Without a doubt, it was Caster — the only person Sunny had ever seen defeat Nephis in a fight, even if it was just during training.
Back at the Academy, Caster had been a star of their batch of Sleepers. Handsome and friendly, he was not only popular, but also respected. And although it pained Sunny to admit it, that wasn't only because of his lofty status of a Legacy.
Even other Legacies looked up to him. Many even considered him to be the true king of the rankings, speculating that Changing Star had gotten her first place by mistake.
Caster was powerful, skilled, and charming. He was also humble and had an amiable personality that made it hard for anyone not to like him. His background was impeccable, and his future was unquestionably bright.
Basically, he was the polar opposite of Sunny.
'Damn! I knew that voice sounded familiar!'
Sunny turned his head and stared at the handsome young man in utter bewilderment.
What was that guy doing here?
The two Sleepers who didn't even know how close they had come to tasting the sharp edge of the Midnight Shard were doing the same. There was no more excitement on their faces.
"Oh. It's you."
'That was my line!'
Caster looked at them with a silent smile. There was no apparent hostility in his eyes, but for some reason, Gunlaug's men seemed to lose their desire to stir trouble. After glancing at each other, one of them said in a hesitant tone:
"You know this guy, Caster?"
He gave them a nod.
"Yeah. We were in the Academy together. Don't mind his rude behavior, guys — that's just how he is. Rough around the edges, but really nice once you get to know him well."
'Since when do we know each other?'
Sunny was irrationally angry at that statement, but forced himself to keep his mouth shut. He understood that Caster was just trying to defuse the situation. Actually, his arrival had been very timely.
Sunny was sure of his ability to dispatch a couple of thugs… but what would happen next? He doubted that other members of Gunlaug's host would just sit and watch.
Becoming involved in a conflict with the masters of the castle on his first day here would have been less than ideal.
The thugs in question, meanwhile, had given up. Trying to keep the appearance of being in control, they glared at Caster darkly and backed down.
"Teach your friend some manners, Caster. Next time we won't be so lenient."
With that, they turned around and retreated back to their seats, throwing menacing looks at anyone who dared to stare at them. Soon, the grand hall was once again filled with the hum of voices.
Caster followed them with his eyes and then turned to Sunny, his smile becoming a little somber.
"That… wasn't a very smart thing to do, my friend."
Sunny scoffed.
"Yeah, well… who says that I'm smart?"
'Wait, no, that didn't come out right!'
The tall young man stared at him for a few seconds and then sighed.
"In any case, it is very nice to see you. Both of you."
With that, he sat down, as though somebody had invited him.
Well… admittedly, there was some connection between them. Wishing to talk to people with whom you had attended Academy was sort of understandable.
Still, Sunny didn't like it.
Throwing a quick glance at Cassie, he smiled coldly and said:
"What? Are you very shocked to see us alive?"
Caster hesitated.
"It is good that you managed to survive."
It seemed that this was his way of admitting that yes, he was surprised, but in a pleasant way.
It wasn't a secret that Sunny and Cassie had been seen as two walking corpses by all the other Sleepers in the Academy. Just like Nephis and Caster occupied the top two positions in the rankings, they were dead last. Because of that, the two of them had been shunned and ostracized.
Of course, when it came to Sunny, he not only welcomed the cold treatment of his peers, but had actually been the one to engineer it.
In any case, no one had wanted to be around them, as though afraid of becoming infected by the invisible aura of death that followed them wherever they went. Sunny himself had been guilty of avoiding Cassie as much as he could in the past.
It must have been very strange to see the two of them alive and well after months spent among the horrors of the Forgotten Shore.
Cassie smiled.
"Thank you."
Caster reciprocated her smile and asked, his tone strangely warm:
"You are Cassia, right? And you are… uh… Sunless?"
Sunny gave him a curt nod.
"Right. Although I'm surprised that you remember our names. Don't think that we've forgotten how you guys used to treat us."
Cassie squeezed his hand and said in a disapproving tone:
"Sunny!"
Caster chuckled.
"No, no. He's right. We behaved like a bunch of jerks. Looking back… there were a lot of things we did wrong. If only we had known better…"
His voice trailed off, and after being silent for some time, the handsome young man suddenly smiled with nostalgia.
"But still, those days in the Academy were not all bad, right? Heh, I still remember the first time I met you, Sunless. You made quite an impression! All those tall tales: spitting in the faces of awakened tyrants, slaying sword saints with a shake of a finger…"
He chuckled, remembering the good old days.
Sunny grinned.
He was in the mood for some mischief.
"What, that trivial stuff? Ha! Child's games. You should have seen the things I've done in the Labyrinth. Now that's something to brag about."
Caster looked at him with humorous sparks dancing in his eyes.
"Oh? Well… do tell. What else have you done?"
Sunny shrugged with profuse indifference.
"This and that. Let's see…"
He pretended to think for a few moments, and then said in a bored tone:
"I guess the most incredible thing I've done was killing a Great Devil with just one strike of my sword. Finished him right off, no problem at all. I even got a Memory from that kill. Uh, but before you ask — no, I can't show it to you. Because, uh… ugh… oh, right. I ate it…"