Chapter 24

Kazu found the current scene amusing. He didn’t care if the five men were there to cause trouble. In fact, he welcomed it since there was nothing to do for the rest of the day. His statement to Sage yesterday liberated him from the burden of having to keep his strength in check. If they were to fight now, it might give him a bit of entertainment and more information on how strong people his age were. He knew Gorn Igg from yesterday was above average, but he didn’t know by how much. After all, Gorn struck class U when most were tired. For all Kazu knew, Gorn was a dirty player who struck when the enemy was down, tired, couldn’t fight back.

“You are Sir Kazu I assume? My name is Alan Stone.” The man in the middle said, staring into Kazu’s eyes. He was the tallest of the bunch with short red hair. His facial structure was masculine and crude, much like the caucasians that were always portrayed on TV back in Japan.

“So what?” Kazu yawned. Rumors must’ve spread about yesterday already, but to even get his name surprised Kazu inside.

“We wish to see Riona Rye,” Alan said, “May we enter?”

“You know, I don’t really know,” Kazu said, blocking the way in.

“Is there any reason why we can’t see her?” Alan asked.

“No no, just one reason.” Kazu crossed his arms. “We’re in the middle of class.”

“This is class?” Alan paused for a moment to look inside. “I see. May I know what this exercise accomplishes?”

“I dunno.” Kazu shrugged. “Ask the teacher? Hell, you can see I’m not even bothering with it.”

“If you’re not participating in class activities, then intruding for a bit does no harm,” Alan insisted.

Kazu sighed. “Look, can’t you take a hint? No means no.”

“Forgive me, Sir Kazu, I do not understand at all,” Alan had an oblivious face, “Surely since you’re not doing the class exercise, it is ok for us to intrude for a bit.”

At this point, Kazu couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “See here, everyone in our class right now don’t want to talk to second years. You know, after they got roughed up by them yesterday.”

“I still don’t see the problem, Sir Kazu.” Alan scratched his head. “I’m a knight. Knights hold honor next to their heart!”

“Aaah…” Kazu shook his head. “You may be just stupid or something.”

“Hey!” One of the other ‘knights’ shouted. “I am Krishan Wingflood. I challenge you to a duel! Insulting a knight… you’ll pay for that!”

Krishan was a bit shorter than Kazu. He wore his purple hair in a ponytail. Purple, the same as Daniel. Both of them had an effeminate face, something Kazu loathed. Just the sight of pretty boys alone made an itching creep up the back of his head.

“Nn? Wingflood?” Kazu narrowed his eyes. “Shoo, challenge not accepted.”

“Calm down Krishan.” Alan patted his head, then turning his head back to Kazu. “I’m sure we can understand the problem together.”

“There is no problem!” Kazu shouted annoyed, “Just leave and this will all be over!”

“Again, we have matters to attend to here. As a knight, we must do our duties. Right men?” Alan raised his chest.

“That’s right!” A different man from behind spoke.

“Such a great speech” Another man from behind cried. “Boss is so awesome!”

“I’ll correct myself,” One of Kazu’s eyes twitched, “You’re all stupid.”

“We are not stupid!” Alan shouted, “We are knights. Now please, let us do our duty.”

“Aah, I give up…” Kazu sighed, “What duty are you going on about?”

“I’m glad you asked, my dear good friend Sir Kazu.” Alan smiled. “Our duty is to relay this letter to Riona Rye given to us by the principal. We do not know of the contents of this letter. However, we do know of its importance.”

“Just that?” Kazu asked.

“Just that.” Alan stated.

“Alright, hand it over. I’ll send it over,” Kazu said.

“I cannot do that!” Alan widened his eyes, shouting. “The letter must be given to Riona Rye with my two hands. Entrusting our duty to a common folk like you may lead you to burden!”

“Knight Alan, it is not like that at all. Riona Rye entrusted me with her own hands,” Kazu lied, holding in his laugh, “By passing me the letter, you are passing it onto Riona herself.”

“Oohh!” Alan marveled, “I understand now. Then, I, Alan Stone, willfully entrust you with this letter in hopes that you safely courier it to Riona Rye.” Alan handed Kazu a letter, closed with a wax seal.

“Boss!” Krishan shouted angrily, “How can you trust this man who insulted you?! I say he’s lying!”

“Fool!” Alan yelled, “Knights have no need for lies. His words do not have any malice; therefore, they are trustworthy words.”

“But he’s not a knight!” Krishan argued.

“Krishan, your mind is much too young.” Alan shook his head. “Sir Kazu is indeed a knight. He defeated the vile tyrant Gorn of the Igg family yesterday. Even going as far as to protect his own classmates from harm. Who are we, us lowly ranking knights, to judge such a splendid knight?”

“B-boss…” Krishan gritted his teeth. A small tear formed at the edge of his eye. “This lowly knight eyes were clouded with prejudice.” Krishan turned his eyes to Kazu, “Sir Kazu, forgive me. May your journey on delivering the letter be safe, and thank you for protecting Riona.”

“Brothers, let us depart. Our duty is completed.” Alan raised his chest again, walking out, but not before bidding Kazu his farewell.

Before walking away, Kazu shook his head, not wanting to figure out what had just happened.

Dragging his feet back over to Mel, he felt a little disappointment. Kazu wanted a fight. Instead, he received and watched a comedy scene.

“Kazu. I’m going out for a bit.” Mel interrupted his thought.

“Where to?” Kazu asked.

“To eat. Hehe. Sene gave me allowance!” Mel snickered.

“Tch, you sound so proud,” Kazu jabbed, “Want me to go with?”

“Nnn,” Mel shook her head. “I’ll go alone. You need to stay here and watch them, just incase. You know I’m not that nice to use my magic for other people.”

“Hmph, boooring.” Kazu yawned. “How long are you going to be gone for?”

“‘Til just before class is over.” Mel waved while running to the exit like a child.

He knew what she meant. Even though the class can expend their energy longer without tiring themselves out, this method of training also had its downsides. A person could continue to expend their energy without having actual mana to fuel their expenditure, and they wouldn’t know when to stop. Kazu experienced it himself, an injury that could not be cured with this world’s magic. Mel told him that since she was there, he was lucky.

Kazu used Detailed Scan on the envelope before going over to Riona. His breathing became ragged from using a high cost skill. However, he got what he wanted. It showed him the contents of the letter, but a bit of guilt rose up from his heart from reading it.

Dear Riona, my daughter,

By the time you get this letter, it’ll be winter time. The winters here in the north are very cold. Are you doing well? How’s Daniel doing? Remember to keep yourself warm, even during your practice. Make sure you follow what your father says. He might be cold, but you know that’s how he is.

Anyways, I’m writing this letter to you to tell you of my health. Mother is doing fine. The doctors say I’m slowly recovering from the illness. At most, they’ll discharge me in a few more months. I’ll be hoping to see you then.

Love,

Eireen Rye

Kazu headed over to Riona and called out, “Oi, Riona, there’s a letter for you.”

“Who is it from?” Riona took the envelope from Kazu.

“Man named Alan Stone? Maybe. Dunno.” Kazu shrugged.

Kazu watched Riona as she read the letter, a variety of expressions flashing across her face. A part of him wanted to ask what was wrong, another part of him told him to stay out of it. She must’ve had problems in her family, he guessed.

He watched her scrunch up the letter into her pocket, something he was able to relate to. At that time, all he thought about was to ignore the letter, hoping someone else would come along to solve it for him. No, in that wooded path, he wanted someone to tell him to straighten up and nudge him forward. Still, even if he understood a tiny bit of Riona, the words never left his mouth, and he went and sat down the edge of the facility, watching his classmates’ progress. She nodded at him with a solemn smile, then continued her training.

Hours went by, and Kazu had stopped most of the students from continuing with their practice half way to lunch time, allowing them, after some, rest to continue. Riona was the last to be stopped by Kazu, just before the 3rd hour mark. None of them reached the goal of 5 hours. Despite that, Kazu knew it was a starting point, and he kept a mental note of how long each classmate held their spells. Without knowing how long they can last, they wouldn’t know how much they were progressing. As Mel had done coaching for him, Kazu would do it for his classmates.

When lunch time hit, Kazu saw everyone relax their postures. Looking at his classmates, they were slightly exhausted, but in much better condition than after yesterday’s disaster, even if Gorn had beaten them up. After showering off their sweat, everyone went to the cafeteria with growling stomachs.

Kazu sat on the cafeteria table alone. He wondered what Mel was doing, and why her adventure for a restaurant would take as long as the end of classes. But as he was about to start imagining the mountains of food in front of Mel, he heard a couple thuds beside and around him.

“Yo,” Cristen placed her tray on table facing Kazu. Following her, the timid Lawrie sat beside her with a sigh.

“Lawrie,” Cristen nudged,“Tell Kazu what you wanted to say.”

“U-umm… thank you for helping the class out,” Lawrie mumbled.

“Its nothing much.” Kazu smiled. “We’re all in the same class together, aren’t we?”

“You make it sound so easy.” Lawrie sighed. “Sure enough, your training method was simple. Still, if it were me, I wouldn’t have told anyone else about it. Maybe only Cristen.”

“Heeh, for someone that looks so innocent, you’re pretty sneaky,” Kazu said. “Anyways, I know it’s not about that you came to me right?”

“Hmph. Can’t we sit with a friend?” Cristen snorted. “Or are we not your friend?”

“Calm down Cris,” Lawrie trembled, glancing at Cristen then back to Kazu. “Though, it’s true we sat with you because we’d like to be friends with you, but there is something I want to ask you.”

“Is it my black hair?” Kazu joked.

“Eh? No, it’s not,” Lawrie replied, looking confused for a second. “Do you have any connections with Sage?”

Kazu’s eyes widened, “Oi, don’t tell me you’re with that woman?”

“Haaah?” Cristen grunted, “Watch your mouth Kazu. I respect you, but you better not pair my Lawrie with anyone else. Lawrie, stop dancing around the topic already!”

“Ahem, alright.” Lawrie inhaled and said, “I assume you already know about the ‘eyes’?”

“Yep, what of it?” Kazu replied.

“Good. That means you’re already up to date with everything happening around Riona.” Lawrie nodded in confidence. “Before I get into the blunt of the subject, do you have any sort of relationship with Riona?”

“Even if I did, why should I tell you?” Kazu smirked. “For all I know, you could be one of the enemy’s pawns.”

“It’s funny how you mention pawns when Sage is playing you by her fingertips.” Lawrie smiled, yet to Kazu, his smile had no sincerity. “Rest assured Kazu, these cafeteria tables have silencing spells. No one can hear us nor can we hear them. Although clairvoyants can still hear you by sneaking in a string.”

“That doesn’t assure me one bit,” Kazu said, “Let’s just put it this way: if I see you being suspicious around Riona, she’ll be the last thing you see while your head rolls on the floor.”

“Idle threats are, at most, idle, Kazu.” Lawrie sighed. “But if that is your goal, then would it not be correct if I assume you were put on the job by Sage?”

“Meh, no point in hiding it. Although I’m doing it in a completely different method than what Sage said to do. So what?” Kazu answered.

“Good news for you. We’re in the same position as Sage,” Lawrie declared, “Although you mention chess pieces, there isn’t really two sides on that table. There are three or four sides. Maybe even a fifth, ever since the incident with Gorn Igg.”

“What’s the point of telling me all this?” Kazu waved his hand. “All I have to do is do my job, and it’ll be done. No point in making it more complicated.”

“But do you not wish to know what Sage is or what I even said earlier about clairvoyants?” Lawrie said, dumbfounded.

“Nope.” Kazu chuckled. From the small bits of information alone, Kazu could guess what clairvoyants were. He also knew of them from supernatural shows back in Japan. There was no need to further inquire Lawrie about it.

“Don’t you get it?!” Lawrie shouted. “You are the fifth side. The commotion you caused yesterday drew in a lot of the other sides attentions, including me.”

“Ah, so you’re a clairvoyant. I kinda guessed that already.” Kazu sipped his glass.

“That’s not the point.” Lawrie frowned. “Although I don’t like Sage, if you had stayed true to her instructions of hiding yourself, the plans of everyone defending Riona would’ve turned out well.”

“Hm? How’d you know about my instructions?” Kazu asked with a grim face. Clairvoyants could only focus on the future and present, not the past. Lawrie should have not known him before class started yesterday, Kazu thought.

“It seems you underestimate the students of this academy, Kazu,” Lawrie retorted with a smirk, “A lot of students have their own goals. Do you think everyone whom had the most connections with Riona were put in one class together? No, Yuli Aramod is smarter than that, but he let Sage meddle with his affairs creating a 3rd side in this hidden fight.”

“Tch, so what?” Kazu argued.

“Are you an idiot or something?” Cristen interrupted, “Lawrie is saying that you should take responsibility in creating a 5th side. I may be stupid, but I know we’re the fourth side.”

“Cristen is right,” Lawrie added, “If you choose a side, it’ll simplify things. I’ll tell you the truth: we’re the side that wants no casualties on all sides of the board.”

A glint of sparkle appeared on Kazu’s eyes. No death for any side meant that Lawrie also didn’t want any deaths on the enemy’s side. It was a naive statement, something Kazu knew was impossible. But it gave him a hint: Lawrie didn’t know who the enemy was, and the question remains if Sage knows or not.

“So in the end, you’re trying to sell me a place on your side of the board,” Kazu clarified, “Let’s say I do bite. What do I get in return? Sage is offering me money. What can a student like you do for me?”

“Hmph. You don’t even know of the Flay family?” Cristen snorted, “It makes me curious what Sage sees in you.”

“Damn snobby rich kids.” Kazu pretended to spit. “I’ll bite. What do you want me to do?”

“I want you to fix Riona and her father’s relationship,” Lawrie said.

“Huuuh?! Can’t you do that on your own?” Kazu blurted out.

“We can’t.” Lawrie countered, “The way to fix it is through Daniel. I watched your interaction with him yesterday. He is quite afraid of you, so you’ll be able to oust him into convincing Riona to reconcile with her father.”

“I’m guessing this relationship will have something to do with the future?” Kazu stood up. “I’ll take it. I’m not doing this for free y’know,” he lied.

During the conversation, Kazu observed their faces. Both of them had not shown any malice or any mischief for the whole duration. They were more trustworthy, compared to Sage who kept all her plans to herself. Kazu left the cafeteria table without eating and searched for Daniel without delay.

####################

Thanks for reading.

Spoiler : This one is a very short chapter. I wonder what that means o.o

Thanks to Silentcomfort for editting!