Chương 130: [29.2] Time for Another Reika Lesson
Felix laughed then jogged to catch up to me. As we walked, he bounced up and down as if he was the happiest person ever.
I observed his cheerful walk, "Hey Felix… Why don't you and Hazel get along? Did something happen when I was gone?"
Felix looked startled for a moment before shaking his head, "I really don't know what happened. I don't know what I did, but for some reason she despises me."
I tilted my head, "She mentioned you tried to push her out of the group the other day."
He shook his head violently, "I didn't! I don't know where she got that idea. I try to be kind to her, but she assumes I'm trying to flaunt my money or show my superiority."
"Does she act that way toward Cyrus?"
"No. Even though they aren't too close, she treats him properly as a Prince. She's proper to everyone… But…"
He gave me a sheepish look.
I frowned with a bad feeling, "But what?"
He scratched his head awkwardly, "I-I don't know. I might be imagining this, but whenever you're around, she acts like an angelic person. But once you leave, her gaze and attitude are so cold and indifferent it's a bit scary."
"Why hasn't Cyrus said anything to me about that?"
He shrugged, "I don't think he cares too much about her to pry into it. She's more your friend than ours."
I looked ahead at the bustling city square with an odd feeling.
For some reason, something is nagging me.
Maybe it's because of Astra's warning, or maybe it's because of…
Felix noticed my expression and nudged me, "Reika, what is it?"
I scrunched up my face, "Oh… I don't know… It's just that-"
Should I tell him?
I glanced at his innocent face and let out a sigh.
Eventually, I spoke, "While we were studying abroad, the Headmaster and I visited the castle where Hazel grew up."
His eyes widened, "Really? The Divinus Kingdom on the other side of the Mountains?"
I nodded, "At first, I wanted to give her parents a harsh talking to, but then…"
"Then?"
"Then I met them."
I glanced into the distance.
During that dinner, I discovered something odd.
Her parents were surprisingly kind.
Of course, they could be acting that way so our two kingdoms wouldn't fight…
Then I brought up Hazel and how she was my friend.
After that, their entire demeanor changed.
Felix's voice snapped me out of my thoughts, "Were they not what you imagined?"
I shrugged, "They… They were kind of scared of Hazel."
His eyes widened, "Hazel? Why? She's a bit strong, but she can't even use magic."
I thought to myself, "Well... Maybe it wasn't so much they were afraid of her but rather afraid of what she would do without them beside her."
"What does that mean?"
"I don't know. After dinner, they pulled me aside and warned me not to make her angry after they found out she was my friend."
"Eh?? Why? Did she have anger issues or something?"
I shook my head, "I've never seen her angry, so I asked the same thing. They said she was never aggressive nor acted with malice."
I frowned to myself.
However, they also told me that from the day she was born, she never cared about anyone else.
She never had to have a teacher because she was smart enough to teach herself how to walk and talk.
As she aged, her hatred of her own Kingdom and the world around her grew stronger. Her parents assumed she held that much hatred because whenever she was around magic, her body would react violently.
Although she never acted on her hatred, everyone knew to stay away from her as if their instincts warned them that she was dangerous. From an early age, she was avoided as if she had the plague.
While most children would suffer from that kind of treatment, she didn't. It was exactly what she wanted.
Her parents were sure she held no desires… Until the day came to send a political prisoner to the Odalis Kingdom.
Hazel was the one who volunteered herself and even begged her parents to let her go. Yet, when I first encountered her and she explained her situation, she claimed the complete opposite.
She pretended to be a pitiful child whose parents disregarded her safety and shipped her off to a foreign land.
However, her parents were never comfortable letting her out of their sight. Although they knew she would never violate the terms of the agreement, they were also worried about her.
If anything, they were extremely overprotective.
So was Hazel lying?
Was she just trying to gain friends by acting pitiful?
Or were her parents lying just to make it seem like they were the good guys all along?
Usually, I would believe Hazel over her parents, but after what Astra said…
I can't help but be suspicious. Maybe she is the woman Astra warned me about.
…Is Hazel really who I think she is?
Doesn't her situation actually seem similar to mine?
What if she is a fellow transmigrator like me?
I can't possibly say anything to anyone else about my suspicions. Of course, I could just ask her.
But I would rather she had no idea I was suspicious of her.
It's better for her to be comfortable. That way, if she did have ulterior motives, she wouldn't try to be as covert.
I guess I will just need to keep an eye on her.
I snapped out of my thoughts and shook my head, "It's probably nothing. Let's not talk about this anymore."
He nodded cheerfully, "You're right. We shouldn't talk about our friends behind their backs. Besides, I do think Hazel is a good person. Maybe she just feels insecure."
I laughed, "You don't seem very suspicious of her."
He spoke confidently, "It's not like she'd try to hurt us. She's our friend."
My smile faltered slightly, "Just because she's our friend, doesn't mean she won't hurt us. Friends are the ones you need to watch out for most of all."
Felix looked at me in slight confusion, "What do you mean?"
I spoke firmly, "You can't trust anyone other than yourself."
"But…" He looked down at his feet shyly, "I trust you."
My expression soured.
How can this boy be THIS naive?
I guess he just hasn't suffered enough in life.
I grabbed his arm and started pulling him over to a store. He looked confused, but he didn't even try to pull his arm out of my grip and allowed me to drag him into the store. He looked around at all the jewels in confusion as the owner walked over with a bright grin, "If it isn't the Young son of Duke Newman!"
Felix grinned at him, "I don't think I'm so young anymore."
The owner laughed, "So true! You have really grown in these years. What have you been eating?"
As Felix and the owner talked, I grabbed a jewel and skillfully put it in Felix's pocket without either one seeing me.
I don't like to steal, but I have to teach this kid that he can't trust anyone.
If it can save him from a future of mistakes, then it's worth committing a petty crime.
However, without missing a beat, Felix pulled out the jewel and smiled, "Sir. How much for this?"
My mouth dropped in utter shock.
The owner grinned, "For you, I will give you a discount."
After paying, we walked outside where Felix handed me the gem, "Here. You wanted this right?"
I wanted to scream, "I didn't try to steal it because I wanted it! I stole it to teach you a lesson!"
He tilted his head, "And what kind of lesson is that?"
"Ugh!" I stomped in irritation, "The lesson is not to trust anyone! Even a friend!"
He smiled at me, "But I still trust you, Reika. I know you wouldn't do anything to hurt me."
This brat! I'm trying to teach him how to be aware of his surroundings and instead he says that… Ugh…
Well. It is kinda sweet.
I shook my head, "Whatever. Time for the next lesson."
I walked over to another store and purchased a handful of candy. I gave him one which he took with a smile. As he popped the candy into his mouth, he walked over to a trashcan to toss the wrapper, but I held him back. He looked at me in confusion, "What is it?"
I smirked, "Throw it on the ground."
His expression paled, "W-What?"
"Throw it on the ground."
"Why?"
"Just because."
His eyebrows pinched together, "Why?"
I let out a sigh, "Can't you just do it?"
Seeing he wasn't going to, I grabbed his hand and made him toss it to the ground. He panicked and tried to bend down to pick it back up, but I stopped him. He cried out, "Why are we littering?!"
"Because I'm trying to teach you how to rebel against the government like a normal teenager!"
I started to drag him away, but he squirmed out of my grip and ran back to the candy wrapper. He tossed it into the trash and let out a sigh of relief, "Phew…"
I groaned, "Seriously?! I'm trying to help you out here!"
He pursed his lips, "I don't see how littering would help me or even be rebelling against the government. That is the destruction of the Earth and we must protect the Earth at all costs."
…I forgot that he was an Earth element.
I shook my head, "Fine. We will just have to break the law in a different way."
He looked at me nervously, "How will we do that?"
I pointed to the haunted house -according to Hazel- on the outskirts of town, "Trespassing."
"Why?!"
"Because I'm trying to teach you another important lesson!"
The blood drained from his face, "W-What kind of lesson is that?!"
I grinned, "A lesson in courage."
I dragged him up to the top of the hill as he cried out, "Reika! No! Please! Can't we do something else?!"
I pulled him towards the creepy house, laughing as I did, "Come on! I heard there are treasures inside. It'll be fun!"
He let out a strange cry, "You and I have different definitions of fun!!"
SUY NGHĨ CỦA NGƯỜI SÁNG TẠO 
Nekoru
Nekoru It's Reika's turn to be a corrupter instead of a corruptee!
But in all seriousness... Please don't steal, litter, or trespass.
Be good children!
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