Chapter 26
“Huh? I have no clue what you’re talking about, man,” I said in a confused tone, dismissing Kaelon as I turned my attention back to my food.
Same as before with the Headmaster—I decided to play dumb and keep my mouth shut. Still, I can’t help but wonder what really happened after I blacked out, seeing how Kaelon and Headmaster reacted.
Kaelon rolled his eyes,
“Tch. Don’t give me that. You can’t tell me you don’t know what you did in that fight. Come on, just spill it. Have you been secretly holding back this whole time?”
“No, seriously—I have no clue what you’re talking about. Didn’t I just pass out during the fight and lose?”
“Pass out? Well, yeah, you were out cold for like, 30 seconds…” Kaelon looked at me, brows furrowing in realization. “Wait—you’re actually serious? You don’t remember?”
“For the third time, I told you—I have no clue. Now, can you explain what exactly happened?”
Kaelon then began recounting what went down after I blacked out. The more he talked, the more my confusion turned to disbelief—I was completely caught off guard by what he was saying.
“In the end, you actually almost killed Lyra. If the Headmaster hadn’t stepped in at the last second, she’d be dead.”
I sat there, processing Kaelon’s words, my mouth slightly open in a daze. From what I could piece together, right after I passed out, my body got up on its own and went after Lyra again. However, unlike before, it wasn’t even a fight. I completely overpowered her.
It was hard to process, especially since I can’t recall a single moment of it. Still, judging by the look on Kaelon’s face and his body language, he doesn’t seem to be lying—eerily enough, it felt like someone else took over my body during that moment.
‘Nah, who am I kidding, this isn’t like those novels I read.’
“Damn, I never knew I was this strong,” I said snarkily, flexing one arm with a smirk.
Kaelon rolled his eyes in annoyance. “Don’t act all confident now just because of that. You were just extremely lucky. Besides,” he said with a smug grin, “I’m still going to be stronger than you in the future—just you wait.”
“Sure, man, whatever you say,” I replied with a shrug. “Oh, right—Kaelon, what class did you get sorted into?”
“Me? I got assigned to the Advanced Class,” Kaelon said, puffing his chest out a little. “Speaking of that, I also tried looking for your name on the list, but it was nowhere to be seen.”
He let out a small laugh, “I guess fainting right after the fight takes a few points off.”
“About that... The Headmaster dropped by earlier and told me about my class assignment.”
Kaelon raised his eyes, then added another sarcastic remark, “You actually met the Headmaster? Wow, look at Mr. Worldwide over here. So what did he say?”
“I was sorted into the Elite Class.”
“...”
Silence fell between us as Kaelon's smiling face froze solid.
“Excuse me? Mind repeating what you just said?” His face was still smiling, though it didn’t reach his eyes.
“I said I got into Elite—ACK?!”
Before I could finish my sentence, Kaelon lunged forward, grabbing my shoulders, shaking me violently and crying out in an exaggerated despair.
“YOU FUCKING BASTARD! HOW IS THIS FAIR?! How does someone like you—who can’t even ignite a tiny fireball, somehow get put into the Elite Class?! Where’s the universe handing me stuff on a silver platter?!”
“Oh, fuck off, would you?! Don’t blame me for your lack of abilities!” I yelled, grabbing his hair in response.
“My lack of abilities?! How about I show you right here and now who the stronger one is, Mr. Sword Genius?!”
“Bring it on, O Great Noble One! Who’s scared of who again?”
Both of us continued to bicker like cats, voices rising with every word, while Elysia sat there in the middle, an awkward look plastered across her face, clearly unsure of what to do.
She cleared her throat, “Alright boys, that's enough.”
We didn’t hear her, too absorbed in our argument to notice her attempt at intervention. Elysia’s face slowly started to twitch before she finally snapped.
“I said enough!” she yelled, storming over and smacking both of us on the head.
We both yelped in pain, rubbing our heads as we looked up. I turned toward my sister, who was glaring at me with a frightening expression.
‘Right… I completely forgot she was here with us.’
“Are you two done with your childish bickering?” she asked, crossing her arms and tapping her finger impatiently against her arm.
“S-sorry…” We both muttered.
“I don’t know what you two were even fighting about,” Elysia sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “But don’t make a scene here, alright? And Kaelon—Caelith just woke up. Please go easy on him.”
Kaelon looked away, a faint blush creeped across his face. “My bad…” he muttered.
‘This bastard’s totally smitten with my sister—he’s not even trying to hide it.’
“Well, from the looks of it, the two of you seem to get along well,” my sister said with a smile. “At least you finally have a friend, Caelith.”
“What the heck do you mean by that?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.
“Have I ever seen you bring anyone home? Let alone, a girl?” she teased, raising an eyebrow. “All you do is hole up in your room reading those questionable novels of yours.”
“T-that…” My voice trailed off. She was right—before I met Kaelon, I didn’t really have anyone I could call a friend. Maybe a few acquaintances here and there, but that’s about it.
“And I seem to recall someone saying I’d never make any friends,” Kaelon said, side-eyeing me with a hint of irritation.
“Just shut up.”
“Oh right, did you eat anything yet, Kaelon? There are some extras here if you’re hungry,” my sister said, gesturing toward the table.
“Can I? Don’t mind if I do, then,” he said shamelessly, already reaching his arm toward the table.
I shook my head in disappointment. ’This guy didn’t even hesitate when answering…’
Kaelon began munching on the food, his eyes instantly lighting up. He quickly snapped his head in my direction.
“You lucky bastard. So, outside your exceptional swordsmanship, you also get to eat this everyday?” he said, shoving another bite into his mouth. “What else are you hiding that you’re not telling me, huh?”
“One more word and I’m eating everything,” I said, leaning forward with a deadpan look.
He immediately shut up after my threat, mouth frozen mid-chew, then slowly started chewing, more carefully this time.
“Oh, there's another question I want to ask.” I said, resting my elbow on the table. “Do you know when classes officially start?”
“Three weeks from now,” Kaelon answered, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “So you’ve got more than enough time to take care of whatever you need before classes start.”
‘That long, huh?’ I thought. Well, that works for me. I can use that time to relax or do some more training. And that old man too, I suppose I should pay him one last visit before classes begin, maybe even rub my exam results in his face while I’m at it.
“What about you, then? What are you going to do?”
“I still have some matters to attend to, so I’ll be staying here for about a week before heading back home,” Kaelon replied. “I also need to check in on my little sister.”
I nodded my head, and the three of us proceeded to settle in, chatting casually, before one of the medical staff came in to check on me, saying that I was all healed and in good condition.
Somewhere on the outskirts of civilization, a shimmer of light tore through the air, as Thalor emerged from it, his eyes scanning his surroundings. In front of him, a clear river flowed gently, sparkling in the sunlight, before tumbling over rocks into a small waterfall further downstream. Nearby, a small cabin sat tucked against the riverbank, smoke rising from its chimney.
So this is where you’ve been all these years… Took me a while to find you.
Thalor then proceeded toward the cabin, the sound of grass crunching softly under his feet as he moved. When he reached the front door, he paused for a moment before gently knocking. After waiting for a while with no answer, he knocked again—this time a bit harder but still no response.
‘Is she not home?’ he wondered.
Without waiting any longer, Thalor forcefully pushed the door open and stepped inside. The first thing that hit him was the smell of alcohol, mingling with the sight of bottles scattered across the floor, dirty clothes strewn everywhere, and a blanket tossed haphazardly over a chair.
‘Seriously… how is this woman living like this? It’s honestly impressive.’
Suddenly, Thalor felt something cold press against the back of his neck, accompanied by a sharp voice.
“Who are you? State your business here.”
Thalor slowly raised his hands. “Relax, would you? It’s me, Shirayuki. I can see you’re doing well.”
He felt the sword retract from his neck as he turned around, finally seeing her fully. Her long silver hair, cascading down her back, caught the light, framing a delicate face and a pair of striking red eyes.
She wore a flowing robe of soft, pale fabric that swayed gently with her movements, cinched at the waist with a simple sash.
“Oh it’s you, Pendragon. What do you want from me? She asked, sheathing her sword, “Didn’t I already tell you not to bother me?”
Thalor rolled his eyes in annoyance. “At least hear me out before dismissing me” He quieted to a mutter, “That’s still one part of you that gets under my skin.”
She walked toward the counter, grabbed a bottle, popped it open, and then plopped down onto a chair, pouring herself a drink.
“Fine, I’ll hear what you have to say—consider it for old time’s sake.”
Thalor pulled up a chair and sat across from her. “I’ll be blunt then. How do you feel coming to work at Ascalon?”
Shirayuki immediately froze, the cup hovering just above her lips. Her eyes turned cold as she stared at Thalor, but he simply met her gaze with a calm, unwavering smile.
