Sol arrived at the academy and, with his Old steward as his guide, he was led to his classroom. The man seemed to be familiar with the academy, but that was expected since he was once a student here.
"Your carriage will be here to pick you up after classes." The old steward said with a respectful bow before leaving, but Sol wasn't paying attention to his words.
His focus was pinned on the faces of the numerous students subtly staring at him at every opportunity they got, making him wonder if this was because of his fainting stunt the other day, or maybe they heard of the clash between him and the Khai'k.
Sol hoped it wasn't the second option because that would mean there were spies planted in the Ark family territory, which is too big, so it would be hard to track them down.
"Hey, how are you feeling today?"
Sol heard a voice and he frowned. It was a white-haired boy his age, wearing spectacles and giving off a nerdy vibe. Sol recognized the voice as that of the person who helped him the previous day, back then his vision was too blurry to make sense of anything or anyone around him.
[Name: Kevin Ranga]
[Tier: Nil]
[Race: Werewolf]
[Race Tier: Alpha]
[Type: Ru-Destros]
[Title: Nil]
[Condition: Healthy]
[Status:Depressed]
"I'm doing better now, thanks for the save," Sol said with a smile while observing Kevin's stats. Seeing his depressed status Sol frowned in his heart wondering what was going on with him.
Sol reached out to shake Kevin which startled him and at the same time everyone walking past them paused, looking at Sol as if he was engaging in something diabolical.
"What's going on?" Sol asked, genuinely confused.
"Well, I am an omega, the bottom of the barrel in the werewolf bloodline. People like us don't get to associate with high-status individuals like you." Kevin said in a timid tone while wearing a bitter smile on his face.
"My parents were paranoid yesterday, thinking that the Ark family would demand our heads." He muttered.
"Why?" Sol was confused.
"An Omega touching a prince is unacceptable regardless of the situation. If I laid my hands on the child of an alpha, my entire family would be punished severely," he explained.
Hearing this, Sol was reminded of his time on earth. Making a name for himself was particularly busy because many said he didn't have a decent background. He had to work thrice as hard and bow his head to a lot of people just to get the chance to do something right for himself.
Rage erupted in his heart and for a moment he was silent. Trying to suppress this feeling was something that required all the strength he could muster.
"What is your name?" Sol asked.
"K-kevin! Kevin Ranga," Kevin said with his head lowered.
"Kevin. From today henceforth, you are a friend to the Prince of the Ark Family. Sol said with a smile on his face. "Now take my hand, let's shake on it."
Thud.
A girl from the werewolf family dropped a book due to shock. Just like her, everyone was shaken, unsure of how to respond. This has never happened before, since all supernatural beasts take hierarchies seriously. Even Kevin was taken aback by Sol's words, and tears began welling up in his eyes.
He was unsure of how to react to this since he didn't even expect it to happen. Asking Sol how he was doing was purely out of concern for his health. He was prepared to accept a scenario where Sol looked at him in disgust and walked away because that's how it usually went.
"Come on man, don't leave me hanging," Sol's voice snapped Kevin out of his train of thought.
He looked up once again, meeting Sol's friendly smile before extending both hands while falling on one knee.
Pa!
Sol slapped Kevin's hands away, anger flaring up in his eyes.
"Stand and hold your head up, You are a man capable of greatness, act like it!"
Buzz.
His words shook Kevin's heart while shattering the minds of everyone observing. Tears ran down Kevin's cheeks, mucus ran down his nostrils, and his body shuddered involuntarily.
'Fuck, did I overdo it?' Sol muttered in his mind.
"Thank you! Thank you!" Kevin cried as he took Sol's hand with both hands.
Seeing this, Sol felt his heart of steel shatter. He could remember his time on Earth when he was younger. His father worked very hard to make sure they were able to live a fairly decent life. The man was stoic by nature, but one day he and his mother planned a surprise dinner for him, leaving a note, thanking him for all his hard work.
That was the only time he saw his father cry.
'Men need to be appreciated once in a while. They deserve that much.' Sol muttered in his head.
"That's enough, we need to get to class now," Sol said while patting Kevin on the shoulder.
"Mmm!" Kevin nodded as he let go of Sol's hand and followed Sol from behind.
After taking a few steps forward, Sol noticed this and turned to Kevin, who flinched upon seeing Sol's questioning gaze.
"We are friends, you are not my slave. You are not allowed to walk behind me." Sol said calmly since he understood Kevin's actions were due to his experiences. "We are meant to walk side by side."
"Mmm!" Kevin nodded obediently and jogged to Sol's side.
Seeing this, Sol didn't know whether to cry or laugh. Kevin was currently acting more like a happy dog who had found his forever home than a friend. He wondered if this was because of his werewolf lineage.
The two walked towards the entrance of the class, but before they entered, Sol noticed the gaze of a beautiful girl, surrounded by other stunning girls. They were all pale with blood-red pupils and possessed perfect curves and edges as if they were sculpted by the almighty himself. The girl in particular was far more stunning, making Sol conclude that God used six out of the seven days of creation to make this girl.
'Damn…' He couldn't help but comment in his mind