The president's wife truly doesn't like Barbara.

She also wants to use a dominant position to subdue Andrew and absorb Wildfire Territory. That's also true.

On top of that, the romantic relationship between Andrew and Barbara, noticed by Linda and Havier during the female assassin attack, is indeed a very troublesome and sensitive issue!

According to the tradition of the Warm Fire Commerce Association, after Barbara completes her coming-of-age journey and returns to Warm Fire City, she is supposed to choose her future professional partner.

That is, selecting an outstanding Crimson Knight from the young generation.

In principle, the partner can be of any gender.

In practice, however, most partnerships are male-female combinations.

Because after becoming partners, there will inevitably be many more times and opportunities to train together, coordinate, and fight side by side, at least half of the partnerships develop into romantic relationships, some even lead to marriage.

Barbara, as the third miss of the commerce association, is very likely to become the heir of the association one day, given the first miss's accidental death and the second miss's distant marriage to the royal court as queen.

So becoming Barbara's partner is actually related to the future possibility of inheriting the commerce association's industries with her. This is the real reason why Linda's face changed dramatically when she saw Andrew and Barbara holding hands while unconscious.

At this moment, Andrew already knew about the tense relationship between Barbara and her mother, and he guessed that the people in front of him were here to "take care of" him with Barbara's mother's tacit approval.

But the fact that his relationship with Barbara actually involves the personal interests of many people inside the commerce association, Andrew still had no concept of for the time being.

He couldn't help but take another look at that vivid girl.

Andrew sharply felt that this girl's attitude toward him seemed subtly different from the others?

Just then the vivid girl pulled Havier again, "Alright, sit down first."

Then she turned her head and looked at Andrew, smiling, "Hello, I'm Debbie, and this is my partner, Sabye."

She pointed to the sturdy boy who first sat down in front of Andrew.

Debbie?

Sabye?

Andrew managed to suppress the urge to mock these two names, nodded, "Nice to meet you."

Mentally and physically, he was already prepared for battle.

On the surface, however, he was being courteous and restrained.

Debbie seemed surprised at Andrew's calm demeanor, thinking perhaps he wasn't calm, but cowardly?

Then she introduced the other young people who came along to Andrew one by one.

Finally, she said, "We are all students of 'Warm Fire Academy'. And, I'm actually in the same grade as the third miss, while Sabye is our senior." She glanced at Barbara and deliberately asked, "Third miss, have you seen my brother these past few days?"

Barbara kept an even expression and shook her head.

In fact, ever since Havier, Sabye, Debbie, and the others arrived, Barbara intentionally kept silent. She knew it was her mother's attempt to pressure Andrew, but in this situation, the best way to help Andrew was to let Andrew handle it himself.

Barbara only transmitted a message to Andrew when Sabye sat down: "Just handle it however you see fit."

Andrew then asked, "Warm Fire Academy?"

Debbie was taken aback, a trace of disdain and contempt flashed through her eyes, but she lightly smiled, "What's the matter, you don't even know the name of the first academy in Warm Fire City? Did Barbara not tell you that her coming-of-age journey is not just a family tradition, but also part of our academy's graduation assessment?"

Andrew hadn't yet responded.

Havier couldn't wait to sneer coldly, "How would he know? On the way to Warm Fire City, he looked like a yokel seeing everything for the first time, how can you expect him to know anything?"

Andrew didn't get angry, just smiled at Havier, "Before your pants are completely dry, could you please not speak?"

Havier, who had been pressed into the chair by Debbie, couldn't bear hearing this and abruptly stood up, yelling fiercely, "You must have forgotten how to die!"

Raising his hand, he aimed a palm strike directly towards Andrew's chest, viciously pushing it!

Havier didn't believe for a moment that Andrew survived the Shield of Flowing Fire battle with the female assassin due to any remarkable personal strength.

In his eyes, it was merely good luck.

Seeing Andrew's face pale as if recovering from a severe injury, he put all his power into this push!

"Damn, I've wanted to do this for a long time! Before, Grandpa Falk protected you, now I'm going to show your true colors!" Havier was twisted with rage, even he with his shamelessness felt immensely embarrassed after wetting his pants in fear of that female assassin back at the Shield of Flowing Fire.

How could he endure Andrew publicly mocking him twice for this?

Enraged, he felt something amiss: on the way to Warm Fire City, no matter how he provoked Andrew, Andrew would usually just chuckle without much response.

Why does Andrew seem like a different person today, not only responding, but actually retorting?!

Havier didn't realize this was deliberate on Andrew's part.

The experience at the Shield of Flowing Fire taught Andrew: sometimes, being too low-key spells trouble, people really treat you like a transparent person, leaving you without any say, tied hand and foot.

Moreover, his initial aim for being low-key was to avoid catching the attention of the Magic Guild too soon; however, they've already sent a special assassin after him!

So three days ago, when confronted with that female assassin, Andrew had decided inwardly: if he could overcome this hurdle, survive, then he couldn't keep a low profile anymore.

That's why he had just proposed meeting Barbara's mother.

That's also why he deliberately provoked Havier, leading the other party to strike first! That way, he could rightfully counterattack, sending a clear message to Barbara's mother with his strong retaliation: Absorb Wildfire Town? Sorry, don't even think about it.

Because if you truly want to absorb Wildfire Territory, at least show some basic respect.

Andrew thought to himself, I don't even hope for any gratitude for saving Barbara or contributing to the Battle of Two Fires.

I just hope you, as a host, at least show some basic courtesy towards guests, okay?

However, from the moment he woke up until now, all he felt was extreme arrogance and rudeness!

"Then you can't blame me for not showing any face," Andrew thought to himself.

By this time, Havier's palm was almost touching Andrew's chest.

Andrew seemed as if he hadn't noticed the other's movement, waiting until Havier almost touched his clothing, before raising his hand to make a very un-mage-like move—a single hand with the index and middle fingers making a scissor shape, precisely pinching Havier's wrist!

One side was a fierce push with all his strength.

The other side moved only at the last minute, elegantly executing a "scissor" move.

No matter how you look at it, it shouldn't be possible to block it.

The result, however, was that Havier's palm suddenly halted before Andrew's chest. Havier's palm veins bulged, his face flushed, and he exerted all his effort, yet he couldn't push forward an inch, nor could he retract his hand!

"Let... go! You damn bastard let me go! Did you hear?!" Shocked, Havier felt his face burn as if slapped, utterly unable to comprehend if this method of stopping him was truly within a mage's ability?

Andrew's expression was blank, even a bit innocent, as if it wasn't him "cutting" Havier.

Yet he subtly applied more force with his fingers.

There was a "crack" sound.

Under Havier's suddenly widened eyes, the wrist bone of the hand Andrew had pinched was broken.

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