Max slowed his pace, noticing a haze in the air. He could see the outlines of some figures and realized this was a small demonstration.
Holding his breath, he carefully ran through the cloud of perfume and then sharply turned into another aisle.
From behind, the cloud of perfume made Max disappear from their vision.
Two commoners desperately tried to follow his trail, charging instead into the next aisle.
The sudden intrusion of the young men caused the group of noble ladies to yelp before casting cold glares.
The leader of the group put her arms to her hips and let out an indignant huff.
"How dare you rush around like common hooligans?!"
The commoners stammered apologies, their faces reddening as they tried to explain themselves while backing away respectfully.
Junior Carrington, growing increasingly frustrated, raised his wand to unleash a spell, but a sudden speed boost from Max, stopped his incantation half way.
On Max's side, his lungs felt burned.
The drain from his continuous use of spells and being on the run was pushing his limits.
I need a moment.
Skidding to a stop beside a busy food stall, Max spun around to face his biggest fan. Junior Carrington nearly collided with him, his face flushed with exertion and rage.
"Time out, time out," Max said, raising his hands to the shape of a T.
"W-what?"
The sudden halt caught him off guard.
"I'm hungry."
Max didn't bother addressing the confusion on Junior's face. Instead, he turned to the middle-aged vendor, who wore a similar expression.
He pointed at several sticks of grilled meat.
"I'll take five of those. He's paying."
The vendor glanced between the two boys who had just been making a scene. There was a brief hesitation, but her shrewd eyes took in their impressive outfits. Her attitude swiftly changed at once, replaced by a friendly smile.
"Right away, young sirs."
She handed the food to Max.
"Really bold of you to stop. Do you think you can continue playing games with me?"
Junior waved his wand in threat, his eyes flickering to the tip of the crystal visible in Max's pocket.
"Man this meat hits different in this world."
Max took a large bite, savoring the seasoned meat.
Only the sound of sizzling meat being torn into reached his ears.
Yummy!
"Y-You!"
"Can't fight on an empty stomach too. Besides, I believe nobles in Skysus Kingdom pride themselves on hospitality. Wouldn't want to tarnish your family name by denying a hungry poor commoner, would you?"
He spoke loudly enough that several nearby students turned to watch, murmuring among themselves.
Junior's face reddened further, caught between his desire to seize the crystal and the social pressure of maintaining his noble guise.
"He will pay."
Max assured the vendor, ordering four more sticks, directly taking them from the stall.
"It's the honorable thing to do."
"Of course he will," a voice called from the growing crowd. "True nobles always honors their debts!"
Junior's eyes bulged with fury, but with so many witnesses, he had no choice.
"Fine."
With a growl, he reached into his coin purse.
Max finished the last bite, patting his stomach in satisfaction. He had been starving all day and had to move his body a lot. With one uneaten stick in one hand, he nodded happily to the junior.
"Your generosity will be remembered, young lord."
From the outside, it looked like Max was going to offer the meat to Junior, but at the last moment he turned around.
Then, he went to the beautiful female senior student that supported him and offered her the meat stick, which she happily accepted with grace.
"That was pretty bold of you, stopping for food in the middle of a chase like that. You're not worried they'll come after you again?"
"Worried? Not really. A full stomach makes running easier."
She pursed her lips.
"Shame I'm graduating today. With a junior like you around, the academy might've been a lot more fun."
Max smirked.
"Graduation's not the end of the world. Who knows where we'll cross paths?"
The senior's smile widened as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.
"Smooth talker."
"ARGH!!"
Carrington Junior growled, his grip tightening around the coins as he slammed them onto the counter.
That damn commoner!
Calmly flirting with a beautiful noble girl right in front of him, at a time like this!
The sheer audacity made his blood boil.
Above all, what drove Carrington Junior truly mad was the sight of the beautiful noble lady thoroughly enjoying Max's company while he was paying for his meals!
Max, meanwhile, looked completely at ease, chatting with the senior as if the chase had never happened.
The sight was unbearable.
Just as Junior was about to unleash another tirade, the five commoners reappeared. They definitely did not look like they were having a good day. This time, they didn't rush to take Max down. They cautiously approached from different angles, forming a loose circle around Max and the senior student.
The largest one, cracked his knuckles menacingly.
"No more running, crystal thief."
Another, his robe torn and face mysteriously red with a slap mark, drew a short blade from his belt.
"You've had your fun. Now hand it over before things get ugly!!"
This one appeared to have suffered greatly.
The crowd tensed, sensing that the game of tag might have more than what meets the surface.
The noble senior glanced at Max, raising a delicate eyebrow.
"These ruffians seem rather persistent. Need a little assistance? I do know a few spells that could resolve this... unpleasantness."
She crossed her arms.
She held a casual confidence that suggested she was no ordinary student.
Max gave her a charming smile, then casually adjusted his stance.
"I appreciate the concern, but I'd hate to trouble you before the ceremony. Besides…"
He stood before her as if he were a knight protecting a princess.
"What kind of gentleman lets a lady fight his battles?"
"Oh my how gallant, but you did not strike me as the gentlemanly type."
She spun around and took a few small steps back. Afterwards, she crossed her arms and wore a furrowed expression.
"Do try not to get blood on your clothes. Makes a terrible first impression."
"You saw through that? My senior is quite perceptive."
Max playfully smirked.
Junior Carrington sneered, thinking he finally had the upper hand.
"Enough talk! Get him!"
Two commoners lunged forward simultaneously. Max waited until the last possible moment before dropping into a low crouch. The attackers, unable to adjust their momentum, collided with each other above him.
Thud!
In the same fluid motion, Max backed up toward a section of the ground that had been recently dampened by a water barrel overflow.
Let's see how well this works out for me.
"Earthen Grip."
Max channelled the very last reserves of his mana into the already moist soil.
The spell, normally only capable of creating a minor stumble on solid ground, worked far more effectively on the pre-softened earth.
"Wha—?"
"Huh?"
The two commoners charging at him suddenly felt their feet sink ankle-deep into a thick, muddy slurry.
Their momentum carried their upper bodies forward while their feet remained stuck, resulting in spectacular face-first falls into the mud. They lay there growling and struggling, their limbs flailing as they tried to get themselves out from the sticky mess.
The fifth commoner, clad in a fine linen vest and more cautious than his companions, circled to Max's blind side. He reached out to grab Max's collar from behind, a triumphant grin spreading across his face.
"Got you now—"
Max, without even looking back, held up a small metallic object between two fingers.
"Looking for this?"
The commoner's eyes widened in recognition.
It was the triggering pin from a pocket alarm, commonly used by merchants to deter thieves. The boy frantically patted his pocket, where the now-activated device began emitting an ear-splitting shriek.
The noise sent nearby students clamping hands over their ears. The commoner desperately tried to silence the alarm, but without the pin, it would continue for at least five minutes.
More than enough time for academy security to investigate.
"I believe that's my cue to exit."
Max gave the senior a formal bow.
"It's been a pleasure, my lady. Perhaps we'll continue our conversation after the ceremony?"
She laughed, a musical sound that drew even more attention from the crowd.
"Enough with the gentleman act, it really doesn't suit you. You've certainly made this final day interesting."
With a final salute to the senior, Max turned to leave, but halted mid-motion when a shout of "Catch!" rang out, and he deftly snatched a blue bottle from the air.
A mana potion.
Without hesitation, he uncorked it and gulped it down in one go, not bothering to hide his grimace at the bitter taste.
Really bitter.
The noble girl laughed at his unrefined actions, more beautifully.
"Thanks, Senior! I'll take that as a yes."
With no more words needed to be said, he sprinted toward the dense crowd ahead, leaving behind angry shouts as loud as the alarm he had just triggered.
Soon Max spotted an entrance to the backstage area, partially concealed by heavy velvet curtains. Two guards stood watch, turning away curious students who tried to peek behind the scenes.
He was mere steps from the entrance when a blast of energy singed the air just past his ear. Glancing back, he saw Junior Carrington with his hand extended, wisps of magic still curling around his wand.
Shit, the spoiled brat actually has some talent.
Max had underestimated him. The junior's determination was matched only by his magical ability, apparently.
"Dead end for you now, you filthy peasant. You think you can run and hide from me?"
Max looked at him with puzzlement, casually raising his index finger and pointing behind him.
"Ha! You wouldn't dare step foot in there."
Unfortunately, this noble scion did not know who he was dealing with.