The Trials ca to an unexpected end.
Nobody truly understood the reason behind the sudden clearing of the gate; however, of the nurous reported deaths, it was later found that the Guild sustained not even a single death.
This piece of information exploded throughout the island.
Breaking — [Severed Stars Guild Trials gone wrong! Miraculously, no deaths!]
Breaking — [A miracle for Severed Stars!]
Breaking — [Skill or luck? How did Severed Stars manage to pull this off?]
One article after another was released. Be it social dia or any news outlet, everyone began to talk about the incident, dubbing it ’The Miracle of Hotel Claire’.
It was just unfortunate that the news soured not long after.
Breaking — [A miracle? Reports suggest that while the recruits who have managed to co back from the dead may not exactly be in the best condition.]
Breaking — [Fifteen in critical condition!]
It beca painfully clear that of all the people who had managed to co back from the ’dead’, not everyone was able to fully recover.
*
Beep! Beep—!
The pungent sll of alcohol lingered in the air.
A constant beeping echoed within the white room.
"There are no abnormalities with her vitals, but her node shows signs of damage."
A cold voice.
"We believe there may be fractures. I don’t know how else to put it, but our recomndation is that she retire."
Silence plunged across the room.
Nobody spoke. Every gaze drawn to the figure lying behind the glass panel, her skin pale, eyes shut, and chest rising faintly with each shallow breath.
"This can’t... but..."
"She looked fine. How is this...?"
The shock was plain in everyone’s eyes. None of us had expected news like this. I had been there too, and only a short while ago she’d looked fine, calm even, before being taken from the Guild for a simple checkup.
But...
’The situation is a lot more problematic than I previously anticipated.’
The initial diagnosis suggested that Sarah had sustained a fracture to her node as a result of what happened during the Trials. This was a serious issue.
I, of all people, was aware of the side effects that ca with fractures. It was because I understood the severity of the issue that the weight of the situation pressed down on more than anyone else.
As far as things went, her career was practically over.
’That is, unless she does like Team Leader Soran, but she’s too inexperienced to take over like her.’
"Let’s calm down for now. It’s already a good thing that she’s fine. That’s what’s most important."
Thankfully, one person was able to remain coolheaded the entire ti.
Joanna looked at the group.
"The doctor ntioned there could be fractures, but nothing is certain yet. There’s still a chance she might be fine. For now, let’s just give her ti to rest."
Joanna’s words helped cheer the group sowhat.
"You’re right..."
"So long as she’s fine."
"Yeah, there’s no guarantee that she won’t make a full recovery. We should just be happy that she’s not dead."
I wasn’t sure how to feel about the situation, but watching how well the group shed together, a sense of gratification welled up in . After all the gas and dives they had gone through, it was clear they had managed to forge a strong bond with one another.
At the sa ti, I thought back to our Trial, and besides the incident with Sarah, they had all perford extrely well.
They weren’t perfect, but they were good.
’At the end of the day, this was to be expected. Even though we managed to clear a lot of gates, they were all low-ranked ones.’
The rank of the Trial was a lot higher than we were used to.
Still, we perford well.
As far as I was concerned, at least.
Because of the nature of the situation, the Guild chose not to announce the scores of the squads that had participated. The mont the Trial ended, they focused on checking the condition of the injured and imdiately took Ariel away.
The results would be revealed once everything was settled, including identifying those responsible for the entire mishap.
I had a terrible feeling when thinking about it.
’...There’s a very good chance that it’s the cult that I’m dealing with, but from what I know, only Ariel was found inside the gate.’
It almost felt like she had singlehandedly caused the entire situation, but I knew it wasn’t that simple. This was no simple incident.
"Squad Leader..."
A voice pulled out of my thoughts. When I turned my head, I saw Joanna watching , her expression hesitant as if she was unsure whether to speak.
I subtly raised my brow.
"What is it?"
"....."
Joanna pursed her lips, looking extrely hesitant. Seeing her like this, I started to get an idea of what she wanted to talk about, and just as I was about to speak, she pointed towards the door.
"Is it okay with you if we talk about it in private? There’s... sothing I’d like to talk about."
I paused, taking in her nervous, yet concerned expression as she subconsciously bit her lip.
After a mont, I nodded.
"Sure."
I moved towards the door.
"Let’s do that."
There were also a few things that I wanted to talk about.
***
A lock of silver hair swayed in the small room, where a tal table sat under flickering lights. The air was stale, and aside from the soft sound of her breathing, a heavy silence pressed onto the room.
Ariel’s gaze stayed fixed on the door, her eyes and expression incredibly cold.
From ti to ti, her expression flickered as a certain mask appeared in her vision. Each ti it did, her chest rose and fell faster, and her eyes narrowed sharply.
Eventually, however—
Clank!
The door opened.
A man walked in shortly after, his thin smile the thing that initially grabbed her attention.
"How are you doing?"
His voice was warm, and everything about him seed friendly.
And yet—
Ariel felt every hair on her body rise as a suffocating pressure pressed down on her.
So much so that she started to struggle to breathe.
"Y-you..." Ariel’s eyes turned ferocious, her hands tightening into fists.
"There’s no need to be scared. I’m not going to do you any harm."
Sitting in front of her, the Guild Master interlocked his hands as he maintained his smile.
"I’m just here to have a nice chat with you. Is that okay?"
Ariel’s face trembled, her expression twisting as she stared at the man before her. She didn’t fully know who he was, but just his presence was enough to make her feel deeply threatened.
Not wanting to lose out, she clicked her tongue, forcing a smirk on her face as she leaned back.
"This Guild is hiding quite a lot, heh? From you to..." Ariel paused, her expression twitching subtly as that mask returned in her mind once more and her voice cooled. "...To that thing. You guys are really hiding quite a bit."
"Hm?"
The Guild Leader cocked his head slightly, confused by her words.
Her next words, however, gave him a sudden understanding.
"Who would’ve thought that Jester was on your side? Had I known beforehand, I would’ve prepared better..."
Blinking his eyes slowly, the Guild Master’s smile curled subtly.
"About that..."
"Hm?"
"That Jester you were talking about. Let hear more about it."
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