"What are you doing?! GET OUT!" He shouted, but as Aisa continued to cry and cry into his chest, he couldn't help but stroke her hair one last time.
…
"*sniff*... I thought we were doing pretty good," Aisa muttered as she wiped away the disgusting snot that dripped from her nose.
Even now, after she hugged her grandfather for what seemed to be an hour, she still wasn't satisfied, but I guess people react differently.
Cy saw this as a challenge which he most likely wouldn't have done before if it wasn't for the recent events, but Aisa just saw this as her grandfather abandoning her.
Her reaction wasn't as bad as Cy's, but we'll see once she discovers his corpse.
The old man said his past was catching up to him, and I couldn't help but wonder what he had done before because his skills were out of this world, and his intelligence was through the roof.
He might've not displayed it due to his now careless and almost childish behavior, but sometimes I could catch a glimpse of wisdom in his eyes.
Plus, the way he made our training regimes was so smart because he took into account our current physical state and our mental state so we wouldn't be driven off the edge.
It was training. Not a hurdle meant to jump over.
"You're pretty calm. Did you not like him?" Cy asked Findir, who was just twiddling with his thumbs as he stared off into space.
"No, I understand why he sent us away… We were too weak, and his knowledge is beyond our comprehension," Findir said with a fully serious face.
Even Aisa, who was still breaking down crying, couldn't help but deadpan at his words.
Oh… I guess he's still a kid.
"I know, right. I want to be just like him when I grow up but with the skills of my father!" Cy announced as we walked up the dirt road.
"You don't have to tell us since it's a touchy subject, but who was your father? You keep bragging about him, but you never tell us anything," I asked Cy, who froze up for a second.
"Arghhh… I guess I gotta face it. If I want to get better, I have to overcome this mental blockage as well… Okay, well, to give you the short story, my father was an amazing man but also extremely cocky, and due to me being his son, that eventually rubbed off on me. The praises from my peers and extended family only bloated my ego. But one day, he died. He just died, nothing else. As you would expect, this broke me, and I began to slowly humble myself all the way until high school, where sometimes my past me would slip out. If you thought I was an asshole now, then you should've seen me back then… shit,"
He cringed in embarrassment just from thinking back on his past actions, so it must've been terrible.
"Alright, enough of that. Where are we going now? Do we have a plan, or should we maybe split up to do our own thing?" Cy asked.
We thought over our answers for a bit, but eventually, we decided to stay as a group, and I already had a good idea as to what guild to join.
…
? "Nah, you can't join," Arthur said with crossed arms and a stern expression as if he already expected this conversation and already knew what answer to give.
"Huh? Why not? We're valuable and talented, so why can't we join?" I asked as the other three behind me mingled with Arthur's raid team.
Some people had disappeared, and some new people had appeared… just the usual business, so I wasn't very surprised.
"The minimum age is eighteen, and if you aren't that, you can't join. Plus, you have the protection of the school, so why can't you just wait shit out there?" Arthur asked with a smirk that made a vein practically burst out of my forehead.
I was normally very calm and collected, but before this bastard, I couldn't help but get ticked off with every single taunt.
"Can't you think for a second? Most of the large families oppose each other, and where do they encounter each other the most? At school, most likely. I wouldn't be surprised if the school was wiped off the face of the city by now," I grumbled to myself.
"That sucks… But, just cause you gave me a sob story doesn't mean I'll let you into the guild. Plus, I'm not even the guild master, and just from what I know about him, he won't let you in no matter what. You can try other guilds as well, but I think you'll just get the same response,"
I clicked my tongue upon hearing the disappointing news, but what could I do besides accept the fact that we can't join.
And if Arthur won't let me in, I'm sure no other guilds will accept us as well since we're one year below the minimum age.
"But, I do have an idea. You should all work as mercenaries. That way, you'll be able to get paid while also improving your skills. Your safety isn't guaranteed, but I'm sure you'll be able to at least feed yourselves,"
He noticed our slightly malnourished bodies but thankfully, he had already got the chef to make us some delicious dishes before sending us off.
We were currently inside the main building for the Guild: Golden Lions, which is one of the most prestigious guilds in this city.
So, of course, they had amazing decoration, food, and service.
"Don't stuff yourself, guys. We still got shit to do-"
But before I could even finish my sentence, the kids all dug into the plates upon plates of food, and even my mouth began to water.
Orion… your abs are just beginning to show, so don't gorge yourself… Do not fall for gluttony!
I ended up eating five plates of food, and by the end, I was stuffed, sad, but also simultaneously happy since my stomach wasn't trying to eat itself.