Chapter 104

When this topic was brought up, even the timid Shikondell couldn’t help but clench her fists and grit her teeth.

 

These tribesmen had called her here just to humiliate her and her people.

 

Shikondell deeply realized her own weakness. Even though she had fled to a neutral land, she was still despised by the invaders because her kingdom had fallen and her people were enslaved.

 

These shameless bandits had occupied the land her people had lived on for generations, taken the treasures left by their ancestors, burned their villages, taken over their palaces, enslaved her people, and treated them like slaves to be bought, sold, abused, and vented upon at will.

 

But that wasn’t enough. They also wanted to humiliate her, strip away what little dignity she had left, and trample it underfoot.

 

But what could she do? As a princess of a fallen kingdom, she didn’t even have the courage to admit her identity.

 

The golden elves, her kin, had refused their plea for help on the grounds that they had their own problems.

 

To preserve the last bloodline of the royal family, the Moon Elf King had used a magical artifact to disguise her as a male and sent her to study at the Carillian Academy, while also searching for the power to help her rebuild the Moon Elf Kingdom.

 

But could she really succeed?

 

Shikondell was lost. She didn’t want to ask the golden elves for help, those close relatives who had refused to help them in their hour of need. She didn’t want to shamelessly beg them.

 

Besides, it would be useless. They wouldn’t risk getting involved to help her restore her kingdom.

 

Fleeing to the Carillian Academy was also useless. It didn’t change the fact that she was a princess of a fallen kingdom.

 

Without the support of her kingdom and her people, she was just a rootless duckweed, looked down upon wherever she went, especially by these tribesmen who only respected strength. In their eyes, the moon elves were only fit to be their slaves, not even worthy of sitting at the table to eat.

 

Since she had fled in such a hurry, she didn’t have much money with her. Thinking she could save a meal, she decided to sneak into the banquet and find a corner where no one would see her to secretly grab some food.

 

But she was caught red-handed by these cruel tribesmen.

 

If she had known, she wouldn’t have tried to save that money.

 

“Hey, Miss Elf, eat, eat! Aren’t you hungry? Why aren’t you reaching for the food?” the tribesman asked, pretending not to know, as he grabbed some food from the table.

 

“Oh, I almost forgot, sheep need utensils to eat,hahaha! I wasn’t considerate enough.” With that, the tribesman threw a set of utensils in front of Shikondell, who was too scared to speak.

 

“Take it.”

 

Shikondell was too frightened to move.

 

“I told you to take it, didn’t you hear me?” The tribesman’s small eyes narrowed, emitting a fierce light.

 

Terrified, Shikondell quickly obeyed and took the utensils.

 

“What, not eating? Not hungry?”

 

“N-no, not hungry,” Shikondell stammered, her head shaking like a rattle.

 

In fact, she was starving and just wanted to have a good meal. Otherwise, with her personality, she wouldn’t have wanted to come to such a crowded place.

 

“Not hungry? Heh, alright then, I won’t force you. It’s boring just chatting with a bunch of men. We’ve been wandering around outside for a while and finally found a suitable candidate. After all, in our tribe, it’scustomary to have a moon elf slave girl serving us while we eat and drink, hahaha!”

 

“…I-I’m a man,” Shikondell pursed her lips, lowering her head, and spoke with a hint of stubbornness.

 

“Huh? A man? Hahaha!”

 

“I-I really am a man.” Hearing the surrounding men burst into laughter, Shikondell panicked.

 

“A man, hahaha! See? This is why the moon elves have fallen. They don’t even have a decent man. Men weaker than women, no wonder you’re only fit to be slaves,” the tribesman laughed triumphantly.

 

The laughter was like sharp knives piercing Shikondell’s heart.

 

“But are you really a man?” another tribesman asked, disbelieving. “You’re prettier than a woman. Honestly, even the most upright men here are extremely interested in you, wanting to pin you down and bully you!”

 

The tribesmen continued their crude jokes.

 

Unbeknownst to them, a silver-haired, purple-eyed girl had been watching for a while.

 

At first, she was just curious and stopped to watch, but gradually, the smile on her face disappeared.

 

Indeed, it’s the same everywhere. These disgusting men always have the same face.

 

Aesphyra seemed to recall some memories and past events, her face now devoid of any expression.

 

She rarely did this, not even bothering to put on a fake smile.

 

Such trash is always unbearable to watch.

 

Just as she was about to step forward towards the table of laughing tribesmen, a voice stopped everyone’s laughter.

 

“Not necessarily. For example, I’m interested in someone like you, wanting to pin you down and bully you. Tsk tsk, the scene, just thinking about it is exciting.”

 

Everyone was stunned, looking at each other, confirming that no one had said that. Then they noticed a moon-blue-haired young man with a drunken smile standing at the table.

 

“Kid! What the hell are you mumbling about?” After a brief moment of confusion, the tribesman realized what the young man had said and was furious.

 

Shikondell, who thought she would be humiliated beyond repair and was in despair, heard the somewhat familiar voice and, along with the tribesmen, looked at the moon-blue-haired young man in surprise.

 

“Virtue +300”

 

“Current Virtue: 1184”

 

“Huh? I said it so loudly, didn’t you hear me?” Winnie smiled and winked at the tribesman. “I like your type, rough and hairy, exciting and durable. Tsk tsk, just thinking about it, two words: comfortable!”

 

“Pfft.” Aesphyra, who was watching, couldn’t help but laugh.

 

This guy, his actions and words are always unique.

 

“Brat! Do you know who you’re messing with!?” the tribesman was furious.

 

“What, not happy?” Winnie smiled at the tribesman. “I just did to you what you did to others, but with you as the target.”

 

“Brat, who the hell are you!? How dare you talk to us like that!?” the other tribesmen also stood up.

 

“Me? Hah! If I say my name, you’ll be so scared your legs will go weak.” Winnie showed the smile of a villainous young master, pointing his thumb at himself.

 

“Listen up, I am the infamous delinquent of the Camella capital, Winnie Varelis!”

 

“What Winnie what? Never heard of you.” The tribesman frowned.

 

“Hah, ignorant shepherd boy, you haven’t even heard of my name. No wonder people always say you’re a bunch of muscle-brained frogs at the bottom of a well.” Winnie brushed his hair.

 

“Go ask around the Camella capital! My name can stop a three-year-old from crying! In the capital, countless people who offended me have had their legs broken. Back in the day, I wielded a machete, cutting from North Street to South Street without blinking, leaving a trail of corpses and rivers of blood! Everyone knows me!”

 

“Brat, who the hell do you think you are!? You’re looking for death!” The hot-tempered tribesmen couldn’t stand this and immediately stood up to take action.

 

A fierce punch came at Winnie.

 

To be honest, Winnie wasn’t confident about provoking these burly brutes. He just acted on impulse.

 

When the hard fist suddenly came at him, he remembered one thing.

 

He wasn’t Venessa.

 

He might not be able to take these savages’ punches, and once he used his soul arts, the situation would change.

 

Although Winnie looked calm on the surface, he was panicking inside.

 

Damn it, I got carried away, trying to act cool like the protagonist and now I’m in trouble!

 

Just as he thought his cool act wouldn’t last three seconds and he was about to be knocked out, a punch came from the opposite direction, knocking the tribesman back and making him fall on his butt.

 

“Do you all know what the academy’s rules say about the punishment for privately fighting and injuring classmates?” Aesphyra took off the glove she had used to block the punch, threw it on the ground, and put on a new one, speaking slowly.

 

“Expulsion from the academy, never to return.” The elegant silver-haired girl stopped smiling, speaking word by word. “You all don’t want to lose the admission qualification you worked so hard for, do you?”

 

The tribesmen, now calmed down, also realized this. It wasn’t worth losing their admission qualification and being laughed at by their tribesmen back home for the rest of their lives just to mess with a slave.

 

So, they could only glare at Winnie and leave a threat. “Brat, you wait! Don’t run away, we’ll see you on the academy ranking stage!”

 

With that, the tribesmen returned to their table and started drinking sullenly.

 

“Ah, isn’t this Dell? What are you doing here? You came and didn’t even tell me, don’t you consider me your roommate?” Winnie pretended to just notice Shikondell, signaling her to get up and follow him.

 

At the same time, he pushed a stone that was slightly sticking out of his pocket back in.

 

“Oh, oh…” Shikondell, granted a reprieve, nodded her head like pounding garlic, quickly getting up and moving away from the tribesmen, her hands intertwined, her head lowered, following Winnie like a shy little tail.

 

“What, roommates?” A tribesman pouted. “So he really is a man? Tsk, boring.”

 

Hearing this, the tribesmen lost even more interest in Shikondell.

 

“You, you, I thought you didn’t come to the invitation. Why didn’t you tell me when you came? Didn’t I say we’re buddies? Why so shy?” Winnie led Shikondell away from the corner table, pretending to be serious.

 

“I, I…” Shikondell was at a loss for words.

 

She hadn’t found Winnie, nor had she thought to look for him. For one, she didn’t think this roommate she had only met once would be willing to help her, to offend those cruel and violent tribesmen for her sake. Secondly, she didn’t want to trouble others, nor did she want others to get into trouble or even get hurt because of her.

 

“…I didn’t want to trouble you.”

 

“What trouble? How is this trouble? Making someone do something they don’t like is trouble. But me, I like doing this kind of thing, so how can it be called trouble?” Winnie raised an eyebrow.

 

“Just now, really, thank you.” Shikondell lowered her head in gratitude.

 

“Thank me for what? No need to thank me, I just wanted that bastard to experience what it’s like to be harassed by someone else.” Winnie said indifferently.

 

“Virtue +100”

 

“Current Virtue: 1284”

 

“Virtue +100”

 

“Current Virtue: 1384”

 

Huh? Why did it add twice?

 

If it was just one person, it should only show Virtue +200, right?

 

Winnie was puzzled, then suddenly realized something and looked at the smiling Aesphyra beside him.

 

Could it be that Aesphyra was also involved??

 

But Winnie really didn’t expect Aesphyra to be there and even willing to help him. This time, he owed her.

 

Now Winnie didn’t know how to face her.

 

He let out a burp.

 

Before he went on stage, he had specifically downed a large glass of red wine, so if a fight did break out, it would make sense.

 

“Burp! Alright, you must be hungry. Forget about that place, don’t take what just happened to heart.” With that, Winnie signaled Shikondell to follow him.

 

Aesphyra also followed behind him.

 

Well, the protagonist probably didn’t trust him, thinking he might harm Shikondell.

 

“I’ll take you to eat something good.” But seeing Shikondell’s timid demeanor, Winnie gave up on the idea of placing her at his table.

 

This child seemed to have a strong wariness and vigilance towards all humans. It was better to place her with her own kind.

 

“Where, where are we going?” Shikondell followed behind Winnie, feeling uneasy, still a bit scared from what had just happened.

 

“To find your people.” Winnie turned around and said matter-of-factly.

 

“My people?” Shikondell was puzzled.

 

“Yeah, those golden elves, aren’t they your people?” Winnie pointed to the table where Milian Celfen was sitting. That table had no humans, only elves.

 

“…I don’t want to go.” However, Shikondell shook her head and refused.

 

“You don’t want to go?” Winnie was also confused. Although the golden elves and moon elves had split long ago, they were still kin, right? That couldn’t be changed.

 

Plus, the elves were very united and definitely wouldn’t exclude Shikondell.

 

“Mm.” Shikondell averted her gaze, clearly not wanting to have any contact with the golden elves.

 

“Alright then, Dell, how about this: you go back to the dorm first, and when the banquet is over, I’ll bring you some food. Is that okay?” After some thought, Winnie thought this was the best solution.

 

It wasn’t appropriate for Shikondell to eat with humans, but she didn’t want to see her kin, so Winnie had to suggest this.

 

“Is that okay? Won’t it trouble Winnie?”

 

“Dell, really, show some manliness. I don’t know about other places, but here in the academy, no one dares to mess with you.” Feeling the pitiful gaze from Shikondell’s deer-like eyes, Winnie shook his head.

 

“I, I understand… Thank you, Winnie. Then, I’ll go first?”

 

“Mm, you go back first, be careful on the way.” Winnie said.

 

Having lost her kingdom and experienced such things, the shadows in Shikondell’s heart must have grown even darker.

 

Winnie couldn’t help it. He knew Shikondell was pitiful, but there were countless injustices and pitiful people in the world.

 

He wasn’t a saint, just a heartless virtue farmer, unable to save everyone.

 

Watching Shikondell leave, Winnie turned his gaze to Aesphyra, who had been silently watching him.

 

“Miss Aesphyra, there are too many people here, not a good place to talk.” Winnie pointed to the second floor of the tavern.

 

Aesphyra understood, and the two walked up to the second-floor balcony with perfect tacit understanding.

 

“Just now, thank you for helping me out.” Winnie leaned on the balcony railing, letting the wind blow his hair.

 

“So the infamous delinquent of the capital also knows how to say thank you?” Aesphyra propped her cheek with one hand, teasing.

 

“Cough, let’s not repeat that embarrassing title.” Winnie averted his gaze.

 

“You seemed quite proud when you said it earlier. Why don’t you want to mention it now?” Aesphyra teased. “I think it was quite cool~?”

 

“Stop teasing me, it was necessary for the situation.” Winnie pouted. “If I didn’t say that, how could I scare them off? People in the capital always curse me like that, so if I don’t use it, wouldn’t I have been cursed for nothing?”

 

“Use the bad reputation while you can.”

 

“But even if you used it, it didn’t seem to work? They had no idea where you came from, you little stray cat~” Aesphyra smiled.

 

“Are you deliberately picking a fight with me??” Winnie clicked his tongue, then looked at the distance Aesphyra kept from him and asked. “You don’t seem to like the smell of alcohol?”

 

“Hmm, why?”

 

“I saw you frown slightly when I burped earlier.” Winnie said. “I might be wrong.”

 

If it could make someone with such strong expression control as Aesphyra frown, she must really dislike it.

 

“Pfft, so Young Master Winnie has some emotional intelligence? I really don’t like the smell of alcohol.” Aesphyra looked into the distance with meaningful eyes.

 

“Uh, then, the incident of splashing red wine on you last time must have been quite troublesome for you?” Winnie scratched his head. In the past, he might not have thought this way, but now that Aesphyra had just helped him out, he felt a bit indebted.

 

“Young Master Winnie finally realized that?” Aesphyra narrowed her eyes, beautiful like a ragdoll cat, her eyes filled with an unreadable, half-smiling expression.

 

“I’m really sorry about what happened back then, I truly apologize.”

 

“Young Master Winnie only remembers to apologize after several months?” Aesphyra laughed, her long, thin eyelashes casting a shadow. “Should I say your reaction time is too long?”

 

For some reason, after what had just happened, Aesphyra found Winnie very pleasing to the eye tonight, more so than ever before.