Chapter 38
Dellimira, A Dangerous Nut
When Vanessa left the boys, they finally had a chance to be comfortable in their new place. The room was fairly large and well-furnished. It had a long couch with two beds opposite each other. The walls were white-washed neatly and the furniture still had papers stuck to them. Hans and Chris removed the papers from the furniture and started cleaning up.
After settling their things, both of them sat in their bed and took a breath of relief. They all had a whole day ahead of them to explore the Concordia or precisely the allowed part of Midlands. Hans seemed strangely comfortable with his roommate and it seemed like the feeling was mutual with Chris.
They talked about each other and Hans found out that the aura was not the similarity that his new friend shared with his Gramps, both were training fanatics while Chris laughed at Hans after knowing that his main hobby was reading books and eating desserts.
They both were enjoying each other's company, it was the first time that Hans was conversing this much with someone of his age. He remembered Vanessa’s words, a friend might not be someone who shared the same thoughts or hobbies with you but one who makes you comfortable around him and Chris was acing the comfortable part.
Hans wanted to know everything about his new friend but chose to suppress his curiosity to not appear as a rude person but Chris caught him and asked,
You seem curious to know where I come from, right?
Hans nodded and Chris replied to him,
I am from Clandor, my father is sort of a diplomat from the human side.
Hans stood in surprise and asked him,
No way, those condescending people allowed a human in their country.
Chris chuckled on hearing Hans’s response and agreed,
Yeah, and many humans don't like that and this sorta makes me a target. I wanna be strong enough to protect my family, that's my reason for being here Hans, what's yours?
Hans thought a little and said,
I don't have a reason like you Chris, I just want the world to know that I exist, not as someone's dying wish but as myself.
Chris didn't understand what Hans was talking about and Hans was pondering why he was telling Chris his inner thoughts. After learning that Samson made him for looking after his parents, he tried to make his peace with it but deep down he wanted to deny that it was only the sole reason.
Suddenly Chris realised that guardians or family members are not allowed on Campus so How come Hans’s sister came inside like nothing, he asked him,
Hey, how come your sister can come here?
Hans looked at him dumbfoundedly and realised that he never told him about her,
You see Chris, she is the assistant of Lady Sierra, your idol’s wife.
No way, are you for real?
Yeah, but if you want me to introduce you to Rudolf, then it will be hard…
No no, I don't need you to introduce me, I want him to notice me for my hard work.
Hans scratched his head in embarrassment and to divert Chris he asked him,
But what's with you and Sentinels, you almost sound pissed when those three jackasses insulted Aredhel, I mean Professor Aredhel.
Chris thought there was no point in hiding it after telling Hans this much, he replied to him,
I can't tell you the details because it's not my thing to share but she was never around much, so her daughter Delimira, was mostly raised alongside me.
So are you childhood friends or special friends?
Chris rejected the notion immediately,
Hell no, please don't pair me with her, she is a demon, Hans, DEMON.
Chris almost seemed to be afraid of her and this is what not Hans was expecting but his curiosity was perking up. He wanted to know more but Chris spoke before he could even ask him while remembering his past years,
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You can't hide anything from her, and she won't lose any chance to bend you with that leverage.
Hans asked him,
So you got extorted that much, boy that's just awful.
Chris added,
It's not just extortion, when she gets obsessed with something, no one can stop her. She didn't like me hanging around with others so whenever I made a new friend somehow that friend ended up hating me. I am pretty sure, she was always behind it.
Hans was puzzled, he thought if he was this troubled then why didn't he just end his friendship with her? So he asked this to him and got replied pretty fast,
You see Hans, I didn't want to offend her at that time, but when I got selected here I made up my mind, I would break free from her.
Hans explained like a veteran analyst,
She is not that strong and even if she is a staff ward, her authority will be limited here unlike Clandor.
Chris looked at Hans like he was a wall who couldn't understand a thing after his detailed explanation so he added,
Hans, her mother, controls the Economy of Clandor and Concordia. She is practically the richest person in the world.
Hans plainly said to him,
What does money have to do here?
Chris looked at Hans who was acting like a naive innocent boy and added,
Look, Hans with just one of her words, our life here will end. For example, she could make our entire batch hate us by just making things difficult for them and saying she was doing that because of us. She could ban or overcharge us for using the private facilities outside the campus.
Hans asked in curiosity,
Like?
Chris asked back,
What do you like to eat most?
Cakes, I guess.
Chris looked at him astoundingly and asked him once again,
How much does that cost?
Five coppers, I guess.
Imagine every shop charging you a gold coin for that.
Hans stood up again and shouted,
That is nuts.
Yeah, she is a dangerous nut when she comes after you and that's why her money is a scary thing. Why do you think I had no friends? The moment they get close to me. They suffered her wrath. So Hans we have to be careful.
Hans was getting scared now, it was the first time he was afraid of someone not in terms of strength. He was thinking that civilization was getting far scarier than the Ghost Isles. Suddenly reality hit him and he turned to him and spoke in annoyance.
And now I am your new friend so she will come after me, shit. Then how the hell you planned to cut her off?
Chris nodded and with an intelligence oozing face, said,
It's simple, find a new toy for her.
SENTINELS CASTLE
Being a staff ward comes with many privileges and not living in dorms was one of them. Delimira was happy that she was now free from the strict life of Clandor. The elven Nation was a matriarchal hegemony and her mother was the king’s sister making her royalty by law which restricted her a lot so Concordia was like freedom to her.
Her mother was never there for her so she was happy to spend time with her. Aredhel bought freshly brewed tea and sat beside her, she asked her daughter,
So, can you become close to him?
Mother, can't you just tell me what you want from that shorty (Hans)?
Aredhel sighed and said,
Delimira, you know why I didn’t allow you to enter Concordia when you were invited as a special admission.
Because you must have seen something that brings more profit as always.
It's not always about money, daughter.
Delimira didn't want to guess but the whole situation was pointing at one strange person, she said,
Don't tell me you let me in that hellhole for two more years just so I could be in the same years as him.
Aredhel responded positively which annoyed Delimira more, so she asked in frustration,
why?
Because I have seen him in one of my future sights, he is destined to kill your father.
But, my father is already dead.
No, he is not, I saw him getting killed by his hands. You must make sure to stick close to him all the time. It's better if you become friends with him.
Then tell me when I will meet Theodred.
Daughter, I can't predict the time, but you will meet him soon.
Delimira sighed and saw her mother’s scheming expressions which showed she was brewing something more than the tea. She didn’t have any memories of her father but she also wanted to know about him too. Her father was hated by Clandorians so she did not have a place to ask about him but Bernard, Chris’s father, assured her that he was a good person.
She asked her mother in a serious voice,
So What should I do, observe him or isolate him?
Neither, just be close to him.
That is asking a lot mother.
***