Stories of Two Fools (A TwoKinds Story)

[JBukharin]

Introduction Page:

TwoKinds is a WebComic created by Tom Fischbach. It started in October 22, 2003, and is still an ongoing project with quite the big world with proper casts and... some strange circumstances wrapping things up in quite the fun tale.

The setting:
The world of Mekkan is mostly made by a massive continent (with a big island set in the south), and there are three races walking in this landmass:
Humans: Until a couple of years before the beginning of the Canon, there was a single Human Kingdom. Sadly, after certain happenings caused by the Grand Templar and his Order, the nation is mostly ruled by the organization.
Keidran: These bypedal, sapient animals are canine-, feline-based. Incredibly territorial and gifted with powerful instincts, this race is flawed by a short lifespan (reaching beyond 30 years old is a miracle) and a certain ease to be subdued individually by other races. Keidran Slavery is a thing (much to this author's immense sadness).
Basitin: What is short, jingoistic and incapable of using Magic? Basitins are the least-present race in the main continent as the large majority had long settled in the Basitin Isles. Their society is split in two, with the Eastern Basitins (The military-based ones) being the best known to the world, while the Western Basitins are pacifists that had long settled for isolationism. East Basitin Tribe is ruled by a King, but the role is more of a Rank than a royal title as even women will become King by usurping the throne.
Major Rule among Races: No children are borns from mix-race couples. It's confirmed that it is about Gods meddling about natural order.
Gods: There are three known Gods and... they are impartial. Each has chosen one of the three races as their favorite, the only known one being Ephemural/Neutral, the God having picked the Keidran has her prime race.
Cast:
-Present:
Samuel Rockford - 30 - Human - (Templar Order/Master Mage)
Saria au Gruhen - 18 - Human - (Templar College's Graduate/Duchess of Edinmire)
Roselyn (Flow) - 16* - White Wolf Keidran - (Ward of the Master Mage/ Guest of the Duchess of Edinmire)
Euchre Flow - 30?** - White Wolf Keidran/Human? - (Templar Order/Master Strategician)
Mary Silverlock - 31 - Human - (Templar Order/Grand Templar)

-Past:
Samuel Rockford - 16 - Human - (1st Year Student at Templar College)
Euchre Flow - 16?** - Human? - (1st Year Student at Templar College)
Mary Silverlock - 17 - Human - (1st Year Student at Templar College)

* = As mentioned in their Race's bio, Keidrans have short live span. Adulthood is reached at Age 8-9.
** = Euchre's age is a mystery. Despite his comments about being about 21, there are some discrepancies about such a claim.

This page will be edited the more the story will progress. For now I will give out the few elements available by the chapters and then I will add other details.

 

[JBukharin]

Prologue: It's all about the Tale-Telling


To her, this all happened with little notice.


Although she was glad to be freed from the shackles of captivity by Lady Saria, by no means did she consider it a good enough reason to instantly like the young woman, and the current situation she had found herself in.


Trust was a fickle thing for Rose, especially after Euchre's horrible silence and that woman's efforts to keep her locked away from the world, to reveal what was going on within the Templar Order.


It didn't matter how genuine the brunette's smile was, nor how incredibly at ease she appeared to the Keidran while offering her food and shelter.


In the mind of this young White Tiger, she considered this being to be some sort of trick to get her to either be thrown back into an unpleasant prison, or maybe a direct execution.


It was a dreadful thought to have, but experience was the best and worst teacher sometimes.


Even the mere remembrance of these moments was more than enough to get her to let out some shivers and… these were quick to be noticed by Saria.


"Is something wrong, Rose?" The young woman inquired with an undeniably genuine note of worry in her voice.


And for good reasons, she would be concerned about these shivers if she knew the full extent of the Keidran's ordeal.


The large resting room was warm enough to allow the red-haired Wolf to recover just a little from the unforgiving cold she had been enduring during her imprisonment.


The nearby fireplace was continuously producing heat for the entire room and there were just the two women in that place in that precise moment.


She gave a quick shook of her head. Denying even to herself the need to talk about her troubled mind.


"I-It's alright," Roselyn answered curtly. "It's warm enough."


The brunette merely smiled and nodded at the response, turning her attention back to the book now sitting by her lap.


Silence was finally restored and it was more than enough to provide the time to further delve back at the luck she had been given in this moment of reprieve from the cell that had been her 'home' for some time until a while ago.


It's been just two days now since she had been 'rescued' by the kind lady and yesterday was spent on some brief recovery.


The main focus was directed to get some proper cleaning from the grime and the dirt staining her fur, while also focusing on some sleep.


Now the Keidran felt much better and stronger than mere days ago, her fur having regained some of the luster it had lost while left in that cold stone room.


Yet there was no mean for her to leave, nor she felt the need to do so.


Saria, despite Rose's mistrust for humans, was still there to keep a close watch on her and there was no way for the redhead to just bail out of the mansion without being seen committing the deed.


Truly a nerve-wracking situation, but there was no way for the Keidran to get out of this predicament as of now.


And while Saria continued to offer her with some kind words and compliments, which focused mostly on her pristine-white fur much to her immense flattering, the situation took a new development in when one of the Keidran servants working for the human lady entered the warm room with an eased look in his face.


"Lady Saria, Lord Rockford has arrived," The Fox announced happily. "We have already let him in and-"


It was odd how from a very patient and kind woman, Saria slowly became… a giddy child at the novelty.


"He truly is here?" She asked while carefully standing up from her seat, a bright smile perched. "I didn't expect him to come here so quickly. I thought that-"


"I would have lost some time mingling around the nobles celebrating for some silly celebration?"


The new voice spurned Rose to look quietly at the tall man standing behind the Fox Keidran, the servant calmly making way for the bearded individual to quietly enter the room and…


Saria sprung in action, the brunette giggling as she marched up to the robed figure.


"Professor Rockford," The young woman greeted before pressing her palms on his chest. "Did you miss me, teacher?"


The dark-haired man groaned at the development, but he sported a smile nonetheless at the childish attitude displayed by the lady.


"I might have sometime along the way," He started with a mirthful voice. "But now I might not be missing you, Ms. Au Gruhen."


The brunette huffed, her hands retreating as her arms crossed close to her chest. "Professor-"


"You truly can't take much of a joke, can't you?" The sudden question was matched with a brief chuckle, drawing another huff from the young woman. "But yes, I did miss you, Saria."


The girl's front collapsed as she gave him a quick hug, her bright smile returning to her face almost instantly and…


Then the dark-haired stranger looked at Rose with a curious but somewhat familiar glance.


"And I see that Ms. Rose has been well taken care of."


What?


Her mind burned a little at these words, trying to make sense about what she had just heard. Why would a Templar be concerned by someone like her? At least, enough to show this degree of genuine caring?


"She was saved as quickly as possible, Professor," Saria confirmed with a more serious tone. "You were correct about the horrible situation happening. To think that the Grand Master would have-"


"Silverlock can be quite passionate with her dislike for Keidrans," 'Rockford' interjected calmly, causing the red-haired White Wolf to shuffle nervously in her seat at the mentioning of the woman responsible for her previous situation. "There have been instances of leniency from her part in the past, but this case in particular got her to make some poor decisions."


"But Rose is innocent," The brunette pointed out much to the Keidran's surprise. "Why would the Grand Templar want to hurt her so much?"


The indignation, the annoyance that the young human was feeling over her plight just helped up warming up her chest. It was odd but… Rose liked to be defended now.


"I would call it… fear. Or rather 'worry' as Rose knows something that could jeopardize a mutual friend's current standing."


And now the White Wolf was surprised by the allusion made by the Templar.


"Y-You know about-"


"Euchre's little secret?" The man inquired with a hint of amusement before shaking his head. "I had since we started sharing room back at the College."


Saria's eyes widened at the comment. "Professor, you mean that you were roommates with Master Flow?"


Rockford nodded. "Yes, we were and- I think I should introduce myself to Ms. Rose," The man muttered with a hint of embarrassment. "I forgot to be respectful, thousands of apologies, especially with what happened with you-"


"Y-You know about Euchre?" The red-haired Keidran inquired with some curiosity.


"He still is a close friend of mine," The Templar admitted curtly. "And my name is Samuel Rockford, Ms. Rose. I'm a Professor at the Templar College here at Edinmire and Master Mage of the Templar Order."


Her green eyes widened in surprise as she recognized the title. Euchre had spoken highly of the Master Mage in the last few letters before she came to visit him and-


She sighed. "It's… a pleasure, Lord Rockford."


"Please, call me 'Samuel' or 'Rockford'. I'm no Lord," Samuel allowed with a polite smile. "Also, I'm surprised that you didn't recognize me. After all, this isn't the first time we met, Roselyn."


It wasn't? The name wasn't bringing her any memory about some Templar she might have encountered earlier in her life.


Then she tried something that could validate this claim, her nose quietly sniffing around and picking instantly Saria's scent and…


…


A very familiar one. She sniffed again, gaining an amused smile from the dark-haired man as she failed to keep this one quiet.


A blush adorned her fur, her body tensing up but she still couldn't recognize the oddly-familiar and friendly scent coming from the Master Mage.


"You… when?"


"I suppose it's been a long time now," Rockford admitted calmly. "But it was just once and in the heat of a rather dreadful situation. I suppose it shall all make sense while I stay there for some time."


The brunette blinked as she quietly returned to her seat, the teacher sitting down on the couch in front of the little sofa. "You plan to stay here for a while, Professor?"


"Just a couple of hours, enough to let my usual paperwork stack up and give me something to do for today," The man replied with a nod. "And I recall having asked you several times now to not address me as 'Professor'. You are no longer a student of mine-"


"But you still teach things despite me not being a student," Saria rebuked with a grin. "I suppose it's still your fault, Professor."


The Templar groaned again, but this time he turned his attention back to the Keidran.


"Still, I wish to make sure that you're aware that Euchre will face some consequences for doing that deplorable act," Rockford added with a sigh, noticing Rose's sudden tension at the mentioning of her cousin. "I will personally see that he is reminded that family matters more than just a flimsy secret."


"W-Wouldn't it be bad if-"


"The world discovered that Euchre is a Keidran?" He finally revealed with a hum, ignoring the shocked expression present on the brunette's face. "I think it would matter less than many would think considering how useful he is to the Templar Order."


"Wait, Professor Flow is-"


"A Keidran," Samuel interjected blankly. "A silver-haired, green-eyed, and white-furred Keidran with a fluffy tail. And Rose is his younger cousin."


…


"T-That is-"


Oh no, this is not happening. Rose could already feel panic swelling in her chest at the words starting to leave Saria's lips.


The shock, the disgust just pending to be unleashed and some horrible circumstance to unfold already there as-


Rose was pulled in a warm hug, her eyes widening again as a giggle filled her ears.


"That's so cool! So you are Professor Flow's cousin, he is nice and-" The brunette paused with a minor gasp. "But that means he didn't defend you when the Grand Templar ordered you imprisoned!"


The Keidran deflated a little at that reminder, but the young woman squeezed her comfortably at that.


"Saria will protect and care for you, Rose," Rockford promised with a nod. "I can vouch for her that she is genuinely interested in making sure that you will have a safe and proper stay here at her mansion. You will not be considered a slave, but a guest of hers and a ward of mine."


...She blinked. "A ward?"


"If someone tries to hurt you, or even come close to use offensive terms to address you, he would offend Professor Rockford too," Saria explained with a happy smile. "And let's just say that Professor Rockford is quite stern with his retaliations."


That sounded incredibly awful but… Rose felt happy herself that someone was putting so much effort in guaranteeing her safety.


It was nice. Especially after what she had to go through until a couple of days ago.


She nodded. "I suppose that's alright..." The Keidran paused and then she blinked. "But why?"


"Uh?" Rockford looked confused at the sudden and limited query.


"Why would you… help me?" Rose reiterated with some stuttering. "I understand that this is nice, I'm not saying it isn't, but… why?"


The dark-haired man hummed quietly at that question, his eyes closed for a moment as he leaned back on the couch, seemingly pondering over the answer he had to deliver to her.


Then, after a couple of seconds had gone by in silence, the Templar finally replied.


"I guess it's because I still thing it would be a correct thing to do, not only for Euchre's sake but also yours," He explained calmly. "Yet, I think that it might sound quite odd without some proper reasoning-"


"Why not a story, Professor?" Saria suggested with an interested look. "You would usually bring up some of your past adventures when making explanations over some spells' working, so why not a story about how you and Professor Flow met up?"


Fascination glinted in Rose's eyes at that comment, her interest spurned by this proposal as she had always wanted to know what actually had happened during the years that Euchre spent at the Templar College.


Sure, her cousin did send her some detailed letters, but most of them had a certain 'Euchre-like' detail that just rendered the narration off sometime.


"I mean, that would be a lengthy story, especially since it's not just a single instance and-"


"If- If it's not asking too much, I would like to know a little more about… Euchre."


The red-haired Keidran almost melted in embarrassment as both humans looked at her with a surprised look at that sudden agreement, with the brunette finding it as a stronger reason to press for this story to be told.


In the end, Rockford conceded defeat before the dual request and soon her attention was fully diverted at the words leaving his mouth.


Roselyn expected some simply-boring tales of two upstanding Templars. Her expectations were dashed with the strong wave of madness coming out of the Master Mage's words.


--------------d-d-d-d---------------d-d-d-d-------------d-d-d-d------------d-d-d-d------------d-d-d--


AN


A prologue! What a legendary situation! (not truly xD).

 

[JBukharin]

Chapter 1: Their first meeting


It's been three weeks now since I had ultimately decided to pursue a high-standing career here at Edinmire and I would be lying in saying that I had been enjoying how my situation had turned out to be.


I had expected some harsh welcome by how the Templar College was structured, nepotism running supreme and deceitfully misplacing merits from those that tried to reach the top from the bottom, but I had been quite shocked to find out that some of the displeasing souls lingering these domains were far more infuriating that I had initially thought.


Despite having grown by the outskirts of this major settlement and having been homeschooled by my own parents, I had been more than attentive to take some notes while listening to the tales coming from those that had gone to study there.


There were people with upbringings similar to mine, low-born young men and women that had 'surprisingly' manifested some affinity with Magic and thus had been accepted to try and expand their powers until the fulfillment of their potentials by taking part at the local academy set up by the central district of the city.


They had tales containing impressive display of abilities, amazing accounts of teachers eagerly showing some of the unknown elements during their lessons and this early memories had made the whole experience of learning magic to be the best possible choice to take in human society.


It wasn't a lie, especially with how influential Templars were within the reaches of the Kingdom and how powerful they were magically, but it was also not a complete fact for sure.


There were still some bureaucratic and administrative opportunities that offered higher wages and chances of obtaining some grand income from these works, yet these weren't as accessible as Templar College was with its unique requirements.


Templar Masters, which were considered experts and leaders of the Templar society, had some low-born people in their ranks that were treated without any major difference to the other members of the order and were taken as major examples that it was possible to reach such an important role in the Kingdom even with this social disadvantage.


But sadly enough for many that entered this kind of life with high ambitions and dreams, possibility and hopes weren't things that truly mattered or even persisted against the stressful life here at the school.


Mostly because of the blatant cases of bullying and malicious pranking.


The first days were quite the horrible ordeal to face as I found myself subjected with some unpleasant jokes coming from some of the students that came from noble families.


Nothing worth of major fury or even some detailed contemplation as the only element that got me surprised was my lack of awareness to 'how far' those people could have gone while breaking some of the rules.


Once I got a gist of what was truly going on with these 'pranks' and how they were managing to deflect any inquiries from some of the teachers, I merely started to threat most of those with indifference while also making sure to be present by at least two or three teachers when those situations happened.


It was a slow-paced effort that certainly got a drain out of my own energies and, even now that it has been almost a month since I joined the Templar College, was still continuing to be an essential priority to deal with for my stay here at the school to continue smoothly and uneventfully.


Patience was king and I was its loyal subject.


The attempts had reduced ever since I had started to genuinely ignore those, but the mean-spirited comments were still there to take jabs at my own 'unwanted' presence much to my immense and hidden chagrin.


Still, this group wasn't an absolute category within the College, but a minority within the school.


I realized this very peculiar detail after quite the curious situation that saw me partnering up with some noble-born lady.


It was about two weeks after I had become a student that I found myself dealing with the completion of some essays about conjuration theories and I was surprised when the teacher decided to have me paired with someone I had merely heard about since my enrolling.


Mary Silverlock was a brown-haired young woman with light-brown eyes that had been staying at the College for two weeks longer than I had.


She had made quite some reputation by becoming one of the smartest students in our generation, showing her potential frequently but without sounding too much of an arrogant individual to have in class.


That and the young woman was also helping around students that were displaying any sign of difficulty around with homework, getting some extra points in front of the teachers


Quite the commendable details that was also paired with some of the most unique attitudes I had to ever deal with in a normal circumstance.


Mary had quite the straight-forward personality compared to anyone else I had the chance to 'meeting' until now, with her mind set to swiftly offer the quickest of plans without spending too much time about decision-making.


The young woman wasn't too blunt with her logical thinking, nor was she too abrasive with her careful word, but she was still fiery in defending her own beliefs over some particular topics.


Giving me no trouble about my social status, I was more than happy to give her no particular reason to alienate me in these conversations by bringing up anything that could even remotely be connected to Keidrans.


It was odd to find someone this much despising of the furred race, mostly because the peaceful mindset Edinmire was known to have towards the Tiger tribe that had settled in the east.


Still, the girl was keen enough to not make it a main priority to bring up this very notion during our study together, deciding that it was not only unimportant to the study sessions themselves but also not much of a good reason to go around sprouting about this so frequently.


In the end, I found myself happy to know that there was actually someone that didn't mind the 'difference' created by social statuses and I was glad that it was someone close to my age.


Overall, my first three weeks were neither too dreadful, nor they were the nice experience that I had partially expected it to be.


…


Sadly, this very perception of things ended up changing when…


That happened.


It was one of the busiest day at the Academy and it was early in the morning. I had just woke up from my usual sleep and my attention was fully diverted in going through with my usual routine to be prepared for the long day that awaited me.


Lessons were generally two hours long and were well-spread in the students' timetables to begin by the end of breakfast and to end by dinner's time, offering only two to three pauses along the day to relieve some of the pressure off from the entire school.


It was quite the harsh schedule, but one that was quite easy to manage once I started to get accustomed with the rhythm itself.


Concluding my swift bathroom routine, I paced silently around my room while starting to put on the standard uniform for students, using the big mirror that was present in there to meticulously fix all the clothes in the proper fashion.


The school had some campuses set for those that didn't have any means to rest nearby the College and it wasn't as great as it sounded.


Considering that the small rooms were supposed to house two same-sexed students at once, I could only dread those that had to share a single bathroom with someone else.


My saving grace was that I had been lucky enough to be the last student of an uneven list that got assigned to this room alone, thus leaving me to peruse the place without major limitations and without having to share it with someone else.


Once I was done with my clothes, and my sleepwear was folded by the bed, I proceeded to pick the large bag I used to carry around the various textbooks for the subjects of the day and made my way out of my room, stopping only by the entrance.


It was still fairly early in the morning. It was far earlier than what a 'sane individual' would wake up by, but the reason behind such a dreadful starting point was any possible ambushes that any of the bullies could set up if I tried to wake up a little later than now.


Humming quietly, I moved quickly through the silent and empty corridors that led to the outside courtyard, preparing my still-tired mind to what was going to be another draining day for me.


I'm ready for another day of notes-taking and-


*Thud*


I paused for a brief moment while distracted process of opening the main door, my hand freezing by the brass handle while pushing it forward to allow me passage outside as I was stopped by something oddly unexpected.


My ears twitched attentively as I distinctly heard the particularly new noise of something making contact with the door and causing some loud sound with the impact while trying to fully opening it.


I stepped outside and gave a thorough look around for anything that could have caused such an anomaly and then my eyes landed right onto the large box standing by the side of the door, its ceiling open to reveal…


That someone sleeping inside of it?


I frowned at this circumstance that I was bestowed with. My attention fully taken by this strange scene as I continued to look inside for more details for this unknown individual.


It was a young man with shoulder-length white hair and pale skin. His eyes were still closed, but he was already starting to shuffle out of his calm slumber as to calmly wake up.


He was donning the College's robes, partly shivering as he gave a quick yawn. He started to stretch his arms upwards before giving a quietly blank glance right onto my face.


I blinked at the two vibrant green eyes that greeted me with a display of mirthfulness and liveliness, quite the shocking amount considering the poor condition this fellow student had to go through.


"Good morning~!" The young man muttered chirpily, tilting his head to the sides as to stretch his neck too and…


I continued to stare at him in barely-veiled surprised before giving a slow nod at his greeting.


"Morning."


Smiling, the white-haired student lifted himself up from the cramped box and yawned again, glancing around and frowning in surprise at the lack of other people wandering around.


Realization struck quickly after, perhaps the lack of the usual daily light offered him some insight over the predicament.


"It's quite early," He pointed out with some curiosity directed at me. "Are you perhaps going for a walk?"


There wasn't much of a reason to go for a walk this early in the morning, especially with how mind-wavering the lessons were already. Who would be this moronic to go eagerly for such an insane planning?


Heck, if I continued to stand like this I was sure going to catch some cold because of the chilling wind persisting in the general area of the courtyard.


I blinked, deciding to ignore his silly question and inquire about the current issue at hand.


"Why were you sleeping outside?" I asked with a calm but intrigued tone, carefully trying to understand why this encounter was happening so suddenly and without any notice for me.


Confusion rouse in the white-haired young man from my query, his surprise swelling together with it as he tried to elaborate an answer.


His eyes widened a little before he cracked once more another kind smile and nodded back at me.


"Oh, it was my initiation test before going to get assigned to my new room here," The weird stranger replied with genuine conviction over the matter, sporting a friendly smile. "Some guys told me that it was proper to spend a full day resting outside and letting my magic attune with the overall nature of the school before trying to confirm my enrollment."


I gave him a very slow nod as I sponged up the 'explanation' he was giving me, finding it odd that this was happening.


Here he was, a white-haired naive and gullible young man that had unfortunately made contact with some of the jerks that lived to make students' lives insufferable, got himself ultimately pranked and… supposedly had failed to report his acceptance as requested by the laws of the College.


I frowned at this, pondering over what I should do with this kind of dilemma.


To be fair, I had no reason to give him any further attention other than learning the dreadful situation he had been set up to be by some of the more malicious-thinking students. Maybe I would even forget about him by the time the day ended-


But then again, what kind of individual I would be by letting someone that is experiencing quite the horrible situation be rejected by the school without even trying to make a stand for himself.


He was denied this opportunity by the very idiots that so eagerly were making my life difficult and… maybe it was high time to ruin some games by making some intervention.


"I know that this might sound a little hasty, but you might need to follow me by the school office," I ultimately said with a hint of pressure, causing him to nod quickly while giving me a surprised but confused look.


"S-Sure."


"And please, bring your belongings too," I continued without skipping a beat, gesturing him to follow as he left the box with only the little bag he had with him. "You might need to say some little lies about your current situation. Don't mention the 'initiation' topic during your discussion with-"


"But why?" He intervened with a huff, trying to keep up with my quick pace. "I thought that it was tradition to be there and-"


"Be pranked people," I replied for him before he would finish that sentence, his green eyes widening in shock at that comment. "The Templar College does have quite the group of snot-nosed nobles that have a thing for causing people some big troubles, like the one you have right now."


His lips opened as to ask some more about this topic, but he merely decided to keep quiet at this point, nodding for me to continue.


"Right now you are a day late to confirm your presence as an official student and regularly this should prompt for your forced removal from the school's area-"


"W-What?" He almost tripped at my comment, urging me to pause a moment to help him from not falling on himself because of the situation I was describing to him.


"Mind your steps and you will be fine," I muttered before resuming the conversation. "Anyway, in a normal instance that's what should be happening but… we are going to make some convincing story about your 'unplanned' delay."


"A convincing story? Like an excuse for-" The white-haired young man started to ask but I nodded quickly.


"Something that dignify why you were 'forced' to make a delay, something that will work with the school's perception of- Do you have any family?"


He tensed up a little at the sudden question.


"I-I do?"


"Then mention that one of your family members just got sick with something that required your attention for the case and so you had to skip a day," I muttered quietly, my attention shifting at the doors that led to where the school's secretary had his office by.


"W-What if someone says that it isn't the truth?" He asked legitimately, to which I merely sighed.


"And risk revealing the horrible plan they have concocted?" I questioned back with some certainty, making him tense up a little at my tone. "They might be dumb, but not that dumb. Just mention that you delayed because of family matters and you should be able to get the assignation going."


He went quiet after listening to my final advice, and so did I as we walked inside the main building and approached the old secretary that was currently concluding the signing of some paperwork.


There were just a few of the assistants for the important administrative section of the academy, but the woman seemed awake enough to commence with her tasks.


Her dark-yellow eyes lifted away from the papers and right to stare at us with an inquisitive look.


"May you state your business about why you two are here?" She asked in a formal and polite tone, to which I nodded calmly while bringing the slightly-nervous young man forward.


"He is a recently-enrolled student that missed the official date to confirm his subscription to the College-"


"Then he shouldn't be there to begin with," The woman interjected flatly. "The rules rightfully state that since he missed the date he-"


"Has the chance of being forgiven such a delay in case of proper reason," I interrupted quickly, glancing at the surprised secretary with a calm stare. "I've been reading the school's laws during my free time, and I'm fairly sure the reason he has presented would best to forgive this 'slight' and allow him to pursue his education here."


There was a brief pause, with the old woman blinking at my words and gauging them before turning her attention right at the green-eyed student.


"And what kind of reason is going to justify this mistake?" She inquired while narrowing her eyes at him.


He gulped nervously. "M-My little cousin, Rose, she had a strong fever that required my presence to heal. I'm… the only magical user in the family and I had some knowledge in healing spells."


The secretary looked surprised and gave him a nod. "An interesting story, Mr.-"


"Euchre," He blurted suddenly, before shaking his head and reintroducing himself properly. "I-I'm Euchre Flow."


Her eyes returned to her paperwork as she started to search through the incredible sea of ink and paper, ultimately bringing up two documents that looked to be enrollment files.


"Mr. Flow, you were… spotted and recruited by Master Leonius, correct?"


I blinked at that while glancing at the now-embarrassed Euchre, his cheeks flushing a little red at the mentioning of how he decided to be enrolled at the College.


"Y-Yes, ma'am."


Still, what an odd name.


The woman nodded at the confirmation, her eyes darting momentarily at me. "Young man, you can leave the rest of the work with Mr. Flow to me. I think lessons are going to start in about twenty minutes from now and you should go to your proper class."


My eyes widened at the news, panic rising at the realization that I might have spent a little too much dealing with this unexpected situation and… I nodded.


"Understood, ma'am," I said with a polite tone, sparing just a glance at the grateful young man before turning around and making my way out of the main building-


Only to be stopped by a certain, uneasy-looking white-haired fellow.


I tensed up a little as I felt his strong grip taking hold of my left arm, forcing me to a pause as I glanced suddenly at him with inquiring eyes.


"Before you go, can I ask you what is your name?" He asked politely, quite apologetically too as he slowly let let go, and I slowly turned around to glance at him with a polite smile.


"My name is Samuel Rockford," I quietly introduced myself, drawing an understanding nod from him. "It's nice to meet you, Euchre."


The following smile was… strange. It was warming but also restrained for some reason.


I merely bid him goodbye again as I paced swiftly out of the building and right towards my classroom.


From that very moment, things would just take a step or two towards a weirder but endearing route of my life. Something unexpected, something interesting, and something immensely complicated.


------------d-d-d-d----------d-d-d-d---------d-d-d-d-------------d-d-d-d-------------d-d-d-d------


AN


So this is going to be a story now. From Multi-shot to full-fledged fanfic. Oh my~!

 

[bickbak]

Chapter 1: Their first meeting


It's been three weeks now since I had ultimately decided to pursue a high-standing career here at Edinmire and I would be lying in saying that I had been enjoying how my situation had turned out to be.


I had expected some harsh welcome by how the Templar College was structured, nepotism running supreme and deceitfully misplacing merits from those that tried to reach the top from the bottom, but I had been quite shocked to find out that some of the displeasing souls lingering these domains were far more infuriating that I had initially thought.


Despite having grown by the outskirts of this major settlement and having been homeschooled by my own parents, I had been more than attentive to take some notes while listening to the tales coming from those that had gone to study there.


There were people with upbringings similar to mine, low-born young men and women that had 'surprisingly' manifested some affinity with Magic and thus had been accepted to try and expand their powers until the fulfillment of their potentials by taking part at the local academy set up by the central district of the city.


They had tales containing impressive display of abilities, amazing accounts of teachers eagerly showing some of the unknown elements during their lessons and this early memories had made the whole experience of learning magic to be the best possible choice to take in human society.


It wasn't a lie, especially with how influential Templars were within the reaches of the Kingdom and how powerful they were magically, but it was also not a complete fact for sure.


There were still some bureaucratic and administrative opportunities that offered higher wages and chances of obtaining some grand income from these works, yet these weren't as accessible as Templar College was with its unique requirements.


Templar Masters, which were considered experts and leaders of the Templar society, had some low-born people in their ranks that were treated without any major difference to the other members of the order and were taken as major examples that it was possible to reach such an important role in the Kingdom even with this social disadvantage.


But sadly enough for many that entered this kind of life with high ambitions and dreams, possibility and hopes weren't things that truly mattered or even persisted against the stressful life here at the school.


Mostly because of the blatant cases of bullying and malicious pranking.


The first days were quite the horrible ordeal to face as I found myself subjected with some unpleasant jokes coming from some of the students that came from noble families.


Nothing worth of major fury or even some detailed contemplation as the only element that got me surprised was my lack of awareness to 'how far' those people could have gone while breaking some of the rules.


Once I got a gist of what was truly going on with these 'pranks' and how they were managing to deflect any inquiries from some of the teachers, I merely started to threat most of those with indifference while also making sure to be present by at least two or three teachers when those situations happened.


It was a slow-paced effort that certainly got a drain out of my own energies and, even now that it has been almost a month since I joined the Templar College, was still continuing to be an essential priority to deal with for my stay here at the school to continue smoothly and uneventfully.


Patience was king and I was its loyal subject.


The attempts had reduced ever since I had started to genuinely ignore those, but the mean-spirited comments were still there to take jabs at my own 'unwanted' presence much to my immense and hidden chagrin.


Still, this group wasn't an absolute category within the College, but a minority within the school.


I realized this very peculiar detail after quite the curious situation that saw me partnering up with some noble-born lady.


It was about two weeks after I had become a student that I found myself dealing with the completion of some essays about conjuration theories and I was surprised when the teacher decided to have me paired with someone I had merely heard about since my enrolling.


Mary Silverlock was a brown-haired young woman with light-brown eyes that had been staying at the College for two weeks longer than I had.


She had made quite some reputation by becoming one of the smartest students in our generation, showing her potential frequently but without sounding too much of an arrogant individual to have in class.


That and the young woman was also helping around students that were displaying any sign of difficulty around with homework, getting some extra points in front of the teachers


Quite the commendable details that was also paired with some of the most unique attitudes I had to ever deal with in a normal circumstance.


Mary had quite the straight-forward personality compared to anyone else I had the chance to 'meeting' until now, with her mind set to swiftly offer the quickest of plans without spending too much time about decision-making.


The young woman wasn't too blunt with her logical thinking, nor was she too abrasive with her careful word, but she was still fiery in defending her own beliefs over some particular topics.


Giving me no trouble about my social status, I was more than happy to give her no particular reason to alienate me in these conversations by bringing up anything that could even remotely be connected to Keidrans.


It was odd to find someone this much despising of the furred race, mostly because the peaceful mindset Edinmire was known to have towards the Tiger tribe that had settled in the east.


Still, the girl was keen enough to not make it a main priority to bring up this very notion during our study together, deciding that it was not only unimportant to the study sessions themselves but also not much of a good reason to go around sprouting about this so frequently.


In the end, I found myself happy to know that there was actually someone that didn't mind the 'difference' created by social statuses and I was glad that it was someone close to my age.


Overall, my first three weeks were neither too dreadful, nor they were the nice experience that I had partially expected it to be.


…


Sadly, this very perception of things ended up changing when…


That happened.


It was one of the busiest day at the Academy and it was early in the morning. I had just woke up from my usual sleep and my attention was fully diverted in going through with my usual routine to be prepared for the long day that awaited me.


Lessons were generally two hours long and were well-spread in the students' timetables to begin by the end of breakfast and to end by dinner's time, offering only two to three pauses along the day to relieve some of the pressure off from the entire school.


It was quite the harsh schedule, but one that was quite easy to manage once I started to get accustomed with the rhythm itself.


Concluding my swift bathroom routine, I paced silently around my room while starting to put on the standard uniform for students, using the big mirror that was present in there to meticulously fix all the clothes in the proper fashion.


The school had some campuses set for those that didn't have any means to rest nearby the College and it wasn't as great as it sounded.


Considering that the small rooms were supposed to house two same-sexed students at once, I could only dread those that had to share a single bathroom with someone else.


My saving grace was that I had been lucky enough to be the last student of an uneven list that got assigned to this room alone, thus leaving me to peruse the place without major limitations and without having to share it with someone else.


Once I was done with my clothes, and my sleepwear was folded by the bed, I proceeded to pick the large bag I used to carry around the various textbooks for the subjects of the day and made my way out of my room, stopping only by the entrance.


It was still fairly early in the morning. It was far earlier than what a 'sane individual' would wake up by, but the reason behind such a dreadful starting point was any possible ambushes that any of the bullies could set up if I tried to wake up a little later than now.


Humming quietly, I moved quickly through the silent and empty corridors that led to the outside courtyard, preparing my still-tired mind to what was going to be another draining day for me.


I'm ready for another day of notes-taking and-


*Thud*


I paused for a brief moment while distracted process of opening the main door, my hand freezing by the brass handle while pushing it forward to allow me passage outside as I was stopped by something oddly unexpected.


My ears twitched attentively as I distinctly heard the particularly new noise of something making contact with the door and causing some loud sound with the impact while trying to fully opening it.


I stepped outside and gave a thorough look around for anything that could have caused such an anomaly and then my eyes landed right onto the large box standing by the side of the door, its ceiling open to reveal…


That someone sleeping inside of it?


I frowned at this circumstance that I was bestowed with. My attention fully taken by this strange scene as I continued to look inside for more details for this unknown individual.


It was a young man with shoulder-length white hair and pale skin. His eyes were still closed, but he was already starting to shuffle out of his calm slumber as to calmly wake up.


He was donning the College's robes, partly shivering as he gave a quick yawn. He started to stretch his arms upwards before giving a quietly blank glance right onto my face.


I blinked at the two vibrant green eyes that greeted me with a display of mirthfulness and liveliness, quite the shocking amount considering the poor condition this fellow student had to go through.


"Good morning~!" The young man muttered chirpily, tilting his head to the sides as to stretch his neck too and…


I continued to stare at him in barely-veiled surprised before giving a slow nod at his greeting.


"Morning."


Smiling, the white-haired student lifted himself up from the cramped box and yawned again, glancing around and frowning in surprise at the lack of other people wandering around.


Realization struck quickly after, perhaps the lack of the usual daily light offered him some insight over the predicament.


"It's quite early," He pointed out with some curiosity directed at me. "Are you perhaps going for a walk?"


There wasn't much of a reason to go for a walk this early in the morning, especially with how mind-wavering the lessons were already. Who would be this moronic to go eagerly for such an insane planning?


Heck, if I continued to stand like this I was sure going to catch some cold because of the chilling wind persisting in the general area of the courtyard.


I blinked, deciding to ignore his silly question and inquire about the current issue at hand.


"Why were you sleeping outside?" I asked with a calm but intrigued tone, carefully trying to understand why this encounter was happening so suddenly and without any notice for me.


Confusion rouse in the white-haired young man from my query, his surprise swelling together with it as he tried to elaborate an answer.


His eyes widened a little before he cracked once more another kind smile and nodded back at me.


"Oh, it was my initiation test before going to get assigned to my new room here," The weird stranger replied with genuine conviction over the matter, sporting a friendly smile. "Some guys told me that it was proper to spend a full day resting outside and letting my magic attune with the overall nature of the school before trying to confirm my enrollment."


I gave him a very slow nod as I sponged up the 'explanation' he was giving me, finding it odd that this was happening.


Here he was, a white-haired naive and gullible young man that had unfortunately made contact with some of the jerks that lived to make students' lives insufferable, got himself ultimately pranked and… supposedly had failed to report his acceptance as requested by the laws of the College.


I frowned at this, pondering over what I should do with this kind of dilemma.


To be fair, I had no reason to give him any further attention other than learning the dreadful situation he had been set up to be by some of the more malicious-thinking students. Maybe I would even forget about him by the time the day ended-


But then again, what kind of individual I would be by letting someone that is experiencing quite the horrible situation be rejected by the school without even trying to make a stand for himself.


He was denied this opportunity by the very idiots that so eagerly were making my life difficult and… maybe it was high time to ruin some games by making some intervention.


"I know that this might sound a little hasty, but you might need to follow me by the school office," I ultimately said with a hint of pressure, causing him to nod quickly while giving me a surprised but confused look.


"S-Sure."


"And please, bring your belongings too," I continued without skipping a beat, gesturing him to follow as he left the box with only the little bag he had with him. "You might need to say some little lies about your current situation. Don't mention the 'initiation' topic during your discussion with-"


"But why?" He intervened with a huff, trying to keep up with my quick pace. "I thought that it was tradition to be there and-"


"Be pranked people," I replied for him before he would finish that sentence, his green eyes widening in shock at that comment. "The Templar College does have quite the group of snot-nosed nobles that have a thing for causing people some big troubles, like the one you have right now."


His lips opened as to ask some more about this topic, but he merely decided to keep quiet at this point, nodding for me to continue.


"Right now you are a day late to confirm your presence as an official student and regularly this should prompt for your forced removal from the school's area-"


"W-What?" He almost tripped at my comment, urging me to pause a moment to help him from not falling on himself because of the situation I was describing to him.


"Mind your steps and you will be fine," I muttered before resuming the conversation. "Anyway, in a normal instance that's what should be happening but… we are going to make some convincing story about your 'unplanned' delay."


"A convincing story? Like an excuse for-" The white-haired young man started to ask but I nodded quickly.


"Something that dignify why you were 'forced' to make a delay, something that will work with the school's perception of- Do you have any family?"


He tensed up a little at the sudden question.


"I-I do?"


"Then mention that one of your family members just got sick with something that required your attention for the case and so you had to skip a day," I muttered quietly, my attention shifting at the doors that led to where the school's secretary had his office by.


"W-What if someone says that it isn't the truth?" He asked legitimately, to which I merely sighed.


"And risk revealing the horrible plan they have concocted?" I questioned back with some certainty, making him tense up a little at my tone. "They might be dumb, but not that dumb. Just mention that you delayed because of family matters and you should be able to get the assignation going."


He went quiet after listening to my final advice, and so did I as we walked inside the main building and approached the old secretary that was currently concluding the signing of some paperwork.


There were just a few of the assistants for the important administrative section of the academy, but the woman seemed awake enough to commence with her tasks.


Her dark-yellow eyes lifted away from the papers and right to stare at us with an inquisitive look.


"May you state your business about why you two are here?" She asked in a formal and polite tone, to which I nodded calmly while bringing the slightly-nervous young man forward.


"He is a recently-enrolled student that missed the official date to confirm his subscription to the College-"


"Then he shouldn't be there to begin with," The woman interjected flatly. "The rules rightfully state that since he missed the date he-"


"Has the chance of being forgiven such a delay in case of proper reason," I interrupted quickly, glancing at the surprised secretary with a calm stare. "I've been reading the school's laws during my free time, and I'm fairly sure the reason he has presented would best to forgive this 'slight' and allow him to pursue his education here."


There was a brief pause, with the old woman blinking at my words and gauging them before turning her attention right at the green-eyed student.


"And what kind of reason is going to justify this mistake?" She inquired while narrowing her eyes at him.


He gulped nervously. "M-My little cousin, Rose, she had a strong fever that required my presence to heal. I'm… the only magical user in the family and I had some knowledge in healing spells."


The secretary looked surprised and gave him a nod. "An interesting story, Mr.-"


"Euchre," He blurted suddenly, before shaking his head and reintroducing himself properly. "I-I'm Euchre Flow."


Her eyes returned to her paperwork as she started to search through the incredible sea of ink and paper, ultimately bringing up two documents that looked to be enrollment files.


"Mr. Flow, you were… spotted and recruited by Master Leonius, correct?"


I blinked at that while glancing at the now-embarrassed Euchre, his cheeks flushing a little red at the mentioning of how he decided to be enrolled at the College.


"Y-Yes, ma'am."


Still, what an odd name.


The woman nodded at the confirmation, her eyes darting momentarily at me. "Young man, you can leave the rest of the work with Mr. Flow to me. I think lessons are going to start in about twenty minutes from now and you should go to your proper class."


My eyes widened at the news, panic rising at the realization that I might have spent a little too much dealing with this unexpected situation and… I nodded.


"Understood, ma'am," I said with a polite tone, sparing just a glance at the grateful young man before turning around and making my way out of the main building-


Only to be stopped by a certain, uneasy-looking white-haired fellow.


I tensed up a little as I felt his strong grip taking hold of my left arm, forcing me to a pause as I glanced suddenly at him with inquiring eyes.


"Before you go, can I ask you what is your name?" He asked politely, quite apologetically too as he slowly let let go, and I slowly turned around to glance at him with a polite smile.


"My name is Samuel Rockford," I quietly introduced myself, drawing an understanding nod from him. "It's nice to meet you, Euchre."


The following smile was… strange. It was warming but also restrained for some reason.


I merely bid him goodbye again as I paced swiftly out of the building and right towards my classroom.


From that very moment, things would just take a step or two towards a weirder but endearing route of my life. Something unexpected, something interesting, and something immensely complicated.


------------d-d-d-d----------d-d-d-d---------d-d-d-d-------------d-d-d-d-------------d-d-d-d------


AN


So this is going to be a story now. From Multi-shot to full-fledged fanfic. Oh my~!

Click to shrink...

Huh...Quick question for you JBukharin you ever read the webcomic Slightly Damned?

 

[JBukharin]

Huh...Quick question for you JBukharin you ever read the webcomic Slightly Damned?

Click to shrink...

Until now, nope. Probably will give it a look now that you mentioned it.

 

[JBukharin]

Chapter 2: Finalizing the Bond and… Dragon!


Corrections by: Ant0nius


The classroom was enjoying relative quietness as the lecture about Antique History proceeded smoothly and uneventfully, with only the teacher's voice just barely interrupting the acquisition of true silence within that place.


Everyone was well divided by the various benches occupying two thirds of the room, two long lines that were filled by students grouping in small squads.


I was left to share the wooden table with a mousy-looking student I didn't knew much about, the boy paying me little attention as he carefully scrambled over his own inkwell and pen while writing down the main elements within the lecture being delivered.


I decided against it for this occurrence, having taken the initiative to just keep attention by dividing my attention between the topics coming from the lesson and the way the textbook provided by the college would detail these very subjects.


There weren't too many new details that added more to the matter, thus by just merely following via the already available material I was avoiding needless stress over highlighting the proper bits of the current lesson.


Humming quietly, I continued to pay most of my attention over the lesson, sparing just a couple of distracted looks around to see how the situation was for the rest of my classmates.


Many were still trying to shake off the last hold of sleep keeping them from offering their best attentiveness, while there was a minority that looked already active during the explanation.


All of them were sitting by the seats that were the nearest to the teacher's desk, with Mary Silverlock having taken a prominent presence within the session by offering her own comments.


Never sounding arrogant, not even close to that kind of sensation, but always lifting a degree of inner superiority that just irked many within her own circle.


She had the popularity to have some remarks be ignored by a solid majority, but there were plenty of ambitious students that just saw her as an 'annoying bookworm'.


The one that defined her publicly and snidely, ended up 'tripping' from some staircases by the same day this instance had happened.


There was no evidence correlating the young woman to that case, but the rest of the students just decided to not test their luck by challenging Mary so directly and so stupidly.


I didn't have any reason to truly worry about seeing the girl angry at me as I had no quarrel with her, if not for minimal clashes that tended to happen once or twice in a while.


Still, the lecture continued rather calmly, lacking any odd events to stir up any changes compared to the normalcy of these days.


The lecture itself was fairly simple, and so was the subject of Antique History.


The Human Kingdom was once as fragmented as the Keidran's tribes were, with various leaders fighting each other for complete dominance.


Mekkan suffered no little wars for lands, resources, and other ambitious reasons, but humanity peaked with the formation of the Grand Kingdom.


Nobody was entirely aware what made it possible for a unitary government to exist, nor how the warring states were able to be unified so quickly, and without much evidence of a single document available to certify the legitimacy of the diplomatic process.


Everything just happened, and a Human Kingdom was born from the ashes of Antiquity, and with it also a thirst to properly exert its domain within the large landscape of Mekkan.


Relations with Keidrans were mixed, with large parts of the nation seeing those as tribes that were meant to be subjugated and enslaved and just a couple of settlements shied away from this common thought.


Edinmire was one particular instance where Keidrans and humans were able to co-exist peacefully.


Many of the people living there preferred to keep good relations with the Tiger Tribe that lived for many centuries in the forests near the city.


The reason behind this curious instances was that the Templar Order favored good relations with Keidrans.


It was all due to the fact that the different race was adept in the usage of magic and possessed a degree of natural connection way beyond what common human mages could even dream of accomplishing with decades spent studying only magic.


It was no secret that Edinmire had long been ruled by the contingency commanded by the Templars, the former leadership having been ousted by a past rebellion correlated to some issues about taxes.


The Templar Order was still technically abiding to the central administration led by the King, but its authority was high enough to easily replace the need of the regular bureaucracy.


And that was why there were advanced subjects that focused on Economics, in Social Studies, all for the sake of giving the edge for any new members to be able to join in to administer any of the towns under the Order's control.


It was difficult for anyone to arrive to these important posts, recommendations mattering far more than just merits.


Once again, the unbalanced system within the Order was highlighted for many to see.


With a sigh leaving my lips as the teacher called for an end to the lecture, the classroom exploded in a mix of rumbling and rustling as the various students started to move outside of the place and back to the hallways before walking to the next classroom.


Slow in leaving class, I ignored the panicked expression overcoming the mousy-looking companion that had been sitting near me during class, his eyes wide open as he rushed to get everything back to his school bag.


Just as I managed to quietly arrive by the doorstep, I felt a sudden grasp by the elbow as a hand was now squeezing carefully at the joint.


Glancing to the side, I expected to find trouble. Imagine my surprise when instead of trouble, I found Mary.


"Ms. Silverlock?" I inquired, genuinely confused by this unexpected interaction.


The brunette sighed but nodded. "Mr. Rockford, if you can spare some time for a private conversation."


The request was met with even more surprise as I hadn't expected any of this to happen so suddenly, but soon both our attentions were diverted away at the sound of giggling happening in front of us.


A group of girls had stopped with their steps just to stare at the two of us with quite the cheeky and teasing expressions, as if drawing conclusions out from the simplicity of this predicament.


I frowned with some annoyance, while Mary's eyes narrowed at them with a hint of irritation at how infuriating this circumstance was.


The rumor mill was a nasty business to deal appropriately within the walls of the College, and it was best to curb the nightmare before it had the chance to grow into something unbearable in the near future.


So I sighed and… smiled.


"Mary, forgive me if I ask you this but… is it true that you've refined the 'lips-sealing' spell?" I inquired with a light tone.


The girls stopped with their giggles, sparing some surprised look at the two of us.


The brunette then glanced back at me with some confusion, but she quickly noticed my little smirk and she… nodded.


"I did make some progress to make the effects more lasting, yes," She admitted with a sigh. "But why, do you think there are any willing subjects to try it out."


I didn't even need to continue with the act that the 'ladies' rushed away from our proximity, their faces showing panic and utter fright at the mere prospect of having their lips sealed even for just a couple of hours.


"Good to know," I concluded with a more serious edge. "But still, I guess I can spare some words."


She gave a quick smile and soon we were moving through the halls with a quick pace, silence reigning for some time… or at least until we were well away from other students or possible listeners.


"The Dragon Masquerade will happen by the end of this week," Mary began explaining, her tone showing some disdain. "I will of course take part as my role befits it… but I need a companion."


I blinked at that, but then I noticed that there was much more than her usual disappointment over dealing with friendly Keidrans coming in town.


"Suitors?" I asked, having learned from the girl already that there was a substantial and non-negligible group of young men trying to garner her attention… and a chance to marry her.


"There has been some more pressure than usual, and I need someone to rely onto that isn't going to mess my own chances of enjoying a good tradition in peace," She admitted with a nod. "And I know that you're not someone that has some common sense."


"I feel like I shouldn't treat it like a compliment," I hummed quietly. "But considering how the situation here at the College I-"


"Yes or no."


I sighed. "Sure, I will lead the kind lady to the-"


"Good," The brunette said while ignoring my own words, turning around and walking away from my proximity. "We will discuss about the details tomorrow morning. Next lesson will start soon."


Curt, decisive and terribly infuriating with that superior air of hers. Yep, someone had pissed off Mary quite early in the morning.


I wonder who was the poor fool that did that.


Shrugging at the swift closure of this unexpected discussion, the rest of the school day resumed with its initial normal pattern.


Two more lessons, lunch pause, and another lesson to wrap up the brunt of the labor here at the College.


I yawned a little as I made the turn to walk into the corridor that led to my own room and my ears were quick to hear some chaotic noises happening quite near to where I was walking.


At first I thought some students had messed up some spell and those were scrambling to find some quick counter to it.


It wouldn't be the first time that some experimental prank ended up exploding right onto the faces of some morons.


But while I had been so keen to believe that with my first steps, there was something akin to concern that started to lift up from within my chest when I started to track back the noise… right inside my room.


I stopped by the closed door, nervousness making me wary of any chances of dealing with some of the worst traps ever laid in the history of Mekkan.


Gulping just once, and with my free hand prepping an Air-based spell, I slowly opened the door to reveal the kind of madness that waited just for me.


…


My tension turned away from bracing for any pranks, as now I was looking to something far, far worse.


Feathers. So many white feathers were currently falling from the ceiling and circling all over the room.


I was mesmerized by the sight at first, shocked by the scene as I failed to comprehend early on that the predicament was just the worst circumstance that I, a simple rule-abiding student, could ever be bestowed with.


I finally blinked away from the dreamy moments, some chuckles emerging from the furthest corner of the room and soon I connected dots.


The white feathers. Those hadn't been created through magic.


No, those were the same that were used to fill up pillows and mattress, the very ones that were once part of my bed and the ones of the unoccupied one.


I felt my breathing taking a quicker note as my widening eyes turned their attention right up to the origin of this horrifying scene.


I took a step through the soft wall of fluttering feathers, then another as I tried to make contact with the one culprit responsible for this humongous mess.


It did take me too much to finally spot him, yet at first I felt my eyes were just playing tricks on me about the features that made up his appearance.


More chuckles were leaving by his lips as the amused individual had a bright smile on his face while rolling on the fallen feathers and pushing them up in the air.


His white hair and green eyes quickly reminding me of a single individual that matched with these details, but just as I prepared to call out Euchre from that insane display that he was making, my mouth froze shut as my eyes then saw that it wasn't skin but white fur on his face.


There was a prominent snout with a gray nose, and his feet now out from his shoes were the canine.


…


I wasn't staring at the young human man that had needed some help in not getting his arse hauled out of the Templar College.


I was staring at what seemed to be… a Keidran with similar appearance to him.


Still, the single word pending by my tongue managed to be released through the shock.


"Euchre?"


It was quiet, yet it was a sound that pierced through the entertaining state the Keidran looked to be and… the creature stopped with his playful efforts, with his body tensing up as he took to stand on his four.


I took a step back, feeling worried at the fact I shouldn't have dispelled the preparation to that Air-type spell as now I was possibly going to be in danger with the animal-like being ready to spring in action.


Some tense moments passed rather unhappily, and my eyes were stuck fixed into those intense green orbs staring at me with a semi-feral look.


I couldn't look away, I knew that looking away would have just been the worst mistake to do now.


He was growling softly, with his legs growing even tenser as he prepared for what looked to be a pounce towards.


I felt mocked by fate at that sight, as I was gifted with such an unfair development out of the fact I had decided to help someone out of kindness.


I was insulted by the fact a good deed was met with a quick demise for my part and I braced for the horrible end to come.


When I saw him finally move, his legs pushing his entire body towards me, with his arms open as to catch me properly, I tried to rush away from him, my mind screeching for me to try and avoid the conclusion of what seemed to be my fate.


Yet my hopes of survival were crushed when his arms wrapped below my neck, forcing my arms close to my torso as I was subsequently pushed on the floor with the full might of his weight.


I was terrified, I felt shivering as I closed my eyes in that moment of utter fright when…


…


I felt something warm and wet rub on my left cheek. Then again, and again.


The motion was simple, and I felt like I had already been experiencing this kind of stuff before.


Slowly and tentatively, motivated by the lack of my sudden demise, I started to open my eyelids to try and see what was going on and… I saw Euchre pressing his red tongue up and down my poor face.


Like a cheeky dog saying 'hi' to someone it cares a lot for.


I blinked. "E-Euchre?"


"Samuel," He replied with some eagerness.


"You," I tried to continued this, to stop whatever was happening.


WHAT IS EVEN HAPPENING?!


"You are a Keidran?!"


He paused, his body tensing up as his eyes widened in a moment of sudden shock, as if he had realized the current instance.


"I… this is a costume?"


"Liar," I quipped swiftly. "You are a Keidran."


"I can explain-"


"You, Euchre Flow, are a Keidran," I interjected, repeating myself again and… "Wait, Flow is the inverse of 'Wolf'."


"Sam-"


"You are a-!! S-Stop it!"


I panicked once again as I felt his tongue press at my cheek.


And that was really how the world rolled a little faster than I had wanted.


-------d-d-d-d----------d-d-d-d------------d-d-d-d-------------d-d-d-d-


In the Present.


Saria was giggling loudly as I finished to mention how the situation turned into, her face flashing a bright red at that.


"Y-You mean to tell me that Professor Flow-"


"Decided to destroy our room because he wanted to play with some feathers?" I concluded for her with a tight voice. "That's just the first of many misadventures we ended up dealing during our stay at the College."


Roselyn looked slightly embarrassed by this. "But I thought that Euchre was all polite and respectful."


"Oh, but he was," I commented back to the redhead. "Your cousin was well-liked by many teachers for how genuinely good of a person he was back in school , in fact he managed to avoid some detentions by how he was so nice around everyone around him."


"Still, how did you manage to avoid getting in trouble with what happened with your room?" The brunette inquired back with some interest. "Surely, someone had to have been suspicious over-"


"Back when I was studying at the College, bullying was really a problem, Saria," I interrupted once more, taking a moment to let out a tired sigh. "Pranks were a serious issue back then, and it was easy to shift the blame of any disasters to a sudden and unexpected ordeal caused by some sickly-minded fool."


"And so you did tell to the teachers that it was actually a prank against both," Rose guessed rightfully, receiving a nod from me. "But what about… Euchre's secret? Why did you decide to keep it?"


I actually paused a moment to ponder about it as the memories about the matter were particularly fuzzy right now.


I could remember some pleading, some soft growling, some wide and bright green eyes staring sadly back at me- A fluffy tail wagging behind him in a mesmerizing pattern.


"I just did," I stated curtly. "Let's just move on to the next question."


"Oh, is there something fun about that situation-"


"Yes, but that isn't a fun I wish to share with you, Duchess," I rebuked with a snort, drawing a groan from the brunette at the usage of her 'disliked' nickname.


"I'm… I will get you to tell us about that eventually," The young woman promised mirthfully, drawing a sigh out of me and a confused look from the Wolf Keidran.


"But, why would I want to know Mr. Rockford's secret with Euchre?"


And now that sounds like a different thing than it actually is.


"Because he and Professor Flow have been partnering together for almost a decade now," Saria replied with a giddy smile. "There has to be something more than just simple friendship."


"I don't like what kind of path you are taking, Saria," I chided quietly. "But I reckon we can talk about your first infraction back at school. Something about burning a fellow classmate's hair-"


"N-No. I mean, there is no need, Professor, please continue to be a kind storyteller for us."


I blinked at the nervous expression on her face, enjoying the smug emotion of having retaliated accordingly at that little accusation.


"Good to know and-"


Before I had the chance of continuing with that conversation, the doors of the living room were opened abruptly by a nervous-looking fox Keidran. One of the loyal servants to the Duchess, a free worker under her domain's control.


"L-Lord Rockford, right now there is a battle raging nearby the entrance," The young man sprouted in a bout of panic, making me tense up a little with his sudden words. "The Grand Master has been called already but- It's a Dragon, sir!"


Crap, that means I will have to spare that long-waited discussion with Mary very soon and-


Dragon.


There is a dragon near the gates.


…


Oh.


Oh no. But also… goddammit.


"What color are its scales? Is someone already fighting it?" I asked two of the more important queries in order to get a better understanding of what was happening in the nearby area. He nodded quickly at my questions.


I had a strong suspect that something was off about this 'fight', but I wasn't just going to ignore any other dangers about a true malicious dragon waging destruction around so close to Edinmire.


Still, if this is truly 'her', then a proper lecture is sure going to fix anything instead of some magical bombing.


"White, sir, and I recall hearing from some of the reinforcements trying to help that a young student from the College had stayed behind and is trying to delay- S-Sir?"


I was already standing up and moving towards the open doors with a tired sigh. "I will be back soon. It seems like I've to punish 'children'."


Saria frowned at my words, standing up from her seat while Rose kept to her own as she was surprised by this development.


"Professor, there's only one dragon that has that unique description-"


"And that is why I need to deal with that dummy and the young student she got to play 'knight and drake'," I interjected with a tired groan. "I really don't need to deal with this so early in the morning."


The Wolf Keidran blinked in confusion at that. "But… isn't it past midday?"


I ignored that correct statement as I prepared to deal with quite the annoying situation for me to be subjected about.


I had plenty of experiences with Dragons as I had already dealt with some of their worst… but there is still one I couldn't help but feel indecisive if to dislike or actually appreciate once in a whole.


I was silent while marching swiftly towards the gates of the manor where the noises of some 'serious battle' was still unfolding.


Stopping right outside the gates, I stared down as the 'terrible dragoness' continued to fight off 'the brave warrior' that for some reason just looked familiar.


Light-blue hair certainly isn't something you see anyone have normally.


Yet my full attention was directed at a certain Lady and, just as I brought my arms crossing by my chest, the Dragon stopped, with her head turning slowly towards me.


Golden eyes blinked just once, then she tensed up outright in a moment of giddiness.


(Sam, is that you?!) The voice entered my mind, the only way Dragon knew how to properly speak to other races.


I saw her stop with her playful 'rough-housing', her tail lifting up and her wings spreading in a display of genuine happiness.


(It's you!)


"Goddammit, Nora..." I muttered under my breath, the strongest of the Dragonkind eagerly rushing towards me and I braced for impact while magic coated my entire being.


The pounce was expected, the subsequent bear-hug wasn't.


----------d-d-d-d--------------d-d-d-d-----------d-d-d-d---------d-d-d-d-----------d-d-d-d---------


AN


Thank God I've countermeasures to avoid Fourth-Wall Breakers from appearing after 'that' case.


Did you call?


No, Ambar, go back… doing whatever you were doing.


Okay and… Paraiso~!


...She is going to kill me with that much 'affection'.

P.S. Sassy Trace is Sassy.

 

[JBukharin]

Chapter 3: There's always a first time for everything


Truth be told, I hadn't seen this situation coming so suddenly.


The day before had proven to be quite absurd considering the very difficult decisions I had to take over recent developments.


The very situation that saw me debating whenever or not I should've reported the current conditions of my newest roommate, especially with how stingy and dangerous it was to just let a Keidran study at the Templar College.


Technically speaking, there was no real restriction that was meant to prevent this unique predicament, but there were some moral codes within society that were meant to… dissuade this kind of instances.


The very moment it was revealed that a Keidran was studying at the College, even though this was Edinmire, there would've have been harsh inquisitions to discover the fullest of the plot uncovered.


Which meant my implication and my subsequent… imprisonment.


Prisons weren't nice, nor where the wardens keeping the prisoners properly 'subdued'.


Yet I found myself drawn to the oddity of the rare case, or rather, the shocking circumstances that led this to happen.


Perhaps it was the fact that I was also impressed by Euchre's stupidly easy way that got him to be accepted.


He was quite keen to explain how his trait to be able to make a full transformation into a human and the use of magic ended up garnering the interest of one of the Templar Masters wandering around the lands where he was once living by.


The recommendation had been more than enough to warrant a swift enrollment without any major background checking, which was a strange detail considering how inflexible some individuals were at the administrative section of the school.


Still, the Wolf Keidran had merrily been able to join the ranks of students that were trying their best to get somewhere with their lives… only because to get a better grasp over his magic.


It was a legitimate reason to study here at the College, at least if things had been as peaceful as they were supposed to be, but within the environment presented by the students… that made things a little bit difficult. Or troublesome.


I wasn't just going to burst his bubble (yet), as I felt no reason to outright ruining his chances of getting better at controlling his own magic.


He sounded quite genuine, incredibly trusting even… and the first encounters were good proof that he was meaning it to the core.


It was absurd that someone as trusting as Euchre could just exist without having been tricked before.


He looked to be around my own age… yet I was well-aware that Keidrans aged differently from human.


Either 7 or 8 years old. He had to be half my age… and yet it was so confusing to see him having the capacity to understand complicated situations so swiftly and without any major help from my part.


When the first lessons of the new day started, I expected that I had to step in to make up for any messes the Wolf could've done during his first real day at School.


Euchre was quite eager to see how lectures worked, expecting those to be as fascinating as entertaining.


Sadly enough for him, this perception quickly proved to be quite half-wrong.


Boredom surfaced fairly quickly within the day as Economics was the first subject for the morning.


My attention was drawn to his own papers more than once as I started to see some silly doodles appearing on the empty space meant to be used to keep notes.


Nothing too childish, but he seemed particularly engrossed in trying to draw… trees.


I correlated this curious theme to the possibility he was missing a little bit home.


The Wolf Keidran had mentioned that he had been living by the lands usually owned by the Tiger Tribe nearby Edinmire, together with his parents and other bits of his family.


The professor was way too deep in his explanation that he failed to see the distracted new student, merely focusing on scribbling on the blackboard some of the major elements of the lesson, which was subsequently written down by my textbook.


The shift flied swiftly and without any major interesting detail that got my attention as I kept my focus on making sure that Euchre didn't stray away from the correct path to the next classroom.


The second lesson was about Magic Theory, and I saw a drastic increase of attention from the silver-haired young man.


Green eyes glowing with intrigue at the topic being treated by the lesson, his little happiness was dampened by the fact he wasn't still allowed to make use of magic in this very subject.


I saw him scribbling again, this time some proper notes much to my relief as I started to follow the new lesson properly for the sake of getting my own notes out of it.


Another hour went by smoothly, leaving Euchre and I to deal with the brief pause that followed the first two lessons of the day.


I hummed quietly as I started to offer the slightly-unhappy student a quick tour of the college, trying to get his attention diverted by the fact he had yet to practice with his own magic.


It was quite amusing… and annoying to see how childish the Keidran was starting to get about his main interest, quite the evident contrast to the negative kind of reaction that one would expect from a Keidran.


With my efforts proving to be quite futile in gaining any change from the gloomy mood the young man had, I eventually ended up taking him by the area that had some gardens that could be visited by students.


I had little hopes of actually getting him to pay some attention to the place, especially since I knew that it didn't have enough trees and bushes to resemble the forest around town.


Yet, much to my immense surprise and relief, the very moment he took a glimpse at the nearby gardens, I saw Euchre bolting away from where I was to see what the bright green sight.


I was quickly giving chase to him, partly glad that there was no one around to see the scene as I saw some familiar wolfy ears appear by his head… making me groan at the risk I just took.


By bringing him to a place where he could find peace away from the nostalgia, I had failed to recognize the strong possibility that he would suddenly switch in his Keidran to enjoy the experience even more.


Sighing, I started pushing some magic to my leg, boosting myself to match up the high pace adopted by the wayward silver-haired student.


He was chuckling as he studied the few bushes and the lone two trees in the courtyard, taking also notice of the small pond that was by the far side on the left from the entrance.


"Euchre," I called him with a loud tone, trying my best to quickly gain his attention as I really didn't want anyone to see him in his natural form.


The wolf seemed to recognize my voice instantly, turning around and bolting towards me.


The issue? He was going pretty fast, enough to make me panic a little as I dropped the spell boosting my own speed.


Yet I noticed way too late that I couldn't dodge the silver blur rushing towards me, and I found myself tackled to the grassy ground.


And that makes twice in the last two days.


Groaning a little, I carefully stood up as I saw the Keidran straddling at my arms.


"There- There is so much magic here!" He exclaimed giddily. "I didn't thought that- it's just-"


I frowned, putting my hand on his snout to stop him from hyperventilating as I pondered over his words.


I couldn't sense any changes compared to the rest of the school. Sure, the garden was offering some peacefulness that it wasn't present in the hallways of the school but…


Maybe it was something only Keidrans could sense? Something connected to the natural place?


Still, I didn't stray away from my current issue as I sighed and stared at the surprised-confused Euchre.


"You should return to human, right now," I calmly muttered, his frown intensified for some time before he realized that he had indeed switched unconsciously.


The transformation was swift and he let out an uneasy smile about it. "Sorry, I was taken by- This place is amazing."


I blinked at his comment. "I suppose you can feel natural magic?"


He nodded quickly, but didn't offer any verbal input over it as we both stood up from the floor.


"This is one of the few gardens that are present in the College. Students usually stay here to study when they wants to and… the place is usually crowded the most during the weekends, when there is no school sessions," I explained calmly to him, getting a nod back. "Right now we can stay here for a while, but we really should start making our way back to the next class."


He looked unhappy at the sudden need to leave, glancing around quite frantically before giving a silent nod and following me back to the hallways.


"You will have time to visit once we're done for the lessons," I pointed out with a quiet tone. "You shouldn't be saddened by this."


Euchre sighed. "I just… I didn't thought that the college would have been so..."


"Boring?" I guessed with a hum, gaining a quick nod from the fellow student. "School isn't usually meant to be considered a place to just have fun. You learn stuff. Important stuff."


He nodded in agreement, but his grimace increased a little more. "But it's still… it feels like so much is just theoretical and not practical."


"That's because Magic can be dangerous by just trying on the field," I answered. "A single mistake can hurt people, it can hurt the user… and perhaps even more than just that."


Another nod, Euchre was understanding the situation, but that just didn't mean he was happy with the lack of 'interesting bits' within the lessons.


Glancing around for anyone that could be watching the current scene, I took a moment to sigh as I realized that we were still far from the halls busied by other students.


"Hold your palm like I am doing," I instructed calmly, preparing my right hand with my palm directed to the roof.


Euchre looked surprised at the request, but complied as he followed my instructions.


"Now close your eyes and look at the darkness," I muttered quietly, slowing my walking pace as I closed my own eyes for the little 'lesson'. "And… channel energy on your palm."


There was no verbal response, and I hoped that he was following my words by now.


"And… think about a calm light, a simple product that is giving you some sight over the world."


I could feel the warmth developing by my hand and my eyes opened to a small white flame flickering by the center of my palm.


I glanced to the side and noticed that Euchre had succeeded to with his first try.


"Now, open your eyes."


He didn't hesitate and his green orbs widened in immediate awe at the sight of a little green warmly hovering over his palm.


"I-Is that-"


"That's what many could call an 'Inner Light'," I interrupted calmly. "Many usually have it red, blue or white… but yours is green."


He blinked at the name of the spell, but then he glanced at me with some curiosity. "Why is green not common?"


"Green means that you've an unnatural attitude for nature… as a human," I included this very detail as to not make it sounds too odd. "But from my understanding, Keidrans have a deeper understanding of primal magic, and thus your magic has this color."


The young man nodded, a smile adorning his face. "That's interesting and… I'm sorry."


I blinked at the sudden apology.


"For what?" I inquired.


"I think I was annoying you by… almost revealing my identity like that," Euchre answered slowly. "It's just that I'm excited and-"


"I'm not mad," I interjected him. "It's just that you should tone down a little the enthusiasm. Being happy for learning new stuff is nice, but not make it ruin your chances of getting new spells."


He frowned and nodded. "Still-"


"We need to go to the next class, Euchre," I replied with some irritation. "I understand your concerns, but it's not as bad as you think it is and… next subject is Combat Magic so-"


I didn't have time to finish my deflection that he grasped at my arm. "That means I can use magic."


I merely had the chance to nod before I found myself pushed around by the silver-haired young man, quite an odd sight to see as we ended up taking several wrong turn because of Euchre's excitement.


But just as we prepared to take on the second half of his 'first day' here at Templar College, I failed to notice that someone else had noticed how the 'new student' had gotten close to me.


---------d-d-d-d------------d-d-d-d-------------d-d-d-d-----------d-d-d-d--------


In the present.


"So, while I thought that Euchre's own awkwardness was going to be the main issue of the day, I eventually found out that… yes, Saria?"


I paused in the middle of my narration, noticing that the brunette was holding her hand up to try and gain my attention.


"Uh, professor, I don't want to sound disrespectful but..." She briefly pointed to the side, right where a slightly-amused white-scaled dragon was quietly listening to my tale.


I blinked, frowning quickly as I realized what was really the problem.


"Nora, I thought we were done with our conversation," I commented quietly, her yellow eyes staring right onto my face. "Don't you have other business to attend?"


(And miss some interesting stories about your past?) She huffed quietly. (I think I will enjoy some more blackmail material now that I'm capable of.)


Shaking my head at her behavior, I let out a sigh. "Seriously, why do you have to snoop around my life so much?"


(You're interesting. Just like a couple of other humans I've encountered in the last few decades,) The dragoness admitted without hesitation. (And it tends to get boring without having anyone to play around with.)


"Is that why you've engaged in a fight with Mr. Legacy?" I questioned with a hint of curiosity. "The kid just doesn't seem the type to be mocking you, so what got you 'fighting' him."


I was still surprised as to how someone as young and seemingly calm as 'Trace Legacy' ended up embroiled in that kind of brawl.


A young orphan, I can remember him from some of the classes I taught and… the lasting impression I got from him was a dutiful student that barely gazed at the troubles created by his red-haired friend.


Since he had technically done nothing wrong by defending himself against Nora, I decided to let him go back to the College without much of a brief reprimand.


While he had been the victim of the situation, I was still unsure as to what exactly had happened and why he had stayed behind to 'fend off' a dragon of all creatures.


He had some hefty potential, but I was pretty certain that he wasn't nowhere as arrogant to make this silly decision.


(Private issues, I've plenty of those.) She answered swiftly.


"But none matches as a good reason to be fighting a young student from the College," I rebuked calmly. "I know you don't just do stuff… for nothing. You can play a bit, but that scene was a little more than a play."


Her lips twitched. (Ah, here is the little entertaining bit I love from you, Sam. The fact that you try your best to make sense of my sudden ideas.)


"I know about your sudden ideas, and that wasn't one," I pressed on with more force.


(Once again, why should I even offer you any reply to that?)


"Because you consider me your friend?" I was skeptical about this very idea myself, having been dealing with more kerfuffle than peace with the 'Lady Nora'. "I mean, you've a tendency to pester me a lot about my past."


(Because I'm bored and… I guess you're right about friendship,) She conceded with a nod. (Still, I don't feel like I should tell you anything.)


I shrugged. "Fair enough, then I guess you're ready to face Mary again."


… (She just isn't coming for a little scuffle with-)


"The little scuffle happened in the middle of Edinmire and reached up to this section of the city," I interjected with a snort, then I glanced at Saria. "Right before the gates of the mansion owned by the Duchess of Edinmire."


The young woman looked flattered by the little attention she was receiving, but she looked even more nervous as Nora glanced at her with some surprise.


(I almost forgot. I didn't exactly apologize for the little situation I might've caused.)


"T-There is nothing to apologize for, Lady Nora," Saria tried to appease, her nervousness peaking at that interaction. "No one was injured, that's what truly the most important thing."


The dragon nodded. (That's a fair concern and…)


Rose shuffled nervously in her seat by the couch as she looked at the dragon, her green eyes showing quite some panic at the 'dangerous' situation.


(Hello, little one.)


The Keidran gave a shaky nod. "L-Lady Nora."


Her nervous greeting was meet with a small smile from the scaled lady.


(Polite too, I wish to apologize if my form might seem imposing. I can guarantee you that I will not bring harm to you,) The dragoness mentioned. (Especially since you're a ward to Sam.)


There was a brief pause, Roselyn nodding at the calming words while Saria granted me a curious look.


"Professor, how exactly did you… make friends with Lady Nora?"


The dragon snorted at the question. (That is indeed a funny story. He will probably tell you since it was back when he still was a student… I think it was his first year's final task.)


"Yeah, I can… I think I will," I admitted with some doubts, then I blinked as I remembered something really important. "By the way, how is Reni doing?"


Nora sighed. (Still whining about having her Uncle Sammy coming to visit,) She admitted with some annoyance. (I thought I would've been her favorite, but no, she had to pick the puny human.)


"Hey now," I retorted with a stern glance. "I'm a magically-powered puny human. Let's get some facts straight."


Still, I was glad that 'my little princess' was doing well. It's been a while since I last saw her and I recall that she should be ten by now.


Little dragons are absurdly adorable...


She snorted with renewed amused. (And that's another thing I adore about you, little Sam.)


"What? My unquestionable bantering skill?" I guessed with a hint of mirthfulness, getting another snort.


I was close to get some giggles out. So close.


(More like your capacity to appear a jester despite the fact you're seriously powerful,) The dragon pointed out with a degree of seriousness. (It's genuinely close to what I try to do but… with 'kindness' replacing my usual interest in rewards.)


"You don't demand too much usually-"


(That's because I've yet to show you how a Dragon builds up their own hoard,) Nora interrupted with a sigh. (Crystals can do so much before one gets bored.)


I've heard about Dragons hoarding shiny things, precious metals, or gems that they could stare at and show some 'power' with their collections.


...Yet I don't recall ever seeing any of that in Nora's cave. Actually, that cave did look quite empty last time I saw it.


"Is that so? You mean that you always hid your treasure during my visits?" I inquired with some suspicion, gaining a bright grin from the dragon.


"Maybe?"


I stared hardly at her, but before I had the chance to do anything about it, I heard someone knocking at the only doors that led to the room.


Soon, the same Fox Keidran that had come to inform about the chaos created by Nora peeked his head and showed quite the awkward expression.


"L-Lady Saria, there is Grand Master Silverlock at the doors. She is requesting to speak with you at once."


The brunette looked tense but glanced at me for answers. "Let her… in."


I really didn't want to do this, but there wasn't much chance for me to delay this meeting.


(W-Wait, what I'm supposed to do- I really don't want to be lectured by her.)


I glanced at Nora, then I sighed as I knew that there was only one way to avoid any further headaches to erupt from that.


"Nora, cat form," I said while patting on my lap and her eyes widened, a lecherous smile appearing on her face.


(Oh, so forward~-)


"Do you want to be rescued by an impending lecture, yes or not?" I interrupted dryly, causing the dragon to huff as she morphed in her feline form.


A little white-furred cat swiftly rushed for my lap, settling well and without making use of claws.


Some moments of nervous quietness passed, but soon the door opened to reveal someone I had known for fourteen years now.


Mary had barely felt those years, and her beauty was accustomed to her magical prowess, still mostly unmatched by most members of the Templar Order.


"Duchess au Gruhen, I wish to apologize for the sudden visit but-"


And just like back when we first meet, the woman was quick to become like an unstoppable wave when she wanted.


Unless her attention was stolen away by some unexpected detail.


Like me sitting in the couch in front of the owner of this mansion, quietly petting a purring white cat on my lap.


"Samuel? What are you doing here?" Her voice lost much of her seriousness and her surprise revealed in quite the blunt way.


I blinked, but instead of giving her a warm look I kept my emotions locked away for what was going to be a really annoying discussion to have.


"Grand Master Silverlock, I was merely visiting one of my former students and my newest ward," I pointed out calmly. "In fact, I was just offering some tales of my youth considering the occasion."


The comment lacked any genuine sense of warmth, something that the now silver-haired woman took as a suspicious sign as she turned her attention back to Saria… and Roselyn.


Part of me expected an outburst from the woman, knowing very well that it was one of the possible reactions to this kind of discoveries…


And yet she was silent for a couple of moments, with her eyes widening as she spotted the now-cowing Keidran, with Rose looking as fearful as ever at being so close to the cause of her time spent imprisoned.


There was no loud voice, there was no sudden burst. Mary merely looked away and sighed.


"She is a criminal-"


"Wrong, try again," I shot back with a sigh. "And please, be a little bit more honest."


"She is a liar, she probably told you about-"


"Incorrect," I interrupted with a heavier sigh, gaining a frown from my 'boss'. "She didn't need to tell me anything as I knew a lot already."


…


"You knew that Euchre was a-"


"Since the first day he has been at the College," I interjected with the answer. "But I think that argument is kind of secondary considering that you were responsible for quite the issue I find myself trying to solve. The mess- the- why you had to make this much of a mess over this topic!"


She flinched. "I-I don't understand-"


"You imprisoned Rose," I answered, my teeth gritting as I really hoped that this wasn't the kind of tug of war I was meant to have as a conversation. I really didn't need that. "Despite the fact Euchre told you the truth."


"She was dangerous-"


"She barely knows anything about magic!" I felt my voice rising up at the pleas, feeling them more as stupid walls to cover for the horrible fallout born from that ill decision than anything constructive from her part. "And you thought that it was alright to still keep her imprisoned."


"She would've told the truth."


"No, she wouldn't have," I rebuked with a groan. "I really find your excuses lacking, and I hope you understand that you lost much of my respect after this horrible ordeal."


"But-"


"And tell Euchre that I wish to have to do nothing about with him as I consider his position even worse than yours during this event," I stated, my anger bubbling even more as I continued to speak with her.


I could see memories flashing in my mind. Happy memories that were supposed to bring me joy, and yet now were just becoming even more stabs at the fact that my perception of both had shattered with just this very instance.


I was furious that this had happened, that both of them would've behaved so foolishly.


Yet I restrained myself from escalating even more, feeling my emotions conditioning my magic and… I could hear some purring coming from my lap.


I stared down, my glare softening as I saw Nora giving me a raspberry while lying with her belly up.


Like a cat demanding some rubs.


(Prr-ease?)


Cheeky dragon.


(Silly human~.)


The reply was met with a curt smile before I felt my fury calming down a little.


"Samuel, I can assure you that-"


"The situation concerning Lady Nora and Mr. Legacy has already been solved, Grand Master," I interrupted one last time, my tone showing just tiredness and disappointment. "Your presence here is no longer needed, nor welcome."


There was some silence at first, and I felt a small part of my mind that thought that she wasn't going to budge away from her current standing.


Yet she finally moved as I heard some footsteps, her attention directed at the door as she slowly retreated away through it and back to the entrance.


She stopped for a moment.


"Lady au Gruhen, once more my apologies for interrupting your private affairs," The woman apologized quietly… then she sighed. "Samuel, I'm sorry."


It would've been a good start… if I had been the one that truly suffered through it. She thought that the slight had been made at me, yet her faults had seen Rose as the victim.


Mary didn't linger any further, I could see her shivering a little and it was just too calm to be anger.


It was sadness as she knew she was at fault in this instance.


Silence reigned for a while and I looked at Roselyn to see how she was faring after such an encounter.


The wolf keidran was sobbing quietly as Saria had offered her an embrace, one which the red-haired woman had been more than happy to accept.


I didn't interrupt that moment, staring down at Nora as she sighed.


(You had to be cruel. Or she would've thought her way to be correct.)


Doesn't mean that I feel happy about it.


---------d-d-d-d-------------d-d-d-d------------d-d-d-d------------d-d-d-d--------


AN


Two words.


Baby Reni. I really want to see that.


(Same.)


...Oh God, how did you find this place?


(I know it sounds odd, but there was a nice Bear lady that-)


I will have to offer some words to Ambar and- Hello Nora.


(Greetings, little Author. I've heard that you're writing a story… about me?)


You're in it, but you are not the protagonist.


(Tragic, but still I hope that Trace is in here too).


He is 14, I will not ship him with you.


(...So cruel.)


But necessary, sorry.


(No problem~.)

 

[JBukharin]

Chapter 4: Explosions 'n' Roses


I had expected for other issues to rise up after the first troublesome situations with Euchre right by the first day. I wasn't utterly certain of it, but I had nurtured back then the thought that the Incognito Keidran would have manifested even more strange habits that could've drawn suspects over his identity.


Much to my surprise and immense luck, two weeks went by without any major hassle happening to the two of us. There were plenty of bumps along these days, but nothing that genuinely poised a problematic circumstance to deal over, despite the young man's eagerness to learn proving to get overbearing more than once.


He was making progress in adapting to the human customs while studying from the lectures and from my own advices over the crucial subject. Calm and confidence were there to push him in the right direction when someone like me was around to keep an eye on him.


While Euchre wasn't as naive as I first painted him to be, I did see some childish or overtly simplistic undertones in his actions and thinking. Careful but also curious, I had to deal with quite the complicated character while continuing to face the daily annoyance presented by the homework.


The workload wasn't meant to be cumbersome. In a normal circumstance. But I was supposed to find a balance to the 'mixed burden' and the 'furred one' represented by the Wolf Keidran. The silver-haired young man was quick on his feet with most of magical-related subjects, theory seemingly becoming easy for him to stomach without much of a minor whine.


The real issue manifested with the management/non-magical subjects that Euchre was supposed to deal with like any other student at the College. Mathematics was a basic subject that was easy to learn about, but difficult to apply with the advanced economics-related exercises within the standard textbook.


If enduring the boredom of listening a theory-only lesson had driven the young man to boredom, these other topics seemed to push the Keidran to actually display an emotion I had long thought him to be devoid of. Euchre could actually hate, I discovered, and its main enemy were the complex formulas that were quick to give him headaches.


Considering the overall situation of the fellow student, I could see why he was having this much of a struggle before Mathematics of all subjects. Not only it was an essential part of the College because of how largely important it was to society's inner-workings, but it was rather unforgiving with how the subject had been compressed in heavy lessons to go through each time. And while I couldn't relate to the full extent of his plight, I did share some of his hatred over the irking lectures I had been suffering from the very beginning of my stay here.


But while this entire description of the last fourteen or so days might seem to clearly highlight the lack of serious problems, there were still some lingering issues that developed right as a certain individual took notice of Euchre.


Mary took the news that the new student was my current roommate with mixed emotions. She looked to be happy that I finally had 'someone to talk to', but soon her politeness strained when she got a taste of the silver-haired young man's giddy nature.


I was wary of having these two meet, especially with the young woman's known hatred for Keidrans of all kinds. In fact, I was quite surprised when she actually ended up creating a strange relationship with the mostly-clueless newcomer.


While Euchre failed to notice that the brunette had taken extra notice to 'compete against him' during the various classes focusing on Practical Magic, I had swiftly realized that he had become a target of curiosity for Mary.


It wasn't anything malicious, nor anything even remotely close to the bully-like mentality that some students had. It was… rivalry. An attempt to emulate one at least, and I slowly came to understand why the girl wanted this situation to be like it was.


Up until Euchre started to show his impressive grasp over practical magic compared to many other 'prodigious' students, Mary had been the 'first' of the class. She was polite, she was respectful and respected, but – most of all – she was also someone that had no serious opponent to this title.


Which was a good thing for her... up until boredom started to pile up within the girl. I could technically be considered someone that could come close to her displayed potential if I had put some more efforts, but I really didn't want to be subjected to the spotlight and the risks that came from that kind of predicament.


And then someone that was worthy enough to hold a candle to her. The silver-haired young man was absurdly clueless that his earnest attitude in showing his natural grasp over magic was actually bringing was more issues than good things.


I had warned him from being this quick to 'show-off' his abilities. It was all for the sake of getting singled out by some nasty fellows in the classrooms. Some had noticed him already, but had restrained themselves all because Mary was the one that got the most interest on him.


And the interactions between the two were… pure comedy gold. In the few occasion that I wasn't actually forced to intervene or stay close to Euchre to avoid his cover to be blown up by some silly mistakes, I would be the only spectator of the curious exchanges between the two strange students.


Sure, Mary was a model student… but her approach to try to intimidate, or at least garner Euchre's interest, proved to be hilarious to say the least. I was absolutely stomped by how genuinely adorable a rule-abiding, stern fifteen years old girl could turn so suddenly.


The brunette was delving in uncharted territory, and she was completely unprepared to deal with the wall of dense that was the Incognito Keidran. The mere attempt to establish some 'stable ground' from where the girl could make some proclamations was easily shattered by the genuine confusion visible on his face.


Unbalanced by the lack of proper return to her remarks was enough to push her to beat some hasty retreats before messing her own situation by failing to 'understand her enemy'.


It was amusing up until she started to knock at the door of our room early in the morning. Which was today.


Imagine my surprise when some loud noises got me waking up despite my plans to enjoy more hours of sleep considering that it was Sunday.


I jumped off the bed when I started hearing the knocking, the sound being twisted by my sleep-dominated brain into something much louder and worrying. My eyes snapped open and I sported an alarmed look as I quickly took a look over the entire situation within the dormroom.


Euchre was still sleeping. I could see that he had morphed back in his Keidran form and that he was snoring lightly over his pillow. He seemed to have failed to have woken up at the noise, yet his wolf-like ears were twitching actively and attentively at it.


With my mind calmly assessing the fact that there didn't seem to be any issue within the room, I turned my attention to look at the door as the umpteenth knocking streak reached my ears.


I stood up from the floor and quietly paced to the door, slowly going to open it and… frown when I found myself staring at Mary patiently waiting outside.


"Samuel. I need to talk with Euchre about-" The brunette 'greeted' as she tried to push the door open and enter inside the room, prompting me to keep it close much to her surprise.


"We're both underdressed right now. Euchre is sleeping right now and… good morning to you too Mary." I dryly remarked, gaining a petite scowl on her face. "Why are you here?"


"I wish to challenge Euchre in a magical spar."


Terrible idea. I wasn't sure how the young man's morphing skill worked, and I was unsure if magical attacks somehow hindered the effects of his current transformation.


I blinked at that blunt comment. "I don't think challenge and spar can coexist with whatever you wish to do with him."


"As if that would matter. I just want him to come at the Eastward Section once he's awake and properly dressed," The girl rebuked calmly. "I seek to know more about my-"


"Rival?"


"F-Fellow prodigious student," She almost tripped at my sudden conclusion, a little blush spreading on her cheeks.


"You made that one up, didn't you?" I inquired with a hint of teasing. She returned it with a huff.


"Just make sure he's decent and prepared for the spar," The brunette deflected with an irritated tone. "And I will not take 'No' as an answer."


She didn't offer me a chance to press for more details as she quickly marched away from the living quarters, perhaps unwilling to be subjected to any more ridicule from my part.


It wasn't my fault that she was literally being so 'fragile' and 'normal' after having seen her being an individual way too mature and 'political' for someone our age. Yet, I still complied by getting Euchre to wake up from his 'happy dreams'.


He was confused over the fact I had promised him to wake him up way later than now, and yet he seemed to change tune the moment I mentioned what had caused this little diversion of plans.


"But… I can't fight," The young man blurted out as we were in the middle of putting on our uniforms. I stopped in the process of putting on the pants to stare up in shock at that.


"What?"


"I mean, I… I do know the basics of using lances- but magically-wise, I'm not well-versed in offensive spells," He explained with some hesitation. "I never saw a purpose to learn anything that could hurt people."


I saw the logic, which prompted me to nod along his lines. But I still felt like we had been put in quite the worst situation. Actually, the one that was going to be taking the brunt was the Wolf Keidran since he was the one supposed to be fighting the brunette.


But that couldn't just be allowed. At least not with the unpleasant ramifications that the event would have if that happened.


Thus I found myself forced to find a reason for Euchre to not challenge Mary in a spar. The process quietly persisted up until the two of us were slowly making our way towards where the girl had been waiting, her stare fixed on Euchre as we entered inside the sparring area.


An idea slowly gained consensus within my mind, and yet I was unsure of how well it would perform against someone like the brunette. Still… I had to give it a try, or lest things were going to be dreadful for the following few hours.


"Finally you're both here and-"


"Mary," I quietly interrupted her, yet something 'off' was purposely left within my tone. It was enough to draw both Euchre's and Mary's attention on me, with the latter frowning at my interjection. "I think you should give an apology."


The frown turned into a confused look. "What are you talking about?"


"You didn't bother to apologize for literally waking the two of us so early in the morning," I answered with a tense voice. "It's Sunday, and there is no school in session. You could've at least shown some courtesy over the fact that people are still sleeping right now- heck, I think we're the only students awake."


She seemed hesitant at my lengthy reply, yet she tried to muster up a brave face about it.


"I'm sorry, Samuel, but there is a need to-"


"I will be the one sparring you."


…


"W-What- why?"


Even Euchre looked shocked at this development. He seemed trying to keep up with the loose logic I was trying to apply to this tight predicament, failing as much as the brunette was.


Hopefully, I used the proper tones with these words… or else hell waited for me from this point onward.


"I've been staying up awake up until midnight to get Monday's homework done, so that I could've enjoyed a pleasant Sunday," I muttered with a 'sweet smile'. "Do you understand how much I was literally wishing to get more hours of sleep? How much I was literally asking from the mighty Gods for some mercy over the burdens we students have?"


…


"I-" She tried to rebuke, her voice faltering at the uneasiness created by my current mood. While I had thought it to be a distraction, I wasn't completely off from the truth over the terrible wave of sleep I was suffering.


I can hear my bed calling~.


"So, we are doing a spar," I confirmed, offering no space for protests as I took the lead towards the small arena. "And I hope you will not hold back for any reasons."


Mary seemed to recover at that very comment. "You wouldn't be ready for dealing me without restrictions-"


"I think you're in for some surprise," I interrupted one last time as we both stared at each other, a couple of meters apart as we prepared for the brawl to start. Euchre took one of the empty seats by the closest row in the spectators' section.


There was no referee, there was no teacher to keep a watch over some 'friendly spar' between two young students. There wasn't anything 'wrong' that would've come out of this little bonding session.


And while Mary looked sure of her own abilities, she had quite the uncertain look as I stretched a little bit in preparation for a 'completely fine' match between two youthful students.


Yes, my mind had finally driven out the last bits of sleepiness hindering my irritation to properly shine out of my thoughts and in my current behavior. Was I angry? No, of course I wasn't pissed because I had been forced out of bed for some silly, but amusing attempts from the brunette.


And I certainly wasn't mere moments away from screech up at the fact I was missing the comfy bed that was in my room.


So when the girl prepared her first incantation, I went along with my own spells. It was going to be still a tough fight and-


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In the present.


I paused in my narration, noticing that Saria had her hand up as if to ask a question.


It was early in the morning, the ordeals of the previous day having pushed me to delay the continuation of these tales to the next day. Dinner proved to be quite the interesting sight to be part of.


The owner of the house couldn't restrain herself from pestering me for details over my connection with Lady Nora, just like she used to do back during the last years of her stay at the Templar College.


The brunette was incredibly curious over why the strongest of all Dragons would accept the degree of informality that existed in our exchanges and… the answers were painfully simple.


It just is. She is like that with people that gain her interest. And… I guess that she likes it best when people she trust talk to her in a non-formal manner.


I restrained myself from giving out anything else about it, leaving the Duchess to pout for a large part of the dinner as the meal went on for about twenty or so minutes.


Rose was mostly quiet during the occasion. I was quick to realize that the red-haired Keidran had zoned out from the conversation and retreated in her thoughts as she digested what had happened in the last few hours.


Confusion, surprise, interest- but also pain, shock and fear. That wasn't the kind of emotions one wanted to deal all at once, especially if they were recovering from the degrading circumstances of imprisonment.


I decided to let her be for the rest of the night, and Saria seemed to share the same thoughts about it as we continued with the talk for the remainder of the dinner.


The room that I was given was one of the various ones that were assigned to important guests, and I didn't bother too much the servants left to my service as I knew that I wasn't meant to exaggerate with the hospitality allowed by my student.


The only reason I was there was… to give answers to doubt. Doubts that a certain Wolf Keidran had yet to make sense of, but needed to get some solutions to.


It was odd how a frightened young woman was getting more out of my past than the rest of the people that had tried to get close to the truth. Maybe it was the circumstances behind her 'being here' that got me talking, or maybe it was the fact that I really needed to come out clean with those that really deserved some truth from the world.


Roselyn had suffered for something beyond her control, and she had been betrayed by someone I had trusted so dearly to consider a brother in all but blood.


I was miffed, but not in the normal meaning of the world. The fury was dampened by the very memories I was retelling to the two ladies, enough to make me doubt over how I was supposed to be dealing with Euchre.


I knew that Mary was going to alert my former friend about this situation and I knew he was going to be marching in to the mansion before the end of the week, possibly with the Master Templar on tow, but I was also fairly sure that he wouldn't have risked a direct confrontation this soon and without a solid plan to avoid any unpleasant aftermaths.


After fifteen years of helping him around to build up a refined mind with his natural strategic and tactical thoughts to be shaped into a decent mastermind, I was quite aware of how his brain worked and what kind of steps he will end up taking about this delicate situation.


...Goddammit, I should've expected that I was actually aiding the formation of someone quite difficult to face on a battle of minds. To think I would've ended up creating a monster that even I was unable to face without some support on the side.


I missed Euchre's early naivety… and I missed his puppy-eyed stares! Now I got the smug and teasing one to deal with. Why is the world so cruel?!


Still, with these thoughts keeping me awake for some time, I wounded up getting a few hours worth proper rest. Dreamless, undisturbed rest.


Nora had left before I had hit the bed, whining about the fact she still had to deal with her own issues back home about some complaints directed at her rule. It was… quite normal considering how frequently she was harassing normal people and bringing even more issues to the dragonkind with her naughty trips.


Her pranks were legendary and known to the rest of the world… except nobody knew the true name of the 'devious mind' behind those.


Truly a childish and perverted dragon. Yet she managed to greedily get a few more belly-rubs in her kitten form before leaving the mansion for good.


Clever girl.


Once I was awake, I noticed that breakfast had a completely different note compared to the previous day's dinner. It was In this occasion that I took notice of a slightly-happier Rose and a partly zombified Saria.


The brunette was never a morning person even back when she was in Templar College. Something that sadly I had shared too as a daily plight back in a couple of years ago… then I discovered a spell that helped relax muscles and I solved the drowsiness that would keep me drained and confused in the first few hours of the morning.


With breakfast flying away as I quietly stared at Roselyn as she eagerly enjoying her share of the food present in the table, we soon found ourselves reaching back to the living room where the girls took their previous seats as I prepared to resume my own tale-telling.


It was about before I had the chance of actually going through with the details of the battle that happened between Mary and I that I found myself stopping to sigh at Saria's sudden interest at asking a question over the story.


"Yes, Saria?"


The young woman retracted her arm with a curious look. "From the way you described that section, I can't help but think back when you mentioned back during one of the past lectures about the 'Arrogance example'. The one about the prodigious student getting defeated swiftly and with some humiliation by the lazier student."


"And?" I pressed on with some amusement building up, knowing well enough where she was going with this logical thought.


"Is… Is Master Silverlock the prodigious student?"


My smile twitched. "Yes."


"And you were 'lazy'?"


I frowned at the way she phrased the follow-up question. "It was either lazy or laidback, the latter being the closest to the truth, but I saw it fit to lessen the overall correlation to the real story."


"But didn't you say that you weren't prepared to-"


"In terms of magical power, I was slightly inferior to Mary," I interrupted quickly, pondering back at that fond memory of my time as a student. "I didn't have the magical reserves she had back then… but I had a few things that made the difference."


… "And those were?" The brunette pressed on, her attention spurned by the giddy smile on my face.


"Irritation, creativity, and a spell capable of creating the effects of a medium-sized explosion."


"You- You used an explosive spell in a school?" Roselyn inquired quickly, her green eyes widening at this development. "I thought it was just a spar."


"Oh, but it wasn't an explosive spell. Rather it was an illusion spell that replicated the sound and the imagery of explosions," I corrected and assured both women. "It didn't literally explode. But… Mary didn't know back then."


…


Saria snorted, a giggle being held back by a twitchy smile painting her face.


"Prof, you pranked the Master Templar- and all because she woke you up too early in the morning?" She almost collapsed in a laugh while bringing this up. "I… I mean, it's a legitimate reason but the entire situation is just-"


"Hilarious," I interrupted with a happy sigh. "That was what I felt when I saw her panic. She thought I was trying to actually hurt her, despite the fact that nothing was getting in the process."


Still, I shook my head at the aftermath. "Mary was so pissed when I told her what had happened when she forfeited. She was furious, but also impressed by the spell that I used," I stopped for a moment to think back at the other side of the situation. "But I had to spend a lot of time apologizing with Euchre over the matter. He was utterly frightened by the situation and he literally had to sleep with-"


I stopped, my face paling as I remembered perfectly how it ended and how awkward it would be to explain to the two women how I ended up dealing with a certain silver-haired Wolf Keidran having trouble sleeping alone.


"Sleep with what? A pillow or-" Saria asked with some interest, curiosity swelling in her features at this abrupt interruption.


"A pillow. Something similar," I curtly nodded as I avoided for her to keep on with that trail of thoughts. "Still, that entire situation changed things… immensely for all of us. I thought that Mary would've lessened her efforts after this experience- that her loss would've dampened her need to challenge Euchre around."


"But she didn't," Rose piped in quietly, staring at me with rapt attention. "What happened from there?"


"Mary stopped asking about spars and challenges, but she still kept her interest on Euchre," I answered calmly. "The thing that truly brought a massive change was that she started to hang out with the two of us. What was once an acquaintance slowly became a-"


"Friend?" Saria suggested.


"I would say that it would happen later… but sure. There were the basis there already… it's just that Mary was a little more on the 'pest' side after that 'spar'."


…


"Samuel?" Rose asked quietly, breaking the little veil of silent created after my last words.


"Hmm?"


"I remember Euchre being like this," The Keidran muttered quietly. "Kind, silly and… loyal."


I didn't need her to continue through with this little derail from the previous topics as I had a couple of hints with these words what she was alluding to, so I sighed and nodded at her.


"You want to know what made him change so much?" I inquired with a frown.


"Yes."


I sighed again. "I would say that there are two things that are responsible for his current self, with the first one being life itself. There had been experiences that just pushed Euchre to grow out of his older self."


"What about… the other one?" The red-haired young woman asked with curiosity.


I blinked. "You're talking to him."


…


"What?"


"By being close to Euchre, I was the one that he interacted the most during our years spent at the College and as colleagues in the Templar Council," I explained with a sad tone. "I tried to help him cope with some of his worries. Offer him advices to deal with some issues that had came from his relationship with Mary and- things just got to a point where I thought he really didn't need my close watch."


"Considering how it all ended up like… I think you were wrong, Prof."


Saria's comment got me leaning a little on my couch, my stare lifting up to look at the ceiling. I silently stared away from my interlocutors as I wandered off to my memories.


Once again, a clear proof of failure on my part to make sure Euchre turned into the best of persons.


It had been worry that had driven my first steps in that tentative friendship, but after mere months from interacting with the silver-haired Keidran… I knew that it was just goodwill pushing me through the worst cases that came so close to unveil the truth over his identity.


"I think so myself," I muttered back, still deciding against returning my glance to the two.


But despite my best efforts to conclude this conversation and try to resume with my stories, I noticed Roselyn shifting in her seat.


"It's not your fault."


I blinked. "It kind of is."


"It's not," She pressed on with some conviction in her tone. "Euchre is a smart man, he is an adult and… he should've been the one to do the right thing."


"Rose-" I heard Saria muttering, perhaps as an effort to make the redhead back away from this subject.


"I'm fine but- but I think it's hypocritical to let you think that you're at fault for something you had no hand into," Rose continued, ignoring the brunette's plea. "Am I at fault for getting sent to prison, Samuel?"


I frowned, finally lowering my stare at her. "No. Of course you aren't-"


"Then-" She interrupted, standing up from her seat and walking quietly right by the couch I had taken, sitting right beside me as her bright green eyes and wide smile greeted me. "Then we are both innocent about this."


…


Now, wasn't that a pretty surprise?


Actually… it was a beautiful one. Like a flower.


Now, now I can see what you meant that she looked like a pretty rose, Euchre.


"I suppose… that this logic makes some serious sense," I admitted with a nod. "I guess I was just being silly back then."


She sighed, her brave mask never faltering once in that exchange. "Only a little bit. You had all reasons to think that you might have made a mistake- but I can assure you that it wasn't your fault."


I smiled at that, finding it relieving that this wasn't a momentary instance of courage. Rose did look to have recovered enough from the recent situations and she seemed a little less frightened by the current circumstances.


"And-" The Keidran muttered with some nervousness. "Can I ask you a favor, Samuel?"


Blinking, I stared back at her with a curious look. "Is it a big one?"


"Not… truly. It's just something that I think it's necessary and… I should've asked to do before than now."


Another blink, yet I conceded her the opportunity with a nod and I expected this favor to be something that she had to said.


I certainly hadn't expected her to shift closer and wrap her arms around my waist. The sudden action surprised me for a while, but I slowly had my own arms go around her and complete the hug.


"Thank you."


It was muffled by the fact she had her muzzle pressed on my chest, her face hidden by her red hair as she kept the embrace going for some time.


The surprise finally dwindled away as I enjoyed the hug a little more. But just as I expected for it to be a simple moment of warmth, I noticed that Saria had her hands keeping her lips shut from releasing some giggles.


I followed her stare right to the lower back of the Keidran, where her fluffy tail was… wagging a little bit.


My smile widened at the amusing sight.


Truly a lovely little Rose.


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AN


Remember kids! If you want to defeat a cheeky girl, you just need to go-


(-Megumin and show them the power of explosions… Wait, who is Megumin?)


Did you just read that from my mind?


(Duh. By the way, why wasn't I around in this chapter?)


Can't keep you here eternally. You will make a return soon-


(You better hope for that. Or I might start playing around with my magic.)


Duly noted. Then I pray for Future me about this matter.