Raised in Dungeon

A student who wore the school uniform even on holidays. His chest bore the emblem of a harpy clutching a shield, a symbol representing his esteemed position within the Oxwade Academy Student Disciplinary Commission.

"Where have you been? Isn't it your duty to patrol the market district today?" the soldier shouted at him.

His deep violet hair tousled from an apparent lack of care, turned to face the soldier. His eyes, as dark as the midnight sky, appeared strangely small and lifeless, akin to the vacant gaze of a dead fish. This student bore the unmistakable signs of sleep deprivation, visible in the heavy, dark circles beneath his eyes.

Don't yell, soldier, sir," he drawled lazily, his words dripping with a languid. "I had just woken up, so my head aches a little," he explained.

About the incident with the bullies before, the soldiers weren't idly watching, but they couldn't intervene in every situation that unfolded before them. Their intervention was reserved for scenarios when the commotion escalated beyond a certain threshold or when it involved interspecies conflicts. the primary responsibility for addressing student-related issues rested squarely on the shoulders of the students themselves. At Oxwade Academy, a unique body known as the Student Disciplinary Commission (SDC) maintained order and resolved internal conflicts. This commission operated autonomously, separate from the Student's Executive Board.

The inner workings of the SDC were such that each member had a designated territory to safeguard. In the case of this purple-haired student, his purview extended to the bustling market district. This division of territories ensured comprehensive coverage and efficient conflict resolution, allowing the SDC to fulfill its crucial role in preserving order within Oxwadeshire.

"Alright, what's the matter here?" inquired the purple-haired student, his tone calm and not really curious.

With an accusatory finger pointed at Allen, the noble student raised their voice, exclaiming, "THEY'RE WRONG! While we were conversing with that commoner, this demi-human launched an attack on us! And when we attempted to defend ourselves, these two humans initiated an unwarranted attack against us!"

"HUH?! Why are you twisting the story? It all began because you were bullied this student, and the demi-human intervened to stop you!" countered Felicia indignantly.

"SHUT UP! I'm sure everyone here saw that it was you who initiated the altercation!" declared the noble student, scanning the onlookers. To his chagrin, the crowd's sardonic expressions made it clear that no one sided with him, despite the possibility that his claim held some truth.

The purple-haired student retrieved his emblem and pressed it. A transparent, miniature harpy emerged from this emblem, almost like a manifestation of mana itself.

"According to academy rule number... I can't recall the exact number," he admitted, raising an eyebrow as he directed his emblem toward the noble student. "You will be penalized with a deduction of 10 academy points for violating the rules," he declared, tapping the emblem against the noble student.

As this unfolded, Allen couldn't help but wonder, 'What are these points?' He observed the mana, released from the emblem, swiftly soar towards the academy. Once it had gone, the purple-haired student reattached the emblem to his chest.

"F*ck! We've done nothing wrong! Why are you docking our points?!" the noble student fumed, clearly frustrated by the situation.

"No, no matter how you spin it, public opinion is against you, especially given that I'm privy to all the details," the purple-haired retorted, unwavering in his stance.

In a fit of anger and entitlement, the noble student lashed out, "You, you lowly peasant! How did someone like you end up in the disciplinary commission?! Didn't I've paid to make you turn a blind eye to us?!"

"Paid? So the rumors about the SDC being influenced by money are true?" remarked the demi-human, his skepticism evident.

The purple-haired reacted swiftly in response, delivering a resounding kick to the noble student's mouth, leaving him bloodied. "That's enough, noble lord. It won't bode well if individuals like you continue spreading false accusations. Didn't I just mention that I was unwell, which is why I was asleep?"

With an intense, menacing glare, he added, "If you spout nonsense again, I'll take action, and you won't like it."

Silenced by both the tears and the ominous aura exuded by the purple-haired, the noble student could only muster a quiet response.

"Leave, now. Your injuries are probably minor. After all, nobles always have their maids to tend to their needs, right?"

Carrying their injured comrade, the three noble students departed, leaving behind.

"Hoaam... I'm really working too much now," said the purple haired.

The purple-haired student approached Allen and remarked, "Truth be told, I'd like to impose some form of penalty on your group as well, but given that you two haven't begun your study in this academy, my hands are somewhat tied."

Intrigued, Allen inquired, "What about those three? Are you just going to let them walk away?"

"Indeed," the SDC member affirmed, "they've already received their punishment through point deductions, which I believe is more than sufficient."

Allen, still puzzled, probed further, "What exactly are these points, and what do they signify?"

, "I see, you must be one of those who gained entry to Praeterea through a connection, right? It's truly astonishing how the nobility today can manipulate practically everything with their wealth. If you're eager to learn, you'll have to pay me, or you can simply wait for the official announcement during the first day of school celebration."

"About your movement earlier," began the purple-haired man, "how did you manage to throw those three bowls at them? I didn't see anything in your hand beforehand."

Allen replied calmly, "You might have missed it, but I was holding them, and I hurled them at the trio to halt their advance."

The purple-haired man looked at Allen for a long time. Eventually, he shrugged his shoulders and said, "Alright, I'll take your word for it. By the way, I'm Hussain, and I serve as the chairman of the disciplinary commission. You've piqued my interest to some extent. What's your name?"

"Allen."

"Hmm, Allen, is it? I'll do my best to remember that," Hussain responded with a nod, signaling the beginning of an unexpected acquaintance.

he then walked away from there, leaving them behind.

"U-umm... Lady... thank you for caring about me, I'm fine," said the bullied student.

"It's okay, what's your name?" asked Felicia with a smile.

"My name is Jenkins, I'm a first year scholarship student in the Praeterea class."

"You can also thank the demi-humans over there."

"?!"

"I-I'm fine! You don't have to thank me! I didn't do much anyway."

"Of course, you didn't do much, Allen did. But... of all the people standing here, you were the first to try to save him," Felicia uttered.

The demi human looked at Felicia with tears in his eyes, she had never heard anything so kind to him before, let alone from a human.

"S-since I didn't do anything, Jenkins, I can help you carry your things! It looks like your hand is still hurting from that guy's kick earlier-" The Demi-human tried to pick up Jenkins' belongings that he was hugging tightly, but...

"DON'T TOUCH ME YOU SH*TTY DOG!" shouted Jenkins, making shocked faces at Felicia and Allen, and somehow, the demi-human's face only looked slightly surprised.

Jenkins then realized that his words had shocked Felicia, "S-sorry about me, Lady," he said as he ran off with his things.

"Wh-what the hell is that? why is he acting like that to the figure who saved him?! Besides, he only apologized to me?!" said Felicia in annoyance.

"I thought you already knew, and that's why you saved him," Allen said.

"Yes, I know very well how bad relations between races often occur in the academy, but I didn't expect that someone like him would say such a bad thing to the demi-human who saved him."

As for Allen, he more or less already knew that people like Jenkins were people who shouldn't be saved. Not because of his racist nature but because of how his eyes had given up on everything when he was bullied by the three people. Even if Felicia saved him today, the next day he would also be bullied by the others.

"It's okay Lady, I didn't think much of it," said the demi-human.

Felicia stood up, dusted off her dusty skirt, and extended a hand,

"You seem like a pretty nice and smart dog. My name is Felicia Ayde Boldenville. What's your name?"

The demi-human wiped his hand on his shirt then laid his paw on Felicia's hand.

"My name is Sharik, Sharik Preobrazhensky. I'm also a first year student of the praeterea class."

Felicia looked at Sharik's hand with some surprise. Sharik was also surprised just a few seconds later.

"Ah, I'm sorry, I meant human greetings!"

Felicia chuckled "Hahaha" as she took his hand and greeted him.

"Nice to meet you, Sharik."

After that Sharik also got acquainted with Allen and showed his admiration for Allen's technique.