When Tresuria joined the others at a table in the main room, everyone stared at the new pet plant, which already had Tresuria’s height. It looked more like a muscular man than a plant. Or in lack of a better explanation, a bodybuilder tree.
She sat on the empty chair near Nozomu, and the big pet sat on the floor behind her. Draiky got up from his sitting position near Nozomu and went to him, reaching with his open hand for a greeting. Oaky carefully held the tiny hand and gently shook it.
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Draiky went to his place near Nozomu again, and he asked while looking back at the enormous pet, “You made a new one? That quick? He looks stupidly strong!”
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“Yes, this one cheated a little. Normally, a pet plant takes longer to grow, but this one used a vial of a Fast-Growing Potion. Letting him grow in a more natural way outside would be dangerous for him, even with Rampage and Furnace guarding his birthplace. Draiky grew up in a vase with soil in this one’s bedroom, but Oaky was not safe outside.”
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“That is a cool name. Sounds like oak, a tree name. Well, he looks like a tree, and that treetop over his head seems like hair.”
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Tresuria made a slight smile and questioned, “Is Oak a tree? This one is not familiar with that name.”
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“Oh! Right… Sorry, I mean, Oaky sounds like the name of a tree species. Why did you make him bigger than Draiky? You wanted a scarier pet?”
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“Yes, but he is not fully grown yet. Tomorrow he will be bigger. Draiky is very good in certain situations, but Oaky will be good if one day this one has to move a big boulder out of the way, or lift a broken waggon.”
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Taisetsuna spoke as she smiled at the big pet plant. “Or tear down a house! With those arms, he would probably break this Academy’s main door easily. Is he going to be bigger than that? Cool! Do you need to teach him how to fight? I want to go first against him in a spar!”
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“Oaky is linked to this one, so he shares this one’s knowledge, but he needs to get used to fighting. He was born a few moments ago. He is still testing the movements of his body.”
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Chujitsuna approached the peaceful looking pet plant and touched its leaf treetop. Oaky moved his massive head to look at her, and he reached out with one hand and gently caressed her cheek, making the Snake-kind girl turn bright red. She understood that since he was linked to Tresuria, it was almost as if she was the one caressing her.
She went to her place at the table again and winked at the dark green face of the shy Gailie.
They ate, with all of them wanting to know more about the process of making a pet plant, and Tresuria refusing to explain, feeling more ashamed with each question.
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Nozomu noticed she was not even eating, so he changed the subject. “Tresuria, before you arrived, the Principal made a speech congratulating us again on our entrance. He also said that he had sent messages to our parents, and they were expected tomorrow at the Entrance Ceremony. The Princess is also coming. You think your parents will come as well?”
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“Mother won’t. But this one’s father? No one will be able to stop him from coming! If Hinotsume stands in his way tomorrow, this one’s father will run right through him to give a powerful hug to his daughter. Father for sure knows that this one entered because, if not, this one would be already at home. He is most probably drinking to celebrate, and mother is trying to make him sit quietly. Mother is probably going insane with him by now.”
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Chujitsuna spoke with a big smile. “Both of my parents will come, I bet. If the Princess will be here, it will be fun to see my mother’s reaction. She still hates her guts.”
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Robert Keskula shrugged. “I doubt my parents will come. They didn’t like my idea of applying to the Academy. Maybe they will decide at the last moment since the Princess is also coming, but the last time I spoke with them, they were ashamed of my choice.”
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Hinen made a slight frown. “Even so, you came. Why?”
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“Because of a pretty Cat-kind girl, actually. This is also a good place for me to get a name for myself, but it was mostly because of her.”
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That simple and honest answer made Taisetsuna choke on her drink, and Chujitsuna tapped her back to help. “Don’t you drown with that! I guess you touched a nerve, Viscount! Heheheh!”
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Taisetsuna grabbed a fork and squeezed it while looking straight at the smiling blond boy. “One of these days, you are going to push me too far, soon-to-be Viscount Robert Keskula…”
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“Robert.”
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“W... what?”
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“Or Rob. Dear or honey is too soon, so call me only Robert, Taisetsuna.”
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The angry-looking Cat-kind girl tried to jump over the table, with Chujitsuna grabbing her from one side and Nozomu from the other. Then, they heard giggling, and they all looked at Tresuria, who had tears running down her light green face while covering her mouth, trying to stop her laughter.
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Taisetsuna sat on her chair again and asked with a frown, “Why are you laughing now?”
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“Sorry… Hihihi! It is just… Hihihi! You are all nuts! This one already knew she had a strange mind because no Gailie ever wanted to be an Adventurer, but you all? Sorry… Hihihi! Too funny! And now this one remembered we defeated two Dragons, and Hinotsume is also kind of nuts! Oh! And Rampage! That is one crazy and funny Unicorn! Hihihi!”
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That was the end for them. They joined the laughing Gailie, causing everyone at the other tables to look at them, puzzled why there was so much noise.
On a nearby table, a certain Lion-kind boy was glancing at Taisetsuna and trying to disguise his red face by drinking the water in his glass.
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One boy that was near him noticed the glances for the third time and whispered to him, “Still angry? You don’t seem to be able to take your eyes off her.”
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The Lion-kind boy squeezed his fork as he was eating, almost bending it, and answered, “No… I am not angry… I just… Leave it, okay? I want to eat in peace.”
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“Sure… But if you are not angry, that red face means only one thing…”
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He didn’t answer and made his best to calm down his nervousness.
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The laughter coming from Taisetsuna’s table reached the Principal, and he smiled as he said, “It is nice to hear the students laughing after all the events today.”
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Teacher Muse Sirel answered while she was biting a piece of bread, “Yeah, real nice indeed… Bunch of crazy fools, all of them...”
...
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In the middle of the night, Nozomu woke up feeling thirsty. He slowly sat on the bed, and Draiky, who was on the floor next to his bed, sensed movement and got up to look at him. Or at least, to point his round head at him, as if he was asking what he was doing.
Nozomu got out of bed without making a sound. He tried to find his boots in the darkness, and Draiky pushed the pair to his reach.
After silently walking out of the room with the small pet plant at his side, Nozomu went along the corridor, trying to find the kitchen or anywhere that could have water.
When they reached the end of the corridor, there was a big, thick door there.
Nozomu rotated and pulled the handle, and a singing voice reached them. It was not very loud for him to understand the lyrics or recognise the voice, but someone was there because there was light coming from a candle in one corner near the counter.
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As they entered, the voice continued the song, not realising someone was already there. “Adventurers for miles, one behind you, one near you. Monsters ahead, grab your sword, prepare your soul, avenge the dead piles...“
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It was then that Nozomu recognised the voice. As the lyrics repeated, he approached the Dwarf Teacher, Muse Sirel. She was seated on a chair with a bottle over the counter and was looking at a glass in her hands.
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She then raised her look and made a slight smile at her puzzled new student. “Can’t sleep, Nozomu?”
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“I was sleeping, but I woke up feeling thirsty. I was looking for water. Maybe the meat at dinner was slightly saltier than it should be.”
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“Grab a glass from that cabinet, and on the counter behind you is a jar with water. The white jar with a lid.”
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Nozomu followed her indications and sat on the empty chair near her as he drank the water.
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Muse Sirel took a sip of her wine and tapped Draiky’s head. “You are a funny little plant. Gailies sure are amazing. With seeds and Magic, they create plants like this one.”
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“Yes, they sure are. What are you doing here, Teacher Muse? I heard you singing a strange song.”
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“I woke up worried about something. I was singing ‘Adventurer last stand’. It is an ancient song that Adventurers often sing when going on a Quest or a mission from which they are uncertain they will return. It serves as a reminder of why we do what we do… felt appropriate… considering the last events…”
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“I don’t understand. What last events?”
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Muse Sirel averted her gaze from her glass and looked at Nozomu with a slight smile. “A group of youngsters went to a mountain, killed two Drakes and dozens upon dozens of Goblins that were soon to attack the Capital and kill many people, then returned and defeated two Dragons.”
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“And you lost your sleep because of that? Shouldn’t you, I don’t know, feel happy or proud?”
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“But I am, Nozomu. None of that ruined my mood. I got angry with the craziness in the afternoon, but what got me worried was remembering that the last time that Dragons mingled with other beings is now a myth in some books, that say it only happened before one cleansing from God Raluth, and I fear for the future. No one is sure who wrote those books, and if there is any truth in them, actually.”
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Nozomu slowly nodded and asked, “You think that something bad is about to happen? Is that what is worrying you?”
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“Yes, it is. I know how that sounds, but Dwarfs can… I am not sure how to explain, but we can sense things. It is useful to detect other people’s bullshit, detect danger, and the approach of our deaths. And I am feeling weird since this morning. Something bad is coming. I just don’t know when.”
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“I see… Well, I wouldn’t let that feeling rule my life, but I am not you. It looks rather pointless to worry about something that you are not sure when it’s going to happen. Maybe when the feeling gets stronger and you know for sure when and how something bad is going to happen, then you should worry. But with all those doubts? Waste of time, if you ask me.”
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Muse Sirel gulped down the last drops of her glass and nodded. “I know you are right, but the last time I felt something like this, one of my Party members died, one month after. I wasn’t with him at that time, because our Party got divided during a mission, and when this feeling got stronger, I couldn’t get to him on time. Still, you have a point. Maybe it is because of the late hour that I am putting too much importance on a faint feeling. What about if we both went back to sleep? Tomorrow will be another big day. The reception in the morning, classes in the afternoon… We will have too much to do and will be sleepy because we stayed here all night talking about my past.”
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“Yes, it is probably the best we can do. Everything seems to get more important at night, but the sun lifts our mood. Goodnight, Teacher Muse.”
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“Good night, Nozomu.”
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After he left, Muse Sirel placed her glass on the counter near the bottle and mumbled, “This feeling got stronger near him… shit... Something terrible is going to happen to that kid… And I am not sure how, when, or if I will be able to assist him. I need to talk with my father.”
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As Nozomu was walking down the corridor, getting back to his room, he whispered to Draiky, who raised his head to look at him at the sound of his voice. “I am hearing a lot of alarms today, you know? What do you think? Should I be worried?”
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Draiky shrugged, making Nozomu smile. “Yeah, you are right. Doesn’t matter anyway until it really happens. Let’s go back to sleep. Wait… Do you even sleep?”
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The pet plant shook its round head, making Nozomu smile. Draiky looked weird enough for a walking plant, but he sure was interesting.
ns 172.69.7.166da2
and then Add to home screen.