Chapter 32

After excusing himself, Naell walked so much faster than usual that Owly had a hard time lying on his head.

As annoying as it was, the young owl understood and kept silent until they were far enough for anyone to see them.

Naell had decided to go outside the school to avoid any interaction as seeing Andrew’s group of friends made him feel a bit strange.

Deep inside, he felt a sting of sadness which he effortlessly thought was due to him being scared of them.

Still, the feeling he was getting was rather suffocating to him, that was why he decided to cool off in a nearby store where he could enjoy a different ambiance and a cup of cheaper coffee.

• Say Owly, wanna grab some lunch outside? •

• I was this close to pecking at your hair, but apology accepted, HOOT. •

"..."

Usually, Naell would refute Owly's words, yet he decided to let it slide as he wasn't really in the mood.

The area they ventured to was far from where he had initially thought they would go. It was deep in the inner circle of Taglagas where nights were often livelier than the rest of the vicinity.

As the sun was about to go down, stores were beginning to once again boom with people, as different lights, varieties of food and merchandise, not to mention, different melodies of music were now slowly filling the streets.

Upon searching the vicinity, Naell and Owly were pleased when they saw a place they could spend some time before returning to the centermost circle where the school was located.

The place at first glance, looked to be for people who’d enjoy a cup of tea while reading a book, yet it also seemed to be fitting for people that were there for dates.

Nonetheless, customers were still plentiful as the building would cater to the interests of people that wanted to escape from all the different symphonies or even the reality outside.

Pure white marble walls with brown rooftops completed the classical ambiance of the old coffee houses.

Cakes were also displayed in a translucent glass near the front door attracting bypassers. Not to mention, the warm tints from the lamps outside, amplified the beauty of the place as the evening emerged.

The waiters were clothed with a stylish black coat covering their white polos underneath, black slacks, and a black-tie that Owly and Naell found remarkably elegant.

As both of them were guided to a table on the far left, they eventually saw Rizaul enter the restaurant in a hurry.

The half-elf’s sudden appearance garnered some attention, as he seemed to be looking around suspiciously.

Upon seeing Naell, with a face of relief, he approached, bowed down, and said,

"Young master, would you mind if I joined you on this occasion,”

"..."

Naell became anxious seeing people looking at them, and began to think that they were thinking there was some sort of commotion.

Therefore, with an unwilling voice and a panicky hand gesture, he replied,

"Ahaha--- Please, let's sit down."

As they waited for their order, Naell was a bit reluctant to speak. He had no idea as to why Rizaul was there and was waiting for him to converse.

Yet that didn't come as Rizaul was with them just enjoying the evening with a cup of tea.

The night that was supposedly for relaxation ended up being a silent awkward moment for Naell. Still, he was glad Rizaul was not there to intimidate him.

In the novel, the half-elf was known to be the best friend of Andrew, and even his right-hand man.

He was also defined as a man of few words, yet he would occasionally banter with Note and often leave the young knight of the Easterside Empire at a loss for words.

Nevertheless, what scared Naell the most was Rizaul's prowess in martial arts, and most of all, his loyalty to his friends.

Naell was certain that murdering a distant arrogant young master that hurt his friend, was as easy as stabbing the cake that he was putting in his mouth.

Seeing Naell staring at his food made Rizaul confused. He then offered his plate of chocolate cake that was generously powdered with cocoa.

To him, it was a gesture of good faith as Naell might have craved for it, yet for the young master, it was a test, or perhaps an intimidation tactic that could be explained just by looking at Rizaul's royal yellow and emotionless eyes.

So with a long nervous gulp and a swift gentle decline, Naell willingly thought he passed the exam.

Instead, the misunderstanding grew as Rizaul then thought Naell was actually eyeing his tea made of leaves from the Continent of Summer.

Black tea compared to the rest, has a stronger flavor which made it a difficult drink for some, yet its distinct dark and malty taste was highly sought after by tea connoisseurs, especially with its deep aroma.

Rizaul, as a person who didn’t like to share his drink, was at first hesitant, but after some thought, he willingly offered it to Naell as he mumbled,

"It’s strong, but it’s very good for the heart."

Naell did not hear exactly what the half-elf had said, yet he did hear two words that horrified him.

“Strong...heart.”

From the start, Naell's mind was already bombarded with terror, and thanks to his fear, he connected those words into a very far-fetched sentence,

"I’m strong, I can easily crush your heart."

"..."

As they were both busy furthering their misunderstandings, Owly then decided to help himself to the free food.

.

.

.

Hours went by when they decided to head back to the dormitory. At first, Naell insisted on Rizaul going back first so he would feel safe.

Yet at the last minute, Naell accepted his offer, as an assassination was easier to perform when the one being murdered had no clue as to where his assassin was.

Especially when Owly was dead asleep on his head, HOOT-snoring as they walked.

Rizaul was pleased when Naell accepted. In all their time in the restaurant, he actually wanted to confront him, yet in doing so, he feared he might simply regret it.

Still, at that moment, he was convinced to tell him the reality of his betrayal.

'I'm sure he will understand, afterall...’

“...conviction should come from good intentions.”

He could still recall the haunting memory vividly. On the time he heard Andrew had beaten up Naell, Rizaul found himself immensely conflicted.

When he was young and was abandoned by his family, the household of Beryldot took him in and raised him with Lieutenant Estra as his guardian.

Yet even there he still found himself worthless, and still truly wanted to end it all. Had it not been for Naell’s stubbornness to make him see that life was worth living, he would have surely not been standing there today.

'Be my friend!'

'But I serve your family...'

'Then be both, a knight and my friend.'

'I don’t have the confidence to be either.'

'You’re a good guy Riz, so I'm sure you can. Afterall---“

He could still vividly picture his cheeky grinning face, yet all those were now just distant memories.

After his mother's death, Naell chose to isolate himself from everyone, including Rizaul who was dependent on his guidance.

Without him, the young elf became depressed once more and was at the doorstep to suicide. Had it not been for Andrew and Viola, who at that time stopped him from killing himself, he would have surely perished.

Yet even as his knight and most of all, his very first friend, Rizaul had still chosen to abandon Naell for them; Them who had given him a second chance at life.

That was why Rizaul wanted to apologize to Naell. First for not defending his honor after his beating, and second for not being with him in his troubled times.

'If only I had also helped you cope with Auntie's death, I'm sure you would not have changed.'

Those were the things he wanted to apologize for, yet even in that opportunity, it was hard for him to do so.

As they were both nearing the school, Rizaul with a shaky voice and his trembling body finally managed to say,

"Young master, I…"

Before Rizaul could even finish speaking he got distracted seeing Naell profusely shaking Owly on his head.

"Hmmm?" Replied Naell who looked much paler than usual. He stopped and pretended he was doing nothing to the deep sleeping owl.

Rizaul had managed to brush it all away from his mind, as he bowed down and proceeded to speak once more,

“I--- as your friend and knight, I vowed to protect your honor, yet I abandoned you when you needed me most.”

"..."

“Young master, I'm sorry..."

A long silence filled the air, and before he could even say anything else, he was again distracted from Naell's apathetic voice as he said,

"Do you love your friends?"

When he looked up, Naell's gaze was serious, yet it seemed bright as his cold red eyes looked through the dark of the night.

"Yes." Rizaul could only mutter, as he turned his gaze away, facing the ground with guilt once more.

'All this time, I knew… I knew I would have fought for them. I'm sure… What you did was wrong and so I couldn’t protect you.’

He knew deep inside, if he was present at that moment, he would have protected Viola and Rinca even if it meant fighting his first friend, Naell.

'Enjoy life Riz, if it gives you lemons, maybe make some lemonade!'

'You're the one who told me that, so why...'

If Rizaul would be honest with himself, he was really mad at Naell for abandoning their friendship.

As his mind was slowly growing with uncertainty, he heard Naell speak with a hint of glee.

“Then there’s nothing wrong with it. What I did was wrong in the first place.”

Earlier it was true that Naell was overcome with fear. He was waiting for the moment where he thought he would inevitably breathe his last.

Yet that was why when he heard Rizaul’s apology, all the tension in his body had left him, leaving only immense relief at that very moment.

“But I failed your honor! And, I’ve betrayed our friendship.”

“My honor is mine alone, and as for friendship, just be my friend again.” Upon saying that, Naell reached out a hand to the half-elf.

As he accepted his hand, Rizaul then realized that Naell was making the same face that his cheeky friend once had.

He then thought that perhaps the old friend he knew may slowly be returning after all, and with a smile, he then teasingly said,

“I’m not sure I have the confidence to be friends with both of you.”

“You're a good guy, Rizaul, so I’m certain you can. Afterall, conviction should come from good intentions.” Replied Naell cheekily.