CHAPTER 06: Leave It As A Secret

Saphira took a deep breath before looking back at the night sky, "I guess I really am close to leaving already. I would surely miss this place."

Then a sudden thought came to her.

"I will be going now, thanks for walking me back. Be careful on your way back as well," she waved him goodbye before running towards the direction of the dormitory.

He frowned at the sudden change in her mood because he can tell she suddenly turned excited when she had that little pause.

But he was unable to call to her because she had disappeared already, he sighed and shook his head before returning to where they are staying.

*****

"You really are here," she exclaimed.

An old man was sitting by the tree.

She didn't go straight to the dorm but instead, she went to the forest near the dormitory.

It was both within and outside the premise of the academy.

This is also where she had trained a lot when she just arrived in this place.

And this is also where she met her training instructor, this old man.

He had been playing around with her at the beginning, but because she slowly improved, he started properly sparring with her.

There is always a day that they would meet here to spar with one another. And tonight was one of those days.

"I have heard," he started instead.

"Heard about what gramps?" she asked taking out her sword.

She had been carrying it since the academy. It was already a part of those working to become knights.

"You are about to leave," he replied.

"Woah, how did you know that?" she asked.

"I have connections," he replied as he too pulled out his sword.

Saphira laughed, "You have quite some connections gramps, do you only know about me leaving or do you also know other stuffs?"

Gramps had always been the way she calls him.

When she first met him, he was fighting against a demonic bear beast bare handed.

He was obviously quite old but he was still quite strong.

That is why she also knew that his ability is strengthening of the body.

And the reason why it was very difficult for her to actually contend with him.

"So I guess we will have our last sparring tonight," he jumped down from the tree and stood straight in front of her.

His presence made her vigilant, she can tell as compared in the past he was even more serious now.

"Will I survive tonight gramps?" she asked.

"You haven't fully used anything brat. You are still hiding something," he pointed out.

With his long years of living, he can discern whether someone has something else or not.

Saphira pursed her lips before grinning, "Then let's leave it as a secret gramps."

The old man shakes his head, he had been beating her black and blue all this time but she was stubborn in only using her sword with him.

"Then I guess, you won't survive tonight," he then said with a laugh before rushing forwarding.

The next morning, she was unmoving staring only at the ceiling of her room.

"That gramps really didn't hold back," Saphira's body was aching all over after the sparring they had last night.

Her body felt like a huge boulder was pinning her down and some needles piercing through a few parts.

She really couldn't get out of bed as well. It has been so long since she had felt this way.

Her roommate had already left without checking on her.

Though she was used to that and didn't bother with it as well.

But surely, Garret will worry when she doesn't show up. Because she was never absent before.

Of all the people, there are still a few who actually tried to befriend her due to her brains but she had stepped away from them.

She was not fond of such bond.

Only Garret approached her with the intention of having a brainstorm with her.

He too, was a smart one. Able to enter the academy with his brain.

And that is why, even he was being bullied.

Though there is a bigger reason why he was being bullied.

But because they were able to speak about so many things without the other finding it difficult to understand, they became closer through time.

"Let's just wait for him to barge in here," she muttered before pulling her blanket over her head.

She maybe responsible enough but she knows her own limitation.

Since she was in so much pain right now, she can only take a proper rest.

Proper taking care of your body is also a way of being fully responsible enough.

She has no plans of neglecting such an important part of being a knight.

*****

She had woken up from her deep slumber when she could hear someone crying beside her.

Opening her eyes, she was no longer shock to see that it was Garret.

"I am not dead, why are you mourning?" she asked.

"Can you get that man acting like a woman out? He had been staying here for the whole night. It's irritating," her roommate complained before Garret could answer.

That's right, one of the reasons why Garret was being bullied is because he will never like ladies in his life.

He would stare at men and would love to use woman things.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," was her reply instead.

Her roommate glared at her before clicking her tongue and leaving.

"Will you stop crying?" Saphira looked back at Garret and said.

"Did you know how long you have been out? You were not sick and you don't look like you have injuries but you just didn't want to wake up, do you know how worried I was?" Garret sobbed as he complained.

"Calm down, okay? Calm down. Was I out for a day?" she asked while trying to calm him.

She still remembered what her roommate had said.

That Garret had been here for an entire night.

Garret nodded his head, "I was so worried, I just didn't want to leave you. You have no family and no one to care of you. I don't want you to feel alone."

His crying became louder and Saphira pursed her lips.

She was about to leave anyway, it is not bad to tell him the truth.

But before she could do so, she noticed that something was on his arms.

"What's this?" she asked pulling his hand towards her.

"That's... nothing," he replied and even his tears have stopped.

She squinted her eyes and looked at his face, there she saw it as well.

It was not as visible as the one in his arms because he tried to hide it but due to his crying, what he had covered it with came undone.

A bruise was on his cheek and another was on his lips.

Adding with the bruise on his arm, her eyes turned sharp.

"What happened yesterday?" she asked him.

And the moment she asked, he subconsciously touched his stomach.

Without second thought, she grabbed his shirt and pulled it up.

There was a bigger bruise in there. Obviously it was hit multiple times.

"Who did these to you?" she asked him, her eyes turning even sharper and colder.

"Saphira.... it's fine... what I'm more worried about is you," he tried calming her down.

"Oh wow, I can really stand up now. Quite a long sleep I had there," she said standing up from bed.

She got changed and walked out of the door.

"Saphira, where are you going? You are still sick," Garret run after her.

But as he got close when they stepped out of the building, she chanced upon one of the underlings of the bullies.

Without warning, she grabbed him by the collar and to the shock of the few students who are present.

She threw him over her shoulder and slammed him on the ground.

The man was caught off guard and he only realized what was going on when she was already sitting on top of him while still grabbing his collar.

"Hey dog, where's your master," she asked

Her eyes were sharp and cold that the underling couldn't even move.

They were used to her not fighting back and only accepting the hits and insults.

That is why he didn't expect for her to actually be this strong.

Her grip on his collar was tight and made him unable to retaliate.

"Sa- Saphira!!!" Garret finally snapped out of his shock as well.

"Shhhh, calm down Garret. I am trying to get something out from this dog."

"Do- Who do you think you are?" he finally found his voice and realized what she had been calling him.

"The dog is speaking now, so where is your master?" she looked down at him.

Her eyes were menacing, he couldn't help but to swallow hard.

"I'll count to three, if you don't tell me. Well, my fists are itching right now," she smiled and the smile was a simple one.