My Taming System Makes Me Overpowered

Chapter 5: The Academy’s Shadow

The carriage ride back to the Royal Oakhaven Academy was dead silent, but the atmosphere inside the velvet-lined cabin was thick with an entirely different kind of tension.

Brad was slumped in the corner of the opposing bench, unconscious, his face swollen and bruised where Vince’s fingers had dug into his throat. The other three elite students sat squeezed next to him, staring intently at their own boots, terrified that breathing too loudly might draw Vince’s attention.

Vince sat comfortably, his arm draped casually along the back of the leather seat. Right next to him—closer than any instructor should ever sit to a student—was Elena.

Under the dim magic-light of the carriage, her violet eyes kept darting toward Vince’s profile. Every time the carriage jostled over a bump, her shoulder brushed against his, and a faint, involuntary shiver would ripple through her core. The [Sovereign Crest] hidden beneath her torn robes was humming, pulsing with a gentle, addictive warmth that constantly reminded her of the young man sitting beside her.

’I am an instructor... a B-Rank Mage...’

Elena’s internal thoughts drifted across Vince’s system interface in a translucent bubble.

’Why can’t I stop looking at his hands? If he reaches for me again right here... would I even try to stop him?’

Vince smirked inwardly, keeping his gaze fixed on the passing scenery outside the window. He could feel her submission deepening by the minute. The system wasn’t just a tool for combat; it rewrote the power dynamics of his entire reality.

Soon, the grand, obsidian arches of the Royal Oakhaven Academy loomed into view. The academy was a fortress of the elite, a sprawling campus of gothic spires and manicured dueling grounds designed to hone the continent’s finest magical talents. For a year, this place had been Vince’s living hell.

Today, that was about to change.

As the carriage pulled to a halt in the central plaza, the door was immediately thrown open by a stern-looking man in immaculate white robes. It was Vice-Principal Alden, a high-ranking A-Rank Mage and a loyal dog to the noble families that funded the school.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Alden bellowed, his eyes instantly locking onto the battered, unconscious form of Brad. "We received an emergency transmission from the guards stating the expedition was compromised! Brad! Who dared to harm the heir of the Duke of Oakhaven?"

The three coward students practically tumbled out of the carriage, dropping to their knees before the Vice-Principal.

"It was him, Vice-Principal! It was vince!" one of them shrieked, pointing a trembling finger back at the carriage door. "He hid his strength! He assaulted Lord Brad in the dungeon and threatened to murder us all! He’s a demon!"

Alden’s face darkened, his mana instantly flaring, causing the cobblestones beneath his feet to tremble. "Vince... that worthless no talent? Step out of the carriage immediately and submit to the disciplinary seals!"

Vince stepped out smoothly, completely unfazed by the crushing pressure of an A-Rank Mage’s aura. With his new stats and the passive [Sovereign’s Pressure] skill, Alden’s intimidation felt like nothing more than a stiff breeze. frёewebηovel.cѳm

Before Alden could unleash his magic, Elena stepped out right behind Vince, her own crimson flame mana erupting like a volcano to intercept the Vice-Principal’s pressure.

BOOM!

The collision of their auras created a shockwave that shattered the nearby glass lanterns in the plaza.

"Stand down, Vice-Principal Alden!" Elena roared, her voice laced with a cold fury that shocked the older mage. She stepped in front of Vince, her torn robes shifting, her gaze lethal. "Brad and his lackeys violated the first rule of the vanguard. They abandoned their unit, broke formation, and left me to die when a mutated Hobgoblin attacked. Vince saved my life and executed the beast. If you lay a finger on him, you will be answering to the Mage Guild for structural corruption!"

Alden blinked, his powerful aura flickering in genuine surprise. He looked at Elena, then at Vince, who was simply dusting off his jacket with an amused expression.

"Elena... you are defending that no-talent over the Duke’s son?" Alden hissed, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "Do you realize the political ramifications of this? The Duke funds thirty percent of your research department."

"I don’t care if he funds the entire kingdom," Elena replied instantly, her hand subtly dropping to hover near Vince’s hip, a subconscious gesture of absolute alignment with him. "The truth of the dungeon log cannot be altered. The guards witnessed everything. Brad is a coward, and Vince is a hero."

Alden gritted his teeth, realizing he couldn’t force the issue with dozens of students now gathering around the plaza to watch the commotion. He glared at Vince, his eyes promising death.

"Fine," Alden spat, waving his hand to signal the medical mages to carry Brad away. "We will hold an official tribunal tomorrow morning in the Grand Hall. Both of you will present your memories via the projection crystals. If there is even a shred of deceit in your story, boy... I will personally strip your soul from your body."

"I look forward to it, Vice-Principal," Vince said, his violet-tinted eyes flashing with a predatory light that made the A-Rank Mage instinctively flinch.

As Alden stormed off with the guards, the gathering crowd of students whispered fiercely, staring at Vince as if looking at a ghost. The "Academy Trash" had just stared down the Vice-Principal and walked away unscathed.

"Come," Elena whispered, her voice dropping its icy edge the moment they were alone, replaced by a soft, almost breathless tone. She grabbed Vince’s sleeve, her fingers trembling slightly. "My private quarters are in the faculty spire. Come help me cleanup... and my mana core is beginning to feel restless again."

Vince looked down at her, seeing the slight flush on her cheeks and the desperate hunger in her violet eyes. The system prompt flashed in his vision:

[Ding! Target Elena Vance is experiencing a ’Bonding Surge’. Her submission level is ripe for an upgrade. Recommended Action: Deepen the intimacy within her private quarters to unlock Tier 2 Taming and a new shared skill.]

"Lead the way, Professor," Vince murmured, a dark, victorious smile playing on his lips. "Let’s make sure you’re fully... stabilized."