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

For a few seconds, Serena's figure in Lucius's eyes seemed to grow and stand there, larger and more stable than any mountain he could imagine. For a few seconds, a warm feeling seemed to grow in Lucius's heart.

'Is this what it feels like to have a backer? It's… it's not so bad…'

But Lucius's pleasant thoughts only lasted for a while before he felt a pain in his conscience. 'She places so much trust in me, but what about me? All I do is lie and manipulate those around me…'

Thinking about his true identity, Lucius wanted to grimace. In this life, he was a terrorist and the leader of the group at that. No matter how they tried to whitewash it, they had done some truly abominable acts that didn't befit the title of hero.

For the first time since Lucius came to this world, he was feeling… guilt?

Despite this, Lucius didn't dare think too much about it right now and just put a bright smile on his face as he looked at his teacher. "As long as you're here, teacher, I won't have anything to fear!"

"Good," said Serena, nodding in satisfaction. She turned to leave, and Lucius stepped to follow her, but before he did, he finally turned around to the towering figure that was hunched over and trying to hide as much as possible.

"Big guy, no, Ryan, aren't you coming along too?"

"W-what," stuttered Ryan in shock, a sight in pure contrast to his bear-like body. "If I come along, I will be creating even more problems for you. The Montford family is not easy to mess with. I can't trouble you anymore."

Lucius looked at the young man in front of him, slightly surprised. Despite his shy and timid demeanor, when it came to helping others, he was surprisingly stalwart. He didn't want to take advantage of Lucius and inconvenience him, even if it meant enduring that harsh bullying and possibly even worse in the future.

All of a sudden, a feeling of admiration bloomed in Lucius's heart. 'So even weak-hearted people can be strong in their own way.'

Seeing this, Lucius just chuckled. "See, big guy, you can be strong-hearted after all."

Hearing this, the big man rubbed his head a little embarrassed, which only caused Lucius to burst out laughing even harder.

"Your idea is admirable, but there's no need. With my teacher around, you don't have to fear the Montford family. No matter who comes, she can send them packing!" said Lucius, patting his chest as he bragged shamelessly.

"If you don't believe me, you can just ask."

Although Serena was a little annoyed at Lucius's shameless bragging, she still wanted to help the helpless student in front of her. "Although the kid is bragging a bit, don't worry. I can still afford to protect another student. Sanctuary is a place where no family can interfere."

"Is this real?" asked Ryan, in equal parts disbelief and hope.

"Of course it is," replied Lucius. "A big man like you should stand straight. You shouldn't bow down and cower before anybody, even if they're from that damned Montford family."

Hearing Lucius's words, Ryan couldn't hold it back anymore and broke down in tears. "Thank you both.. Thank you really.."

Some time later, Lucius and Ryan were sitting on a bench near his training ground, drinking and eating the same snacks meant for those damned twins.

After speaking for a while, Lucius and Ryan had gotten to know each other a lot better. Lucius had even sparred with Ryan for a bit, and although it was just light sparring, Lucius had noticed one thing: Ryan's strength was the real deal.

Because of this, Lucius couldn't help but finally ask the question that had been on his mind the entire time. "Those guys aren't stronger than you, are they? How come you let them boss you around like that?"

Hearing this question, Ryan showed a look of obvious hesitation before opening his mouth. "Normally, I don't want to talk about this, but since you are my friend, I'll tell you."

After taking a deep breath, Ryan finally began to speak. "You know about my relationship with the Montford family, right?"

"Yeah, of course," said Lucius.

"If my guess is correct, you should be a descendant of the Montford family. Those two idiots were children of a branch family of the Montfords."

"Yes," said Ryan, nodding his head. "I'm a descendant of the Montford family, but not just any descendant. I am the son of the current head of the Montford family."

Hearing this, Lucius couldn't sit still.

What is this?

Who was the head of the Montford family?

He was one of the few Heroic Rank beings in the world

. Just the identity of the son of such a being was enough to have those two stupid brothers smashed to pieces. Even if they had titanium for balls, they shouldn't dare touch him unless…

Sensing Lucius's gaze, Ryan just nodded.

"That's right, I'm just an illegitimate child. My mother was a helpless maid who took advantage of the Head's rare circumstances and conceived a child. At least, that's what I was told."

Ryan told the story plainly, but Lucius could see from his tightly squeezed fists that the story still affected him deeply.

"My mother was just a helpless maid, a complete commoner. She knew nothing about how to navigate the political landscape of the family. Fortunately, they left her a small house to live in and provided daily meals, but that's it.

Because of this, my mother told me one thing: the real descendants of the shield hero are guardians, protectors. Under no circumstances should I use violence, especially against the descendants of the main family. Even until the day she died, with her very last breath, she said the same thing."

"If I fight against those guys, what would my mother think? Wouldn't her dying breaths have been in vain?"

"Even with those two twins?" asked Lucius.