Everything was happening at once but was that enough reason to refuse such an opportunity? I decided it wasn’t worth it to miss it.
“Then charge me the highest interest,” I said, smiling like a fool. Kaichen looked at me speechless and then chuckled.
***
Julius thought he knew Kaichen better than anyone else. His first encounter with him was at the age of six. Julius had first met him when he wandered the streets to beg for money. He saw an old man fall to the side of the road. It had been a good day for Julius, he had gotten a hot loaf of bread, so he decided to help the old man and split his bread in half. The old man had looked at him strangely, albeit gratefully and asked for his name. He had shown him the blanket which had his name embroidered on it. It was the only thing he had; he had been wrapped in the same blanket and abandoned when he was a baby.
“It’s Julius,” he had responded.
“You must be hungry yourself. Why did you share the bread with me?”
“If you are too hungry, you stuff yourself up with food until you throw up. So, I thought it better to share it with you than to throw up. Besides, you look hungry too.”
“But you could have kept it for tomorrow.”
“I know but what if it gets spoiled? It is better to share it with someone rather than have it thrown away.”
Julius sighed as he recalled these memories as though they happened just yesterday. The old man had been Hamal, the master of the magician’s tower and Julius’ teacher. He still couldn’t figure out which part of his small conversation had impressed Hamal so much.
Hamal had disappeared after that. He had then reappeared after quite a while and shared a piece of bread with him. Hamal had asked Julius if he was willing to come with him. To Julius, it had been a good opportunity. He wouldn’t have to beg for food anymore. He could always work for Hamal to repay his kindness and look forward to a decent life. It was better than the life he had at that moment anyway. But Julius had been surprised to see that the place they had arrived at was a tower that nobody could enter easily.
Kaichen, who was said to have been there since he was a baby, had bronze skin, indifferent golden eyes, brilliant blonde hair that he had seen for the first time in his life, and a larger body than his peers. That was when he had seen Kaichen the first time in a robe that matched his build. Kaichen had afforded a passing glance at him then turned away, indifferent as ever. Julius slowly found out that Kaichen was a disciple to Hamal from a very young age. He was also very foolish by Julius’ standards. He had never gone out of the tower.
“You don’t know this?”
“There’s nothing in the world I don’t know.”
“But you don’t know this, do you?”
“…”
“You act like you know everything, even though you don’t know any games?”
“Julius, you don’t even know how to read magic formulas, do you?”
“That’s because I have never learned it.”
“I’ve never learned games, either.”
Julius had laughed when he saw Kaichen getting annoyed. It was even funny that he thought games were something to be studied. Julius remembered Kaichen’s red, flustered face. Bart opened the door and entered Julius’ room disrupting his thoughts of the past and bringing him to the present. Julius’ mood worsened. He knew Bart came bearing bad news.
“He says that if the empire sends its knights, then we will see who is the actual idiot,” Bart said.
“Crazy bastard,” was Julius’ only reply.
“He… he was trying to pick a fight. Almost provoking us to send the knights.”
“That psycho!”
“He reiterated that it is natural for a teacher to step forward in matters concerning his disciple.”
“Ha!” Julius’ had a splitting headache and Kaichen was making it worse. He was being absurd. Julius wasn’t one to frown too much but today his face only had worry and stress written all over it. Bart noticed this. He lowered his head.
“When did the Archmage take a disciple, Your Highness?” asked Bart. “And if he did, why not me?”
“Is that important right now?” Julius replied, a bit annoyed.
“He is the only one who earned the surname Tenebre. He was the best disciple of the great sage. He is gifted! Every researcher wants to meet him at least once in their lifetime.”
Julius didn’t know what to say.
“I wanted to be his disciple!”
“What?” Julius was surprised at Bart’s words. Julius himself had been the disciple to Hamal, the great sage of the magic tower. And yet, Bart cast him aside and instead was whining about Hamal’s other disciple.
He was at a loss for words. Julius didn’t mind. Kaichen was indeed respected by magicians and even scholars. It was understandable everybody wanted to learn from him. An outstanding Archmage who had reached the peak of magic at such a young age. Julius wondered if Kaichen would follow his teacher’s footsteps and do something extraordinary to receive the title of the Great Sage. Julius knew that Kaichen could achieve it. He had no doubt about that. He is ridiculously strong and wields a cane that is as good as an iron sword.
And he even managed to break that. Julius clicked his tongue. He sighed. His small request to have Kaichen break the forbidden time magic in Acrab had led to this. He had thought that Kaichen’s love had turned into hate and that was that. But never had he imagined that Kaichen would react this intensely. Bastard is even trying to provoke the Imperial palace to a fight!
“Stop whining unnecessarily,” said Julius. “Kaichen is not someone who can manage a disciple.”
“But… he did take a disciple, didn’t he?”
