Skyler had to squat for two extra hours because he was caught slacking.
This time, Professor Garrick watched over him like a hawk, having dragged an empty chair from a class to sit in front of him.
Elena snickered when her punishment ended and she left for the next class.
Skyler clicked his tongue at her retreating figure. By the time he was finally released from the professor, it was already evening, and he had missed the next two classes.
After enduring Professor Moore's training class—who seemed especially cheerful to see Max and Austin back—he dragged his aching body back to his dorm room, ate a light meal with Riruru, and fell asleep.
The next day was just as eventful, not because anyone attacked the academy or because he did something extraordinary, but because many people snapped at him due to his less-than-desirable personality.
On Saturday, Skyler and Charles hurried to attend their optional Talisman class. Zack, who had stopped following them after their last session together, joined them. His face was sullen as he strolled next to Skyler.
His heart was bleeding tears of regret. So, he reached out to touch the snake wrapped around Skyler's arm, her head resting on his shoulder, but his hand was slapped away.
Skyler narrowed his gaze at him.
"Don't touch her."
Zack rubbed his hand, wanting to cry.
Why? Because his week had been awful.
He had gone to steal all the treasures the protagonist and his team had found in the Starlight Academy after having decided to let the original story of Eldoria be damned. But he hadn't found a single treasure!
It was as if some bastard had stolen every single item! He didn't even find Professor Hawthorne's hidden stash of Crystals!
A screen flickered to life before him.
#Keeper of Time: Something's amiss. I've been distracted by everything going on, and some unkown person has started hoarding all the treasures that Max and his team were supposed to find. I fear it's the same person who got their hands on the book I hid in the library. If those geezers ever found out about it, they'd be banging on my door. Just the thought sends chills down my spine.
Zack simply dismissed the screen, not wanting to bicker with the Keeper of Time. His heart was already heavy with regret. If only he'd known, he would have gone after the treasures earlier! Now, those precious treasures had been stolen by some jerk!
'I need to find out who this other person is—the one who, like me, has read the novel.'
Next to him, Skyler tried to hide his smirk. However, Charles noticed the evil smile. A shudder ran down his spine.
"Why are you smiling so wickedly?"
Skyler's expression changed in a flash. He let out a confused noise, simply pretending not to understand what Charles meant. But internally, he was laughing, and only Riruru knew this, who stared at Charles and Zack with shiny crimson eyes filled with pity.
Yet, his laughter evaporated as Zack abruptly posed a dangerous question.
"It's not you, is it?"
Skyler blinked, his acting in full effect.
"What?"
Zack narrowed his eyes, then shook his head. He didn't have any proof. Besides, it couldn't be Skyler—if it were, he would've already stirred up trouble, given his crazy personality. Yet, for the past week, Skyler had done nothing. Absolutely nothing.
"Nothing. Just thinking out loud."
Despite this, he still stopped the Keeper of Time from sending messages when Skyler was near. They could always talk privately.
For some inexplicable reason, this young man sent shivers down his spine. He was far removed from the narrative, no longer the Skyler Ironhart destined to die at 20.
Just as the trio entered the Talisman Department classroom, Professor Ohm Glacier, who was already present, asked Skyler to take a seat in the front row.
Charles frowned slightly at the young professor dressed in a brown suit.
"He's showing favoritism."
Skyler rubbed his nose, a chuckle escaping him as he took a seat in the front row. Max, Austin, Elena, and Jenny—who always sat in the front row of every class—were sitting in the second row. Their gloomy eyes made it clear that Ohm had asked them to move.
He, Charles, and Zack were a bit late, yet Ohm Glacier was already praising him for his exceptional talent in talisman making.
"Not favoritism. Bro, it's recognition. This professor knows how to spot talent."
Charles sighed, taking the seat beside him and watching as Zack made his way to the back, where Oreon and Mila awaited him.
"I wish I could tell you to stop bragging so much, but I know it's true. You've got a real knack for talisman making—unlike me."
His wry eyes darted to the row behind him, where he caught a glimpse of the paper in front of Elena, who was sitting behind him. The woman had only scribbled ridiculously sloppy, tiny squares on her talisman paper.
"At least I'm not that terrible."
Skyler followed his gaze and couldn't help but laugh at Elena's feeble attempt to craft a talisman. She was really terrible at it.
"Damn, you're absolutely right."
Elena glared at the two, her slender fingers clenching the brush in her grasp so tightly that it snapped with a faint, crisp sound.
Max sighed at the argument, but before he could persuade Elena to ignore the two, she locked eyes with Skyler. Her gaze mocking.
"Hah, we'll see how good you really are—soon enough. With the way you're acting, one would think you are a master at it."
Skyler's eyes crinkled with mirth.
"You will. Soon enough."
He turned forward, ignoring her glare.
Jenny frowned but held her tongue.
Max had already spoken to her about how her relation with Skyler was deteriorating, so she had chosen to stay quiet—for now.
Charles glanced to Skyler's left when an unfamiliar face suddenly joined them.
It was a young male student with short, curly dark hair and maroon eyes—someone who looked like he preferred silence. He calmly set several snacks on the table in front of Skyler and gave him a nod in greeting.
Skyler shamelessly picked up one of the snacks and began munching, even feeding the white snake, who leaned forward with curiosity to see what he was eating.
"Thanks for the snacks, Isaac. I could've bought them myself, really, but you know, the shop's way too far from my dorm."
Charles gave him a confused look.
What was going on?
Had his friend started bullying the quiet ones and turning them into errand boys?
Isaac shook his head and actually replied—the one who looked like he wouldn't speak even if a professor asked him a question responded to Skyler, albeit quietly.
"No worries. It wasn't a big deal."
Skyler turned to Charles when he suddenly gave him a sharp nudge, his eyes filled with suspicion as he tried his best to understand what was going on. He also braced himself for the worst, imagining Skyler was bullying Isaac and exploiting snacks from him. But Skyler simply pointed to Isaac, unfazed.
"This is Isaac. Isaac Brown."
His lips curved into a slight smile.
"He's my new friend. Since I had his contact, I asked him this morning to bring me snacks when he said he'd be joining this class too."
He quickly turned to Isaac, his expression noticeably more polite than when he spoke to Charles, which visibly annoyed the latter.
"This is Charles, my friend. I hope you two get along and become friends as well."
Isaac nodded at Charles, then pulled out a few more snacks from his storage ring and handed them over as a friendly gesture.
But Charles had a different question as he stared directly at Skyler, his gaze solemn.
"Did you pay him for these?"
Skyler's lips twitched. Naturally, he hadn't paid. But would he admit it? Not a chance.
"Isaac said it's fine."
Charles gave him a deadpan look.
"Seriously? You stole from a dragon, you're a freaking prince of this Continent—and you still can't even pay for your own snacks?"
Skyler turned away, pretending not to hear. Unfortunately, Professor Ohm's eyes landed on him at that exact moment. He frowned.
"No eating in class."
Still, his voice remained calm, showing he wasn't angry with Skyler in the slightest.
Max and Austin exchanged glances. Jenny and Elena were equally confused about why Professor Ohm Glacier—who never showed favoritism—was treating Skyler this way.
They understood why moments later, when the professor suddenly told Skyler to come to the stage and asked him to demonstrate how to craft a basic Novice-tier talisman.
Skyler grabbed Charles's brush and Isaac's talisman paper—after all, he had forgotten to buy his own once again—then made his way to the front of the class and drew a talisman in front of everyone. The instant he finished, the professor applauded with a smile.
"Another perfect novice talisman...! This time, a darkness element one! Amazing!"
Skyler turned and showed his talisman to Elena, smirking as her face stiffened.