Help! I don't want to NTR the protagonist!

Leaving the room, Diana dragged Lucius some distance away. Once they were alone, Lucius leaned casually against the wall and smirked.

"So, what did you call me all the way here for, oh noble miss? If it's a love confession, then I'm afraid I'll have to reject you. I'm not some frivolous man who can be so easily seduced."

As Lucius's expression shifted to one of mock caution and trepidation, as if he had just encountered a lustful predator, Diana's anger surged. She was so infuriated by his audacity that she almost coughed up blood!

When Diana looked at Lucius, she couldn't help but feel that this young man in front of her had become even more bold and audacious.

If Lucius could read Diana's thoughts, he would've burst out laughing because she was absolutely correct. After facing off against the Shield Hero family and having Serena stand up for him, Lucius now had the confidence that came with knowing his teacher, Serena, had his back.

Although Serena alone wasn't nearly as powerful as the heroic families, she still held a certain level of deterrence. After all, behind her was the queen of the country.

The world may be run by the heroic families, but the royal family still held the title of king. This meant that as long as Lucius wasn't a complete fool and didn't pick a fight with the royal family, he could basically walk around the capital city unimpeded.

Of course, this protection only applied within the royal capital. If he behaved like that outside the capital or, worse, within the borders of a heroic family's territory… well, Lucius didn't need to think about that. He was bold, not stupid; he wouldn't dare mess around in their territory.

Noticing Diana's red face, which seemed like it was about to burst from frustration, Lucius finally stopped teasing her. "Okay, Diana, what do you want?"

Diana took a deep breath and began,

"Lucius, although the way you act can be rash and violent, I don't believe you're a completely bad person."

Lucius sneered internally at being handed the "good person" card but allowed her to continue.

"I'm not here to criticize you; I'm here to help you."

Hearing this, Lucius couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. Diana sighed deeply before continuing,

"Lucius, you beat the two sons of the Shield Hero family. Do you have any idea about the consequences of such actions?"

Lucius shook his head. "I don't know. Their strength wasn't all that great, so I don't get why everyone is making such a big deal out of it."

"That's exactly the problem!" Diana exclaimed.

"You beat the sons of the Shield Hero family without even struggling. Do you know who they are? They're descendants of a legendary hero family! Lucius, you're just a commoner. Even if you have talent, you've spent far less time training than they have. To them, that's a disgrace to their name, a stain on their bloodline."

Diana paused, letting her words sink in before continuing.

"Lucius, you're not a descendant of a heroic family, so you might not understand, but bloodline is everything to us. They will protect their bloodline no matter the cost. The Montford family, descendants of the Shield Hero, will reclaim their honor—even if it means they have to do so with bloodshed."

Lucius started to realize the gravity of the situation and frowned. "Surely they won't play any tricks in the capital."

"Of course not," Diana replied. "They lost their honor in an upfront fight, so they'll regain it in an upfront fight. But that doesn't mean they'll play fair. They will definitely send out their strongest fighter—the one with heroic-grade talent in the younger generation of the Shield Hero family. And trust me, she's no joke."

Diana shivered just thinking about her. "She's a complete monster—a titan in human form. Lucius, you really stand no chance against her. If you two fight, she'll be heavy-handed to send a message to everyone who's been looking down on the Montford family name."

"The third years are away from Sanctuary at the moment. In the third year, they have their real heroic duties, traveling around the world to deal with monster outbreaks and dungeons that occur all over the continent."

Lucius pondered for a while. If he were to fight a third-year student, especially one with heroic-grade talent, the outcome was obvious—he would be completely and utterly crushed. But, as Diana mentioned, the third years were still away on duty, and there was still a decent amount of time before they returned.

As the Montford family child with heroic-grade talent… hehehe. Lucius didn't mind showing her what a cheater who knew the system's ploys could really do.

Realizing there wasn't too much to worry about, Lucius finally relaxed and smiled at Diana. "Of all people, I never expected you to be so worried about me."

Diana just snorted. "I'm only helping you out because you dealt with those annoying twins. I've long wanted to teach them a lesson, but the rules kept me from acting. Since you vented my frustrations for me, I just want to help you out."

"Thanks, I guess," said Lucius, chuckling. "We should head back. I've got someone waiting for me, and if she doesn't see me soon, she might think you killed me or something."

Hearing this, Diana frowned. Thinking about the cute and shy pink-haired alchemist in her class, she looked at Lucius's back and warned, "I've heard rumors that you've been messing around with many girls. Lucius, let me warn you—"

Lucius looked back and raised an eyebrow. "Tch! So jealous. We're not even in a relationship yet. Tell me the truth, you're really trying to seduce me, aren't you?"

Diana's face turned red, looking like she was about to explode. But just as she was about to burst, Lucius had already disappeared, heading back to the classroom and leaving her with nothing to do but stomp her feet in frustration.

"That scoundrel better not break any more academy rules, or else I really will show him hell!"