Niuniax
A short notice before today's chapter. Magic Dungeon Academy Volume 3 will be going live on Amazon on 26th of December. Yey, Christmas. What that also means, and you probably know what I'm about to say, Volume 3 chapters will be removed from public sites due to the book going exclusive on Kindle Unlimited. But don't worry, I'll post all the chapters of Volume 3 book for you to read before Christmas. Here is a link for a pre-order on US marketplace.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CLDFNGT2
The book is available on other marketplaces as well. Just search by name on whichever marketplace you need. I wanted to inform you in advance. Kind regards.
It took longer than an hour of travel time for the carriage to reach the stop where Narias had to get off. They stopped at, what it looked like, a small village. It was the last stop of the destination for the carriage too.
“Thank you, sir,” Narias thanked the person in charge of the carriage.
“You’re welcome, young man,” the man responded.
Only one other person ended up travelling to the village together with Narias. An older lady who joined him half way at one of the stops. The other passengers got off much earlier. Narias had a pleasant conversation with the lady while they rode inside the carriage together. They weren’t talking about anything specific, but it still helped to kill boredom and to make it seem like the time passed faster.
Right. I think Miss Salroze’s house is that way. Narias looked around.
It wasn’t too hard to find Belinda’s house. The village was really small. You couldn’t call it even a village, really. If you were to count, there might’ve been less than thirty houses in total. However, all the houses were quite big and had sizable yards around them. The locals must’ve owned some land too, because Narias could see crops growing in the fields some distance away.
Belinda’s house was located at the very end of the village from where the transport stopped. Narias was struck right away by the beauty of the small flower garden in the front yard. Some flowers he recognized, and some he didn’t, but that didn’t change the fact that the person really loved taking care of those flowers.
Ok, here I am. Narias was getting ready to go knock on the door, but then felt an unusual nervousness overtake him. This feels… awkward. Maybe… maybe I should take the stuff out of the bag first? Or maybe I should just knock?
He took out the pot with Orchivids from his bag, but still hesitated to knock on the door. Truth be told, it was the first time ever for Narias to come visit someone at their own house. The person was a teacher at his school of course, but that didn’t make Narias feel relaxed for some reason. The teacher was an attractive woman and he had flowers in his hands. In addition, he decided to show up at her doorstep without any prior notice.
I… I probably haven’t thought it through properly before coming here. The realization only now started to sink in.
He was so determined to deliver the Thank You gift today, Narias didn’t even think about the uncomfortable situation he might put himself into. Or Miss Salroze when she sees him standing there with the flowers, for that matter.
Aah… well, I’m already here, so… The best course of action for him was to just get over it and do what he came here for.
He walked up to the door and knocked on it a few times. There was no answer, however.
Huh? Nobody’s home? He thought, then knocked a few times more. There was still no answer. Oh, damn. She might not even be home…
Narias was about to start fret about coming all the way here for nothing when suddenly he heard a light noise of the door knob turning and the doors opened.
“Who could… Huh?” As soon as she opened the doors, Belinda was totally dumbfounded to see who was standing there. Not to mention, the person was holding flowers in his hands.
“Ah… hello… Miss Salroze,” Narias greeted her, trying not to trip over his own words, or his own feet from the uncomfortable embarrassment that he had been overtaken with.
“Wha… what are you doing here?” Belinda asked, throwing a brief glance at the Orchivids Narias was holding, then looked back at him, eyes full of surprise.
“Well, you see Miss Salroze I was…” Whaaa… this is so awkward! She will definitely get the wrong idea! And why did I become so nervous all of a sudden? It’s just a Thank You gift. Narias was screaming in his head. “Well… I apologize for showing up like that. You weren’t at the school today and… well… what I mean is, I have brought a Thank You gift for you.”
“A… ‘Thank You gift’?” Belinda gave him the strangest stare.
Of course she wouldn’t know what that is. Narias had to explain himself, and fast.
“You helped us so much during our dungeon exploration run so, we decided to get you a small gift as our thanks,” he tried to explain it with a straight face.
“Is… that so?” Miss Salroze glanced at the Orchivids again. She was so perplexed she had to pick and choose what to say. “So… you have brought… a gift for me? And… it’s from your whole group?”
“Ah, yes. That’s right,” Narias confirmed it.
“But then…” Belinda looked around to see if there was someone else there. “Why are you here by yourself?”
“Right, about that…” again, Narias had to explain himself. It’s just that the flower pot in his hands started to become too heavy for some reason.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Why don’t you… come inside?” During the awkward pause while Narias tried to gather his thoughts, the teacher realized they were still standing in the doorway.
“Ah, thank you, Miss Salroze,” he said with a smile.
“How about you take a seat and explain to me what this is all about?” Belinda still didn’t know what to think of Narias showing up at her doorstep like that.
“Right,” Narias turned to face the teacher, ready to explain himself.
“I see… That is… quite flattering,” Belinda commented after Narias had finally explained the whole deal. The teacher smirked to herself, with her arms crossed in front of her. A delightful flush caught her cheeks too. “But… couldn’t you wait until the next time I came to the school?”
“Maybe, but your assistant Sally said you’ll be going to the Magic Dungeon with another group next week and I didn’t want for the cake to go bad,” Narias explained.
“A cake?” Belinda was yet to receive the gifts, so other than the Orchivids, she didn’t know what else Narias has brought with him.
“Oh, I’m sorry. If I may, this is for you, Miss Salroze,” he stood up and extended the gifts he brought with him to the teacher.
“Hmph… Th… thank you, Narias Talrone,” hesitantly, and with an added redness on her cheeks, Belinda accepted the gifts. “Oh? The Orchivids… are in the flower pot?”
Only after she picked up the flowers from Narias’s hands did she notice they were in it.
“Ah, yes. I thought the normal bouquet of flowers will wither after a few days and Ileena said you like to grow flowers yourself, so…” Narias explained.
“Ileena? You mean, Ileena Sanli?” The teacher wanted to confirm.
“Yes, she was the one to suggest buying a book about the Orchivids too,” he told her after Belinda picked up the book next.
“Ok,” Belinda procured a mild smile after seeing the book, which made Narias think she was glad to receive it.
“Growly was the one to buy the cake, and it was Flavia… who bought the card…” Narias explained after seeing Belinda’s reaction when she picked up the card. Her eyes pierced him right through as soon as she saw how the card looked.
“Hmm… Why… thank you… for such kind words,” Belinda commented after opening the card and reading the message inside it. She touched one of her cheeks, then brushed her hair to the side right after. A pleasant smile forced itself on her face without Belinda even realizing it. She probably recognized Narias’s handwriting too. “Ahem… It is rather flattering to receive this… Thank You gift as you called it, considering I hadn’t done that much during the whole run. What has brought such an… unusual idea in the first place?”
“I just thought it would be appropriate to thank you, Miss Salroze. After all, we wouldn’t have been able to perform so well during our run if you weren’t there,” he answered.
“It was… your idea?” She gave him the look.
“Originally, yes. At first, I thought I’ll buy you some flowers, but then the whole group wanted to add something as well and that’s why we ended up buying additional gifts too,” Narias elaborated on the details.
So, this was the reason why he asked me what my favorite flowers were back then? But… buying flowers for someone is… Does that mean he… Belinda’s cheeks were becoming hotter and hotter as she was pondering about it in her head.
“Ahem… Apologies…” Belinda snapped out of her fantasy when the burning heat on her cheeks became too much to bear. “I… I thank you for such… surprising gift. I had never… expected to receive one.”
“Yes, I understand what yo- Oh, I mean, you’re welcome, Miss Salroze. I’m glad… you like it,” Narias corrected himself just in time.
Phew… It worked out somehow, as nerve wracking as it was in the beginning. Now that that’s done, I can go back home. Oh man… all this nervousness made me even hungrier. I’ll have to endure it until I come back, though. Narias was happy the Thank You gift was well received in the end.
“Well then, let me go prepare us something to drink,” Belinda stood up.
“I drink? I… I wouldn’t want to trouble you, Miss Salroze,” Narias’s plan to go back home as soon as possible was about to be delayed.
“What are you talking about? You came all this way to bring me flowe- ahem… to bring me your Thank You gift. The least I can do is offer you a drink. Besides, the cake you have brought is too big for me to eat all by myself anyway,” the teacher insisted.
“Ah, yes, indeed…,” refusing her hospitality would’ve been downright rude. And since she mentioned the cake, Narias had a good reason to stay, considering how hungry he felt. “Thank you for your hospitality, Miss Salroze.”
“I’ll have to put the flowers away first. Do you mind waiting for a short while?” Belinda asked.
“Not at all, Miss Salroze,” he answered.
“I’ll be… right back… Narias Talrone,” the way Belinda pronounced his name had an unusual, pleasant aftersound at the end. It made Narias cheeks flash red, even if he couldn’t understand the reason behind it.
Narias waited patiently while Belinda was preparing the drinks in the kitchen for them. Only when he was left alone, Narias could finally relax enough to be able to observe the room he was in. It was quite spacious, with the walls and ceilings decorated in many different illustrations, showing mainly various bird images on them. However, the bird images were not simply drawn or painted, they looked like they were carved out by a highly skilled artisan. Some of the birds almost looked like they were alive even. That took Narias’s breath away when he started looking around.
Interestingly, the décor on the walls and the ceilings in the room had an unusual vibe of an older person living here. The furniture, even if it looked in a top-notch condition, seemed old and used for more than a few years. Not something you’d expect to see in a young woman’s house. After taking a short tour around the room, Narias figured someone else was living in the house too.
- ‘Growl,’ – suddenly, Narias’s stomach let out a loud complaint.
Right… Narias knew his stomach was upset, so he tried to put all of his focus on the room’s décor to distract himself.
“Those were carved out by my grandfather,” Narias room tour was interrupted by Belinda’s comment. He didn’t notice her walking in because he was inspecting a beautifully carved animal figurines on one of the stands in the corner of the room.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have…” Narias thought it was rude of him to inspect them without asking.
“That’s ok. I left you all by yourself here without saying anything about it. The tea will be ready shortly,” she said.
“This is… such an astounding craftsmanship. They almost look alive,” Narias expressed his admiration.
“You… really think so?” His compliment took Belinda by surprise.
“Yes. I had never seen figurines to be made with such fine detail. And the birds on the walls and the ceilings look so real too,” he added.
“Thank you. My grandfather would’ve been delighted to hear such praise,” she said.
“Would’ve been?” The way she phrased it made Narias confused.
“Yes, my grandparents had passed away a few years back. This used to be their house,” Belinda told him.
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,” now he felt bad asking about it.
“There’s nothing for you to be sorry about. My grandad had built this house all by himself. He was the one to carve out all those birds here, and many other images in each room too,” the way Belinda spoke about her grandfather showed she cared for him very much.
“Really? Wow, that’s so awesome. These look absolutely amazing,” Narias was gasping in amazement.
“Hah, if you think these birds look amazing, you should see what he carved out in the bedroom. It would definitely make you… Huh? Oh, I… Sorry, I didn’t mean to…” hearing Narias compliment her grandfather’s work, Belinda became excited a little too much. Her slip of the tongue had put her in a rather precarious situation.
“He must’ve been a wonderful craftsman,” fortunately, Narias main focus was still on the figures on the stand. Or so he made it sound.
I don’t think asking Miss Salroze to show me her bedroom would be an appropriate thing to do. Hiding behind the neutral smile and putting the focus on the subject at hand was the smartest thing Narias could’ve done right now.
“Yes, he was,” and it helped, because Belinda felt relieved hearing him speak about her grandfather and not about… her bedroom.
- ‘Growl,’ –
Just when Belinda was about to say something else, an unpleasant, and embarrassing, growl echoed from Narias’s stomach.
“Aah… sorry,” Narias could do nothing but feel awkward about it.
“Wait, was it… Hold on, don’t tell me you hadn’t eaten anything today?” Belinda looked at him with a frown.
“Well, I ate my breakfast. It’s just that… I thought I’ll bring you the Thank You gifts during the long lunch break before your next class, but when I came to your office…” as embarrassing as it was, Narias had to tell her he hadn’t eaten anything since then.
“Sigh… I can’t believe you…” Belinda shook her head after hearing his story, but then smiled rather suspiciously. “Hmph… I’ll have some food ready soon.”
“Aah… I wouldn’t want to trouble you, Miss Salroze,” Narias felt even more embarrassed now.
“It’s… no trouble. In all honesty, I was in the middle of preparing dinner for myself when you showed up. It’s almost ready anyway and it will be more than enough for both of us. I can’t have you leave here being so hungry. Not after… Never mind. I’ll get the table ready,” Belinda made it clear that she won’t allow Narias to leave before he ate.
“In that case, thank you, Miss Salroze.” Narias was actually glad he would get to eat a proper meal.
“My pleasure. I mean… I’ll be right back,” Belinda said, averting her flushed face away.
The table was served and the food was ready to eat soon after.
“Please, help yourself,” Belinda invited Narias to eat.
“Thank you,” Narias made sure to remember his manners.
Eating the food helped both of them relax. Narias was really glad he got to eat. The food was extremely delicious and not only because he felt as hungry as the monsters inside the Magic Dungeon. Belinda’s cheeks would flush light red from time to time during the meal, but then she’d pretend she was wiping her lips with a napkin to hide it.
They weren’t talking much while they ate. Narias was probably too hungry, and too delighted with the food he was eating to speak much. Belinda at the same time, had her own reason to restrain herself from saying anything. After the main meal, they had some cake that Narias had brought for Miss Salroze too. Both of them came to a conclusion that the cake was exceptionally delicious. As awkward as Narias’s visit was, both of them enjoyed the diner together.
“Thank you so much for the food, Miss Salroze,” Narias bowed down respectfully, getting ready to leave.
“You’re welcome. I can rest easy knowing you won’t collapse from hunger on your way back,” Belinda told him with a half smirk.
“Yeah,” Narias somewhat laughed at her comment.
“Let me walk you to where the transport is. It will start getting dark soon. I wouldn’t want you to get lost,” she offered.
“Oh, thank you, Miss Salroze,” he said. Both of them dressed up and walked out of the house.
“Here we are. Hmm?” Belinda said, but then looked around suspiciously.
“Ok. Thank you again, Miss Salroze. And also, I apologize if my visit caused you any trouble,” Narias apologized as well.
“No trouble at all. I simply… was surprised to see you at my doorstep, but… it ended up being a pleasant surprise,” she said, slightly averting her eyes away.
“Right. So, I just wait here for the transport to arrive. Goodnight, Miss Salroze,” Narias wished her.
“About that…” for some reason, Belinda was looking around with a slight concern in her eyes.
“Is something the matter?” He noticed she was becoming worried about something.
“Yes. The transport to take you back to academy’s campus should be here already,” she frowned.
“Maybe they are a little late?” Narias wondered.
“That’s the thing, if he was late the carriage with the horses would still be here,” Belinda was becoming irritated. “Wait, today is Friday, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is,” he answered.
“Damn it. That old drunkard…” Belinda cursed out loud. “Ahm, sorry. I… I’m afraid you won’t be getting back to the campus tonight.”
“Huh? What do you mean, Miss Salroze?” Narias was puzzled.
“I should’ve known he’ll skip the last round today. Humph… You see, the man who was supposed to take you back home likes to finish his work early on Fridays. I totally forgot about it,” Belinda shook her head, feeling bad she forgot about it.
“Oh,” that put Narias on the spot. “Maybe I could walk back?”
“You’re kidding, right?” Miss Salroze honestly thought it was a joke.
“Well…” Narias didn’t know what else to say.
Seriously? How did this happen? I can’t just let him leave here, or let him walk back on foot. Jean will skin me alive. Belinda was debating in her head. She glanced at Narias just briefly, before turning away with a blush on her cheeks. I can’t believe it. This… will look so bad.
“Come on, let’s go,” the teacher turned to go.
“Go? Go where?” Narias couldn’t understand what she meant.
“Back to my house, of course. You’re not gonna sleep out in the open, are you?” Belinda tried to say it in as serious tone of her voice as she possibly could.
“Yeah, that’d be a little… Huh? But…” he finally got the hint.
“You can go back to campus tomorrow morning. And I’ll definitely have a serious talk with that drunkard tomorrow as well,” she sounded dead serious about that.
“Right… ok,” Narias had no choice but to go back with her. Little did he know that Belinda’s serious act was only a cover up to hide how she actually felt about the whole situation.
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Niuniax
A short notice before today's chapter. Magic Dungeon Academy Volume 3 will be going live on Amazon on 26th of December. Yey, Christmas. What that also means, and you probably know what I'm about to say, Volume 3 chapters will be removed from public sites due to the book going exclusive on Kindle Unlimited. But don't worry, I'll post all the chapters of Volume 3 book for you to read before Christmas. Here is a link for a pre-order on US marketplace.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CLDFNGT2
The book is available on other marketplaces as well. Just search by name on whichever marketplace you need. I wanted to inform you in advance. Kind regards.
It took longer than an hour of travel time for the carriage to reach the stop where Narias had to get off. They stopped at, what it looked like, a small village. It was the last stop of the destination for the carriage too.
“Thank you, sir,” Narias thanked the person in charge of the carriage.
“You’re welcome, young man,” the man responded.
Only one other person ended up travelling to the village together with Narias. An older lady who joined him half way at one of the stops. The other passengers got off much earlier. Narias had a pleasant conversation with the lady while they rode inside the carriage together. They weren’t talking about anything specific, but it still helped to kill boredom and to make it seem like the time passed faster.
Right. I think Miss Salroze’s house is that way. Narias looked around.
It wasn’t too hard to find Belinda’s house. The village was really small. You couldn’t call it even a village, really. If you were to count, there might’ve been less than thirty houses in total. However, all the houses were quite big and had sizable yards around them. The locals must’ve owned some land too, because Narias could see crops growing in the fields some distance away.
Belinda’s house was located at the very end of the village from where the transport stopped. Narias was struck right away by the beauty of the small flower garden in the front yard. Some flowers he recognized, and some he didn’t, but that didn’t change the fact that the person really loved taking care of those flowers.
Ok, here I am. Narias was getting ready to go knock on the door, but then felt an unusual nervousness overtake him. This feels… awkward. Maybe… maybe I should take the stuff out of the bag first? Or maybe I should just knock?
He took out the pot with Orchivids from his bag, but still hesitated to knock on the door. Truth be told, it was the first time ever for Narias to come visit someone at their own house. The person was a teacher at his school of course, but that didn’t make Narias feel relaxed for some reason. The teacher was an attractive woman and he had flowers in his hands. In addition, he decided to show up at her doorstep without any prior notice.
I… I probably haven’t thought it through properly before coming here. The realization only now started to sink in.
He was so determined to deliver the Thank You gift today, Narias didn’t even think about the uncomfortable situation he might put himself into. Or Miss Salroze when she sees him standing there with the flowers, for that matter.
Aah… well, I’m already here, so… The best course of action for him was to just get over it and do what he came here for.
He walked up to the door and knocked on it a few times. There was no answer, however.
Huh? Nobody’s home? He thought, then knocked a few times more. There was still no answer. Oh, damn. She might not even be home…
Narias was about to start fret about coming all the way here for nothing when suddenly he heard a light noise of the door knob turning and the doors opened.
“Who could… Huh?” As soon as she opened the doors, Belinda was totally dumbfounded to see who was standing there. Not to mention, the person was holding flowers in his hands.
“Ah… hello… Miss Salroze,” Narias greeted her, trying not to trip over his own words, or his own feet from the uncomfortable embarrassment that he had been overtaken with.
“Wha… what are you doing here?” Belinda asked, throwing a brief glance at the Orchivids Narias was holding, then looked back at him, eyes full of surprise.
“Well, you see Miss Salroze I was…” Whaaa… this is so awkward! She will definitely get the wrong idea! And why did I become so nervous all of a sudden? It’s just a Thank You gift. Narias was screaming in his head. “Well… I apologize for showing up like that. You weren’t at the school today and… well… what I mean is, I have brought a Thank You gift for you.”
“A… ‘Thank You gift’?” Belinda gave him the strangest stare.
Of course she wouldn’t know what that is. Narias had to explain himself, and fast.
“You helped us so much during our dungeon exploration run so, we decided to get you a small gift as our thanks,” he tried to explain it with a straight face.
“Is… that so?” Miss Salroze glanced at the Orchivids again. She was so perplexed she had to pick and choose what to say. “So… you have brought… a gift for me? And… it’s from your whole group?”
“Ah, yes. That’s right,” Narias confirmed it.
“But then…” Belinda looked around to see if there was someone else there. “Why are you here by yourself?”
“Right, about that…” again, Narias had to explain himself. It’s just that the flower pot in his hands started to become too heavy for some reason.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Why don’t you… come inside?” During the awkward pause while Narias tried to gather his thoughts, the teacher realized they were still standing in the doorway.
“Ah, thank you, Miss Salroze,” he said with a smile.
“How about you take a seat and explain to me what this is all about?” Belinda still didn’t know what to think of Narias showing up at her doorstep like that.
“Right,” Narias turned to face the teacher, ready to explain himself.
“I see… That is… quite flattering,” Belinda commented after Narias had finally explained the whole deal. The teacher smirked to herself, with her arms crossed in front of her. A delightful flush caught her cheeks too. “But… couldn’t you wait until the next time I came to the school?”
“Maybe, but your assistant Sally said you’ll be going to the Magic Dungeon with another group next week and I didn’t want for the cake to go bad,” Narias explained.
“A cake?” Belinda was yet to receive the gifts, so other than the Orchivids, she didn’t know what else Narias has brought with him.
“Oh, I’m sorry. If I may, this is for you, Miss Salroze,” he stood up and extended the gifts he brought with him to the teacher.
“Hmph… Th… thank you, Narias Talrone,” hesitantly, and with an added redness on her cheeks, Belinda accepted the gifts. “Oh? The Orchivids… are in the flower pot?”
Only after she picked up the flowers from Narias’s hands did she notice they were in it.
“Ah, yes. I thought the normal bouquet of flowers will wither after a few days and Ileena said you like to grow flowers yourself, so…” Narias explained.
“Ileena? You mean, Ileena Sanli?” The teacher wanted to confirm.
“Yes, she was the one to suggest buying a book about the Orchivids too,” he told her after Belinda picked up the book next.
“Ok,” Belinda procured a mild smile after seeing the book, which made Narias think she was glad to receive it.
“Growly was the one to buy the cake, and it was Flavia… who bought the card…” Narias explained after seeing Belinda’s reaction when she picked up the card. Her eyes pierced him right through as soon as she saw how the card looked.
“Hmm… Why… thank you… for such kind words,” Belinda commented after opening the card and reading the message inside it. She touched one of her cheeks, then brushed her hair to the side right after. A pleasant smile forced itself on her face without Belinda even realizing it. She probably recognized Narias’s handwriting too. “Ahem… It is rather flattering to receive this… Thank You gift as you called it, considering I hadn’t done that much during the whole run. What has brought such an… unusual idea in the first place?”
“I just thought it would be appropriate to thank you, Miss Salroze. After all, we wouldn’t have been able to perform so well during our run if you weren’t there,” he answered.
“It was… your idea?” She gave him the look.
“Originally, yes. At first, I thought I’ll buy you some flowers, but then the whole group wanted to add something as well and that’s why we ended up buying additional gifts too,” Narias elaborated on the details.
So, this was the reason why he asked me what my favorite flowers were back then? But… buying flowers for someone is… Does that mean he… Belinda’s cheeks were becoming hotter and hotter as she was pondering about it in her head.
“Ahem… Apologies…” Belinda snapped out of her fantasy when the burning heat on her cheeks became too much to bear. “I… I thank you for such… surprising gift. I had never… expected to receive one.”
“Yes, I understand what yo- Oh, I mean, you’re welcome, Miss Salroze. I’m glad… you like it,” Narias corrected himself just in time.
Phew… It worked out somehow, as nerve wracking as it was in the beginning. Now that that’s done, I can go back home. Oh man… all this nervousness made me even hungrier. I’ll have to endure it until I come back, though. Narias was happy the Thank You gift was well received in the end.
“Well then, let me go prepare us something to drink,” Belinda stood up.
“I drink? I… I wouldn’t want to trouble you, Miss Salroze,” Narias’s plan to go back home as soon as possible was about to be delayed.
“What are you talking about? You came all this way to bring me flowe- ahem… to bring me your Thank You gift. The least I can do is offer you a drink. Besides, the cake you have brought is too big for me to eat all by myself anyway,” the teacher insisted.
“Ah, yes, indeed…,” refusing her hospitality would’ve been downright rude. And since she mentioned the cake, Narias had a good reason to stay, considering how hungry he felt. “Thank you for your hospitality, Miss Salroze.”
“I’ll have to put the flowers away first. Do you mind waiting for a short while?” Belinda asked.
“Not at all, Miss Salroze,” he answered.
“I’ll be… right back… Narias Talrone,” the way Belinda pronounced his name had an unusual, pleasant aftersound at the end. It made Narias cheeks flash red, even if he couldn’t understand the reason behind it.
Narias waited patiently while Belinda was preparing the drinks in the kitchen for them. Only when he was left alone, Narias could finally relax enough to be able to observe the room he was in. It was quite spacious, with the walls and ceilings decorated in many different illustrations, showing mainly various bird images on them. However, the bird images were not simply drawn or painted, they looked like they were carved out by a highly skilled artisan. Some of the birds almost looked like they were alive even. That took Narias’s breath away when he started looking around.
Interestingly, the décor on the walls and the ceilings in the room had an unusual vibe of an older person living here. The furniture, even if it looked in a top-notch condition, seemed old and used for more than a few years. Not something you’d expect to see in a young woman’s house. After taking a short tour around the room, Narias figured someone else was living in the house too.
- ‘Growl,’ – suddenly, Narias’s stomach let out a loud complaint.
Right… Narias knew his stomach was upset, so he tried to put all of his focus on the room’s décor to distract himself.
“Those were carved out by my grandfather,” Narias room tour was interrupted by Belinda’s comment. He didn’t notice her walking in because he was inspecting a beautifully carved animal figurines on one of the stands in the corner of the room.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have…” Narias thought it was rude of him to inspect them without asking.
“That’s ok. I left you all by yourself here without saying anything about it. The tea will be ready shortly,” she said.
“This is… such an astounding craftsmanship. They almost look alive,” Narias expressed his admiration.
“You… really think so?” His compliment took Belinda by surprise.
“Yes. I had never seen figurines to be made with such fine detail. And the birds on the walls and the ceilings look so real too,” he added.
“Thank you. My grandfather would’ve been delighted to hear such praise,” she said.
“Would’ve been?” The way she phrased it made Narias confused.
“Yes, my grandparents had passed away a few years back. This used to be their house,” Belinda told him.
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,” now he felt bad asking about it.
“There’s nothing for you to be sorry about. My grandad had built this house all by himself. He was the one to carve out all those birds here, and many other images in each room too,” the way Belinda spoke about her grandfather showed she cared for him very much.
“Really? Wow, that’s so awesome. These look absolutely amazing,” Narias was gasping in amazement.
“Hah, if you think these birds look amazing, you should see what he carved out in the bedroom. It would definitely make you… Huh? Oh, I… Sorry, I didn’t mean to…” hearing Narias compliment her grandfather’s work, Belinda became excited a little too much. Her slip of the tongue had put her in a rather precarious situation.
“He must’ve been a wonderful craftsman,” fortunately, Narias main focus was still on the figures on the stand. Or so he made it sound.
I don’t think asking Miss Salroze to show me her bedroom would be an appropriate thing to do. Hiding behind the neutral smile and putting the focus on the subject at hand was the smartest thing Narias could’ve done right now.
“Yes, he was,” and it helped, because Belinda felt relieved hearing him speak about her grandfather and not about… her bedroom.
- ‘Growl,’ –
Just when Belinda was about to say something else, an unpleasant, and embarrassing, growl echoed from Narias’s stomach.
“Aah… sorry,” Narias could do nothing but feel awkward about it.
“Wait, was it… Hold on, don’t tell me you hadn’t eaten anything today?” Belinda looked at him with a frown.
“Well, I ate my breakfast. It’s just that… I thought I’ll bring you the Thank You gifts during the long lunch break before your next class, but when I came to your office…” as embarrassing as it was, Narias had to tell her he hadn’t eaten anything since then.
“Sigh… I can’t believe you…” Belinda shook her head after hearing his story, but then smiled rather suspiciously. “Hmph… I’ll have some food ready soon.”
“Aah… I wouldn’t want to trouble you, Miss Salroze,” Narias felt even more embarrassed now.
“It’s… no trouble. In all honesty, I was in the middle of preparing dinner for myself when you showed up. It’s almost ready anyway and it will be more than enough for both of us. I can’t have you leave here being so hungry. Not after… Never mind. I’ll get the table ready,” Belinda made it clear that she won’t allow Narias to leave before he ate.
“In that case, thank you, Miss Salroze.” Narias was actually glad he would get to eat a proper meal.
“My pleasure. I mean… I’ll be right back,” Belinda said, averting her flushed face away.
The table was served and the food was ready to eat soon after.
“Please, help yourself,” Belinda invited Narias to eat.
“Thank you,” Narias made sure to remember his manners.
Eating the food helped both of them relax. Narias was really glad he got to eat. The food was extremely delicious and not only because he felt as hungry as the monsters inside the Magic Dungeon. Belinda’s cheeks would flush light red from time to time during the meal, but then she’d pretend she was wiping her lips with a napkin to hide it.
They weren’t talking much while they ate. Narias was probably too hungry, and too delighted with the food he was eating to speak much. Belinda at the same time, had her own reason to restrain herself from saying anything. After the main meal, they had some cake that Narias had brought for Miss Salroze too. Both of them came to a conclusion that the cake was exceptionally delicious. As awkward as Narias’s visit was, both of them enjoyed the diner together.
“Thank you so much for the food, Miss Salroze,” Narias bowed down respectfully, getting ready to leave.
“You’re welcome. I can rest easy knowing you won’t collapse from hunger on your way back,” Belinda told him with a half smirk.
“Yeah,” Narias somewhat laughed at her comment.
“Let me walk you to where the transport is. It will start getting dark soon. I wouldn’t want you to get lost,” she offered.
“Oh, thank you, Miss Salroze,” he said. Both of them dressed up and walked out of the house.
“Here we are. Hmm?” Belinda said, but then looked around suspiciously.
“Ok. Thank you again, Miss Salroze. And also, I apologize if my visit caused you any trouble,” Narias apologized as well.
“No trouble at all. I simply… was surprised to see you at my doorstep, but… it ended up being a pleasant surprise,” she said, slightly averting her eyes away.
“Right. So, I just wait here for the transport to arrive. Goodnight, Miss Salroze,” Narias wished her.
“About that…” for some reason, Belinda was looking around with a slight concern in her eyes.
“Is something the matter?” He noticed she was becoming worried about something.
“Yes. The transport to take you back to academy’s campus should be here already,” she frowned.
“Maybe they are a little late?” Narias wondered.
“That’s the thing, if he was late the carriage with the horses would still be here,” Belinda was becoming irritated. “Wait, today is Friday, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is,” he answered.
“Damn it. That old drunkard…” Belinda cursed out loud. “Ahm, sorry. I… I’m afraid you won’t be getting back to the campus tonight.”
“Huh? What do you mean, Miss Salroze?” Narias was puzzled.
“I should’ve known he’ll skip the last round today. Humph… You see, the man who was supposed to take you back home likes to finish his work early on Fridays. I totally forgot about it,” Belinda shook her head, feeling bad she forgot about it.
“Oh,” that put Narias on the spot. “Maybe I could walk back?”
“You’re kidding, right?” Miss Salroze honestly thought it was a joke.
“Well…” Narias didn’t know what else to say.
Seriously? How did this happen? I can’t just let him leave here, or let him walk back on foot. Jean will skin me alive. Belinda was debating in her head. She glanced at Narias just briefly, before turning away with a blush on her cheeks. I can’t believe it. This… will look so bad.
“Come on, let’s go,” the teacher turned to go.
“Go? Go where?” Narias couldn’t understand what she meant.
“Back to my house, of course. You’re not gonna sleep out in the open, are you?” Belinda tried to say it in as serious tone of her voice as she possibly could.
“Yeah, that’d be a little… Huh? But…” he finally got the hint.
“You can go back to campus tomorrow morning. And I’ll definitely have a serious talk with that drunkard tomorrow as well,” she sounded dead serious about that.
“Right… ok,” Narias had no choice but to go back with her. Little did he know that Belinda’s serious act was only a cover up to hide how she actually felt about the whole situation.
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