บท 31: Chapter 28

The forest of Lagupa--- located at the Kingdom of Autumn and the entrance to the tribe of Pegasus.

Upon reading those words, Naell immediately remembered an issue that could happen at the end of Volume four.

'The forest will be captured by an awakened Golem.' Naell thought as he was still at bed reading.

He was still too lazy to get up as the cozy feeling of reading while laying down was the greatest source of relaxation for a guy like him.

Days were getting colder as the season of Fall began stirring cold air, essentially bidding the summer goodbye.

"Ah, hey Owly--- could you deliver this letter to the Adventurer's guild?" Said Naell after poofing out a piece of paper and pen before writing with his magic.

Quickly the letter began forming words while the pen started working seemingly on a whim. Naell watched, only forming words in the air with his index finger as the pen seemed to copy his movement.

"Fine, don't eat all the food, HOOT."

"What food?"

"The food that you will be treating me with because of this errand, HOOT."

"..."

'I guess that's fine as long as we'll be safe from those demons.'

Naell wasn't entirely sure of the contents of Volume four as he did fail to reach the ending. Yet he knew that Taglagas and the tribe of Pegasus suffered greatly from that demon invasion.

For him, the safety of his family in Mundo, and of course himself, was a top priority. War in the Kingdom they resided in would surely affect their livelihood, and that was why he knew it was better to tattle it out.

'Besides, even if they were to investigate, I'm sure it'll be after the fogging incident.'

"By the way, make it anonymous." Naell added on, hoping to make sure his kind warning would not come back to haunt him later on.

"Okay, HOOT!" Puffed Owly who quickly took off before Naell could even say, close the window, it's cold.

*******

• Are you sure it is okay for you to be here? HOOT. •

Telepathically asked Owly, as he and Naell were having some cookies and tea inside the library.

Yet upon closer look, it was actually Owly who was eating all the food, as Naell was busy reading leisurely.

Owly returned faster than what Naell had anticipated, and as a result, he wasn't really that ready to venture outside their room.

Luckily, the young owl was cooperative, only requesting the young mage's promised reward to be much larger than the initial agreement.

• It is fine, the school's policy stated so. •

Replied Naell who was also training his magic. It was barely noticeable, yet Naell's white hair was fluttering due to his mana circling around his body.

The young owl could only gaze dubiously at Naell. Over the course of them being together, both of them had learned many things they liked and disliked from one another.

One of which was a moment like that, where Owly could really feel that the young master of Beryldot was in his relaxed state.

The little owl by then knew that Naell was quite smart and capable as a mage, yet his lack of will to work and waste energy often pulled him back towards idiocracy.

On the other hand, Naell had seen Owly's capabilities, but because of his proud and gluttonous tendencies, the little owl was often too full of himself--- or too full and in need of hibernation.

After some time, the two of them then decided to head out and order some food in the canteen. Naell actually wanted to rest in the dormitory, but upon Owly's yapping, he reluctantly agreed as he thought,

'You ought to work hard next month little owl.'

It was their routine for weeks now; going to the library (a tall separate building in the west side of the campus), ordering food, and heading to the dormitory whilst avoiding anyone that would socialize with them.

There were times when people would often murmur towards them, but due to Naell's mystical appearance that was capable of even intimidating experienced adventurers, (like from chapter 12) it would easily dissipate.

Nonetheless, as efficient as Naell was when it came to avoiding the protagonist's party, he still could not avoid one that wasn't part of the novel.

"Hey, Naell!" Shouted Casper who could not help but smile. He had startled the young master of Beryldot upon having his name being called out.

In response, Naell's awkward reply and posture were dead giveaways of him not wanting to meet anyone.

"Hey bro..."

Nonetheless, with Casper's smile, even Naell was perturbed to deny his greeting.

"Oh hello there, Owly." Said Casper, smiling at the living lump resting above Naell's head.

"HOOT." On the other hand, Owly was relaxed towards Casper, as he had left a very good impression towards the owl.

Naell felt immensely betrayed, yet he knew that the way to Owly's heart was indeed through his stomach. Still, he could not help but sigh as Casper's approachable atmosphere thanks to his lukewarm personality, was something the lazy Naell could not help but feel was tiresome.

The young master of Genoja had always captivated the hearts of everyone, as his kimpy blonde hair and blue eyes amplified his already good-looking features. Not to mention, his attitude was forward-friendly, opposite to Naell who most of the time was lifeless.

As they were about to continue their conversation, Naell and Owly heard a soft thump as Casper's complexion all of a sudden grew paler.

"Oh dear, is it just me or am I bothering you Caspy?"

The voice they heard was irritated, yet upon closer look, the voice came from a lady smiling at Casper.

"Ahem, I was just excited to see my little brother..." Casper excused, making the woman pout in response. It was a cute sight, yet Naell felt somewhat intimidated towards her.

With an excuse of a smile, and cheerfulness to hide his mistake, the young master of Genoja added on,

"Naell, this is Wendy, the daughter of Viscount and Viscountess Temomplis, my fiance."

Yet before Casper could even introduce him, Naell with a bow then introduced himself.

"It is my pleasure to meet the Young mistress. I am Naell Beryldot."

Naell never wanted to make the first move, but seeing Wendy's scrutinizing smile made him realize, perhaps she hated him. Therefore, he wanted to at least leave a good impression.

Wendy's appearance closely resembled Casper, with similar blond hair and bright blue eyes, but what separated them was that the young mistress of Temomplis oozed out a resolute personality, while so, Casper was just a friendly dude.

Going back, Casper and Wendy both got surprised for different reasons. Casper thought Naell would shy away and let them have the conversation while he, in the background nodded.

As for Wendy, she thought Naell would arrogantly ignore both of them, yet the gentle greeting guided by his elegant appearance captivated their sights.

Before she could even reply, Wendy already knew that Casper was smiling at her side. The young mistress of Temomplis had often demanded Casper to break his connections with Naell, as he was known for his bad deeds.

Yet at that moment, she could not help but doubt the rumours. Even the young master of Berlydot's chosen companion looked so trusting towards him.

"My pleasure as well..." Truly she tried her best to reply condescendingly, but she could not do so as the young mage's first impression swayed her in his favor.

Not to mention, the cute fat owl in front of her, was swaying her resolute mind.

To seal the deal, Casper went on and approached Naell, while holding onto the hand of the now surprised and blushing Wendy.

"Now the greetings are in order, where are you going?"

"Canteen."

"Huh? classes are still going--- Wait... Are you skipping class!?" Casper's voice was so loud, that some students inside the nearby classroom overheard it.

Naell wanted to cry seeing the students looking at them, luckily, he had managed to form his fake smile as Owly's HOOTs unsealed his bravery.

"I'm simply studying at my own pace."

Both of them realized at that point that Naell was perhaps not attending any of his classes at all. Still, Wendy, who was brought back to reality, could not help but voice out her concern.

"You shouldn't underestimate the education here, Sire Naell."

"I will keep that in mind Lady Wendy, but aren't you both skipping as well?" Asked Naell, as even the couple was outside with him and not in the Main building.

"..."

"Naell, it is our physical education today."

"Ah better to skip it then as it is cold today, so please do take care---" Naell's reply was cut short as he felt something was wrong upon seeing their reactions.

"..."

"We have physical education every month. You need to at least attend that, as attendance is a must, and your absence will most likely fail you..."

Upon hearing Casper's words, both of them saw how Naell's expression became dire.

Casper then added on while patting Naell's shoulder. Even Wendy felt concerned, as she thought perhaps he was just a dumb kid after all.

"Ahem! Rest assured, your class probably has not taken it yet, but I suggest that you attend your classes once in a while. Or... go to your hallway and look for your schedule on the bulletin board."

"Bro--- thank you so much... I'll go now." With a quick bow, Naell hurriedly went on to look for his schedule, leaving a conflicted Wendy and a smiling Casper behind.

"So what do you think of him?" Seeing his good-hearted fiance's face redden out of embarrassment made Casper chuckle a bit.

"He's not that bad, I guess... But he's really timid!"

"He really is... Listen, I'm not saying he wasn't at fault for what happened in the past, but I hope you could give that little brother of mine a chance."

"Sorry for judging him too early, Caspy... It's because his reputation is---" Wendy stopped herself and sighed. She could not help but feel guilty. A part of her now felt her assumptions towards Naell might've been a little bit off.

Seeing a dejected Wendy, Casper then held onto her hand once more and smiled as he brought her closer to his side.

In the distance they watched the young master, hastily getting further away from them.

Yet that moment brought forth laughter as they heard roaring HOOTs of protest from Owly, who seemed to be dissatisfied.