n

n

nThe silence that ensued after Karter's proclamation instantly alerted Layn about the weight of what he just heard. The shocked faces of the guards and the glister of trump in Kerren's eyes only further solidified archmage's guess.

n

"Karter… Are you really sure?

" Stepping half-step forward, the leader of the guard sent an uneasy look to the leader of Irea's group. Yet, rather than backing down or attempting to calm the situation with other means, the middle-aged man continued to walk forward with his right arm raised.

n

"I am willing to get marked as well.

" Appearing from the completely opposite direction, one of the Irea and Karter companions stepped forward with his arm raised in a similar fashion.

n

"And so am I.

" One by one, the rest of the group appeared from all kinds of directions. Some stepped out of the crowd of onlookers, some came running from across several streets.

nWith each addition to the count, the look of trump on Kerren's face continued to sink, replaced with desperation growing with each next appearance.

nAfter just a moment, the entire group encircled the area of the commotion.

n

"I am willing to get marked too.

" As soon as the members of her group stopped appearing, Irea shook her shoulders before raising her arm as well. Then, the eyes of not only everyone participating in the event but also all the onlookers moved on the archmage.

n

"I'm not really sure what it means, but heck, I would be damned if I were to keep my arms still.

" There was a limited number of possible meanings behind marking. And not a single of Layn's guesses was bad enough to warrant remaining still.

n

"What's your move, Kerrren?

" As soon as Layn's arm moved upwards, the eyes of everyone moved towards the dummy that thought he could be rude towards Layn's guide in the archmage's presence. Still trying to raise at least on his knees, when faced with the attention of everyone in the area, the man froze.

n

"God damn it, where the hell they are when they are needed…

" Cursing under his breath, Kerren looked around for a moment before his shoulders sunk. With a look of defeat surfacing on his face, he gave up on his attempts to stand up before raising both of his hand into the air.

n

"I give up. There wasn't any topic, to begin with, and I will compensate for the losses.

" Lowering his head in a poor attempt to hide his jaws tensing up in hate, Kerren ended up making the decision on his own. To end the situation right here and now, even if it meant losing a bit of face.

n

"There was no topic? Then you will surely apologise to my group for insulting the honour of both its existing and deceased member, am I right?

" Speaking up, Layn didn't expect a wave of gasps to follow. Knowing perfectly well that look around in a surprise would tell the others how little did he know about what was going on, the archmage could only stare menacingly at the humiliated man.

n

"You little…

" Almost erupting in fury, the entire body of the man twitched when the despisal filled his mind.

n

"Will you?

" Cutting Kerren's attempt to stall the situation, the guard sent him a cold stare.

n'Did I place my bets right?' Even though it seemed as if that annoying, little man was cornered right now, Layn couldn't help but worry. Once again his impulsiveness made him push his limits even further.

nAnd it wasn't something that he should be doing when stranded in a foreign world of antique!

n

"I… I apologise.

" After throwing yet another glance at the crowd surrounding him, Kerren finally caved in. Placing both of his hands flat on the ground, he slowly lowered his head before striking the pavement with his forehead.

"For being rude and not knowing the limits in my flirt as well as disrespecting the memory of your fallen compadre, I do apologise.

"

nLayn would have to be blind not to notice how tightly the man's jaws were pressed against each other. It was a miracle for him to be able to speak like that already.

n

"Great, then there is no need to mark anyone. Now, if you could kindly make yourself sparse, I would be immensely grateful. For as long as you will linger in the area…

" Spreading his arms to point at the crowd that was surrounding them already, one of the guards looked at Layn with an anxious look on his face.

n'No wonder they are wary around me… It seems what I did was quite… overbearing.' Commenting the situation in his thoughts, Layn put a gentle smile on his face before putting his hands behind his back.

n

"I'm grateful for your help in peacefully resolving the situation.

" Contrary to Kerren who noticeably had to swallow his pride to lower his head, Layn saw absolutely no problem in doing the same. After all, he was really grateful to the guards for stepping in, and what's more, not taking Kerren's side right off the bat.

n

"And to you, my friends, I'm grateful for vouching for me.

" Turning his eyes to the ancients of Irea group, Layn bowed lightly again before a sharp tug on his sleeve forced him to look to the side.

n

"Let's go now, mkay?

" Instead of using a stern or even cold voice, Irea simply snuggled to Layn's hand before looking at him with upturned, glistering eyes of hers while asking in a soft voice.

n

"Sure thing.

" At first, Layn simply smiled and followed in the direction where the girl pulled him. But instead of entering some kind of inn or even buying some meat skewers from the street-side stalls, not only did Irea continue to pull Layn along with her, but the rest of her group quickly joined the pack as well!

n

"What's going…

" Before Layn could even finish his question, Karter's stern voice interrupted him.

n

"We are leaving the war camp. While we got lucky that he didn't have his people beside him, there is no way he will forgive you this humiliation. We need to ditch this place as soon as possible.

" There was no blame in the leader's voice, just pragmatic spirit. Since there was no way to take back what happened and placate Kerren, their best shot at avoiding the clash with that two-star veteran, was by leaving the camp before he could give chase!

n

"Speaking of which… This marking thing, anyone willing to explain what the heck it means?

"

n