Chapter 7 - A Man's Honor

In small towns like Einburg, rumors spread faster than wildfire. By nightfall, half the town’s youth already knew about the kiss between Andric and Miss Erminhilt. Before long, the story had twisted to say that Andric was the one who kissed her. A few hours after sunset, Audovacar and his gang showed up outside Andric’s house, banging on the door.

“We need to talk to Andric right now!” Audovacar shouted, his friends standing behind him, giving him courage.

Gasto answered the door. He towered over Audovacar and the others, peering down at them. “What’s up?”

“We need to speak with Andric,” Audovacar said, meeting Gasto’s gaze.

“Fine,” Gasto replied, closing the door. He wasn’t keen on defending Andric from Audovacar and his crew, so he called upstairs, “They want to talk to Andric,” then went back to the living room.

Reluctantly, Andric paused his Standing Tortoise Manual practice, checked his clothes, and went downstairs. When he opened the door and saw Audovacar and his gang, his eyes widened. What did they want at this hour?

Without a word, Audovacar grabbed Andric’s shirt, yanked him forward, and threw him to the ground by the door. Andric stifled a yawn as he got up, unfazed by Audovacar’s rage.

“What’s this about?” Andric asked, brushing off his clothes.

“We heard about what happened with Miss Erminhilt!” Audovacar declared, his anger barely contained.

His outburst was loud enough for everyone inside to hear. Gasto and Roza held Alda back, explaining that it was just kids quarreling and it was probably good for Andric. Alda was anxious, her hands trembling, ready to intervene at any moment.

Andric hadn’t expected a fight when he opened the door, but Audovacar wasn’t about to hold back. Andric assessed the situation quickly. Besides Audovacar, there were three others — a young boy among them who wouldn’t be much help in a fight. Andric decided to wait for a chance to strike if anyone came within his reach.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Andric said, standing his ground.

“Otmar, tell him what you saw,” Audovacar said, turning to the small child.

“I saw you kissing Miss Erminhilt!” Otmar declared, pointing at Andric with an accusatory look.

Andric sighed but kept his composure. It wasn’t his idea for Miss Erminhilt to kiss him, but now he was taking the heat for it. Though he didn’t mind the kiss, he wished it hadn’t happened in front of a crowd. He preferred to focus on his training without these distractions.

“Well, you must’ve seen wrong,” Andric said, looking down at Otmar. His tone was cold enough to make the boy back away, hiding behind one of Audovacar’s friends.

“Don’t give us that! Otmar saw exactly what happened,” Audovacar retorted, shaking his fist.

Andric quickly analyzed the situation. Aside from Audovacar, there were Berard and Ingulf, who were both Human realm first stage, while Andric was Human realm second stage. He decided to wait for an opening to strike.

“Did anyone else see it? How do you know Otmar isn’t lying?” Andric asked. Audovacar looked momentarily confused. Doubt crept into his mind.

Audovacar’s friends glanced at Otmar, but Audovacar remained fixed on Andric. Otmar, now less frightened, insisted, “I didn’t lie! I really saw it!”

Audovacar groaned. “I believe Otmar.”

Andric frowned. It wasn’t surprising that Audovacar trusted Otmar over him. What concerned Andric was how Audovacar would react now that he was convinced Andric had kissed Miss Erminhilt. The rumor had likely spread further than just Audovacar’s group.

“Berard, Ingulf, grab him and take him to our hideout,” Audovacar ordered. Two of his friends moved forward.

Andric scanned the group for an opening. Berard and Ingulf approached slowly, clearly wary. Andric, being a stage higher, had an advantage, though the difference was not huge.

As they got close, Andric kicked one of them in the knee, causing him to stumble. He then shifted his focus to Ingulf, who had stepped back.

“You asked for it!” Audovacar shouted, swinging his fist.

Andric braced for impact. He gathered his spirit energy and blocked the punch, though it still hurt. As he retreated, Audovacar’s friends surrounded him. Audovacar was in front, Berard and Ingulf on the sides, and an unnamed boy behind him.

The unnamed boy threw a punch at Andric’s shoulder. The punch wasn’t precise, but it still hurt. Soon, all four were attacking him, and Andric struggled to dodge or block their blows.

Andric wasn’t used to physical fights, and his fighting style was not suited for this kind of confrontation. His mana surged, urging him to retaliate violently, but he held back, aware that using magic in this situation could be risky.

After a few moments of being pummeled, Andric saw an opportunity. Ingulf attempted a high kick, which was poorly timed. Andric grabbed Ingulf’s leg, causing him to lose balance and fall. Andric took the chance to stomp on Ingulf’s torso, temporarily removing him from the fight.

Though Andric was injured, Ingulf was down for now. The remaining three kept attacking him, and Andric decided to flee. He ran to a field away from prying eyes, with Audovacar and his friends close behind. The young boy lagged behind.

In the field, Andric turned to face them, preparing for another round. As they closed in, Andric deflected their attacks. When the unnamed boy overreached with a punch, Andric grabbed his arm and retaliated, breaking his nose. Then he refocused on Audovacar and Berard.

However, while he was distracted, the unnamed boy recovered and pulled at Andric’s leg, making him fall. Andric kicked him away, but Audovacar and Berard took the chance to kick him while he was down. Andric covered his face, taking the blows while suppressing his urge to retaliate with magic.

After a while, Ingulf rejoined the group, and they all continued kicking Andric. They weren’t using spirit energy, just venting their frustration. After about ten minutes, they finally left, shouting curses as they went.

Andric lay in the grass for a while, trying to resist the urge to heal himself with magic. He eventually got up, knowing he had to make it home without drawing more attention. His clothes were bloodied, and his body was bruised, but he wasn’t seriously injured.

He walked home slowly, limping at first but finding a more comfortable rhythm. With no mirrors available, he could only guess at his appearance. After reaching home, he passed Alda and his grandparents without a word.

Alda rushed to him, seeing the blood and asking, “What happened?”

“I’m fine,” Andric replied curtly, heading straight to his bedroom.

Once alone, Andric sat on the floor, waiting for everyone to go to sleep before he started healing. A few hours later, when the house was quiet, he began.

Andric visualized his body in perfect condition. He focused his thought energy and combined it with mana from his arcane core. He directed this mana to his right palm and, after a few seconds, released it into the air.

The spell burst and the mana spread across his body, repairing his injuries. The mana worked quickly, replacing damaged tissue with healthy tissue. After a few minutes, Andric was back to his ideal state. He cast another spell to clean himself and his clothes, then went to bed, knowing he’d need to lay low for a few days to avoid suspicion.