Blood—fresh blood—stained the pale floor tiles red.
A student lay sprawled in a pool of it, surrounded by classmates who watched with cold, indifferent eyes.
Still, someone stepped forward in furious protest—less for the victim than for the "nothing happened" attitude of the aristocratic student who had just committed the violence and was now acting as if it were her right.
It made her uneasy.
"Pavel—don't think you can do whatever you want just because your father controls a mining concession!"
The noble girl was dressed extravagantly, though no finery could hide the exhaustion on her face. Her shout cut sharply through the silence of the cafeteria.
The aristocrat named Pavel didn't even bother to look at her. She stared down at the bleeding student with contempt.
"A mere baron dares bark at me? It's his luck I didn't run him through on the spot."
With that, she turned and flicked the blood from her blade, then sneered at the girl who had challenged her.
"And you—second daughter of House Ivanov. Since when is it your turn to speak? Want me to open a hole in your chest too?"
The protester went deathly pale, her courage collapsing in an instant.
"M-my father is a legislator—how dare you?!"
"A legislator?" Pavel's tone turned even more mocking as she slid her sword back into its sheath. Even the other noble students silently averted their eyes. "Do you know how many legislators show up at my mother's salons every Sunday?"
She paused, then smiled as if remembering something amusing.
"Oh—right. You wouldn't know. Your mother isn't even qualified to attend."
"Y-you—"
"Enough."
A white figure stepped into view.
Pavel's arrogance vanished immediately. In the blink of an eye she became polite, almost deferential—like a completely different person.
"As you wish, respected Student Council President."
Only then did Natalia finally let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, and began directing students to help the injured victim.
Watching the noble students react as though this were routine, Natalia's urge to reprimand them evaporated.
Because it was routine.
Every day—almost every day—the same scenes played out:
Murder. Fights. Screaming matches. Weak nobles clinging to strong nobles. Strong nobles acting with impunity.
And this was with the cafeteria firmly under their control and food supplies plentiful.
Natalia desperately wanted to sit down on the floor and just… rest.
But she couldn't.
The noble faction she led was watching her. If she showed weakness, she had no doubt some of them would do something even worse.
After all, her authority rested almost entirely on a fragile title—an "heir to a count" identity that was more air than substance.
Natalia wiped sweat from her brow and tugged at her collar, confused.
Why was it so hot? It was winter.
"Natalia—President—what was that disturbance outside just now…?"
With their leader present, someone finally couldn't suppress their curiosity and asked aloud.
Natalia shook her head, sweat sliding down her cheek. "I don't know. I only know it benefits us."
She continued, voice steady despite the heat and tension. "Reunion outside is in chaos. With their discipline, it'll take at least a day or two before they stabilize. We can use that window to—"
The room went abruptly silent.
Natalia's words slowed, then stopped altogether.
Following the direction of everyone's gaze, she saw the source of the sudden hush—
A man?
A masked man, brazenly hauling food out of the cafeteria in armfuls, as if he owned the place.
A beautifully groomed tail swayed behind him, almost smugly, like he was delighted by how much he'd found.
Wait—why is there a strange man here? How does he dare walk in front of so many noble students and openly carry off our supplies?
Natalia forced her shock off her face and strode forward, blocking his path.
"Stop. Who are you? Why are you taking our provisions?"
"Our provisions?" From behind a heap of food piled in his arms, Chen Mo poked his head out. "Last I heard, a lot of you are the outsiders here."
He shifted the weight of the bags and spoke with a lazy, provocative calm.
"Tell you what—try to stop me. If you succeed, maybe you'll get your 'proper share' back… and maybe you'll even get me as a bonus."
He gave his tail a casual flick.
Around them, several noble girls swallowed unconsciously, their expressions tightening with hungry curiosity. Their thoughts visibly edged toward something ugly and possessive—something they'd grown used to indulging whenever they had power over weaker male students.
But they didn't move.
Because the man wore a Reunion mask. For all they knew, he might be setting a trap.
Natalia thought the same. Her face remained stern, leaving no room for retreat. "Reunion drove us here—are you now going to steal what little we have left?"
"Reunion? Not me." Chen Mo shrugged. "I picked this up."
A collective gulp echoed through the room.
The "fish in the pond" were practically glowing with anticipation, itching to bite down on the bait.
But seeing their hesitation, Chen Mo considered for a moment—then set the food he was carrying on the ground.
And went right back into the storage area to carry out more.
"…What…?"
Natalia was genuinely stunned. This man kept stepping closer to disaster as if he wanted to provoke them—like he was intentionally stoking their desire and anger.
Her instincts weren't wrong.
Chen Mo was also puzzled by how much restraint these nobles were showing.
Since they still weren't making a move, he cheerfully continued hauling supplies out of the cafeteria storeroom.
In the end, someone failed the test.
While Natalia was still trying to figure out what Chen Mo was aiming for, Pavel—the same girl who had stabbed her classmate earlier—pushed forward impatiently and stopped him.
"Compared to those boys who cry at the slightest thing," she purred, "you're… interesting."
She lifted her chin, eyes gleaming with entitlement. "I, Pavel Nikolaevich, order you—ah!"
Boom—
Flames erupted without warning.
Fire engulfed the lustful noble girl in an instant, then leapt outward, sweeping into the nobles who had been moving to surround him.
Screams tore through the cafeteria as burning figures stumbled and flailed. Chen Mo had to sidestep—less out of pity than to keep them from setting his hard-won food on fire.
"Help—help me!"
"Put it out! Hurry!"
"It's burning—burning—!"
Moments earlier, they had been measuring worth by titles and family influence, even boldly imagining they could force the man into submission.
Now they could only wail.
Anyone who tried to reach Chen Mo was erased in a heartbeat—reduced to nothing.
The fire didn't stop until most of the immediate threats were turned to ash.
Only then did it begin to fade.
"You… you're…" Natalia stammered.
She fought with everything she had to keep her legs from shaking, forcing a calm mask onto her face as she led the remaining students—those who hadn't moved—backward.
This man was unquestionably the one responsible for the catastrophic commotion outside. Against someone who treated Reunion like background noise, noble status meant nothing.
Natalia could only pray he would take the supplies and leave.
But Chen Mo clearly had other plans.
He looked down at his status panel—his name still marked 100%, stubbornly unchanged—and folded his arms, tail curling behind him as he frowned in thought.
"No reaction," he muttered. "So what's the activation condition, then?"
Killing hostile targets no longer made the system panel change the way it used to.
Still, this wasn't a complete loss.
At the very least, he now had enough food to eat until he was full.
Hands on hips, Chen Mo nodded with satisfaction at the pile of provisions. Then he waved at Natalia and the students who were trying to quietly slip away.
"You're nobles, right? Then you should know how to show respect—and how to help a man who's done you a favor."
He gestured at the supplies.
"Carry these back for me. Thanks."
Reunion's Gathering Point
"Talen, why are you still here? Tallulah didn't take you with her?"
Already in a foul mood, Talen snorted and turned away, arms crossed.
"You can't possibly understand what Her Highness intends. She'll have use for me eventually."
"And you're just going to stand here like an idiot?" FrostNova's smile carried a hint of mockery. "I know Tallulah better than you do. Right now, she doesn't want to see you."
She tilted her head, voice turning sharper.
"Maybe she went looking for a man instead. Like the one causing that massive disturbance in the city."
Talen scoffed. "Ridiculous. Her Highness's future partner can only be her younger brother—the pure-blood Draco. Only their union can produce the hope of Victoria's future."
With that, he stopped entertaining FrostNova. He turned and headed toward the central tower of the city.
"Don't bother me, cold rabbit. Do your job."
Watching him leave, FrostNova turned away as well and began walking toward where Patriot was stationed.
Compared to her father, who would likely return empty-handed, she had gotten a far more useful answer here.