The Novel's Extra's POV

Chapter 12: Stranded (1)

From being angry and in pain from busting my knee, to being happy to find ginseng, to being sad to realize I can't take it, and finally to being furious that I missed the last mana train. I went through all of these emotions within five minutes.

I stood in a completely foreign town with no way to leave and I had classes tomorrow in a school that was over 24 hours away walking distance.

'The mana trains open at six and classes start at 8:30 and it's a two-hour ride, so I should be fine'

The sun had set, so the town was essentially empty except for some drunkards who got kicked out of their bars. I looked around town for any sign of any inn or hotel, however, to my surprise, they were all either fully booked or under construction. Deciding to take a break at around 9, I headed to the center of town and sat down at a fountain. The moon was half-crescent and shining brightly in the sky, illuminating the town in the darkness of the night. It was breathtaking. After admiring the sky, I realized my hunger and thirst as I hadn't eaten anything after arriving here.

Since it was only 9, surely some stands would be open, so I once again looked around. My hope was soon shattered when everything was closed, the only places open were some bars, but those were already packed, and I hadn't brought my cube ID. Even if I wanted to eat, I couldn't even get in.

I even tried asking some of the locals, but they thought I was a crazy homeless person because my clothes were torn from the explosion of dark mana upon the undead girl's death.

'what kind of shitty town'

I headed back to the fountain and decided to continue admiring the stars. One night without sleep can't hurt that much, after all, I've pulled all-nighters studying before. I laid down on the side of the fountain, ignoring the cold steel below me, and began counting the stars in the sky to pass the time.

-*- (POV Change)

[Mom: Olivia come home please, your sister won't stop complaining]

[Olivia: Mom, you know I have school tomorrow]

[Mom: Wake up early and catch the mana train back. PLEASE. She won't stop crying]

[Olivia: Fine, I'm coming. Only this ONE time]

I headed out of the cube with a change of clothes for tomorrow and towards the mana train station. Thankfully, I barely caught the last train to my hometown. It was only a two-hour ride, so I arrived at 8 and headed straight to my family's manor. As soon as I entered, my sister, who was crying in my mom's arms, did a 180 and ran up to me happily.

"Sister, you're finally here. I was so sad you left"

"Cecil, you know you can't call me on school days. Next time, I won't come. Ok?"

Cecil puffed up her cheeks and turned away from me.

"We'll see next time"

"What did you want to do with me?"

"Mom won't let me go outside. I'm bored"

I glanced out at my mom and she nodded.

"Fine Cecil, I'll take you for a walk"

My sister grabbed my hand and we walked outside into the garden. Cecil then pointed towards the gate of the manor and I sighed.

"Cecil, it's too late to go into the town"

"No"

I wasn't in the mood to deal with a tantrum, so I decided to let it go. I walked up towards the guard who protecting the gate and nodded my head. He opened the gate and we walked out into the town. Though it was night, the bright moon brightened the city streets. It seemed like the perfect night to have some sort of festival, but the streets were empty except for a couple of drunkards. I kept one hand on the training daggers I got from the cube in case anything happened.