I Swear I'm Not a Demon Masquerading as a Human

Seeing Hyperion’s attitude, the corners of Mordan’s mouth curled up slightly, though there was not a trace of mirth in his eyes. "Hyperion... No one would ever entrust their back to a piece of trash like you. But I don’t mind. Because you lack the power to defy me."

The contempt in his gaze suggested he already viewed Hyperion as nothing more than a plaything in the palm of his hand.

He lowered his voice as he spoke right beside her. "One day, you’ll come begging me. It's only a matter of time. After all, you know as well as I do that you could never find your father on your own... But by then, I guarantee you won’t have a shred of dignity left."

His intention was to humiliate Hyperion, and he no longer felt the need to feign civility.

Hyperion clenched her fists tightly, and her jaw was so tight she couldn't utter a word. Even though her heart burned with a deep, uncontrollable rage, she refused to dignify that bastard with a response. She knew all too well that without the strength to pose a genuine threat, any retort or attempt at intimidation was nothing but a bluff.

It wouldn't frighten him. Instead, it would only amuse him and spur him to go even further. She couldn't even hope to defeat Mordan in a duel or teach him a lesson.

As a third year Gold Licensed registered challenger at the Sages’ College, Mordan was already leagues ahead of her in terms of strength. That was before factoring in the precious first year she was forced to waste, unable to challenge the Shadow Realm. The gap between them would only continue to widen.

Seeing her like this, Mordan looked satisfied. He even chuckled openly, savoring the moment. "It seems I was right. You don’t even have the courage to stand up to me."

His intermittent snickers were not merely an insult. He was deliberately trampling on her noble status and dignity. "To think that the duke’s daughter, once hailed as a rare, once-in-a-century talent, has now been reduced to relying on a lousy lawyer just to pass the entrance exam for Ikerite University... It’s truly pathetic."

At that, Hyperion had reached her limit. She glared fiercely at Mordan.

"Oh? Someone’s angry, are they?" Mordan narrowed his eyes, realizing he had successfully baited her. He knew this girl well. While she could usually endure biting taunts directed at herself, she absolutely would not tolerate anyone disparaging her friends.

Just as he was preparing to further toy with her emotions, a voice, sounding slightly drowsy, drew their attention. "Wait..."

The conversation between Mordan and Hyperion had apparently woken Lance up. He had been incredibly drowsy, drifting in and out of sleep, but the moment he heard this fellow take a jab at her, the situation changed entirely.

Lance turned, his eyes still heavy with sleep. While resting his cheek on his arm, he fixed his gaze on the two who had been arguing. "Mordan... is it? You really ought to check the Ikerite University Student Handbook. You shouldn't have called Hyperion 'trash.' Page 35, line 13, states quite clearly that making personal attacks against fellow students is a violation of school rules."

His casual remarks echoed through the classroom, and the air fell silent at this sudden shift in atmosphere. Hyperion instinctively turned to look at him. Lance was still slumped over, looking languid, yet his demeanor was completely different from usual.

Mordan frowned as he looked at the young man who had been muttering with his eyes still groggy with sleep. Those emerald-green irises gleamed faintly like gemstones. He hadn't even noticed the guy quietly sleeping there before. To think that the rumored "Law Freak" had been right here all along.

However, judging by his words, Lance was clearly intent on interfering, which was a realization that made Mordan chuckle. His voice was as biting as a cold wind, carrying a tone that sounded like a threat to Lance’s very life. "So I did just insult her. Does it matter? What are you going to do about it?"

Everyone knew that such school rules were all bark and no bite. They never actually resulted in real punishment. Lance’s warning was as childish and laughable as a kid threatening to tattle to their parents. Hearing this, Lance finally lifted his head and sat up a bit straighter.

He was pretty sure now. This Mordan fellow really loved using verbal taunts to cut at others. It took only a couple of sentences for him to snap back with a retort. A pity though, as he was an amateur when it came to mental games.

"Did you know? The Kingdom of Hutton has laws against verbal abuse, defamation, and the specific offense of insulting a noble. While the two of you might not technically face criminal charges for that third offense, since the title hasn't been formally inherited yet, making it a civil matter at most, consider this: Miss Hyperion likely filed her application to succeed to the dukedom the moment her father went missing. It’s merely stalled in the bureaucratic processing stage."

He paused and then continued, "Once that application is approved, Hutton laws dictate that her tenure as duchess is backdated to the filing date. At that point, she could legally pursue charges against you for insulting a duchess with vile personal attacks and flippant remarks. With so many witnesses present, there’s no escaping this. Whether you face a fine or imprisonment will depend entirely on your willingness to admit fault."

Throughout this, Lance’s voice remained steady and solemn, yet beneath that calm tone lay an air of solemn authority. It was the kind that suggested justice was inescapable.

The atmosphere in the classroom, previously filled with the hum of casual chatter, froze instantly after the other students understood the gravity of what he was explaining. Students across the room, whether eavesdropping, curious, or simply watching, turned their gazes toward the back row.

It was common practice for upperclassmen to visit the classrooms of new students for brief chats with promising newcomers after the term began.

However, Mordan’s words and actions were making quite a few students in the classroom uncomfortable. After all, the interaction between him and Hyperion was clearly not a standard, friendly overture. The fact remained that Mordan was bullying Hyperion. Generally, no one dared to meddle in such complex, private feuds between nobles.

No one wanted to be associated with that ill-omened duchess, and even fewer wanted to offend a powerful, influential upperclassman leader like Mordan. Yet now, the top-ranked freshman from the Sages’ College had decided he’d seen enough and was going to confront the son of a Marquess head-on!

In truth, many present understood that the charges Lance cited didn't carry much weight. At most, the matter could be resolved with an admission of guilt and a fine.

What made Lance’s move so infuriating and effective was this: If he truly pressed the issue and won the case against Mordan, saddling him with a criminal record for an offense committed while at school, that disgrace would be like a brand. It would turn him into a laughingstock within aristocratic circles for the rest of his life.

However, Mordan Gasigus was not someone to be trifled with. Even now, his expression remained unchanged as he was completely unfazed by Lance’s warning.

After listening to Lance, Mordan simply smiled. "Lucky Lance Wilford, I know you dabble in law and enjoy 'championing justice.' But that sort of cleverness won't work on me. In fact, I could turn around and sue you for slander and disturbing the peace."

He narrowed his eyes that had a smile playing at their corners as he looked down on Lance with scorn for his naivety and foolishness. As a noble, he clearly understood the nuances of the "crime of insulting a noble" far better than Lance did.

Even with eyewitnesses present, "insult" was a subjective judgment on Lance’s part. If the matter actually went to court, he had no way to objectively prove that Mordan harbored a genuine intent to insult.

Although the Kingdom of Hutton had strict laws and an efficient judicial system, it was not nearly as draconian as the Holy Kingdom found in the Shadow Realm dungeon, The Hidden Flame of Winter. Certain charges had always been notoriously difficult to prove, unless, of course, you had the backing of a truly formidable lawyer.

"I insulted her? How do you intend to prove that to the judge? Can you read my thoughts and intentions?" Mordan asked Lance, his tone dripping with mockery.

"You admitted it yourself," Lance replied calmly.

His response clearly took everyone in the classroom by surprise, but the realization soon dawned on them.

Earlier, Mordan had indeed asked Lance, "So I did just insult her. Does it matter? What are you going to do about it?"

It was over. Mordan had let himself get ensnared by Lance’s logic.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!