"So, I was tailed, huh..." Nael muttered to himself.
"Nael," just then, a voice called out from beside him. It was Brennon who fell into step with him, offering a small smile. "It's good to see you up and about."
"Brennon," Nael replied, his tone flat. They walked together for a moment in silence.
"I heard about what happened," Brennon said. "And congratulations on your recovery."
"Thanks."
After a few more steps, Brennon spoke again. "You were really lucky, you know." He shook his head slightly. "To survive an encounter with a Unique monster... It must have been incredibly difficult, just holding on until Mira arrived to save you." He glanced at Nael. "Well, you are a Common Class Awakened, after all. Surviving that long on your own is a great accomplishment. Ah, don't get me wrong," he added, "I did not mean it in a bad way."
Nael said nothing, his face impassive.
'What is he trying to say?' Nael wondered, keeping his thoughts entirely internal.
"Honestly, you are the luckiest guy there is," Brennon continued, his tone taking on a wistful note. "To have won the heart of the 'Princess'... She threw away everything just to rescue you." He then let out a soft chuckle. "But... to be rescued by a girl... I don't know how to feel about that. Ah, sorry," he said, "that came out wrong!"
'...I see,' Nael chuckled inwardly. The meaning was now clear. 'He thinks Mira alone killed the Gloom Predator. And this whole 'nice guy' act...'
The way he was talking, layering backhanded compliments about his weakness beneath a veneer of admiration, was getting a bit irritating. The guy was openly insulting him with nice words.
'But does he seriously think I'll react to these childish jabs?' Nael kept his expression carefully neutral, a blank wall that gave Brennon nothing. 'Besides, what's his real game here?'
This felt like a probe, an attempt to gauge his temperament or get a rise out of him. Reacting with anger would be playing right into his hands. Therefore, deciding that silence was the most strategic response, Nael just continued walking, his face an unreadable mask.
However, perhaps mistaking the silence for being affected, Brennon's smile widened slightly as he continued his stream of veiled barbs. "It truly is admirable, you know, the bond you two share, I mean. Most men would feel... diminished, I suppose, needing such protection. But you wear it well! It shows remarkable self-awareness to accept one's... limitations so gracefully. And to think, all that raw power in the hands of someone so devoted to you. You must feel very secure."
'...I really want to punch him right now.' Nael's fist clenched instinctively at his side, his knuckles turning white. But he held the impulse in, releasing a slow, controlled breath.
"Alas," Brennon continued with a theatrical sigh, misinterpreting Nael's controlled silence as shame, "she can't reach greater heights now. All because she decided to save you." He shook his head in mock sorrow. "She even went against the masters from the most powerful academies. Threw away their offers for you... Sigh. What a waste of such magnificent potential, shackled by sentiment." He gave Nael a look of feigned camaraderie. "If I were you... I would feel so terribly guilty."
'Oh, so that's it,' Nael chuckled inwardly, the final piece clicking into place. He should have figured it out sooner. This wasn't just petty insults; it was a calculated guilt trip. Brennon was trying to plant a seed of doubt and self-blame, to make him feel like a burden holding Mira back. It was a more sophisticated, and frankly, more pathetic move than he'd expected.
"I expected more from you, Brennon," Nael said, his voice calm but cutting through the other boy's monologue.
Brennon blinked, his smug expression faltering. "What did you say?"
"If you had just apologized for what you did," Nael continued, his gaze unwavering, "I would have forgiven you." 'Though I'd never trust you again,' he added inwardly. "And given how you always acted in the academy, I honestly thought you were a decent guy. It seems I was mistaken. I'll need to work on my judgment skills."
Brennon's face darkened, the friendly pretense finally crumbling. "What are you trying to say?" he asked, his voice turning cold. "Are you insulting me?"
Nael stopped walking and turned to face him directly, his eyes locking onto Brennon's with a quiet intensity that was far more intimidating than any shout.
"...What if I am?"
The air between them grew still. Brennon's composure finally cracked, a flush of anger rising to his cheeks.
"You think you can look down on me? A Common Class who only survived by clinging to a girl's skirt?"
A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched Nael's lips. It held no warmth, only a chilling certainty.
"You talk too much about things you don't understand." He began to turn away, the dismissal more powerful than any retort. "We're done here."
"Don't you walk away from me!" Brennon snapped, his voice rising, drawing glances from passersby.
But Nael was already walking, his pace steady and unconcerned. He didn't need to win an argument in the street. He had already won the only thing that mattered — he had seen the petty, jealous core of the boy who thought he was a man, and he had found him utterly lacking.
The encounter was already fading from his mind, filed away as insignificant. He had a dinner to get to and a future waiting that was far too large to be troubled by Brennon's smallness.
However, to Brennon, that retreating back was the most profound insult he had ever endured. The calm, unhurried steps were a silent declaration that Nael didn't even consider him a threat worth acknowledging.
'How dare he?! How DARE he dismiss me like I'm nothing!'
The thought screamed in Brennon's mind, a white-hot fury burning away the last shreds of his composure.
In a flash of golden light, Brennon activated a Sun Knight skill — [Blinding Step].
He vanished from his spot and reappeared directly in front of Nael, his hand shooting out to roughly seize Nael's shoulder, intent on spinning him back around.
But the hand never landed.
Nael's own hand snapped up with startling speed, intercepting Brennon's wrist in a vice-like grip mid-reach. There was no burst of light, no grand skill. It was a raw reaction, honed in a life-or-death fight against a far more terrifying opponent.
In one fluid, brutal motion, Nael used Brennon's own forward momentum against him. He twisted the captured wrist, pivoted his hips, and drove Brennon face-first down onto the cobblestones with a sickening crunch.
"ARGH!"
The entire exchange lasted less than a second.
"URGH..."
"..."
Nael stood over him, his expression cold and detached, his boot planted lightly on Brennon's back, pinning him to the ground. He leaned down, his voice a low, chilling whisper that only the stunned and humiliated Brennon could hear.
"The next time you lay a hand on me," Nael said, his tone devoid of all emotion, "I won't let you get back up."