Chapter 128- Happy And Breaking

Chapter 128: Chapter 128- Happy And Breaking

Chapter 128- Happy And Breaking

"You’re really distrustful, Mr Ereze." The person replied in a playful tone, not caring whatsoever about the cold glare he was given. In fact, Ereze was applying immense pressure on his target, and yet this person didn’t seem moved whatsoever. It was something that gave Ereze an idea of the kind of person he was dealing with. "I’m not here for any such things. I’m a fair person, and I like to play by the rules, as they say."

"Does playing by the rules include following one of the supervisors around and stalking them, Mr Fate?" Ereze asked as he squinted his eyes.

"Oh my... So I was busted from the start, hahaha. I thought I was very well hidden."

"I have eyes everywhere, Mr Fate. Even if you were an ant, I would know if you were following me." He said as he crossed his arms. "So, may I know why you were following me?"

"Well..." Fate tapped his chin before he sighed. "You see, I prepared myself to have a small talk with you before getting into the main topic. But I guess that is really pointless, isn’t it?"

"..."

"You see, after that first test and how things went, I was a bit confused and lost when it ended."

"Confused?"

"Yes. Well, to be more precise, there were things I didn’t understand about it."

"..." Ereze stared at Fate silently, as if he didn’t understand what the boy was trying to say. While the test itself was unorthodox, it wasn’t anything confusing and was very much as straightforward as it could get. So, what Fate was trying to say was something completely different.

"The fact that you put us through that, even with all the rules and restrictions you established." Fate smiled. "The academy is treading into some very interesting territories."

"The test was simply due to special circumstances. The academy knows what to do. We have made sure to take everything into consideration."

"So, you took into consideration that one of the candidates will get killed in the test?" Fate asked. "And you didn’t seem like you wanted to avoid that outcome. Loose rules won’t stop people from desperately fighting for the badges."

"What are you trying to say, Mr Fate? If you have something to say, please say it."

The atmosphere turned freezing cold. Even the owner of the cafe snapped awake from his sleep when he felt his entire body freeze and shudder.

"Huh? What’s going on?" He muttered as he looked around him and then locked onto the two individuals sitting at the table. He didn’t understand why, but staring at them filled his groggy mind with dread and fear, as if he was staring at two demons. He gulped and didn’t say a word. His instincts told him to simply not disrupt them, or he might regret that dearly.

"Well, don’t be so hostile, Mr Ereze. I am simply asking... Are the next two tests going to be even more daring? Is the academy finally putting forth a test that will truly choose who deserves to walk into the academy grounds?" Fate asked with a playful smile.

Ereze, however, didn’t find his words amusing whatsoever. If anything, for the first time since he appeared before the masses, he showed a subtle reaction. A reaction of anger that even he couldn’t hide.

"I cannot, nor do I wish to disclose any details about the next tests. You shall discover what the next test is about in the coming days."

As he said those words, Ereze stood up and started walking away from the table. Fate sat there with the same smile on his face.

"One last thing, Mr Fate." Ereze suddenly stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Curiosity is not something that we reward here in the academy. I suggest you focus on making it through the next two tests rather than wondering what we deem dangerous or not."

Leaving those words behind, Ereze left the cafe. Silence took over the place again as the owner looked at the door, then at Fate. He didn’t understand what was happening at all, but he still didn’t speak.

At that moment, Fate suddenly broke the silence and looked at the owner with a smile.

"Can I have a coffee, please?" He asked.

***

The day passed rather peacefully in the city. Since people needed time to recover, many decided to just stay home and rest rather than go out and do something. But that didn’t mean that others didn’t want to spend the three days just having fun and clearing their minds.

Rize and Venera were two such people. The next day, the two decided to go out and explore the city and just see what they could find that might be of interest.

Naturally, the candidate city wasn’t a place where actual civilians live. It was given to the candidates to pass their tests. As for the people who work and live within that city, they were either staff members who were waiting for a promotion to work within the academy grounds or people who were punished for their misbehavior by being demoted to work there.

So, either way, the atmosphere in the city was designed to feel just like a normal city, with all the facilities they would need for those few weeks they would spend in the city.

They spent the majority of the day moving around, trying the food and checking every point of interest.

Rize was mainly the one running around and dragging Venera wherever he went. The girl herself was simply having fun watching him feel excited about every single thing he found cool. Venera didn’t even realize that she had developed this habit of enjoying Rize’s reactions to everything.

She simply found him so intriguing and unexpected that every single reaction was always new and fresh.

Eventually, they ended up at a random restaurant near the edge of the city that had a very nice view of the mountain in the distance. They ordered their food and sat down to eat. Rize could only find himself looking at the magnificent mountain.

Something about it simply felt different. Even if he ignored the fact that it was the largest mountain he had ever seen, it still felt so oddly outstanding in a supernatural way.

’In the story, that mountain was rumored to have some sort of mythical power. However, it wasn’t explored whatsoever... Or it didn’t even exist, and it was just a rumor the author put in.’ He thought to himself.

"Rize? Why are you looking outside?"

"Hm." Rize chewed his food as he pointed at the mountain. "That mountain... Does it give you a weird feeling whenever you look at it?" He asked.

"Hm? Weird feeling?" Venera raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Look at it and tell me how you feel." He said. "Focus on it."

Venera didn’t understand why he wanted her to do that, but she still complied and looked at the mountain. She stared for several seconds, a bit confused, before she pursed her lips.

"No, not really. I’m not feeling anything aside from awe." She said. "Is that what you meant?"

"No..." Rize said as he rubbed his head. "It’s just such a weird, indescribable feeling. Like it’s trying to speak to me or something."

"..." Venera looked at Rize with squinted eyes. "Speak to you? Could you hear what it says?"

"No, it’s not saying anything. Just imagine someone trying to talk to you, but their mouth is duct-taped."

"That’s very specific. Hm."

"Yeah, I don’t know why I get this feeling every time I look at it." He said. "I wonder if it’s just not-"

"No, it isn’t nothing." She said. "That has to have some sort of explanation. After the end of the tests, we could go there and check it out. Maybe you will understand why you’re feeling this way."

"You’re... Thank you." Rize said, feeling slightly speechless. Venera so casually believed something he said, and not just anything. These are weird and vague feelings that he himself could barely understand.

Even as she was busy eating, Rize could only stare at her and smile. ’She really believes me, doesn’t she?’

It was a very nice feeling, every single time. Rize was certain he would never get sick of it. Having someone who truly trusts you was something that he had never had before, and now that he did, he truly could appreciate how amazing it was.

"Why are you not eating?" Venera noticed him staring at her and asked confusedly.

"Oh, right, food... yeah." He said.

With that, Rize continued to eat while trying to contain the smile. He didn’t know why, but he truly felt happy at that moment. Everything was going perfectly, and it had been for a while. He really felt like he was finally living life, and it felt nicer than ever.

’Maybe I’m finally able to live... Maybe it’s my time.’ He giggled inwardly.

At that moment, the tv in the corner of the restaurant suddenly changed airing.

"We apologize for cutting our usual programming short to deliver some breaking news."

All the people in the restaurant immediately looked up as they heard the words.