Chapter 18: CHAPTER 18 HONEST MISTAKE

“Lie down!” Yami yells at the top of his lungs.

I immediately buckle on my knees giving up my weight to the pull of gravity. Lying down flat on the ground, Yami and Jack’s magic collides.

“Tsk,” Yami scowls at Jack. “What is your problem, dude? We were having a conversation here!?”

Jack like a kid scowls back at Yami. “WhAAat!? He literally just attacked you a second ago, are you an idiot?” His argument is reasonable though.

While lying on the ground, I watch the two bicker like 5 year-olds. I don’t know if I should be happy that I am still alive, but their spits are flying everywhere.

“That’s none of your business, I can handle it! You, long hair bastard!”
“Yeah? But you two are disturbing the neighborhood! Shut the F up!”
“It’s not me, it’s him who was disturbing the neighborhood!”
“Don’t you see granny there, why is she so quiet now huh?”
“Well, of course, it’s because she was scared of you.”
“Impossible! Do you see this handsome mug!”
“What I only see is a future serial killer!”
“Says by the foreigner who is most likely a spy!”
“At least that’s so much better than an outlaw…”
“Want a go at it, I will slash you!”
“Yeah, come on! Hit me!”

This is unbelievable.  I cannot understand who is saying what. While lying on my back, I watch the two bicker, spit flying everywhere, like 5 years old. These two’s dynamic seems like it has been already set in stone even before they were babies.

Thwarting my plans of playing the villain is the two’s very quirky personalities. Hmmm… I guess, it is up to fate then. Maybe by forcing things, I might accidentally alter the original story.

I shouldn’t get ahead of myself. This will be a lesson for me.

Yami raises his fist in annoyance. “You long hair bastard, why did you even attack? It’s not like you are a magic knight.”

Jack defends himself readily, “I am not now, but I will be.”

Yami tries to reason with the psycho killer, “But you don’t have to be so aggressive?”

But apparently, you cannot reason with Jack. “I just want to take the ones who are considered strong, and slash them to ribbons.” That’s very like Jack.

Yami’s forehead is visibly throbbing, showing his veins. “Ain’t that just straight up a serial killer?”

I stand up, I cannot take it anymore. Isn’t it time for me now to make a third-rate villain’s retreat? “Peasant and foreigner, what a likely duo! I’ll see you both in the Magic Knight’s Exam. Clean your necks while at it, I’ll be taking your heads as trophies.” Laughing at them vulgarly, I run out of their sight.

Blindly running forward, I accidentally bump into someone. “O-ouch,” Hey, watch where you are going. Before I even make a complaint, I immediately tense up. “J-julius? As in the Julius?” Grey hair, handsome middle-aged, and a kind smile.

“Oh,” Julius scratches the back of his head awkwardly. “I am sorry, I was in a hurry.” The captain of the Grey Deer squad immediately leaves me. That was hurtful, but I can understand. I don’t even have a grimoire satchel on me, not that I need it.

I follow Julius. He is fast. Is he maybe boosting himself with magic? Thanks to my new Ki sensing, I was able to discern his presence among the crowd, not to mention that he is not in my sight. Though I cannot see him, I can feel him. This Ki is amazing.

Peeking from a corner, I see Julius conversing with a familiar dark-haired youth, it was Yami… and just beside them is… the old lady’s stall.

What the fuck? The old lady was the real deal. It wasn’t Julius all along!? I was overthinking all this time. I swear, it was an honest mistake!

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Yami dully listens to Julius’s questioning. “Hmmm… Are you sure? I felt immense magic fluctuations here. Fighting openly in the streets is common because of the exams, but in the end, it isn’t permitted as it was against kingdom laws. Are you sure you didn’t see anything?”

Not involving any magic, I was able to hear their conversation. I reckon it's Ki again working to my advantage.

Yami makes a solid statement that Julius cannot see any loopholes. “Yes, I didn’t see anything. My eyes were closed the whole time it was happening.” A totally blatant lie with too weak of an excuse! What is happening to your brain cell, Yami?

Julius simply smiles. Oh no, is Yami going to lose his position in Grey Deer? Future! Original story! Don’t change, on, me!

“Hmmm,” Julius understandably nods. “I see… There is no loophole to what you were saying.”

What the F!? Maybe, it’s my own brain cell that is questionable?

Julius crosses his arms and with a knowing look, he throws a random question at Yami. “What do you think of the kingdom, Yami?”

From how Julius is addressing Yami, it must mean the two have already made acquaintance with each other.

Yami didn’t think for long, and immediately offers his opinion. “Plenty of food, strong houses made of stone… But, weak…”

Now, now, now… This is very new to me. So this is how Yami sees the Clover Kingdom, huh? It is understandable. He is a foreigner after all.

“Hahaha!” Julius laughing is as equally understandable. “I don’t know what to say, but you are right in a sense.” At Yami’s age, I can understand his narrow sight. But what is this? I think Yami is not the kind of person who looks down on people.

“I don’t mean it in a general sense. People after all are generally weak. What I mean is… they have weak hearts, lack any conviction, and most annoying of all— are unkind! Yes, that’s the word, unkind, not weak, they are unkind.”

Not finding the right words to get his feelings across, Yami shuts up. Yami touches the dark grimoire by his waist. It reminds him of his old home, his country, his sister, and his best friend.

Imagining it as a scroll instead of a grimoire, Yami starts fantasizing about what his life could have been if he stayed in Hino.

Julius from where he stands starts stiring. Finally realizing the grimoire by Yami’s waist, his obsessive nature about magic starts coming to the surface. “Amazing, is this a dark grimoire? So, is dark magic an attribute? Can you show me? Can you?”

Yami can hardly refuse the too-enthusiastic and almost hysterical magic knight.

This is how the friendship of Yami Sukehiro and Julius Novachrono sprouts their first leaves.

It is funny how a simple interest develops into kindness. I watch all of this happen from the shadows of the high walls of the building. “Yami, I am so happy for you.”

…