Old Fool

"Wahhhhhhhh my precious booze!"

The elderly figure didn't stop bawling and kept screaming the same thing over and over. It was as if he wanted Lawrence to know how much his action had pained him. 

Meanwhile, Lawrence was calmly sitting in a chair after brushing off the dust with magic. His legs were crossed as he yawned softly. 

"Keep bawling, my ears are a bit weak, so I can't hear much," Lawrence said, encouraging the elderly figure to continue bawling. 

At the same time, he was cracking some peanuts and throwing them up to his mouth, eating them and enjoying the nutty texture. The peanuts were something he had stored in his pouch before leaving his mansion, just in case of a scenario like this happening. 

The elderly figure was quite stubborn and continued to bawl for another 5 minutes. 

However, when he realized Lawrence was continuously cracking peanuts and eating them while brushing the non-edible part on the floor, he was dumbfounded.

No– he was completely bewildered and stunned by Lawrence's nonchalant action. Clearly, he was in the wrong for destroying his booze. Not to mention, the young man in front of him kept on calling him an old fool. 

How could such people like him exist?

This was a brazen act and blatant bullying. 

Does he not fear any consequences? 

"Hey, Old Fool, why are you not bawling?" Lawrence suddenly asked the moment the elderly figure stopped bawling. 

"Did your tears run out? Go and open one of your booze and regain some hydration. That way you can cry more." He then said, giving him kind advice on how to tear up more. 

The elderly figure, upon hearing that, could only clutch his chest tightly. His breathing was rapid, and it seemed as if he would undergo a cardiac arrest at any time.

Having stopped bawling, Lawrence also stopped cracking the peanuts temporarily. 

"So, are you going to talk properly now, Old Fool?" He then asked calmly. 

"Who are you calling Old Fool?"

"Who else is here besides the two of us? And it's obvious that I'm a young and handsome person, unlike you. Hence, you are the Old Fool." Lawrence shrugged and clarified for him. 

The elderly figure clenched his fist tightly when Lawrence repeatedly provoked him over and over again. 

Just what was wrong with him? 

He had never even met such a youth in his life nor did he offend anyone. 

So why was the youth charging at him like a mad bull, having zero limits on his aggression? 

"Young Man, I don't even know who you are, but being disrespectful to your seniors is wrong." The elderly figure finally stood up and said, somewhat educating Lawrence to mind his manner of speech. 

Meanwhile, Lawrence stood up and placed his hand near his forehead as he glanced left and right, seemingly acting as if he was a pirate trying to look for an island to dock his ship. 

The elderly figure was confused by his actions, but only for a very brief moment.

"Seniors? Where's the senior? How come I don't see any seniors here aside from an Old Fool?" Lawrence exclaimed in shock. 

"Seniors, where are you? Don't hide yourself and show up. This young man wishes to pay his greetings." he added, clearly taunting the elderly figure due to his earlier statement. 

As Lawrence continued his playful taunting, the elderly figure's face turned increasingly red with a mixture of embarrassment and anger. He could hardly believe that he, a scholar of ancient knowledge and magic, was being subjected to such ridicule.

"Enough of your insolence!" the elderly figure finally exclaimed, his voice quivering with a mix of frustration and irritation. 

"I am Ezekiel, the renowned mage of ancient knowledge and potions. I command respect from you." The elderly figure, proclaimed as Ezekiel said in frustration.

He had never seen someone as crude and brash as Lawrence before. 

His temperament was usually mild, but Lawrence managed to hit his weak spot repeatedly, almost as if he knew exactly where the wounds hurt the most. 

Ezekiel thought that by announcing his name loudly, Lawrence would start paying respect, given that he had not introduced himself to anyone for a long time.

Alas, his expectation was shattered when he saw Lawrence yawning and stretching his body. 

Feeling that he was being stared at, Lawrence waved his hand and laughed cheekily. "Ah my bad, I thought you were going to continue the long speech. It seemed like you were trying to create an authoritative or powerful look of yourself so I got bored." 

"..."

Ezekiel was astounded. With a single glance, he could tell Lawrence's uniform belonged to the Tatum Academy that the Queen had established. 

Thus, the name Ezekiel should have somewhat frightened Lawrence slightly, and might even prompt him to apologize for his remark.

Yet instead of that, Lawrence seemed to have brushed aside his name and remained carefree. 

"Have you not heard of the name, Ezekiel?" Ezekiel asked Lawrence in disbelief. Even if he had disappeared from the eyes of many, his name should still have some prestige and resounding effect on people who had studied magic. 

Picking his ear, Lawrence was extremely carefree and didn't bother to answer his question. 

Though his action was a clear response to Ezekiel anyway. 

'This brat really never heard of me.' Ezekiel screamed internally, having realized he was truly misfortune today to have met such an eccentric brat.

"Whatever, I don't care who you are and what you are doing here. But for destroying the booze, you must pay up and get out of my shop." Ezekiel said, demanding compensation. 

Having dropped his acting now, Ezekiel was solemn and void of his previous dramatic aura. 

Nodding his head, Lawrence walked closer to him and whispered, "Old Fool, I don't mind paying for the booze that you failed to deflect when you should have the capability. But my money isn't easy to get. I wish to get 4 Aetherforge Elixir from you." 

Ezekiel's face turned pale rather quickly and seemed surprised by Lawrence's demand, retreating a few steps.