NOVEL WEB Chapter 15: Bab 15
Gara watched the interaction between the hot-headed guy and the 'yellow-dressed' girl. The intimidating expression from before had gone, replaced by a mixture of worry and affection, making him seem like a completely different person.
Gara scoffed, his gaze falling to his reddened wrist, a reminder of the guy's rude action. The wooden bracelet, the cause of this whole mess, hung there. But of course, Gara wouldn't blame the bracelet, or the person who had given it to him.
The fault lay solely with the one who had hurt him. "Now that you see your sister is perfectly fine, healthy, and absolutely has no connection with me, isn't it time for me to get an apology?"
Beside him, Madha's head turned around so fast. His normally unwavering friend was now visibly nervous, sweating as if his mother were scolding him.
Zayn turned his sharp gaze towards Gara. However, Gara remained unperturbed.
Zayn's little sister also looked at Gara with surprise then it changed into glee. "It's you!"
"Do you know him?" Zayn's dislike for the fact that his sister knew these two boys was evident.
"He's the pretty boy I met yesterday, brother. I told you I wanted you to meet him."
Gara felt Zayn's gaze scan him from head to toe. He felt a slight discomfort at the term 'pretty boy', realizing it was probably why the girl seemed friendly but lacked any romantic interest. Still, he chose not to dwell on it. It was true, he did look like a pretty boy right now.
"We meet again," Gara responded to the girl's greeting, his tone simple, neither overly familiar nor distant. He could already tell Zayn was the 'sis-con' type.
Zana walked towards him, her brother following close behind. The siblings stood out subtly from the other townspeople, perhaps because they were cleaner, or their clothes were of finer quality, or perhaps it was simply their confident aura.
Zayn, in particular, held his chin high. "What did you say just now?"
"I said it's time for you to apologize to me." Gara held up his hand. "This red mark is your doing!"
Zayn glared, his eyes bloodshot. His expression twisted back into that menacing face. The air slowly grew hotter, then steadily more suffocating. Gara knew the guy before him possessed Infernal Aura as his Talent, which surely explained the oppressive heat. Madha flinched, his trembling hand brushing Gara's. Yet, Gara stood firm, entirely unfazed.
"Brother, what are you doing? Why are you suppressing people with your Talent? How could you make the pretty brother's wrist red?" Zana's nagging voice cut through the tension. She looked genuinely pained to see the red mark on Gara's smooth, fair wrist.
The 'sis-con' brother snorted, then muttered with an indifferent attitude, "I'm sorry."
"Just—" Gara absolutely refused to accept an apology delivered with such an attitude, but Madha's firm grip on his arm stopped him. Madha was still trembling. As a good friend, and despite not knowing why Madha was so nervous, Gara decided to let the matter pass.
"Alright then, just watch your attitude."
Zayn shot another icy stare before leading his sister away. Gara nonchalantly waved back at Zana, who waved enthusiastically in return.
As the siblings' shadows disappeared from the food stall, Madha slumped into his chair.
"Why were you so scared?" Gara asked, puzzled. Madha was his shield, yet he had never looked this beaten.
"Are you okay?" Madha didn't answer directly, posing his own question.
"I can handle this," Gara assured him, showing his wrist.
"I'm sorry. It's my fault for not telling you about them." Madha looked genuinely guilty.
"Who are 'them'?"
"They are nobles."
Thump. Even without details, Gara knew what a noble was. Though he came from a world and era without social castes, he knew how easily nobles could take a commoner's life.
"I almost died just now?"
"Yes—but not really."
"Why, though?"
"You're a Liner now. Liners are special. They can't be killed as easily as commoners."
"But if he didn't know I was a Liner, he would have killed me, right?"
"Probably," Madha nodded.
A chill ran down Gara's spine. Thanks to the yellow-dressed girl, holding her brother back. At least, his 'face card' seemed useful.
"Then, why did you step between me and that noble? Don't you want to live?"
Madha blushed. "No, I just... I didn't want you to get hurt. I have Flesh Shield, so I could protect you."
"Do you even know how to use your Talent?" Gara asked, because he certainly didn't know how to use his own. Madha shook his head.
Gara sighed. "Then how were you planning to protect me?" Madha had no answer.
This boy had no hope. He just threw himself without thinking.
It felt like they needed to figure out how to use their Talents. At least before the town gave them their first mission.
The sun still shone brightly. From their shadows, Gara deduced it wasn't yet past noon. They had plenty of time to learn how to use their Talents.
"Do you know where we can find an open space with fewer people around here?" Gara asked.
"There's none inside town. We can find one outside the gate. Soldiers are still guarding that area, so we won't encounter anything dangerous."
"Let's go then."
Gara grabbed Madha's hand, leaving the food stall. Their meal was unfinished, but their appetites had gone after the encounter.
Walking through the town, Gara tried his best not to dwell on the stares of the people. It just made him overthink, especially with all those heart-shaped icons above the heads. He was already pregnant, he had to focus on the baby.
Another thought caught Gara's attention. "I don't see many people with dresses or garments like the siblings wore. Are there not many nobles in this town?"
"Usually, the only noble in a town is the mayor. In more prosperous towns, maybe another noble family would have a branch there. From what I know, there are only two or three noble branches, besides the mayor's family, in this town."
"The mayor is a noble?!" Gara remembered how rude they had been.
"He is. But he wouldn't do anything to us because of our talents."
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