Once people saw the ring, their questions grew into suspicion.
Why was Ralyks giving Belle a ring? Of course, they didn't particularly question Ralyks' integrity, as they had noticed it was Belle who constantly flocked around him.
He also behaved appropriately at all times.
As such, no one could really blame him. Besides, people became adults at the age of 16 in this world, and so it wouldn't be strange if Ralyks treated Belle as an adult.
He wasn't averse to putting them in harm's way, so he probably thought they were all mature enough to handle themselves.
When one put all of these factors together, it would be a really far off assumption to blame Ralyks for what just transpired. However, no matter how clean a record one had, there would always be one person who saw another angle to it.
"That's very sus…" Justin commented while giving a naughty smile.
Unfortunately for him, he was stifled by the jabs and knocks from his fellow students before he could say any more to disgrace himself.
Needless to say, most of the students accepted the ring in good faith. It looked like a powerful Enchanted Item, and was bound to help the wielder well.
No one had any complaints, and other than Justin, they all sort of recieved it well.
The only other person who seemed to take the perverted approach was none other than Belle herself.
She was blushing violently as Ralyks handed her the ring, despite it having no romantic connotations at all. Tears fell from her eyes, and she staggered back a few steps, almost as if she was going to faint.
Thankfully, it didn't happen.
Instead, she took the ring with shivering hands and bowed her head to Ralyks—probably to hide how intensely she was was blushing, though it was already too late.
"I am g-grateful for this gift, Sir Ralyks. I will strive to do even more to please you."
Many felt Belle's words were a bit off, but they assumed she meant something along the lines of "I won't fall short of your expectations." or "I won't disappoint you."
Only Justin found it incredibly suspicious, but he couldn't risk saying another word.
A few eyes were already focused on him, waiting to see him run his mouth so they could get another satisfying round with him.
Belle returned to the line, and the next person that was called was Rey, whom everyone knew was the most obvious option.
He had, by far, the most surprising contribution to the mission.
From someone who could be seen as incredibly incompetent, he was able to distinguish himself as a valid member of the fight force, mostly relying on his very impressive combat abilities to make up for his lack of power.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say that all the students who watched him step forward now respected him. The nods they gave as he walked towards Ralyks showed just that.
The camarederie was palpable.
Out of everyone, Alicia's smile was the brightest, as she even leaked tears as she watched Rey recieve some kind of necklace. He turned back to watch his classmates, smiling and waving at her in particular.
She smiled at him so sweetly, you would think they were more than just friends.
While everyone had grown to respect Rey, Alicia already respected him for some time. She was just so happy to see him gain the recognition he deserved.
The only other person who showed this level of happiness was Adonis, and a few steps lower than that was Trisha.
"Good job, Rey…" Were words that trailed from Alicia's lips as she looked at her friend.
"Next is Alicia White."
It wasn't surprising to anyone that she would come next. Not only had she improved her overall abilities, but with her Familiar by her side, she was an even bigger force to be reckoned with.
As Rey returned to the line and Alicia stepped forward, the both of them made a high five—with the clap echoing throughout the field.
It was clear to everyone that each celebrated the other's success.
***********
It didn't take long for the entire ceremony to be over, and afterwards the Otherworlders were dismissed to their living quarters.
They all had smiles on their faces, though one particular student wasn't all too pleased despite the facade he put up.
'That damn Ater… what the hell was he thinking?' Rey's thoughts trailed.
'He didn't tell me he would be giving everyone gifts. Where the hell did he get those items from?'
Rey suspected that he got most of them from the KariBlanc Group, and after using [Absolute Appraisal] on them, he was able to confirm that to be true.
The only exception was the item he gave to Adonis.
'The Unknown Box… where did he get that from?' Rey wondered to himself.
The Enchanted Item had one function, and it was to bring forth the full potential of a particular Skill, irrespective of the Mana Cost and the likes. It could only be used by its wielder once a day, and there weren't any Tier Limits placed on the Item.
'It's an S-Tier, so I should assume that its limited only to S-Tier Skills, right? Also, did Ater make it himself?'
Rey wasn't particularly jealous that Adonis had recieved this gift. After all, the current Rey had more than enough Mana to activate any of his Skills.
He wasn't even mad about Adonis' present.
It was what Ater gave Belle that greatly concerned him.
'I ignored what they had going because it was helpful to Belle's growth, and he wasn't controlling her in any way. But this… this is too much!' Rey's thoughts echoed in his mind.
Why would Ater go and give her a ring, especially despite knowing how Belle currently viewed Ralyks?
'I feel like I would be a scummy person if I ignored this…'
The good news was that Ralyks was pretty much gone from the lives of the Otherworlders now that the Royal Dungeon Raid was over.
His involvement was just a device meant to facilitate the growth of everyone involed.
'And now… it's all over.' Rey smiled as he sighed in relief.
'All that's left is to wrap things up nicely.'