He slowed down to a jog, knowing that he would not catch up with anyone. This was how long-distance running ended for him. The whole year participated in the exercises, but he invariably performed the worst.
He almost jumped when he heard someone else's breath right next to his ear. Lesteria also slowed down to a jog. She was wearing sweatpants and a sweatshirt the color of her hair, which was tied up in a high ponytail. It was no secret that she took the endeavor deadly seriously. He could see it in her eyes. She was desperately trying to understand her mentor's behavior.
"Why are you at the back?" She looked around frantically, trying to find even the slightest clue. "I understand that you don't want to stand out, but in that case, you would be running in the middle, not at the back... Perhaps not standing out is standing out for you, and that's why you're running at the back. That's why you dress like that, not hiding your identity. It's like reverse psychology!" She looked proudly at her mentor.
"Yes..." He had already learned that in such situations it was best to just agree.
"So... I let you down!" Her voice broke. "I should be running at the front, or here..."
"You think too much." He stopped her with a wave of his hand. "So what if someone thinks you're not normal?" He spoke from the heart. He himself had long since distanced himself from the broadly understood idea of normality.
"This is about safety." Jogging alongside the boy didn't tire her in the slightest. She couldn't help but admire him as he struggled to catch his breath. She began to understand why people called him a perfect actor.
"Safety...?" He scratched his head. "You mean the Flock might attack?"
"'The Flock'? I meant an attack by the Swarm."
"..." He completely forgot the name of the organization that was hunting for his necklace. He blushed with embarrassment as the girl stared at him with curiosity.
"What is 'The Flock'!?"
"Another... Organization... More dangerous..." He looked away, his tongue tangled in lies.
"I was so naive..." She lowered her gaze. "We have to be on our guard... No! We have to call a meeting..."
"I've got everything under control!" He interrupted her. He didn't want to complicate an already difficult situation. If this continued, with every mistake, he would add another concept to the fictional novel that his life was supposed to be.
"That's sooo you!" She smiled broadly. "I'm bothering you unnecessarily. You're probably busy preparing for sparring."
"Yeah..." He jogged about a hundred meters before the meaning of the sentence reached him. "What sparring?"
He didn't care about skipping class. He didn't know he could run so fast. Perhaps if he wanted to, he could achieve a pretty good place in a race. He hurriedly opened the door decorated with a sign that read "Sphinxphere Office." He looked around the reception area, which used to be his room. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw a familiar face. Lois, as usual, was wearing a sweater that could be described as unfashionable. The presence of his friend explained the open door.
"It's good to see you... Wait... Why aren't you at the school race?" Lesteria hired the bespectacled man right after he provided legal assistance in her dispute with the tax office. However, that didn't mean he could be so brazenly absent from school activities.
"I couldn’t bring myself to take last place from you." He didn't even look up from the thick volume.
"That's ridiculous. I'll deduct it from your paycheck." The Apostle snorted as he opened the drawer with the documents. His friend was his legal advisor, accountant, and receptionist. He paid him from the absurd funds he had gained from Sphinxphere. The gold payment card rested quietly in his wallet because he was afraid to use it.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
He was frantically rummaging through the papers when he heard a calm voice.
"Now I know why they call you the 'Apostle of Destruction'..." He looked up from his book. All the documents were scattered around the room. Lois sighed deeply. After all, he had spent the whole morning organizing them.
"I mean, I know why 'Destruction,' but why 'Apostle'? Are there thirteen of you, or is each apostle responsible for something different? If so, could you switch with the Apostle of Common Sense..."
"Aaaa!" He had no desire to respond to the provocation. Probably because the word "Apostle" had found its way into his name only because of its intriguing connotation. "Sparring." He looked Lois in the eye.
"Sparring?" He raised his eyebrows.
"Lesteria says I got an invitation to spar, but I don't know what it's about..."
"Oh." He replied briefly.
"What do you mean by 'Oh'!" In response, the accountant raised his cup of tea. A letter folded into four parts served as a coaster.
"I thought it was some kind of spam." He explained, but the Apostle had already started reading.
My name is Halverdo. I am a mighty warrior, and my place that I hold in the Sphinxphere Council is 10. Although I am lower in rank, and you are higher, I hope for fruitful cooperation. And how can I better earn Your respect than by challenging you to the duel. I will arrive in your world in three days at dawn, and we will begin the fight at noon.
HALVERDO
"..." The Apostle of Destruction's jaw dropped. Seeing this, Lois grabbed the letter.
"What's wrong with that?" Lois raised his eyebrows.
"What do you mean, what? Some Hercules wants to beat me up!" He grabbed his head.
"But you're stronger than him, aren't you?" He pointed at the letter. "It says he's number 10, and you're number 1. You're at the top of the organization."
Oh, right... He doesn't know that my power is fake. Why doesn't he have any questions? Some guy from another world wants to fight me, and he...
"Yes... I can handle him." He lied. "Wait! What do you mean, I'm number one? Are you telling me there are nine people below me?"
"You seem quite surprised." Lois sat down in his seat. "I wouldn't say they're below you. I think you all have authority over the organization, and the ranking is meant to represent strength."
"Okay... Okay..." He calmed down. "I just have to cancel the sparring match."
"You said you could handle him."
"Quiet!" The accountant obediently returned to reading. "Fortunately, I still have three days... I'll think of something."
"The letter arrived the day before yesterday." The next thing Lois heard was the door slamming. The apostle hurriedly left the office.
He was greeted with applause. However, it was not a pleasant experience, as his peers were mocking the worst time in school history. He crossed the finish line forty minutes later than anyone else. Bowing theatrically, he was surprised that they were still waiting. There was no major punishment. He only had to listen to a lecture from his angry physical education teacher. He nodded impatiently, knowing that merciless time was not his ally. As soon as he could, he headed for Lesteria. She was talking to her school friends. Certainly, while he was struggling to make friends, she had already gotten used to school life in just a few days.
"I have a question!" He approached the group of girls standing there. Only after uttering these words did he realize that many pairs of eyes were turned in his direction. Everyone was silent. Under normal circumstances, he would have saved himself from the awkward situation by saying something completely nonsensical. Unfortunately, knowing that Lesteria took everything seriously, all he could say was...
"We need to talk." He tried not to pay attention to the rest of the girls.
"Do you want to confess your love to her?" He grimaced when he heard the comment from the girl standing next to him.
"Do you even know each other?" She patted the pink-haired girl on the shoulder, as if she wanted to save her from an intrusive flirt.
"Sure." She didn't understand the commotion. "We live together..." She didn't have time to finish when the boy pulled her by the hand. Once they were alone, he reprimanded her.
"You can't talk about it..." He covered his face with his hands.
"Why?" Seeing her mentor's critical gaze, she lowered her eyes. "I understand!"
"Now the whole school will be gossiping. We have to do something about it..." He almost forgot why he came here. "Ah! Can you take me to Halverdo!?" He grabbed her arm, shaking it slightly. He was still in a state of panic, as his life was about to fall apart even more.
"Now? You'll see each other tomorrow at the sparring match. Can't you wait..." She smiled awkwardly, not understanding the tense atmosphere. He froze for a moment. He wasn't thinking about how to convince her. He looked away slightly.
"The Swarm..."
"Swarm!?" She stood at attention. "Are you saying they want to attack him?"
"That's right... My informant... Albert told me. There's no doubt that the attack will happen any minute now." he lied.
Sorry, man
he promised himself he wouldn't involve the shopkeeper in his crazy adventures. The girl's reaction was not long in coming. She raised her hand and her fingers began to trace symbols in the air. She didn't need the coordinates of the world because she had been there before. A portal appeared, and the boy wasted no time in jumping over the invisible threshold.