Chapter 170: Conflict and Ring Grandpa?

Amon and Seraphina remained standing for another few seconds, watching the strange scene unfolding in the central field below.

The kneeling student looked to be around their age, perhaps slightly younger.

He had messy black hair that fell over one side of his face, while a thin silver streak ran through his bangs, making his otherwise ordinary appearance somewhat distinctive.

His clothes were noticeably worn compared to the students surrounding him, and there was already a small cut above his eyebrow.

Despite that, his dark eyes remained stubbornly focused on the ground, as if he was refusing to show weakness.

The young man standing in front of him looked completely different.

He had neatly combed blond hair, sharp blue eyes, and wore an immaculate black-and-gold military uniform.

The expensive embroidery around his collar and sleeves made it obvious that he belonged to one of the influential families.

Amon narrowed his eyes slightly. ’That guy definitely looks like trouble.’

He glanced around the hallway before noticing a young man standing nearby with several other students.

Amon walked over and lightly tapped him on the shoulder. The student turned around with a confused expression.

"What’s going on down there?"

The young man looked at Amon for a moment before his eyes widened slightly. "You’re a new student, aren’t you?"

Amon nodded. "Yeah."

The young man immediately understood.

"That explains it." He turned back toward the field and pointed toward the kneeling student. "His name is Kael Arven. He’s the guy who offended the Crown Prince."

Amon tilted his head. "How exactly did he manage to offend the Crown Prince?"

The student gave him a strange look. "You don’t know about the young lady of the Janard Family?"

Amon shook his head. "No. She sounds important, though."

The young man nodded. "Very important. Her name is Elira Janard, and she’s the fiancée of the Crown Prince."

Amon’s eyebrows rose slightly. ’...Another Janard Family mention.’

He remembered Marielle mentioning that the Janard Family controlled much of Southboon and possessed considerable influence within the capital.

Amon glanced back toward the field. "So what did that guy do to her?"

The young man gave an awkward chuckle.

"He was caught peeking at her while she was taking a bath in the girls’ dormitory."

Amon’s expression turned blank.

He slowly drew in a deep breath before covering his mouth with his fist. "Holy fuck."

The young man nodded seriously.

"And that’s not even the end." He pointed toward Kael. "He apparently tried to force himself on her as well."

Amon lowered his hand and stared at Kael for several seconds.

He slowly turned toward the blond-haired student standing in front of him. "Who is that guy?"

The student lowered his voice. "That’s Lucan Veyr. He’s one of the Crown Prince’s most loyal subordinates."

Amon nodded slowly. "I see."

Before he could say anything else, Lucan stepped forward.

His polished shoes stopped directly in front of Kael, who remained on his knees.

Lucan looked down at him with open contempt.

"You are nothing but a lowly bastard." His voice carried across the field, causing the surrounding students to fall silent.

"If not for your whore of a mother seducing the King, someone like you would never have been born."

Kael’s head immediately snapped upward.

His expression, which had remained stubbornly restrained until that moment, finally changed.

"You can say anything you want about me!" His voice echoed across the field. "But don’t you dare say anything about my mother!"

Lucan’s expression twisted into a cruel smile.

The next instant, his leg shot forward.

His boot struck Kael directly across the face, sending him tumbling sideways across the stone ground.

Several students flinched.

Lucan calmly lowered his leg. "A lowly being like you shouldn’t reply unless you’re asked a question."

Kael slowly pushed himself back up, blood running from the corner of his mouth.

His hands trembled against the ground, but he still refused to lower his head completely.

Lucan turned away from him and looked around at the surrounding students.

His voice became louder.

"Remember this." His gaze swept across the crowd. "This is what happens to anyone who dares to touch Lady Elira Janard."

The surrounding students remained silent.

Some looked away and others watched with obvious interest, clearly treating the entire scene as entertainment.

Amon rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

’He’s got a mysterious background, a powerful enemy, an unknown mother.’ His eyes returned to Kael. ’This guy has a really good backstory for a protagonist.’

Amon’s gaze eventually settled on the ring worn around Kael’s finger.

It was an old-looking silver ring with strange black markings running across its surface.

There was nothing particularly flashy about it, yet something about the object made Amon instinctively pay closer attention.

’What’s that?’

Curiosity getting the better of him, Amon activated his Merchant’s Divine Insight.

His eyes immediately widened.

The information appearing before him was unlike anything he had seen from ordinary objects.

----

[????]

[????]

[????]

[????]

-----

Amon blinked. ’...What?’

He focused harder but nothing changed at all.

The ring remained completely unreadable.

Amon’s expression slowly became serious. ’The last time I saw something like this was with that elf trapped inside the crystal.’

That memory immediately came back to him.

An object that completely exceeded the limits of what his Divine Merchant’s Insight could analyze.

Amon stared at the ring again. ’Could it be...’

An idea slowly formed inside his mind.

He looked at Kael who was pretty suspicious himself.

’Don’t tell me.’ Amon’s eyes narrowed. ’Is this one of those Ring Grandpas?’

He had seen enough stories to know the pattern. A seemingly ordinary young man with a miserable background.

....A mysterious ring.

An incredibly powerful enemy and an unknown secret surrounding his birth.

Amon almost laughed. ’Maybe there’s actually a soul trapped inside that ring.’

If that was true, then Kael might have a powerful old master secretly guiding him from inside the ring.

Amon continued staring at him, however, after a few seconds, Kael suddenly turned his head.

His eyes met Amon’s and Kael froze.

Amon froze as well. ’...What?’

Kael continued staring at him without saying anything.

Amon began feeling increasingly uncomfortable. ’Why is he looking at me like that?’

Amon noticed something only after a while.

Kael wasn’t actually looking at him as his eyes were focused slightly behind him.

Amon slowly turned his head. Seraphina was standing there.

Amon immediately understood.

’Nope.’ He reached out and grabbed Seraphina’s hand.

She looked at him in confusion. "What happened?"

"We’re getting late."

Seraphina blinked. "Late for what?"

Amon paused. "...Something."

She stared at him for a few seconds.

"We don’t have anywhere to go right now." Seraphina glanced back toward the field. "I want to see that young man get beaten a little more."

Amon stared at her before he slowly chuckled. "So you’re really a bad person?"

Seraphina looked at him with a completely innocent expression. "I’ve always been like this."

Amon smiled. "That’s true."

He tightened his grip around her hand and began pulling her away from the window.

Seraphina reluctantly followed, looking back toward the field one last time.

Amon’s smile remained on his face as they walked down the hallway.

Though his thoughts were considerably less friendly.

’If that bastard even tries to come anywhere near Seraphina...’ His eyes narrowed slightly. ’I’ll fucking kill him.’