“……How on earth, no, why did you even think of coming here?”

The joy of seeing them came out unintentionally wrapped in a prickly tone.

Even though it had been less than a few hours since we parted, it felt like I hadn’t seen them in a very long time.

“That’s easy.”

Sid opened his mouth arrogantly.

“The possibility of you two, Beselion and Ars, overflowing with power, not being able to escape from danger is significantly low, and the remaining possibility is that circumstances arose where you couldn’t escape.”

“So I suggested we go find Count Lumen! Nigel, you tend to act even more recklessly in dangerous situations. I thought you’d try to capture the leader rather than taking down everyone there one by one.”

At that moment, Yenica took off her deeply hooded robe. At the same time, her light pink hair cascaded down like a waterfall.

“Fortunately, my hair changed back to normal while I was wandering the corridors looking for a guide. Even though they work under a nationalist, they couldn’t press on when I told them they’d face retaliation from the Arenium Empire and the Kingdom of Crena.”

“Also, it’s hard to beat money!”

Sid, Yenica, and Allen all chattered with equally proud faces.

“Ars, you two… I can tell what happened without you saying. You both went through a lot.”

Sid’s face instantly turned cold when he discovered the child hiding behind Nigel’s legs.

“Count Lumen.”

In a corner of the room, on a wooden chair, sat a man wearing a white mask, his limbs bound with dazzling ribbon knots that were clearly Yenica’s handiwork.

“Congratulations, not only did you touch illegal goods and imperial gifts, but you even meddled with life, which is strictly forbidden in the empire. You won’t receive any leniency at trial, how wonderful. I’ll make sure to report every speck of today’s events to my father without fail.”

To think that arrogant face would look pretty.

Not to be outdone, Yenica also spoke up.

“What happened today is absolutely not a matter that can be overlooked personally. Regarding this, the Kingdom of Crena will officially hold Count Lumen accountable in the near future.”

The natural dignity flowing from her voice made it feel real that Yenica was truly a princess.

No, just as it was about to feel real, Yenica scurried over and tightly grabbed Nigel.

“I was so worried! Are you hurt anywhere? Were you scared, Nigel?”

“No, I’m fine.”

“…As expected, Nigel is amazing! Honestly, I was half-doubting Allen when he said Nigel would come to find Count Lumen, but I guess I was unknowingly underestimating Nigel. I like Nigel more and more for never giving up and always thinking of others in any situation!”

Nigel smiled at Yenica who was burrowing into his arms and then approached Count Lumen.

There was a mountain of things he wanted to ask, like the reason for kidnapping Knox despite knowing it was illegal, and the connection with Histan, but in truth, this was a job for the guards or knights, not something Nigel should do.

Rustle.

Nigel stroked the hair of the child looking up at him anxiously.

There was nothing more pitiful than seeing a young child learn despair. So he wanted to clearly show this child today that expectations can be fulfilled.

“This necklace put on Knox, how do you remove it?”

“…Why are you trying to do such a useless thing?”

Pfft, Lumen laughed mockingly.

“What?”

“Do you sincerely want to remove that necklace? Although their appearance may be similar to humans, the barbaric and filthy instincts of demons flow through their bloodline. In other words, it means they absolutely need someone’s control.”

Struck speechless, Nigel covered the ears of the child looking up at him blankly.

It would be harmful to a child’s mental health to hear such filthy talk during their formative years.

“Young lady, do you know what I hate the most? People who have human form but don’t live with human dignity. People who don’t know their place.

Why did I hold this auction and put shackles on Knox’s neck? It’s nothing special. I just put things back in their rightful place. I simply created a venue to take away what people shouldn’t have and return it to those who should enjoy it. Ha! An empress from a small country in our Arenium Empire, isn’t that absurd?”

“……”

“Ah, can you guess now why I’ve been quiet all this time and only opened my mouth when you spoke? I’m advising you to know your place, with no status, honor, fame, or even vulgar money. Well, at least your face is worth looking at, so instead of being stiff, it would be better to smile sweetly and make the most of your assets……”

Whoosh!

Just then, a dagger carried by a fierce wind narrowly missed Lumen’s face and stuck into the wall.

The one who threw the dagger was none other than Noah.

Following that, Noah naturally drew his longsword and strode towards Lumen with the momentum to kill him.

But before the sword could reach Lumen, Nigel’s hand grasped Noah’s hand holding the sword.

“Please move aside.”

“No. The child is watching.”

“But……”

“And I have no intention of having a murderer as a friend.”

At Nigel’s firm words, Noah, who had been conflicted, eventually relented.

“…Ars, why is a smart kid like you just listening quietly?”

Sid, who had been dumbfounded by the utterly ridiculous sophistry he had never heard before in his life, spoke with a voice mixed with worry and irritation.

He found it frustrating that Nigel was quietly listening to Lumen’s words, not even speaking sharply as he had done to himself, despite not being poor with words.

“That’s because I’ve only heard the barking of a dog from Lumen so far, and haven’t received an answer about how to remove the necklace.”

Nigel’s answer surprised everyone.

Throughout Lumen’s speech, Nigel had prioritized removing Knox’s necklace over the hurt he was receiving.

That strong mental fortitude, the attitude of putting others before himself, and his kindness without expecting anything in return, caused the group to fall into different emotions.

“I’ve listened to your story without complaint and incidentally protected your life, so now please answer my question, noble sir.”

Nigel, alone dry without emotion, bent his knee and followed the imperial etiquette.

That action stirred emotions on Lumen’s side.

But while his heart may have flinched, when he still refused to open his mouth, Nigel’s eyes grew cold.

Seeing him stretch out his dog-poop philosophy trying to look impressive for quite a while, he thought Lumen would understand if he responded similarly, but it seems he had overestimated him.

No, Lumen’s words were right.

As he said, humans needed to know their place, no longer as one who reigned over the auction house, but as a mere hostage.

Also, ignoring someone who saved your life made you no different from a beast living a life less than human.

And disobedient beasts needed to be taught the fear of humans.

Swish.

Nigel raised his hand.

This was the same gesture he had used to threaten the pickpocket to get to Ather.

“Everyone get ready. But, if someone dies from using weapons or magic, we could be expelled from the academy, so avoid vital points and use only bare hands. If you’re not sure where the vital points are, just follow where I or Beselion hit.”

“As expected, it’s not for nothing that you’re the top student at the academy.”

Allen grinned as he clenched his fist.

In an instant, ten pairs of fists surrounded Lumen.

With Nigel throwing away the mask that was nobly covering Lumen’s bare face as a signal, heavy sounds echoed through the room for a long time.

The prolonged punching finally came to an end.

Under the blessing of the endless rain of fists, Count Lumen finally blurted out how to remove the necklace.

But as if by agreement, the fist treatment continued until Count Lumen lost consciousness.

When the Count had completely fainted and Nigel gave the signal to stop, Allen and Yenica, unable to contain their disappointment, landed a few more hits.

Nigel, being a human who knew his place well, graciously turned a blind eye to the actions of his superiors.

‘Well, I can see they all felt betrayed.’

Lumen’s face, hidden beneath the mask, resembled a gentle lamb.

Especially his frightened eyes facing five pairs of fists gave the impression that he could live without ever telling a lie.

“Did everyone call the guards?”

As the scale of damage was too great to wrap up like this, the children decided to bring in adults and public authority after a brief discussion.

“No, we can’t trust the guards. Count Lumen is from the south. This person might have bribed even the guards.”

“Sid is right! Who knows how far those dirty hands have spread!”

Allen, in perfect sync with Sid, flushed red with indignation.

“Then who did you call?”

“Of course, the proud knights of our Cromwell family.”

“Sebastian.”

“…Lady Roneh.”

At that moment, Yenica quietly added.

At those words, the four academy students except Yenica became wide-eyed like rabbits.

“By Roneh, do you mean… the tall human with red hair and fierce slanted eyes?”

Noah spoke with emotion.

“She said she was Professor Siennia, so it must be the person you all know. She’s the knight His Majesty assigned to me. Also… she’s the one who helped me escape.”

Everyone was surprised once again at those words.

To think that Professor Roneh was the starting point of this great journey.

They couldn’t help but feel irritated even as they understood, thinking of Roneh laughing heartily and telling them to experience the wider world.

“Maybe Nigel and I were destined from our first meeting when we met Lady Roneh!”

“……”

Even Nigel couldn’t cover for this much, so he quietly maintained his silence.