Even at the time, I thought it was strange. There was no reason for him to go to all that trouble for someone he only knew mostly from bumping into each other in the hallway.
All the mysteries are finally solved. Come to think of it, the interview published by the Fitzsimmons Times wasn’t completely wrong. I slapped the smirking Edgar on the forearm and walked away, past the giant cacti and oddly carved rock formations.
“Don’t try to brush it off with your good looks; it’s annoying. That won’t work on me.”
“So you think I’m handsome. That’s flattering.”
He retorted playfully and followed behind me. After walking for a while, the color of the ground changed. It was white, wavy, and dried up with something.
As we went a little further, the water rose. It was deep enough to submerge half of my shoe. Anyway, Edgar Ramos is truly not helpful in Ariel Dalton’s life. If he had told me in advance, I would have worn sandals. I clicked my tongue, looked up, and almost stopped breathing.
‘It’s pretty, isn’t it?’ he says, poking me in the side. His voice sounded very proud, but it didn’t bother me. It was because the spectacular view was worthy of his condescending attitude. ‘Where are we?’ I asked. My question sounded stupid, even to me.
The sky stretched endlessly before my eyes. More precisely, half of it was the sky, and the other half was the reflection of the sky on the shallow lake. It was hard to tell the difference between the two because of how clear the reflection was. I could see a flock of flamingos in the distance, and it looked like they were floating high above the clouds, making me envious.
“When I gave up my right to succession, I did everything I could do to have this, the Duchy of Ramos.”
“The Duchy of Ramos? Are you serious?”
A wizard’s teleportation range was proportional to his magic power. Moreover, teleportation spells were so difficult that even with the help of a magic circle, it was impossible to travel beyond a certain distance. That’s why many Fitzsimmons students go out every weekend in the same area.
I immediately knew it was Nadon because of the sand that tickles my toes and the faded green cactus. However, I didn’t expect that we’d be in the Northwest and not the Southeast. I didn’t know I would encounter such an extraordinary talent! As I was rendered speechless, it seemed like Edgar interpreted it as a sign of anger, and he became slightly flustered.
“I’m sorry I brought you this far without your consent, but you’ll forgive me, won’t you?”
“I’ll need to wipe my mouth after seeing something like this.”
It was a solemn declaration of an end to the war. In response, he quickly became relaxed.
“Right? The salt desert of Nadon is one of those things you can’t afford to see before you die. Do you feel like responding to my courtship now?”
“Don’t be too pushy.”
“Ah, what a charming personality!”
Edgar Ramos, who was laughing like crazy, was too annoying to ignore, so the Second Dalton-Ramos War broke out.
***
The Love Month Banquet, unlike the Beginning Month Banquet, was an event that would last a week. The ball will be held for three days, excluding the eve and after parties. Only those who were engaged or in equivalent relationships were allowed to be partners.
It was common to go alone, except for the students with fiancés or Keran Illestia, who had to escort the academy’s headmaster because he was the student council president. As someone without friends or a lover, I greatly appreciate this rule.
During the banquet, the academy was decorated with dainty decorations. I headed with Kelly Ramirez to the Thameni near the Academy to see the highlight of the evening, the sea slime.
It was late at night, so magic lights illuminated the road here and there. The pair of lovebirds hanging in the corner, which were in a cute beak-to-beak position a few hours ago, had been forced into a mating position by nimble, fiendish students.
“I love Fitzsimmons. It makes me realize that I am not the only crazy person in this world.”
Kelly whispered, thrilled.
“Compared to that bastard, you are a saint.”
I said, pointing to Kyle stealing Professor Dwyer’s ladder from a distance. This left the poor dwarf, who had climbed up a light pole to prevent the lovebirds from mating, completely helpless.
‘Mr. Villard!’ shouted Professor Dwyer in anger. He was wearing his summer robes, so his movements were rather sluggish. ‘I’ll give whoever takes the ladder from Mr. Villard service credits!’ Soon, nearby students pounced on Kyle, only to be blocked by Norman Casey, captain of the Griffon cricket club.
The mischievous duo started running to the opposite side of the Thameni River, so they were getting closer and closer to us. Kelly Ramirez, never one to miss an opportunity, shouted at Casey, who was guarding Kyle’s back as if he were protecting him.
“Norman! Only six months left until your funeral!”
Casey gritted his teeth. Kyle, who almost dropped the ladder while laughing, saw me next to Kelly and pulled his right arm back as if pulling the string of a bow. Then, squinting one eye, he pointed it at me and pretended to shoot.
“He’s flirting with you”, said Kelly.
I responded to Kyle’s absurd greeting with a brief middle finger. I still had not had a conversation with him. You have time to bully innocent Professor Dwyer, but no time for your friend, you son of a b*tch.
A considerable crowd had already gathered at the mouth of the Thameni River. It was natural, considering that it was one of the rare days when they could violate curfew. Perhaps it was the aftermath of Kyle and Casey stealing our time and attention; flickering lights could already be seen here and there through the dense human wall.
Sea slime is literally a slime that lives in the sea. They usually resided in the deep sea but swam to the river estuary during the spawning season to lay their eggs. Because they occupied almost the bottom of the marine food chain, they could not protect their eggs while avoiding predators.
Sea slimes, also known as Mana Jellyfish in some regions of the continent, were famous for their beautiful movements that looked like dancing lights during spawning. And since the spawning season coincided with the Love Moon Festival, watching their spawning had somehow become an annual event for Fitzsimmons. Not that it didn’t fit the ‘love’ theme.
“I guess we were a bit late.”
“I’ve seen it for four years, so it would be fine not to see it this year.”
Kelly murmured lightly. She didn’t seem to have any regrets. I, on the other hand, was a bit disappointed because I wanted to see it even after eight years, but I deliberately made a bad remark to hide it.
“To be honest, it’s kind of gross. Imagine someone watching you give birth.”
“Wow, you’ve made me want to stop watching it.”
The responding voice was gruff. When I stopped tiptoeing and turned my head, Kyle Villard greeted me. With a ladder under his arm, he was still catching his breath from running.
“Don’t talk to me, you bastard.”
“I know that’s an expression of affection. I love your sarcastic sense of humor.”
He swept his sweaty bangs to one side. He started doing that as a habit, believing he looked cool doing it after it received a lot of praise at the Beginning Month banquet.
“Look who it is!” sneered Kelly Ramirez, who had recently realized that Kyle and I were playing hide-and-seek.
“I thought he fell in the toilet and died.”
Kyle Villard, never one to be outdone in a war of words, quickly chimed in.
“I almost did, but I was saved by a magic doll, and that’s because I tried to advocate for their rights.”
He was the best student at Fitzsimmons at imitating Professor Chapman’s voice.
“Remember, Lady Ramirez. Goodwill is always rewarded.”
It was hard to find amusement in teasing someone with a thick-skinned face. Kelly lost interest in Kyle and left to find someone else to tease—Norman Casey.
“The intruder is gone. Now we can be alone.”
Alone, my butt. Weren’t you avoiding me? Why did you do that?”
“I? To you? I did?”
Kyle rambled on with his lies without even blinking. I tried to kick him but ended up kicking Professor Dwyer’s ladder instead. A tingling pain shot through my foot, causing me to slump down
“Ari, are you okay?”
As he bent down to check on me, I hit his chin with my head. The reason I sat down was to gain momentum!
“Ack, hey!”
“What’s up with you coming to me when you’re grounded, and then hiding when you’re released? Are you a tree frog?* Someone should stop you before you start a fire at this point.”
*(Comparing a person’s actions to those of a tree frog implies that their behavior is irrational or inexplicable.)
“That—”
“I had so many questions to ask you, but I forgot them all, you idiot! About Rosemary Blossom and her weird powers and me being a fifth grader for the sixth time and—-”
“Wait, wait, Ariel. What did you just say?”
Kyle grabbed me hard. His eyes were solemn like he’d seen a ghost. When I snapped at him not to change the subject, he puffed up as if he were frustrated. His complexion turned pale, then red, then pale again. It was a complete mess.
It wasn’t normal. Of course, Kyle Villard was full of energy 30% of the time except when he was sleeping, but I swear, I have never seen him so flustered.
I slowly recalled the things I just said to Kyle. About him sneaking into my hospital room like an assassin, about Rosemary Blossom, about her strange powers, about the sixth 5th grade—
“Hey, Kyle! Professor Dwyer casts an acceleration spell on Delaney Wood! Run!”
Norman Casey hurriedly tapped Kyle on the forearm and ran. Kyle picked up the ladder on the ground and followed Casey. He continued to look back at me blankly until his running back got smaller and smaller and finally became a small dot.
It was only when his trembling green eyes completely disappeared that I realized what was happening. I whispered to test it. “Kyle, I’m going back in time,” and my voice came out softly, without resistance. I didn’t feel the unpleasant sensation of a sharp nail piercing my skull. In fact, I felt refreshed.
The “4th wall” is gone.
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