A Noble's cruelty, a Girl's courage

I was startled awake by a familiar voice. I felt my heart pounding in my chest as if it were about to explode. I tried to shake off the effects of the nightmare. I lay on my bed for a while, trying to remember what had made me so anxious.

That dream again, and as always, I can't remember the details of it clearly... Each time I have this nightmare, some new details become clearer to me. But no matter how many times I have had this nightmare, the feeling of anger and the thought of my own death in such a brutal way never went away.

Then I realized I was breaking out in a cold sweat, my body shaking slightly as I managed to remember the nightmare a little better than the last time. I remembered lying in a pool of my own blood and being beaten to death by a man I didn't know. I couldn't forget his cruel, sadistic smile as he took pleasure in beating me to death, treating me like an ant under his feet. Then suddenly, I heard the same kind and loving voice that woke me from my nightmares. The same voice I have heard since I was born, my Kaa-san.

"Reiichi, are you awake yet? Reiichi!" I heard Kaa-san's voice from downstairs, asking me if I was awake. It seemed like she had been calling me for a while, so I answered her.

"Yes Kaa-san! I'm awake." I shouted while still in my room. She seems to have heard me and answered immediately.

"All right, dear, don't forget your academy exams start today! You should probably get cleaned up and put on something presentable, dear, because you're going to write your entrance exams for the academy. Be quick, or you'll be late!" She said it in a strict and stern voice. I couldn't see it directly, but I could tell that she was probably worried sick about me and probably thought that I would be late for my first day at the academy.

Then I sat up on my bed and began to think. My mind couldn't stop thinking about the dream that had been recurring since I was a child. There was always something different about me—something different from other people around me, like my family and friends. I believe that these dreams are connected to whatever that difference is and that it means something important to me. But for now, I have to put these thoughts aside, get dressed, and go downstairs for breakfast. I have a lot to do today, and I don't want to miss any of it.

I went into the bathroom to wash my face, and after I had done so, I took a moment to look at myself properly. It was because I was quite handsome for someone my age. The most noticeable thing about me was my red crimson hair, which was a mess at the moment, and my dark brown eyes, which showed signs of sleep. Probably because of that damn nightmare, I still looked better than most boys my age, even without putting much effort into looking good. It also helped that I was incredibly fit but not overly muscular, followed by my height of 5'11". I wouldn't deny that I wasn't proud of my good looks, but I was also a bit annoyed when random girls my age asked me out, even when I made it clear that I wasn't interested in them at all.

After brushing my teeth and combing my hair, I went back to my room, where I opened my wardrobe and picked out a neatly ironed white shirt and a black jacket. I decided on some black trousers to go with my white shirt. I left the black jacket unbuttoned. My hair wasn't as messy as it had been when I'd just woken up. Looking at myself in the mirror, I couldn't help but sigh. I always dressed properly for every occasion, but I also thought it was a waste of time.

Before leaving my room, I made sure to clean it for when I would have to return. I then headed downstairs, where I could hear my Kaa-san cooking breakfast for me. Walking down, I got the smell of the type of food my Kaa-san was preparing for me, which made me even more hungry.

Walking down the stairs, I reached the hallway, where on the wall was one of our family portraits, which had my Tou-san (name), my Kaa-san Yumi Kagetsu, my sister Serena Kagetsu, and me. In the portrait, I sat on Kaa-san's lap while Nee-san stood beside my father, holding his hand. I then walked down the hallway and entered our dining room.

Upon entering the dining room, I was faced with the image of my Kaa-san running around the room with a worried expression on her face. She was a small, delicate woman with long blonde hair and soft, light purple eyes. She was the embodiment of grace and beauty, but she had a hardness that belied her delicate appearance. I watched her as she was placing dishes on the table in a hurry. I went and washed my hands and sat down at the table as I watched her delicate hands work so elegantly as she moved from the kitchen counter to the table. She was in haste in preparing the table because she didn't want me to be late.

"Reiichi, dear, if you don't finish, you're breakfast fast; you would be late!" She lightly scolded me; her concern was for my own well-being, but still, I had plenty of time to reach the academy, but it seems she didn't know that.

"Kaa-san. Worry not; I still have a few hours before the exam starts. You know the exam starts late in the morning, right?" I said while I ate the toast that she had made...

"Really!?! Is that so...?" She shouted, and then she released a relieved sigh. I looked at her moment to see that she was much calmer now that she knew that I had plenty of time. But her stern expression never left, and she was pouting a little.

"I'm only trying to look after you, you know? It's your Kaa-san's duty to make sure you stay well and healthy! If Reiichi finds Kaa-san annoying at times, then Kaa-san can't help it! I am just a worrywart." She said it with a loud hump. I couldn't help but chuckle a little. This woman was older than me but still acted like a child when it came to me.

On the dining table, she had put down some goat cheese and some toast with scrambled eggs. I also saw her place a small cup containing moonflower nectar, which was delicate nectar that was extracted from a rare and exotic moonflower that only blooms under the light of a full moon. The nectar has a light, floral taste and is often used as a sweetener in various desserts and beverages. It is said to have rejuvenating properties, making it a popular drink among the nobility, but it is easily harvestable at high volumes, so it's not that expensive or hard to obtain. In fact, it's also said to be used in many different potion-brewing recipes.

"I also prepared some starfruit salad for you! Here we go!" said my Kaa-san enthusiastically as she placed a bowl of said food on the table in front of me.

Ah, starfruit salad. This refreshing salad is made from the juicy and exotic starfruit, which is shaped like a five-pointed star. This salad is great for anyone who is trying to gain a sufficient amount of nutrition. It helps with growth and helps keep the muscle fiber in top shape. It seems Kaa-san put great effort into making breakfast today. She planned out everything I would need for my body, just like always; she even prepared me some black coffee to make sure I would be in top shape when I took the exams. I couldn't help but smile a little. This woman always amazed me; she could tell whenever I lied, and she could always tell if anything was bothering me. In my life, no one could read me like an open book except her; it almost felt as if she could see something in me that even I failed to notice myself. Even when I don't treat her like other children treat their parents, she still takes care of me without a hitch.

"Here, drink this coffee too! I want you to have all the energy you will need for the exam. Remember, even if your Tou-san is not here, he too is worried about you. He wanted to personally walk you to the academy just like he did with your Nee-chan, but sadly, his work got in the way. said Kaa-san, a bit sad. Then she continued.

"I would have gone with you instead, but... no one is here to look after the home, and I have to go open the bakery soon, and I can't just leave it alone and go! I mean, we don't have anyone to look after it either!" said Kaa-san in an irritated voice. It seems she wanted to come along with me badly, but she couldn't because of her work. I didn't want her to come along with me in the first place, but the fact that she considered it was fine with me.

"It's alright, Kaa-san; you don't need to worry about me. I'm old enough to take care of myself now. And you should probably tell Tou-san to focus on his work. I don't want him to worry about me. I will make sure to pass the academy exams. I promise, you just stay here and wait till I come back or send a message after I pass my exams, alright?" I said I was trying to relieve her worries. It seemed to work as her irritated frowning face suddenly shifted to that one of joy, and she hugged my face against her chest and started to suffocate me.

"Kyaa! My baby boy is so smart and dependable! Both your Tou-san and Kaa-san are sure you will pass the exams with flying colors." She shouted with determination, almost looking as if it were she herself who was about to write the exams. She had fire burning her eyes, and her fist was clenched with excitement.

"Right, well, Kaa-san, it's about time I head out, don't you think?" I said this as I slightly pushed her away before she could suffocate me to death with her large bosom. When I pushed her away, she just puffed out her cheeks and started to pout. This woman was, in a word, troublesome. I stood up and gave her a small hug, which made her stop pouting again.

"Alright, alright…. Kaa-san's just sad to see you go, you know? It's just that I have never let you stray away from me for 16 years, and now you're going to the academy. It's been a year or two since I have had the chance to see your sister; you know how she doesn't visit us anymore. Please make sure to visit us, Reiichi, and please don't forget that your Tou-san and Kaa-san love you deeply just as much as we love your sister." She said it in a motherly tone but was filled with deep sadness as she let her child leave its nest after a long while. To me, this wasn't that big of a deal, but to her? It was like her world was about to crumble away.

"It's alright, Kaa-san. I will remember to contact you and even come visit once in a while when I have time. Tell Tou-san. I said thanks for cheering me on. Now it's about time I leave." I said as I walked down the hallway where the entrance to our house was, and I put on some black boots. I opened the door and walked out, followed by my Kaa-san, who was slightly teary. I turned back around to wave at her one last time, and as I walked off, I heard her shout words to me to encourage me one last time, the only thing she could do for me now.

"YOU GOT THIS, DEAR! REMEMBER, KAA-SAN WILL ALWAYS BE BY YOUR SIDE, NO MATTER WHAT!" She shouted at the top of her lungs, smiling. I let a small smile grace my face as I walked away without turning back.

As I walked away from my home, leaving my worried Kaa-san behind, I soon found myself walking through the streets of Blossomvale, a city within the great Kingdom of Serenity. The city was bustling as always, with children running around chasing each other, workers carrying loads or just walking to their respective workplaces, and some street vendors trying to lure pedestrians in to sell them their cheap goods and wares. I couldn't help but be curious about everything around me. I walked, glancing at anything that caught my eye. In truth, this city was quite large, considering that it was home to one of the best academies in the world, making it the capital of the Serenity Kingdom. It was also a city that was home to many different races and tribes. Half-humans, humans, and sorcerers were some of the races that called this city home, as the kingdom supported all races and gave them equal rights.

The Kingdom of Serenity was a peaceful and prosperous kingdom with a strong economy based on magic and technology. It's also a kingdom that was popularly known for producing exceptionally talented people and where potions were mass-produced at high quality. Since potions were relatively difficult to brew, the kingdom was considered one of the most indispensable sources of potions, or more specifically, medicines. This led to the kingdom having easy foreign trade and several peace treaties.

As I continued to walk towards my destination, I started to hear loud shouts and a commotion going on next to a shop on my path to the academy.

"HEY! This is a scam! You're selling goods at twice the price of the other vendors! Even simple moonflower nectar is being charged at 1 full silver coin when it should only be worth 50 bronze coins at the highest value." A rough-looking man shouted at the vendor, who was clearly nervous and sweating at being called out in public like this. From the looks of it, the guy was selling almost everything at an unprecedented price. To make matters worse, his products didn't even seem to be good enough to catch anyone's eye.

"H-hey! Hey! I'm just trying to make money to feed my family! P-Plus isn't even that bad! You make it sound like I am asking you to give me all your money. At this rate, you will scare off all my future customers, your stupid brute!" The salesman replied nervously but ended up shouting loudly as well.

"D-dumb B-Brute?! HEY! Take that back right now. Not only are you cheating people with outrageous prices, you are also insulting them when you get caught." The rough man shouted back; his face completely red with anger. As the fight continued, I simply drowned out the annoying sounds of these two fools and concentrated on my surroundings, noticing that I had reached the town's marketplace. Some of the shops' wares were quite remarkable, but others were simply pathetic. A few steps ahead of me, I saw a bookstore with a sign outside that said books for sale...

"I wonder how many books I could buy with my allowance..."I spoke softly without realizing it. I craved knowledge no matter what it was, but reluctantly, I forced myself to turn away as I realized I didn't have enough time to stop and buy books, even if it was tempting. Anyone can say what they want, but knowledge is power, no matter what kind.

"Sighs, but sadly, I doubt I could buy too many books." I spoke to myself again softly. I currently have 5 gold coins with me; I didn't take more than that with me because I thought I wouldn't need it. The 5 gold is merely for emergency use only.

In this world, we use gold, silver, and bronze as currency. Even an extremely low-paid worker would live on 3 to 5 gold coins earned from their minimum wage job, which could help the said person last a whole month or two without work if they used the gold properly without spending it immediately. 1 gold coin is worth 100 silver coins, and 1 silver coin is worth 100 bronze coins, and you could afford food for a whole month or two with just 100 silver coins. Since food only costs a few bronze coins, while a meal in a restaurant can cost from 2 silver coins to 100, 100 silver coins or even 1 gold coin if it's a restaurant for nobles or prestigious people... There's also the platinum coin, which is hard to get because it's worth 225 gold coins. Only a few people have it, like the king of the kingdom and his family...

Another thing about the currency of our world is that it is completely managed by a neutral organization, one that controls the flow and creation of our currency throughout the world. It was the Holy Cathedral of God. A cathedral in the geographical centre of all seven kingdoms. A place where all violence is forbidden. A place where kings met in peace, not war. The church's also controlling and managing taxes, which they use to help the needy. They even strictly follow a rule to do no harm. Although they are technically pacifists, it's not wise to attack them, as it would be considered an insult to their god and the other countries as well. They make currency out of ordinary gold, silver, and bronze, but they use many layers of magical formulas to mark it as official currency in case someone might try to copy it. They even gave each coin a specific, numbered magic circle for clarity.

Suddenly, a loud scream was heard, followed by the sounds of crying and wailing. This drew everyone's attention away from the small fight between the pedestrian and salesman. When everyone noticed the source of said scream, some were horrified while others looked away while forcefully shutting their eyes. Mothers quickly told their children to cover their ears and to look away.

The crying and screams of pain were all coming from a single petite girl; she looked about my age, or maybe a year older than me. Her skin was pale, but not in a good way; the girl's condition was terrible. She was just skinny and all bones, and looking at her pointed ears and her beauty, it was easy to deduce that she was an elf who looked like she could barely walk yet crawl alone. The poor girl looked like she hadn't had anything to eat or drink for maybe weeks or even months because of the lack of fat on her body. But the most noticeable thing about her was the magic collar tied to her neck that had a blue gem in the middle of it. She was the source of all the crying.

WHIP

Everyone listening in or watching the elf girl gasped in horror as they saw a noble man whip the poor girl on her back, causing the poor thing to spit out of her mouth, scream, and thrive on the floor in agony. It was a horrible scene to witness.

"Damn useless slave! You filthy slut, I turned my back to you for just a little while, and you tried to run away and escape from me?! I fed you, I took care of you, I put a roof on top of your head, and in return, you disobeyed me and tried to run away." Said the ugly-looking noble with snot dripping down his nose as he kicked the poor, downed elf girl on her back. When he kicked her, everyone who couldn't see her back before got to see the horrifying marks on her exposed back. There were whip marks, both old and new, all over her back. And they were bleeding as if they were cuts freshly made from knives. Some people who were watching pitied the poor girl, but none went forward to save her, which, with all honesty, to me wasn't so surprising.

Commoners would always be afraid to act against the nobles, no matter what the kingdom's laws may be. It was because people were afraid of power, and the people of nobility held a great deal of it. For a second, I considered stepping in to save the poor thing that was thriving in pain and agony, but doing so wouldn't give me anything of value for helping something so pitifully weak and worthless. I was thinking about whether to save the girl or not. The girl, still crying with puffy eyes, tried to crawl away with as little strength as her body could possibly muster. But right then, I narrowed my eyes at the noble as I sensed something weird. With my sharp eyes, I noticed the noble channelling some mana to a ring on his finger, and suddenly.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH," a loud screech was heard as the source was the girl once again. She was being shocked relentlessly. It seemed the shock was originating from the magic slave collar that was on her neck. It looked like a plain iron collar, but it had a blue gem attached to it, probably a magic stone that helps produce electricity, but the level of shock it was releasing was too high—dangerously high—to be a simple slave collar.

Unless it was a slave collar meant for beasts?!? But such a collar to be used on that girl... Does this man view her as nothing but a beast simply because she isn't a human like him? As I was astonished by the levels of this noble's cruelty that he showed to the public without a second thought, I suddenly sensed a large magic presence. It was coming from the direction the elf girl was trying to crawl away to turn to get a proper view of the newcomer. I could see that it was a human.

A girl with silvery white hair and bright yellow eyes with black pupils in the middle, a feature rarely seen... Her skin was pale and smooth, like porcelain. Her skin was dotted with a few light freckles that gave her face a little warmth. She seemed to be about 5'6". She had a fit body but no noticeable muscles. She had an hourglass figure and rather large breasts. She was wearing a white shirt and a blue one, tucked into a black skirt, black socks, and high heels, in short, casual clothes. She also had a strange ring on her right hand. The ring had two black snakes with purple bottoms, and they were making a figure of eight, and at the end they were entwining to form the Ouroboros symbol. The snakes had small red rubies in their eyes. In a word, according to some, it was the pinnacle of feminine beauty.

"Hold it! Just what do you think you're doing to this elf girl?" said the silver-haired girl with determination in her eyes. She oddly reminded me of someone, but for the life of me, I simply couldn't remember. But now that she showed up, I was a little more interested in this drama.

"Huh?! Who do you think you are, little girl? Move out of the way, or else that elf girl gets it even worse. Unless... you could take her place instead." said the ugly noble with a vile face. The moment he spoke those words, my eyebrow started to twitch in irritation for some unknown reason.

But then suddenly, I felt the girl's magic power spike; in other words, she was about to use a magic spell, but that was against the law. To use magic spells within the city without a permit, especially against those who can't use proper magic themselves, would get the girl in trouble. But what came next was a bit of a surprise to everyone.

"Levix" said the girl barely audibly, as suddenly a purple aura engulfed the slave collar on the elf maiden's neck and it broke apart, which stopped the elf from suffering from shocks much longer. This caused the elf girl to stop screaming and fall forward onto the floor, exhausted.

'Hm the spell「Levix」Huh?' I mused in my head. A spell that allows the user to treat an object as if its own gravitational force were acting on it, thus creating a levitation effect, moving it through the air, or pushing it to the ground. It is accomplished by directing magical power at the object that the user wishes to manipulate. The user can then move it wherever they want and use it for both combat and mundane tasks. The overall power of the spell depends on how you use it with your own imagination and how much magic power you are willing to supply it with. It can even be used to make the object crush itself. If needed…

"What's the meaning of this? Hey, you can't release my slave from her collar! I paid good money for that bitc- "said the man, stuttering, but he cut himself off because he realized he was being ignored by the silver-haired girl. Instead, she was checking on the fallen elf girl, who was giving off laboured breaths while sweating a lot. Her body looked as if it had burn marks all over. Then, to the bystander's shock, the silver-haired man muttered another magic spell barely audible, but once again, I was easily able to hear it via my sharp ears. I let out an impressed whistle as I watched the silver-haired girl's hands glow green, and the elf girl's body was covered in an ethereal green glow. Then suddenly, all her whip marks and burn marks started to disappear, but her body was still skinny due to a lack of food and water. Nevertheless, it was impressive to see someone my age use healing magic for the first time. Which means that this girl would most probably be here to also attend the academy entrance exams.

The spell she used wasn't too difficult for a skilled mage to cast, as it was only a B-rank healing spell. It wasn't strong enough to help regenerate lost limbs or cure poison, nor was it strong enough to heal a malnourished body like the elf girl's to full health. But it was good enough to heal burns, cuts, and bruises, and it also helped to remove some scars if they weren't too deep. In my opinion, a spell like this should be taught to everyone, as it could be used to save lives that are in a high-risk state from deep wounds and slashes. The spell can also stop the bleeding. The spell used by the silver-haired girl was called「Aurora Vitalis 」. The downside of healing magic is the high mana drain, but knowing the advanced biological knowledge and magic control of the Posses, healing magic can be used with a low mana drain. But being able to quickly analyse one's own or another's damaged body at a critical moment is much harder than one would think, and yet this girl seemed to have used this spell without any mana drain at all, either because she has good mana reserves or she has studied the biology of the elf body.

"Hm, it looks like her body is stable now," the silver-haired girl said as she touched the elf girl's body for any injuries she might have missed. She almost looked like a doctor examining a patient, I thought absentmindedly.

Then the girl stood up and looked at the angry nobleman with an indifferent expression on her face. It looked as if she didn't care that she was breaking one of the kingdom's rules in public. And from what I could see by the slight clenching of her fists, she was ready to break the law again if the noble said anything that even remotely upset her. The noble's face looked like it was about to explode with rage at the silver-haired girl's expression. After a moment of silence, the girl finally spoke.

"…H-how? How could you do that to her? She is a living being, just like you! Do you scum have no heart or soul in your bodies?" She half-screamed in hidden anger.

The noble who heard this turned from anger to confusion, then from confusion to full-blown laughter, causing the girl to clench her fists even tighter. I swore I could almost see a drop of blood coming from her clenched knuckles.

"Why should I care if she is a living being or not?! She is just a damn useless, good-for-nothing, God-forsaken elf! Besides, just because you destroyed her slave collar doesn't mean you freed her! By rules, she still belongs to me and the noble house as its servant. Now give her back." Said the noble, referring to the elf girl as 'it' and emphasizing that he only thought of the girl as an object of sadistic pleasure and nothing more.

It looks like that finally managed to make the silver-haired girl almost fire a spell at him. Right as she raised her hand to do so, the guy stopped her by speaking with a smug face.

"Oh? Are you going to attack me? A noble? Not only would you be breaking a rules, but you would be seen as a criminal as well," the man threatened. But there was truth in his words: if she were to attack him, he would have a greater legal advantage if the authorities got involved.

"And you used your magic on my slave, which is my property, and even damaged 'it's' slave collar. You know how much that collar cost me? I could even get your family involved if I were to take this to court," he said with fake sadness in his voice for losing one of his possessions while once again referring to the elf girl as it. The more the man spoke, the more the silver-haired girl seemed to lose her will. It was honestly a sad scene to see. The girl was in a pinch, and there was almost no way out of it.

While all the nobles' points were true, abuse of slaves and using beast slave collars on beings like elves were against the law of the kingdom. In fact, discrimination of this degree is much more severe than a little girl using magic without a permit, but she laid no hand on anyone, meaning no one was harmed. In other words, this noble knew he was in the wrong and why he was lying through his teeth like a sly fix to get out of this problem.

Maybe it's time to end the show. It's getting quite late, I thought to myself.

"Hm? You claim this fine young lady to have done a crime? Please, your excellency, will you tell us what laws she may have broken?" I said I was trying to act like an innocent bystander sucking up to him, but I did sarcastically call him "excellency," but it seems the moron didn't notice my sarcastic tone.

"Well, would you look at that? At least someone can think properly! Well, my dear lad, this foul girl is here. She used magic to destroy my property, and she did something to my slave without my permission. Not only that, she even raised her hand to attack me with magic. She broke two laws right in front of the public; if she had continued, she might have damaged public property or, worse, hurt someone." The noble said it as if he were some great guys who was trying to protect everyone. I could almost feel the look of disgust rolling off the people behind me, but it seemed this moron of a noble didn't catch it or just chose to ignore it.

I sighed internally, knowing full well what I had to do to get out of this silly situation. Well, in my opinion, this whole show was only fun when the girl used magic; until now, it was just boring.

"But, sir, you also broke the rules, didn't you?" I said it casually, with an eye smile and a slight smile on my lips.

"H-hey?! What do you mean?! I didn't break any laws! Do not falsely accuse people! And here I thought at least someone would have had some intelligence to understand such greatness before them." He said, making it sound as if I had disappointed his 'high' expectations. But it was too bad for him. His words only gave me mirth and worked as fuel for my own entertainment.

"You have broken three, maybe even four, rules today. The first is that you have abused a slave girl in front of the public without giving a good reason, and you have used a beast collar on this elf to make her your slave. Beast-collar slaves are only allowed in the military; no matter who you are, nobility status doesn't matter when it comes to the military affairs of the kingdom. And then you used the beast collar's shock mechanism on the elf, knowing full well that the shock could possibly kill her. The beast collar releases twice the amount of electricity, enough to kill humans who come into contact with it. The only reason the girl lived was probably because of her elf biology and the silver-haired girl who helped the elf. I said it nonchalantly as I raised my hand and pointed out each of the laws the noble had broken. When I had finished, I saw the silver-haired girl nod at me out of the corner of her eye in shock and gratitude. Then she seemed to quickly regain her determination to fight for the elf girl's sake, now that she knew she wouldn't get into trouble with the authorities herself. "So? How about it? You said you were going to tell the authorities. Tell them what you did today. Oh, and don't you dare think you can lie your way out of this. There are several witnesses here, and we could just use a memory spell to see the elf's memories to see what other cruel things you might have done to her... but... I am willing to let it all go if you will give the elf back her freedom and that she will no longer be bound to you as a slave". The silver-haired girl offered, practically backing the idiot into a corner where the only way out was to accept the deal. It was a wise move on her part to seek the slave's freedom instead of a mere legal punishment, which at best would be a loss of rank for the noble. But even if he had lost his rank, the law doesn't free the slaves he owns.

I watched as the expression on the man's face changed from anger to fear to defeat. As I watched him sigh, he reluctantly agreed to let go of the slave. But deep down, there was something about this noble that didn't sit right with me. No one would be stupid enough to pull a stunt like this in public unless it was planned. No, certainly not. Maybe I was just thinking too much... "Ugh. Don't you dare think this is over! I swear I will make your life a living hell, but for now... here!" the noble said as he threw a ring at the silver-haired girl's face, who quickly used her magic to smash the ring. But I noticed that the ring had a similar symbol to that of the beast collar, meaning that he had officially relinquished his ownership of the enslaved elf.

"So, the filthy elf is free now! Are you happy?! Now make sure you keep that little filth out of my sight ever again, and watch your back! I won't forget this humiliation," he said ominously and left. The way the man spoke made me feel strange again. One moment it felt like he was talking, and the next moment it felt like he was a different person. Maybe I am just thinking too much. Just as he turned left, the silver-haired girl let out a loud sigh and collapsed to the floor. It looks like she was just putting on an act the whole time, talking back to the noble without even stuttering once, unlike another normal civilian who would stay silent or stutter a lot, knowing the dangers that could come to them or their loved ones from their actions... I watched as she gazed gently at the unconscious elf girl for a few seconds before she sighed again, but then a small smile quickly graced her lips. Perhaps because helping someone had brought her some kind of joy... Then she turned to... me?

She looked at me with a small smile on her face and was about to say something, but then suddenly whatever she was about to say was stopped by a roar of cheers and laughter as the pedestrians began to praise her for her honourable and selfless act. Everyone gathered around her, practically blocking her view and preventing her from seeing me.

"I guess I'll have to follow up more," I thought as I watched the crowd gather around the girl with the silver hair. How could I not have sensed that the noble's movement was not just a coincidence but also something completely untrue?

I decided to watch the noble to try to discover other elements of his character and better understand his ambitions or plans. It seemed too good to be true; I kept wondering if there was some hidden reason behind it.

The moment a knight left; I had a disturbing feeling in my mind. There was something about him that made me feel untrustworthy, something I couldn't find the words to describe. I automatically decided to investigate him and his background. I also thought about what could have caused him to behave this way.

Then I focused all my attention on the beautiful lady with the silver hair. Her cheerful disposition was striking, and one would think she was not at all affected by the traumatic experience she had just gone through. I watched as she tenderly picked up the elf girl and held her close to her chest, her face full of concern.

The elf girl's almost inaudible voice, "Thank you," came from her as she awoke and looked at the silver-haired girl with eyes full of gratitude.

"Oh, no need to thank me," the silver-haired girl replied with a smile. "I would be happy to do the same for others in the same situation."

As I watched their part, I couldn't help but be impressed by the silver-haired lady. She had defied the nobility and risked her life to help a person who really deserved it. It was the kind of selfless act that deserved my utmost respect. But right now, I was running out of time. It seems I wasted more time than I hoped too here.

As I left, I couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to this story than met the eye. I was determined to uncover the truth wherever it led me, but I had so much to do that I didn't have time for it at the moment.

I started to walk away from the scene without bumping into the foolish pedestrians who were running carefree towards the elf and the silver-haired girl to praise the brave girl or to help the elf...

I took a glance at a clock placed in the middle of the market area and realized I would be late if I simply kept walking at my normal pace, so I had no choice but to speed up to almost a jog.

'The academy shouldn't be very far from here…' I thought to myself. I kept jogging towards my destination. It was not until I reached a small climb on my way that I got to see the great magic academy of Serenity Kingdom in its full glory... The academy that had closed its gates for so many years had finally opened it once more to allow fresh talent to prosper once more within its walls.

"This is going to get interesting from here on out. Aren't they?" I spoke lightly to myself with mirth as I slowed down to my normal pace as I walked the climb to the large open gates. Things will surely get interesting in my so far boring life, for sure…