"Good news? Besides this?" Marien looked at the giant roses with childlike excitent. "I have never seen magic like that... What else, then, what else? ANOTHER spell?"
Reynard chuckled sheepishly.
"Uh, no. Maybe not so good news... Or not really good news, either. Marien, the ti has co. We can’t delay any longer. We must make our escape. Tonight! I told you to be ready for this mont... Are you?"
Marien’s smile fell.
"Yes! But..." She frowned. "I worry about just leaving grandpa to deal with the Four-Moon Realm..."
"He was dealing with it long before we were even born, my princess. Seriously! As if it’s rare for people to die in the Growlgrove for less important reasons. Hmph. Although I have an idea about what you can do to make things easier for the Magister, if you want. Yes..."
He smiled deviously.
"Rember Carl and Joshua?"
"Who?"
"Right... They are cronies of Markus, the guy whom I defeated to get my nice garden. I asked Terence to ask around about this, and a lot, a LOT of people claim that they heard about all that cheating situation about them. Or soone who heard it from them."
Marien mulled over this for a mont, then gasped.
"What?! You want to say that they purposefully spread these rumors about ?! These knaves! They had the gall to slander , who is ten tis their better!"
’Oh, Mari... You are so self-centered sotis. But goddamn it if you aren’t cute when you scowl like this. Especially when you scowl not at !’ Reynard thought, smiling inwardly.
He was sure that Carl and Joshua were all acting on behalf of Markus and possibly his family. If he didn’t have more important things to do, he would do sothing to stop these attempts at revenge once and for all, but soon it would all stop mattering anyway.
That didn’t an Reynard didn’t want so sweet revenge. And killing two birds with one stone.
"You can easily punish these two, my songbird. When you return to the school, tell them when and where the Four-Moon Gate opens, and that they have a chance to enter it ahead of . Say that this is your gratitude that they opened your eyes to my cheating ways. Then, assuming they don’t et another Singing Spider, they will feed themselves to the Four-Moon Realm." Reynard paused and squinted at Marien. "If you can appear grateful enough, they should believe you... They aren’t super smart."
"Could I? Ha! You are speaking with the princess of the Blue Bismuth School!"
Marien looked at Reynard down her nose. Then she suddenly put her hands to her chest, and her entire deanor changed.
She even appeared slightly lower than before, and now looked up at Reynard with huge, wet eyes.
Reynard choked on his saliva.
"Please, grandpa! You know that Wind Magi have to travel a lot, but how can soone as elegant as carry around heavy backpacks and bags? I need this Scroll of Holding!"
The sweet voice could have lted steel. If Reynard had a Scroll of Holding, he’d already be giving it to Marien.
Then she stood straighter again and beca the brat he knew her as. Laughing at him.
"Your face, Reynard! Gods and Loremasters, you looked so stupid! It’s... It’s... It’s adorable!"
She kissed Reynard’s cheek.
"No, you," he blurted back, blushing. "I an—Ah, screw it. Let’s just do it. The entire plan, as we discussed."
Marien nodded.
"Yes. I’m ready! We will get what we deserve."
***
When Reynard returned to the Blue Bismuth School, he imdiately went to search for Terence.
The kid was just leaving a finished lecture, but despite being tired, looked eager to see Reynard. For so reason.
"Mister Artemy! I thought your lectures were longer today. Are you free already? Can I watch your training this ti?"
"No. You have your own," Reynard shook his head. "Co, I wanted to give you the paynt for a month ahead."
He gestured for Terence to walk with him away from other students and down the school’s street.
"A month?!" Terence’s eyes widened, then he nodded. "I see. For the secret realm, right? So I would take care of the garden and Chili in the anti... Well, Mister Artemy, I won’t take it. I will just help you out. As a friend. We are friends, right?"
Reynard chortled.
"Terence, you still call ’mister’! Seriously... Fine, sure, we are friends. But I’m going to pay you anyway, because I respect your labor. But also, because we are friends... If I don’t return in a month, you inherit all my things. I even wrote it down."
As the pair entered a quiet alleyway between currently empty dormitories, Reynard stopped and shoved Terence a rolled-up scroll and a bag of coins.
It was a docunt as legal as they got—Reynard put on it his signature, which was enough for local crude law.
Of course, this ant nothing, because Reynard wasn’t planning on dying.
Terence took the scroll and stopped to read it. With every word, the boy had a harder and harder ti maintaining his composure. His eyes grew wet.
No matter Reynard’s plans and sches, the bittersweet feeling that swelled in his heart upon looking at Terence’s expression was genuine.
People knew that Reynard and Terence were friends, and surely, Terence would be questioned about Reynard’s escape. But he knew nothing, and hopefully, it would save him from trouble.
That didn’t an that it would save Terence from dying on Autumn Beast Hunts in the following years, or any other danger of being a magus. Or that Terence and Reynard would et again.
And even if they were to et, Reynard doubted Terence would be happy with Reynard.
"Secret realms are dangerous places, you know. I have decided to tie up loose ends. Now take this and go do your howork. I still have more preparations to make... But I will be seeing you, Terence. Hopefully."
Reynard smiled reassuringly at the stunned kid, patted his shoulders, and walked away, already mourning their brief but refreshing friendship.
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