Chapter 16: Control your anger...

"Please, forgive these two students, Your Majesty."

King Arcane raised an eyebrow slightly. "What a troublesome task. Go and take those two brats back."

Lukas slowly lifted Haruki while Magnus carried Philip, and the two of them began making their way back to the dormitory.

All the other students were still permitted to attend the party, with the exception of Haruki and Philip. After that, Lukas and Magnus began walking out of the palace.

Vila, who had witnessed everything, followed Lukas and Magnus as they carried Haruki and Philip.

Lukas and Magnus left the palace without another word, leaving the other students behind. Lukas then called for a horse-drawn carriage to give them a ride, as carrying the two of them was clearly no easy task.

After an hour of traveling by carriage, they finally arrived at the academy and immediately brought Haruki and Philip to their dormitory room.

Vila followed them all the way, still worried about Haruki’s condition.

Lukas then threw Haruki onto his bed. Magnus did the same with Philip, tossing him onto his own bed.

"Everything is going to be fine, Vila."

"I know you’re worried about Haruki," Lukas said.

Vila could only nod, unable to utter a single word.

"But there will be punishments for what they did."

"The punishment will be suspension from classes, and there might even be a special disciplinary hearing."

Vila could only swallow nervously.

Lukas decided to remain in the room until one of them woke up.

Vila and Magnus stayed in the room as well.

Not a single word came from Lukas, Magnus, or Vila.

Meanwhile, back at the palace, the party had returned to its lively atmosphere, as though nothing had happened.

However, there was a woman with short purple hair and red eyes holding a glass of wine in her hand.

"I never expected Lukas to pick up another interesting student~"

"Haruki... What an unusual name."

The woman raised her glass and took a sip of wine.

The scene shifted back to the boys’ dormitory, inside Haruki and Philip’s room.

Haruki slowly opened his eyes and saw Lukas, Magnus, and Vila in his room.

"M-Mr. Lukas...?"

Lukas turned his gaze toward Haruki, who had finally awakened.

However, Lukas’s expression was cold, mixed with barely restrained anger.

"Why would you do something so dangerous, huh?!"

Haruki fell silent.

This was the first time he had ever seen Lukas this furious. It was understandable, considering that challenging a king to a fight was no laughing matter.

Haruki then opened his mouth to explain that he simply couldn’t stand seeing commoners being looked down upon and oppressed.

"So what? Did you think that killing the king would make everything go the way you wanted?"

Haruki fell silent, unable to find a response to Lukas’s words.

’He has a point...’

Magnus and Vila could only remain silent as Lukas continued to scold Haruki.

Lukas then let out a sigh before patting Haruki on the shoulder.

"Don’t let your anger control you again."

"And you, Philip. Get up. I know you’re pretending to be unconscious."

Philip remained still, pretending not to have regained consciousness.

However, Lukas stood up from his chair and stopped right beside Philip, who was lying on the bed with his eyes closed.

Lukas then raised his hand and punched Philip hard in the stomach.

"Ugh!! Y-You bastard, Lukas!"

"You heard what I said earlier, didn’t you? You shouldn’t let your anger control you either."

Philip slowly nodded while clutching his stomach, which hurt from the punch Lukas had delivered.

Lukas then left without another word, gently closing the door behind him.

However, he didn’t leave immediately.

Instead, he stood outside the room, remembering a bitter and painful memory from his past.

"We won’t be gone for long, Lukas. Your mother and I will be back this afternoon."

A woman spoke gently as she caressed the cheek of a young boy.

That boy was Lukas.

After saying those words, his parents stepped out of their home and slowly closed the door behind them.

Five days passed without his parents returning.

Little Lukas lay on the floor, barely able to move due to the lack of food.He began to believe that his parents had abandoned him.

Then, someone suddenly kicked open the door to his house.A woman with purple hair and red eyes appeared before the young Lukas.

"How unfortunate, little boy~"

Lukas looked at the woman with a helpless expression. He had already resigned himself to his fate, believing that she had come to kill him.

But the reality was quite different.

The woman gave Lukas some food and water. Only after he had finished eating did she introduce herself.

"My name is Aelin. Aelin Greenleaf."

"What is your name?"

"L-Lukas..."

Aelin stood up and extended her hand toward him.

"It seems you’ve been abandoned. Would you like to come with me?"

Lukas hesitated at first, unsure whether he should trust her.

In the end, however, he accepted her outstretched hand.

The two of them rode a horse together.

When they arrived in the middle of the city, Lukas saw several nobles throwing stones at people who had been hanged from a gallows.

At first, Lukas watched with an indifferent expression.

But then, he noticed something familiar about the clothes worn by one of the people hanging there.

Lukas’s eyes widened.

Without hesitation, he jumped off the horse he had been riding with Aelin.

"Hey! Where do you think you’re going, you brat?!"

Aelin shouted.

She stopped the horse and chased after Lukas.

When Lukas finally reached the gallows, his eyes widened even further. His mouth hung open, but he couldn’t utter a single word.

He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

"Stop..."

"STOP!!!"

Lukas then picked up one of the stones the nobles had thrown and hurled it back at them.

Aelin grabbed Lukas by the hand, trying to stop him from causing trouble.

But then Lukas said something she had never expected to hear.

"WHY DID YOU KILL MY PARENTS AND THROW STONES AT THEM, HUH?!"

Aelin unconsciously released her grip on Lukas’s hand.

One of the nobles who had been throwing stones then spoke.

"Your parents? Oh, forgive us. We killed them for our own amusement."

"That’s why you should never become a commoner."

Laughter echoed through Lukas’s ears.

Were commoners really so worthless?

What had commoners ever done to the nobles to deserve being treated like this?

"YOU DAMN NOBLES!!!"

Lukas picked up another stone near his feet and hurled it at one of the nobles, striking the noble in his right eye.

"Ugh! You little brat!"

The noble pulled out a small knife and infused it with his fire magic, causing the blade to glow red-hot.

He then charged toward Lukas, intending to attack him.

However, before the attack could land, Aelin intervened.

She used her plant magic to pull the noble backward and restrain him with thorn-covered roots.

The other nobles were shocked. They took several steps back before eventually fleeing in fear.

Lukas stood motionless, unable to hold back his tears.Seeing his condition, Aelin tried to comfort him.

"Control your anger, Lukas. This is a trial from God for a good child like you."