OLD-WORLD EXTRA

Chapter 389: Popcorn And Soda



Max, who leaned back in his seat, expecting Arthur to run away like a rat, was shocked.

He never expected him to say a word; after all, he was not only impure but also a weak bastard with no backbone.

Of course, his being impure was false, but Max wouldn't know that.

'...Why?'

Surprisingly, Arthur's response didn't anger him.

Instead, it made him take a metaphorical step back and reconsider why he had ordered his goons to bully the guy in the first place.

What he saw in the outpost wasn't anything close to good, but it was definitely better than the average student.

Most of it appeared to be luck, but that didn't matter to him; that was also a skill.

Besides, that wasn't why he took a 'step back.'

The reason was because of Arthur's emotional growth.

Not only did he move past his fear in the outpost, but also now, when confronted with people that could ruin his life in seconds.

Again, Max was wrong in thinking that.

Arthur had a stronger background than even him, but the redhead wouldn't know that now, would he?

Max truly believed that Arthur was brave enough to stand up to the children of the four untouchable Elite.

So he couldn't help but wonder why he grew annoyed with him, and the answer to that wonder didn't take too long to arrive.

Simply put, it was because of the way he looked at Aria, Ava, and most importantly, Sofia.

'That bastard eyed them like pieces of meat!'

He failed to catch the hypocrisy where he did the same to Sofia, but as a young master, there was no such thing as a two-way street. Only his way or the highway.

"Fuck you rat bastard!"

Arthur's confidence died on the spot like it never even existed. His body deflating back into his seat.

"S-Sorry."

As he backed off, Aria came in his place, peaking her head around Ava.

"Stop cursing up a storm, you red-haired idiot... And, um, E-Elijah, what about me?"

She stammered, glancing away.

"But you don't need to say anything. It's not like I care about your opinion or anything..."

Not a single soul sitting next to her was able to stop themselves from rolling their eyes, but they did manage to hide it, unlike Elijah who was forward with her:

"For the sake of my sanity, please stop acting like that!"

Aria smacked Ava's face with her blonde twin tails as she let out a classic "Humph!" in response.

Sighing and chuckling at the same time, Elijah reached out and tapped her forehead.

"You were great too. Without your roots, me and Quinn wouldn't have been able to get close, we might've even gotten pancaked like Junior. Your combined abilities with Emma were amazing, really, you have great control over your abilities, using them in many different ways."

He gave her one compliment after another, making her pump her chest out in pride. But that wasn't because she was his favorite, Lily was.

It was because he was about to destroy whatever ego he built up with his next words: "Your weaknesses are many. Low preventative power, nonexistent defense, and bad positioning. If you were by yourself, you would've been killed in seconds."

Contrary to what one might expect, she didn't push back against his criticism.

Instead, she nodded her head as he spoke, agreeing with his words.

The girl wasn't ranked third for no reason.

"Thanks for being honest."

Her words came with a small, appreciative smile.

This didn't surprise any of the five; they all knew that the girl was a cinnamon roll underneath all that bravado and emotional idiocy.

Otherwise, Elijah wouldn't have stuck around as her slave for so long.

"Yo, hook your brotha up too!"

Junior had also asked, but this time instead of acting composed, he took the route of 'cool.'

"You don't talk like that!"

It didn't work.

Elijah reprimanded him with a face twitching with cringe:

"You'll never get friends at this rate."

Bang!

His heart was shot by the truth, but that bullet didn't stop him.

He was a goddamn Knight!

"But I have you!"

Elijah ignored his melodramatic attempt at an acting award and answered his question while looking away, his smile quivering. He dissed him for being cringy, but that didn't mean that he didn't find it funny, he was barely stopping himself from laughing.

"Kuhm! You were the rock of our cohort. It goes without saying that we wouldn't even have attempted to fight the Cub if you weren't with us. Your defense is solid, you use your shield well, and you know how to move when needed. But when everyone is away from the bulwark, you stand idle, you need to find a combat style that makes use of that time. Also, your Core is in dire need of an upgrade; your abilities are greedy for Aether."

||

"...

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The response to his long reply was silence.

They hadn't realized it before, or maybe they had, and this only confirmed their suspicions.

Elijah knew exactly how they fought.

It was as if he had studied them, not just by sight, but also in text.

A Nigh-Omniscient 'reader' who learned of all the characters' strengths and weaknesses.

"That wasn't a wrong thought.

Only that it wasn't Elijah but Emir who did that.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

This knowledge was passed down to him in one of the many lessons he took under Lyra.

So he felt slightly awkward about how they saw him, deeming him better than he actually

was.

"A-Anyways everyone asked me, but I didn't ask anyone, so let's start with you, Sofia. How

was I?"

To dispel that awkwardness, he forced out a question that he didn't care for, as the only opinion that mattered to him was his big brother's and sister's.

||||

Sofia quietly looked at him for a long moment, as if the world had slowed down.

Then, almost painfully slowly, she opened her mouth and said:

"....Fine."

"Who are you to be judged by her?!"

Max's loud voice drowned hers out, fueled by jealousy... Again.

But Elijah retaliated this time around:

"Quiet down before I cut your legs a second time."

Pushing himself up, Max roared while his fists tightened:

"Hah?! What did you say?!"

Elijah didn't move, acting nonchalant.

"Oh, so you're deaf too? Choose a disability and stick with it."

At a loss for words, Max stood still and silently stared at Elijah.

"You know, if Templar is right and Aether is a 'Creator...' They say it gives its toughest battles

to its strongest soldiers. But I think it gave you too many because even it thinks you're a lost

cause."

||||

That stunned Max even further, causing him to sit back down.

He was not cut out for complicated insults.

By the time it took him to understand them, everyone else was already shouting

"Oooooohhh," as if it were a holoscreen show.

They almost heard a "KO!"

It was that bad, or rather, that good.

But the fun didn't last long.

Once Max calmed down, they returned to their earlier conversations.

Most of the students didn't have time for this kind of talk yesterday.

After a head count, they quickly dove back in, their emotions at their peak, taking only a short break to heal to full health and resupply their ammunition and old-world medicine.

So they now naturally immersed themselves, asking questions and receiving answers, their time passing many times faster than usual.

And before they knew it, they had reached the Academy.

Emir watched them the entire way there with soda and popcorn in hand.

Though altered, those five were the same main cast that his 'past life' had read. And yes, it

was five, not seven.

Quinn and Xavier Jr, though considered 'named,' were new additions, a result of his

interference, so he didn't count them.

Not that Quinn said anything; she was just off in the corner like always, glaring at everything

that existed.

She was still affected by what had happened yesterday and hadn't yet processed what she did

after her cohort saved Arthur.

Her mind was delaying it as much as possible, afraid of how she would react.

It was a natural countermeasure.

Emir was delighted by that sight.

Her struggle only meant that his plan was on track.

She would lose control by tonight.

He had to send the letter.