Both men turned their gaze toward the voice. "Who are you?" the heavyset man asked, eyeing the young man standing before them in flowing dark robes, his striking blue eyes gleaming.
"Were you the one controlling this girl?" the young man asked, gently setting the wolf girl down from his shoulder onto the ground.
The tall man glanced at the wolf girl and rushed toward her, shouting, "My Runa!" But the heavyset man grabbed his arm, gesturing toward the sword in the young man's hand. The tall man flinched and stepped back.
"Answer our questions first! Who are you?" the heavyset man demanded, his voice trembling as he stared at the blade.
The young man ignored them, his attention shifting to the other cages where numerous beastkin were trapped. "I have my answer," he said. "As for yours, I am Lucien Kaelhart, soon to be a temporary instructor at Crownspire Academy."
Upon hearing the name Crownspire Academy, both men dropped to their knees, pleading. "Please, sir, forgive us! You can have any girl you want, just don't punish us!" the heavyset man begged.
The tall man's eyes glistened with tears. "Take that bitch! I don't need her. Do whatever you want with her, but leave us alone!"
Lucien frowned, confused. He lifted the wolf girl slightly, examining her from head to toe. "What are you talking about? She is a wolf, not a bitch," he said with a straight face.
Then, raising his sword. With a single swing, he shattered the locks on all the cages. He stepped toward the heavyset man, his voice calm yet commanding. "Release them all from the slave seals."
The heavyset man nodded in fear and performed a ritual. One by one, the bands around the demi-humans' necks fell to the ground. As they regained consciousness, the wolf girl in Lucien's arms stirred, her eyes fluttering open.
"Where am I?" she asked, turning her head toward Lucien. He met her gaze with a gentle smile. Her eyes widened, and she leaped back from his grasp, claws extending as she glared at him with fury. "How dare you kill my pack and enslave me?"
The other demi-humans regained their senses as well, surrounding Lucien, the tall man, and the heavyset man from all directions. Their faces burned with anger.
"You filthy humans! I'll kill you for murdering my parents!" shouted a young gray-wolf girl.
"What are we going to do? We're trapped!" the tall man cried, his voice quaking with fear. The heavyset man stood frozen, pale and trembling. Lucien, however, remained calm. "You misunderstand," he said. "Those two enslaved you. I'm the one who freed you."
"Shut up, you disgusting human! Throwing your comrades under to save yourself!" roared a raccoon-man.
"Kill these filthy bastards who tore us from our families and destroyed our societies!" the gray-wolf girl shouted. With that, the demi-humans charged.
Many lunged at the tall man and the heavyset man, tearing into them with brutal force. Others surrounded Lucien, poised to attack at any moment.
Lucien's gaze darted toward the market, as if searching for something. Suddenly, the demi-humans surged toward him.
[Congratulations!]
[Activating Suppressor!]
A sudden shift in the air sent all the demi-humans crashing to the ground, their faces etched with bewilderment. Everyone except Lucien collapsed under the invisible pressure. "What is this?" the raccoon-man gasped in shock.
Lucien's mind buzzed with satisfaction. The Suppressor ability had cost him 10,000 Credits, but it was worth every bit. Now he could crush entities weaker than him by altering the air pressure around them.
He stepped toward the enraged demi-humans and spoke calmly. "I don't care if you believe me or not, but I'm not with those men. I was in the slums to help the poor when this wolf girl," he said, pointing at Runa, "tried to rob me under the command of a slave seal controlled by that fat man."
He continued, his voice steady. "Through her, I found this place and freed you from slavery. I don't expect you to trust me, but I know some of you still have families. Go to them. They need you." With that, the oppressive pressure vanished, and the demi-humans could stand again. None of them moved to attack Lucien.
He sheathed his sword back into his inventory and turned to leave. "Wait! Who are you?" Runa called from behind.
"I'm Lucien Kaelhart, soon to be a temporary instructor at Crownspire Academy," he replied.
At the mention of Crownspire Academy, the demi-humans exchanged glances, their faces softening into smiles. They turned to him, their voices unified. "Thank you, Mr. Kaelhart."
[1000 Credits!]
[1000 Credits!]
[1000 Credits!] x10
---
After the incident, the two men were sent to prison, and the demi-humans were returned to their homes. Everything happened quickly, but Lucien slipped away before the authorities arrived, asking the demi-humans not to mention his involvement.
---
The next morning, the first rays of sunlight fell on Lucien's face, waking him. He had slept on a large tree branch, unable to afford an inn. Stretching his stiff body, he made his way to the nearby river.
He stripped off his clothes and washed himself in the cool water. As he picked up his garments, he noticed how dirty and worn they looked. "I can't wear these on my first day," he muttered. "Maybe I should buy new clothes with the few coins I have."
Suddenly, a window appeared before him.
[Grocery Market Activating!]
[Welcome to Grocery Market!]
"Grocery Market?" Lucien said, intrigued.
"So I can buy basic necessities? That's helpful." He scrolled through the market interface, finding clothes, food, and various other items. He selected a new set of clothes for [1000 Credits].
His stomach growled loudly, and he sighed. "I'm hungry." Another category opened, displaying an array of food items. He scrolled through the options and purchased several.
His balance dropped from [60,000 Credits] to [52,000 Credits]. The food materialized in front of him, and he sat down to eat. In minutes, every item had vanished into his stomach.
"I'm full," he said, satisfied. But as he relaxed, a sudden thought sharpened his expression. "I'm getting too comfortable. That's not good."
Lucien stood and slipped into his new clothes, a long-sleeved, flowing white hanfu robe. He adjusted his hair and began walking toward the academy.
As he moved through the streets, every eye seemed to follow him, but their gazes didn't faze him.
---
Now standing before the towering golden gate of Crownspire Academy, Lucien let out a quiet sigh and stepped forward. The gate swung open on its own, requiring no one's touch.
He entered the campus, where students filled the grounds. Some chatted in lively groups, while others practiced their skills. The atmosphere buzzed with cheerful energy.
Suddenly, a loud bell rang, echoing from all directions. The students stood, gathering their things, and began heading toward their classrooms.
Lucien walked into the building alongside the students, many of whom stared at him, curious about his identity. Their attention didn't faze him.
After passing the grand elite building, he arrived at the second building. It appeared older and less polished than the main structure. "The headmistress considers these students her own children, yet allows such discrimination?" he muttered to himself. "Though I suppose it makes sense. If these students stayed in the main building, they'd face bullying from the elite ones."
He stepped inside. Despite its worn exterior, the building's interior matched the main building's elegance. A sudden burst of noise drew his attention to a nearby room. He entered and found several school workers lounging, taking a break.
"Good morning," Lucien said with a slight bow. "I'm the new temporary instructor here." The workers, mostly older men, clapped in welcome. A man in his forties, with a square face and a white beard, slung an arm around Lucien's shoulder.
"Welcome, kid," he said warmly.
"Who will you teach here? There are students from multiple Paths," the man asked.
Lucien replied with a smile, "I'm a Combatant, so I suppose I'll teach students of my Path."
The man and the other workers burst into laughter. Confused, Lucien asked, "Why are you all laughing? Are they delinquents or something?"
The man shook his head, still smiling. "No, no, they aren't delinquents. They're funny but stubborn as mules. They always gave their previous mentors trouble, complaining they didn't like how those instructors taught."
"Then how are they still at this academy?" Lucien asked. "It's not as if they're nobles or anything. Why hasn't the academy kicked them out?"
"We don't know the full story," the man replied, "but they always manage to score just enough on the physical and mental tests to pass the exams, though they never show any real improvement."
Lucien nodded and offered another slight bow before turning to leave. As he walked away, he thought to himself. They aren't delinquents, just a bunch of stubborn kids. So now I have to shape their character while improving their ranks.
He sighed. "Fine, I'm in."