it this time! – Vilde leaned forward, but her sister grabbed her by the elbow.

Ada and I looked at each other gloomily, but remained silent. It is clear that there is no point in objecting. This bitch hates us by default.

– I disagree! We haven’t had time to study the code yet, so we simply couldn’t know about the rules,” Lisel objected.

“Zikkaera was just defending herself,” I added, unable to remain on the sidelines any longer.

But Harvey did not want to admit the obvious, or was it something else?

– Not true! She was the first to attack. I just came up to talk, and she immediately used force!

– Yes, yes, that’s how it happened! – His comrades nodded.

“You let your hands go, and then the three of you attacked!” – I was indignant.

“We just wanted to help Harvey.”

“Nobody was going to touch your crazy girlfriend.” They would have pulled her aside and that was it!

– Unlike you, we know the rules!

The provocateurs vying with each other pretended to be innocent, and I realized that this was their plan. They set us up in the most trivial way!

The altercation attracted everyone's attention, and a whole crowd gathered in the hall to see what kind of scandal out of the blue. The adherents whispered, but tried not to come close. They were probably afraid of running into the wrath of Dean Krieger.

Suddenly I noticed a lonely figure. Some guy in a white jacket stood apart behind everyone at one of the columns. He was wearing a hood that hid his facial features, and he was definitely using some kind of magic. It seemed that this type simultaneously stood out among the others, and at the same time seemed invisible. It felt as if his gaze was slipping away from him. I had to make an effort to see.