Protecting the master’s reputation and ensuring the master’s safety. These were the duties of a slave.
This was the rule inscribed beneath the insignia mark, and a duty everyone silently accepted.
But Harvey was different.
If he had only acted out of obligation, he wouldn’t have needed to defy her attempts to stop him.
Yet he still chose to step out and stand before Lavia.
There were some things she couldn’t say. He had to speak for her will.
Just like a long time ago.
Back then, he had earnestly advised her like this.
Even though he considered himself lowly.
Even though his voice couldn’t hide his nervousness, he still stubbornly counseled her.
“As the duke’s daughter, you should study properly.”
“Only by producing results that match your status can you win people’s trust, not by throwing a tantrum here.”
“Hard work doesn’t always pay off.”
“But everyone will see it, everyone will know.”
Those words weren’t pleasant at all.
They were even offensive.
Yet years later, Lavia still remembered.
Only he would say such things to her in that clumsy, earnest way.
That sentiment transcended her identity as the duke’s daughter and settled into the heart of a girl named Lavia.
Lavia looked at Harvey, standing before her, facing everyone.
Watching him block her from view, watching him refute the doubts and malice directed at her under everyone’s gaze.
For a moment, a rare daze flickered in her eyes.
The boy who had grown so tall now merged silently with the stubborn child in her memory.
He wasn’t staying by her side because of the insignia mark.
Nor was he obeying her out of fear.
But because—
He had always stood by her with genuine sincerity.
“Where did you find this assistant, Wien?”
A woman’s voice, tinged with laughter, suddenly came from beside her.
Lavia started slightly and came back to reality.
At some point, the noblewoman who had cast water magic earlier had walked up to her side.
She followed Lavia’s gaze to Harvey ahead, and the smile on her lips deepened.
“Bold as could be, and sharp-tongued too.”
She said slowly, “The rarest part is that he dared to step out and defend you in front of so many people.”
Lavia pressed her lips together and said nothing.
The noblewoman saw it all, and the amusement in her eyes grew.
Seeing the girl like this, a very interesting sentiment stirred in her heart.
That little girl who once refused to care about anyone now had someone she looked at like this.
Her kind face took on a teasing elder’s expression.
“Looks like you really care for him.”
Lavia’s eyelashes trembled. The coldness on her face finally split open a shallow crack.
She casually changed the subject. “Instructor Meli, have you finished your work?”
Instructor Meli’s smile only deepened, but she didn’t press further.
She just cast a meaningful glance at Lavia’s earlobe before turning her gaze forward.
On the other side, Instructor Wien quietly watched the boy who had stepped forward.
Harvey bowed slightly to the old mage.
“Harvey.”
“That’s my name.”
Wien looked at him, nodded gently, as if committing the name to memory.
There was still a trace of kindly smile in his eyes.
But before he could speak again, another voice suddenly came from the crowd.
“Instructor Wien, may I say something?”
Harvey was taken aback and instinctively looked toward the voice.
Cassius.
The moment he saw that face, Harvey couldn’t help but frown.
Not long ago in class, this noble young man had openly made things difficult for him.
And now he was stepping forward at a time like this—was he here to cause more trouble?
Wien nodded slightly.
“Of course.”
Cassius walked to the front, his expression solemn and upright, his back straight.
“I saw with my own eyes just now that Lady Lavia came running out of the teaching building.”
“At the time, she was with Her Highness Veronica.”
At the mention of Veronica, many people’s faces changed.
Clearly, the notorious princess’s reputation was well-known to many present.
Cassius’s gaze swept over the pale-faced Aidemeng as he continued, “Therefore, I believe Aidemeng’s conjecture just now is unfounded.”
The plaza fell into a sudden silence.
Harvey was a little stunned and couldn’t help glancing at Cassius again.
He never expected that the other would step forward at this moment.
To actually speak up for him and Lavia.
But Cassius kept his face rigid, not even throwing a sidelong glance at Harvey.
Aidemeng, who had been full of indignation, immediately turned pale.
He opened his mouth, as if wanting to defend himself.
But not a single word came out.
Wien took in the scene, and a gentle smile slowly crept across his lips.
“I see.”
The old man seemed to accept the explanation, then looked at Aidemeng.
“Then what do you think?”
His tone was still calm, without a trace of reproach.
But it was precisely this attitude that made Aidemeng’s shoulders tense.
He took a deep breath, his face changing several times.
Finally, he bowed his head and walked toward Lavia.
Looking at the duke’s daughter, who remained cold and unbowed.
The eldest son of the House of Vester Viscount did not try to save face. Instead, he knelt properly on one knee.
His right hand pressed against his chest, and he bowed his head in salute.
“Lady Lavia.”
He said in a deep voice, “I was reckless.”
“To make such an accusation against you without sufficient evidence was my mistake.”
“I apologize for my rudeness and foolishness.”
“Please forgive me.”
The plaza was silent.
Harvey also stopped in his tracks.
He had been following behind Aidemeng, worried he might do something else.
But just like Cassius, this large classmate had honestly admitted his mistake.
In front of everyone.
Was this the pride of nobility?
Lavia looked down at Aidemeng kneeling before her, showing no emotion at his apology.
She couldn’t even be bothered to utter a word of reproach.
But after a moment, her gaze passed over Aidemeng and landed on Harvey.
Those blue eyes stared quietly at him, as if asking silently:
—What do you think?
Harvey was startled at first, then understood her meaning.
He glanced at the still-kneeling Aidemeng, then back at Lavia, and finally nodded.
With that response, Lavia seemed to lose all interest, turning her face slightly aside.
It was taken as tacit consent that the matter was over.
Seeing this, Harvey stepped forward and walked to Aidemeng’s side.
“Get up.”
He extended his hand. “Lady Lavia has forgiven you.”
Aidemeng stiffened slightly, as if surprised that Harvey would be the one to help him.
But after a moment’s silence, he reached out and rose with Harvey’s help.
Their hands briefly touched, then quickly separated.
Aidemeng’s expression was dejected and regretful, but there was no resentment.
Harvey didn’t say much, simply withdrawing his hand quietly.
The incident that had nearly spiraled out of control was temporarily put to rest with that kneeling and rising.
Just as the atmosphere in the plaza began to ease.
Not far away, the instructors who had been inspecting the fountain had reached a conclusion.
“Chairman.”
A mage reported to Wien with a serious expression. “The magic array beneath the fountain has shown abnormal fluctuations.”
Another instructor, who had been examining the fountain’s base, stood up, his face equally grim.
“It’s not ordinary elemental disturbance.”
“It’s more like… some structure that had been dormant was briefly activated by an external force.”
At these words, the nearby instructors showed puzzled expressions.
But Wien didn’t immediately go over to check.
He stood still, his aged hand loosely gripping his wooden staff.
His gaze passed over the damaged fountain and the dispersing crowd, settling on the sky in the distance.
The wind stirred his gray coat, and in his murky eyes, a distant reminiscence surfaced.
“Rune…”
“How long has it been since a divine trace appeared?”
The old man muttered softly.
The instructor beside him was startled. “What?”
Wien turned to look at him, his face returning to that gentle, composed smile.
“Nothing.”
The old man shook his head and tapped his staff lightly on the ground.
“Seal this place off for now.”