Thud!
With a muffled sound, Regan's body collided with the ground, making a clear noise.
"Take your time thinking..."
After that, a voice sounded on the side, full of contempt: "Don't think that by hiding your sister, we won't find her."
"It's still early..."
They spoke intermittently, and then their voices became smaller, seemingly turning away and leaving.
The light rain continued, and droplets fell on the ground, making a crisp sound as they hit.
At the edge of the alley, Regan lay on the ground, looking up at the firmament somewhat weakly.
The rain outside dripped down on him, splashing on his face, but it couldn't elicit any response from him.
In the rain nearby, a few droplets of crimson blood appeared, but not too much.
From the looks of it, he had suffered some minor injuries, but perhaps not too severe.
After an unknown amount of time had passed, a faint sound of footsteps came from afar, followed by a shadow.
"Hm?"
Regan looked up and saw a familiar figure standing nearby.
Under the dusk, Adam's figure appeared so clearly.
"Aren't you going to get up?"
Standing beside Regan, looking at Regan's current state, he spoke softly.
It was already dusk, and the outside sky was a bit dim.
Adam stood beside Regan, holding an umbrella, barely shielding him from the wind and rain.
"Adam, it's you."
Regan saw Adam's face clearly and couldn't help but show a bitter smile.
Seeing his best friend, his eyes seemed to regain a bit of spirit.
With Adam's help, he managed to get up and looked ahead: "You know?"
"I roughly know." Adam nodded: "Your recent encounter..."
"I don't know what to say, but either way, thank you."
Regan showed a bitter smile: "At this time, I'm afraid only you would dare to come."
"Is this matter very troublesome?"
Adam asked, then suggested: "Even if you can't refuse, can't you take your sister and leave?"
"Very troublesome."
Regan showed a bitter smile: "Eggers... he's Marquis Green's child, and I'm just a merchant's son..."
Marquis Green was a well-known figure within the Kingdom of Hodge.
He monopolized a considerable part of the food trade within the Kingdom of Hodge and had many trading companies under his control. He was the finance minister that the Hodge Royal Family had to rely on.
His child, even if it was just the most ordinary one, was not something ordinary people could contend with.
"As for leaving..."
Regan's face was bitter: "Where can I go?"
"Go back to my father's?"
"Impossible."
"That old bastard would rather hand Anna over to please the Marquis' child and establish a connection with Marquis Green."
"To him, we siblings are just pieces on a chessboard. As long as Eggers is willing, even if we both die on the spot, what can be done?"
Adam fell silent.
Regan's father was a traditional businessman and had more than a dozen children.
Compared to the other children, Regan and Anna were just two insignificant ones. If selling them could bring enough benefits, then abandoning them would be a matter of course.
Compared to pleasing the Marquis' child, what's the harm in abandoning two ordinary children?
"Staying at the academy is a dead end."
Adam spoke softly: "Leaving here, at least you can live, but if you stay, your fate is already determined."
This was a world where power determined everything.
As a senior student at Hodge Academy, Adam was well aware of the various rules within the academy.
On the surface, Hodge Academy advocated equality, law, and order, but in reality, inequality was everywhere.
Violence and power were the makers of all rules.
Within the academy, Regan, an ordinary merchant's son, simply had no chance against a Marquis' child.
His only option was to leave and find a place beyond the reach of the enemy's power to start a new life.
"You make sense."
Regan smiled bitterly: "But… how can I leave?"
"Eggers… that guy's men are everywhere. I can hardly hide my sister. How can I take her away?"
"There must be a way."
Adam comforted.
"Is that so?"
Suddenly, a voice came from afar.
Adam turned his head to look in that direction and saw several figures walking over.
There were three figures in total. One of them was a burly man wearing tight-fitting clothes, his body tall and imposing.
The sheer oppressive presence of his figure was already strong, not to mention his identity.
Knight Apprentice.
Within Hodge Academy, there was a clear boundary and distinction between Knight Apprentices and ordinary students.
Although Adam didn't recognize the man in front of him, he could tell at a glance that this was a fellow apprentice.
"I originally just wanted to come and catch you, but I didn't expect a surprise."
The burly man looked at Adam with surprise: "Alright, just come with me."
"What on earth do you want to do?"
Regan struggled to stand, unable to suppress the anger in his words.
"What to do?"
The burly man laughed: "To tell you the truth, your sister is already in our hands."
"Unfortunately, your sister's character is terrible. She's been crying all the time, which could easily make Mr. Eggers lose his appetite."
"To prevent this happening, we've come specially to ask you to persuade your sister to be a bit more calm."
"You, shameless!"
Regan was furious: "My sister is engaged, and your actions are no different from thieves!"
"Engaged? Alright."
The burly man laughed: "But who cares?"
"And this gentleman, please come with me too."
He looked at Adam, seemingly recognizing his Knight Apprentice identity but didn't seem to care.
There were actually quite a few Knight Apprentices in the academy, but apart from a few, most of them were just wasting their days, not worth worrying about.
With his strength, except for those few people, he didn't need to care about anyone else.
Adam obviously wasn't among those people.
But an unexpected thing happened.
"I'll go with you."
A strong arm reached out, accurately grabbing the man's outstretched arm.
Then, a clear voice fell, carrying a strange calmness: "However, you're the one leading the way."
As the words fell, a powerful force suddenly surged from the palm, pushing the man down onto the ground.
Bang!