Quest of Automata King

Broken Friendship

Mui and Emmellia apologize for what happened in front of the tavern. Luckily for them, Aya’s father who sees what happened from the distance understand that they are the one that being attacked. He said that Mui and the others are free to return to Thousand Barrels again, and enjoying drinks free as relief of this incident.

Still, Emmellia feel a little guilt. She left a small number of money for the owner to fix things that are broken after the fight. Of course he gladly accept it.

In the end, Mui and the others went back to the academy and going straight to the infirmary, checking if the boys are suffered more wounds that they don’t know yet.

“They suddenly attacked us when we were passing the alley,” report Raul. “There are around six of them, each one wearing the same suit, we dont know who they are,”

Meanwhile, Nurse Vina is floating with metal tray on her hand. She use some kind of long clamp to grab a cotton that have been wetted by some ointment, and rub it toward their bruises and wounds.

“Ouch! Ouch!” Grunt Karas, he flinched each time the ghostly nurse healing him.

“I can’t believe that in our territory, the students of Magusica themselves have to suffer this treatment!” Raul continued his speech, his eyes are sharp, and full of revenge toward them.

Meanwhile, Mui can only sitting at the bed beside them, looking at Karas and Raul with worried. He remember that fight with the mysterious person, who turned out to be a Devil.

Just like him.

“But those kids...” Emmellia suddenly getting in the conversation. “Malik and Aghya... They know who that person is.”

“That person said something about ‘shelter’, does that mean they are some kind of group that accomodate street kids or something?” she continue.

“Most likely, yes Your Highness,” said Betty. “Every year, there are report of muggers and extortion happened throughout Magusica. Once in a while, the soldiers are dispatched to hunt down these groups, but it’s very difficult to hunt them down right toward their roots,” explain her.

Raul turns quiet as Vina doing the same with the cotton and ointment. Instead, he glaring at Mui, who seems quiet and look away all of this time. He clearly have something inside his mind that are too afraid to share with the four of them.

“What about you, Mui?” asked Raul suddenly, “You’re fighting against that person isn’t it? Then you must be understand what we are talking about.”

Mui rolled his eyes to Raul, and let out long breath. “Yea, that person who mugged you, he is... A Devil, just like me,” Confess Mui. Suddenly, everyone in the room went quiet. Especially for Karas and Raul, who is the victim of those muggery.

“But I don’t know who he is, anyway he also called me traitor because I’m a Magusica student. Turns out the news have spread even outside of the academy... And the first Devil who ever attended the most prestigious school is something that have never happened,” continue Mui.

Suddenly Raul get up, with clenched fist, and fierce expression that is ready to fight. He ignore Nurse Vina’s treatment with the intention to let out his anger toward his roommate.

“Raul!” Karas stretch his hand tries to catch Raul, while Emmellia and Betty gasp in surprise as another violence will going to happened right in front of them.

Raul lift his fist with intention to punch Mui. On the other hand, Mui stay on his place, without any intention to move or shielding his face,

Suddenly, the elves’s swing is stopped. In front of him, a semi-transparant apparation holding his fist midair, and let out a cold aura toward him. Raul’s expression suddenly turned from anger to fear, as Nurse Vina is holding his hand with face filled with anger.

“STAY QUIET IN THE HOSPITAL!!!”

Her scream loud and piercing ear, more than that, there is also hint of supranatural element included when her lud voice escape her mouth.

Usually, Nurse Vina’s face is hidden behind some sort of veil, but now, her true face is showing. A face of rotten corpse that once belong to a woman. It definitely will give nightmare to whoever seeing it, especially Raul who looking at her directly with both of his eyes.

“NO FIGHTING AMONG STUDENTS! AS LONG AS YOU’RE STUDENTS OF MAGUSICA, YOU WILL ALWAYS HAVE THE SAME GROUND AS YOUR CLASSMATES! No matter what races you’re on!” again, Vina warning Raul. She lift her finger that for some reason turned into skeleton, and point it toward the Elves that freezes in bed with fear.

Vina moved her head to the direction of Karas who also watched in fear. She finally turn around, and bring her face closer into Mui.

Slowly, Mui could feel cold aura coming from the spectre’s breath. “You, the fool,” she said. Apparently, Vina remember Mui from the time he suddenly passed out in the middle of the class.

“I can see that you’re standing in difficult postiion. Half of you are in the world the full of privilege, but foreign. While the other one, is bound by home, race, and situation of your brothers.”

Vina finally floating away. The metal tray that she used to bring medicine fly toward her, and she catches it with her arms.

“Be wise on whatever you try to achieve, and you might able to eliminate unfairness in this world.”

Vina then fly away toward the door, leaving the five of them in silence. Raul is sitting on the bed without saying anything, while Karas looking at two of his roommate with worried face.

“I don’t know who is the Devil that mugged you,” finally Mui is the first to talk. He think what Vina mean by her previous words are if he wanted to erase stigma for the Devils, then he have to doing it carefully.

Raul who is still quiet get up. He passing through his friends to the front of the infirmary. “That clothes is yours. I don’t want it anymore,” said him as he leaving the infirmary.

“Raul!” Karas shouted. He also get up and following Raul to the direction where he went. But before that, Karas stopped at the side of Mui’s bed.

“I’m sorry Mui,” said Karas for Raul’s behaviour, and also for doubting Mui who have no relation whatsoever to those robbers.

Mui’s hea drop down in dissapointment. He feels sad that his friends are does not look like have faith in him. Moreover, he also feels dissapointed that a person who happen to be on the same race with him is also threatening Mui with words like ‘traitor’.

Mui lies on the bed of infirmary, he didn’t have any mood to go back into his room. On the other hand, Emmellia and Betty started to walk to the direction of infirmary entrance. The air of this room turned awkward after they witness what has just happened.

“Oh wait, Emmellia,” Mui get up before they are gone from his sight. “There are still one day left to go outside of the city right?” asked him. Emmellia simply answer correctly.

“Then, I’ll go to the guild and getting more Information. We might still have a chance to get the Feline’s Eye that we need to passing Chiro’s class.”

Emmellia nod, she understand what Mui’s plan, and decide that she also going to help.

“Thank you for today, Mui... Have a good rest,” said Emmellia sincerely.

***

Tomorrow morning, Mui decide that he’ll inspect the guild by himself. The incident yesterday still left trauma for both Raul and Karas, which decide that they will stay indoor today. They calimed that there are homeworks that they haven’t finish, but Karas said it with hesitation all over his face.

While on the other hand, Raul still giving Mui a cold shoulder.

“There it is,” venturing the part of city that Mui haven’t seen, now he is standing in front of wooden building that rather big. In his hometown, the building of this size would be a town’s hall, or government office for all citizens administration.

Outside of the building, Mui already seen people with weird getups. Some are wearing chainmails, have big bodies, and speaking loudly to one another. But some are also wearing lighter clothes, and bringing staff that the one usually owned by mages.

Near the entrance, there is wooden public board with papers clipped unto it. Some are news, quest requests, and even advertisement, Mui spend some time to checking the board, until he managed to catch one letter that interest him.

“Regarding to the upcoming expedition to Guarvangat, by the adventurer association...” Mui mumbling the rest of the letters, looking to the point that interest him the most.

“There! ‘The adventurers that are interested with the prospect of expedition should apply themselves to the guild’s counter. Adventurers beware! Byakko are grade three monsters with the area that heavily infested with bandits and robbers. For them who prefer one kind of task after the other, should report specifically to the guild’s receptionist,” read Mui.

After he said that, more adventurers starting to gather around. They read the announcement, intrigued by the expedition, they speak to each other about either are they going to take part or not.

“Byakko huh? It is going to be a difficult one.”

“Aren’t they have those Chungbaek clans? Why don’t the kingdom told them to sweep the area themselves?”

“They are secluded tribe, but they are strong you know? Even the Kingdom don’t want to mess with them,” answer one after the other.

Mui slowly move away from the crowd, judging from it, maybe it will not take too long until the applicant for the expedition gathering up.

“I have to be quick if I wanted a place within the expedition. It will take too long if we’re going to wait for shipment of Feline’s Eyes after that,” Thought Mui. He decide to quickly come inside the guild’s building and found out that the place is far more crowded than it looks like from the outside.

“Oops! I have to get to the reception desk quickly before it overcrowded!” think Mui, He quickly move his way around the people, sometimes he did hitting their shoulder, which Mui quickly ask pardon as he keep moving.

Finally, Mui reached the front of the desk, but not with another surprise waiting at bay.

“Mui?” asked a voice that he recognize. Mui lift his face up, and realize the person beside him is one of his roommate.

“Eh? Robert? No way!”