"Are you sure the information is reliable, Shane?" Katerina asked, reclining on her massive bed surrounded by six half-beast won attending to her, one polishing her long nails, another combing her hair and sensitive ears, while two massaged her legs with precise care.
Hundreds of floating flas drifted through the air around the bed, casting a warm glow across the vast, otherwise empty hall. The entire chamber seed built for one thing: indulgence.
"Yes, Guildmaster," Shane replied, kneeling on the smooth floor, her forehead low, eyes fixed downward. She had sharp, feline eyes and soft gray cat ears twitching slightly as she spoke. "The report ca from our spy in Rose City."
"To think they got an S-rank at such a crucial ti..." Katerina mused, swirling a cup of wine idly. "That’s more than luck... still, don’t let Ursula hear about this."
"Yes, Guildmaster."
"An S-rank!?" a sudden voice rang out beside the bed.
Every single attendant froze. Katerina’s heart almost leapt from her chest.
"U-Ursula!?" Katerina stamred, quickly sitting up. Cold sweat slid down her neck.
Beside the bed, a girl with short white hair and fluffy bear ears was sitting cross-legged on the floor, rubbing her sleepy eyes. A small string of drool clung to the corner of her lips.
"Ursula was sleeping here... Ursula is still sleepy... Did Katerina just say ’S-rank’?" she asked, tilting her head in confusion.
"No, no, not at all!" Katerina waved her hands quickly, her voice rising in panic. "I said... um..."
"Guildmaster said to go kick their ass," Shane cut in smoothly, forcing a nervous smile.
"Yes! Yes, exactly! Go kick their ass, Shane. That’s what I ant," Katerina said, nodding with a smile that scread please believe this.
"Hmmm..." Ursula tilted her head to the other side. "So... Ursula just misheard?"
Katerina nodded so fast it almost blurred.
"If that’s so, then... Ursula wants to sleep again. Good night, everyone," she said, curling back up into a fluffy ball beside the bed like a large cub.
The hall fell silent once more.
Katerina exhaled, her whole body slumping into the pillows. "That was close..."
One of the attendants whispered, "Why does she always sleep there?"
"Don’t ask," Katerina muttered.
She must not allow Ursula to join the tournant this year. She’s too destructive and uncontrollable. If Ursula stepped onto the tournant stage, Katerina feared they wouldn’t just lose their invitation, there might not be a tournant left at all.
---
"You’re lucky to get a second chance. No one else would have this kind of opportunity," Maya scolded, her hands firmly on her hips.
Bob sat on the floor in front of her, legs folded, hands resting on his own hips, head bowed in submission. The perfect image of a student being lectured.
, Evelyn, and William were sitting on the long bench in the Dawnbloom Guild’s main hall, enjoying our breakfast. Bob kept glancing at us for help, eyes watering like he might cry any second.
I shot him a look that clearly said, "Serves you right."
Today was the day we’d head out for our trial with the senior guild mbers. And after hearing about Bob’s behavior during yesterday’s eting, Maya had unleashed her full fury. I hadn’t seen her this mad since the goblin incident back in Lily Town.
"I’m really sorry, everyone. I admit I overdid it... I won’t do it again," Bob mumbled, his voice shaky.
We felt a little sorry for him. Just a little. But soone needed to teach him so manners—and no one was better at that than Maya. She was like one of those scary but beautiful discipline teachers from our school days.
"After this, you’ll apologize to the guildmaster. You hear ?" Maya warned.
"Yes, lioness—I an, Maya," Bob muttered under his breath.
Maya exhaled and crossed her arms. "Go eat your breakfast. You’ll need your energy."
Bob scrambled up and sat beside , quietly nibbling on his bread and drinking milk. I noticed him rubbing his eyes and sniffing softly.
Yep. He was actually crying.
I took a bite of my own bread, pretending not to notice.
"And I thought soone said he was going to be an S-rank," Maya said, side-eyeing .
I didn’t look at her. My cheeks were already burning with sha.
"Be careful out there," William said between bites. "The Cave Beast is no joke. Twice the size and strength of the elite goblin we fought last ti."
I wanted to tell him we’d fought sothing at least five tis that size already, but I kept it polite.
"Noted, William. We’ll be cautious," I said with a nod.
"I’m pretty sure you both can handle it," Evelyn chid in with a smile. "Go show them what you’re made of, like you did in front of us. Make Mirinda regret ever turning you away."
"Eve," Maya warned, sipping her coffee.
"What? It’s true. If she saw what these two could really do, she wouldn’t hesitate for a second to register them."
"I think this is a great opportunity for you two," William added. "If you manage to defeat the Cave Beast on your own, it’ll set a high standard for the whole guild."
I took a sip of coffee, then glanced at Bob.
That reminded ...
"But you guys didn’t tell us the full story when you invited us," I said, turning to the trio. "The real condition of this guild... You hid it. So the bla doesn’t rest entirely on Bob. If we’d known, things might’ve turned out differently yesterday."
Bob perked up beside and nodded quickly. He must’ve been grateful I threw him a bone.
Maya, Evelyn, and William exchanged guilty looks.
"I apologize," William said sincerely, bowing his head slightly. "We were selfish. We goinf this far because we believed you two could help save our guild."
" too, Alan... Bob..." Evelyn added. "This was all my idea. Please tell you don’t hate us for it."
Maya looked at Bob and sighed. "We were wrong to drag you into this without telling you the truth. And I admit, I might’ve gone too far just now."
The mood turned awkward. No one spoke for a few seconds.
Then Bob broke the silence. "It’s okay, everyone. You were just doing what you thought was right,for your guild. I probably deserved the scolding anyway."
"Yeah... You’re our friends. Of course we’re going to help you," I said, smiling.
These three,Maya, Evelyn, and William, were becoming precious to us. Honestly, I couldn’t rember the last ti I had close friends other than Bob. Maybe never.
But now, things were different.
Maybe this place could beco sothing more than just another stop in our journey.
"Thank you, Alan and Bob," Evelyn said with a bright smile, her face radiating happiness. "Here, take my bread. You both need to eat more." She placed her remaining pieces of bread onto my plate and Bob’s.
Now left without any, she casually reached over and started nibbling on Maya’s bread instead. Maya stared at her, clearly not amused. Evelyn just gave her a cheeky, innocent smile.
We continued chatting when suddenly, noise erupted near the entrance.
There was a commotion, loud footsteps, murmurs, and excited voices.
I turned toward the door and saw a group of male adventurers gathering in a circle, blocking the entrance.
"What’s happening?" Bob asked, puzzled.
"Urghh... Is she the other senior joining your trial today?" Maya muttered with clear disgust. Evelyn looked equally annoyed.
Bob and I exchanged confused glances. Who are they talking about?
We didn’t have to wait long to find out.
From within the crowd, a tall woman erged, commanding attention with every step. Her long, pitch-black hair flowed straight down her back. She wore what looked like a white cleric’s uniform, but it clung so tightly to her curves it looked ready to burst at any mont. Her chest and hips were emphasized to the point of absurdity. Add high heels and a stride that oozed confidence and seduction, she was the definition of walking allure.
My heart skipped a beat. If she existed in our world, she’d definitely be a magazine cover model, or at least trending on every social platform.
The n around her sward like moths to a fla.
"Alice-chan, please join our party today!"
"Finally i see her today. This is the only reason i joined this guild"
"Let treat you today, Alice-chan!"
The woman,Alice, turned around, her movent graceful and almost choreographed.
"I’m very sorry, everyone, but I have a special quest today... with so people," she said in a sultry tone.
"With who?" the crowd asked, visibly irritated and suspicious.
With a playful smirk, she placed her index and middle finger on her lips... and then pointed directly at us.
Bob and I instinctively flinched.
"With them," she said sweetly.
Then, she sauntered toward our table and stood in front of us.
A deadly silence spread across the room.
And then we felt it, an overwhelming wave of murderous jealousy from every single man in that circle. Their gazes were sharp enough to slice steel. The one standing at the front even made a "cut-throat" gesture at us with his thumb.
Gulp.
We both swallowed hard.
Is this woman trying to get us killed? Sooner or later people would find two n floating in the nearby river.
We turned our gaze back to Alice, who now stood directly in front of us. Up close, she was even more breathtaking, not a single blemish or scar on her porcelain skin. Her beauty was unreal, like a flawless pearl brought to life.
"Good morning, Alice. Still famous as always, I see," William greeted her calmly. He looked completely unaffected by her charm.
"Oh hi Willy, you are still alive it seems." Alice replied, her eyes locking onto his.
What kind of greeting was that? I could feel a sharp tension in the air, like invisible sparks flying between them. Did they have... history?
She shifted her gaze back to us.
"Do you gentlen have no manners? Aren’t you going to offer a lady a seat?" she said, raising an eyebrow.
Both Bob and I jumped up from our chairs and stamred, "Y-yes! Please, have a seat!"
Alice waved her hand dismissively. "It’s fine. I don’t want to sit with village girls, anyway. It might ruin my beauty... or worse, I might catch lice."
I watched Maya and Evelyn’s expressions darken. Their glares could kill soone. But just as the tension reached its boiling point—
"You’re finally here," a voice ca from behind us.
Beltimore entered the hall with a book tucked under his arm.
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