To Us Humans

For the past few weeks, nothing noteworthy happened. So far, only the classes in the academy almost took up all of my remaining my time. If I didn't include my special training with Cossette that started three weeks ago.

While walking alone at the dormitory' hallway, I've stumbled across Leo, who was also walking around alone.

He probably had noticed my presence since he lifted up his head and stopped walking. "Oh... Is there anything you want, Young Master." He asked me casually.

"Oh, please. Stop with the 'Young Master' thingy and just call me Athan," I spoke. "Anyways, how was the plan coming along? The dungeon exploration should be happening tomorrow morning. If something happens while I'm out, just remember to protect those people on the pictures I gave you a week ago." I pointed my fingers on to his pocket with a small smile.

Leo just shook his head, slightly raised his glasses properly before nodding.

"Athan, what you said is indeed correct," he said before yawning casually, "After all, that's what your plan was from the beginning, isn't it? Master even paid a huge sum of money to put us all in the same class, making this easier for us to meet up."

As we made our way towards where Cossette was staying, Leo narrated everything he could remember to me, who ended up being more and more surprised the more he talked. By the time his tale was over, both of us had arrived at the mansion where Cossette was staying in.

"We're here," he announced. Just when his hand was about to reach the doorknob, the door suddenly opened as we were greeted by six maids inside.

"Welcome back, Sir Leo." The maids spoke as their voice began to sync.

Although I was a bit surprised, I managed to hide and remain in my usual facade... Well, I guess I should've had expected this in the beginning since she was daughter of a noble.

Soon enough, both of us went inside as we were then led through the huge hallway, almost similar to size of the Lohengramm Mansion.

I somehow felt nostalgic the moment we reached the dining hall. With the glimpse of the fancy chandelier from above and the notable long table, I could have sworn that I almost mistaken this place as the Lohengramm Mansion due to the interior design.

𝘕𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘐'𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘢𝘺... With that thought in mind, we both waited until Cossette got home.

***

After a few hours if waiting, Cossette finally arrived.

The three of us sat down on the seat from the dining table, as the maids around us prepared a meal after Cossette made a half-hearted gesture.

Soon after that, the three of us began eating.

I took the cup of hot chocolate from the table and took a sip before asking, "About the dungeon exploration tomorrow, did everything else went smoothly during the investigation?"

Cossette just smiled as she ate the pasta happily. "Hm~" She went ahead and nodded her head in a reassuring manner.

"The dungeon is like what you said it would be...." She said. "But, is there any reason why you didn't want me to inform the academy about the dungeon's real rank position?"

I just shook my shoulder after hearing her question... It's not like I can go around and tell people about the hidden treasure inside.

"Nothing particularly. I just wanted to try something dif-kuem, kuemm... Anyways, don't worry about the students. I'll make sure that they'll be able to get back at the surface in one-piece." I spoke, trying my best to remove her worried thoughts inside her head.

Leo who had been silently listening in our conversation just shook his head and continued on eating.

After we finished eating, Cossette invited me to stay in the mansion until tomorrow morning. Since it was already midnight, I accepted her offer, then I was immediately led to the guest room.

I laid down on the bed and stared at the fancy ceiling above the room quietly.

With my left arm placed onto my forehead, I suddenly recalled about my first meeting with Arthur in the academy.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘬... 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘬... I thought while raising my right hand to cover the rays of light that was coming from the lightbulb.

𝘐𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵? Recalling the face of Arthur, who was sweating hard, I denied those thoughts. 𝘕𝘰... 𝘕𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘺... 𝘐𝘧 '𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵' 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘦𝘯𝘥.

For a moment, I greeted my teeth hard before calming down after a couple of seconds.

"That question will surely be answered tomorrow." I said to myself as I let my consciousness fade.

....

.....

...

[Two 16-year-old students created a highly robotic suit that is said to be 50 generations ahead!]

Just imagining the headline of tomorrow's news paper caused me a massive migraine.

𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘦... I thought to myself as I continued forcing a smile externally from outside.

The reporter kept on asking me about how we managed to create such thing, and if we we're really the person who created it. Although it was annoying, I just keep on smiling and forcing myself to answer questions in the most polite way as possible even though some people who kept on asking me questions was rude on their words.

After the questioning part was done, I was then led by my older brother's girlfriend, who became my secretary after his death, to the plane.

As we continued walking, I noticed a commotion from the crowds that has been formed by hundreds of reporters from earlier.

Suddenly, a group of men wearing a scientist coat, ran forward and stopped after reaching the staircase of the plane where I was in.

𝘈𝘩𝘩... 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘳. I thought to myself as I turned to look to them below.

"Is there something wrong?" I asked.

"Why...?" Their leader asked.

I was about to ask what he meant when he suddenly continued.

"What are your thoughts about us 'ungifted humans'? Just a bunch of insects that could be looked down upon? Why can't you even think highly of us?! Compared to you, we are nothing! You will never understand our feelings of defeat!" The man raised his voice. Tears began flooding from his eyes.

𝘈𝘩𝘩... 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯.

"Why does it have to be you? You're just a child. You didn't even have a year experience, but you guys managed to create such things like this. Why do hard working people always get surpassed by the gifted? This isn't fair..." The other person beside him began to comfort the guy by placing his hands to his shoulder.

The reporter just focused their attention to them a couple of minutes before turning to look at me. Their eyes was the same as the man who had the look of envy from before.

Seeing them look at me like this, I couldn't help but greet my teeth out of... Anger.

For the first time in my life, I found myself from losing control after hearing their words.

"Humans? To me, you guys are just a bunch of hypocrites who keep on heavily relaying on their past failures without looking forward to the future." I spoke with indifferent looking eyes as stared at the man below the staircase of the plane.

"We are all may be a higher intelligent animals, but only some, including me, use their gifted brains to look forward instead of looking at the past." I said. "Ungifted? Lucky person? Scum politics? Isn't that what people usually blame? For such things like their failures, and the saying 'Poor are getting poorer, while the rich are getting richer?'. Isn't that your fault as well? You guys keep on forcing the blame on others, just building a huge wall for your bright futures?" My voice began raising each time I continued on speaking.

"You see, what I hate the most was people who doesn't know their place. You guys are just pure trash! You don't even know the word called 'fighting back', let alone 'using your experience as weapon'! No matter how many times you guys get back up, as long as you continued what you keep on doing like now, you'll never understand the things that most successful people had been through. Learn to use your brain, put your gifts into good use! That way, you can finally say in the future that, 'Thanks to you, I finally found the answer I've long been looking for'."

All of them went silent after I finished speaking my thoughts out to them. Even the reporters who kept on talking from earlier became silent.

My brother's girlfriend who was on my side, patted my shoulder as if she was telling my that I can stop and continue. I just sighed when I noticed her expression before turning around, and walking towards my private plane.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. 𝘜𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵. My heart tightened as I continued walking forward.

𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺.

After I reached inside the plane, I sat down in the most comfortable seat I could find and slept there to help me recover from thoughts.