How to Survive at the Academy - Chapter 33

Chapter 33

 

The Occupation of Ophelis Hall (3)

 

“Tomorrow will be the start of the second semester.”

While training alone in his room, it suddenly occurred to Ziggs Eiffelstein that quite a decent amount of time had passed. 

As he looked out his window, the pouring rain beyond it failed to raise his spirits. Due to the gloomy weather of the last several days, he hadn’t been able to start his day with his usual jog. The conditions weren’t great for training his magic power outdoors, either.

His plan to train as much as he could over the vacation was ruined. He had planned on developing various basic skills to keep up his progress in the class, but he still felt that it was a long way off.

Professor Glast’s curriculum for Class A was quite daunting for Ziggs, who didn’t have a knack for learning. While Lucy was out of the question due to her tendency to solve every problem with her overwhelming level of magic power, he wanted to watch and learn from Lortel’s delicate use and management of her magic power—as well as her ability to solve problems and adapt quickly. 

Although Ziggs was considered ahead of her in terms of practical combat skills, he was far behind Lortel in terms of know-how and the skills required to thrive in a civilized society.

“I really need to stop letting my emotions cloud my judgement…”

Ziggs let out a heavy sigh.

His companion, Elka, was genuinely angry that he had beaten up Totte in a moment of rage. It was very rare for Elka to get angry at Ziggs. In the end, it was Ziggs who went to Totte and apologized—even though his anger hadn’t fully faded.

“Hm?”

Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of a familiar face in the garden through the pouring rain. Wearing a robe as they ran through the rain, they entered Ophelis Hall. It was definitely the guy that lived in the cabin in the northern forest.

“Wasn’t he kicked out? If he is trying to force his way into Ophelis Hall, the maids will just kick him out…”

He was worried that that guy might get hurt unnecessarily, but Ziggs already knew him all too well. That was why he didn’t have to worry about such a thing happening.

Ziggs leaned back and looked away from the window.

 

* * *

 

Once you opened the main door of Ophelis Hall, you could see the first floor main hall. 

Every time a student entered the dormitory, the maid in charge of the entrance would quickly check them before letting them in.

Unless you wore the red brooch that was given to those allowed in Ophelis Hall, it was impossible for them to check you in and let you enter. Additionally, the maids memorized the faces of all 53 students staying in the dormitory, so you couldn’t fool them.

“You must be Sir Ed? I received the message from the head maid.”

Originally, I would have had to stand in the rain in front of a tightly closed entrance. However, today Ophelis Hall was open.

‘Kelly, who is in charge of laundry.’

She had a small figure and was neatly dressed in the lower maid’s uniform. She was one of the mid bosses in the Occupation of Ophelis Hall Event.

There was no way that the loyal Ophelis Hall maids would willingly participate in the occupation. However, Shaney and Kelly—who were trained and raised by Head Maid Elris—were different. They were persuaded to participate in the plan by Elris.

Shaney, who wielded a rapier, was in charge of being the vanguard. Kelly was to take control of the hallway with her decently high proficiency in beginner magic. Although you would meet them on the third floor as enemies, they honestly weren’t all that difficult to deal with as opponents. As long as you could defeat Kelly, who was in charge of the firepower, it would be easier than you’d think to break through.

Well, that was all something that Taylee would take care of.

“It would have been a disaster if you were any later. We’re going to switch rotations soon.”

Anyway, right now Kelly was still in charge of the entrance. As she was instructed in advance, she let me enter Ophelis Hall.

“Soon, I’ll be switching places with another maid to go take care of my work. Celara might be a child, but she is a new maid. Still, you should be able to defeat her without much force. She shouldn’t be carrying anything like a weapon on her.”

“Is it okay for a little kid to be in charge of the main entrance?”

“It’s not that difficult of a job to identify and let people in. In the event of an emergency, there is also a magic tool that allows you to contact the head maid directly, but today she won’t answer the call.”

I nodded my head.

I would hide inside the hall and, when the time arrived, I would defeat the maid that was guarding the entrance and open the doors. The lower students would then enter and proceed upstairs.

By that time, Head Maid Elris would have activated Ophelis Hall’s Defensive Magic Circle. That would seal off the entrance to each room. All I would have to do then is walk around the first floor and check that the magic was working.

From there, once I determined that there wouldn’t be any problems, I would come back to the first floor’s main hall and wait for Taylee.

According to the original timeline, the members that would overcome this event were Taylee, Ayla, Elvira, and Clevius.

However, Clevius wouldn’t join up with them until the second floor, so all I had to do was deal with the other three.

 

“What about the other maids?”

I looked down the empty hall as I questioned Kelly.

“Other than essential personnel, most of them have gathered in the conference room. The head maid gathered them all there, saying there was an important issue to discuss.”

She was thinking of putting them all in a room and sealing the entrance. As expected, once the head is hired on, the plan becomes quick and easy.

“I have prepared the things that you requested.”

Kelly groaned as she brought out a basin near the entrance. It was filled with a thick liquid.

“Oh, thank you.”

“Should I just leave it in the corner?”

I nodded and looked up at the hall.

As it was such a luxurious building, it was glamorous even from the entrance. The main hall’s marble floor was sparkling clean. The height of the ceiling was high, making it feel like you were still outdoors.

A magnificent chandelier hung from the ceiling, and smaller chandeliers were hung around it. It gave off the impression of stars decorating the moon.

As you looked and walked around the center of the hall, it was enough to make you feel quite lonely. The decorative cabinets lining the wall, and even the stone door leading to the hallways, were antiques.

“The walls and floor are all made out of marble.”

It was definitely a luxurious place. I had already visited this place from Taylee’s point of view as a part of the storyline, but seeing it in person was definitely different.

I opened the door of a cabinet that was in the corner and put some of the things I had prepared inside. After grasping the location and structure of various things in the hall, I nodded my head and made a rough estimate of what would happen next.

Following the original timeline, the boss battle on the first floor wasn’t anything special. It just took a bit of time.

The key was to take up just a little bit of Taylee’s time before he moved on to the second floor boss battle. Once that was over, the rest would probably go smoothly.

The boss on the second floor was ‘Gloomy Clevius.’

It was an event where you would have to chase after Clevius, who broke down a wall because he was afraid of being alone, despite the fact that nothing major had happened yet. It was a scenario in which Clevius, who kept saying he was going to run away, was subdued and then forced to join the party.

So until I heard Clevius break down that wall, I needed to stall for time. It was my job to make sure that the timing lined up perfectly.

I had no choice but to admit it. There was something that I had realized during Act 1’s boss fight, and that was that the butterfly effect was truly unpredictable… The fact of the matter was, having the determination to try and control every single variable in the world was nothing more than arrogance.

Therefore, once the boss fight on the first floor was completed, I would go out to the rose garden and watch the situation until the very end with my backup: Yennekar. That way, we could respond immediately if any abnormalities occurred.

 

“It’s an opportunity to check out Taylee’s specs.”

If his specs weren’t enough to clear this event, it’d be a big problem. In particular, the final boss of Act 2, ‘Inquirer Glast’, was a terribly painful opponent. His Celestial Magic and curses would make you experience the pain of being stabbed with an awl constantly, which would eventually break your heart.

It was hard to deal with unless both your stats and mental strength were well trained. 

I made sure that I had put all the things I had prepared into the cabinet and snapped the door shut.

 

* * *

 

After that, everything went smoothly. 

As I hid between the main hall’s cabinets, a little after 8 o’clock the new maid and Kelly changed shifts at the front door.

– “We won’t stand by and be treated like this anymore!”

– “This is a land of learning! At least ensure equality in grades!”

– “Answer our voices!”

The cries of the lower and regular students echoed through the main entrance. They gathered in front of the locked Ophelis Hall, chanting loudly. The person at the front, leading it all, was ‘the representative of the lower students, Willain.’

He had short, light blonde hair and horn-rimmed glasses. The brown-gray robe he was wearing was already soaked by the rain.

Ophelis Hall symbolized the nobility of the privileged students that attended Silvenia. The students gathered together in front of that symbol, sitting down and studying.

Originally, it was all supposed to just end there. They didn’t have a choice but to sit and express their dissatisfaction and resentment towards the privileged students. That was because Ophelis Hall’s front door was shut tight.

“Euaaaah! What is this?! I need to report this to the head maid…!”

The new maid, who was taken aback by the sudden situation, trembled as she began to look for the magic tool she was given. Taking advantage of her confusion, I quickly jumped behind her and covered her eyes with a scarf.

“Ughaahk! What’s happening?! Who are you?!”

I lifted the blindfolded maid up onto my shoulder, holding her wrists together tightly with one hand so that she couldn’t untie the scarf. I then unlocked the front door with my other hand and kicked it open.

 

– “…Huuuuuuuuuuh?!”

– “Wh-WHAT!”

 

The group of students, taken aback by the sudden change in situation, started to panic. However…

– “Ophelis Hall’s door has opened! Let’s go inside!”

The representative Willain shouted as the crowd suddenly rushed into the hallways of Ophelis Hall.

– “The management office is on the fourth floor! Let’s take over the fourth floor and issue our statement!”

– “Let’s make our voices heard!”

– “Equal Treatment! We don’t want much, just equal treatment!”

– “Let’s go! Let’s show them our potential!”

I watched the crowd of students roaring in as I continued holding onto the maid.

“You… You’re Ed Rothstaylor?”

The 3rd year student Willain, who was leading the charge, reacted after seeing me. It seemed that even the 3rd years knew of my name.

“It was you who Lortel had ended up hiring…?!”

“Yes. I’m in charge of being the lookout on the first floor.”

“Why are you…?”

I used the lines that I had prepared beforehand.

“There was something that I deeply sympathized with amidst the words that you’ve been shouting. Of course, I lived a comfortable life in Ophelis Hall before… but once I was kicked out, I realized just how privileged I was. ”

“Ed Rothstaylor…!”

“I have just come to realize it! Everything that you said was right…! Until I was kicked out, I was a part of the privileged class. Because of that, I couldn’t relate to the words you were saying. Now I must prove myself through my actions!”

At those words, Willain’s hands trembled in admiration. Ed Rothstaylor was a man who had lived a life of privilege before being kicked out of that cozy cradle. The more human you became, the more you started to realize just how many privileges you enjoyed.

“That’s great! You really have contributed so much to our demands for equal rights! I didn’t realize that you were such a righteous person! I heard the rumors and ended up judging you so unfairly…!”

“Of course not. I used to be such a terrible person. The only thing that happened was that I was so impressed with what you said, and I just did all that I could! It was all thanks to you, Willian.”

I responded with that before I urged Willian to hurry on.

“Please, go upstairs immediately. You need to hurry up to the fourth floor management office to issue a statement!”

“R-Right! Thanks for your help!”

Willian was in a position to accept all the responsibility once this incident finished.

He would be subject to a heavy punishment for the act of instigating students and urging them to violate school regulations. 

If all of the students here were severely punished individually, the school would never return to normal. That’s why they would decide to use his punishment to make an example out of him.

The students who had simply participated in Willain’s plans would ultimately only be blamed for being tempted by his incitement, thus engaging in destructive behavior. Compared to Willain, they would only receive a mild punishment. It wasn’t beneficial for me to be disciplined over nothing, but considering the importance of 20 gold coins and being able to keep the timeline flowing smoothly, it was an acceptable risk.

That is why the key was to keep on stating, ‘I’m only taking action because I was moved by what Willain said!’ and ‘I am only following Willian’s goals!’ 

I needed to make sure all the responsibility that I had would fade away from me as much as possible.

Though, Willian had no intention of destroying Ophelis Hall.

He had just intended to peacefully end the situation by simply occupying the dorm and then officially issuing a statement… But everything doesn’t go the way you plan.

‘I… I’m sorry, but… no matter what I do, I’m in a position of facing heavy punishment… it should be fine to just ride on his back, right…?’

“Head up quickly, Willain.”

“Alright. I won’t forget you, Ed! You’re the best underclassmen…!”

‘I am sorry!!!’

‘Stay strong, Willain…!’

* * *

Translator – Plumper

Proofreader – Harley

* * *

 

The gentle light coming off the magic circle filled the dark hallway. At the entrance to each room, the defensive magic was doing its job perfectly.

– “What the hell is going on out there?! Is it really fine to just stay in my room like this?”

– “Is anybody out there? The door won’t open. Can… Can I break it down? It looks expensive though…”

– “I saw a bunch of students rushing in through the window, just what the hell is going on?”

– “I-If I just wait, then it will all be restored right? It’s not a big deal, is it?”

As I crossed the hall, I heard the voices of the confused students in their rooms.

The first floor was mostly full of 3rd years. I checked each room carefully to ensure that there weren’t any missing magic circles. If the story went the same as in the original timeline, then there wouldn’t be any magic circles missing. But even so, I still wanted to make sure of it with my own two eyes.

After about 15 minutes of inspection, I came back to the first floor hall and found something that I didn’t want to see.

Outside the wide-open main gate, it was pouring rain. I didn’t see the new maid anywhere. Surely she must have just gone to report the situation to her superiors. Unfortunately for her, they all should have been locked up in the fourth floor conference room.

The marble floor, which had always been kept sparkling clean, was completely dirty from the muddy shoes that rushed in. Some of the cabinets and shelves were completely knocked down.

 

“Oh my. It started much more impressively than I had thought.”

The girl pushed her way through the heavy rain and entered, shaking off her clothes.

“As expected of you, Ed. I’m glad that I trusted you.”

She smiled while taking off her wet robes. Pulling down her hood, she revealed pure white skin.

“Eghk! My socks got all wet, too. This is why I hate rainy days.”

“So you were watching from outside, Lortel.”

“I couldn’t determine if the situation was going well or not if I was trapped in my room. Also, I had to make sure that the students were all gathered up outside. But I didn’t expect it to rain this much. Eghk. Even the inside is all wet.”

Lortel smiled like a fox as she took off her robe and shook it. Her casual clothes, a white one piece and skirt, that she was wearing underneath it were all soaked through. They looked terrible.

She grabbed her reddish-brown hair, which was unusually loose, with one had to dry it out. As she did, she used her other hand to roll up her robe once she had shaken off all the water. 

“If the school staff gets involved, we’ll quickly be defeated. We have to get things moving before then.”

“Alright. Work hard.”

Lortel grinned as she finished tidying up. Then she made her way down the hall. She’d probably head up to the fifth floor to discuss the plan with Elris.

The situation would get more intense once they handed over the magic circle, which was covering Ophelis Hall with defensive magic, to ‘the representative of the lower students, Willain.’

Then ‘the representative of the lower students, Willain’ would become the fourth floor boss, with all of the different kinds of defensive magic that protected Ophelis Hall. According to the storyline, you were forced to defeat Willain, who was unable to come to his senses because he was caught up in the endless magic circles running wild, as quickly as possible. 

 

“Ed, can I ask you something that’s a little out of the blue?”

As if she had a thought in mind, Lortel paused on her way down the hall as she spoke to me. The question she asked was unexpected.

“Have you ever killed someone before?”

Lortel’s voice was still as lively as ever, but the atmosphere suddenly felt as dreary as the weather.

I frowned as Lortel let out a laugh, before she smiled and turned her back to me. Her drenched reddish-brown hair was gathered together, cascading down to her shoulders.

“I haven’t.”

“Neither have I. Haha.”

Then Lortel continued to speak, as if she were confessing.

“But… I’ve done a lot of similar things.”

Lortel’s past was by no means clean.

All of the tricks and acts of fraud she had committed while a part of the Elte Store were actions that would have ultimately led to the destruction of someone else.

It may not have been a crime when compared to murder, but it was in line with ending another person’s life.

Lortel knew that fact better than anyone else.

“At first, I had to survive.”

To survive in a reality that was like a thorny path, it seemed all too natural to stab someone else in the back. The first few times you did it, you might have felt a sense of guilt. That, however, would soon disappear.

After accepting the honorable title of a ‘wealthy merchant’, there were suddenly a lot of people that she had to step on.

The world was full of people that, whenever they had a chance, would put a dagger in their own heart. After making it that far, she had begun to wonder if she had been living the wrong life.

She had trampled on other people’s lives in order to survive, and to prevent herself from being stabbed in the back, she had betrayed others first.

She had lived a life committing such acts with such excuses, but when she thought about it deeply she realized that it was merely self-justification.

“Ed, what do you think of such a person?”

Even though she had realized it later, that didn’t mean that all the stains on her body would be gone.

After that, whenever she did a good deed, it would only be considered hypocrisy. She also could never make the bold decision to give up all the wealth that she has built up over her life.

Now that she had come this far, she could never turn back.

She knew too many of the ugly secrets hidden by several tradesmen, aristocrats, and other influential people to escape from a life of commerce. The moment Lortel’s name lost its value, it would be over.

In the end, she had no choice but to run towards the final train station like a runaway locomotive on its tracks. She had come too far now to be hypocritical.

As a merchant, a villain, and as a black curtain; the moment she took her first step in that swamp, it began to eat her up little by little. By the time she had come to her senses, her whole body was already settling in the darkness.

Who was she going to ask to save her? It was a disaster that she had brought upon herself. She knew better than anyone that she didn’t deserve sympathy.

That’s why she was searching for someone just like her.

“If it were you, Ed, would you sympathize with such a person?”

Because I was already in the sewer up to the top of my head, I understood the truth. I could also never be fully accepted or sympathized with.

Regardless of the good or the bad, the feeling of loneliness would come, just like it came for her.

The only way to escape that loneliness was to find someone like herself, someone that was also stuck rolling in the mud. She could only be saved once she found someone else that would become used to living at the bottom of the swamp with her.

“No.”

Of course, that person isn’t me.

“You should be responsible for your own choices, Lortel.”

Hearing those words, Lortel’s face blanked for a moment before she finally smiled.

“You’re right.”

Lortel Kehelland was a girl who had lived her whole life only pursuing reason and rationality.

I was already tired, knowing that fact all too well. Until the day that the storyline for ‘Silvenia’s Failed Swordmaster’ came to an end, she would not once show a loss of rationality or become obsessed with anything.

“I shouldn’t have brought up such nonsense. Sorry about that. Heh.”

Lortel’s expression quickly returned to her mischievous smile as she quickly rid herself of her emotional expression.

“I should quickly get to my job, then. There’s not much time.”

With those words, Lortel climbed up the stairs and disappeared.

I nodded my head as I picked up a chair that had fallen over and took a seat.

 

From that moment on, I would sit still and wait for Taylee to come in.

Anyway, I was already familiar with the stats and skills that Taylee, Ayla and Elvira would have during Act 2.

Even with the absolute difference between our numbers and stats, that alone wouldn’t be enough to defeat me easily. Though, it wasn’t like I had to defeat them completely. I just had to waste some of their time. It wasn’t even that big of a deal. 

As long as I bought some time before losing, Taylee would go on up to the second floor.

Still, as we fought there was the risk of a few hits landing or injuries being sustained.

Well… It would be a necessary sacrifice…

 

* * *

 

“Why is there a carriage this late at night…?”

Sitting in the corner of the rose garden’s pavilion, a short distance away from Ophelis Hall, Yennekar looked down the main road.

A magnificently large carriage passed in front of the rose garden. She had never seen such a luxurious carriage before. The golden crown that was drawn on top of it was quite impressive. It seemed like there might be some type of great person visiting.

– “Something that I need to take care of suddenly came up, so I might be a little late. I’ll be there as fast as I can, so please just wait a little longer. I’m sorry.”

She folded the note that Ed had left behind and held it close to her chest, staring at the pouring rain amidst the beautiful roses.

This was actually a good thing. She had time to calm herself down.

“D-Did he prepare anything else…?”

The rose garden’s pavilion was somewhere that she had seen every day. This was because it was a place that was right in front of the main entrance of Ophelis Hall, along the path you’d take as you walked towards the teacher district.

It was late at night, so she couldn’t see the entirety of Ophelis Hall. However, she could still see part of it through the rain.

It felt like some type of accident had occurred.

Many students seemed to be heading toward Ophelis Hall, and just now a huge carriage had disappeared in the direction of the dorm.

Yennekar was curious, but she didn’t move. She didn’t want to move unnecessarily and accidentally miss Ed.

For the last three days, she had been unable to sleep as she kept thinking, ‘What is it that Ed wants to tell me?’

Perhaps… Was it that? No way… Maybe she was just overreacting? Or was there another reason for him to have called her there? Talking to herself and saying such things made her close friends worry about her.

Though she felt guilty about it, she kept on listening to Merilda about every move Ed made.

More people than she had realized knew about Ed’s camp. Merilda said that she had seen not only Lucy, but also Princess Penia, Bell Maya, and even Lortel of all people visit Ed’s camp.

Merilda didn’t keep close surveillance on him 24 hours a day, so there could have even been more people that came out to visit him that she didn’t yet know of.

The fact that most of the people who visited were female students was heartbreaking for Yennekar, but… She wasn’t in a position to fuss about it.

What would it be like to be in a position to meddle about it, anyway? Such thoughts made the blood rush to her head again.

“I-I shouldn’t have worn this. D-does it not suit me?”

After not wearing it for some time, she had come out wearing an orange persimmon hairpin that had been sent from back home. She had brushed her hair out once more as well, and made sure that her clothes fit nicely, with no wrinkles.

As she came all the way out here, she had started to think that the cosmos pin she wore at the festival was prettier. She didn’t think that it went well with what she was wearing, as it was dark outside and it was hard to see. Maybe a brighter color would have been better?

“S-Should I just go and change my clothes now…?”

Yennekar continued to sit still in fear of missing Ed, even as a crowd of students and a large wagon passed by. It would be ridiculous to go all the way to her room now, just because of a hairpin.

“M-Maybe If I quickly run there and back, it will be okay.”

Once you make up your mind, it’s better to take action quickly rather than waste time.

Yennekar swallowed her saliva as she ran out back into the rain with her robe’s hood on.

She was worried that her hair, which she had tried so hard to keep nice, would get ruined by the hem of the hood. Even so, Yennekar ran quickly.

If her hair did end up a bit messy, she would just have to hurry up and fix it in her room.

 

* * *

 

“Is it really the right decision to enter Ophelis Hall?”

“Do you know how much all the herbs I have in my room cost, Taylee?!”

“Still, isn’t it better to wait for the school to take care of the situation themselves…”

The rain was falling heavily. In front of the main entrance to Ophelis Hall, Taylee, Ayla, and Elvira were arguing.

“If I don’t collect the herbs on time and use preservation magic on them, they’ll change properties! The difference in the smallest details can change the results of the entire experiment! Do you know how important that is,Taylee?!”

Elvira puffed her cheeks as she grilled Taylee.

Elvira was actually secretly testing reagents in a secret laboratory built on a cliff along the coast without the school’s permission. Because of that, she didn’t really want to get entangled with the Ophelis Hall incident in the first place. Even so, the herbs that she had left in her room were bothering her so much that she ended up grabbing anyone she could see, making a fuss to get them to help her get into Ophelis Hall.

Those sacrifices were Taylee and Ayla.

“They’re all just a bunch of lower students, so the three of us can beat them up! All we have to do is take care of the leader, Willain!”

As she said as much, Elvira began to take long strides towards the entrance of Ophelis Hall.

“Ayla, stop her…! She’s trying to enter Ophelis Hall by herself!”

“C-Can’t we just pretend that we don’t know? Elvira is a top student in the alchemy department, she should be good enough to take care of herself.”

“It’s not Elvira who is in danger, it’s the lower students! Elvira is just going to spray whatever reagents she has in their eyes!”

Hearing those words, Ayla gulped. Elvira, who was currently behaving completely out of character, really could end up throwing all sorts of regents at the lower students.

Taylee was right. It wasn’t Elvira who was in danger, it was the lower students.

Taylee and Ayla followed Elvira, who was hastily walking towards the front entrance of Ophelis Hall.

“Elvira! Stop! Stop!!”

“Stop nagging and follow me already! I need you to come help me break through, all the way to my room on the fourth floor!”

“Then… will it be fine if we just take you to your room? You’re not going to do anything else?”

“Exactly. I only need to keep the herbs safe, after all.”

Taylee let out a sigh once he heard those words, tying up his hair.

“Alright. Then, let’s go to your room Elvira.”

“If there’s anyone blocking my path, I’m going to break my way through them. Got it, Taylee?”

“Please don’t go around hurting people, Elvira.”

Taylee said those words as he looked at Ayla. Taylee’s companion, Ayla, sighed deeply as she followed the two of them.

After a short while, they reached the front of Ophelis Hall. Elvira quickly kicked open the front entrance. The door opened with a bang as the first floor’s spacious main hall came into view.

 

In the center of the hall, all by himself, a man was sitting in a wooden chair.

The man lifted his head, observing the party that entered Ophelis Hall’s first floor hall as the sound of the rain filled the room.

Act 2, Chapter 3: The Occupation of Ophelis Hall. The first floor boss that was different from the original timeline.

The fallen aristocrat that was excommunicated, Ed.

Just like the day he had defeated Takan, he sat with his arms folded and hands clasped together as he waited for the party.

____