Chapter 1414 (2/2)

The wide field where Lucretia hosted her school was filled with her house and dozens of differently colored flags setting atop or beside simple cloth tents. Apparently the flags denoted various factions amongst the students and the colors showed how proficient the groups were at Engraving. Tim also later learned that there was an inherent hierarchy in their placement; only the strong could set up their flags near Lucretia’s house.

But due to the fact he had been brought by the Ghosthound, Tim had been set up basically outside of the door to Lucretia’s house. Whenever he had a problem, she would come over and help him instantly. After giving a general lecture, Lucretia would then wander through the field in looping motions so that those near the middle would receive her guidance more often than those at the periphery. But when Tim had struggled, Lucretia had veered from her path and returned to his side. Due to Randidly coming personally, it was clear that Lucretia valued Tim highly.

And the children at the surrounding flags observed it all.

But while he might someday be bullied for this, Tim could tell that there were a lot of rules that these other kids followed that he didn’t quite understand. The few children he saw only went to the tents of those with similar flags. So even though he kept being pricked by sharp gazes, those invisible rules also functioned as a protection for Tim. The other kids couldn’t freely come and make trouble with him.

Of course, the first thing Delilah did when she arrived was give the other kids the justification that they needed.

A loud crash spread out through the relatively sedate grassland as Delilah stood innocently next to a flag that she had knocked over. With a sigh, Tim set down the spear that he was trying to Engrave and looked around to see what Delilah’s reckless behavior would bring. Of course she had chosen the flag next to the largest tent.

Aside from Tim’s new position, it was the tent the closest to Lucretia.

Tim didn’t need to wait long for his fears to be confirmed. After ten anxious seconds of stillness, the surrounding tents erupted in movement. Various youths between the ages of 8 and 16 hustled out of their small dwellings and began to form a vast circle around them. Delilah spun around, continually trying to find a single antagonist amongst the kids that gathered in order to perform her goal of ‘protecting’ Tim, but no one made eye contact with her. So she continually frowned around as more and more people began to gather. Very soon, Delilah was glaring around in frustration.

She looked over at Tim and threw her hands up into the air. “Why are they all just circling around like creepy ghosts?”

Tim pointed toward the tent next to Delilah and the knocked down flag. “The student within that tent hasn’t come out yet. I think… I think they are all waiting for him.”

“What, here?” Delilah walked up the tent and batted the walls several times with her hands. The tremors ran through the cloth surface of the structure, but it ultimately stood tall underneath her small hands. Eventually she frowned and stood with her arms akimbo. “Are you sure? Because it seems like this tent-”

“Cease this nonsense,” Said a high pitched voice as a young boy stomped out of the tent that Delilah was slapping. He looked to be Tim’s age, but that meant that he towered over the much younger Delilah. “You have already dishonored yourself enough. Why do you insist on making trouble for me during the training period?”

“Hehe.” Delilah giggled. She waved her hand toward Tim. “Well you haven’t been giving my friend and me the respect that we deserve. So I figured it was time to show you how things are going to work around here from now on.”

From now on…? Tim shook his head nervously. How long do you plan on remaining in this place…? I asked around and no one here has even heard of Zones or Kharon before… If you plan on moving here, it seems pretty far away from home...

“Him?” The kid who came out of the tent looked over at Tim. Despite the fact that they were a similar age, he certainly talked like he was pretending to be an adult. “He was brought by Mr. Ghosthound yesterday. We haven’t spoken to him at all. Nothing so petty as bullying has occurred. I refuse to allow you to slander my honor like this-”

“Just shut up and fight then,” Delilah growled, pouncing forward with her hands raised. Inwardly, Tim sighed. He had seen her behave like this in the past. Despite the fact that she was much younger than most of the kids in Kharon, she had earned quite a bit more Skill Levels than any of them had and therefore could overpower most people with the element of surprise. It seemed that Delilah planned on using similar tactics here.

But the kid’s response surprised Tim. He easily knocked Delilah’s hands away and then kicked her in the chest. Her breath came out of her lungs in a rush and she tumbled backward. While Delilah was struggling to her feet, the kid returned to his tent and then came out carrying a long wooden pole. He leveled it at Delilah. “Hmph. Weakling.”

“Bah, just because you are a little bit older- Ooof!” Delilah glared at the kid and began to mutter, but he then launched himself forward and jabbed his weapon into Delilah’s stomach. She was sent tumbling backward once more.

“True, I might be older than you.” The kid said. “I have recently turned thirteen. But at least I am not full of excuses. A loser has no right to complain of circumstance…. Especially when she instigated the conflict in the first place.”

He’s only a few months older than me… Tim thought in a daze. As the kid turned away from the collapsed Delilah, he shouted at his back. “You… what’s your name? I’m Tim, and this is Delilah. I’m… sorry about her attitude.”

Delilah wheezed as she rolled around on the ground, likely trying to say something like, ‘Someday you are all going to be sorry about my fist.’

The kid stopped and glanced over his shoulder. For several seconds he studied Tim, but then he turned fully and bowed. “Well met, Tim. I suppose… the girl is somewhat right. We… should have approached you earlier. But it is not often that a new arrival is brought before Lucretia… especially by Mr. Ghosthound. We were… confused. Ah, but where are my manners. I am Annon, of the Willow Tree Spear Style.”