by V. A. Lewis
Unfortunately, that did not happen. Now that they were seated next to Nero, Alice was suddenly deathly quiet. Adrian could see her face burning red as her eyes constantly darted between the man and the ground.
"Hm, that’s odd," Nero said, with a hand on his chin.
"Uh, is something the matter Sir?" Alice quickly asked as Adrian stayed quiet.
"Oh it’s nothing, Miss…?"
"Alice," she squeaked. "And this is my friend, Adrian." She nudged the boy, clearly trying to get him to speak. He didn’t.
"Ah, Ms Alice and Mr Adrian." The Holy Knight nodded, and turned to the boy. "I came here because I heard one of you had motion sickness. I wanted to offer you a potion for it, but it seems that I must have misheard."
Adrian scowled. Onia. She was probably trying to ridicule him in front of Nero and it backfired, since he was with them now.
Then Adrian realized what Nero had said. He slowly lowered a hand to his stomach, but the numbness was gone. He felt better. His intense focus on the Holy Knight distracted him from the bumpy ride to the point he felt nothing.
"You’re too kind," Alice said. "But you needn’t worry yourself with us. We’re just commoners, not worth the time of your esteemed presence."
Are you trying to get him to leave or stay? Adrian retorted in his head. Although he wouldn’t mind if the man left because of that. He was using every ounce of his strength just to hold himself back from glaring at Nero.
Nero just shrugged. "Commoners, nobles, what’s the difference?"
This time, Adrian was taken aback. He felt like Alice in that he was unsure what to say.
"Sir! You can’t mean that!" Alice was horrified. And Adrian would have been too— the man might have just been testing them.
But he doubled down on his statement. "I mean it, Ms Alice. In my opinion, there’s no difference between me and you other than the family we were born to. That does not make me superior to you, nor does it make you inferior to me. You’ve proven it by entering Xander’s Academy, no?" Nero leaned back on his seat, before adding, "Plus, Saint Theron had to have taken an interest in your friend for a reason."
He knows? Of course he did. Everyone of Adrian’s classmates knew that the boy was sponsored by Saint Theron himself. But they had a reason to know since they were in the same class. Why would a Holy Knight Captain and possible heir of a Ducal house bother to learn of such a minor detail? It was not something any random noble would go out of their way to learn.
However, he was not a random noble. He was of house Corinna. And everyone knew Saint Theron was the one who killed the Fiend— the disgraced daughter of said Ducal house. So there was only one reason he could be here.
And if the man’s piercing gaze were any indication, Adrian’s suspicions were correct. The boy shifted as Nero continued to scrutinize him. "...what?" he finally asked, breaking his silence.
The black haired man lifted an eyebrow. "I’m just curious as to what the Saint found so intriguing about you that he brought you all the way from the Rem Republic to Xanderia for," Nero said. "I do admit, from what I hear you are indeed quite talented. Yet, there are countless other children in this world with untapped potential, but he’s never once brought them back. Instead, he chose you."
"...does it really matter?" Adrian had to stop himself from snapping at the man. Nero was not being rude— in fact, most would’ve taken that as a compliment. But the boy could tell that Nero was probing him, and that made him uncomfortable.
Nero continued to inspect Adrian for another moment, before he sighed. Whatever it was he saw, it was clear he realized he could not get anything out of Adrian. Adrian nearly sagged in relief, when the man spoke.
"What was she like?"
Adrian froze. He felt his entire body stiffen. There was only one ‘she’ the man could be talking about, and although Adrian expected something like this, he did not anticipate that the man would be so direct about it.
"Let me rephrase," Nero said, clearing his throat. "Was she like what they made her out to be? Was she really evil?"
The young boy slowly turned to face the Holy Knight. He ignored Alice’s confused looks, and he found himself staring into the deep blue eyes of the nobleman. There was genuine curiosity in them— a longing to know the truth.
Adrian could have played dumb. He could have given a fake answer. But something screamed in him to tell the truth— to go against the narrative written and believed by everyone else in the world except for himself and Melas. So even if this implicated him as some sort of heretic sympathizer, Adrian spoke what he believed was true.
"She was not."
Nero paused. It took the man a moment to absorb Adrian’s response. Then he nodded. "I see," he said, standing up. "Now if you’ll excuse me, it seems like we’ll be arriving soon. I have to speak with Lucas and plan with him to ensure you’re all safe. It was a pleasure speaking with you two fine young children."
Adrian hesitated, but he eventually answered, "Likewise."
Alice took a moment longer to gather her response. "Oh— uh, of course! We were honored that we got to speak with you!"
Nero chuckled, but he did not say anything else. He turned around and headed to the front of the bus as Adrian watched him approach the teacher. A second after the man was gone, Alice pulled Adrian into a hushed whisper.
"What was that?" she asked, voice masking no confusion. "What were you guys talking about?!"
Adrian shrugged. "Secret."
"What? How do you have a secret with a Holy Knight? You’ve got to tell me—"
Perhaps one day, he would tell her the truth about the Fiend. For now, the boy said nothing.
Chapter 20: Adrian IV - Deal
"I can’t believe it," Onia sighed.
"I don’t like this either, but you don’t hear me complaining about it," Adrian said, ignoring the glare the noble girl gave him.
"It’s bad enough that I get grouped up with the half breed"— Onia gestured at the Half Elf boy standing off to the side— "but I have to deal with both commoners too?" She turned to the other noble in their group— a girl with pale green eyes and brown hair with orange streaks— and spoke to her, "Ilyse, please tell me I’m having a nightmare."
"Unfortunately not, Lady Onia. If you were, I’m afraid to tell you that I am experiencing it as well."
Adrian was about to retort, but Alice stepped in front of him and spoke quickly, "Um, Lady Onia, Lady Ilyse, I know we’ve had our differences. But why don’t we put it all behind us for today. Mr Lucas said it’s too dangerous for us to work alone, especially for our first time facing Monsters. That’s why we’re in our groups."
"Dangerous?" the pink haired girl snorted. "Maybe for commoners like you who have never seen a Monster in their life. I’ve seen Kobolds, and I’ve killed them too. This is hardly a new experience for me."
Adrian could not contain his annoyance any longer. They had been together for a total of 15 minutes, and he finally had enough. "I am so sorry that we had to be in the same group as you, Lady Onia. But unlike your maids and butlers who babysit you when your daddy brings you hunting, we won’t help you if you’re being killed by a pack of Monsters."
Onia paused. She eyed the boy with cold eyes. "Don’t think too highly of yourself just because you cheated to beat me, Adrian," she said dangerously. "I could have you and your girlfriend killed and nobody would be any the wiser."
Alice visibly paled, but Adrian just met her gaze. "Why don’t you just do it? Maybe then I’d be spared from seeing your reptilian-like face every single day."
The noble girl walked up to Adrian, and the boy just folded his arms. Ilyse tried to pull her back. "Lady Onia, it’s not worth it—"
But she just continued on. "Maybe I will," she said, finally stopping right in front of him. "It’d be a service to every student in the Academy to be rid of you two."
"Adrian, I think that’s enough," Alice quickly spoke out, trying to stop the boy from saying anything else. However, he just
shook his head.
"No, Alice. There’s no reason to be afraid of her. She’s just a rich, spoiled brat who never had to work a day in her life. I wouldn’t be surprised if they paid the Academy just to accept someone as talentless as her."
"You know nothing about me." Onia’s eyes flashed, fury blazing in her pupils.
"I know enough—"
"Guys," a voice cut Adrian off. It was neither Alice nor Ilyse who spoke, but instead it was the other boy in their group, Faizan. "Look," the Half Elf said, "there’s one."
Adrian looked at what he was pointing at. It was a small, almost-hidden, pale green plant underneath a rock. It was a Pixie Bud.
The purpose of the field trip was simple: the class had been split up into nearly dozen groups to go explore the Defenor Forest. They were to observe the local wildlife and write a report on them, hunt down any Monsters in the area to help cull their population from growing too large, as well as gather any herbs or plants that could be used for Alchemy. A Pixie Bud was probably one of the most important of such ingredients.
Alice walked over to the Half Elf and peered over at the plant. "Why’s there only one?" she asked. "Aren’t they supposed to come in clusters?"
"They are," Faizan said, carefully divoting the dirt below the Pixie Bud. He placed it into his basket and turned to the blonde girl. "They don’t grow too close to each other because of how each one affects the flora around it. That’s why each Pixie Bud is so rich in mana. But there should be more in the area, we just have to search for it."
Onia huffed, flipping her hair— currently tied into a braid— back. "You go ahead and do that, half breed. Ensure every Pixie Bud around here is gathered. Ilyse and I will return in an hour to check on your progress."
"Where are you going?" Adrian narrowed his eyes. He would have preferred it if the noble girl were gone since he did not have to interact with her, but he was not going to let her slack off while they did all the work. "Don’t think we’ll do your work for you, Onia."
She frowned at the use of her name without any title, but did not comment on it. "Why, commoner, I’m being efficient. We’ll divide up the work— you three can stay here and do this boring task, while I will find us some Kobolds to kill. It’s not like you’ll be of any help regardless, so try and make yourself useful here."
Adrian held himself back from snapping at her. "Fine," he said. "Go ahead and get yourself injured by Monsters. But when Mr Lucas asks us why we weren’t there to help you, don’t go laying the blame on us."
Onia scoffed. "I wouldn’t even think of it. If something were too much for me to handle, I sincerely doubt your presence would make any difference." With that said, she turned around and walked away. "Come on, Ilyse."
"Yes, Lady Onia." The other noble girl hurried after her. Adrian watched them go, opting not to say anything.
"Are you sure we should just let them leave?" Alice asked, a worried look on her face.
Adrian hesitated. He stared at the two figures as they disappeared behind a thicket. Then he turned back to Alice. "Yes," he said. "The worst thing that could happen is we get into trouble for breaking off into smaller groups."
The girl looked unconvinced, but she didn’t argue. "If you say so…"
"I think that’s all of it," the Half Elf boy said, slumping over.
"Thanks, Faizan." Adrian placed a hand on his shoulder. "We couldn’t have finished up so quickly without you."
Faizan looked unbothered by Adrian’s casual use of his name. Adrian knew his family was from a lower noble rank— a Baron, if Adrian remembered correctly. But he would have thought that the other boy would have been at least slightly concerned with formality.
Adrian didn’t mind it; it was better for him that way. He did not enjoy using titles, but he would have done so if Faizan requested it— he liked the Half Elf enough that he would do that for him.
"How did you know where to find all the Pixie Buds were?" Alice asked, looking amazed. "I’d have thought it would take an hour or more to find as many as we did."
"My… mother taught me," Faizan said, hesitantly. "She’s an Elf, and she was born in Ghab-Ha. So she’s good with nature. But I’m not— compared to real Elves my age, I’m nothing."
Adrian frowned. Faizan had to have been around 20 years old from what he could gather, although the other boy was only slightly taller and more mature looking than him. That was young for an Elf, but slightly older for a Half Elf. Regardless, Faizan should still have been considered a child who was only starting to hit puberty. As far as Adrian knew, Faizan seemed rather talented and knowledgeable.
"It’s a compliment," Adrian said, "don’t put yourself down." He gave the other boy as reassuring of a smile he could give, and gestured toward the baskets full of Pixie Buds and a handful of other ingredients that could be used for Alchemy or Herbalism. "Let’s just go bring this back. Then we can find something to observe and write about while we still have time."
"R-right," Faizan said, nodding.
The three children began heading back to the large clearing near Defenor Forest’s exit. The forest had been developed because of the resources it provided to Xanderia, as well as its usefulness serving as a recreational and training area, which meant there were roads and small paths guided alongside signs throughout the place. Adrian, Alice, and Faizan simply followed one such pathway back to where they came from.
"Hey," Alice said urgently, tugging at Adrian’s shirt, "what’s that?"
Adrian blinked. The girl was pointing at something off road at a distance— stalking behind some bushes and trees. It was…
"A Kobold? No— they’re supposed to be bipedal, although they usually walk around on all fours. But that’s not a Kobold." Adrian felt for the weapon hanging around his waist. It was not a training sword with a dulled edge— they were here to kill Monsters. They had been trained to use proper weapons, and this was a test to see how well they could actually wield them.
"It’s a wolf," Faizan said, not even squinting. Adrian could barely even make out the animal, but the Half Elf’s superior vision let him see objects almost twice as far as a regular Human. "A Dyre Wolf, to be specific. They’re mostly docile Monsters, unless they’re hungry. In which case, we should avoid them at any cost. They’re as dangerous as a pack of Kobolds. Although by the looks of it, that one seems to have already found its prey."
Adrian leaned over to look at where the other boy was pointing. True enough, the Dyre Wolf seemed to be tracking something. It was following a pair of Kobolds, minding their own business.
"Should we tell Mr Lucas about this?" Alice asked. "Since they’re dangerous and all."
"No," Adrian said, shaking his head. "A single Dyre Wolf is much of a problem by itself. Although I didn’t think they were native to this area. I always thought Crymson Wolves were more the type of Monster canines that were near Xanderia." He paused, thinking about it for a moment. "But it doesn’t matter, we can just leave it be."
Alice nodded. "That sounds good to me," she concurred. "If this wolf is trespassing in the territory of other wolves, they’ll take care of it. Let nature deal with nature."
Faizan didn’t disagree either. "I guess that makes sense," he said. So with the group in agreement, they continued back to where Lucas and Nero were waiting.
Their supervisors were waiting under an open tent. They were both in full plate armor, but the Holy Knight had mana crystals adorned on various parts of his armor, unlike the teacher who only had three small mana crystals on his armor that Adrian could see.
"Back so soon?" Nero asked, as the three students approached them. "Where’s the rest of your group?"
"We decided to split up. Divvy up the work so we can get done faster," Adrian explained. "Onia and Ilyse wanted to deal with the Kobolds, so we’re doing the rest of the work."
Lucas grunted in response. "So you’ve collected Pixie Buds, I see."
"Yes," Alice said, showing the ingredients in her basket. "And we also found some Sun Spo
res, Vetus Grass, and—"
The teacher waved a hand and cut her off. "That’s good enough for me," he said. "Have you chosen your research subject yet?"
"N-no," Faizan answered truthfully, and glanced at his two companions. "But I was thinking— if my group doesn’t mind— I wanted to inspect the Elysian Trees. Defenor Forest is the only place outside of Ghab-Ha where they’re fully preserved, and I’m… interested in them."
"I’m fine with it," Adrian said nonchalantly.
Alice nodded in agreement. "If that’s what you want, we’ll do it."
"There you go," Lucas said, shooing them away. "Just make sure you make actual observations about them— like the special properties of their wood or how their leaves seem to produce mana into the air. Don’t just write about what you’re interested in, and cover as much as you can in your paper."
"Yes, Mr Lucas," the three students chorused.
They left their baskets with the teacher, before heading off. They were graded by the ingredients they brought back, and Adrian was certain they gathered enough to get the highest grade— a Distinction. Once the field trip was over, all the ingredients would be equally divided amongst all students for their Alchemy class next week.
"So," Adrian said, breaking the silence, "where are these Elysian Trees at?"
"You mean you don’t know what they look like?" Alice turned to Adrian in surprise. "Have you never seen one, ever?"
"Uh, nope." Adrian scratched the back of his head. "Is that something I should know?"
Alice just stared at him for a moment, then she blinked as a moment of realization sunk in. "I forget you’re from Vitae sometimes," she said, resting her palm on her forehead. "Elysian Trees don’t exist on that side of the world, right?"
"No." Adrian first heard about them when Walden mentioned them in one of his lessons back in Villamcreek. However, he knew nothing about them beyond bare bits of information— they would only come up in a third year elective, so he had no reason to study them. "What’s so special about these trees?" Adrian asked.