Book 4: Chapter 40: Coercion
The bathhouse had always been a sacred place for the students of St. Caroline Academy to unwind after a day of hard work.
Although there was a private bathroom in the four-person dorms, there was only a shower in it. With this termâs first test coming, students naturally wished to be able to soak in warm water for a few minutes after a day of hellish training to ease their fatigue and have a good rest.
However, it was today that this sacred place would finally be invaded by an outsider.
BANG!
One of the walls in the bathhouse shattered with a loud noise. Under the stunned gazes of the boys that were taking a bath there, a big hole was made in the wall.
Lilith dragged the similarly stunned Lucia through the big hole and entered the menâs bath.
She waved her small hand and instructed boldly, âLook around as much as you want! Donât be shy! Burn this image deeply into your mind, Lucia.â
Lucia, who never thought that she could march into the menâs bath so openly, turned her head stiffly from left to right, taking in every sight in the room.
Some boys with quick reflexes had managed to cover their important bits with towels in time when they saw that it was two girls who invaded their privacy. But most of them didnât manage to make it in time.
Menâs bodies that were partly visible among the steamâ¦
Ooooof!
Luciaâs face instantly flushed abnormally at the exciting scenery. She covered her nose. Blood then seeped through the gaps between her fingers.
âAre⦠you okay?â
Lilith couldnât help but ask worriedly when she saw the terrifying amount of blood. She was worried that Lucia might suddenly collapse from excessive blood loss.
âI-Iâm⦠fine. I wonât die⦠from this.â
Lucia waved her hand to assure Lilith, but was swaying on her feet like she might fall to the ground at any time.
Lilith quickly pulled out a healing scroll to heal Lucia.
âThank you. Youâre really a nice person to be wasting a valuable healing scroll on someone like me, Vice President Lilith.â
âItâs fine, as long as youâre alright.â
After all, youâre going to be my lackey. What will I do if my shield dies from excessive nose bleed? Lilith secretly thought while wearing a kind smile on her face.
It was then someone finally came back to their senses and demanded loudly, âWHO ARE YOU?â
Lilith glanced at the boy who spoke up and then pointed to the badge she wore on her chest. âIâm from the Disciplinary Committee.â
âDisciplinary Committee?â The expression on the boyâs face instantly changed and seemed to have remembered the infamous Lilith. âYouâre that new vice president from the Disciplinary Committee, Lilith the Golden Chihuahua?â
âThatâs right, Iâm that Golden⦠Wait, care to repeat that again? Golden Chihuahua?â
Lilithâs eyes slowly turned scary and hostile.
The boy didnât seem to expect that this little girl would be this intimidating.
âHow would I know? Youâre being known among the other students as the Golden Chihuahua!â He responded with a flushed face.
ââ¦â¦â
âPfft, thatâs rather befitting of you.â
Lilith threw a murderous glare at Lucia who chimed in with that remark, but the latter promptly turned her head away and pretended to enjoy a non-existent scenery in the distance.
âFineeeeee.â
Lilith then turned to all the boys in the bathhouse expressionlessly. âI was initially doing this as a reward for Lucia to help me in the future but now youâve gone and pissed me off.â
âHoho, so what if youâre pissed? Are you planning to beat up everyone in the academy who called you a Chihuahua?â
âDonât worry, Iâll deal with them in the future. But for all of you⦠In the name of the Disciplinary Committeeâs vice president, I declare that you have violated the disciplinary rules of the academy by being naked in front of female students in the broad daylight! According to the academyâs protocols, your misconduct shall be recorded and be punished accordingly!â
âPrepare to get the label of a pervert added to your record,â Lilith sneered.
âNonsense! This is the menâs bath! Whatâs wrong with us taking a bath in here? You two are the intruders here!â
âYou have a point. Indeed it canât be counted as in the broad daylight while weâre in this building. Lucia, youâre a mage right?â
âYes.â
âGood. Blast this pesky thing away.â
Lilith pointed above her.
âHuh? Wait, thatâsâ¦â
Lilith leaned closer to Lucia and whispered into her ear devilishly.
âDonât speak. Didnât I tell you not to ask or think about anything? Just listen to me, alright?â
âAlright.â Lucia nodded.
She lifted her arm. A complex and mysterious magic circle formed in her hand.
âI command you, blow everything away!â
A terrifying gust of wind immediately gathered and blew everything that stood in its way into pieces.
The roof of the bathhouse was blown away in an instant.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Even the debris and dust of the broken roof and the steam in the bathhouse were blown away. The light of the setting sun poured into this sacred place.
The crimson setting sun was reflected on the surface of the rippling bath water. Water droplets rolled down the wheat-colored skin in the sunset. While the boys stood there in a daze once again, they failed to realize that even the only piece of cloth that they could hide their important bit was blown up into the sky along with the roof.
Oooofâ¦
As the exhilarating scene became clearer, a large volume of blood came flowing out of Luciaâs nose again.
Lilith sighed as she used another healing scroll on her.
After stabilizing Lucia who nearly went into Hypovolemic shock, Lilith looked at the boys who were speaking earlier and sneered, âThese strangers A, B, C and D whom the author is even too lazy to think of your name, dared to challenge me, the protagonist? Lookâ¦â
Lilith pointed to the clear sky above her head and put her hand on her hip. âThis is the broad daylight you were saying. Do you guys have anything else to say?â
The boys looked at each other.
Although they knew she was being absurd, none of them could counter her.
They felt disgusted, like they had just eaten five kilograms of yams at once.
âTo think that someone like you could become the vice president. Is the Disciplinary Committee filled with power abusers like you?â
âPower abusers? Heheâ¦â
Lilith continued speaking while she collected the âevidenceâ with a Spectrum Stone. âIsnât abuse of power a tradition in the Disciplinary Committee? But of course, you guys are welcome to complain to Elder Mord if you guys have a problem with me.â
âYou think we wouldnât dare?â
âOf course not. But it didnât matter if you dare or not. Whoever Elder Mord chooses to listen to is another different story.â
The countenance of the boy who was talking instantly contorted as he finally recalled the rumor about the newly appointed Disciplinary Committeeâs vice president and Elder Mord having an unclear relationship between them.
There were even rumors about Lilith being Elder Mordâs illegitimate daughter, how he was extremely doting on her and even personally sent her to school every day.
âWhat does it take for you to let us off the hook?â
The boy asked through his clenched teeth, as humiliation welled up in his heart.
The others felt the same too. After all, those who could make it to this academy were privileged kids. Who would want to lower their head to a freshman?
However, they had no choice but to lower their head. Since killing was prohibited in the academy, the only option of killing to destroy evidence was basically out of the question.
Some people immediately shot resentful glares on the person who mistakenly blurted out about Lilithâs nickname. If it wasnât for him, they wouldnât have ended up in this situation.
âLet you guys off the hookâ¦?â
Lilith tilted her head and thought for a moment before she suddenly clapped her hands excitedly. âOh yes, I have a brilliant idea!â