Blockade of bullies

Setting foot on campus, Yurika took in a breath of fresh air. Though it laid in the heart of an urban metropolis, TIUMP's main grounds were filled with many grassy areas and walking paths. It was arguably more comparable to walking through a palace garden than not, but just because the environment was made to be harmonious, didn't mean it always was.

"Look at that bald nerd, bet he'd make for a good sandbag."

"Hold on, I see boobs, that's a girl!?"

"A girl!? And she's bald? My, she must be a filthy common blood who couldn't even afford hair care so the authorities must have shaved her so we wouldn't have to gaze at the hideous slop she called her hair!"

"Maybe she's a scam artist, trying to claim she's a priestess for the money. Wouldn't put it past those plebian rags."

Though Yurika had years of experience suppressing her rage against those who belittled her, it didn't mean it was an easy task for her. Arguably even more so now that she had finally shattered the prim and proper mask she had dawned in order to build a good public brand image.

"They don't recognize me. I should take that as my win. It'll make my opening speech all the more impactful," Yurika thought.

However, some of these belittling nobles wouldn't be satisfied with just some verbal abuse.

"Hey, bald whore! Where do you think you're walking!?" a snarky girl scoffed as she and two other girls blocked Yurika's path.

"School," Yurika snarled as she sized up the girl and cohorts.

"Wow, look at her, she must have lost from braincells when they scalped her!"

The girl's cohorts all began to laugh while Yurika just shook her head and attempted to bypass them.

"Um, you think filth like you can just pass? Sorry, but this road here is the clean road. No trash allowed."

"Oh, then get off it."

Fury erupted on the girl's face as she summoned a fireball in her hand. "You dare!? I am Ema Shikazen of the Shikazen noble line! I am the hallmark of genetic superiority and pristine!"

Though Yurika desperately wanted to permanently scar this snob's face, she held herself back and instead attempted to flee by flying over the bully blockade.

"As if we'll let you go, trash!" one of Ema's cohorts sneered as she held out her palm and shot a thorny green vine out of it.

Yurika side-eyed the attack and countered by forming a blade of glass on the heel of her sneaker, allowing her to slice the vine away with ease.

The girl scowled as her severed vine plopped to the ground as the other cohort began forming a stone in her palm.

"Tch, rock magic. That's such a pain to deal with. I'll have to land," Yurika thought as she dove for the ground.

However, the moment she touched the ground, a red magic circle lit up beneath her.

"Filthy scalped whore, you've defied the will of an esteemed noble like me. Thus, your punishment shall be death, the will of this school's vermin be damned!" Ema shouted as fire burst forth from the circle, completely engulfing Yurika in a pillar of fire.

Ema and her cohorts all snickered at the spectacle, but their smugness quickly evaporated when the pillar vanished to reveal a perfectly fine Yurika.

"YOU VERMIN! WHAT DID YOU DO!?" Ema fumed as she began to charge for Yurika.

"And that's enough!" a voice rang out.

Ema's face contorted as she found her body freezing up, but also still carrying momentum, leading to her sprawling onto the hard pavement face-first and skidding forward a bit. When she came to a halt, she found herself able to move again and gazed up to see a woman with long blonde hair clad in purple robes, sneakers, and a witch hat standing before her.

"You... You vermin with status..."

"Though students are free to engage in disputes, we the teaching staff shall and will intervene if we feel the need to and dole out punishment accordingly regardless of status," the woman huffed.

Ema's cohorts scowled at the woman just like their master, but as evidenced by them slowly backing away, they were frightened of this woman, and for good reason. This was TIUMP's decorated headmaster and founder, Miyuu Kikoina. Initially born a commoner, Miyuu possessed a tremendous amount of mana which allowed her to rise to the top of the magic world. As a result, she was given a noble title to the fury of many noble families.

Like her cohorts, Ema hated Miyuu from the bottom of her heart, but begrudgingly knew she was powerless to stand against such a woman. "Your precious little bald whore will pay for your sullying of my face," she snarled as she rose to her feet and hobbled away.

Once the three were gone, Yurika let out a sigh of relief. "You really saved me, Miss Miyuu."

"You were in need of saving?"

"Just because I have a good card on hand, doesn't mean I'll win if I play it immediately. Especially considering I'm likely going to be the world's most wanted woman for killing 12 priestesses and defying their orders."

"Oh, 12 of them?"

"Yeah, no clue who they are, but I hope they can at least rest in peace knowing they'll never be controlled by that lobotomized hivemind again."

"Just one warning; even if you try to expose them in your speech-"

"-Doesn't mean anyone will believe it or change will come. But I'm gonna do it anyway. I've resolved myself to shatter the elegant mask I've forced upon my face for years. It's do or die for me here as if I don't get top status-"

"-Your life will be forfeit, or perhaps worse."

"That's why I'm going to do as I please and do whatever it takes to get to the top."

"Then as a final word of warning, study all laws of this special jurisdiction carefully. Those with status less than that of nobles face a far more treacherous path to glory."