Bab 127: Chapter 122

"Did something bad happen?" Eleni asked, her eyes darting between Draco, Clair, and Bahamut.

She could see Clair's reddened eyes, indicating that she had been crying recently.

Dimitra, on the other hand, quickly pieced together the sequence of events she knew and what she observed, arriving at an answer.

'Sigh, she got rejected, huh?' Dimitra thought.

'It must have been heartbreaking for her, but why is she still here? Could it be that she can't leave?' she wondered, staring at Clair, who stared back with a subtle pleading gaze.

'Oh, could it be that she needs an excuse to leave,' Dimitra quickly realized.

"Ahem, Clair, can you help me check on Vasiliki? She might be awake by now. Eleni and I can't go because of these," she said, gesturing at the grocery bags in her hands with a nod of her head.

"We do?" Eleni asked, confused about what was happening.

Dimitra lightly bumped Eleni with her shoulder, silently prompting her to go along with the plan.

Eleni still didn't fully understand the situation, but she recognized that Dimitra needed her to stay quiet for the moment, so she didn't protest.

"Oh, I can do that," Clair replied, nodding thankfully to Dimitra.

Draco looked like he was about to say something, but he remained silent, picking up on the subtle nuances between the girls.

Bahamut was equally quiet, observing the unfolding scene with a thoughtful expression.

With that, Clair got up and quickly exited the house, heading to the girls' housing next door.

"Okay, will someone now explain what happened?" Eleni asked as soon as Clair was gone.

"Sigh, are you stupid or just slow? Can't you tell that she got rejected by Draco nii?" Dimitra scolded.

"I can't believe you're the same girl who acted like a relationship expert just a few minutes ago." she mumbled.

"Ooooooh," Eleni exclaimed, her eyes widening in realization.

"Is that true, Draco nii?" Eleni asked, and Draco nodded in acknowledgment, confirming the situation.

'Things are moving crazy fast, I thought the situation would stretch into weeks, but I guess I was wrong' Eleni thought.

"Will Clair be alright on her own?" Eleni asked, concerned for her friend.

"Probably not, but it's something she'll have to deal with anyway," Dimitra replied, shaking her head in exasperation.

"That aside, what took you girls so long to return?" Bahamut asked, interrupting the discussion.

She didn't like how awkward the atmosphere was as the girls discussed the situation.

Eleni didn't have a good answer.

'I can't really say that we were busy gossiping, and lies don't work on a goddesses,' she thought.

"We were talking about some things and ended up wasting time as a result," Dimitra cut in, providing a vague explanation that wasn't entirely untrue, as they had indeed been discussing something, just not specifying the details.

"I see," Bahamut replied, not probing further.

The atmosphere turned awkward once again, as Eleni and Dimitra were internally in a state of confusion.

They didn't know whose side to take – their brother Draco's, who had rejected their friend and family member Clair, or Clair's, who had confessed to their brother and was rejected, or their goddess Bahamut's, who had in a sense facilitated everything by confessing her love to Draco.

"Ahem," Draco cleared his throat, breaking the palpable silence that had settled over the room and drawing everyone's attention to him.

With all eyes now fixed on him, Draco suddenly began narrating the events that had transpired from his perspective, starting from the moment he had returned from the dungeon earlier that day.

He didn't need to really say anything more, but he felt as though he needed to explain his side of things.

In a measured tone, Draco recounted his return from the dungeon, tending to Vasiliki who woke up a few hours ago and her requests.

He then reached the part about Clair, the sudden confession of her affections, and his subsequent rejection of her advances.

Draco's face remained impassive as he relayed the details, but those listening could sense the underlying tension and unease.

As Draco finished his account, he suddenly stood up from his chair and grabbed his cloak from the kitchen counter.

"I need to take a walk," he said, not waiting for a response as he swiftly pulled on the garment and quietly exited the house, stepping out into the bustling streets of the city.

Dimitra, who had been listening intently, couldn't help but ponder on Draco's side of things.

'Sigh, I guess this might have just been fate, huh?' she mused, shaking her head slightly to dispel the gloomy thoughts.

Determined to keep the household running smoothly, Dimitra began arranging the groceries into the pantry.

Seeing Dimitra's actions, Eleni and Bahamut quickly followed suit, each taking on a task to move in with their original plans for the day.

It was already a few hours past noon and lunch hadn't been prepared yet, with so much left to do in the day, they couldn't afford to waste a more time.

........................….

Meanwhile, in the bustling streets of Orario, Nikolaos, Michalis, and Vasileios were making their way back to the familia's home.

They had taken on the task of carrying everyone's weapons and armour to the Hephaestus familia's workshops in the city's northwestern district, seeking estimates for the necessary repairs.

The trio had hoped for a reasonable price, but the initial estimates had been quite staggering, even for their well-funded familia.

Fortunately, Draco had left a note behind, listing several potential repair shops they could try.

Following the leads provided, the three young boys had made their way to the Goibniu familia's workshops, where they were able to secure a much more reasonable estimate for the required work.

Without hesitation, they had enlisted the services of an experienced blacksmith, who promised to have the items ready for collection the following day.

As they walked, Michalis suddenly spoke up, "Do you think Draco-nii is back already?" he asked, a hint of eagerness in his voice.

Vasileios pondered the question for a moment before responding, "Probably. He did say there was a lot to do today." he replied.

Nikolaos, lost in thought, added, "I can't help but wonder what my level up will bring. Will I gain magic, a new innate skill, or perhaps a ridiculously powerful development ability?" he said.

Michalis nodded in agreement, "Hmm, me too. I definitely need a skill that can shorten my crazy-long magic chant." he replied.

"Yeah, your magic does feel a bit impractical for a stealth-focused build," Vasileios commented.

"It would be nice if you could move while chanting." he added.

Nikolaos' brow furrowed as he tried to recall something Draco had mentioned in the past.

"I remember Draco-nii saying that it was possible, but extremely difficult. What was it called again?" his tail wildly swaying as he tried to recall.

"Ah, I remember now!" Nikolaos exclaimed.

"It was called concurrent chanting. Draco-nii said there are fewer than 20 people who can use that technique." he said.

Michalis' eyes widened in surprise.

"Whoa, that's an incredibly small number. Maybe mastering Draco-nii's method of casting might be a much easier alternative." he replied.

Nikolaos shook his head, "I highly doubt it. Draco-nii's method works best for elemental spells, at least from what I can tell. Yours is more of an iffy composite spell, which is a bit trickier." Nikolaos said.

Michalis immediately opened his mouth to protest, "Hey, it's not just an 'iffy' spell! It does have traces of the space element!" he protested.

"Look at you, dreaming of manipulating such a high-class element," Nikolaos scoffed, his voice dripping with a hint of anger.

"Even Draco nii can currently only manipulate the four basic elements." he added.

Vasileios, interjected quickly, hoping to diffuse the growing tension.

"Now, now, you two, calm down." he said, casting a concerned glance between the two brothers, sensing the brewing storm.

"There is no need to argue about it," Vasileios continued, his tone measured and soothing.

"Michalis, it is not bad to dream about the space element. However, for now, at least try to master your composite spell." He turned to Nikolaos, his expression understanding.

"I know you are jealous, Nikolaos, and I understand how badly you want a magic skill. I want one too, but there's no need to be this way with Michalis. After all, we're brothers." he said.

Nikolaos clicked his tongue, his shoulders visibly tensing.

"Who's jealous?" he grumbled, but fell silent, his pride keeping him from voicing any further complaints.

Michalis couldn't resist pushing things and muttered "Heh, jealous," which only served to further ignite Nikolaos' spark.

Vasileios, sensing the situation was about to boil over, wanted nothing more than to smack Michalis on the head, but he held back, instead focusing his attention on Nikolaos, whose temper had once again been stoked.

The rest of the journey home was spent with Vasileios carefully navigating the tense atmosphere, working to keep Nikolaos from starting a brawl with Michalis on the street.