Everyone's expression darkened. He hadn't meant it that way, but Dignity had done its job, ensuring he came across as insufferable.
Caelum's friends shifted in their seats, bristling with irritation. Despite the tension, Caelum remained calm.
He is always calm.
"That's all right," Caelum said, his tone level. "I understand your position."
Seraphine and the others exchanged dubious looks, clearly unhappy, but they said nothing further.
All right, now that we're past greeting each other…
Eclipse swallowed hard, feeling their disdain like a prickling sensation under his skin.
"You can ask, Eclipse," Caelum said, gesturing for him to continue.
Eclipse's heart hammered in his chest as he took a deep breath.
This was his chance.
He had to approach it carefully.
To play safe… he started with the easiest one.
"What weapon are you using as your primary weapon?"
He couldn't know. The hero wielded many weapons but only has one he was confident in. Now why does this matter?
A weapon chosen by the Hero will alter the progression of the story quite a bit. Treasures, loot, even character will change according to the chosen weapon.
Caelum raised his hands, displaying calloused fingers.
"A greatsword," he replied.
Eclipse nodded, mentally noting that Caelum's choice aligned with a specific route in the game. Thankfully, I chose the greatsword path once or twice.
Then time for another question…
Is it the time to ask that yet?
He shook his head internally. Maybe we play it slow.
Eclipse cleared his throat, "Do… you have a magic pendant? Perhaps one that was given to you?"
Now everyone started to look at each other. What is this noble who has been nothing but an annoyance, is doing? Is he planning something?
Now everyone beside the hero started becoming wary of him. He has to have a malicious motive.
In response, Caelum reached up, pulling a silver chain from around his neck.
A small pendant with an emerald center hung from it.
"It was a gift from my old teacher," he said simply.
So that rare event happened. It was a one in a thousand chance event that can happen everytime you start a new run of the game. In a nutshell, that pendant can open up another ending of the game.
Ending of the game? There was no use worrying about that right now if he'd be long dead by the time the hero reached there.
But what was the most crucial part of this little 'mission' that Eclipse had… was to ask this one question.
And carefully… Eclipse thought of his words… and thought again… just so he can make this smoother.
Despite how heavy the question would be.
Caelum… about that kid… Were you able to save her?
Dignity+ activated.
"Did you killed the kid?"
Ah…
Everything seemed to shatter at that moment.
Caelum's companions stiffened.
They knew what he was talking about… of course, they did.
That moment… even now they can still feel it.
And this arrogant noble just reminded them in the most offensive way.
The first one to break free from the shock was Seraphine. Her face twisted with anger.
Followed by Finnian's hand drifting toward his sword.
We had enough of this guy.
Even the surrounding tables had fallen silent, the eyes of students and bystanders all fixed on Eclipse and the Hero's group. A fight might break out.
"You… arrogant noble!" one of Caelum's friends hissed, glaring at Eclipse.
But Caelum held up a hand, silencing them.
He is the only one…
Without any anger.
But he wasn't calm either.
He turned to Eclipse, his expression unreadable, but his eyes betrayed a hint of pain.
With a forced voice he said.
"No,"
Again he coughed it out:
"I couldn't save her."
The weight of Caelum's words hung in the air, and Eclipse's stomach twisted with unexpected guilt. But of course nothing showed on his face but his apathetic reaction.
Judging by how they react… it must've hit them hard. So that kid couldn't make it.
But now I know.
With this he might just survive.
They exchanged solemn looks, Seraphine's anger melting into sadness, while Finnian looked down, his face shadowed.
Eclipse managed a small nod. "That's all I needed to know."
He turned to leave, his mind whirling with relief that he'd made it out of the encounter with his head intact.
Fuu… well that went almost as well as I expected.
But as he moved away, a girl carrying a tray of food bumped into him.
The contents of her tray splattered across his pristine blue suit.
Greasy stew and mashed potatoes smeared down the front of his jacket.
The girl gasped.
She was Tessa, with sunny blonde hair and piercing yellow eyes, her face now a mask of horror.
Tessa, the paladin? Eclipse thought.
A commoner training to be a paladin, and worse, she was clumsy.
For a moment, she stared down at the mess on Eclipse's suit, her mouth opening and closing as if struggling to find words of apology.
Her gaze traveled from the smear of food on his jacket to his eyes, a hint of panic in her own.
She'd just ruined the clothes of a noble, and a particularly notorious one at that.
Eclipse, meanwhile, was fighting against every instinct—and his cursed Dignity trait—to keep from saying something disastrous.
But he couldn't. He had been holding it since he talked with Caelum. And now he couldn't hold it down.
So the word came out.
"Fuck off, bitch."
Shi–shit.
The cafeteria went silent.
Tessa's eyes widened, but Eclipse had already turned on his heel, storming away from the table without a backward glance.
Thank, thankfully no one knows what I said, ha ha.
All of them thought the infamous Eclipse would spout insults after insult, but all that arrogant did was say some strange word no one could understand…
Was it a curse? Did he put a curse on a paladin? What did that mean? Is he okay? Is the same Eclipse we knew?
Is he possessed by a demon?
Even Tessa was conflicted about what they meant...
Everyone, that was, except for one member of Caelum's group, an elf with ears tapering to delicate points and a knowing smile.
She leaned back, watching the infamous Eclipse Warbringer with renewed interest.
I wonder… if I can use him, she thought.