While the mood was still lively, Lulumiya smoothly shifted the topic, her tone turning serious.
“From now on, our workshop will be officially called the Newspaper Office. Everyone needs to learn how to operate the printing press. The thirty of us will be split into three groups. Starting tomorrow, every afternoon, one group will come to the Newspaper Office to study. Also, if you have nowhere to go during your break, you can always come to the Newspaper Office and hang out. The Newspaper Office is always open to everyone.”
“Can we invite classmates to come here and practice magic? There are too many people at the Academy, and I don’t want to be seen by others,” a girl asked.
Lulumiya smiled gently. “Of course you can, but you can only practice magic on the open ground outside. Don’t blow up the Newspaper Office.”
“N-no, we won’t…”
“Haha, Mya is just teasing you.”
“What do you mean, Mya? You should call her President. Wait, shouldn’t it be Chief Editor since it’s a Newspaper Office?”
“No need to be so formal. Everyone here is one of the founding members. We may not know each other well yet, but in time we will. You can form groups freely. Tomorrow morning, I’ll go ask Sister Lijie for the roster.”
Lulumiya turned to glance out the window. Earlier, Claren had already left with the nun. Now, the entire hill was occupied by just their group of students. It was eerily quiet.
It sounded a little spooky, but the Junk Room was about a hundred meters from the old church, situated in a farmyard much closer to nearby houses. That, along with the evening mealtime, as wisps of smoke drifted up from the houses down the hillside, actually gave the scene a unique charm.
“It’s getting late. Let’s tidy up and head home. See you all tomorrow.” “Okay.”
Several girls stood up and walked toward the door. However, as soon as they opened it, before they could step outside, they retreated back in. It seemed there were others standing at the entrance.
Lulumiya poked her head out to look and frowned. Blocking the doorway was a group of young men in their early twenties, wearing short-sleeved shirts and shorts—seven or eight of them—each with the same streetwise air Lulumiya often saw on debt collectors.
On her status panel, these guys’ titles included “Local Thug” and “Local Gangster’s Henchman” and the like.
Hands in their pockets, the young men swaggered into the Junk Room, looking around at the students seated inside before letting their eyes settle on Lulumiya, who was the most conspicuous among them.
“You’re the one in charge? What are you trying to do here?”
“Who are you?” Lulumiya wasn’t about to play nice. “What business is it of yours what I do?”
The leader glared at her. “This area belongs to us, the Gray Rats. You know the rules or not?”
“A bunch of snot-nosed brats think you can mess with the old church? This place isn’t for you to take over. Why don’t you call out ‘Daddy’ for us to hear?”
“Daddy~ Daddy~,” one of the young men mimicked a child’s voice, making the others burst out in unrestrained laughter.
So, they wanted protection money.
Lulumiya sneered inwardly. She could understand their motive. The old church was on the back side of the commercial street, and from the run-down look of the nearby houses, the people here were obviously poor. In this already unsafe world, if no one collected protection fees in a neglected old district like this, that would be the real surprise.
What Lulumiya didn’t know was that once the delivery workers had brought in the printing press, she’d drawn the attention of the local gang boss. Everyone nearby knew the old church was about to be sold off, so her busying around here was a clear sign she wanted to put down roots. Now was the perfect opportunity for the local thugs to get their share.
Too bad they picked the wrong target.
Lulumiya lifted her eyelids and said coldly, “There’s still time for you to get lost.”
“Oh, the little brat’s got some backbone.”
“Didn’t you hear me? I told you to scram. Are you deaf?” Lulumiya’s tone grew sharper.
“You little shit, you tired of living?!”
The leader’s eyes turned vicious as he raised his fist and swung it straight at Lulumiya’s face.
But his words were cut off.
Because a stream of water, as thick as the youth himself, hit him squarely before his fist got close.
The force knocked him back several steps before he landed face-first on the ground.
Seeing their boss get struck, the rest of the young men dropped all pretenses. Their eyes turned murderous as they grabbed anything nearby that could be used as a weapon and prepared to brawl.
Lijie was the first to stand up.
“What are you all doing just watching? What did you learn magic for?!”
Her words instantly lit a fire under everyone. United by their status as commoner students, they’d huddled together for warmth. Now, with trouble knocking at their team’s door, any anger that had built up instantly exploded. A few of the male students stood up first, followed by the normally timid ones, who found their courage in the crowd.
“Beat them! If you injure or kill anyone, I’ll take responsibility!”
Lulumiya’s declaration set the group ablaze. The first to move was a dark-skinned, burly boy who had always supported her. He grabbed a bench and smashed it straight over a young thug’s back, shattering the bench instantly.
That single sound was the signal. The entire Junk Room erupted into chaos. Over thirty students surged forward in a wave.
In their teens, fueled by passion more than reason—especially the boys, most of whom had grown up fighting as commoners—plus the boost of magic, it took about two students to handle one thug. The fight was completely one-sided. At first, the thugs’ cries of pain echoed through the room, but soon they could only cover their heads and curl up, unable to even scream.
By the time the temporary night-shift Paladins summoned by Claren arrived, there wasn’t a patch of unbruised skin left on the thugs’ faces. The Paladins ended up calling for reinforcements from the Commercial Street temple before dragging the barely-breathing “corpses” off to the Guard Station.
“Are you okay, Mya?”
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
Several Paladins who had given Lulumiya apples earlier in the day asked with concern. The Commercial Street temple was closest to the old church, so they arrived first. Now, the small square in front of the old church was filled with torch-wielding Paladins; half the temple had shown up.
Lulumiya, back to her usual sweet and innocent self, shook her little head, horns swaying.
“Everyone at the Academy took care of me. I’m not hurt. I’m sorry… for making you all worry.”
Lulumiya’s meek words only made the Paladins angrier. A few rolled up their sleeves. “Those bastards, trying to collect protection money from the church? Damn it, I’m reporting this to the Inquisitor tonight!”
“Don’t worry, Mya, this is church territory. We’ll make sure you get justice.” “Thank you, big brother. I’m really fine.”
“Good girl. I’ll get someone to escort you home later. This isn’t over.” One Paladin gently patted Lulumiya’s head, then called out with a fierce look, “Hey, Henrik, you take Mya back. I’ll lead a group to sweep the area.”
“Me? I’m still burning up inside! They really think no one’s in charge of the old church area?”
“No need, I can go back with everyone from the Academy.”
Lulumiya looked up, her cute face glowing in the torchlight. The Paladin still looked worried and glanced over at the thirty-odd students being questioned by other Paladins.
“Students? Is that safe enough?”
“There’s over thirty of us! We flattened those punks without a problem.”
“No, we should still escort you at least to the commercial street. I’ll let the others know. Mya, wait here for me.”
Looks like she couldn’t shake them. Lulumiya sighed inwardly, watching the Paladin walk off. Fortunately, they acted quickly, and in no time at all, Lulumiya and the rest of the students were safely delivered to the wide, clean commercial street before the Paladins turned back to handle the aftermath.
As for whether they’d be punished for the fight, Lulumiya wasn’t worried at all. She had legally rented the Junk Room and warehouse at the old church—she hadn’t bought them, just leased them. The property still belonged to the church, and as a church member herself, those young men demanding protection fees were practically challenging the authority of the church.
Besides, she had brought students here to help clean up the church. If news got out that students helping the church were harassed by local thugs, it would be a blow to the church’s reputation. Especially since Claren was in charge—he’d never let it slide.
It might even turn out to be a good thing.
Thinking about the future, Lulumiya overheard excited chatter among the students.
“That was awesome! This is exactly why I learned magic!”
“The Paladins praised us…”
Night had fallen, but every student’s face was bright with excitement. Not only were they not blamed for the fight, but they were even praised by the Paladins they usually looked up to. The thrill of the new experience had everyone buzzing; many didn’t even know each other’s names yet, but after that battle, they walked arm-in-arm as if they’d been friends for years.
“Hehe, that kick of yours was perfect, bro.”
“Come to think of it, the Chief Editor is amazing! I was totally stunned at first, didn’t know what to do, but then the Chief Editor just fired off a spell and didn’t show an ounce of fear.”
“I think so too! If not for the Chief Editor, I wouldn’t have reacted at all. At the Academy, we’re always so timid. Today felt good from start to finish!”
“Of course! The Chief Editor is the one who dared throw a tray at Yean’s face. She’s not scared of a couple of kittens and puppies. Did you hear the way the Paladins talked to her? Totally different from how they talk to us.”
The banter and laughter swirled together, making Lulumiya, walking in the middle of the group, a little embarrassed by all the praise.
Thinking back, the last time she felt this kind of atmosphere was probably more than a decade ago in high school. It was nice to experience it again now and then—this was what pure camaraderie felt like.
Infected by their youthful energy, Lulumiya smiled quietly. She took a deep breath and announced in a loud voice:
“Thank you, everyone, for today! We haven’t eaten dinner yet, so it’s my treat. Order whatever you want—get something good!”
“Hooray!”
“Long live the Chief Editor!” “I want roasted pigeon!”
“Roasted pigeon is so cruel. What about the pigeons’ feelings?” “Then don’t eat it.” “No, wait, don’t!”
Youth is wonderful.
Watching her students chat away about anything and everything, Lulumiya couldn’t help but feel sentimental. Beside her, Lijie worriedly asked,
“Mya, with so many of us, won’t it be too expensive? You still owe money…”
“Sis Lijie, don’t worry. It’s just a little money. We’ll earn it back in no time.” Lulumiya put an arm around Lijie’s shoulder and looked her in the eye.
This was a rare chance to bring everyone closer together, to boost team spirit—talking about money now would just kill the mood.
As for where to eat… she’d go ask Tilan and bring her along, too.
[Lost Title: ‘Fat Sheep to Be Slaughtered’] [Gained Title: ‘President of the Hill’] [Positive Thought Value: 21 (high enthusiasm, up 4 points)]