"This is all because of you, Nail." Cassie sighed as she hugged her book tightly, her long legs continuing to stomp on the ground.
Realizing that he had indeed made a mistake, Nail did not argue with or deny Cassie's words, the young man simply accepted them. Nail looked up, staring at the orange sky. It was already late afternoon, it would be night in a few minutes.
"I was wrong, I'm sorry." Nail said solemnly while looking at Cassie. "It's only natural that you and the other friends would be angry with me about that."
Cassie shook her head. "Yeah, it's good that you realize that, I'd be angry if you were being arrogant and uncaring."
"I'm not, no wonder Master Jael is so angry."
Darren chimed in, "And luckily, master Jael is still kind to you, my friend, just imagine if you were punished? Uh, it must not be very pleasant."
"Um, actually, I had already surrendered at the front, because I was wrong, so I can't help but bear the mistakes I've made, but master Jael just let me sit back down."
"You're lucky, Nail," Cassie continued.
Nail shrugged his shoulders. "Yes, perhaps I am, I actually still feel very guilty, and I don't want Master Jael to get angry like that."
"But, what should be done now? Everything is already done." Cassie sighed harshly after saying so.
Nail was silent, instead, his head nodded in agreement with the sentence that came out of Cassie's mouth.
"At least you learned from that, you have to be careful afterwards and don't make the same mistakes, that goes for me and Cassie too, our other friends are the same. The point is not to do anything too risky, let alone make Master Jael angry." Darren grimaced as he rubbed his hands. "Let's prevent that from happening."
"That's right, Darren, I totally agree."
"I should have waited for the master to come, but I was already too curious." Nail was currently very sorry for what he had done.
Darren embraced Nail from his left side. "Never mind Nail, forget it, you just be careful in the future, okay?"
Nail turned his head to look at Darren, the corners of his lips pulling up. "Thanks Darren."
"You're welcome."
"And now, Master Jael is postponing the lesson for us, we have to wait, who knows when it will resume." Cassie's attention faded forward, to her footsteps. "Looks like Master Jael still has doubts about us, what can we do?"
"Maybe next week." Darren replied, guessing.
"Yeah, maybe, but no one knows for sure," Nail said. "Shit, this is all because of me!"
"Stop beating yourself up, Nail, I know you're wrong. And you remember what the master said? Now that I think about it, he was right."
"Which one did Darren say? Explain right now, I don't understand." Cassie looked at Darren with narrowed eyes.
"I don't know either," Nail replied. The other hairless youth was also the same as Cassie, looking at Darren, waiting for an answer.
"Master Jael is right, if he doesn't come to the field quickly, or if he comes a little later, all of our friends will definitely follow Nail's example of trying to make a big fireball." Darren's eyes moved from Nail to Cassie. There was a moment's pause, before he resumed speaking. "Remember what the master said?"
Nail and Cassie moved their heads simultaneously.
"Yes, I remember master Jael's words, and you're right, Darren." Cassie snapped her fingers. "I remember, even Gaby was a little interested when she saw Nail trying to create fire without Master Jael's guidance."
"Oh yeah? Is that true?" Nail blinked his eyes.
"I'm not lying, I saw it myself."
"I'm afraid I didn't see that," Darren said. "But, I saw Yoyo concentrating on reading while moving his hands, I guess he was interested too, especially after seeing Nail being reckless like that."
"Wow, that's right, even Gaby was really interested, I guarantee you, she would have done it too if Master Jael had come a little later," Gaby said.
"But bad luck befell Nail, he was the only one caught red-handed."
"Never mind, I was wrong. I'm just glad Master Jael didn't kick me out of class." Nail moistened his dry lips, then his head turned to the left, toward the road that stretched out—the road to his house. "Ah, I'll go first, I have to make a turn."
"Yes, go ahead, Nail, your house is that way." Cassie shrugged her shoulders in the direction of the road in question.
"Alright, I'll see you later, Cassie, Darren, I'll be going, and I apologize again for what happened."
Nail smiled slightly as he waved, which Cassie and Darren reciprocated by making the same gesture. Nail turned the corner, away from the two, towards where his house was. Now, only Darren and Cassie were left, their houses were on the same street.
The silence permeated the air, thickening in the middle between Darren and Cassie. The two of them walked in silence, only the sound of footsteps could be heard between them. Darren was struggling to find a topic so that the silence wouldn't last too long. Believe me, if that happened, the awkwardness would be even more excruciating, and Darren didn't want to realize that. He let his brain work hard to think.
Darren turned his head to the side, and his lips parted. "Um, what do you think, Cassie?"
Cassie replied, "How what? What do you mean?" she asked. The girl looked at Darren, not understanding, she was confused, and Darren's question was still floating.
"About Master Jael, is she going to teach us about the fire element earlier?"
"Oh, that one." Cassie nodded slowly, her lips rounding. "Um, I honestly don't know Darren."
"And what's your guess?"
"Master Jael will still teach us, but just delay it a bit longer, maybe? I don't know, we're hoping for the best."
"Alright, that's my house, I'm going home first, okay? You be careful on the road."
"Take it easy, I can take care of myself, I'll see you later, Darren."
"Yeah, see you later."
Darren and Cassie exchanged smiles, both waved goodbye before Darren finally turned towards his house. However, instead of going straight into the house, Darren turned towards Yupo's cage. As usual, the big cat had to be fed.
After dealing with Yupo, Darren then entered the house, took a shower, rested in his room, and came out when Helena told him to have dinner. Darren didn't refuse, he quickly got out of bed, moved out of the room, and joined his mother in the kitchen.
The food was already prepared, it would be a lie if Darren said that his stomach wasn't rumbling, his saliva was almost dripping down, he was hungry, he needed food.
Darren pulled out a chair, sat down, and began to savor Helena's homemade food, which never disappointed Darren's taste buds and was always delicious. If he could, Darren would give his mother ten thumbs up.
"Darren, how was training camp today?" asked Helena, looking at her son, who was currently sitting in front of her.
Darren stopped his activity for a moment. He lifted his gaze from the table, fixing his eyes on his mother. Darren didn't answer immediately, instead, he paused for a moment, thinking to find the right words to say.
"It's not very conducive, it's a bit chaotic, actually." Darren nodded and said, "Yeah, that's what happened."
There's no way Darren would say something dishonest, right? Especially to his own mother. Darren would explain something that did happen, provided Helena was interested in the topic.
And as Darren suspected, his mother would definitely be interested. Helena quickly shifted her chair forward, looking at Darren with focused eyes.
Helena's eyebrows almost came together in a straight line when she finally asked, "Not conducive how? What do you mean, Darren? I don't understand, try explaining it again, in more detail if possible."
"In short, my friend made a mistake that made Master Jael angry. That's how."
"Master Jael was angry?"
"You don't need to think too much, Master Jael is not angry at all, just more ... what is it?" Darren pressed his lips together, trying to find the right words to say.
"Frustrated?" Helena guessed.
"Maybe, but there's a better word."
Helena was now confused too. "What is it? Upset with all of you? Disappointed?"
Darren's eyes lit up, and he quickly snapped his fingers. "Well, that's it! You're right, disappointed. Master Jael is disappointed, that's all."
"What did you guys do to make Master Jael angry and disappointed? Why are your children misbehaving in the training camp? Hm, it's not like usual."
Darren hurriedly shook his head firmly. "No, ma'am, it's not like that, I didn't join in. My friend did something wrong, but everyone was affected. That's how it happened."
"Ah, I see."
"Yes, that's the point. But everything is safe now, hopefully."
"Well, I hope you all don't make similar mistakes, Master Jael must have accumulated a lot of patience to teach you all." Helena smiled. "Well, now finish the food."
It was at that moment that Darren remembered something. "Oh yeah, mom, I want to ask you something." Darren picked up his glass and downed it.
"Want to ask about what?"
"I was in the field, I was at the training camp, and I heard the sound of the palace horn, what's that?"
"Oh that." Helena pondered for a moment. "I saw the news in the market earlier, King Edward asked us all to come here, only adults, no exceptions."
"Only the fire clan?"
"No, all the clans are ordered to meet His Majesty at the palace, we will blend together there."
"What is it?"
"I don't know either, Darren, but one thing is for sure, King Edward said that he's going to announce some important news. And to be honest, I'm very curious, I'm sure everyone else is too. Well, just wait for the information tomorrow morning."
"Tomorrow morning? At what time are adults asked to go to the palace of the full moon of darkness?"
"Nine o'clock sharp, we're expected to be there. And you are, so I think I'll have to ask you a favor, Darren: Will you take care of the shop early tomorrow? Can you?"
"Of course, I'll do that."
"Good, thank you, dear."
Darren smiled. "Anything for mom."
Something that no one would expect will happen tomorrow, at the palace.
Undoubtedly, everyone will be surprised.

Latest Chapter
Chapter 36 : Where Did Mom Go?
Two days later, as night fell, Darren sat on his not-so-wide bed. The young man bent his knees, a tattered piece of paper in his hands. For the umpteenth time, Darren stared at it, reading the lines on it.Darren let out a long breath along with the cold that pierced his skin. The young man didn't close the window, letting the wind into his room."Tomorrow is the day of the first challenge." Darren muttered, "I don't know what game King Edward will come up with."That's right, that's what the flyer said. Darren had read and listened. It wasn't a serious matter that he had to think about for a long time, but Darren felt that he still had to prepare himself.If he deliberately failed himself during the game, it might attract great suspicion, especially if King Edward realized it. What should he do if that happened? Darren didn't know."I do need to foil myself, but I need to do it carefully so it's not too obvious." Darren straightened his back, his hands already clenched into tight fis
Chapter 35 : Acquaintance
"Darren, are you serious?" The movement of Cassie's hand, which was plucking a blade of grass, stopped when Darren's words floated in the air."I can't be lying, that's the reality of what happened to me," Darren said.Cassie and Nail looked at each other, their faces were almost the same—filled with suspicion, but they were also confused, wondering to themselves how the things Darren said could possibly happen. But, that was the truth. They believed Darren's words.Previously, Darren had told Cassie and Nail about the incident he had experienced—the incident in which he had inevitably had to participate in the game for the seat of a prince. Currently, they are joining the fire clan for the good work of cleaning up their place.The streets were cleared, swept clean, the mud removed, the grass that had grown long was neatly trimmed, and the trash that was scattered about was thrown away. Mutual cooperation will undoubtedly be completed quickly if it is done together like this."What ki
Chapter 34 : Who Is The Person?
"Look, I'm not trying to be accusatory or anything, it's just that anything can happen, right?" Finn looked at Darren with a serious look on his face."And?"Finn licked his dry lips before he finally answered, "It was probably Nail who put your name in that glass box, so you ended up being listed as one of the contenders for the Crimson Prince position." Finn's shoulders shrugged as Darren widened his eyes. "It's just my guess, no one knows how, not even you.""Nail?" Darren squeaked softly, his eyes blinking rapidly. "Why are you accusing him of doing this to me?""Darren ...." Finn let out a long breath. "Like I said before, I'm not accusing Nail at all, it's just my guess.""Nail would never do something like that.""Well, that's up to you. If you believe that, that's your business. I'm just saying that someone can be mean to you even if they're very nice to you. It's not that I'm saying Nail is mean to you, it's just that he might mean well to get you into the game. Okay, anyway,
Chapter 33 : Suddenly Registered
Finn's shouted words had Darren rooted to the spot, he cringed slightly, his lips parted."You can't jump to conclusions like that, I haven't even explained anything yet, okay?" Finn chided loudly, "And please don't cut me off again while I'm talking, you've got it all wrong, Darren.""What do you mean, Finn?" asked Darren, his voice low, almost a whisper. The young man blinked, his gaze not leaving his best friend's face."You're wrong, none of what you said before is true. That's why, you should listen to my explanation first, don't just talk at length like before, especially when it was a mistake."Darren shook his head and said, "I don't know what you're talking about.""No one is hostile, holds a grudge, or someone is trying to cheat me. That doesn't exist, that's bullshit." Finn began to explain, his words clear and lucid.Darren moved his hand, "but earlier you said--""I didn't say anything, you came to your own conclusion," Finn said, this time it was his turn to cut Darren o
Chapter 32 : Anyone Cheating?
"Everyone, listen carefully. Before you go back to your homes, I'm going to share some important information with you all."All the fourth-year students immediately looked to the front, their eyes fixed on Master Jael, who had previously said that class time was over and everyone should get ready to go home. But, now the master wanted to provide additional information."This won't take so long that it will take up your time to go home, so listen up for a moment." Master Jael clapped his hands together once, his facial expression becoming more serious, and after watching his students listen, he cleared his throat softly and then continued. "I just received information from the elders, the elders received information from the kingdom, or more precisely, King Edward himself conveyed the information. Now, I will convey this information to all of you.""What information do you mean, master?" asked Gaby as she raised her hands high, she was indeed an overly curious little girl, her curiosit
Chapter 31 : Darren's Idea
With his body straightened, Finn faced Darren fully. "Seriously, you have an idea, Darren? Please tell me right now." Finn pleaded, high hopes already soaring in his chest."I just thought my idea could be tried," Darren replied, "of course if you agree.""Darren, please tell me right now." Finn urged, "I need to hear that. And you're right, maybe I can try your idea."Darren's head nodded. "So, what if you put your name in that glass box, again? You could try, right?"Instead of Finn responding quickly, Nail spoke first, starting with a flick of his finger. "I agree, you can try that, Finn, after all, registration isn't closed yet, there's still time."Darren chimed in again, "What do you think, Finn?""Can I do that?" asked Finn, doubt crossing his expression."Why not? Who's going to tell you not to? In fact, your name isn't even on the list, so you just put your name back in the box, it's all done, and you'll be listed again." Nail clapped his hands, the grin on his face growing w
Chapter 30 : Provisional Player List
It was true what Nail said, the Crimson Country's vast and clean city square was full of people, especially in a certain part, located near the fountain, where a crowd had gathered, right in front of an information board.Darren and Nail were still standing at the entrance to the town square, both of them exchanging glances."That's where the information is posted," Nail said, "The sign lists the provisional names of those who will participate. Let's take a look."Nail waved a hand, instructing Darren to move forward immediately, then join the people at the front."Nail!""Yeah, why?"Darren ran a little to catch up with Nail, who had stopped in front of him. "Nail, I think it's better to wait for the crowd to die down first so you can easily read the writing there, keep looking for your name."Nail's head turned back, staring at the crowd. "Yes, you're right, but I'm already very curious.""Suit yourself, I'm just suggesting that if you want to see it now, so be it." Darren shrugged
Chapter 29 : He Needs Darren Again
By the sixth day, the paper with the names of those who would be included in King Edward's game was getting more and more in the glass box, it was almost full, just a little more. Tomorrow was the last day, but every day, many people still came to the palace to enter their names. Some came alone and entered their names bravely and confidently, some came represented by their parents, and some even asked to be accompanied by other people (friends, family, cousins, etc.) just like Nail, who asked Darren and Cassie for help that time.As we approached the last few days before registration closed, it was clear that people were very excited, which meant that the game was about to start, and everyone wanted to see it.And here Darren was, right in his yard, he was leading the way, venturing closer to Helena, who was doing her routine of watering the plants so that they wouldn't wilt.Darren was about to make a confession, he had prepared himself. Helena smiled and greeted Darren once he was
Chapter 28 : Helena's Willpower
Gio returned to see King Edward after being asked to go on an errand. The handsome man met the king, who was currently reading a book in a very large and spacious private library, filled with books lined up on the shelves.King Edward had his face down, looking at the text he was reading, when Gio, the royal advisor, appeared near him. King Edward looked up, closed his book, shifted the chair he was sitting on, then turned his body around.The king saw Gio bending his body before him, ready to receive the information he had assigned to his personal advisor."Gio, so what?" King Edward asked, looking at Gio with a curious look on his face.Gio's lips pressed together for a moment before giving an answer, others would know if the man was thinking of the right sentence to say."Everything is good, Your Majesty, the plan is going smoothly as desired. It's already the third day, and the glass boxes on the steps of the palace are getting more and more.""I see.""That's right, my king, I'm
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