13 Unfair
''----''
''Behind Apollo
a slightly childish male voice sounded as they called out to the chef.''
''"Excuse me
esteemed chef Taybur
I seemed to have forgotten my identity card at home. May I get a serving anyway
please?!" Axel exclaimed as a slight smirk appeared on his face directed at Apollo.''
''Without hesitation
the chef gave a jovial nod. A piping hot plate of food was served almost instantly
and even added extra amounts of cooked low-level Spirit Beast meat.''
''On the other hand
Apollo frowned. He felt this treatment was unfair. He was a person as well.''
''"May I have a serving as well?" Apollo asked once again. However
the chef looked at him with blatant disgust.''
''"Are you a family talent? I don''t recall you being on the lists to especially look out for. Therefore
shoo."''
''Apollo seethed with anger. He clenched his fists and looked at Taybur with unconcealed malice. Once again
he was being mistreated. If he could
he would gouge this fellow''s eyes out.''
''As he realized Apollo''s reaction
Axel showed a condescending smirk. Shortly after
Aaron rose from his seat approaching the service window. On the other hand
Lily remained quiet while gracefully eating her food.''
''"Chef
is it possible to receive seconds? The food you gave just wasn''t enough; I still feel hungry
" Aaron pleaded with clasped hands.''
''"Hmm
Aaron is it? You sure can
" Taybur nodded. Soon enough
he once again presented a decent-sized serving to Aaron.''
''Aaron grabbed it and walked back
signaling to Apollo with a wink. Gazing at the chef
Apollo frowned before uttering one sentence. "I promise you this; a day will come when you regret how you''ve treated me and when you do
I hope you can stomach the consequences."''
''With not an iota of care
Taybur chuckled lightheartedly
"Whatever you say
I''m simply following orders." Frankly speaking
no one feared the words of Apollo. In this world
if you were unable to back your words
you were simply disregarded.''
''A silence followed
and after glaring at Taybur for quite a while
Apollo returned to his seat. As he did so
Taybur closed the window. It was pointless for Apollo to even try to receive his card.''
''The moment Apollo sat
Aaron pushed the extra meal towards him with a cheeky smile
"You going without a meal in my presence? Not a chance! I will always have your back haha. Don''t worry about those idiots. Come and eat."''
''He looked at Aaron with eyes filled with gratitude
"Thanks
Aaron
" he said. Afterward
Apollo picked up his utensils as he took a sizable bite of food. It was the best meat he had in who knows how long.''
''?System Alert! 100g of Rank 1 Spirit Beast flesh has been ingested.?''
''?8 Experience has been rewarded.?''
''?Experience: 78/300.?''
''Due to the message
Apollo was pleasantly surprised. Not only did the meal fill his stomach
but it was also filling his experience bar as well. Tearing chunks of meat off ravenously
the notification repeated over and over again.''
''By the end of the meal
Apollo had received the notification over 20 times. In other words
the generous portion Taybur handed Aaron was over 2kg.''
''?Experience: 270/300.?''
''Apollo released a sigh of content
and once again thanked Aaron. He couldn''t recall a time where he had felt satiated like this. His prior meals were rather basic
even the meat he ate was too weak to be qualified as a Spirit Beast.''
''Not to mention
his previous illness counteracted all shreds of Natural Essence in his body. Hence
even if he ate meat of such quality he wouldn''t have been able to enjoy the benefits.''
''Axel looked over to their table and scoffed. He noticed Apollo eating a meal that didn''t quite belong to him. And so
approached the table
slamming his hands against it causing it to shake.''
''However
his actions didn''t garner much rather from Apollo
Lily
or Aaron; a situation which caused him to seethe with anger. He didn''t appreciate being treated like air; it was a blow to his otherwise insufferable ego. "You! Don''t you all see me standing here? Obviously
I came for a reason."''
''First
Aaron looked toward Apollo. Then
he frowned with a slightly annoyed expression and Aaron crossed his arms. With his own scoff
he uttered his own discontent. "And why have you come to annoy us? It was clear we were ignoring you. Can''t you take a hint? Why not travel back to that little group you have over there."''
''Once he finished saying his piece
Aaron waved him off. "Go on now
shoo
" Aaron said
pointing at the group of 6-8 seated boys. Both obliviously and foolishly
they were chowing down on the morsels of their food that remained.''
''"Oh? Since when can you tell me what to do? How about I report to the higher-ups that you didn''t abide by family rules and shared your meal with him
" Axel sneered as he pointed toward Apollo.''
''It was clear from his eyes
he felt disgusted just looking at Apollo''s appearance. However
Aaron''s quick retort followed right after. "I don''t recall that being a family rule. Try that crap somewhere else."''
''Similarly
Axel didn''t back down
"Okay
so let''s see then. I will tell the elders how he didn''t bring his identity card
and you helped him get extra food hindering others from getting it"''
''"What! That''s a lie. Everyone ate already
" Aaron bellowed as he slammed the table causing everyone else to turn their heads.''
''"I didn''t say they didn''t. I said you stopped them from getting more if they wanted to. The way you hear it just shows your own guilt
" Axel chuckled.''
''"That''s bull! Apollo is a person as well. Just like the others
he needs a meal!" Aaron defended.''
''"Does that look like my problem? You heard what the Grand Elder said
they can''t focus on him. That also means these special meals!" Axel snidely remarked. He also showed an unsettling smile towards Apollo.''
''This whole while
Apollo quietly examined Axel as the two argued. He had his own demons to deal with; it was taking his entire being not to lash out and cause a bigger scene.''
''"You''re a disgusting person
you know that? If you tell the Elders
I don''t care. I will always look out for Apollo
" Aaron said
ashamed to continue looking at him. However
they soon stopped.''
''The sound of a sliding chair was heard as a hand was placed on Aaron''s shoulder. It was Apollo
he stood from his seat next to him as he looked at Axel.''
''He looked at Axel and asked a simple question
"Why do you hate me so much?" For a moment
Axel was slightly taken aback. In the past 4 years
there was never a time where Apollo had talked back nor shown any emotion except fear.''
''"Why do I hate you? The answer is simple—because you''re so damn weak. You''re not like the other kids! You''re a disgrace to our family
we are supposed to get stronger. But
here you are; the weakest thing I''ve ever seen. I hate looking at you because it reminds me of what the lowest of low looks like
" Axel venomously spat.''
''For a while
Apollo nodded silently
taking in the words. The breaking point had been reached
he looked at Axel and clenched his fist. Unsatisfied by that answer
the next sentence that escaped Apollo''s mouth caused everyone to gasp in surprise
even the formerly quiet Lily.''
''"If that''s how you feel
then let''s do something about it."''