The morning class ended, signaling the time for a break. After the class, Rose Valen found herself surrounded by several boys from her class.
"Tomato! From now on, you'll be called Tomato! With that round, chubby face and red hair, aren't you just like a tomato?" "How could someone like Tomato ever become a king?" "I can't stand tomatoes!" "Same here. If there are tomatoes in my salad, I just leave them behind." "How could such an unpopular tomato win the approval of the knights?" "Hahaha..."Rose Valen pouted, unable to respond. The truth was, after hearing their taunts,
she really did look like a tomato.
"An unpopular tomato and the son of a fallen knight. No wonder you two sit
together," one boy snickered.
"Tomato and traitor, a perfect match..." another added.
Arthur's lips curled in disgust. He too had earned a nickname at the Academy—
traitor. It was a title given to him by the parents of these very same kids.
Seeing how these bullies were now dragging him into their teasing of Rose
Valen, Arthur could no longer sit idly by. What bothered him more was that
Roland, despite watching the scene unfold, seemed indifferent and made no
effort to help.
Just as Arthur stood and started walking over, one of the boys grabbed Rose
Valen's hair.
"They're ripe now. It's the tomato festival—let's harvest the fruits!" he mocked.
Rose Valen reached up to grab the boy's hand, preparing to lash out, but before
she could react, Arthur had already arrived behind the boy and addressed him.
"Hey, could you move?" Arthur asked calmly.
The group of boys blocking Rose Valen immediately turned their attention to him.
"What's it to you? Who do you think you are? Get lost!" one of them spat.
Arthur's expression remained unfazed. "It must be pretty embarrassing for you to
be fighting here, right?"
Arthur had been confronted by several training knights when he first entered the
Academy. Yet, thanks to his half-Ember family bloodline, his physical strength
was exceptional, allowing him to handle multiple opponents on his own. Over
time, though he wasn't as powerful as Roland, he became one of the top fighters
in the Academy.
As a result, these bullies had grown wary of causing him trouble.
The boys around Rose Valen faltered at Arthur's words, their faces momentarily
frozen in place.
Arthur moved forward, using his shoulder to nudge the boy still holding Rose
Valen's hair aside, then walked out of the classroom.
Once outside, Arthur paused and remembered something.
Wait a minute... Rose Valen... she didn't need me to rescue her.
Rose Valen was the type to never back down, and her Valen family bloodline was
unlike that of ordinary people.
Suddenly, Arthur heard a voice coming from the classroom.
"Who's calling me Tomato? Let me make it clear—I hate tomatoes, too!" Rose
Valen shouted.Arthur turned to see Rose Valen take action. She grabbed the arm of the boy
who had grabbed her hair, swung him around, and sent him and the others
tumbling away.
Then, Rose Valen jumped on one of the boys, her little fists landing blow after
blow on his head. "If you ever underestimate me and call me Tomato again, you'll
regret it!"
Arthur's gaze shifted, and he saw Roland standing nearby, smiling. Rose Valen,
noticing Roland, scowled at him.
"What's so funny?" she demanded.
Roland quickly turned his head away, only daring to glance at her from the corner
of his eye.
The afternoon class soon began.
Arthur went to the convenience store to grab a snack and returned to his seat,
eating as he settled back into the classroom.
Rose Valen, still visibly angry, pouted as she sat in her seat.
Arthur glanced at the group of boys who had been making fun of Rose Valen.
The bumps on their heads from her earlier attack were a clear sign of the scuffle.
He wondered if she was angry because her punches had been light, but then he
focused on Masada Hayabusa's lecture, tuning out the rest.
During class, Rose Valen's tendency to glance at Arthur became more frequent.
By the end of the day, Arthur was feeling quite uncomfortable.
When the bell rang, signaling the end of the school day, Arthur couldn't wait to
leave the classroom. His mind was already focused on the Thunder Knight
Sword Art.
However, as he headed for the door, he didn't notice that Rose Valen had half-
raised her hand in the air, looking somewhat awkward.
She had wanted to talk to him. After all, both she and Arthur were isolated from
the rest of the class.
Despite her tough exterior, Rose Valen was still a child at heart, and she longed
for friendship—especially now, being in a new place all alone.
Arthur's act of helping her earlier had given Rose Valen the courage to approach
him. She wanted to be friends.
Watching Arthur leave, Rose Valen clenched her fists tightly, determination in her
eyes, and quickly chased after him.
But Arthur, eager to get home, was already walking fast. Rose Valen, struggling
to keep up, sprinted after him with all her might.
As they neared the outskirts of the Capital of the Kingdom of Dawn, Rose Valen,
gasping for air, shouted, "Hey! Wait up!"Arthur, startled by the familiar voice, turned around in surprise. He was taken aback when he saw Rose Valen standing there, catching her breath. Rose Valen bent over with her hands on her knees, trying to steady herself. Arthur walked over to her and asked, "Is there something you wanted to talk about?" Taking a deep breath, Rose Valen looked up at him and, with a small but firm voice, extended her hand. "My name is Rose Valen." Arthur stared at her for a moment, a bit puzzled. Rose Valen felt a little uneasy under his gaze. "I'm Arthur," he replied, stretching out his hand to shake hers lightly before letting go. Curious, Rose Valen asked, "Arthur? What's your surname? Or is that your first name?" Arthur's eyes flickered with a hint of sadness. "First name. I don't have a last name." Rose Valen blinked, confused. "No last name? Is that... even possible?" Arthur's expression softened. "Is there something else you wanted to talk about?" Rose Valen summoned the courage to speak. "I want to be friends with you!" Arthur's thoughts immediately confirmed what he had expected. "Rose Valen, you've seen how things are in class," he said gently. Rose Valen nodded. "Yes, I know. We're both isolated." Arthur smiled faintly. "Your situation is different from mine. I've been isolated by the entire Capital. If you become friends with me, you might be isolated too." He looked at her with empathy. "Today is just your first day at the Academy, and you've encountered some trouble. But in time, you'll find others who will be your friends. If you want, you could ask the teacher to change your seat. Even sitting next to me makes it hard to make friends. It's getting late, so you should go home now. Goodbye." After politely rejecting her, Arthur gave a small wave and began walking away. Rose Valen stood still, her head lowered in disappointment. She had finally gathered the courage to reach out, but now she felt a pang of discomfort. Despite the rejection, she couldn't give up—her determination only grew stronger