The next day, Ermand was the most excited young man in the whole of Tawarn. Unusual to the normal days, he woke up early in the morning to pack up his satchel with some books and other stuff. After taking a bath, he immediately went to grab the high professor's note from the pocket of his jeans before Mrs. Chisel took them to wash.

He reminded himself that he should keep it with him everyday. His hands wandered every corner of the tiny pocket, but he didn't find the note!

Slowly, he felt his pulse racing. Ermand ran to the kitchen, where Mrs. Chisel was preparing an early breakfast before the boys went to college, and her husband to work.

"Mum, have you seen a small note in the side pocket of my jeans that I wore on the first day at Agledon?" he asked, drops of sweat formed on his forehead.

She turned from the side of the sink with a cutlery levitating in the air according to her hand gestures.

"No, Ermie. I hadn't even taken your jeans from the place where you kept it. Any problems dear?"

Ermand mused for a moment before answering. He was slowly getting worried because that was his only hope.

"Nothing. I-I just asked if I could wear it today. I wore the other pair yesterday," he tried acting calm.

"Don't worry, Helmuth bought you a new pair yesterday. Now you'll have three pairs of jeans. I'll take it for you, wait."

Ermand wet his lips before nodding and following her.

If the notes aren't with mum or in the pocket, where else could it be?

"Ermie, come. Here's your new pair!"

Ermand blinked rapidly and turned toward their shabby, old wardrobe.

"Why did you ask him to buy this? I've already told you that I'll buy a new one once I get money from the café."

"No, Ermie. This is a gift from our side. We wanted to keep this as a surprise but it didn't go well. Also, tell your master that you won't be able to work full time there."

"I'll try. He's a grumpy man, I don't think he will ever listen to that. I might have to work extra hours at night, but I'm okay--"

"No. I won't let you work extra time at night! What's his name?"

"Goffinald Rauffin."

"Whoever he is! I'm not going to let my son work for a long time, he's got college to attend. He need to study and--"

"I'll be fired then."

"Then let him fire you!"

Mrs. Chisel almost shouted. This response from her was unexpected for Ermand, he had never seen her as spontaneously furious as then.

"If he fires me, I'll have to spend a week searching for another job. We'll have to starve for half a day then," he mumbled.

Mrs. Chisel sighed, her eyes down.

"Ermie, but you need to emphasize on what's ahead of you, and you know what is. I know Helmuth's working conditions are getting worse everyday. Maybe I should go for a household job again to release the tension from him. Jack and Jason are working too."

"So I get to go college and eat and sleep like a spoiled fellow?" Ermand raised a brow.

"We'll take care of the rest. At least we have a roof above our heads."

"That's anytime to get destroyed within an atrocious weather. The land is not even ours, we'll be homeless then, and there is me -- going to college, eating, sleeping soundly there."

"No, Ermie. Everything will be alright--"

"I'll be doing some job or the other even if you're not ready to accept that."

"Alright, at least make it a part time one. What you have to be is a Defender, and unveil yourself."

"It's better if we don't talk mum. You're making me live in sham illusions. Don't you think it's time that I face the brutal reality..."

"I hope you'll get to know that soon. Remember to trust in what's right, my son."

She pushed the jeans onto his hands and left the room without turning back at him. Ermand's mind was elsewhere, he was thinking of the lost piece of note.

Where did I miss it?

He tried to make sure he's not getting anxious with this. He couldn't even speak about this to Mrs. Chisel, now that they are in worse circumstances. He didn't want to bother them over a missing note, but this note can also shatter their hopes of him studying at the same college where Jason and Jack study.

He thought for a long time until his worry deviated to a temporary relief he tried to compel on himself.

The worst is a humiliation and an expulsion. Let it happen. It's not worth it even if I go to college. After graduation, no one's gonna give me a worthy job when they know I'm a Chisel.

"I should get going," he sighed and threw the jeans on a wooden chair near to him.

He hurried upstairs to his room and shut the door behind him. Ermand stood silently for a long time with different thoughts invading his mind. Finally, he collapsed on his bed and glared at the ceiling that seemed as if it would fall on him any moment every time.

"I wish I was never born. The Chisels would never have to bother with me then..." he said in a monotonous tone.

He blinked rapidly for a long time before getting up to grab a brown pant from his trunk. It was old. He used to wear it when he was sixteen. Through these couple of years, he had grown tall inexpressibly.

"Hope this fits."

After making sure everything was ready, he slowly opened the door and climbed downstairs. He noticed that Jack and Jason were in the kitchen, having their morning breakfast. Ermand walked into the kitchen slowly.

"Just in time, I was about to call you Ermie," Mrs. Chisel smiled. Ermand gave her a nod.

"Dad's thinking if you'd want to join the dorm," Jack stated while they were all eating. Ermand noticed the whole family except Jason, were surreptitiously staring for his answer.

"I don't want to," Ermand replied immediately, seating himself.

"But... it's fun you know."

"I'm not interested," he lied. "Why don't you join, Jack?"

"I-I, you know I've got this job at Mr. Grottin's porcelain shop--"

"Well I've got a job too."

"Ermie, we suggest you quit that damn job and join the dorm," Mrs. Chisel said in a low voice. Her brows merged when she looked at him.

Ermand snorted and put back the steel spoon into the bowl that he twiddled in his hands the whole time.

"Is it just my thought that you people changed dramatically since the time I joined Agledon?"

"No, Ermand. You might feel a bit different because it's your first time at an educational institution. You will find any child's parents take a change in their normal attitude toward their children," Mr. Chisel explained.

"Then why didn't I feel that your attitude with Jack and Jason had changed compared to when before they went to school and after?"

"For goodness' sake, you're an--"

"Jack!"

Mrs. Chisel glared at him, the spoon in her hand dropped down to the floor. Mr. Chisel also had the same face. Jason rolled his eyes and completed his soup and got up from his chair.

"Tired of this drama," he muttered.