Aethernea : Soulbound [Book 1]

Episode 38 - Little Patience

In the previous Episode:

Kiel shocks everyone with a perfect score on the spellcasting speed exam. After his exam finished, he realizes that Elaru is nowhere to be seen, even though her exam should have finished before his.

Two hours earlier, Elaru is dumbfounded by the two professors supervising her exam - Deora Thayn and Zerel Reysic. Deora flips out when Zerel calls him a firecracker.

* * *

Deora's heated gaze turned towards Zerel. "What did you just call me?!" He pointed his finger towards Zerel, his two eyes like embers.

Zerel's vulpine smile didn't waver at all. "Little Dei?"

"No! The other thing!"

Zerel scratched his head feigning ignorance. "Eh? What other thing? I always call you little Dei."

Deora's mouth pressed into a thin line, his eyes flashing dangerously. "Annoying. You are so annoying! Even that way of address is annoying. There isn't a single part of me that is little!"

Zerel tilted his head and smiled impishly. "Little patience."

All sound in the room stilled at that moment. The examinees didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Some of them found Zerel's retort funny, but they didn't dare laugh. The others were counting their blessings hoping that Deora wouldn't erupt in flames.

Deora didn't know how to respond to Zerel's retort. Zerel had always been more proficient in the art of conversation. Since he couldn't come up with an adequate retort, Deora's tight lipped expression slowly turned into a pout. "Hmph!"

He turned back to the examinees, shifting the target of his anger. He scrutinized their faces, trying to determine who spoke earlier.

While Deora was glaring left and right, Zerel brought out a pocket watch and checked the time. Then he sighed helplessly. "Little Dei, searching for a miscreant is just, but if we end up running behind schedule because of it, Eri will be very mad at you. He might even punish you."

Examinees didn't know who "Eri" was but they nodded their heads nonetheless. That other professor might be just as odd as the hot-tempered redhead, but at least he had some common sense. He was clearly trying to defuse the bomb.

"You can search for the miscreant after the test." Zerel added innocently.

The examinees stood dumbfounded, their mouths gaping open. You two...you are nothing like teachers! Who in the name of Origin, let you two supervise the entrance exams?!

Elaru wasn't among the people with their mouths agape. She had previously heard of both Deora Thayn and Zerel Reysic. Both of them could be considered eccentric, but they were also geniuses in their respective fields.

Deora was on his way to becoming the youngest Muni professor (as opposed to his current status of an assistant professor), at the gentle age of 23. Although he was an argel, which made him unable to use transmutation magic, he was a master of conjuring and manipulating flames. Which coupled with his short fuse, earned him the nickname "firecracker".

Zerel, on the other hand, was an authority on several different topics, from ancient language and culture to survival in the wilderness. He was popularly referred to as a "walking encyclopedia".

The mention of "Eri" and "punishment" seemed to invoke a shiver in Deora, and he quickly changed his demeanor, as if flipping a switch. "Eh?! You are right! We must hurry it up. Can't keep the next batch waiting!"