Chapter 19: Curly

Enveloped by several towering trees, a group of burly men clad in servant attire roared with laughter beneath a large tree, seemingly engrossed in something hilariously entertaining.

"Bind them! Since you dare to ruin my mood! Filthy commoners deserve to die! Hang them up and beat them hard!"

Among these men, a curly-haired boy（youth） of noble attire was issuing commands to his menacing entourage.

An emaciated old man and a disheveled girl were being brutally beaten onto the lawn by this group.

The ragged old man struggled desperately, uttering incoherent curses. Clearly not articulate, his words were often mispronounced, but it was evident he was cursing.

The girl, on the other hand, was sobbing uncontrollably, her tear-streaked face barely visible through her tangled hair.

As the laughing nobles approached to bind the girl, the old man fought back even more frantically. One of the restraining men was accidentally headbutted, letting out a pained cry.

"Damn you!" the injured man gritted through his teeth**,** raining punches and kicks on the frenzied old man.

Just then…

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!"

A loud bellow suddenly echoed, startling everyone present and causing them to halt their actions.

The men who were about to bind the girl froze, looking around for the source of the voice.

The curly-haired youth, initially startled, quickly regained his composure and glared around, savagely demanding, "WHO IS IT! COME OUT, YOU BASTARD!"

"Try saying that again!" Glen's voice boomed from above, causing the men to look up simultaneously.

Seeing a larger, more imposing figure standing on a tree trunk, the curly-haired youth didn't back down but lashed out even more venomously.

"You lowly beggar! Get lost, will you?! This is none of your business! You filthy commoner!"

Instead of anger, Glen's face broke into a cold smile. "If you talk like that, I'll have to come down and have a serious talk with you."

With that, he leaped down from the tree trunk and looked down at the curly-haired youth.

The youth glared up at Glen, still taunting, "You want to fight me? Worthless! Do you know who my father is? W—"

His words were cut short by a resounding slap, causing him to spin around and fall to the side.

The other men, who were smirking, froze when they saw their young master being slapped by the commoner. The air grew tense as everyone, including the old man and the girl on the ground, was in shock.

How dare this commoner lay a hand on their young master?!

The bizarre atmosphere persisted until the curly-haired youth, now bloody and tearful, managed to crawl to his feet.

Wiping his bleeding lip, the youth's eyes were filled with disbelief and tears as he sobbed, "Beat him to death!"

The cry jolted the men back to reality. The young master was hurt! They would surely be punished severely by the master, who doted on him.

Without hesitation, they lunged at Glen, who was ready for a fight.

With a series of agonized cries , the men were quickly felled, clutching their injured parts and howling in pain.

"You… you! You're finished! I'm going to tell my father! I'm going to tell my mother!" the curly-haired youth sobbed, then promptly fled, leaving his men behind.

"Remember! My name is Glen Nibenclue! My house is in Beyek Town!" Glen shouted after them.

The fleeing youth glanced back, his swollen, tear-streaked face revealing murderous intent as he etched Glen into his memory.

Glancing down at the old man and girl, Glen was about to leap over the wall when the battered old man struggled to his feet, helping the girl up, and called out, "W-wait!"

Glen turned, puzzled, to look at them.

"You… you have offended a noble. They will seek revenge on you. You'd better leave this place, this town. The farther you run, the better!"

The old man's words were slurred, but his urgency was clear.

Glen smiled and looked at them again, not responding but pointing at the girl and asking, "Is this your daughter?"

The old man nodded dumbly, "Yes, this is my daughter, Martha."

"You're a good father," Glen complimented.

But the old man's anxiety returned, "Kind sir, now is not the time for this! You need to flee!"

Glen waved him off, "It's fine. Just a noble. I can handle it. You don't need to worry about me."

"R-really?" the old man hesitated.

"Of course," Glen was supremely confident.

Glen was indeed confident. He had strength and had dealt with nobles plenty in his past life, understanding their nature and the power they wielded.

The trusting old man seemed to believe Glen and didn't protest further.

"Why were they beating you?" Glen asked curiously.

The old man offered a bitter smile, "Child, nobles don't need reasons to beat commoners. We were in their sight, ruining their mood, so we were beaten."

Glen nodded in recognition, "I see…"

"Do you know Layla?" Glen suddenly asked the girl.

He thought they might be acquaintances since they were from the same school.

"Huh?" the girl looked up, her tear-streaked face a picture of confusion. After a moment, she sniffled, "I know her, but she doesn't know me. I'm just a nobody in our school."

"Is that so…" Glen mused, then asked, "Have you seen her recently?"

"Yes, I have," the girl nodded. "Are you her friend?"

"Sort of, passing by to check on her," Glen replied.

The girl didn't seem surprised, "Should I go get her then?"

"No. Be careful of that curly-haired Teddy. I'll leave now," Glen warned, then leaped over the wall and disappeared.

"Curly-haired Teddy?" the old man's mouth hung open, while the girl couldn't help but chuckle through her tears.

At the academy's entrance, the curly-haired youth was grabbing a middle-aged man in a black uniform by the collar, roaring, "Get me a carriage NOW! Or my father will make you pay dearly!"

"But… young master, the academy has rules…" the man was being pulled around by a teenager, meekly protesting.

"Useless! I need a carriage! Can't you understand?! I want to go home!" the curly-haired youth was foaming at the mouth , spittle flying onto the man's face.