Chapter 78 Earlene

Xzavier who had been silent all through this while finally reacted. He threw his head back, opened his mouth and let out a long, deep, hearty laughter. His laughter was free of the disdain and hateful mockery that would be considered the appropriate response for anyone in his shoes. Instead, it rang of pure amusement, almost as if he had been entertained by a live show.

For the first time, Earlene truly looked at him. She had never heard anyone laugh like that in her presence. The young cute girl was used to people walking on eggshells around her, so Xzavier's reaction wasn't exactly something she was equipped to handle.

When Xzavier finally managed to rein in his very amusing laughter by bringing it to an end, he cleared his throat and spoke like a sage;

"You probably haven't realized this yet, but soon enough you'll know that magic isn't everything. There are so many, and I mean SO MANY ways to get there."

Earlene fought to keep herself from retorting with a witty reply like; 'for someone who doesn't have magic, you sure do know a lot about magic.' But she aptly gauged the situation and decided against it. Earlene wasn't stupid. Despite all the vitriol she had thrown his way, when Xzavier finally replied, he had chosen to take the high road. This made him appear somewhat reasonable in her sight, so she held herself from anymore outbursts.

This time, Earlene decided to take a different route. She was determined to land at the same destination, but because of his diplomatic approach, and also because he had saved Adalia's life, Earlene decided to play the polite/reasonable card.

"Adalia says that you saved her life. She could have ended up like the other unfortunate soldiers or worse, if you hadn't showed up, it probably would have been a different outcome. For this, you have my gratitude."

Xzavier was taken aback. For a moment, she actually sounded reasonable. It wasn't something he ever thought was possible.

As the daughter of a governor, Earlene was required to take classes on diplomatic relations. So, consequently, she could tap into this information at any time and become whoever she wanted to become. But that was just where her politeness ended. Like the sudden switch up if dusk before dawn, Earlene's face suddenly grew dark as she continued in the same vein as earlier on. Only this time, more personal and more constructive.

"But…" that single word changed everything and set the tone for what was to come.

"That doesn't change the fact that I think you're a liar and a fraud. I think you're riding on the accomplishment of another fellow who is probably dead. So, you being the despicable creature, you decided to play on his death and use it to your advantage to brag…"

She took a moment to let it sink in. This was also another diplomatic strategy- pretend to play nice while advancing, and when you're sure the negotiations are going your way, go out of your own way to ruin it.

Earlene didn't get the chance to release the venom she already had stored up. Another disruption interfered with the showdown between them.

In the short distance away, they all began to hear the clattering of feet in the hallways. The servants were back! This new development didn't sit well with Earlene at all.

Not one bit. In actuality, Earlene had already envisioned that she would definitely fail the next test. Hence, her truancy. The closer the rushing footsteps, the more apparent Earlene's desperation became. Xzavier noticed this and used it to further his argument.

"Now here's an example of what I was talking about, a real life teachable life situation…"

Earlene stared at him like he had just spewed a truckload of trash. She couldn't believe Xzavier was droning on about something as unimportant as this. But Xzavier wasn't quite done yet;

"I gather you're trying to escape from your teachers, now does this situation call for magic or a sharp use of one's intellect?"

Livid with fury, Earlene snapped;

"You missed me with all that philosophical crap! This is all about magic you ignorant twerp!"

She then proceeded to tell them snappily just how close she was to failing the next test. As she finished, she hastily grabbed Xzavier's arm, and accosted him.

"You! You're the reason I'm in this mess in the first place! I wouldn't have been found out if it wasn't for you! You'd better do something about this ASAP!"

Xzavier wanted to protest, but Earlene was adamant. The servants were getting closer by the second, so they were indeed in a precarious position.

On a regular day, Xzavier would turn down a request of this nature, seeing that it was unreasonable and lacked tact. But he had seen the strong cord of friendship that bound Adalia and Earlene. So, his interest became fixated on how exactly this would play out.

Contrary to what Xzavier and the rest believed, it wasn't a bunch of servants that were after them.

Two people appeared out in the corner as Xzavier and his group spilled into the courtyard. It was a very unlikely duo. An old man with a flowing white beard led the way. Clearly he was advanced in years, but he had the steady gait of one who was still very much energetic. His eyes were full of fire and wisdom, and in that moment, both of his eyes were fixed on Earlene. Like a missile system that had locked in on a target, they remained firmly locked on Earlene right from the very moment the old man set his sights on her.

Beside the old man, flanking him on the left hand side was another character who didn't seem nearly as interesting as the dignified-sage-looking old man. The other character was a young boy. The boy's facial features were similar to that of Earlene. In fact, the resemblance was so uncanny that it wasn't difficult for anyone to know on the spot that both of them were indeed related. He looked way younger than Earlene. His radiant countenance and his boyish looks suggested that he was at least thirteen.

As the group of three approached the old man and the young boy, Xzavier noticed something about the younger boy. While the old man had his eyes burned on them, the younger boy's attention was completely occupied by a very bizarre activity. In his right hand, and stretched out before him was a bucket, and the bucket appeared to be filled with water.

Just as the old man kept his eyes on Earlene, Xzavier kept his gaze on the young boy with the bucket. The boy who resembled Earlene had his face taut in an almost tight grimace. His entire mind seemed to be riveted on the bucket of water in his hand. Xzavier soon realized that the boy was actually trying to manipulate the water in the bucket to revolt and break the bucket.

The hilarious way which the young boy kept twisting his face and making entertaining looks with his eyebrows almost made it look as if he was trying to be funny. But in reality, he was actively putting in all his effort to accomplish the task he had set out to do. In spite of all of his efforts, he kept coming up short each time.

When they were finally within ear range, the old man barked his instructions at Earlene;

"No matter how far you run, your task will always be waiting for you the same way you left it. Get back to work!"

Earlene was obviously not in sync with this particular task. She moved sluggishly, as if trying her best to drag out the time between that moment and when she was about to do it. Reluctance was written all over her. She eyed Xzavier with hostility and whispered to him;

"This is l your fault you bum! All your fault! I hope you're happy now?!"

The old man noticed her slacking and charged her sternly;

"Get on with it Earlene! Don't let me repeat myself again!"

Earlene didn't m out the opportunity to stick out her tongue at Xzavier as she proceeded to do what she had been charged with.

But Xzavier didn't care about her issue, not in the slightest bit. But since Xzavier came to this continent and saw first hand the wonders of magic, he had begun to nurture a silent fascination for it. Even at that moment, Xzavier's mind toyed with the idea of getting in touch with magic. He found himself longing to understand the magic that was commonplace in this isekai.

So, with this as his utmost priority, Xzavier had little or no time to worry about helping the sassy young lady further down the delinquent path of truancy.

Because the old man's eyes had been so focused on his truant student, he had somehow managed to miss Xzavier's presence. So, when he finally averted his gaze from Earlene, he stared aghast at Xzavier, wondering which hole he had crawled out from.