Yuri walked out of the Trial Space in roughly a third of the time it took him to complete all his Trials, without so much as a crease on her robe. Even her hair, flowing down her back like a curtain of snow, looked unperturbed, as if it was frozen in time. The only thing that had changed about her was the smile on her face, turning from one burning with passion to one glowing with smugness.
“What are you staring at?”
“…I was just thinking about something.”
“About what?”
“…Nothing. Let’s go. We need to collect our rewards.”
“…Are you not forgetting something?”
“Am I?”
“Are you not going to ask me about my Trials?”
“…How did your Trials go?” Alnea said, smiling helplessly at his white haired friend. Although he was happy that she was finally treating him as a rival on her level, he did not know if he should be happy about how she was beginning to expose her inner self so openly.
“It went alright. Although I did not break any historical records, I still managed to earn eleven Martial Style Medals in the end.”
“That’s awesome!” Cecilia said. “I knew you could do it.”
“You are just relieved that your records did not affect her Trials.”
“You are just jealous that both of use broke the same records,” Cecilia said with a snort, before pulling Yuri by her arm, and leading her towards the stairs. “Let’s ignore this idiot and go collect our rewards.”
“…Although he can indeed be an idiot at times, are you sure you want to ignore him?” Yuri said, redirecting her smug smile from Alnea to Cecilia, while following her lead. “What if Vestia uses the opportunity to drag him away?”
“He dares?” Cecilia said, stopping in her steps to turn back and glare at him. “What are you waiting for? Don’t tell me you really want to go find the vixen?”
“…What did I do this time?” Alnea mumbled, as he caught up with the girls. “Will it be the same as last time, or are you two going to talk with Wanderer Tia this time?”
“…She seems to favour you more than us, so let us go with the same arrangement in the Warrior Hall,” Yuri said after a moment a silence. “Who knows, maybe she will give us some information that we don’t know.”
“…I hope so.”
“You better not flirt with her though.”
“…I never flirt with anyone.”
“Says the man who has a vixen dancing on his fingers.”
“It’s different. She… forget it. I will not flirt with her,” Alnea said, as he glanced at the Wanderers on the stairs. “Let’s discuss this later.”
Although it looked like Cecilia had a lot more to say, she also knew when to control herself. The cat prowling around her feet though… There was a reason why Alnea always called her as the dumb cat. It did not care about where they were. Sensing the pout on Cecilia’s face, it growled, and jumped on him, as if intent on tearing his face.
Thankfully, he had never stopped forging his body in the past six months, using the number and quality of the Blood Crystals to compensate for its Grade. Of course, there was a limit to how much he could forge his body with just some Low Grade Blood Crystals. But that did not matter. Even if his body was not as strong as some of the more physically gifted Oren Beasts like Eight Armed Monkeys, special beasts like Fortune Devouring Cats were no match for him. Unfortunately for him, the dumb cat also had two girls as its backup.
“Stop bullying Forne!”
“When did I bully the dumb cat?”
“You are calling it dumb, and still say that you are not bullying her?”
“That’s just stating the facts.”
“Shut up. Just look at its pitiful face. How can you bring yourself to hurt it like this?”
“…When did you see me hurting it? Wasn’t it more like it jumping on me?”
“Stop making excuses.”
…Alnea cursed the cat in his Heart once again. Especially when he saw it hide behind Cecilia, and lift its head up in pride, as if taunting him to be weaker than its human. If not for—
“Why are you still glaring at her?”
“Look at the dumb—
“Seriously, when will you two stop arguing like children?” Yuri said, shaking her head with a wry smile.
“It’s not my fault.”
“Are you saying it’s my fault then?”
“I did not say that, but if you want to admit it, then—
“You—
“Let’s keep your flirting for when we return to our mansion,” Yuri said, pointing to the Wanderers around them. “Or do you want to let everyone see your embarrassment?”
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“Tsk. I will let you go for now. Let’s go, Forne.”
Let him go? Did her words not hurt her conscience? Or did she forget how he had pinned her down, and tickled her for nearly half an hour a month ago? If it was not for the fact that they were in the Blood Hall, and not back in their mansion, he would surely have not let her go so easily. Then again, ever since he had become strong enough to overpower her physically, she had never argued with him in the mansion…
Ignoring the arrogant cat, Alnea chose to stay silent, as they made their way to the Warrior Hall, and joined the queue, while keeping an eye out for the Wanderers tailing behind them in the distance. Probably sent by the Lotus clan or their allies. Once, there used to be a group of Wanderers following behind him wherever he went in the city, but after months of silence from his team, only the Lotus clan and their allies had continued to maintain their surveillance. Though that was most probably going to change after the results of his Trials would spread out.
“Done with the Trials already?” Tia said, welcoming him with a smile, as he stepped in front of the counter. “You did not choose to abandon the Trials, did you?”
“Of course not,” Alnea said, handing over his Blood Card, along with Cecilia’s and Yuri’s. “It has been nearly half a year since I last took the Trials. It is only natural for me to complete them faster than before, right?”
“…You may have come half a year later, but the Trials you took are also a Stage higher… Forget it. It would be fine as long as you did not abandon the Trials. Even if the results are par, with your previous records, you just need to perform better in the Peak Stage Trials…”
Tia trailed off, as she read the information of their Trials from the black box, before turning back towards him and the girls with wide eyes. She was so surprised by the results of their Trials, that even with her Clear Heart, it took her a few breaths to regain her composure.
“…Are you trying to clear out my stock of Medals?”
“You can just ask the city to issue you some new Medals. Besides, the more Medals we earn, the more beneficial it is for you, right?”
“…Perceptive as ever,” Tia said, with the edge of her lips curving upwards in a smile, before turning around to retrieve their Medals from the shelves behind her. Unlike last time though, instead of bringing their Medals one by one, she brought them all out together, and dumped them on the table in front of her in one giant heap.
“Though you may not be as perceptive to the stares being directed at you.”
“You mean the Wanderers around us?” Alnea said, glancing at the Wanderers staring at the heap of Medals with wide eyes, whispering in hurried tones, and scurrying out of the hall. “Do you think I should be afraid of them?”
“…I know that you have grown stronger, but your enemies are not just sitting around either. And they may not even attack you upfront. Some of the Orthodoxies prefer playing underhanded tricks, catching their enemies off guard when they least expect them to. You have already come so far. Do not let all your efforts go to waste for just a moment of neglect and overconfidence.”
“…That, I cannot argue with. But you do not have to worry. Even if I were to fall for their tricks, my companions will save me in time.”
“…I do not know whether I should be in awe of your fearlessness or laugh at your naivety.”
“…How about laughing along with me?”
“…Just be careful.”
“…I will.”
“…Right, let us get this over with,” Tia said after a moment of silence, dividing the heap of Medals into three parts. “Ten for Cecilia, eleven for Yuri, and fifteen for you. Is that correct?”
“It is,” Alnea said, accepting the Medals and his Blood Card, with the girls following along. “Thank you, Wanderer Tia.”
“There is no need to thank me. This is what I should do.”
“Still, I—
“If you think of me as a friend, then stop with these irrelevant trivialities.”
“…If you say so.”
“…If you really feel grateful to me, then how about satiating my curiosity?”
“…As long as it is not related to the privacy of my team…”
“Do not worry,” Tia said, waving her hand to dismiss his concerns. “I am not so ignorant to ask you of such things.”
“…What do you want to know?” Alnea said, as he finished pocketing all his Tokens.
“Are you going to continue challenging the Trials?”
“Although we have not expended much of our Spirit Power in the Trials, we are not exactly in our best condition either,” Alnea said, shaking his head. “This is it for today. We will come back tomorrow to continue the challenge.”
“…And I guess you will continue challenging until you complete all the Intermediate Stage Trials?”
“…And the Advanced Stage Trials,” Alnea added.
“…Maybe I should really stock up on my Medals,” Tia said, smiling helplessly as the three young Wanderers in front of her. Shaking her head, she focused her attention back on Alnea, and said, “Are you preparing to enter the inner city?”
“That’s the plan.”
“…Since you have begun walking towards this path, you must be ready to face its dangers.”
“…We are.”
“…Do you know what dangers I am talking about?”
“…We do not, but as long as we are together, we can handle anything.”
“…Let us hope that is true.”
“Is there something that you want to tell us, Wanderer Tia?” Yuri said, drawing the latter’s attention to herself.
“…Technically, I should not be telling about this, but it should be fine as long as I do not tell you the details,” Tia said, with a hint of hesitation in her voice. “There have been some strange movements in the inner city lately.”
“What kind of movements?”
“That, I cannot tell you.”
“…What’s the point in telling us anything then?” Cecilia mumbled. “Can you give us a hint?”
“…The rules of the Lost City are stricter than you think.”
“It is alright, Wanderer Tia,” Yuri said. “You have already told us more than enough.”
“…Did she?”
“…She did,” Alnea said. “You just need to read between the lines.”
“But all she said that there have been some strange movements in the inner city… Will these movements affect us?”
“…Not as long as you stay in the outer city,” Tia said, shaking her head. “The rules of the Lost City do not allow interference between the inner and outer cities. But once you join the race for entering the inner city, then you will be inevitably drawn into the quagmire that the inner city is facing.”
“…It looks like these movements that you are talking about are quite large.”
“…I cannot tell you much about what is going on. Just remember to be careful, and try to increase your strength as quickly as possible. If possible, you can ask help from your clan to prepare for some life saving measures. Those that can withstand attacks of True Wanderers. That is the best advice that I can give you. As for the rest, you have been doing well until now. I am sure you will not face any major problems in the future either. If you do though, remember to come to me. Although I cannot help you directly, I can still give you some advice.”
“…Thank you, Wanderer Tia. We will keep your words in our mind.”
“…No need to thank me. I just wish to see you enter the inner city as soon possible. Only when you enter the inner city, will you… Alright. That is enough nonsense from my side. I have kept you long enough. And there is still a queue behind you. You should go back now. Though you are always welcome if you need some advice.”
“…Excuse us then, Wanderer Tia,” Alnea said, bowing in gratitude, before leaving with the girls.
