"So, can you answer my first question? What the hell are you doing?"
"Ah?" this time Artur was confused about what to answer, "I'm on my way to my room" he answered briefly.
"Room? Can I see your card room?"
"Here," Artur took out a room card from his pocket.
"Floor 15? Why are you climbing the stairs? Do you also want to exercise?"
"Huh?" Artur was confused "How did I get to the 15th floor if I didn't climb the stairs?"
"Pffft... HAHAHAHA... I never expected to meet a muscle-headed bro like you. That's right, Mana Lift is only for weak people!" Robert was so happy and laughed while patting Arthur on the shoulder.
"Mana Lift?" Arthur heard something.
"Yes, the Mana Lift. Ever since that device was used, none of the Military Academy's students used the stairs anymore. Even though they should be training their bodies too, strong mana comes from a strong body. How could they not understand those words? Hmm.." Robert snorted.
'Wait.. what?'
"What is Mana Lift?"
"That's right, what is the Mana Lift?! It's only for weaklings! HAHAHAHAhahahaha...."
Robert noticed Artur's confused face. Arthur's eyes were so innocent that make him stop laughing.
"Don't you really know what Mana Lift is? Ah.. Maybe you know it by another name, like Mana Elevator. No?"
Artur shook his head, he had never heard of Mana Lift or Mana Elevator.
The two boys stared at each other and awkwardness started to appear on Robert's face.
"hmm... hmm... Ah... so... ehh... Mana Lift is a cart that moves in a vertical shaft to carry passengers or freight between the levels of a multistory building. I don't know how they made it, but I hear it is one of Mana Stone's inventions," Robert tried to explain without the slightest intention of joking.
Artur's face turned red, holding back the cursing and swearing in his heart. He already had a bad feeling the first time he saw the young man pointing the way at him. From the way he spoke and his clothes, Artur knew that the young man was the son of a merchant.
But he never expected that the young man tricked Artur into climbing the fifteen floors of stairs and hiding the existence of the Mana Lift. Artur clenched his fists tightly, promising to punch the smug man in the face when he saw him next.
"eehh... Hmm.. hmm... I am sorry, I thought you were working out like me," Robert felt awkward.
"It's okay, Thank you for telling the truth your maje--"
"Stop! Just call me Robert!" Robert stopped Artur before he could lower his head once again.
"O..Okay.. Ro.. Robert," Artur stuttered as he imagined calling someone who could potentially be royalty by his name.
"Hahaha... you don't need to be awkward with me, we are the same age so be easy, okay?. Come on, I'll show you where the Mana Lift is," Robert pulled Arthur to his feet and patted him on the shoulder.
Artur felt awkward with this handsome blonde boy's attitude, which was like an old retired veteran soldier.
The two of them walked side by side for a while. Even though Artur tried to slow down his footsteps so he could walk behind Robert, his new 'master' always equalized Artur's position. He joked and laughed like there was no social barrier between the two of them which made Arthur feel even more awkward.
He was afraid that his attitude toward Robert would one day make him forget that the two of them came from two different social classes. However, Artur was unable to resist Robert's friendliness and just resigned himself to being carried away by his outgoing nature.
The two of them reached a door with a numeric keypad beside it.
"15, right? We have the same floor room," said Robert as he pressed the button.
The Mana Lift door opened and they entered. There was a moment of silence as the Mana Lift door closed but was replaced by the sound of a rotating engine.
Artur tried hard not to turn his head and look for the source of the sound like a country bumpkin. However, when his body suddenly began to float, Arthur started to panic.
His first reaction was to immediately prone and feel the ground where he was standing again. But Artur managed to hold back the reaction and hold on to whatever was around him.
It just so happened that there were no handrails inside the Mana Lift, only bare metal walls. So the target of Artur's natural reaction was Robert standing next to him.
Robert tried hard to hold back his laughter but his cramped face and tightly closed lips were clearly visible to Arthur who was scared. He wanted to scream out loud but the embarrassment that had crept up to his head suppressed that reaction.
Artur froze with his hand squeezing Robert's shoulder tightly. His pale face and gasping for breath really looked cute. Luckily Robert didn't have the sense of humor to joke around with someone he wasn't particularly close to.
The Mana Lift continues to go up floor by floor, every time one floor is passed a *Ding! sounded along with the number above the door changed. Until the *Ding! last sound and the number above the door reads "15".
Gravity suddenly returned within the Mana Lift and Arthur could feel his footing once more. His breath which had been held for several tens of seconds gushed out along with the blood that was rising again to his head.
Robert couldn't hold back his reaction any longer, he laughed so hard he had to hold back his stomach which was starting to pucker.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA FUCK, You look like you just rose from the dead. HAHAHAHAHAHAH"
Artur had wanted to forget that Robert had the potential to be royalty and hung his yellow head in the Mana Lift. But unfortunately at this time, he seemed to have lost the power to even be angry though so he only stared at Robert's happy face with hatred.
"HAHAHA... I am sorry... hahahah.... hah... hahahhaha... but this is the first time I've seen someone almost die from riding the Mana Lift.... HAHAHAHAHAHA"
The Mana Lift door opened and Robert reflexively picked up Artur who was still out of breath. Even though Robert still couldn't stop laughing, he didn't forget Artur.
At that time, Artur felt that Robert was not laughing at him because he was a commoner, but only laughing at his funny attitude. Somehow Artur didn't feel so annoyed at being laughed at by Robert.
"Hey... why don't you look down on me?" Arthur asked curiously.
Robert who managed to stop his laughter looked at Arthur strangely "Why should I look down on you?"
Artur thinks about what to answer, he can give many reasons which in essence are because "fairness is a son of bitch" but what comes out of his mouth is "It is what it is".
"pfft... what kind of funny words is that? Where did you hear that words? It is what it is? hahaha... shit, you funny as hell!" Robert once again cursed while laughing heartily.
Arthur just kept silent waiting for Robert to be satisfied to laugh. They continued walking through the corridor until they arrived at a room door that read "A 158".
The two of them stood in front of the room door without anyone speaking. Artur wanted to thank him but he chose to wait for an answer from Robert. There was something inside Artur's heart that told him he should listen to this.
Robert said nothing and stood still for a few seconds.
Until finally, he said something, "According to you, what denotes the value of a person?"
Arthur didn't answer the sudden question, he just looked Robert straight in the eye and then lowered his gaze. The answer is obvious and is the unshakable truth of this world.
A person's value is determined from the moment they are born.
"Hmm... Maybe you're right, the value of a person has been determined since they were born. But is that value only in one form? Everyone is born unique and different from each other. Have you ever heard of those words? Ah, of course, that sounds like the bullshit of someone who doesn't understand anything.
"But that saying has some truth to it when we look at it from a narrow perspective of time. Humans are born unique, their skin color, appearance, height, etc are determined from the moment they are born. A person has advantages that others don't have and those advantages are their value.
"However, when they grow up, the advantages they have turn out to be useless for the benefit of the people around them. So to live and adapt to their environment, these advantages must be trimmed and eliminated.
"As a result, a person loses the values they have and becomes the same human as everyone else. Becomes one of the billions of other people who are the same, becomes a class that we know as 'common'.
"But have those advantages and values really disappeared from them?
"I don't think so! Just like grass that isn't uprooted, those advantages and values will grow again. Because of that, I won't look down on those from the 'common' class. To me, they are just people whose strengths and values haven't grown again yet.
"And I am someone who has the time and strength to wait for the grass to grow back."
Robert smiled and held out his hand. Arthur could only stare at the handsome man without saying anything. For the first time, he felt someone looking directly into him, someone looking at something Artur had never seen and had forgotten.
Grabbing Robert's large hand, Artur held it like a rope from a well.
"My name is Robert, Robert Gaht! For now on, you are my friend!"
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