CH686

With the decision made, the room began to clear with Rook thankfully being among the first to leave while Yuzu walked over to join them.

“I wasn’t expecting to see you guys.”

“And we weren’t expecting you’d be alone. No chaperones? No Jake and Amy?”

“They’re all busy enough that they couldn’t justify it for what was supposed to be a pretty standard meeting until things went wrong and Jake can’t exactly keep his attention up for it either.”

“Well, since things ended early and someone has already displayed a willingness to kill me, want to get lunch?”

“…You seem uncomfortably unconcerned.”

“I’ve lived on this world for nearly five years now, I know how things work at this point.”

“…”

His bleak attitude about the world being said so casually left none of them knowing how to react while his teacher shook his head.

“I did have plans but I’d rather not leave you alone if there’s gonna be trouble.”

“Go, go, it will probably be fine. It looks like I’ll have two of the strongest mages on the planet with me. Plus I’m grabbing another couple folks too. Hey, Killi and Verbum, lunch?”

“Ah, I’m busy but my Verbum would love to join you,” The knowledge holder smiled while her student looked deeply betrayed. “But are you going to stick around for tomorrow Ben? As unfortunate as it is, that idiot is right. Third-tier skill holders really are rather hard to punish for their wrongdoings, especially one that can teleport. It might be better to head home.”

“Sorry, but I have a firm rule of always getting revenge on the people who try to murder me so I can’t leave yet until I get that sorted. As long as he’s not so flagrant about it again I’ll probably be fine.”

“Mmh, well if he steps foot in the embassy, get Abrus,” Falk told them. “At that point, it’s an international incident and he’ll be able to handle things in a way we couldn’t.”

“Will do, but now, after a nice, stressful morning, I need something to eat to take my mind off of it.”

Parting from the few they knew, the small group left, Ben dragging Verbum along to keep him from escaping while the other two looked at him with concern while they made their way to the nearest restaurant.

“Ben, we really do need to talk about your perception of how dangerous the planet is,” Thera sighed. “The way you view the world is too warped.”

“You think I’m too over the top in the way I look at a world in the middle of an interstellar invasion?”

“It’s the way you look at every other part of it.”

“She’s right,” Yuzu chimed in. “This is an intervention. It’s not normal to feel so casual about the idea someone wants to kill you.”

“I don’t know what to tell you guys, it’s just something you get used to. I’m sure plenty of the other summoned have dealt with the same thing.”

“I sure haven’t. Neither have Jake and Amy. Verbum, what about you? Are people threatening to kill you left and right?”

“Some days it feels like it.”

“See!”

“Verbum was a bad example, you know how he is.”

“Yuzu, listen, I don’t want to sound classist about this but did you ever think that you, Jake, and Amy are just shielded from some of the world’s garbage on account of your position? Nobody wants to risk losing a soul mage right now and the other two are with you often enough that they’re probably kept safe from most of it. Trust me here, the average person has to deal with way more threats. As someone who’s been living as a regular citizen of this world since I got here, I’ve just been exposed to more realities of the world. A normal person here can expect to have someone try to kill them once or twice a year, I’ve just adapted.”

“Yeah, that’s objectively untrue,” Thera sighed, seeing his argument was making Yuzu second guess herself and immediately tried to put a stop to it in defense of the reputation of her planet. “You think I’ve had people trying to kill me constantly my entire life here? I’m sorry Ben, reality just hates you.”

“Hold on now, you’re not so safe from my point either. You really think the princess of a nation is going to be exposed to the same day-to-day dangers of a common citizen?”

“Not a princess.”

“When your mom’s a queen, the point still stands. Besides, just think about it. Didn’t your life almost immediately get more dangerous when you moved out of Anailia?”

“Which largely coincides with meeting you. I’m just getting sucked into the whirlpool that is your bad luck.”

“I know for a fact you had your issues with Roan before we met. I’m sorry Thera, I know it’s probably not easy to see from the perspective of a native to this world but compared to Earth, everyone here is in danger at practically all times.”

She wanted to refute that to try and force him to finally come to terms with the fact that the average person didn’t have people come up on the street to try to kill them but was stopped only by the fact that they made it to the restaurant, with a waiter there to take them to one of the many free tables.

“One for five please, on the patio,” Ben asked, answering the looks he was getting before they could ask. “We might have one more in a bit, gotta see what they’re going to do first.”

The vague answer left Verbum sweating but Ben wasn’t concerned. Looking through the eyes of the people they passed on the way there he could see they were being followed but he didn’t feel overly threatened about it and wanted to leave room to let them approach if they wanted to.

I wouldn’t mind talking to them a little if I get the chance anyway. Maybe I’ll push the issue in a bit.

He had other priorities though and once they were seated to look over the menu he finally broached them before anyone could try to return to the topic of his increasingly casual attitude about threats to his life.

“Okay, so first things first, you guys mind telling us about Rook?”

“He’s a jerk,” Verbum muttered, with Yuzu in firm agreement.

“During my very first meeting, he made a pass at both me and Abel and was persistent enough about it that the gods had to step in to tell him to stop. He’s obnoxious but I guess he’s been around long enough with his level of power that he’s used to getting what he wants.”

“And he wants Thera because…?”

“Probably exactly why he said. She’s going to look young for a long time and he wants a pretty companion without having to worry about replacing her too soon.”

“Gross,” Thera muttered. “Why do I exclusively attract crazy people and assholes?”

“A little hurt by that.”

“Ben, you only fall under crazy person, it’s fine.”

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

“I’m pretty sure he’s more than willing to be an asshole to anyone he doesn’t like,” Verbum sighed.

“Verbum, whose side are you on here?”

“You dragged me here, what did you expect?”

“That you’d enjoy this beautiful get-together amongst friends?”

“No.”

“Lame, you’ll learn to love me one day. Anyway, backing up a bit. Yuzu, you mentioned Abel and based on the context I have to assume you’re talking about the eyeless girl at the table. The one who neither of you were looking at and happens to have followed us here?”

“Yeah, she- wait, what?”

“Behind the bush across the street.”

Only Thera turned to look. As soon as he said it, Yuzu and Verbum kept their eyes firmly locked on the table, but it was enough to reveal the jig was up. The girl, Abel’s presence had been found and with defeated pout she made her way over, taking the empty seat.

“What a coincidence, I was looking for something to eat, didn’t expect to find my two pals here,” She said, switching to a laugh while grabbing Verbum’s face to pull it right to her own, giving a broad, happy grin and acting like she hadn’t been caught following them the entire time. “Verbs, still so spooked all the time, you’ve gotta learn to relax. And Yuzu, I’ve got a bone to pick with you!”

“Um, what is it, Abel?” She asked, still avoiding looking at the other while Abel puffed out her chest in indignation.

“Him!” She yelled, pointing to Ben. “I can’t believe you’d say you think he’s better than me!”