Chương 116: Chapter 117: Trust

Yuna excused herself for a moment, then returned with Clara. He took a proper look at the girl. She had ink-black hair and a face filled with freckles. The hollowed-out cheeks she'd once had when begging were replaced by a bright smile that reached her ears. Her arms had even developed some muscle, and were no longer sticks. She looked healthy and happy. Upon seeing Evel, something shifted in her eyes. Her smile was still there, but it was like some of the brightness had dimmed.

"How's everything, Eth?" She politely greeted. His body tensed, but he simply nodded.

"Fine. I've talked to Yuna about plans to feed the citizens of the slums, but she says the two of you worked on one already?"

"It was mostly Clara," Yuna clarified.

"I just helped her with some small details."

"Will we do it?" Her eyes shone, and the bright smile he'd seen so often on her face returned.

"I can't make any promises," he replied.

"By feeding everyone in the slums, they'll be healthier to work, and be able to afford watching our show. It's a natural advancement forward. It's something we should eventually do anyway."

"That's amazing." Clara tightened her fist.

"I'm sure you've never experienced it, but constant hunger… It just eats away…" she trailed off. Evel took a shaky breath.

"Right. Please, tell me your plan." Knock knock knock. Silence. Knock knock knock. Silence Kn— The door slammed open.

"WH— Oh, Evel."

"Good evening." His teacher, wearing a neon yellow shirt that was a little straining on Evel's eyes, raised his chin.

"What are you doing here?"

"You're a lonely old man with nobody to share dinner with." Albert snorted as he widened the door for him to enter.

"I see you're already faring better."

"If better means boredom and not making any progress in improving my strength, I guess so." Albert smirked.

"You're fully free to disregard my advice on training, you know." Evel didn't reply. He walked in and placed the package of food he'd bought at the market on the kitchen stove. In terms of training, he hadn't actually fully cut it out. At night, he'd still go on runs, and in the mornings, he'd still do weight lifting, albeit at a lower intensity. Neither of those really helped him grow stronger in any facet, but rather helped him maintain what he already had. At least, that's how he saw it.

"At least you're smart enough to know it's good for you."

"But a whole month?" Evel complained.

"Isn't it too cruel a punishment?" He was only half-joking. Not being able to train was extremely frustrating, and at times he wished he'd never agreed. Obviously the month was created with the best intentions in mind. He'd even enjoyed the boredom strangely at first. But only now was he realizing how long a month really was. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Albert scratched the back of his head as he walked to the kitchen.

"I'll admit I didn't expect you to bounce back so quickly." Evel nodded. His mind was still his greatest strength; He just forgot to take care of it for a while.

"But," Albert raised a finger, "in a way this is supposed to be punishment. After the month is over, you won't fall back into the same habits again." He rummaged through the bag of groceries.

"Here, cut these." Catching the sack of potatoes that was so effortlessly thrown mid-air, he placed them on the counter and took out the chopping board.

"How do you never get bored? You're basically always home except for a few appointments that last a few days, and you never have company except me."

"Well, I do get visitors sometimes." Evel turned to Albert. He'd never seen anyone come to the house before.

"Avid likes to pop in when you're not here, and I got a few others I keep in contact with via VTR. Mostly it's the garden that takes up all my time." He smiled fondly and looked out the window.

"Just look at it." Evel looked out the window to the front yard. The garden truly was a work of art.

"Why not just use your ability?" Albert snorted.

"Then what else would I do with the rest of my day?" Evel gave him a long, strange look before focusing back on the potato. He saw it as a waste of time, but Albert saw it as a good use of it. Their perspectives really were quite different. Pulling out a knife, he began peeling the potato.

"I'm actually probably gonna get busy again pretty soon."

"Oh yeah?"

"I've found the time to start practicing my tricks again, so that'll take up a lot of time. I also have been going to plays to study for possible future advancements of the circus. Watched 'Unyielding' just earlier today. Once we expand our scope, I want to get more involved again." Albert solemnly nodded.

"A tragic masterpiece."

"The actors were good, but it felt a little too exaggerated."

"I've seen him before," Albert smirked.

"Unyielding fist." Evel paused, knife in the air.

"Really?"

"A speech at the capital. It was so crowded I almost got crushed to paste, but that man is truly something else. That power is so far beyond what we could imagine, but if anyone can defeat eleven foes on the same stage as them, it's him."

"Not even the Emperor?"

"Don't underestimate the leader of Tempor." Albert smiled.

"I doubt there even are eleven foes in the entire world at his stage." Evel exhaled. Although he knew these people were real, it was impossible to think of them as such. The image of Alaric alone saved him countless times as a child, and to have actually seen such a hero in person...

"Keep peeling," Albert reminded. Evel nodded and kept at it. Like everything else, peeling and cutting was a skill he was gradually improving at, but he was still slow. Not that the skill would ever matter. Between Albert's humming and the knife's chopping, the time gradually passed. With the two of them, dinner was quickly prepared, and they brought the food to the table. Albert stopped humming and cleared his throat.

"Anything new with the circus?"

"We're planning to use some of the income from Upper Ichoris to feed the people of the slums. The few who don't already get free food by working the mines." Albert swallowed.

"I see. So not much in terms of your mission?"

"I'm almost convinced they don't even exist at this point." Dissent. Not long ago it had been a topic that brought him endless frustration. Now, he had a decent amount of credits as a fallback, and didn't have any major purchases he needed to make for a while. It was strange how quickly the things he prioritized had changed. He still wanted to get stronger and become a Weaver as fast as he could, but right now he could only think of one problem… He took a sharp breath. If anyone knew how to solve it, it was Albert.

"I," He hesitated.

"I've been having a different problem at the circus."

"What, nobody wants to be around you?" Evel opened his mouth to retort, then quickly closed it.

"Who do you think had to deal with you for a full month?" Albert smiled. Evel lowered his head, "Sorry… I—" His teacher cut him off by raising his hand.

"I've been there and understand, but your… friends?" Evel clenched his jaw, "Workers."

"But your workers don't. The way they see it, that's just your personality." Evel remained silent.

"Have you tried apologizing for your behaviour?"

"No."

"Did you give them a reason why you were so on edge?"

"No." He'd been trying to think of good stories that could make sense. For example, he could tell them that he had family issues that bled into his day-to-day. They already knew about the Mayor's punishment for him, so he could say there was a second punishment he was running away from. It wasn't a complete lie.

"Evel," Albert interrupted his thoughts.

"Human relationships aren't as complicated as you're making them out to be. Most of the time, you receive what you give. So far, I doubt you've given them any trust at all."

"What if they reveal something, and throw the entire mission out the window? Or what if they're secretly working for another Banner?"

"Maybe they are." Albert shrugged, and Evel narrowed his eyes.

"But as far as they know, the same could be true for you. Why should they ever trust you? Why should you trust me, or I you?" Evel remained silent, eyes on his bowl.

"Oh yeah," Albert pointed to the pile in the corner.

"Don't forget to take all your spoils back today. Otherwise I'll consider it a gift for my hospitality."