As the lesson almost ended, Julius twirled his quill between his fingers, his thoughts drifting away from the lecture.
A moment later, his quill slipped, breaking his reverie. His eyes narrowed in suspicion as he glanced at Alexander. "Isn't he looking at me a little too much?" he muttered, turning to his big brother.
"I bet he'll ask us to stay after class," replied Adam, his lips curling into an amused smile. Playfulness twinkled in his eyes as memories of their first interactions with the college teachers resurfaced.
Then, as if to mock him, Alexander turned sharply toward them. "Stay after class. I have something to ask you," he said, his solemn voice causing the other students to roll their eyes.
After Julius became Shepard's disciple and stopped showing up, they thought their chances of getting a mentor increased. However, the moment he returned, the new teacher lunged at him, like the others.
Simultaneously, the bell signalling the end of the lesson echoed in the college's corridors. Everyone clicked their tongues and glared at the boy before leaving the classroom.
Meanwhile, Arun patted his friend, raising his thumb with a warm smile before joining the girls, failing to notice one was missing.
Left alone, the duo rolled their eyes at the teacher, waiting to hear his apprenticeship offer. However, Alexander frowned at the desk beside them. "Miss Nova, you may leave," he said, drumming on his desk with his fingers.
Opposite to his expectations, the Imperius Harmonia didn't move from her seat. Fearlessly gazing back at him, she responded, "I'm their supervisor. If you want to speak with them, my presence is mandatory!"
'Since when?' The duo thought, looking at the beautiful woman weirdly.
Initially stunned by the answer, Alexander swiftly regained his composure. His face hardened, his eyes narrowed, and faint traces of mana moved to pressure her.
However, she spoke again, squinting her eyes in defiance and revealing something he wanted to keep a secret for the moment. "I've seen you before. Do you want to fight another soul reaper and escape with your tail between your legs like last time?" She asked, sure she had spotted his figure among the mage army when they escaped the canyon.
A frigid silence engulfed the room as Adam glared at Alexander's trembling figure. The kids had almost died from thirst first, then starvation because of their pursuit.
As the silence lingered for two minutes, the teacher set aside his memories of the terrifying ghost and spoke. "I was indeed there, and so was Reynard," he said, knowing denying would waste time and awaken more suspicion before adding. "We entirely cut our ties with the royal family. Thorian revoked our noble titles and seized our mansions. But I didn't ask you to stay to talk about me.
What I want is to know you."
Upon seeing the boy look at the ghost in confusion, he continued, "Not him. You, Julius Riverwood. A commoner who rose to nobility at the age of seven. A boy who survived the Ashford family for four years. And finally, a native citizen of Belloria. Would you share your story with me?"
His sincere words lingered briefly as the duo's confusion deepened. However, Adam remained silent since the man focused on Julius.
"Why do you want to know me?" Asked the boy, realising his big brother wouldn't advise him. After so many years, he understood Adam would rather let him make mistakes and guide him afterwards.
"Because I want to believe in your potential. The Ashfords spent too much resources to capture you. Yet, they failed," Alexander replied, his face softening.
Then, he rose from his seat, walked to them, and crouched to look at the boy in the eyes. "I think there is more to you than the ghost they focus on," he added, a gentle smile tugging at his lips.
Julius fell into deep thought, unsure about what to do. He had observed the man's subtle facial movements the entire time, concluding. 'He isn't lying.' Yet, he failed to understand this sudden interest in him. After all, he was no mage. His mana test was the worst, too.
"I can tell you my story. But you'll only realise you were wrong," he said, causing Adam to grimace.
However, before he could voice his opposition, Nova joyfully raised her hands and exclaimed, "Yay! I don't know your story either! Don't forget to tell us about Adam!"
Baffled by her reaction, he hurriedly opened his mouth to stop the boy, only to be cut again by Alexander. "Great. Let's grab something to eat first," he said, walking to the door with light steps as a ray of hope replaced the guilt gnawing at his heart for an instant.
Twenty minutes later, they returned to the classroom, carrying plates filled with various dishes. The smell alone watered their mouths as they dug in, listening to the boy and his grumbling big brother with rapt attention.
Alexander's and Nova's eyes widened in fear, then narrowed in anger before a plethora of emotions crossed their face at the boy's uncommon tale. Then, the teacher asked many questions to understand the motivations behind their choices.
However, he felt that a part of the story was missing. So, he stacked the empty plates to the side of the desk and asked the ghost, "Can you tell us what happened during Julius' younger years?"
"No. I don't trust you at all," replied Adam, shrugging his ethereal shoulders in disdain. Julius already annoyed him by sharing their experience with a stranger. Worse, the man was more suspicious than anything. Fortunately, the boy didn't recount what happened in Sylvaria, or he would have slapped him in anger.
Unfortunately, Alexander already had a decent grasp of his personality. "I heard you were looking for materials," he said, retrieving a flask filled with a viscous, dark liquid that seemed to absorb light. "It's yours if you comply," he added, a sly grin tugging at his lips.
"Tsk. Who do you think I am? I'm a righteous man. You can't bribe me!" He exclaimed, his lips twitching and hands inching towards the flask.
"That's sad. It's a tier-four material used to engrave magic items. Not only can you increase the enchantment potency, but it'll raise the style point by a lot if you want my opinion," Alexander said, shaking his head bitterly as he pulled the flask back deliberately.
"Shit..." Adam muttered, annoyed to see his weakness exposed. He needed those materials, and not taking them would be foolish. Yet, he couldn't shake the feeling that it was wrong. 'I'll accept this one last time. Then, I'll be the one controlling and exploiting others' greed,' he thought, narrowing his eyes at the flask.