He rolled his eyes, but was answered by a charming smile from the man in front of him.
"Stop smiling like that; you look like a turtle."
"Don't look if that bothers you so much, snake. Why would you come with us anyway? Don't you have your own house?"
"I can go wherever I want, and I don't want to leave kiddo with you alone. Who knows what you will do to my partner?
"I should be the one telling you that, bloodsucker."
The golden eyes and the green eyes glared at each other. He let out a sigh. There is not a day with these two without bickering over some measly things.
"I will need to stay at the dormitory later; tomorrow I will need to prepare my things."
It's not like he has many things to bring to begin with.
"That's fine. Should we buy you more clothes? Since you arrived here, you have been preparing to take the special exam; this might be your only free time to walk in the town."
Sora suggested.
They arrived in the capital of Dradgim one week before the special exam was held. The fake ID and backstory were handled by Sora through his own method, which the man didn't want to tell them. He forges their history, which never existed before with both of them as a family. Sora became the breadwinner in their family after their parents died in an accident when he was eighteen.
When Sora told him about this replicated story, he wanted to applaud Sora for having an imaginative mind because Sora even stated how their childhood was and who was closest to their father and mother, along with who inherited the characteristics of each parent.
At first, Leviathan rejected the idea because he sulked at not being part of the family. This guy can come and go at any moment; that's why Sora didn't want to include Leviathan in their family; suspicion will arise, or else Sora just doesn't like the idea of himself and Leviathan as a family.
Also, Leviathan rejected the idea of him going into the capital of Dradgim because apparently Sora discovered that Michael was originally from there. That vampire got smacked really hard by Sora because he just told the truth after they arrived here.
That was the reason he needed to change his face.
He didn't think this was a big deal if he wasn't someone known, but based on Leviathan's persistence, Sora assumed he was someone important here, but Leviathan was keeping his mouth sealed from saying anything other than the fact he was from here.
Sora also didn't want him to attract attention for now, so revealing himself was not an option for now. Now, he really wants to know what was playing in this world traveller's mind to keep his identity a secret, even though he knows Sora also wants to know his identity here. Sora gave him an item which is a necklace to change one's appearance as the solution.
"It's fine, but some more clothes would be good."
"I also did some research and found that the uniform will need to be retrieved in this particular shop; we might go there today. Besides, the supplies you brought there were necessary for you."
"Ah, about that. The secretary of the emperor would handle that for me. A way of congratulating me on being the first one to pass the special exam after so long. The privilege for me felt like I owned a black card."
Leviathan looked at Michael after he mentioned the emperor with wide eyes.
"That's great; make sure you utilize their money by choosing the highest quality swords and items."
"I already intended to do that."
"Good, you know your way around people. I don't need to worry about you then."
"Don't treat me like a child."
"I am your big brother now, so you must listen to me."
"That was just a falsification; you don't need to be in character too much. A big brother was not in my preference."
"Aww, don't be like that, Shuu. We could be a happy family with a pet snake."
"Excuse me?"
Leviathan looked at Sora with incredulity.
"Now, let's go out now; we could get lunch outside."
"Right, let's go."
×××××
Walking in the town gave him a sense of nostalgia when he saw the vendors selling food and how the people interacted with each other. He must have missed seeing people after being trapped in the forest for too long.
"Lively as always, isn't it?"
Leviathan walked beside him and whispered to him.
"I guess."
They went to the shop where he needed to retrieve his uniform first; the shop was not full of people considering the new school session started a month ago. Right after that, they went to get some food first because Leviathan had been whining nonstop about being hungry.
Being ignored was not an option for Sora because Leviathan would blackmail Sora's secret plan by running away with Michael.
After eating, it was a peaceful moment for them. They weren't too hasty in looking for a clothes shop and enjoyed the walk because this might be the only time they could spend together.
"Aren't these too much?"
"Your so-called big brother is paying; he should pamper his sick younger brother."
Sora rolled his eyes.
"I'll buy anything for Michael, not you, so put back that goddamn perfume and lotion."
"Hey, I chose this for kiddo. This smells good. Try this, kiddo."
"This smells too strong."
Obviously, their shopping spree was not a quiet one with the constant exchanging of remarks between those two proclaimed adults.
Bang!
The two stopped their bickering after they heard the loud sound. A shout was heard right afterwards. They could see from inside the shop that people began to run in one direction.
"Stay here and protect Michael. I'll look at what has happened."
Sora commanded them before he dashed outside and ran in the opposite direction from where the people were running.
"I'm going outside."
"Stay here; there might be danger for you."
"And being ignorant again?"
Michael slapped Leviathan's hand away before he ran outside, following Sora. Leviathan sighed in displeasure before he followed the younger boy.
Sora looked everywhere for the source of the commotion. People kept running and pushing him in a state of panic before he jumped on the roof to get a better view. Smoke was seen at the end of the town. Without wasting time, he leapt on the roof to get to that place.
"Evacuate quickly! The guards will arrive soon!"
Boom!
The closer he went, the clearer he saw the situation. A woman with blond hair was giving instructions to the people to evacuate. Two houses were destroyed, leaving a large crater on the ground.
Boom!
Another loud sound occurred before he could see the perpetrator.
"Aura outburst."
A man was letting out a loud yell while sending some large boulders everywhere.
"Go away! Don't come near me! I'll kill you! Aghh!!"
The yell was clear enough for him to hear. Sora clicked his tongue.
"He was already at his pre-final stage."
The pre-final stage of an aura outburst is hallucination. That man was not aware of what he was doing right now. His aura began to take control, and he would blow out in a few minutes.
In a split second, he saw the man strike another boulder towards the destroyed houses, where the same blond woman was helping someone from under the rubble.
Sora quickly leapt onto the ground and pulled out his sword to cut the boulder into tiny pieces, saving the woman from getting pounded by the large boulder.
"Go now."
The woman looked behind her in shock before another boulder came in their direction.
"Tsk."
He will need to kill this man, but it might be a problem if anyone sees him doing the act. Without asking for permission, he turned around and picked up the two from the incoming boulders.
"Sir!"
"Hold tight!"
He leapt onto the roof before he landed back on the ground, far from the uncontrolled man.
"Run now."
"Wait, it was dangerous! The guard will handle this situation when they arrive!"
"This town will be destroyed before that happens. Don't be stubborn; pick up the child to safety right now!"
He can't let the man come inside the town anymore; he needs to push the man outside of the population area so it's easier for him to kill there.
"Sora!"
"Goddamn it, Michael! Why so stubborn?!"
"Stop acting like I can't do shit. What happened?"
Michael arrived with Leviathan. Sora glanced at the woman before Michael followed his gaze.
"Get them out of here; I'll handle this. Don't let anyone come near."
He looked at Sora after the man whispered to him before he agreed.
"Now go."
Sora ran back towards the man. He just needed someone to distract the crowd if he wanted to use another option other than killing.
"Miss, let's go out from here."
Michael pulled the woman back to her feet with a child in her arms.
"But the man—!"
"Don't worry about him. My brother is strong."
He picked up the woman even before she managed to protest any further.
"He was a hunter, miss. You should worry about the injured child in your arms more. Let's go, Leviathan."
Both of them ran towards the safety area.
Leviathan glanced at him, and he dismissed the concern on the vampire's face.
'I know.'
×××××
"Crown princess!"
"Your Highness!"
"There are more people there. A man was attacking with boulders. Someone was there to handle the man right now. Send a message to the palace about this situation."
"Yes!"
The guards began to move as instructed. She handed the child over to get treatment before she looked back to see her saviours, but they were nowhere to be found among the people around her.
Boom!
There was another loud sound before it suddenly quieted. An uneasy feeling crept through her body.
"Helenis!"
She looked to the side to see someone familiar.
"Gillian!"
"What happened? I have been looking for you since we separated just now. What about this commotion? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine; don't worry about me. I need to go back there."
"No, Helen. Don't be crazy!"
"Gillian, there are more people injured. I can't leave them!"
"Crown princess!"
She saw one of the guards dispatched to handle the situation come back.
"The situation has been handled. When we arrived, the man who we assumed was attacking around the town was unconscious."
"Are you sure? Wait, does he have regular brown hair or black and red colours?"
"He has brown hair; the others are going to bring him to the palace for further investigations."
Helenis let out a sigh after she knew it was not her saviour who had been injured.
"Is there no one other than the unconscious man?"
"No, Your Highness. We arrived to see the man alone. There are some other people we are currently helping from under the rubble, but there is no one that fits your description."
Helenis frowned.
"Is that so? Inform His Majesty about what happened and make sure the people here go back safely. Also, make sure the houses get built again. Give compensation for any destruction."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Helenis looked at the guard walking away before her mind drifted to the three unknown males who had helped her. She should compensate them if they ever meet again for their merit.
Not far from those two, someone was watching the conversation unfold with a creased forehead.
"This was different from the plot."