Ch. 29: Survival Test [1]

A/N:

Fun fact: Asher's debut/appearance was in chapter 2.

Another boring chapter...

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"Stop it," Adrian expressed his dislike when Nathaniel vigorously ruffled his hair here and there.

"Hehe," Yet, instead of listening to his complaint, the perpetrator just laughed.

Adrian lifted his arms to stop him, but everything went dark as Nathaniel suddenly pulled his hood down to his face. "Hehe."

Adrian stopped whatever he was doing and spoke exasperatedly, "I don't like it and I'm angry."

At first, he just let Nathaniel pat him, but who would have thought it backfired him? He didn't understand. Did this person also treat the original Adrian like this too? If that was the case, then he felt sorry for that boy; his life must be hard!

"Tsk," Nathaniel clicked his tongue in annoyance. He slightly pulled back the hood and the moment Adrian's sour face was revealed, he made a disgusted expression, "My brother is such a bore."

Disinterested in Nathaniel's teasing, Adrian rolled his eyes in boredom.

"Ian!" A shout rang.

They darted at the voice and Rhea was seen waving her hand; beckoning him to join the group.

Returning his sight to his brother, he spoke, "I have to go."

Nathaniel let out a smile and stroked his hair once again, but this time he did it more gently, "Take care of yourself."

"I will."

Adrian glimpsed behind him and Fredinand along with Asher were bowing, "We wish you a safe journey."

"Thank you," mounting his horse, he glanced downward, "See you later in two weeks."

"See you,"

After bidding his farewell, Adrian spurred the horse toward his classmates.

—Drttt!

The academy gate entrance slid open and the kids prompted their horses into motion. Nathaniel's golden eyes watched Adrian's back as he rode away and heaved a weary sigh. Nevertheless, he just hoped that everything would be alright.

—Clip —Clop —Clip —Clop

Their horses canter on the pavement of the road, creating a rhythmic sound. Adrian's eyes took in the vicinity and white color dominated every inch of Agatha.

Agatha, the Capital City of the Empire, was also known as the White City. It was due to its uniform white walls and white-colored houses with contrasting blue doors.

Passing through the plaza, there was a gigantic water fountain with a golden statue of the Empire's founder in the center. There were countless Chrono statues scattered across the Empire, you would easily find them, especially in major cities.

He also learned about a peculiar custom whereby people would make wishes in front of the Chrono statue. Although it might have been a means for the Imperial citizens to honor Chrono's merit, still, in his eyes, it seemed like they were venerating God.

Arriving at Agatha's entrance gate, the City Guards stopped them, "Please, show your identity."

Adrian handed over a document Gizel gave and after he inspected the paper, the Guard eventually let them pass. They got out of the city and a vast meadow greeted them.

The lush green grass stretched out in every direction, dotted by wildflowers of every color. Unlike his classmates who immediately ran on a full gallop, Adrian rode in trotting. He took a deep breath, savoring the fresh air and the natural beauty that surrounded him.

'Who cares? This isn't horse racing.' With that in mind, Adrian decided to enjoy his first venture to the fullest.

"?" Adrian slowed the gaits and halted. His eyes fixated on bushes in the distance and a rabbit was spotted.

Extending his right arm, imitating a gun, Adrian aimed at it. Soon, a little magic circle formed at the tip of his finger, and a wind bullet shot out.

—Splat!

The rabbit's head burst like a firework and red liquid splattered on the grass, drenching the soil.

His cerulean eyes examined his hand that mimicked a gun and a thought hit him. 'Should I invent firearms?'

He had disassembled and assembled firearms countless times in his previous life. He could even do it blindfolded and drawing the blueprints was doubtlessly a piece of cake.

Still, he wouldn't do it for free. Since he had no interest in the throne, he needed money to continue his life outside the Castle. Besides, there was nothing wrong with raising money at a young age, right?

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—Clack —Clack —Clack

Péréz stood impatiently, tapping his foot on the ground. His arms were folded and rage was vividly etched on his face.

Ralph, Sylvina, and Rhea who sat on the rock stared at him languidly and rolled their eyes in exasperation. That bastard had no idea how irritating the sound of his rattling sabaton was. Nevertheless, they chose to remain silent to avoid unnecessary conflict.

Currently, they were waiting for Adrian at the forest entrance; he was unexpectedly separated from the group. Rhea had called him and he said he was on his way.

However, an hour had passed yet Adrian was nowhere to be seen. Péréz's impatience was understandable but his anger did nothing to help the situation.

—Gallop —Gallop —Gallop

The galloping hooves were heard and they darted at the sound. Upon eyeing the rider, they couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief; finally, their torment was officially over! Adrian stopped in front of them and dismounted from his horse.

Péréz gritted his teeth and clutched his fist. Without beating around the bush, he approached Adrian; he was ready to give him a piece of his mind. But before he could open his mouth, to his surprise, Adrian threw something at his face.

—Tap!

Péréz reflexly caught it and swore, "What the hell!"

He unclenched his hand and a wild apple was visible. Returning his sight to the front, Adrian was seen distributing apples to his classmates. Péréz flung the apple back at the white-haired boy in frustration, but Adrian seized it effortlessly.

"Don't make me laugh! Do you think I will forgive you just because you bribed me with an apple?!" Péréz bellowed anger.

Adrian tossed the apple back at him and Péréz caught it once again, "Who said it was for you? It was for your horse."

"Huh?" Péréz was stupefied; he was taken aback and upon noticing how his hazel eyes slid sideways, Adrian followed it and—

"Blech!"

"Barf!"

"Blargh!"

The trio who were hurling the apples out of their mouths revealed.

Adrian watched them in a daze and massaged his temple. Well, it was his fault, he should have said it before, "It's edible, so it's fine."

They stopped barfing and turned to him with a bright expression planted on their faces.

"Really?!"

"Oh!"

"That's great!"

Afterward, they took another bite and continued to eat the apple merrily.

Adrian took out his pocket watch and it read 12.15 pm. Which meant that they had ridden for more than five hours and… it was lunchtime.

Putting in the watch back, Adrian asked them a question, "Have you all eaten?"

Péréz snorted and jeered at him, "Thanks to you, we haven't eaten anything yet! Don't you realize that you made us wait for an hour?"

Undeterred by Péréz's tantrum, Adrian queries him nonchalantly, "Then, how much food have you gathered in an hour?"

"Huh? We, uh…" Seeing how flustered he was, the answer was obvious.

"So you all just sit here for an hour and do nothing?" Adrian swept his classmates one by one.

Péréz averted his gaze while the rest lowered their heads in embarrassment. Now he understood why they ate the apple eagerly; they were hungry.

Letting out a sigh, Adrian resigned, "Fine. Sorry to keep you waiting. To make up for it, lunch will be at my expense." Adrian took out three headless rabbits, more apples, and some berries from his Magical Sphere.

"Uwaa!"

"Wow!"

Sylvina, Rhea, and Ralph looked at the food Adrian had brought in amazement.

"Where did you get so much food?" Rhea asked curiously.

"When riding, it's crucial to not only pay attention to the road but also be mindful of our surroundings. This means keeping an eye out for potential danger or simply searching for food sources," Adrian explained.

"Ah, I see!"

The trio nodded in understanding and pinned Adrian's advice to their heads.

"Also, I'm only going to treat you once, as for dinner, you guys have to find it yourself," Adrian added.

"Alright, we understand."

Péréz witnessed the whole scene in disbelief, "Did you guys easily forgive him just because he brought you food?"

Ralph, who was fed up with Péréz's immaturity, sighed. He stood and faced him, "Adrian's decision to separate from our group was not without reason, he picked fruit and hunted rabbits to eat. While the rest of us just rode the horse without bothering to find food. Rather than criticizing Adrian, we should be grateful for his willingness to share his food."

Sylvina and Rhea followed suit.

"I know you're upset, but we have to appreciate Adrian's efforts."

"In a situation like this, it's important to put your ego aside, Péréz."

The wheat-haired boy scoffed and laughed wryly, "So you all sided with him and cornered me just because of the food?"

Ralph rubbed his face in frustration, "Péréz, it's not about food!"

Adrian watched them in silence, 'There they were, quarreling for thousands of times or so.'

Well, Adrian had no idea how many times they argued over the three months since he had lost count of them. And as usual, the source of their strife was without a doubt him—although he never asked them to.

The reason why he never reacted to Péréz's provocations was because he was too old to argue with a nine-year-old brat. Being spoiled from birth inflated their ego to an absurd level which was pointless to contend with them.

Adrian sighed and chimed in, "Can't we all just sit down and begin our lunch?"

They turned to him and after a brief silence, the trio nodded their heads in agreement.

"Ah, he's right."

"Yeah."

"Let's sit."

However, a different response came from Péréz, "To hell with your food! I will look for my own food!" With that, he turned around and entered the forest.

Rhea facepalmed and sighed, "Don't he know that it's dangerous to enter the forest alone?"

"Just let him be. Let him cool his head." Ralph suggested.

Even though they were worried, what Ralph said was true. Péréz was too emotional at the moment; it was impossible to talk with him now.

"Let's prepare our lunch."

Thereafter, they divided up the tasks such as collecting dry branches, cleaning the rabbits, making skewers, etc.

Soon, they were sitting around the bonfire. The trio's eyes lit up with joy, and the smell of roasted rabbit meat filled the air, making their mouths water in anticipation. However—

"Rooaaarrr!!!"

A deafening roar of a beast echoed, followed by Péréz's scream, "Aaarrgghhh!"

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