The Novel's Sidekick

Q: Why Edward could not save Ciara

A: Because he chose to save Scar.

- - -

I was reading a book on the basics of Warding and recuperating from the injuries I got yesterday. My channelling system got a little wrecked after I overflew it with purgatory, but it was nothing that a good rest couldn't heal. All I needed was to stay cooped up in my room, not try my hand at channelling.

Today was the year-end festival but I have no intention of going out, even if this world is twice as marvellous compared to my old world. But it appeared my dear baldy had other plans, as I heard him call on my door.

"Boss!" yelled Julies, while knocking.

I opened the door and found another person with my short, bald, weird underling.

In contrast to Julies, the newcomer was a broad youth, though a little short compared to Ben, he got all the muscles where he needed them. He was dark-skinned with dark hair and eyes. But currently, the broad-shouldered youth had a pensive look on his face, like he had done something wrong and needed to atone for it.

That should be Eran Claus, another one of my underlings. The last one of the useful bunch, I reckoned.

"Boss, I brought Eran to atone for his transgressions," Julies said and threw the guy who was twice the size of him before me. Julies certainly has his way of things.

Eran came right in my leg and embraced it, immobilising me. If I did not recognise this person, I would have taken it as an attack.

"Boss, forgive me!" Eran yelled, not letting go of my legs. "I tried my best, but still passed. Please forgive me. Don't throw me away."

"Let go of my leg," I shouted at him, trying to get away. "Why are you asking for forgiveness in the first place?"

"Boss, I tried so hard," Eran continued. "I tried very hard to fail in the test, yet somehow, I passed. Please forgive me."

"Is that something you need to apologise for?" I said and finally freed my legs from this guy.

"But we made a pact that we will not pass the test until Boss himself did it."

"There is something like that?" I could not help but sigh. "This is so stupid. Stand up, you are embarrassing me."

Then my mind came up with how Eran passed the test. Unlike Julies, who was only here for a single year, Eran was here for another year. The one in charge most likely did not want to lose out on such a promising knight candidate.

Or most likely, they wanted to get him out of my influence. The academy has a history of recruiting knight candidates from peasants.

Or it could also be Eran's fear that he would not make it to all the courses on his last try. We are all given 3 years of time to advance. If someone fails in that time, be it a noble's son, or some peasant, they have to say goodbye to the academy.

Like Eran, I was at a dead end. If I don't pass this year, I will be sent off from the academy as well, which I have no intention of doing. Not until I get what I need from here, at any rate.

"Boss, I heard you are retiring from delinquency?" Eran asked again, picking his body up.

"You heard that right, just don't make a big scene like this baldy."

Eran looked at me, then at Julies. They seemed to come to an understanding together and didn't try to convince me for now. But I reckoned they wouldn't be swayed too easily.

"Boss, let's go to the festival," Julies said, pulling my arm. "You were so tired yesterday, so let's celebrate today."

I sighed. "Do I really have to go?'' It was not that I had a problem with the festival. I just don't like people staring at me as if I'm some kind of zoo animal, judging me for things I never did. If only I had a normal demeanour.

Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with the handsome exterior, but with the unique red hair and pupil, all my efforts to blend in with the crowd were almost futile. A cap might do it, but it is not a solution either. I have to make the image of Scar better, more responsible, someone that others can trust.

Perhaps I should start from today.

"Yes, let's go. Let's go." Julies continued to pull me out of my room. "I know you have plans with your sweetheart in the evening, but spend the afternoon with us. It's not like a festival every day."

I do not actually have any plans. All I did after coming back from the mountain was sleep. Actually, I still have some uncomfortable feelings inside, but I could not let myself get cooped up in the dorm for an entire day.

This world has almost nothing for entertainment's sake. At least, there's nothing that I can do alone. I went to the library before and read a few books there, but did not find peace in reading.

Maybe I wanted to see someone in the library, but could not find the one I was looking for.

In the end, I let the baldy drag me away. The academy has more people now. Almost all the people had come back on the occasion of the festival, and the academic year will start in a couple of days. Mostly because of the festival.

After all, only in two places was the festival celebrated as big as in the City of Stars. The first was in Sholistin, the capital of Mahenar, and the other was in Endus—Yeriel's country.

Even though the sun had about an hour to set, the path out of the academy was almost packed. Boys and girls wandered down the path, some as a couple, some in groups. They wore new clothing, adorning pieces of jewellery and holding big smiles on their faces. They walked in, creating loud waves of laughter and cacophony.

It looked quite like the summer festival that was overly done in every school anime.

I looked at the three of us. None of our clothes were filthy, if I may say so, but they weren't new or extravagant either.

"We are all poor, right?" I asked the obvious question, taking a mental note to do something about it later. The energy plan around Scientist Grivin turned out to be a flop, so I have to do something else for now.

"Yes," Eran said without embarrassment. "If we did not steal or take the stuff by force, I did not know if we could manage to live this year."

"All the dynes I brought are spent as well. The academy is a sucker for money," Julies said. "I should have stolen more when I ran away," he muttered again.

"What did you say, Julz?" I asked. "Something about running away?"

"Nothing," the bald guy with the dark glasses said. He ran off to change the topic, yelling, "Hey look, a sweet shop."

I shook my head. I was right. Julies had some problems and ran away from home. Though I'm not sure, the bald head and weird getup can only mean one thing: he was hiding his identity. He was not one of the main characters in the book, but he had a story of his own. A story that had not been told in the book. Perhaps I should not think of it as a book. Then again, I never thought of it as a book. To be exact, none of their behaviour proved anything less than a unique individual. They are not characters, but actual human beings.

Was this really inside of a book then? These questions are troublesome for my little brain.

By the time we arrived at the sweet shop that Julies ran off to, that guy had already eaten a couple of pieces of sweet.

"Boss, do you want one?" he said to me, holding out another big lollipop, though the content was squashy. "This bloke makes it sweet and squashy."

"No, I'm good."

Julies gave the lollipop to Eran. The group of three was about to leave when he heard the shopkeeper say:

"Lads, you forgot to pay."

Julies looked back and gave the keeper a look of contempt, as if he was some big shot. "Are you new here?" he asked, and his voice was loud and cold, not the usual loud and cheerful one. He made his arm into a fist and showed it to the shopkeeper. "Do you want some of these, mate?"

"Lad, just pay the bill. It's only six tills, not something big for the pupil of the Academy," the shop owner said again, though he flinched again.

"Heh," Julies continued with contempt in his eyes. "The fact I used your shop is a great fortune of your ancestors. Go ask him for—"

I could not wait anymore and put my hand on his chest, gesturing to him to stop. "Just pay the bill, Julz," I said, opening my purse, which held all of my assets as in thirty-something dyne.

I brought out a silver coin of ten tills and was about to give it to the shop owner.

"Boss, what are you doin'?" Julies yelled as if I did something blasphemous. "I already came to an understanding with this bloke. He ain't need it."

"Don't yell, you twit." I cursed my luck. Was it really this hard to hide from people's gaze? I reckoned all the vendors would know of my arrival if I did not shut this baldy's mouth.

"Here, take it." I held the money towards the shop owner, showing the cold front of Scar. The shopkeeper flinched just by looking at my face.

The shopkeeper recognised me and now feared taking the money. Great, I thought. Oh, God, humour me. Is it so hard for others to get it? I was not planning on anything close to delinquency.

"Master Oscar, how about you keep your money?" the shopkeeper said, cowering. "Consider it . . . Hmm, a present to your friends."

My face pained, and I felt uncomfortable from the gazes I was getting. Should I threaten this guy to take it? I considered and found it to be the only way now.

"Keep it," I said coldly, showing narrowed, cold eyes.

The shopkeeper took it and stood there as if he had forgotten what to do with it.

"My change?" I reminded him. A great start in my agenda to quit delinquency. Is this what Julz and Eran wanted? No, they had some brains, but never this scheming. They probably wanted to remind me, we can get away thing doing anything like this.

"Right." The shopkeeper recoiled and fumbled with the coins to give me four tills back.

I let out a self-conscious breath. So much for a little outing.

"Boss," Julies said with a glint in his eyes. "Do you know what you did?"

I did not answer, and in the corner of my eyes, I saw two familiar figures. Elinor, the substitute for Edward—the protagonist of the story, she still wore the unfitted magic department uniform with her silver hair tied in a bun behind her. She looked quite cute in it and nothing else, contrasting with the girl next to her, who held most of the stares of the public.

Ciara wore her usual tight outfit, an extravagant blue gown with pearls embroidered all over it as it went further down to her toes. Perhaps Starlight City was too warm for her as a denizen of Victoria. She had light makeup on, and she was one gorgeous piece of art. As for ornaments, she only has a pendant on her neck and two blue earpieces.

The two of them seemed to have seen all the drama that occurred here. Elinor gave a slight bow and smiled a little while Ciara glanced at me and the two others behind me before leaving with Elinor with a face that told, I disappointed her.

A great start to end my career in delinquency.

I pressed my lips tight. Going to the festival appeared to be a really awful choice for me.

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Edited by Mysteries. Proofread by kqwxz.

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