A brief moment of hope

“What exactly am I doing?”

Watching the slender red figure vanish through the classroom door, Lyte punched himself hard in the chest.

Just as they had said, he had prepared nothing, understood nothing.

Driven purely by his vow to Lady Hai Zhu, and by baseless conjecture from a single encounter, he had recklessly launched into action.

Consequently, he had hurt the very person he sought to help.

He truly was an idiot.

He could not continue like this any longer!

He immediately sought out the chattering classmates who had been gossiping earlier, inquiring about Xie Shenhong’s situation, while also questioning teachers and the student council president.

Then, he skipped class and went to the place where, according to the information he gathered, Xie Shenhong was most likely to be.

“What are you doing here?”

A cute, delicate face was now ablaze with fury, ready to erupt like a volcano.

A voice that should have been gentle as a spring breeze was now sharp as a blade.

Clearly, Lyte had utterly earned Xie Shenhong’s disdain.

Every fiber of their being screamed rejection.

To brazenly intrude into their guarded space while they were incandescent with rage was, without a doubt, an utterly foolish act.

The correct approach would have been to leave first, wait for their anger to subside, and then engage in a proper conversation.

However, unfortunately for him.

Lyte was an idiot.

Especially when he perceived the profound pain and despair beneath their anger.

He would only become more foolish.

“Shenhong, let’s be good friends.”

****

Before Lyte spoke, Xie Shenhong had considered two possibilities.

The simplest, most direct approach, and the one he loathed most, was an apology.

If Lyte dared to apologize, Xie Shenhong would dare to slap him, regardless of whether he could win the fight; at the very least, he would vent his frustration.

The other possibility was for Lyte to tell him to return to class, pretending that nothing had happened earlier. In that scenario, Xie Shenhong would coldly dismiss Lyte.

There were also methods involving various excuses, but they essentially boiled down to these two.

Yet, never in a million years did he expect Lyte to utter such a line.

Although his initial goal had been to approach Lyte and become his friend, after acting on impulse, he hadn’t imagined he could ever circle back to this.

‘What is this guy plotting?’

Xie Shenhong’s gaze turned wary.

Lyte was not surprised by this.

He knew that his random, nonsensical words were bound to arouse Xie Shenhong’s suspicion, but this was the best method he could conceive.

No, it would be more accurate to say he had always relied on a single method of operation.

“I’ve asked others; you have a close relationship with the Duanmu family, and the student council president is even your sworn brother.”

So that was it.

Xie Shenhong understood.

Lyte had uncovered his background, finally grasped his significance, and was preparing to strike a deal with him—offering assistance to him in exchange for the Duanmu family’s support and favor.

Lyte’s leverage was his reputation and knightly status abroad, as well as his talent at the peak of the Gold rank at only seventeen years old. These conditions, even if Duanmu Yun herself were to come, would likely not be refused.

Xie Shenhong, naturally, was no exception.

He had never intended to genuinely foster a good relationship with Lyte. Now that Lyte was not about feelings but about benefits, it couldn’t be better.

Once he gathered enough evidence, he could eliminate Lyte without a shred of guilt!

“So, you want to establish a friendly relationship with the Duanmu family through me?”

Upon hearing this, Lyte paused briefly, then shook his head.

“No, I don’t have that intention.”

“Ha, who are you trying to fool?”

‘If not, why even mention the Duanmu family then?’

Xie Shenhong didn’t believe him.

Lyte simply gazed at him.

“Moreover, I believe you actually don’t want to rely on the Duanmu family at all.”

“Shut up!”

Xie Shenhong exclaimed, his voice sharp with urgency.

He knew he should remain calm.

But such a thing, such a deeply personal thought, no one, even if they saw through him, would ever state it openly. How dared this guy say it aloud?

Yes, he truly didn’t want to overly rely on the Duanmu family. He was just that contradictory, enjoying the Duanmu family’s benefits while simultaneously claiming he didn’t want them.

So what?

What business was it of yours?

“I’m sorry—”

‘Apologizing now; does he think he’ll be forgiven?’

“But I still have to say it.”

Lyte stared at Xie Shenhong, who was either too enraged to speak or too astonished to know what to say, with his clear, earnest emerald eyes.

“I deeply agree with your sentiment, because I also dislike relying on my family.”

Lyte’s expression turned stern.

“But I disagree with your approach. If you’re going to do something, why not see it through?”

“Shut up, what do you know—”

Xie Shenhong’s surge of anger was stifled.

Simply because Lyte produced a document.

It was Xie Shenhong’s academic transcript from the past few years.

Indeed, Xie Shenhong hadn’t attended classes, but he had taken the exams.

“Yes, I know nothing. Although I asked others before coming here, that was merely hearsay, and my understanding of you remains profoundly limited. But one thing I can say with absolute certainty is that you have never given up.”

The theoretical exams on the transcript… all of them were perfect scores.

“What good is that?”

Xie Shenhong said with a note of sorrow.

What good were excellent theories if they couldn’t change the reality of his zero combat score?

Could they make him stronger? Could they alter the fact that he was useless?

Could they change the future of the Empire’s invasion?

None of it!

This effort, this persistence, this refusal to give up, was utterly meaningless!

“Yes, this is still a long way from the goal you wish to achieve, and you cannot do it alone. Therefore… I want to help you.”

At first, Xie Shenhong was furious.

Anyone else could have said those words, but coming from Lyte, that scum, that disgrace, every word he uttered felt sickening and infuriating.

Yet, when he met the sincere and earnest gaze of the blonde, emerald-eyed boy.

For some inexplicable reason, all feelings of hatred and disgust receded, becoming impossibly distant in that instant.

The world seemed to shrink, leaving only the boy extending a helping hand, and his sincerity, so pure it was absolute.

‘Don’t be fooled; it’s all a lie!’

A voice echoed within Xie Shenhong’s mind.

But he still reached out his hand.

It didn’t matter.

Even if he was being deceived.

He, too, wished for change.

Even if the one offering help was his most detested enemy.

“Thank you. I will never betray your trust.”

Under the bright sunlight.

The blonde, emerald-eyed boy gently bent his tall frame, speaking with solemn gravity.

It was as if the one he was vowing to fight for was not another, but himself.

Watching Lyte, who had lowered himself to meet his gaze, Xie Shenhong couldn’t help but recall his moniker within the Knights’ Order—

Light of Dawn.

****

Once calm, Xie Shenhong began to regret his actions, thinking that he had actually considered trusting a devil.

But despite his regret, he did not retract his words. Instead, he decided to proceed with his original plan: to become friends with Lyte, observe his suspicious behavior, and gather evidence.

If, in the process, his own problems could be resolved along the way, that would be for the best.

If not, he wouldn’t lose anything.

After all, Lyte was the culprit responsible for the kingdom’s downfall, so he should be approached with a mindset of exploiting him whenever possible.

It would be best to wring out every last drop of his worth before ruthlessly discarding him!

With this shift in perspective, Xie Shenhong began contemplating how to curry favor with Lyte and lower his guard.

“Do I need to change back into men’s clothing?”

Considering that his cross-dressing for school this time was not only to uphold his initial “lie” but also intended to annoy Lyte, his first suggestion was to change his appearance.

This was not to say that Xie Shenhong no longer prioritized maintaining the Duanmu family’s reputation; rather, as a reborn individual, he knew there were things far more important than reputation.

However—

“Ah, why would you change it?” Lyte paused, looking puzzled.