Arcane Era-Chapter 78: To Sarvos (Part 3)

"Hey, Theo..."

As Theo was still reeling from the information he learned from his friends, Arlet’s voice suddenly echoed softly in the air. It was calm, gentle, but most importantly... blunt.

"How did you learn to read? I thought you came from a commoner background on the streets of Sarvos." Arlet’s tone was inquisitive, but it was also dangerously curt, to the point where both Kaycee and especially Liyah frowned upon hearing it.

Theo’s expression remained neutral, though.

Due to the nature of the mission, Kamara had briefed everyone on what they needed to know, and also had everyone introduce themselves to build proper team rapport.

This included their background and interests, which was how Arlet found out the details he knew regarding Theo’s past.

It made him more curious about Theo, but he had suppressed most of his questions... until now.

"Don’t think your question sounds a little too insensitive?" Liyah spoke her mind, glaring at Arlet rather deeply.

One would think they were enemies, with the way she spoke to him.

"Was it?" Arlet’s voice carried very little remorse or concern. His eyes were on Theo throughout, not even sparing Liyah a single glance.

"Yeah!" She stomped angrily. "Right, Theo?"

"I don’t really mind..." Theo shrugged, causing the defense Liyah was attempting to create shatter before it could even solidify.

She quickly glanced at Theo with a look of betrayal, but the latter stared innocently.

He simply spoke the truth.

Arlet’s words didn’t really register as disrespectful. He simply asked a question based on his previous understanding of Theo, which was fine in his books. However, just because he didn’t consider the question to be insensitive, that didn’t mean he was obligated to answer it.

Still...

"One of my close friends had a rather astute father. He taught me how to read."

... Theo chose to answer honestly.

As he did, the image of his friend group flashed in his mind. One particular boy, Leroy, was more visible than the rest.

Leroy was the best off among the group of five, since he still had a single father taking care of him. Times were tough, and the financial situation in his family was awful, which was why he turned to the streets to find ways to make money and help his dad.

’The old man knew all of us as Leroy’s friends, and after seeing potential in me, he started by teaching me the basics. Before long...’ A small smile formed on his face.

Those were simpler times.

"What kind of man was he? Even for astute commoners, they shouldn’t be able to read complex languages... especially something like the Divine Chronicles." Arlet muttered, stroking his chin as he stared at Theo with a degree of skepticism.

This caused the latter to sigh, though he maintained an air of nonchalance.

’It’s not like I don’t understand his reaction. The Divine Chronicles features a more archaic version of the mainstream language. There are words in it that most regular people don’t even know the meaning of, and there could be translation issues if one is reading it without a proper understanding of some ancient symbols or letters.’

However, despite the validity of Arlet’s skepticism, Theo didn’t bother responding to it.

He had his reasons for that.

’I was snooping around their place one day and found some things that a commoner shouldn’t have. It’s very likely that Leroy’s father had some association with the Royal Palace... probably as a scribe or something.’ Theo silently reasoned. ’But there’s no evidence to support this, and I don’t think I want to involve him in this mission if I can help it.’

If he told Arlet these things, there was a chance the latter would suggest they interrogate Leroy’s old man for information regarding the Royal Palace if need came for it.

’I don’t even know if the old man is still alive...’ Another sigh escaped his lips as he shook his head, trying his hardest not to think about his past so much.

Thankfully, his new friends offered a nice distraction with what they were talking about.

So, he chose to pay attention to them.

"I don’t know how Theo can stand Arlet, especially after he easily gave up trying to back us up when big sis stopped us." Liyah said, her arms crossed as she talked with Kaycee.

"Yeah... he was so quick to switch sides."

"His excuse was that he wasn’t friends with us, but so what? We were allies, and we trusted him, yet he was so quick to stab us in the back." She continued, offering a quick glance at the object of her vitriol. "I don’t trust him one bit."

"H-he also talks in a prideful way... and he’s quite snobbish."

"Right? You get it!"

It almost felt like Kaycee was only finding fault with Arlet because Liyah did. He didn’t seem particularly offended by Arlet, but in an attempt to support his friend, he was seeking out reasons to dislike him.

Theo watched all of his and silently shook his head.

He could remember Liyah’s attempts to turn him against Arlet, but that was largely ineffective.

’I have no real problems with the guy...’ He glanced at Arlet, who was deeply staring into the ocean, his attention already far from the team’s.

Of course, Theo knew about what Arlet did and said when the Zenith stopped his friends from backing him up. Liyah saw it as betrayal, but he honestly could not fault the boy for his use of logic.

In that situation, where lives had to be saved, and the superior Zenith were giving them orders, the sensible choice was to follow accordingly. It also wasn’t like he and Arlet had any deep ties, and he was also responsible for his own actions.

’Arlet has his own goals, which is to climb the rankings.’ Theo reasoned. ’Unlike me, who has a special experience with Lord Shen, and Liyah, whose sister is a member of the Zenith, he has no springboard or direct connection to the top.’

That meant he had to try as much as possible to please the higher-ups while doing everything in his power not to offend them.

His actions were completely understandable.

’Liyah doesn’t agree, though, and I don’t care enough to try and change her mind...’

He also wasn’t about to start a conversation with Arlet or integrate him into the group, even though he had no problems with him. Unless resolving the friction became necessary, he had no reason to go out of his way and address it.

Theo was similar to Arlet in that respect.

He wasn’t a selfless person as well. During the Preliminary Rounds, despite seeming like he was concerned for the participants, his focus was more on the proctor and the unfairness of the situation he put them in.

In essence, despised the proctor more than he cared for the participants.

’Looks like these two still intend to talk about Arlet and the mission in Sarvos, but I’m not interested in that...’ He took his gaze away from his friends and landed it on the open page in front of him.

Rather than say anything more, he decided to read.