Atonmine was a city settled on the southern continent, close to the capital.
It was also the birthplace of the great runesmith, Borodicus Clark.
Adrian, along with the other four, used a teleportation portal to reach the site where the public exhibition was about to take place.
As their vision cleared and their feet touched solid ground once more, they found a familiar figure standing before them.
"Hm?" Adrian humd in mild surprise. "Didn’t think you’d co to receive us... Sarah."
She was his old classmate, soone who shared a deep history with him from his student days.
Sarah Borodicus, Clark’s daughter.
The violet-haired woman wore an easy smile as she greeted them. "Well, I don’t have many friends, so I couldn’t miss the opportunity to co and welco you all." As she spoke, she pulled Ruby into a brief hug.
Ruby had once worked under Clark, and during that ti, the two of them had grown quite close.
Ariana and Sarah shook hands, forr Warden mates who were now close acquaintances.
Adrian followed suit, shaking her hand as he said, "It’s good to see you in good health."
His calm voice and gentle gaze made Sarah’s heart flutter for a brief mont, but she kept a composed front and nodded. "Likewise. I heard about the recent ambush."
Adrian sighed and did not respond.
Sarah then turned to the last person in the group, and her body stiffened for a mont.
Those icy blue eyes were clearly glaring at her.
It was Sarah’s second ti eting the top-ranking Warden, and it seed the bad impression still lingered.
Still, unwilling to make things awkward, Sarah raised her hand for a handshake. "Nice to et you."
Annabelle narrowed her eyes and brushed past her, leaving behind only a single sentence.
"I still don’t like you."
Sarah stood there, her body frozen, her smile stiffening.
Adrian sheepishly smiled and said to her, "She isn’t in a good mood. Please don’t mind her behavior."
Sarah lowered her hand and shook her head. "I understand." And she truly did. She had realized so ti ago what Adrian ant, not only to Annabelle but to Ruby as well, which also explained the distance she had recently felt from Ruby.
No one could discard or rewrite the past. She had tortured Adrian and forced him to beco soone he never was. Truthfully, she had not repaid nearly enough for that.
Her calm expression returned as she turned to the others and said, "Shall we leave?"
....
Sarah had co to receive them in a massive carriage, large enough to carry more than thirty people.
To avoid making things even more awkward, Ruby chose to sit beside Sarah, while the other two won took seats on either side of Adrian.
Ariana was the first to break the silence. "I heard you’ve retired?"
Sarah nodded slowly. "Yes, I have." Letting out a quiet sigh, she added, "You could say the incident at the contest venue was an eye-opener for ."
She still couldn’t forget a single mont of that day.
A venue that had once been peaceful had turned into a pit of chaos. Children who could barely walk had been crushed to death before her eyes. Helpless people tried to flee, only for the danger itself to drag them toward an inevitable end.
And when she had tried to stand against those adversaries, she realized one thing.
Rank ant nothing in the face of experience.
On the battlefield, a naless soldier had been far more useful than she could ever hope to be.
"What does strength an when a warrior lacks the courage to use it to help people?" Sarah muttered, almost to herself. "Gaining a high rank, recognition, and praise felt gratifying. It made smile as if I had accomplished everything in my life already. But that smile faded the mont I understood the responsibility that ca with it."
Silence fell over the carriage as Sarah reflected on her past decisions.
Annabelle no longer felt as hostile as before and glanced at Adrian.
The brown-haired man asked, "Sarah... are you okay?"
The violet-haired woman jerked her head up and blinked in surprise.
Smiling flusteredly, she said, "Ah, I’m sorry. I suddenly... well, forget about that—"
"Sarah," Ruby suddenly said, holding her hand firmly, "it’s okay to feel sad and defeated, but it’s not good to stop and keep blaming yourself."
Sarah was taken aback by the firmness in both her words and her gaze.
Ariana, who had been unsure whether she should speak until now, could no longer hold back. "Being a Warden doesn’t just bring physical pain. One must also carry the ntal burden of being a savior. And back then, what I saw in you was a Warden, not because of your strength, but because of your willingness to fight for others, to protect those who cannot protect themselves."
Back then, Sarah had the option to escape the venue like the other higher-ups. As the daughter of Borodicus Clark, there would have been a place for her among those who chose to save themselves first and think about public safety later.
But she hadn’t hesitated even once before abandoning that option and throwing herself into the chaos.
Sarah let out a soft sigh and looked up.
Smiling shyly, she said, "Stop praising ... you were supposed to hate ."
Ariana chuckled. "As a Warden, I respect you. But as a woman... hmm, you can rest assured."
Sarah laughed along, and the atmosphere inside the carriage lightened.
Their conversation flowed more easily after that.
Ariana asked about Sarah’s plans after retirent, while Ruby inquired about her father’s recent work.
"He’s been quite busy these past few years. Truth be told, I’ll be seeing him for the first ti after the contest," Sarah said.
Adrian wasn’t surprised to hear that. Those obsessed with research often dressed their fixation in the na of public welfare, but in truth, they were simply trying to satisfy their curiosity and reach heights no one else could even dream of touching.
Not so long after, the carriage ca to a gradual pause, indicating they had reached their destination.
Everyone began to step out of the vehicle.
The outside scenery was lively to say the least.
People gather in an open field with a massive stage prepared for the Runesmith.
With his gaze unfocused, Adrian muttered under his breath, ’Why do I feel today is going to leave a great impact on several things...’
He then glanced at Sarah and thought, ’I hope by the end of today, we don’t once again, grow hostile to each other.’
°°°°°°°°°°
A/N:- Thanks for reading.
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