BXBX NOVEL Chapter 149 Unexpected Cruelty
"Nathan Oppa, are you feeling lonely?" Linda asked, her voice tinged with concern. "We\'re here to keep you company!"
Nathan smiled and opened the door, gesturing for them to enter. "Come on in," he said, leading them into the living room where he had arranged the sofa for them. He then took his seat, ready to enjoy the company of his two visitors.
Linda sat on Nathan\'s right side on the same sofa while Meriel sat on the other sofa to his left. Both of them wore drastically different expressions - Meriel was silent but with a welcoming face, while Linda\'s face was full of enthusiasm.
"Linda was feeling bored in our room," Meriel remarked. Softly, she added, "She said I wasn\'t cool enough to talk to."
Linda chuckled at Meriel\'s words. "That\'s not what I mean, Meriel," she said. "But you did just say yes to what I said without bringing up any other topics that you might know about. That\'s why I think being in this place would be more fun. At least as long as your stupid dark elf servant of yours isn\'t with us. Invite them if you want, though."
"Gydarra?" Nathan inquired.
"Yes, that Ghidorah!" Linda replied emphatically. "I can\'t stand him, he always riles me up and makes my Patience bar drop faster and faster. The next time I transform into a monster, you can probably thank Ghidorah for that." She scowled before continuing.
"Isn\'t your Patience bar usually at minus, Linda?" Meriel asked with a soft laugh.
"Yes, I\'d have to agree," Nathan concurred.
"What?" Linda appeared puzzled. "Though it\'s usually minus, I\'m sure it was close to zero, or at least I tried to maintain it that way," she answered, her voice wavering.
Linda then pressed her shoulders against Nathan\'s body and leaned into him, a contented expression spread across her face. "Woah, just being near you makes me feel so much calmer, Nathan Oppa," she said with a warm smile.
"I\'m grateful you feel that way," Nathan replied, his own expression more relaxed, "although I\'m even more at ease when there is nobody around."
Meriel chuckled lightly at Nathan\'s words.
"I don\'t care," Linda added. "As long as you have that stupid fae-beast around, you\'re not really alone. And this time you have another stupid vampire undead as well."
Linda then wrapped her arm around Nathan\'s right arm and leaned even closer to his shoulder.
"Rowena only comes when I summon her," Nathan said, his voice slightly strained. "Having her around takes a bit of Necromantic Energy for me, so I don\'t get to see her as often as I\'d like. And then there\'s Polly, who doesn\'t talk as much as you, Linda, so I feel quite alone even when she\'s around."
Sometime later, Linda raised herself as if she had suddenly realized something.
"After a few hours in this room," Linda began quietly, standing up and walking over to the big suitcase at the end of the room, "there doesn\'t seem to be any change here. Aren\'t you just sleeping and being lazy as usual?" She fixed Nathan with a questioning gaze.
Nathan leaned back against the sofa with a sigh. "I\'m thinking about something more important than that," he explained, "so I haven\'t had time to unpack my clothes yet."
Meriel then also stood up and walked towards Linda, offering to help her clean up. "Let me help you, Linda," she said.
As they tidied the room, they continued chatting.
"Where did Yudan go, Oppa?" Linda asked, placing cups and a pot of tea on the small table in front of Nathan. "I haven\'t seen him since we parted from the opening ceremony this morning."
"Yudan? I heard he wanted to look around the academy\'s library,"
Nathan replied as Meriel started helping Linda pour the tea.
"Maybe he was busy reading. I see he is quite interested in many things in New Earth. Perhaps it is a great treasure for him."
"Thanks, Meriel," Nathan said, slowly taking the cup of tea from her and savoring it. Even though he usually preferred coffee, there was something about tea that gave him a unique feeling.
"Where is Polly?"
Linda looked around the room, searching for Polly, but couldn\'t find her. Suddenly, Nathan muttered softly, pointing to the pile of sofa cushions beside him. Linda could see Polly\'s white, fluffy tail peeking out from the corner of it.
Linda moved closer to Nathan, resting her elbows on his thighs and leaning into his chest. She then reached out, her hand brushing against Nathan\'s left side as she grabbed Polly\'s tail and said, "Hey you, fae-bitch, why are you being so unkind to us? At least say hello."
"Kuh!" Polly let out an astonished sound of surprise and tried to pull its tail back, attempting to hide.
At the same time, Nathan\'s Hunter Device beeped, and he saw Gaem\'s name on display. "Huh, Gaem?" he said, his confusion evident.
"Hey!" Linda responded when she saw Gaem\'s name. "Is Gaem secretly trying to get close to you? Doesn\'t she know that her young lady also has a crush on you, Oppa?"
"Linda…" Meriel glared at Linda\'s words.
"Yes, Gaem," Nathan answered a call from Gaem, and, at the same time, her face appeared on the hologram screen that seemed to be attached to his Hunter Device.
"Mr. Nathan, I think Yudan is in trouble," she said, her voice filled with urgency.
***
"My name is Titus Dean," Titus said, his voice dripping with condescension, "remember it well in your stupid head. You\'d better kneel to me now, for I assure you that your life in this academy won\'t be pleasant if you don\'t."
Titus Dean was a 19-year-old young man with slightly long black hair that cascaded past his ears and was parted in the middle. His golden-colored eyes were sharp, matching his very condescending smile as he stared down at Yudan.
Titus had a tall, athletic body, about 190 cm tall, which made Yudan only as tall as his chin.
Titus pushed Yudan back and forth, his voice taunting. "Kneel before me, and I promise your life in this academy will be no worse than this. Or do you want to call your fame-hungry friend here? I\'d love to see how brave he is, coming to face us seniors at CEHA."
From the corner of the garden, some people had witnessed Titus and his friends tormenting Yudan, the dwarf. They were aware of Titus\' influence in the academy since his parents had a significant stake in it and the followers he had accumulated, making him quite feared by most. Moreover, this time he was a senior, thus possessing more power due to his combat proficiency and extensive knowledge of hunters.
"I didn\'t really like the idea of Yunatea\'s people being brought into this academy from the start," someone said from a distance with a hint of disdain. "I don\'t like them; they\'re just barbarians mostly inhabited by a race that doesn\'t make any sense and is half beast."
"Sure," the other replied, his eyes sparkling, "but at least some forest elf and dark elf girls are quite attractive. I want to date them."
"Are you referring to Meriel, the whore who followed Nathan?" the other person asked incredulously. "I\'m sure you wouldn\'t dare to just want her, she is the daughter of the dark elves tribe who practices slave trading. I heard that their leader is quite strong and quite influential in New Earth because he has supplied trade to New Earth several times."
"But still," the second person persisted, "they are only dark elves; their numbers are few. I believe that we New Earth will soon rule over the two worlds, New Earth and Yuntea. After all, we have more advanced technology and God\'s apostles too, right?"
In accordance with CEHA regulations, it is prohibited for academic participants to make use of their breath-based powers in public places, including when they are in the city.
Despite this, physical activity was still a common occurrence, particularly for those who possess a physical prowess above the average. Unfortunately, this has resulted in instances of bullying from time to time.
At that moment, two people grabbed Yudan\'s hands while the others tripped his feet, causing him to crash to the ground, kneeling in front of Titus.
Titus stepped closer and leveled his face to Yudan\'s. "Hey you, stupid dwarf. Now say that you will worship me and follow my words, then I will think about letting you go. I believe that you dwarves are just trashing this academy. You guys smell awful, and I should be heartened by your presence," he said smugly.
Yudan looked up at Titus with an angry expression. "I dare you to do more than this to me," he said firmly.
"Sure, I dare to do it," Titus replied with a smug smile, then his right hand flew to Yudan\'s stomach and punched him there, eliciting a soft ugh from the man\'s lips.
Titus made another attempt, throwing a punch at Yudan\'s stomach, yet he was able to withstand it.
"Impressive," marveled Titus. Gripping his fists even tighter, he watched as the two men restraining Yudan held him firmly, making it impossible for him to escape. "Let\'s see if you can take this one," he challenged.
Titus grinned widely and chuckled when he saw Yudan, joined by his other friends, who were also laughing at him.
"Try to take this one." he said, pulling his arm back and readying to throw a punch at Yudan\'s stomach.
Titus\' fist was mere inches from Yudan\'s face when he felt an unexpected jolt in his stomach, causing his mouth to fall agape in shock. He was violently hurled backwards, tumbling onto the ground.
When he looked up to identify his assailant, he was met by the sight of a young man with stark white hair and a rigid, expressionless face.
"Whatever you do to my friends, I will make sure I repay it back tenfold to anyone who dares," Nathan said firmly.