Chapter 267: This Wasn't About Him At All (Timothy)

Timothy Cook looked up and was soon met with the sight of the Professors and the Headmaster. He blinked and then quickly moved back to the edge of the wall, "Good morning, sirs and madams." He would let them pass through and not be a nuisance—until a caw sounded in his ear. "Ack," he was about to swat it down, but then somebody spoke up.

It was a person in the center of the group, a woman that seemed to be in her early to mid twenties. Her dark hair was pulled up in a bun, and a portion of her hair covered her face—she was wearing what looked like a suit meant for men, along with a cape. "Oh… it seems like Freya likes this one. A student of yours?"

The appearance was enough to be a tell-tale sign along with the other people surrounding her clad in matching uniform. Not necessarily of Knights in Shining Armor, but of people that looked like they had marched through a Blackwood Forest and emerged with thistles and thorns covering them.

It was easy to determine that this was the supposed Crowel House that had arrived, Timothy grimaced at the bird playing and toying with his hair. It almost felt like he was being harassed and toyed with by a bird, a bird out of all possible creatures!

But at least this was better than any of the bugs encountered in the Enchanted Forest.

"Ah, that is Timothy—he is a first year." one of the Professors offered an answer at once. And it was someone he didn't even know, but there were some familiar faces like the Headmaster, his wife, Professor Pierce and even the Battle Mage Carnus. 

The woman looked back at him and brushed her hair slightly—revealing a bright sparkling violet eye, that contrasted from her regular one. "I see. From which Noble House do you come from? Also stop harassing the boy, Freya. Come back here."

Timothy blinked and was finally freed from the bird that flew back into her gloved arm. It perched back and gave a caw, nudging its owner with a gentle gesture unlike how it practically seemed to fish through his hair like it was grazing for insects! He combed his hair and answer, "Ah, I'm not from any—"

"His last name is Cook." Battle Mage Carnus replied this time around. He gave a curt nod at Timothy, that seemed almost slightly forced. Possibly because there was the interest of the Lady on him. "He does have a certain aura to him though, perhaps because of his dense mana pool, although that is all I can say about him."

An indirect way of saying—he's practically useless, isn't it?

Well Timothy didn't care. What if he couldn't even get a word in despite the Lady's question directed at him? It didn't matter at all. He had other things to attend to—he should be leaving right now… except the woman stepped towards him. 

"Is that so? So your father is a Cook?" she asked and the way that she looked at him, whatever it was, there was something about her that compelled him to answer.

"My mother was the Cook, madam." he said. He realized half a second later that it was some sort of Skill—a Noble Skill. And it made him just furious to see and know that he could be twisted like this, and it made him hate Nobles even… Iola came to his mind. Although she wasn't exactly a Noble but a Princess. 

Was there even a difference between them? It was just people who were born lucky into wealthy families.

His attention was brought back by the woman leaning down towards him—she was scrutinizing his face in a closer manner. "Hmmm…" And not even a word actually came out from the Professors despite it being intrusive. 

Timothy stepped back and frowned, "Excuse me, Lady Crowel?" Lady was the appropriate title, but he wasn't so sure if she was married or not, albeit that didn't change the title did it? 

She simply smiled and looked at him, "Has anyone ever told you that upon closer inspection that your eyes are a lovely shade of obsidian with a fleck of amethyst?"

He only frowned harder at all the words spewed out. His eyes were black, not some weird color that the Nobility used to make themselves feel special. What were cerulean, turquoise or even emerald except blue or green? "No. Not at all… Lady Crowel." Crowel now just seemed like 'cruel' to him at this point.

"It seems that you've taken quite an interest in our Student, but unfortunately—this is a young man who has been here for hardly a week. He does have potential as said by his Professors, but I cannot testify about any quality." Headmaster Pierce said at last. There was a touch of bleakness in his voice.

Lady Crowel drew back slightly and then gazed back at the Headmaster, she gave a small curtsy and a sheepish smile. This older woman than him now looked nothing but a child when compared to the Headmaster. "Forgive me, it seems that I may have overstepped a little. But to whoever it is that said that he has potential, I think I can see it—and so does Freya here."

Another caw or a squawk emerged from the bird's mouth—and it tilted its head at him and gave him a one-eyed look. 

Timothy didn't exactly have much of an urge to punch a bird in the face, but there was something about the Lady and her mannerism that seemed somewhat invasive upon him. More entrenching and obtrusive than what he already experienced most of the time, even with Han tending to always include himself and converse.

"Well, where are you going boy?" Headmaster Pierce looked at him with an impatient look. "Get on your way."

Lady Crowel gave him a look, "Is it that important for you to lea—"

And before he could even say a word or the Lady could finish her sentence, somebody arrived from another corridor and tore the attention from them. "Uh… good afternoon?" Han appeared out of nowhere and blurted out a greeting. But he wasn't alone, the voice of an old man crying out 'You!' sounded right behind him and also arrived in the hallway.Han jumped forward and avoided the old man—it was Gesth Carter. 

Timothy recognized him. And the old man had already seen the boy that he was looking for, even without his help. It irritated Timothy for a reason, he couldn't exactly tell why but now that even the Lady was looking at Han… it seemed like he was unneeded anymore. The young man spun on his heels and went back down the hallway.

His purpose for going out was now invalid.

Gesth now found Han, the person he was actually searching for and so he was unneeded. Which was good wasn't it? He didn't want to get bothered at all. Timothy would turn back another hallway until he heard lumbering footsteps.

"Oi you, murderer!" a loud man's voice shouted. "You'll pay for your crimes with your body!"

Timothy glanced back and saw a lumbering man running towards him, someone who had gotten past through the crowd in the hallway without interrupting the Crowel House and the Headmaster? How did this guy manage it? 

It didn't matter.

The man was throwing accusations in the air and was the largest man he had ever seen—Timothy ran for his life, even as another voice thundered across the hall. "Excuse me, stop!" a much younger man's voice cried out. "We need to talk to you! Stop!"

Who in their right mind was going to stop with such a hulking man shouting about paying with his body? That was just insane, he kept running and passed through the hallways. Until he was met with a number of rats and his eyes widened—Timothy leapt past them and clambered down the hall. 

He gritted his teeth and then formed fire in his hands, "Self defense." He aimed behind him at the pack of rats and the approaching men and threw it at them—he followed it after with a stunning bright light for good measure. He heard a scream, ignored it and kept running and not stopping at once.

The rats.

Now it started to add—one after another.

It wasn't about him who they were here for, of course, it was about the Princess. These were the people looking for her. And Timothy was clueless as anybody else, he didn't pay attention to her conversation with Sir Leon de Harrington when she stepped out of the room to ask for the Noble's help. He skidded around a corner and then collided into a person.

"Ah!" the man cried and stumbled back.

Timothy grabbed the man's wrist and caught them before they fell, and then recognized him. It was the spectacled cloak freak that once harbored Ellynn's cloak. What was his name? Timothy blinked and then grabbed the Enchanter's shoulder, "Theodore—you didn't see me."

"Wait, are you in danger?"

"I'm running away—" 

The man grabbed his hand and then pulled him to the walls, and the two of them suddenly slipped through it.  A pathway suddenly opened through the solid walls and he stumbled inside of it. The wall closed behind them and darkness covered them. Timothy quickly flickered up a small flame and was met with the face of the young man. 

The Enchanter Theodore wiped sweat off his forehead and threw him a grin. "Phew, good thing there was a pathway… who's after you? But you know what—follow me first. Let's get outta here."

"Can other people follow after us if they saw us enter here?"

"Unless they have a certain access to the Academy like the Headmaster or have a Skill like mine? I doubt it."

Timothy glanced back at the closed pathway, "What about rats?"

"Huh?"

"Just get us out of here like you said," Timothy didn't want close quarter combat with rats inside of this cramped hallway. Who knew if whoever was chasing him down also had snakes or something like slimes? He wouldn't risk it.