“It was definitely not worth it,” Vestia mumbled, as she dragged her haggard and exhausted body back to the corner of the stage where her personal floating platform was resting. Having made her way into the top ten thousand ranking of the Arena, she knew that she could not expect to take down her opponents as easily as she used to, but she never expected to almost end up losing. If this was how all her battles were going to be in the future…

  Vestia suppressed her errant thoughts, and shook her head, clearing her Heart. The opponent she had just faced was an exception. Not only did the man suppress her in terms of the attributes of their Mysteries and Aspects, but he was also one of the stronger opponents that she had met in the Arena. The number of Wanderers in the city that could match the man in strength should not be too many. Probably around a thousand or so.

  Even if the number was greater though, it was not as if she did not have any chance of making her way into the top thousand ranks. After all, her current condition was also partly because of her fault. Had she not held back at the beginning, thinking of saving some Spirit Power to investigate a few people later, she would have never given the man an opportunity to press her to the end.

  The man seemed to be from Reece clan of Winterbrough. Although his mastery over ice suppressed her mastery over water, as long as her moves were fast enough, with enough lethality, she could have taken him down at the very beginning. And it was not as if her clan did not have any means to deal against people targeting their weakness. No matter how others viewed her clan, the Weina clan was still one of the strongest Grand clans of the Tes Domain. Maybe even the world…

  That was also one of the reasons why she recovered her advantage so quickly, and why she was able to end the fight without any injury. Still, it was not as if she did not have to pay any price for underestimating her enemy. The moves she had pulled to overwhelm the man… They had exhausted her body and Spirit to their limits, pushing her to her breaking point. If her opponent had been just a little stronger…

  Maybe this was one of the reasons why she had been eliminated in the competition back in the Erwein Forest. Wanderers who underestimated their enemies could never make for good leaders. Though not being selected to become one of the heirs to the Weina clan also had some of its own advantages. At the very least, she could make her own choice in a few things. Like Alnea…

  Alnea, Vestia thought, and turned towards her captain. He was standing in a corner of the Arena, with two more girls by his side, looking at her with pride… Maybe the fight was worth something. Ignoring the chants ringing out in the Arena, she pushed herself to keep standing tall, as she stepped onto her personal platform, before willing the platform to move towards her captain.

  “That was a brilliant fight, Vestia,” Alnea said, when she reached by his side. “Such exquisite control of your Arcanas and Martia Styles… Have you finally walked out on your own path?”

  “How can it be so easy?” Vestia said, shaking her head with a sigh, but failed to hide the smile on her face. Or rather, she never intended to hide her smile in the first place. “I am getting close though.”

  “Was that why you deliberately allowed your opponent to take the initiative in the beginning?” Yuri said, glancing towards the injured man being dragged away from the stage.

  “…It did prove to be a good exercise to experiment with the Concepts I comprehended earlier. Maybe you can give it a try later.”

  “…It is indeed an option worth considering.”

  “…You are not thinking of trying anything reckless, are you?” Yuri said, turning back towards Alnea, with a helpless expression on her face.

  “Of course, not. Have I ever done anything reckless?”

  “…Should I count them out for you?”

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  “…Anyways, you did a good job, Vestia,” Alnea said, turning the topic away from himself. “Both in the fight, and for finding a way forward for yourself.”

  “What’s so good about using Arcanas as Martial Styles?” Cecilia said, clicking her tongue in disgust. “She is just bringing shame to the name of Warriors.”

  “…Are you jealous?” Vestia said, smiling even more widely than before.

  “Jealous of what?”

  “Of my brilliant performance…”

  “Hah! Do not make me laugh. I—

  “And Alnea’s praise.”

  “…I have earned much more praises from him than you can earn in your entire life. Why should I be jealous of just a single praise?”

  “But you are.”

  “You…”

  “This is not the time or the place to fight amongst ourselves, Cecilia,” Yuri said, shaking her head. “You too, Vestia. Stop provoking Cecilia. Or do you want the entire city to see your joke?”

  “Just when it was getting interesting,” Vestia said, clicking her tongue in frustration, before shaking her head, and sitting down on her platform. “Forget it. I might as well restore my Spirit Power. Wake me up when you get called to the stage.”

  “…We will,” Alnea said, nodding at Vestia, earning a wink in return. Thankfully, she was too tired to keep teasing him, or provoking Cecilia. Flashing her dimples at him, she closed her eyes, and began meditating. Or maybe she was just resting. She did look a little haggard. But that was to be expected. The way she had fought… using all those Arcanas… It was a wonder that she had managed to return to their side in the first place.

  Not that he was blaming her for being too flamboyant, or using excessive force. On the contrary, he was happy for her progress. Maybe the strength she had just shown would draw some attention from other Wanderers. No, not maybe. She was sure to draw more attention to their team. But it was all worth it. Even if she only managed to initially familiarise herself with the Concepts she had comprehended, it would be worth it.

  Still, it was also true that her actions might earn them even more enemies. That too, at a time when they were not yet ready to charge towards the inner city. As if the Lotus clan was not enough. If those enemies were to team up against them, things might become a little difficult for them. So, for the sake of their team, for the sake of entering the inner city, Alnea was ready to take some risks, and—

  Alnea subdued his errant thoughts back into his Heart, while reminding himself of his responsibilities. Maybe Vestia’s method could help him get an initial grasp on the Concepts he had comprehended, but his rapid improvement would also drive the Lotus to become even more restless than before. Though that in itself might not be a bad idea. Especially considering the task he had given to Vestia. If his guess was correct…

  “…Blood Soldier N zero six zero eight four nine nine …”

  “…That was faster than expected,” Alnea said, subduing his irrelevant thoughts, and glanced towards Vestia. “She probably has not even delved into deep meditation yet.”

  “It was her own request,” Cecilia said with a smirk.

  “…Just don’t be too rough,” Alnea said, and urged his platform to move towards the centre of the Arena, arriving at the stage where his name identity number had been called out from at the same time as his opponent. A woman. A strange woman, that piqued his interest the moment he saw her. There was something familiar about her, something that he could not quite put his finger to. Other than the colour of the robe she was wearing, of course.

  Unlike the Serpia clan’s emerald green robe, the robe that the woman was wearing was of a lighter shade, like the leaves of some evergreen trees, with a hint of shine along its border. But that was not enough to make her feel familiar. There was something else about her… Something about the way she was carrying herself. Especially with her hand resting on the hilt of the sword tied to her waist…

  Was it because of the sword? Did he see himself in her? No, that was not it. He had faced quite a few Wanderers who used swords. If it was really because of the sword, then it would not have been the woman’s turn to make him feel familiar. Especially since unlike him, the woman was carrying two short swords. Though he had to admit, the way she was resting her hand on her swords, and the way she looked at him did make her seem a little heroic…

  That was it. The way she looked at him. The way she carried herself. She was giving him the same kind of impression as big sis Serena. Strong, confident, and fearless. One that believed only in her strength, and disdained to rely on petty tricks to achieve her goals. A Wanderer ready to face the world for her beliefs…

  Or at least that was his first impression of the woman. Whether or not she really was the rare kind of Wanderer that he thought she was, remained to be confirmed. But that was for another time. For the moment, the woman was his opponent. A tough opponent. Especially since he planned to confirm a few of his guesses in the battle.