Chapter 366: Law Abiding Citizen

Arin tried to shove past Xavier again, panic scrambling what little dignity he had left, but Xavier didn’t even have to try. He caught the man by the collar and slammed him back into the pillar hard enough to rattle every screen and datapad.

The crowd around reacted instantly—students yelling, some trying to get inside the invisible ring, others shouting curses at the professor like they’d been holding them in for years. Staff members were pushing through the hall trying to contain the chaos, but the entire corridor had turned into a living volcano.

“What the hell is going on in here!?” a dean shouted.

“Is that the professor—?”

“He actually did all that—?”

“I’ll kill him myself—!”

A few students surged forward, shoving themselves into the office. One grabbed Arin by the sleeve. Another kicked the side of the table, knocking his chair over. Someone tried to punch him. Someone else threw a book at his head. More were about to join in.

Lyra didn’t stop them. She looked like she wanted to join them.

Arin screamed, shielding himself with both arms, stumbling back until his spine hit the wall again.

Xavier watched them for a moment—just enough time to let fear sink into Arin’s bones—then he stepped in, grabbed the closest student by the wrist, and yanked them back.

“Enough,” Xavier said.

Just that steady, dangerous voice that made everyone freeze for a second.

The kid he’d pulled back stared at him, breath heaving. “But—Xavier—he—he did all that—!”

“I know what he did,” Xavier said, pushing the student behind him. “But you’re not going to dig your own grave because of him.”

“But he—!”

Xavier raised a hand, silencing them all. “Listen. If you attack him, the law won’t see you as victims. They’ll see you as violent offenders. You’ll be expelled. Arrested. You’ll ruin your futures because of a man who doesn’t deserve a minute of your time.”

The students hesitated, breaths tangled between anger and restraint.

Someone whispered, “But isn’t beating him the right thing to do?”

“No,” Xavier said. “The right thing is letting him choke on the consequences. Not your fists.”

A few professors nodded weakly, relieved someone was thinking straight.

Xavier kept going, voice calm but firm. “The justice system will handle him. And trust me—after what we saw, they won’t let him walk away. You don’t need to throw your life away for a piece of shit like him.”

The crowd slowly backed off, tension draining out bit by bit. Some lowered their fists. Others turned away, shaking with frustration. And the rest stood there with tears of fury welling up.

Lyra stepped to Xavier’s side, tail flicking, ears angled back. She didn’t like letting the man go. Anyone could see that. Her claws were out, fingertips trembling with restraint she rarely bothered with.

“He deserves worse,” she muttered.

Xavier didn’t disagree. “He’ll get worse.”

Arin stood there trembling, clinging to the pillar like he might collapse. “Y-you’re making a mistake… I didn’t—this is all—someone—framed—me—”

The police sirens rang in the campus before he could finish.

Campus security rushed in first—six armored guards with stun-baton holsters, forming a wall around Xavier and Lyra. Behind them walked a familiar figure.

Commander Althea Ravel.

Same woman who had barged into Xavier’s apartment weeks ago during the investigation caused by Ethan’s murder case. Presence heavy enough that even chaotic students parted instinctively around her.

She stopped in the corridor, eyes flicking across the trashed surrounding, the shattered silence, the terrified professor, and then to Xavier.

A slow sigh left her. “I swear… every time there’s trouble in this city, I find you standing in the middle of it.”

Xavier shrugged. “I was just visiting.”

Lyra scoffed under her breath. Althea pretended not to hear.

Security moved in and grabbed Arin by both arms. He screamed, struggled, tried to pull free, but they pinned him easily.

The lieutenant beside Althea started reading out charges—

“Coercion,”

“Abuse of authority,”

“Harassment,”

“Tampering with academic records,”

“Predatory misconduct,”

“Illicit night visits with students,”

“Unauthorized contact with minors—”

The corridor erupted again, this time with raw disgust.

Arin kept shouting, “I’m innocent! I’m innocent! Those videos aren’t real—someone hacked—someone fabricated everything—!”

No one listened.

Althea stepped closer to Xavier, hands on her hips. “You cause me more paperwork than any criminal in this damn city.”

He raised a brow. “You’re welcome.”

She sighed. “Next time another scandal breaks out, try not to be standing right at its epicenter.”

“No promises.”

She gave Lyra a nod. “Keep him out of trouble.”

Lyra folded her arms. “Impossible.”

Althea chuckled once, then turned away as her team dragged Arin Velmore down the hall.

The entire university watched as the professor who had walked the campus like a harmless academic was hauled away like a captured rat.

Xavier stood there quietly, hands inside his jacket pockets, watching the man vanish around the corner.

Whatever waited for Arin next… it wasn’t going to be gentle. And it wasn’t justice that was going to handle it… it was Xavier.

By the time Xavier and Lyra stepped out of the building, the courtyard still buzzed with leftover chaos. Students stood in clusters, talking fast, gesturing wildly, replaying the leaked clips on their holo-screens. Some whispered Xavier’s name like he’d just saved the entire academy. Others kept glancing at Lyra, terrified she might claw someone for getting too close.

Xavier didn’t care about any of that. He just wanted to get back.

They reached the bike, Lyra climbing behind him again, still riding the high of what she’d seen. Her ears were perked, tails swaying lightly as if she couldn’t hide how satisfied she was.

“You handled that like a king,” she said, chin touching his shoulder as he started the engine. “Everyone saw it. The entire courtyard was staring at you like you were some legend descending from the sky.”

He snorted. “Legend? I just asked them not to beat him to death.”

“Exactly.” Her grip tightened around his waist. “Anyone else would’ve dragged him by his neck. You did it with… style.” She paused. “You were calm. It scared them more than shouting ever could.”

He didn’t respond, but the corner of his mouth twitched.

As they pulled out of the campus, students jumped aside, waving, cheering, holding their phones high. Some tried to run alongside the bike until Lyra bared her teeth and they immediately reconsidered.

By the time they merged onto the main road, she leaned her forehead on his back and whispered, “Lilia will be happy.”

Xavier didn’t say it, but that was the only reason he’d bothered to keep things clean.

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