Was it karma? Like what goes around, comes around?
But even though she had suffered much, Oslo didn't feel that good. The feeling of satisfaction was still missing making his heart feel empty. Maybe because it wasn't her who got punished and it was her family that was punished because of their crime of framing an innocent. No matter what it was, Oslo wasn't satisfied with the outcome yet.
He wanted to make her pay for what she did to him but it wasn't the right time. Even if he tried now, he was no match for her as he was now and not to mention the sins. He now knew his limits and wasn't going to push it in the worthless effort, if he was bound to lose.
My revenge can wait for a bit...When the time comes, I'll let her know that others life wasn't something that she owned or was for her to toy with just because someone didn't listen to her. I'll take the things that are held precious by her...be it her wealth or her family member that actually managed to luckily escape the clutches of punishment, I'll make her pay every last bit of pain I suffered.
He then looked at the girl's figure from head to toe but his eyes didn't find his dagger.
'It seems that they didn't give the dagger to her. But I'll take what is mine...I really will.' He thought and looked at Alphonse saying,
"Contact me when you take the next quest. I'll try my best to come if I'm not busy."
"OK, brother. " Alphonse gleefully said.
Oslo then went to the central plaza and using the portal he teleported to earth.
What he had to right now was to start everything from the first all over again. Start from scratch and rebuild himself again. Although he had already wasted ten years of his life, there was no rush.
First what he needed was a teacher that could teach him about magic and skills and make him better at it. The teacher solely for him was going to be very pricy, but if he wanted to learn many new things related to magic then he absolutely needed a teacher to guide him.
He then made up his mind. I'll work part-time as an adventurer and attend the magic school in Magic Land to become better at using magic. If he wanted to learn magic, it's skilled and also didn't want to waste money on a private teacher that was solely for him then, Magic school was his only option.
Then which Magic school should I choose to enroll in? He racked his brain and finally came to a conclusion.
Alright, the cheapest one!
The only lingering question now on his mind was, will the schools not accept me because of my age? But from what he knew, humans unlocked the ability to use magic after they were at the age of thirteen, so three years wasn't too late, was it?
Maybe it was...and maybe it wasn't as well, so he had decided to think about it when he was in front of the school just before filling the form to enroll in. So, why eat my own brain myself now? He was healed but there was still lingering pain surging all over his body and his body was frail and weak, so what he needed right now was a good rest.
Right after entering his house, he collapsed on the floor and slept like a log without paying any heed to the world. He was sound asleep and didn't seem to wake anytime soon.
***
"Let me wake him up!"
"O-ok, but he is sleeping too soundly. So, dear be gentle while waking him up, okay." Mother Yi said as she placed the plates on the dinner table.
"Don't worry, I'll be gentle as a breeze," John said and went to wake up Oslo to his previous house where Oslo was sleeping very soundly.
In the dark, John pressed the switch which made the bulb in the ceiling flicker for a moment before it glowed white and made the sleeping figure of Oslo on the floor visible to his eyes.
Oslo was sleeping very quiets and drool was dripping out of his mouth. John then frowned for a minute so as to how to wake him up and finally decided on one thing.
Cracking his fingers, John stretched out his hands for some time before raising one of his elbows.
"Wakey, wakey, my son!"
Bang~
Cough~
Oslo who was elbowed to the gut let out a single cough and his body gave in. His eyes opened wide for a moment before it again rolled to the back and lost his consciousness again.
"Did I use too much power in that slam?" John frowned scratching his chin, "Maybe it wasn't a good idea to elbow him right in the stomach just to wake him up."
"What a pain!" John sighed, "Well, whatever."
He then grabbed Oslo by his shirt and lifted his upper torso.
"Wakey, Wakey, my son!"
Slap- Slap- Slap- Slap-
John slapped Oslo for about a minute continuously while he was unconscious. His face had now become a swollen tomato and if he was awake while taking all those slaps, it would have been no wonder if he were to suffer from mental instability. What John was doing right now wasn't very gentle as compared to what he had said to Mother Yi.
After some fatherly treatment, Oslo finally woke up and after being fresh, he then joined the dining table for dinner.
"Why were you sleeping in that shaggy house when you had our house to sleep in?" John asked while chewing on his rice.
"Well, that's also my house," Oslo said solemnly.
John paused before choosing his words and rephrasing it again, "Well forget what I said just now and listen to this question. Why didn't you say hello to your parents when you had already returned from the quest?"
John was smugly looking at Oslo as now that his question was a good one. He was satisfied seeing Oslo frown to answer the question and just as he was going to say something again, Mother Yi interrupted,
"Maybe because he was tired and as always, he, because of his habit of always going to that house went there. Besides he was tired and he fell asleep the moment he arrived, so how was he going to greet us if he was too tired to even wake up."
John couldn't refute to Mother Yi as what she said also made a lot of sense. Mother Yi then looked at her husband and said. "And what's wrong with him going there? That is also his house and you're just making a hill out of a branch this time, dear."
"Yeah, brother might have forgotten because he was tired," Ric said so as to support Oslo and not let his brother be scolded anymore.
John wanted to scold some manners into Oslo but seeing half of the family members siding with Oslo, he couldn't anymore. He then said,
"Oh, since it is like this and I'm a father with a big heart, I'll forgive you. From now on, you can sleep in any of the two houses as you please."
Any houses I please? Forgive me? Don't joke with me? Oslo was still mad because of all those slaps and that elbow drop, so how was he going to tolerate all these misbehaviors of his father and John was also acting like some mighty father which made him even angry.
If you forgive me so early then how am I going to make you pay for all those slaps? I still haven't taken my revenge and you're just sliding off the matter just like this? You wish!
He then faked being sad and with the face which seemed to cry rivers any moment, Oslo looked at John and said,
"Father, if you had said the same thing like this before and didn't beat me up silly while waking me up then I would have done as you had pleased but now I won't. Because of your ruthless beating, my body is aching all over the place."
"He beat you?" Mother Yi perked her ears and coldly looked at John who gulped at her glance. She then smiled and said, "Dear, what did I tell you?"
"No, he is lying. Since when did I beat you up?" John asked with cold sweat dripping down his forehead and looking at Oslo with those puppy eyes. "Oslo, my son. Tell the truth. When I woke you up, I was gentle like a breeze... very gentle."
But Oslo wasn't the sort of person who would forgive every small matter, even if he was his father. Besides, it wouldn't be called a family if there wasn't some, 'Bam Bam' fights. Well, others were different if he were to think about small matters, but his father was an exception. He didn't know why but he wanted to pursue the matter even further.
Oslo then said, "I'm lying? You were gentle? Then what about my body that was crushed? Half of my respiratory organs were destroyed by that elbow."
"What? Respiratory organs? Son, don't lie to blatantly in front of your mother. I only elbowed you in the stomach and slapped for sometimes and that's all-" When he realized what he was saying, he immediately used his hands to cover his own mouth.
Oslo grinned evilly and said, "You did those to me as well? I didn't know because I was unconscious from the first strike. Father, you are ruthless."
"Don't lie...hahaha, I know that your pain isn't because of my attacks. You were beaten by someone else before, weren't you? Who was it? Tell me and I'll make him/her pay for what they did to my son." John immediately changed the topic.
Oh? So, you're going to play like that? I have my cards as well. He was still evilly smiling as if it was a competition of changing the topic and lying then so be it.
"Big talks for a man who flirted with many elf girls in the city gate," Oslo said another lie adding a pinch of extra salt to the wound.
John's facepalmed and with a shocked expression, he asked, "How do you know about it?"
Cough~ Cough~ Cough~
Oslo nearly choked on the meal he was eating. Hearing it from John's own mouth, he was dumbfounded and speechless. He really did that? He really really did that? But the shocked expression on his face only remained for a second before he rejoiced for John digging his own grave.
Again realizing he had mistakenly blurted the truth, John paused. Ric then stood up from the chair and said, "Well, I've test tomorrow, so I'll be sleeping early."
"Oh? Son has a test?" John immediately said, "Then let daddy help you stu-d-y-"
His voice came to an abrupt pause when a hand grabbed his shoulder.
"Dear, why are you in such a rush? We have something to talk about."
John slowly turned his head and found Yi smiling gently at him. He gasped seeing Yi's calm face because he knew that it was but a calm before the storm. Mother Yi then looked at Oslo and said,
"Oslo dear, why don't you take a bath or something while your father and I have some private chat."
"OK." Oslo shrugged his shoulder and stood up from the chair. He then slowly went to the bathroom with a smile on his face all the same.
It had been some time since he had taken a good bath so he slowly undressed. Checking the water in the tub which was warm, he entered the tub and relaxed a bit.
His eyes then fell upon his right hand which was covered in bandages. Knowing that no one was watching, he slowly unwrapped the bandages to wash his hands as well.
But as he was finished unwrapping, he was alarmed.
"Where did it go?"
He then glanced all over his body but it was nowhere to be found. The dragon tattoo on his right hand had disappeared. Just as he was momentarily shocked, darkness enveloped his vision as a gruesome voice erupted from his back making him shiver.
"Hello Human!"
Volume 2: Knowing His Limits
---End---