Chapter 161: The Familiar Escaped?

Faced with the mockery of the surrounding students, Si Kongxu’s already soured mood flared up once again.

Glaring coldly at the students around him, he shouted loudly, "What are you laughing at? What’s so funny? Go eat your food and mind your own damn business!"

Unfortunately, instead of stopping, the students' laughter only grew louder and more uproarious at Si Kongxu's outburst.

"Tch, you clumsy familiar, get over here and sit down this instant!" Louise, considering herself his master, felt deeply embarrassed by such a public spectacle and quickly urged him through gritted teeth.

"Hehe, I'm terribly sorry, but this young master isn't playing along anymore. You can go play the noble lady all by yourself! I'm not staying in this place another minute!" Dropping these cold words, Si Kongxu turned on his heel and strode toward the main entrance.

In the early stages of the original story, Louise’s personality was indeed as utterly obnoxious as it was now, which was why Si Kongxu had finally reached his limit. Besides, Main Quest One was already completed, and he had acquired the power of Gandalfr, the Left Hand of God; there was simply no need for him to remain by Louise’s side.

"Wait! Where do you think you're going?!"

Seeing Si Kongxu walk away, Louise asked in a panic.

"Pardon me, but this familiar is quitting his master! Farewell!" With a sudden burst of speed, Si Kongxu leaped straight out of the cafeteria's entrance and into the academy's grand plaza.

"No way! A familiar... a familiar is actually running away!" Witnessing Si Kongxu's departure, Louise finally realized the gravity of the situation and hastily gave chase, leaving behind a cafeteria filled with uproarious laughter.

Just as Si Kongxu landed in the plaza, he caught sight of a blonde-haired young man holding a single rose. The man was impeccably groomed from head to toe, though at first glance, he gave off the unmistakable aura of a playboy.

"Guiche?" Si Kongxu recognized him instantly. He was Montmorency’s boyfriend, and the two were a famously bickering couple. Crucially, while he genuinely loved Montmorency, he was also notoriously flirtatious, leaving her with a complex mix of deep affection and lingering resentment.

"Oh? You actually know my name." Guiche, who had been on his way to the cafeteria, crossed paths with Si Kongxu. "Ah, right, you suddenly passed out yesterday, and it took a considerable amount of effort for me to carry you back to your room. It's only natural that you'd feel grateful to me for that."

"Is that so..." Si Kongxu shook his head, intending to walk past him. This guy was a problematic troublemaker who bullied the weak and feared the strong; he couldn't be bothered to deal with him.

"Wait! As a mere commoner, you had the audacity to trouble a noble, and yet you can't even offer a single word of thanks?" Guiche twirled the rose in his hand, speaking with a self-absorbed, intoxicated expression, as if he had just performed some profoundly honorable deed.

Si Kongxu, however, completely ignored him because he had already spotted Louise running out in pursuit.

"You!" Seeing Si Kongxu brush him off without a word, Guiche grew somewhat irritated, but the next moment, he heard someone calling out to him from behind.

"Guiche?" Guiche glanced at the sweating, breathless Louise.

"Help me catch him! Huff, huff..." Louise panted heavily.

"Huh?"

"I said, grab that guy for me! My familiar... he—he's running away!"

Louise's words instantly left Guiche dumbfounded. "What? A bound familiar is running away? Truly, she is the familiar of Louise the Zero; nothing is beyond her capability."

"Stop standing there marveling and help me! He's going to get away!"

Seeing Si Kongxu sprinting at high speed toward the academy gates, Guiche abandoned his astonishment. He raised the rose in his hand and pointed it toward Si Kongxu. A surge of magical power immediately erupted from Guiche's body. Since Guiche possessed earth-attribute magic, he was capable of exerting a minor control over gravity—albeit only to a slight degree.

"Tch!" As he sprinted wildly, Si Kongxu suddenly felt his body grow light, and the next moment, he found himself stripped of gravity, floating suspended in the air.

"Cheap trick!" Drawing on his knowledge of the original work, Si Kongxu instantly realized this was Guiche's doing. Magic that manipulated gravity might look impressive, but in reality, it was completely useless against him.

With a sudden internal surge, Si Kongxu's inner energy exploded from within his body, instantly releasing a wave of force that shattered the gravitational restraint binding him.

Feeling gravity return to his limbs, Si Kongxu rapidly dropped back down to the ground.

"Oh? Your little familiar actually has some tricks up his sleeve," Guiche remarked, casting a surprised glance at Si Kongxu. He had assumed a simple gravity spell would be enough to bind the commoner, but to his astonishment, the fellow had broken free!

"Well then, how about this!" Guiche flicked his arm once more.

In an instant, a thick wall of earth abruptly shot up directly in front of Si Kongxu, blocking his path.

"Tch, what a nuisance." Seeing the earth wall bar his way, Si Kongxu came to a halt. Although he could easily run around it, Guiche would undoubtedly cast another spell to block him again. Deciding to take a resolute approach instead, Si Kongxu prepared to break through.

Drawn by the commotion, the crowd from the cafeteria had all rushed outside to watch the spectacle.

"Hahahaha, the familiar is actually running away! Hahaha! This is too bizarre!" Kirche walked up beside Louise, holding her stomach with laughter, tears practically streaming down her face.

Faced with this, Louise remained speechless. After all, the fact that her familiar was fleeing was undeniable.

Gradually, the surrounding crowd grew larger and larger, threatening to completely encircle the area. At this rate, escaping would become quite difficult for Si Kongxu.

"Hmph! You disobedient familiar, aren't you going to come back with me right now?" Louise glared at Si Kongxu, her tone fiercely hostile.

"I'll say this again: I am a human being, not some stray cat or dog. If you want to raise a pet, go buy one yourself and stop bothering me." Si Kongxu crossed his arms over his chest, staring straight back at Louise.

"Hmph, it is a simple fact that you were summoned here as my familiar. Do you actually intend to dispute that?"

Louise frowned, parting her lips as if to say something further, when Guiche, standing beside her, abruptly cut in. "Forget it, Louise. This commoner seems to utterly lack proper etiquette toward nobility. I think it would be far more effective if you simply used some physical discipline to teach him his place."

Guiche’s words served as a sudden reminder to Louise, who exclaimed in sudden realization, "Oh, that's right! I recall learning a binding spell last year..."

As she spoke, Louise assumed a stance to cast magic. However, the moment she drew her wand, the surrounding crowd seemed startled, hastily retreating a few paces.

"Louise, Louise! No, don't!" Guiche hastily intervened. "Let me handle this instead. I'll use magic to knock him out and carry him back to your room, how about that?"

Seeing the terrified expressions of the onlookers, Louise remembered that every time she attempted to cast a spell, it resulted in an explosion, so she reluctantly agreed to Guiche's proposal.

"Guiche, are you challenging me to a duel?" Si Kongxu had overheard their conversation. It seemed these people were severely underestimating him.

"A duel?" Hearing Si Kongxu's words, Guiche chuckled. "Do you even have the resolve for it?"

As the two exchanged words, the surrounding atmosphere instantly grew tense and primed for conflict.