The worse you are, the stronger you become: My summoned beast is a photographer.

"Next, Rurik."

As soon as the director finished speaking, a tall figure stepped out from the crowd.

With crimson mane, a muscular upper body, and hooves thumping heavily on the stone pavement, Rurik—Aura's fiancé, the eldest son of the Baron.

He walked past Aura without pausing.

Their gazes did not fall on it.

She was like a roadside pillar.

Aura opened her mouth, wanting to call out to him. But his retreating figure was too resolute, and her voice stuck in her throat, unable to come out.

Ming Luochen noticed it.

Although he couldn't understand the language of this world, he could read expressions—the expressions of disappointed expectations, being stabbed in the back, and still trying to hold on and not collapse.

He was all too familiar.

Who is this person?

He muttered something to himself, but didn't say it aloud.

Aura did not answer. Her fingers tightened slightly, her nails digging into the back of Ming Luochen's hand.

It hurts, it hurts...

Ming Luochen grimaced, but seeing her forced composure, he held back.

Rurik stepped onto the summoning circle.

Magical runes lit up beneath his feet, not a soft blue, but a scorching, blinding crimson. The air began to distort, and waves of heat spread outwards.

"boom--"

Flames shot skyward.

A sharp bird cry tore through the sky, and a giant bird engulfed in flames spread its wings and took flight. Its crimson feathers resembled flowing lava, its wingspan was nearly a meter, and its tail feathers trailed three streaks of light like shooting stars.

Flame Vein Fire Crow.

The entire venue erupted in cheers.

"S-rank! It's an S-rank summon!"

"Rurik is rich now!"

When the class teacher saw that Rurik summoned the Flame Raven, there was no need to test it; he already knew the talent level of his summoned beast.

Rurik stretched out his arm, allowing the fire crow to land steadily. He smiled, a smile that had been suppressed for too long and could finally be released.

The test results came quickly—

**S-Rank Talent: Flame Crow**

**Strength 16, Intelligence 12, Stamina 31, Spirit 12**

**Talent Skill: Flame Clone - Creates three flame clones to attack, inflicting fire damage.**

The vice principal nodded in satisfaction: "We have some promising students this year."

"Hmm," the principal responded, but his gaze remained fixed on the short, fat human in the corner.

He was still thinking about that absurd beam of light from earlier.

After enjoying everyone's compliments, Rurik finally turned around.

His gaze swept across the crowd and landed on Aura.

At that moment, the entire room fell silent.

Everyone sensed the approaching storm. The noble scions who had just been congratulating Rurik quickly parted like a receding tide, revealing an empty space in the middle.

Aura stood there, like an isolated island.

"Ola".

Rurik spoke. His voice wasn't loud, but every word was like a nail.

"Your summoned beast is only F-rank. Although you are the daughter of a count, I think—we are not suitable for each other, so our marriage is off."

There was no preamble, no subtlety.

A single, decisive blow.

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd. Some whispered amongst themselves, others covered their mouths, and still others wore knowing expressions.

Aura's face turned pale instantly.

Although Ming Luochen couldn't understand it, he remembered the pronunciation of "F-level". Combined with the expressions of the people around him, he knew perfectly well what had happened.

【break off an engagement.】

Damn, it really is a case of annulled engagement.

He mentally scoffed, glancing at the girl beside him, his eyes gradually filled with fear. Considering the known circumstances—the annulment of the engagement, the summoning of the raven—he was, therefore, a summoned beast beside the protagonist!

Am I not the main character?

Which web novel have I transmigrated into?

Rurik continued speaking, his tone even carrying a hint of feigned gentleness:

"It's not that I look down on you. It's the pressure from my family. I will wait for you to become stronger, and for the day you prove yourself. Then I will still marry you."

The audience was silent.

Everyone was waiting for Aura's reaction.

Cry? Make a scene? Curse?

Aura did nothing.

She stood there, her back ramrod straight, like a tree bent by a storm but never breaking. Her face was pale, her lips trembled, but her eyes were dry.

Not a single tear.

"No need to wait."

Her voice was eerily calm.

"From this day forward, the engagement is hereby null and void."

Ming Luochen looked at Aura's profile. That exquisite profile, like an ancient Greek sculpture, was now taut like a block of cold iron. But he noticed that the hand she was holding was trembling.

I guess the girl's words just now probably meant something like, "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river; don't underestimate a young girl's poverty."

This woman is quite stubborn.

"That's more like it, Lord Rurik."

A charming voice rang out from the crowd.

A dog-eared girl in a gorgeous long dress walked out and naturally took Rurik's arm. The movement was so practiced, as if she had done it a thousand times.

Mia – the daughter of a marquis.

Her dress was the most fashionable style in the capital, embroidered with gold thread on the hem, and every button was a genuine ruby. She held Rurik's arm, her chin slightly raised, looking down at Aura.

"Someone from a mere earl's family can only summon F-rank beasts. How could they be worthy of someone like you with an S-rank beast?"

Aura's fingernails dug into her palm.

"Aura, how about you give me that adorable summoned beast?" Mia's gaze fell on Ming Luochen, the first humanoid summoned beast in history, and it looked so cute. A playful glint flashed in her eyes. "I'll have my family help you keep your earldom. How about it?"

"Dream on." Aura squeezed out the two words through gritted teeth.

Mia's smile remained unchanged, but her eyes turned colder.

"Then I challenge you to a duel. If I win, you will give me your summoned beast; if I lose, I will have my father unconditionally protect the Earl Raven Crest family."

She paused, then added insult to injury:

"Miss Aura, you're not afraid to accept the challenge, are you?"

Although Ming Luochen couldn't understand what she was saying, he could tell from the way the dog-eared woman was looking at him—it wasn't the way she looked at a person, but the way she looked at a stray dog ​​on the street.

He instinctively shrank behind Aura.

"Why don't I take on the challenge?"

A voice rang out.

It was neither too fast nor too slow, neither too high nor too low, yet it was like a knife, precisely cutting off everyone's discussion.

The crowd automatically separated.

A girl with white tiger ears walked in.

She was a head taller than Aura, nearly three meters tall. Her black and white tiger tail swayed gently behind her, and every step she took carried a calm and graceful elegance, like a king surveying his territory.

Behind him followed four tiger-clan guards, each over three meters tall, with bulging muscles and claw marks on their armor gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

The entire room fell silent instantly.

Then came an even louder chorus of exclamations:

"The coat of arms of the Duke of Einbo!"

"Miss Tigris! The Duke's daughter!"

Aura immediately curtsied, bowing deeply: "Greetings, Miss Tigris."

Tigris waved her hand, her gaze passing over Aura and landing on Ming Luochen behind her.

She stared at it for a long time.

After a long time, Ming Luochen felt his whole body goosebumps from being stared at.

"I also really like your summoned beast." Tigris chuckled softly, a smile devoid of malice, yet possessing an undeniable certainty. "How about we keep the bet, but I'll duel you instead?"

Aura's body stiffened slightly.

She lowered her head, her voice strained: "Miss Tigris, I dare not challenge you."

This is not modesty, it's the truth.

Between a duke and an earl lies a marquis. In the rigidly hierarchical empire, an earl's daughter has no right to "duel" with a duke's daughter. Not to mention, the stakes for the duel are her summoned beast—if she loses, according to the rules, she must hand over Ming Luochen.

But if she refuses, it would be disrespectful to the Duke's family.

Tigris wasn't angry, nor did she raise her voice. She simply took a step forward, her voice still gentle, as if coaxing a disobedient child:

"Ola, think about it again."

"With the protection of my Aienbo family, your family will have a chance to be promoted to marquis if an SS-level expert appears. Without the protection of the Duke Aienbo family, even if an SS-level expert appears, it will be difficult to be promoted to marquis."

"and--"

She glanced at Ming Luochen, a slight smile playing on her lips.

"I really like him. Name your price, what will it take for you to give him to me?"

gentle.

But every word was like a soft knife, slowly, slowly stabbing in.

Aura clenched her fists.

She knew Tigris wasn't bullying her. The duke's daughter had even been quite accommodating—she hadn't used her status to intimidate her, hadn't given any orders, and had simply "discussed" the matter.

But precisely because of this, she had no way to refuse.

Refusing is ungrateful.

Refusing would mean offending the Duke's family.

Refusing would be playing with the future of the entire family.

Everyone around was looking at Aura.

Some people sympathized with her, some gloated, and some waited to see how she would end up.

Rurik stood not far away, a slight smile playing on his lips.

He wanted to see how Aura would refuse the duke's daughter.

Aura remained silent for a long time.

After a while, even Ming Luochen felt something was wrong.

He looked up at her and saw that her lips were pressed into a line and her eyes were slightly red, but she did not shed a tear.

She is making a very important decision.

Ming Luochen didn't know what she was thinking, but he could feel that she was holding his hand tighter and tighter.

Then--

Aura moved slightly.

She didn't speak, didn't argue, and didn't beg for mercy.

She simply bent down.

Those long, slender arms reached under Ming Luochen's armpits and gently scooped him up from the ground, just like scooping up a child.

Before Ming Luochen could react, he was already airborne.

The next second, he landed on a broad, warm back that smelled faintly of grass.

Aura put him on her back.

Ming Luochen instinctively wrapped his arms around her waist, afraid she would fall.

Then, the whole place erupted.

"Oh my god—"

"She's insane?!"

"Glas tribe custom! Riding on someone's back is equivalent to proposing marriage! She's letting an F-rank summoned beast ride her?"

"This isn't a proposal...this is even more serious than a proposal! The Grasse people consider it a taboo to be ridden like a horse; only the closest and dearest relatives are allowed to ride on their backs!"

"She's telling everyone that this man is the husband she's chosen!"

Gasps of shock rose and fell.

Even Tigris was taken aback.

She looked at Ming Luochen on Aura's back, then at Aura's stubborn face, and fell silent.

Aura raised her head and finally looked directly into Tigris' eyes.

She did not say "I refuse".

She showed everyone the answer through her actions.

—He is mine.

—My people can only be on my back.

—No one can take it away from me.

Tigris stared at her for a long time.

Then, she sighed softly.

"I see."

She wasn't angry, or even dissatisfied. Her gaze towards Aura simply changed—it held more respect and a touch of regret.

"Since you can't bear to part with it, then let's just forget about it."

"Thank you for your understanding, Miss Tigris." Aura's voice was a little strained, but steady. "Even though he's only an F-rank, I won't abandon him."

Tigris took one last look at Ming Luochen.

The short, chubby human was clinging to Aura's back, looking completely bewildered as he held her waist, unaware of what had just happened.

She suddenly found it a little funny.

"Alright then, I wish you happiness."

She turned and left.

Four guards followed in unison, their footsteps sounding like those of a single person.

"Aura!"

A roar came from behind.

Rurik rushed over with a livid face, his eyes fixed on Ming Luochen on Aura's back.

"How could you let him ride you!"

His voice trembled, not from heartache, but from anger—the anger of "someone touched my things."

He had been engaged to Aura for three years, but he had barely even held her hand a few times. Every time he tried to get close, Aura would blush and pull away, saying, "Wait until after we're married."

But now, this F-rank trash, who has only been out for less than half a day, is already riding on her back?

On what grounds?

Aura looked at him coldly.

"I have already broken off the engagement with you, this has nothing to do with you."

Rurik's face turned a deep shade of liver: "You—"

"Get out of the way."

Aura didn't give him a chance to speak. She carried Ming Luochen past him without looking back.

Ming Luochen lay on Aura's back and glanced back at Rurik.

The centaur's face was so black it looked like it could drip water, and his eyes were filled with jealousy and hatred.

I think I...unintentionally did something terrible?

but……

He looked down at his hand wrapped around Aura's waist, then at Aura's perfect profile.

Forget it, who cares?

[That back is quite soft.]

As soon as Ming Luochen stepped out of the gates of Pudi Yale Academy, he was startled by the scene before him.

Crowds of people.

Today is the school's call-to-action day, and almost all the students' parents are waiting outside, eagerly anticipating the arrival of their children.

A startled cry suddenly rang out: "Aura!"

"Father!" Seeing the terrified looks in her father's and mother's eyes, Aura lowered her head in bewilderment.

They saw it—their daughter carrying a strange man out, and the man even had his arm around her waist without any qualms.

"Aura!" Valerius's roar shook the leaves. "How dare you let someone else ride you? Have you forgotten you're Rurik's fiancée?"

Aura lifted Ming Luochen onto her back even tighter, protecting her even more closely.

"Father, Rurik has broken off our engagement."

"Is it because of him?" Valerius suddenly pointed at Ming Luochen, his first thought being that his daughter must have been deceived by this person with an unusual appearance.

When Ming Luochen saw the burly, middle-aged centaur pointing at him, he shrank back in fear. The other man's aura was too terrifying; he had no idea what he had done to offend him.

Who is this middle-aged man? Why does he look so fierce?

"No, he's my summoned beast," Aura said anxiously, avoiding the gazes of the other people on the street.

"and--"

She paused, her voice lowering but firm.

"He is the man I've chosen."

Valerius was stunned.

He looked at the short, stout human on his daughter's back—the man was staring at him with a look of terror on his face, like a frightened hamster.

He wanted to get angry, but when he met his daughter's stubborn eyes, he couldn't muster any anger.

"Let's talk about it when we get home," Marina said softly, pulling on her husband's arm. "There are too many people on the street."

Valerius remained silent for a long time, then shouted angrily, "You'd better explain yourself!"

After saying that, he angrily turned and walked towards the carriage.

Marina glanced at her daughter, then at Ming Luochen, sighed, and followed her husband.

Aura pulled Ming Luochen off her back and led him by the hand toward the carriage.

On the carriage, Valerius stared intently at Ming Luochen the entire time, without uttering a word.

Ming Luochen huddled in the corner, too afraid to move.

What did I do wrong?

I'm the innocent one, okay?

Aura sat beside him, her hand always holding his, never letting go.

Marina watched all of this in silence, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

The carriage drove silently into the distance.

Ming Luochen peered through the car window, avoiding the terrifying gaze of the middle-aged centaur, watching the academy recede into the distance, only one thought in his mind:

This world... seems rather unfriendly.