Death Frost | Deathsworn #2

Chapter 54 ❆ First Trial

Lunch was probably the most awkward part of the day.

Having gone through the entire morning enduring training, there was not much time to get acquainted with one another. I didn't know about the others, but I spent a majority of my time focusing on my affairs while sizing up my companions with what meager opportunity presented itself.

The master was forthright in his teachings, but considering it was just the first day, he explained the rules and expectations that we ought to follow. After that, he taught us some basics, mostly expanding on possible interpretations of the Movement of the Seven Dragons. It might not sound much, but the content was compact and quite intense that it left no space to breathe. Nobody was willing to break the focused atmosphere—except for Maun—and were all silent.

Maun simply had not much self-awareness. He did his own thing with little consideration, whether it was appropriate or not. Admittedly, it was a troublesome aspect of his personality, but backed by his excellence, even the master was helpless and couldn't really scold him.

So lunch became a period of acquainting ourselves with one another...but it seemed not everyone had the same idea.

"Your name is a little mouthful. Shall we call you Aron?" Miles asked the steel-faced boy across the table.

"No," he directly refused.

"Oh. Then Dite?"

Arondite's face grew even darker.

"Hey, shut up," Erlan Jin scratched his head and lightly threw a peanut at Miles.

"Hey, that's not good. You can't waste food like that," he said. "Or do you only like mushroom soup?"

"Pfft." Maun nearly coughed out his cup of water.

I nearly faceplanted on the table at the joke. I didn't want to laugh, but the joke was so bad it was funny.

The awkward air from earlier as well as the hesitation among us instantly cleared.

Erlan rolled his eyes, displeased. "You think you're funny, huh?"

Miles stared at us dumbfoundedly. By the looks of it, he didn't even mean to be funny at all. "I wasn't even joking!"

After a brief interlude of small giggles, we moved on with lunch.

"I'm thinking of eating out tonight to celebrate entry into the Temple. Only five a year get accepted as disciples. That's less than one percent of annual test-takers!" Erlan said. "There's a nice restaurant I'm thinking of going to. Why don't you all come? It'll be my treat!"

"Are we even allowed to leave?" Miles asked.

"They're not keeping us as prisoners." Erlan pointed the fork at Miles before shoving the food at the tip of it into his mouth. "We're free to go, but we have to report our whereabouts and we need permission from our masters." He allowed us a few moments to digest the information. "So, how...How about it?"

"Not going," Arondite said without even glancing up at everyone.

The awkward air from before promptly returned.

"I may have some prior arrangements so I may not be able to go," I spoke softly, lifting my gaze to smile lightly at Erlan. "You can reschedule it on the weekends. I think it will be better. Besides, I don't think it's all too appropriate to leave as soon as you enter."

Maun nodded—even though I was sure he didn't know or care about what we were talking about at all.

"Fine. The weekend, then. No excuses," Erlan said with a sigh, looking disappointed.