Chapter 31: Reputation
Sierra walked the corridor with her thumbnail between her teeth, not really seeing where she was going.
Then the voices reached her.
"Senior Alden was incredible. Did you see what he did with those beasts?"
"Yeah, he saved all of us. He stayed at the lecture hall entrance the whole time we were being treated. By himself."
She slowed her steps.
"When I tried to help him, he told me to stop and heal first. He was actually worried about us."
A brief pause.
"I mean... someone like that couldn’t really be bad, right?"
"You know what I mean right? the rumors."
"Yeah. I don’t believe them anymore."
Sierra’s thumbnail stopped moving.
Then the girls’ voices joined in.
"Also, he’s really good-looking, isn’t he? He’s single now too, since that whole thing ended between Senior Sierra. Do you think I’d have a chance if I confessed?"
"Don’t even try. I’ll get there first."
"Hey!"
They all laughed.
Sierra’s hand dropped from her mouth. Her nails pressed into her palm instead.
’Just what is happening.’ Her jaw tightened.
’They’re starting to like him? After everything?’ Her breathing went shallow.
’If this keeps going, people will start believing he’s innocent. And if they believe he’s innocent, they’ll start asking who was lying.’
Nicholas’s face surfaced in her mind.
’No.’ Her eyes sharpened into something cold and deliberate.
’I won’t let that happen.’ She turned and walked faster, disappearing around the corner before the laughter from the group could follow her.
______
"Stop it... that’s enough." Augustus said it so quietly that even Seris, seated one chair away, almost didn’t catch it.
His expression had done something that had never happened in public before, the lazy grin was gone completely. What replaced it was something that belonged to someone who had been wearing the grin as a choice rather than a default.
"BRING IT ON—"
Alden had been stepping forward. Nathan had been charging. The space between them was closing fast.
Whoosh!
A hand caught Alden’s arm.
He pulled against it instinctively before his brain processed who it belonged to.
Professor Vincent stood beside him, grip firm, expression settled.
Across the room—
BOOM.
Nathan hit the floor, Augustus stood over him.
He looked down at Nathan without any of the usual lightness in his face.
"Didn’t I say stop?"
"..." Nathan’s eyes went wide. He dropped his gaze.
"I’m sorry, President." He pushed himself upright slowly. "I got carried away."
Augustus held the look for another second.
Then the expression returned and the easy grin was back and his voice came out with the usual loose energy. "Good. Looks like that’s settled then."
He crouched and extended his hand. "Come on. Up you get, buddy."
Nathan stared at the hand for a moment before taking it.
Vincent let go of Alden’s arm. The dark mana that had been leaking from Alden had already faded, pulled back in the moment his focus broke.
Alden blinked at his own hands.
’What was that.’
"As you were saying, Alden." Vincent’s voice was even. "Headmaster Thorne has already moved toward the northern section to search for the real intruder."
Alden’s head came up. "He already left?"
Murmurs moved through the room immediately.
"Headmaster already believed what he said?"
"He’s out there searching?"
Vincent turned to address the room.
"That’s right. Arguing in here while the real culprit escapes accomplishes nothing." He pointed toward the exits. "Divide into groups. Cover the eastern, western, and southern sections. Check the perimeter grounds as well. Move."
The room started emptying out.
Alden rolled his shoulder.
"I should’ve done this from the start instead of wasting my energy here." He turned toward the southern exit. "I’m heading south, Professor."
He left without waiting for a response.
There was hint of a smile on Vincent.
_____
The corridors were emptying fast as students split toward their assigned sections.
Alden walked without slowing and let his thoughts do what they wanted for a moment.
’I never expected the real Nicholas, the one I actually wrote to be this...’
He frowned.
’Dumb.’
The irritation came back clean and simple.
’I gave him strong instincts, a good heart, natural leadership ability. Not once did I write "will immediately assume the worst about someone based on zero evidence and refuse to ask any questions." What was I actually doing when I made these people?’
He shook his head.
’Apparently I write terrible side characters too. Nathan being that bad wasn’t even intentional.’
He turned the corner without looking up.
THUD.
He walked into someone and took a half-step back before finding his footing.
"Sorry. I wasn’t paying attention—" He looked up.
Sierra looked back at him.
Silence for exactly one second.
Alden looked away and started walking.
"Excuse me."
Her hand closed around his wrist.
"Wait."
He stopped and looked at her hand. Then her face.
Of all the corridors in this entire academy, they had to share this one. Right now. After the meeting, after Daniel, after the dark mana moment he still hadn’t processed.
His patience had been operating on almost nothing for a while now.
"Talk then," he said flatly. "I don’t have time."
" ’Talk then’?" Sierra released his wrist and crossed her arms. Her expression had shifted into something calculated.
"Are you commanding me?! Do you understand your position right now? Your reputation is already in pieces. If you stay like this with that attitude, then you’re digging a hole you won’t be able to climb out of."
"That’s interesting," Alden said, "coming from the person who dug it."
Her jaw tightened. "Anyways, I decided to clear your name if you’d do something for me."
"And what do you want for it?"
"You cooperate with me. You listen when I talk. And do what I ask you to."
Alden looked at her for a long moment. Then he let out a short laugh.
"So your offer is: I become obedient and you stop doing damage you shouldn’t have done in the first place. That’s the deal."
"Stop twisting—"
"I’m not twisting anything." He kept his voice flat. "You destroyed my reputation, and now you’re offering to repair it in exchange for control over me. That’s what you said. I just said it without the padding."
Sierra’s expression flickered. She stepped closer and lowered her voice.
"I’m giving you a real chance. If you work with me, the rumors stop. People start believing you again. Your situation gets better." Her eyes stayed on his. "All you have to do is become my pet and do as I say."
"And if I don’t?"
"Then I make it worse." Her voice stayed even. Almost gentle, which made it considerably more unpleasant. "One conversation with the right people and everything you’ve rebuilt today disappears. You know I can do it. So stop acting like you’re in a position to say no."
Alden looked at her.
She looked back.
For several seconds, neither of them moved.
Then his fist moved, launching the strike he’d been holding for so long.
Sierra’s eyes went wide. She dropped instinctively, ducking beneath the swing—
BOOM.
His knuckles drove into the wall behind where her head had been. Cracks spread outward from the impact in a ring, stone fragments breaking loose around his fist.
Sierra stumbled back two steps and stared at the damage.
Alden pulled his hand slowly from the wall. Flexed his fingers.
His expression was completely cold.
"It missed this time." His eyes settled on Sierra.
"Don’t make me miss again."
His voice hadn’t risen once.
"ALDEN!"
He turned.
Nicholas was already there, taking long steps across the hallway and grabbing Alden by the collar.
"What is going on?" He pulled him back from Sierra, putting himself between them. "What are you doing?"
His eyes moved to the cracked wall.
Then to Sierra, who had pressed herself against the opposite side of the corridor, one hand at her chest, her expression doing exactly what Alden had seen it do in the dormitory room the first evening he’d been in this world.
Nicholas looked back at Alden.
"Why are you doing this?"