Sigrid Grimspell and Oliver Everbloom (3)

Sigrid had never imagined that the day would come when Oliver and Jerome would willingly join forces. The memories of their time at the academy still lingered in her mind, where Jerome had relentlessly targeted Oliver, forming a constant shadow over his days. The relentless bullying, the countless confrontations, and the attempts to humiliate him had left a lasting mark on Sigrid. It was a stark contrast to the current situation, where they now decided to stand side by side.

Sigrid settled herself on the ground, casting her gaze downward at Oliver. His determination and unwavering resolve were etched across his features. It was a side of him that Sigrid had always known, a reluctance to confront others, a tendency to ignore the provocations and bullying, especially when it came from Jerome. This had often left her with no choice but to step into the role of protector. 

She understood that even though Oliver seldom revealed the turmoil caused by these bitter encounters, they had been gnawing at him year after year. Jerome's targets extended beyond Oliver; other boys from their academy class, and at times, even male teachers felt the brunt of his aggressive behaviour. However, Oliver remained his primary target, because he was one of the few who couldn't fight back. For the Bigge family, to which Jerome belonged, the inability to confront an adversary eye to eye or hand to hand was seen as a fate worse than death.

Interestingly, Jerome's approach toward women couldn't have been more different. He retained his dominion and resolve in their presence but never sought to demean or belittle them. In Sigrid's eyes, he was a skilled playboy, a man of distinct characteristics as the only one from a different race, making him alluring to some women. Yet, this uniqueness was also a double-edged sword. Younger Sigrid often contemplated why Jerome acted the way he did, and in the end, she concluded that he was too isolated.

 Compared to Oliver who was always praised by others and had many friends, Jerome had to fend for himself. His family was still considered outsiders even after all the accomplishments they achieved in the guild and even feared by a lot. Sigrid's and Oliver's families were quite on good terms with the Bigge family as they fought in many battles in the last war with the Alcacasia Continent. But the same could not be said about the remaining families. Sigrid never saw him acting friendly or being buddies with somebody of his age. The most he would do was to team up during academy classes. These battles were the only time when Sigrid felt admiration for Jerome. He would always give his best at the battles. Jerome's domineering raw fighting style with enchanting magic was a sight to behold for everybody, and his fierceness of a wild beast, physical prowess and dark muscular stature were monstrous killing tools. Sigrid and Jerome together with Soul from the Hughes and Alexandra from the Blackburn families who were considered the strongest new generation of the century had to fight many gruelling fights against each other. And the opponent Sigrid had the most exhilarating fighting with was indeed Jerome himself.