The Greed of Kronos

The Class

20: The Class

Even before Kronos and Astian could react, a cheerful looking lad with a horn on his head suddenly pulled them inside and made them to take a vacant seat on the back. "Pleased to meet you, new classmates! I'm Asisi. Wanna hear a joke?" The cheerful said afterward with an energetic tone of voice. 

The other students inside were also looking at them happily as if it was their first time seeing another living thing after some years of seclusion. 

With that being said, the confused Astian looked at Kronos, who was staring at him as if saying that he should do the talking. Hence, Astian shifted his gaze towards Asisi and smiled. "No, thank you. But why are you guys so surprised when you saw the two of us?"

As long as Astian remembered, Patrician Academy was a neutral academy wherein commoners and nobles were studying equally without bringing up their family names. We learn as a student. We don't learn as a family. That was one of the Academy's mottos. In addition, if you are to use your family name to dominate the Academy, your family would be exiled. 

At times like those, the only reason that Astian could come up was that he was the sole heir of Dyclour duchy; that was why they welcomed the two of them with excitement. If it's like that, then he'd be sad. Because that also means that they see him as a Dyclour, not as Astian.

That was the worst case scenario that he definitely does not wish to come true. All his life, the once whom he called as a friend was only after his family's power. He has soon grown tired of it that he no longer got out of their mansion and met some so-called friends. That was why when he heard of the Patrician Academy, Astian chose to study at the said Academy. He was even overwhelmed when he was suddenly being bullied just because he asked for direction. It was a first for him. That was why he would not want for his fellow classmates to treat him well just because he's a Dyclour. 

However, contrary to his worries, a lady with a lollipop on her mouth laughed as she removed it and was used to point at the two of them. "Of course! I mean, look at the people inside! We were only eleven a while ago while the other class had forty students. I'm Aeria, by the way." 

Hearing this, it was as if something heavy that Astian had been carrying the whole time was magically lifted. It was nice to hear that it was not his worst-case scenario. After all, it was only Kronos who was sticking to him for being Astian, not Dyclour. 

Astian then beamed as he looked at Aeria and also introduced himself and Kronos before getting back to their topic. "Nice to meet you, Aeria. I'm Astian, and this is Kronos. Regardless of that, aren't you all aware that there are thirteen students in the Exi Class?"

The number thirteen seemed to be an irksome number for the lady with an elf ear who was beside Aeria that she flinched and stood up and shouted with her brows furrowed. "WE'RE ONLY THIRTEEN?!?! THAT'S ABSURD!!"

"Calm down, Inoa." Aeria hit her head while looking at Inoa with a bored expression. Inoa, on the other hand, brushed her head as she glared at Aeria while settling down. 

When Inoa settled down, her brows were still furrowed that Astian could not help but to chuckle nervously as if it was his fault that Aeria hit Inoa in the head. Aeria seemed to know what was on Astian's mind that she smiled and motioned that he should proceed from talking. If he had something to say, that is. 

Astian then nodded with a beam and roamed his eyes around while asking. "Yes, it was posted right after the exam. Did you not check it?"

His question seemed to be the roots of their exaggeration that some of them flinched and looked away with agitated expressions. They were no longer holding an excited face and acted as if they were caught in the act. 

"Well, I got home immediately after taking the exams." A big lad with a soft look on his face replied with his eyes trying hard to avoid Astian's gaze. 

"I did not take anything." The lad with fangs beside him answered with his eyes doing the same, however with his face expressionless similar to Kronos.

"Haha, I guess I was playing games when the results were posted." Another lad with an elf ear chuckled nervously as he was looking down.  

Hearing their excuses, Kronos looked at them and scowled. He could consider the two who got home after taking the exam and played games after taking the exam. However, it was a mystery for the lad who did not take the entrance examination yet was written on the official list of students. How could it be possible?

Astian seemed to have the same thoughts that he tilted his head and asked with confusion. "Eh? Got home early, did not take the exam, played games. But how did you all end up in Exi Class? Ah! How did you guys know that this is your class?"

That was also true. 

Nonetheless, it was merely Astian and Kronos who thought of it as a weird circumstance. Because the moment Astian asked such a question, everyone frowned as if they asked a very simple question that even an infant could answer.

"Why would we not be in the class?" A lad who was oozing with s****l appeal with a horn on his head and was seemed to be the prettiest lad inside the classroom raised a brow as he asked with an unbothered tone of voice.

In other words, a homme fatale

With the question he asked back, Astian was just more confused about what was happening and that he felt like he was missing something. "Huh?"

The same goes with Kronos, who was silently listening to them who occasionally scowl when things go on the unexpected route. 

Right after seeing how the two newcomers reacted, the class went silent as they took off their left shoe and sock with serious expressions on their faces. Astian and Kronos were a little baffled when they did that. However, when they saw something on their ankles, it was a symbol that was similar to each and every one. It was a letter E engraved not with a tattoo but in their skin. 

Seeing Kronos and Astian's reaction after seeing their mark, one lady with a horn on his head wore his socks and shoes again before fixing her glasses while asking the two of them. "Are you two really students in Exi class?" 

"Ah yes. We saw it on the test results." Astian replied as if he was trying to defend themselves. 

It was true that they saw the test results. However, one thing that Kronos was not sure of was if he also had the E engraved on the ankle, just like everyone. 

"Then... Care to show us your marks?" A lady in par of the prettiest lad with the same horns on her head asked with a smile. 

With that being said, Astian then felt anxious and asked them with a nervous tone of voice. "Marks? Was there really something like that?"

And when everyone nodded, Kronos stood up and looked at Astian before he raised his hand to flick Astian's forehead. 

By doing so, Astian felt relaxed unknowingly. "Kronos?"

The man of a few words, Azvameth, ended their discussion as he tried to check it for himself if he had the mark that they were so proud of. With that, Kronos placed his left foot on the table and started to remove his shoe and sock. Seeing Kronos unwrapping his layers made Astian to push back the lump on his throat. The side of his forehead felt sweaty, and his heart could not stop from beating. 

What could possibly go wrong? When Kronos looked down to see if there was a mark, the other students followed his lead. 

And that's when he raised his feet and replied in an emotionless tone of voice yet with a proud expression on his face. "E."

"Oh, my," Astian replied out of shock as he helped Kronos to put down his feet by pushing it back. The other students then found him interesting that they clapped out of curiosity. 

Knowing that Kronos already showed off his mark, Astian knew that it was his time to do so. Hence, he raised his left foot and started to take off his shoe and sock. He was not sure, but when he saw Kronos with a mark, Astian thought that he had one too. 

And this time, his prediction was correct. "I got one too."

After confirming that they were really part of the class, they then looked at Kronos and Astian before smiling broadly. "WELCOMEEE!!!!"

"Eh???? Thank you??" Astian replied in confusion and, at the same time, overwhelmed with the warm welcome. Kronos, on the other hand, nodded to his classmates.

Asisi then placed his arms on Astian's shoulder as he snickered with a proud look on his face. "Betcha didn't know, but whether we take the exams or not, as long as a mark appears on the entrance examination day, we're automatically at the Exi class. Pretty cool, ain't it?!" 

At first, Astian was blank. He was still yet to process what was happening, so he mindlessly looked at Asisi with a baffled expression. "Ah yes?? I wasn't informed of this…."

And then, when he realized that he and Kronos were classmates and had the same mark, Astian abruptly stood up and leaned closer to Kronos with a beaming face. "Kronos!! Are you informed?!!"

With that being said, Kronos' eyes shrank abruptly before shaking his head off as he pushed Astian away.

"Thank goodness." Astian cried.

Was he really being relieved that he's not the only one who's not aware of what was happening?

"Don't worry. You are not the only one who was not aware of this." A lad with a gentle face comparable to the crown prince chuckled. 

"Yeah. We are actually five ignorant people." The same lady with the glasses replied.

"Ahem. Precisely and they did that to us too. Don't feel pressured." Another lady assured them with an awkward tone of voice.

Hearing this, Asisi pouted and crossed his arms. "Yeah! And neither of you told us that we're only thirteen if not for Astian!"

"Well, it's some sort of payback." They snickered. Of course, they also felt the pressure of not knowing the mark, and yet the ones who were aware pulled some kind of prank? Only an angel would tell them the official list. And that angel was Astian.

When Astian heard that they were not the only ones ignorant about the mark, he smiled widely and looked at Kronos once again. "Oh my, is that so? Thank goodness! Right, Kronos?"

"Whatever," Kronos replied as he avoided his excited gaze.

Shortly after Kronos decided to take a nap, the door in their class opened, and a teacher with a stern look on his face announced. "Alright, settle down! Once I call your name, you need to go in front and introduce yourself, all right?"

"Yes, teacher!" The class replied as they settled down on their respective seats. 

Right after that, the teacher placed his teaching materials on the desk and looked at their faces one by one before furrowing his brows and introduced himself to them. "Yes. My name is Samael Noe. You may call me Sir Noe or whatever you like!"

"Then can we call you papa?" Asisi snickered. 

With that being said, Sir Samael's veins on his forehead popped as he looked at Asisi with a glare. "What? Papa? I'm a virgin!!! How could you brats say that directly to my face?!"

The way how Samael looked was the opposite of how he acted. And that alone made the students to feel relieved that their homeroom teacher was actually someone they could be close with.

"It's alright, papa. Take care of your children very well, okay?" Aeria teased him as the others also followed.

"Yeah! You said we can call you whatever you like!"

"Nice to meet you, Papa!"

"Let's get along, Papa."

Hearing them say 'Papa' again and again made Samael to close his eyes before gritting his teeth and once again yelling at them. "You brats! Seriously! Let's start!"

"Yes, papa!" Everyone laughed… of course, except Kronos and the other blank face classmate of his.