The unbearably itchy Yakx suffered all morning until Sophie kindly reminded him to jump into the campus pond. Seeing the scratch marks all over his body, Sophie felt a twinge of guilt. *"Did I go too far this time? I'll let him off if he stops messing with me!"*
In the cool shade of the campus's sacred grove, a small figure was digging furiously. Judging by the little bucket beside him, he seemed to be after worms—maybe for fishing? But the uneven ground suggested he'd already dug up plenty. Yet, judging by his determined efforts, the nearly full bucket of squirming worms wasn't enough.
Wiping sweat from his brow, the child looked up. Wait—wasn't that the arrogant Yakx? What was he doing here alone, digging for worms? Something fishy was going on!
After ditching his lackeys Pierre and Eddie, Yakx grabbed his prepared bucket and sneaked into the grove. This was where the dreaded, disgusting earth maggots lurked—creatures every Chirelian loathed. Though Yakx hated them too, he could already picture Sophie's horrified scream when she found her bed crawling with them. The last time Milta visited Blue Butterfly Manor, she'd cried for a whole day after seeing these bugs, and Father had punished Yakx with three months of no gifts.
Gagging at the sight of the squirming, purplish maggots in his bucket, Yakx covered it with a large leaf and hurried toward Sophie's dorm. *"She shouldn't be there now, right?"*
"Hey, kid!" A loud shout startled him. Turning, he saw a chubby, tall boy flanked by a bodyguard.
"What do you want?" Yakx frowned. What did this fatso want? He was in a hurry to give Sophie a *special surprise*!
Eyeing the grubby child clutching his bucket, Pad mentally calculated how much he could extort. Whatever was in that bucket had to be valuable. Freshly cut off from his allowance for peeping on his stepmother back in Babur Town, Pad needed cash fast. At his old school, money had bought him followers. Now, at Peter Magic Academy, he had to start his empire by preying on the weak.
"Hand over your money and anything valuable—including that bucket!" Pad snarled, mustering his fiercest glare.
Yakx scoffed. *"A robber? At Peter Magic Academy? I'm the one who bullies others here—not that I bother, being a noble's son. But no one gets to push me around!"*
"Do you even know where you are? This is *Peter Magic Academy* in Casina City! You dare rob someone here? Tired of living comfortably?" Yakx retorted, his tone dripping with disdain.
Pad bristled. *"Even a beggar in Casina City dares talk down to me?"*
"Shut up! Hand over the money and the bucket, or things'll get ugly!" Pad glanced around nervously. If a teacher showed up now, he'd be toast.
Clutching the bucket tighter, Yakx glared. *"I've got no money, and this is just trash."*
Pad's guard, tired of waiting, lunged. "Enough talk!"
Caught off guard, Yakx couldn't cast a spell—his hands were full. The guard's fist slammed into his face.
*THUD!* Yakx hit the ground, the bucket tipping over, spilling maggots everywhere.
"Ugh, disgusting!" Pad recoiled, but his guard wasn't so lucky—he'd stepped right into the writhing mess. Enraged, the guard rained kicks and punches on Yakx without waiting for orders.
Meanwhile, Sophie and Charles strolled back to campus after a lavish meal at Libor's.
"Charles, how many spells have you learned now?" Sophie asked warmly.
"About a hundred, mostly fire magic. Picked up a dozen water spells at school too," Charles replied casually.
Sophie gaped. *"A hundred?! I've only mastered two! Talk about talent!"* She turned to the fox on his shoulder. "What about you, Snowball?"
"Every spell in your books," Snowball yawned.
Sophie beamed. "That's my familiar!"
A rhythmic *thudding* caught her ear. "Is someone practicing boxing?" Rounding the corner, she froze—a grown man was beating a child while a fat boy watched.
"Charles, *Water Bullet*—now!"
The guard barely turned before a massive water sphere smashed into his face. If not for fear of hurting the kid, Sophie would've roasted him with *Fireball*.
Bloodied and dazed, Yakx looked up at the approaching figure. *"An angel… here to take me to Mother?"* With a faint smile, he passed out.
Ignoring Charles and Snowball's beatdown of the thugs, Sophie rushed to the boy. Wiping blood from his face, her throat tightened. *"Who hurts a child like this?!"*
Then she recognized him. *"Yakx?!"*
Scooping him up, she sprinted to Libor's—the only healer she knew.
Libor sighed. "What a shame."
Sophie's heart stopped. *"Is he… dying? No, he can't be! Not like this!"*
Then Libor added, "Such wasted blood!"
Sophie took five deep breaths to keep from strangling him. *"Focus. Yakx needs him."*
After bandaging Yakx, Libor declared, "He'll recover in a week—if I go all out."
"You *weren't* going all out?!" Sophie's fists rained on Libor's pretty face. *"That's for being insufferable!"*
Bruised and sulking, Libor finally unleashed his secret power—a glowing light enveloped Yakx, mending his wounds at visible speed.
Sophie gently wiped Libor's sweat. *"Maybe this is how friends show care."*
As thanks, she cooked him a feast of Chinese dishes—his first taste. Then, cradling the sleeping Yakx, she headed to her dorm.
But where were Charles and Snowball?
Placing Yakx on her bed, Sophie frowned. *"Did those thugs bring backup?"* She bolted outside.
**Will she find them in time?**