When this topic was brought up, even the timid Shikondell couldnât 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 wasnât 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 didnât 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 didnât want to ask the golden elves for help, those close relatives who had refused to help them in their hour of need. She didnât want to shamelessly beg them.
Besides, it would be useless. They wouldnât risk getting involved to help her restore her kingdom.
Fleeing to the Carillian Academy was also useless. It didnât 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 didnât 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 wouldnât have tried to save that money.
âHey, Miss Elf, eat, eat! Arenât you hungry? Why arenât you reaching for the food?â the tribesman asked, pretending not to know, as he grabbed some food from the table.
âOh, I almost forgot, sheep need utensils to eat, hahaha! I wasnât considerate enough.â With that, the tribesman threw a set of utensils in front of Shikondell, who was too scared to speak.
âTake it.â
Shikondell was too frightened to move.
âI told you to take it, didnât you hear me?â The tribesmanâs small eyes narrowed, emitting a fierce light.
Terrified, Shikondell quickly obeyed and took the utensils.
âWhat, not eating? Not hungry?â
âN-no, not hungry,â 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 wouldnât have wanted to come to such a crowded place.
âNot hungry? Heh, alright then, I wonât force you. Itâs boring just chatting with a bunch of men. Weâve been wandering around outside for a while and finally found a suitable candidate. After all, in our tribe, itâs customary to have a moon elf slave girl serving us while we eat and drink, hahaha!â
â...I-Iâm a man,â Shikondell pursed her lips, lowering her head, and spoke with a hint of stubbornness.
âHuh? A man? Hahaha!â
âI-I really am a man.â Hearing the surrounding men burst into laughter, Shikondell panicked.
âA man, hahaha! See? This is why the moon elves have fallen. They donât even have a decent man. Men weaker than women, no wonder youâre only fit to be slaves,â the tribesman laughed triumphantly.
The laughter was like sharp knives piercing Shikondellâs heart.
âBut are you really a man?â another tribesman asked, disbelieving. âYouâre prettier than a woman. Honestly, even the most upright men here are extremely interested in you, wanting to pin you down and bully you!â
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, itâs 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 everyoneâs laughter.
âNot necessarily. For example, Iâm interested in someone like you, wanting to pin you down and bully you. Tsk tsk, the scene, just thinking about it is exciting.â
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.
âKid! What the hell are you mumbling about?â 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
âHuh? I said it so loudly, didnât you hear me?â Vinny smiled and winked at the tribesman. âI like your type, rough and hairy, exciting and durable. Tsk tsk, just thinking about it, two words: comfortable!â
âPfft.â Aesphyra, who was watching, couldnât help but laugh.
This guy, his actions and words are always unique.
âBrat! Do you know who youâre messing with!?â the tribesman was furious.
âWhat, not happy?â Vinny smiled at the tribesman. âI just did to you what you did to others, but with you as the target.â
âBrat, who the hell are you!? How dare you talk to us like that!?â the other tribesmen also stood up.
âMe? Hah! If I say my name, youâll be so scared your legs will go weak.â Vinny showed the smile of a villainous young master, pointing his thumb at himself.
âListen up, I am the infamous delinquent of the Camella capital, Vinny Varelis!â
âWhat Vinny what? Never heard of you.â The tribesman frowned.
âHah, ignorant shepherd boy, you havenât even heard of my name. No wonder people always say youâre a bunch of muscle-brained frogs at the bottom of a well.â Vinny brushed his hair.
âGo 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!â
âBrat, who the hell do you think you are!? Youâre looking for death!â The hot-tempered tribesmen couldnât stand this and immediately stood up to take action.
A fierce punch came at Vinny.
To be honest, Vinny wasnât confident about provoking these burly brutes. He just acted on impulse.
When the hard fist suddenly came at him, he remembered one thing.
He wasnât Venessa.
He might not be able to take these savagesâ punches, and once he used his Soul Arts, the situation would change.
Although Vinny looked calm on the surface, he was panicking inside.
Damn it, I got carried away, trying to act cool like the protagonist and now Iâm in trouble!
Just as he thought his cool act wouldnât 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.
âDo you all know what the academyâs rules say about the punishment for privately fighting and injuring classmates?â 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.
âExpulsion from the academy, never to return.â The elegant silver-haired girl stopped smiling, speaking word by word. âYou all donât want to lose the admission qualification you worked so hard for, do you?â
The tribesmen, now calmed down, also realized this. It wasnât 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 Vinny and leave a threat. âBrat, you wait! Donât run away, weâll see you on the academy ranking stage!â
With that, the tribesmen returned to their table and started drinking sullenly.
âAh, isnât this Dell? What are you doing here? You came and didnât even tell me, donât you consider me your roommate?â Vinny 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.
âOh, oh...â 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 Vinny like a shy little tail.
âWhat, roommates?â A tribesman pouted. âSo he really is a man? Tsk, boring.â
Hearing this, the tribesmen lost even more interest in Shikondell.
âYou, you, I thought you didnât come to the invitation. Why didnât you tell me when you came? Didnât I say weâre buddies? Why so shy?â Vinny led Shikondell away from the corner table, pretending to be serious.
âI, I...â Shikondell was at a loss for words.
She hadnât found Vinny, nor had she thought to look for him. For one, she didnât 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 didnât want to trouble others, nor did she want others to get into trouble or even get hurt because of her.
â...I didnât want to trouble you.â
âWhat trouble? How is this trouble? Making someone do something they donât like is trouble. But me, I like doing this kind of thing, so how can it be called trouble?â Vinny raised an eyebrow.
âJust now, really, thank you.â Shikondell lowered her head in gratitude.
âThank me for what? No need to thank me, I just wanted that bastard to experience what itâs like to be harassed by someone else.â Vinny 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?
Vinny was puzzled, then suddenly realized something and looked at the smiling Aesphyra beside him.
Could it be that Aesphyra was also involved??
But Vinny really didnât expect Aesphyra to be there and even willing to help him. This time, he owed her.
Now Vinny didnât 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.
âBurp! Alright, you must be hungry. Forget about that place, donât take what just happened to heart.â With that, Vinny signaled Shikondell to follow him.
Aesphyra also followed behind him.
Well, the protagonist probably didnât trust him, thinking he might harm Shikondell.
âIâll take you to eat something good.â But seeing Shikondellâs timid demeanor, Vinny 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.
âWhere, where are we going?â Shikondell followed behind Vinny, feeling uneasy, still a bit scared from what had just happened.
âTo find your people.â Vinny turned around and said matter-of-factly.
âMy people?â Shikondell was puzzled.
âYeah, those golden elves, arenât they your people?â Vinny pointed to the table where Milian Celfen was sitting. That table had no humans, only elves.
â...I donât want to go.â However, Shikondell shook her head and refused.
âYou donât want to go?â Vinny was also confused. Although the golden elves and moon elves had split long ago, they were still kin, right? That couldnât be changed.
Plus, the elves were very united and definitely wouldnât exclude Shikondell.
âMm.â Shikondell averted her gaze, clearly not wanting to have any contact with the golden elves.
âAlright then, Dell, how about this: you go back to the dorm first, and when the banquet is over, Iâll bring you some food. Is that okay?â After some thought, Vinny thought this was the best solution.
âIs that okay? Wonât it trouble Vinny?â
âDell, really, show some manliness. I donât know about other places, but here in the academy, no one dares to mess with you.â Feeling the pitiful gaze from Shikondellâs deer-like eyes, Vinny shook his head.
âI, I understand... Thank you, Vinny. Then, Iâll go first?â
âMm, you go back first, be careful on the way.â Vinny said.
Watching Shikondell leave, Vinny turned his gaze to Aesphyra, who had been silently watching him.
âMiss Aesphyra, there are too many people here, not a good place to talk.â Vinny pointed to the second floor of the tavern.
Aesphyra understood, and the two walked up to the second-floor balcony with perfect tacit understanding.
âJust now, thank you for helping me out.â Vinny leaned on the balcony railing, letting the wind blow his hair.
âSo the infamous delinquent of the capital also knows how to say thank you?â Aesphyra propped her cheek with one hand, teasing.
âCough, letâs not repeat that embarrassing title.â Vinny averted his gaze.
âYou seemed quite proud when you said it earlier. Why donât you want to mention it now?â Aesphyra teased. âI think it was quite cool~?â
For some reason, after what had just happened, Aesphyra found Vinny very pleasing to the eye tonight, more so than ever before.