"Excuse me, is there a problem?" The beautiful yet secretive girl, who gave off an inconspicuous demeanour, faked a smile. She squinted her eyes so hard that the icy look in her pupils were hidden.
Lily was already adapted to not showing her true emotions. This was so that Noble Rankers take her interferences an in insult. As a 'Tamer', she chose the role that brought harmony between species.
That was why her demeanour was so crucial...
If she acted the wrong way, the beatings being done to the Horse Beast would only increase.
That's why she made sure he only saw her smile as genuine formality. Showing him some courtesy.
"Mind your own business. A disobedient horse deserves a beating." He could guess the girl's intentions, but still saw no reason to stop whipping the expensive Animalistic Beast he bought.
His instincts as a battle-type Class acted up..:
"Don't be so quick to turn me down. I'm actually a Tamer of the Mercenary Guild and happen to know a lot about Beasts. May I check on your horse for a moment? It will only take a second." The 'secretive' wolf girl didn't seem put down by his tone.
She still kept her smile as she moved towards the noble's carriage. Then made eye-contact with him.
Her eyes occasionally darted around to understand the situation. It was similar but different to Alex...
One was the type to take in all information before taking the next step, while the order just adapted.
From what she could see: The Horse Beast the noble owned suddenly stopped moving forward and knelt on the ground. It seemed to be in such pain that it could no longer think about walking.
This in turn provoked the man of nobility, resulting in the fatty of a Noble Ranker coming out of the carriage to push the driver. It was to the side in order to 'beat submission' into Animalistic Beast.
She noted that she needed to keep track of the man's emotions just in case he acted on a moment's impulse once again. Unaware that his irritation towards her came from the soul.
His instincts were affecting him...
"How much?" The noble immediately thought that the beautiful girl before him looking to be hired.
"Since this is a special case, I'll do it for free. I'd feel responsible if the people behind you had to wait any longer." She immediately threw the hot potato to the bystanders in carriages lined up behind the Noble Ranker. All to get less attention.
None of them could hear their conversation in the busy streets of Lancia, but she was sure they'd stop her from shifting the noble's attention onto them if they knew what she was doing. No one wanted to get on this man's bad side over a horse.
Though 'equality' was said to be given among all Roles, that was only if the Noble Rankers accepted themselves on the same standing as those with common origins. It wasn't rare to see Noble Rankers pressure Commoners they don't like...
Of course, no matter how much they disliked another person, they still had to show restraint and courtesy. The breaking of their vow to the Human Empire to protect citizens would only harm them.
"Then please check it." The fatty seemed to realise where he was and decided to show some mercy.
It wasn't worth getting angry at her...
The wolf girl looked at the Horse Beast with pity and patted its neck muscles gently. Those of the surroundings didn't know what she was whispering into the horse's ear, but didn't have to wait long.
She quickly identified the source of the problem.
Her pure white hand that seemed fragile on the surface grabbed onto one of the horse's front legs and scanned its hoof. There seemed to be something wrong with the foot it stood on.
The control she showed over the Beast seemed to prove her statement of being of the rare 'Tamer' Class, while the swiftness of her actions displayed just how high a level she had reached.
Her skill in 'taming' Animalistic Beasts were high.
A glint of astonishment appeared in the noble's eyes. Her hand plucked out a nail from the Horse Beast's hoof, which relieved it of the pain that had previously been stopping it from walking.
"I think you should have your horse's hoof checked out the next time a similar incident arises. Although rarely, there are still times when horses could accidentally step on something and get it stuck in their hoof." The wolf girl advised patiently.
She didn't want to the same thing happen before her again. That's why patience was needed...
"I'll keep that in mind. By the way, you seem very familiar with Beasts... almost as if you're one yourself." The noble brushed aside her advice and instead looked at her with eyes full of suspicion.
He believed in his instincts...
Some might think that he was being petty, but that only meant they were unaware of his identity.
As a Noble Ranker that had gone to the borders to fight many times, he couldn't ignore his intuition.
Is this how Tamers used their Skills? He clearly remembered that 'talking' wasn't their forte.
"Does this dispel your suspicions?" She wasn't moved by the fatty's actions. She had went through similar situations before due to how the fact she never took off her hat in public.
Her demeanour usually gave others such kind of thoughts. It was due to wearing hats on hot days...
She reached out her hand flicked her finger after moulding her energy, causing a spark to form a flame made purely out of Fire Ether to appear on top of it. This was undeniable proof that she had the Gaia Affinity and was most definitely a Human.
The moment Light Mana covered her hand while doing so only further reinforced this image.
But the Noble wasn't driven by pure logic...
"It doesn't. Guards, take her into custody." The fat nobleman unreasonably demanded the guards patrolling the area to capture her. It was either out of suspicion, or just because he wanted an excuse.
Was this to get back at her?
Well, she DID make him look ignorant in front of many people. Though it was unusual for a Noble Ranker to harm citizens, harassment from rational suspicions was what caused them to be estranged.
Some Nobles had a strange sense of pride this way... They liked going overboard in their Role.
The guards, who were in-charge of looking out for violent crimes, were put in a predicament.
It wasn't their task to investigate if Humanoid Beasts were to have infiltrated the kingdom.
After all, they couldn't arrest someone whose only fault was gaining the ire of a noble.
The wolf girl also knew it would take time for them to make a decision, so she decided it was best to run while she still had the chance. There wasn't much to blame her for. That, she knew really well.
It wasn't any secret that Humanoid Beasts were a species that people had great animosity for.
It was likely because of their similar level of intelligence to a regular Gaia Human.
Being found out as a Beast might not kill her, but it would still cause many complications she wanted to avoid. There was a reason why she lived while hiding her ears and identity as a wolf, after all.
The times had become more accepting of Humanoid Beasts compared to the past, but Noble Rankers still had an old-fashioned mindset towards them. This was mostly due to their experiences.
It would be weird if they could sympathise with Beasts... Especially when their main job required them to kill them in droves at the Human Empire's borders. The damn fatty was matured wrongly!
At least, that was my opinion...
"You should stop right there." A voice called out to the man who was on the verge of exploding at the guards who weren't listening to him. Even the wolf girl turned around in surprise to see a man with distinct clothes. He looked at her and the horse...
...in pity(?). Well, he came from a band of animal rights activists, so his look was to be expected.
His clothes were engraved in a yellowish white colours, and was a devote follower of the ever expanding Radiant Sword Mirror Religion. It had become a hot topic in the kingdom as of late...
"What is your problem?!" The Noble Ranker shouted towards the man with an air of disdain.
He couldn't believe a mere Commoner, who had no jurisdiction in the kingdoms's security, dared to speak to him in such a high tone. It was only after realising who the man was did his expression suddenly flicker. The air turned heavy in an instant.
The Noble looked at this newcomer more sharply...
That man ignored his gaze though. Even patting the Horse Beast, who was relaxed by his presence.
"The Ruling Kingdom of Lancia has given a proclamation of citizenship rights to be given to all Humanoid Beasts not too long ago." These words came to a shock to everyone at the scene.
"Impossible!" The fatty widened his eyes, but the gentlemanly Cultist continued with a serene look:
"Anyone who showing prejudice; anyone mistreating any Humanoid Beasts on the soil of this kingdom... will be dealt with by the Radiant Sword Mirror Religion. There shall be more excuses!
Animalistic Beasts might still be looked down upon, but that's only for the moment... So you better hold your tongue!" This familiar gentlemanly Priest proclaimed with an air of righteousness about him.
"..." The Baron didn't speak any further. He wasn't an idiot despite his tendency to act on impulse.
The fatty decided to just keep quite and move along before an incident happened between them.
He was well-aware about the nature of the Cult...
'Damn bastard...!' Others wouldn't really know, but he himself felt regretful at the fact that he went overboard again. Now that Mirror Cult would be able to show how great they were to public eye...
He had one part animosity and another part paranoia towards the state of the kingdom. The Nobles like him despised the change the Mirror Cult brought for obvious reasons, but were unable control public opinion due to how they were seen.
The Commoners saw Nobles and Holy Priests as hard-asses who didn't know how to have fun, while the Mirror Cult was seen as interesting hosts bringing about new perspectives on life.
It was too late to change the flow of public opinion.
The fatty could only pretend to be content with this situation. There was nothing he could do anymore.
Slowly, he started to feel that the Church was less an eyesore than normal (since despite their preachy attitude, they never contended for influence), and that maybe he shouldn't have acted this way towards that innocent Tamer girl...
The Noble didn't know why his instincts kept acting up. It felt like his attention kept on being drawn...
This made him misunderstand his own feelings.
He remembered her appearance and decided that he'd try to win her over... along with other citizens next time instead of, well... being too hard as always. He reflected on his attitude modestly.
His eyes glanced at the Horse Beast as well while considering if he should give Beasts more leniency.
Overall, the situation ended up benefiting the wolf girl. A common occurrence that always happened...
This was all because of her 'great luck'...!
"Thank you." After seeing the man of nobility walk away in defeat, the wolf girl couldn't help but show gratitude to the man who saved her. A smile more genuine than the one she showed before appeared on her face. She thanked the man before her.
"It's no problem at all. I see you are a bit 'sensitive' to your identity. May I ask for your name?"
"My name is Lily. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"I feel the same. Well, Miss Lily, here is a leaflet about our Radiant Sword Mirror Religion. I hope you will consider becoming part of 'Us'. May we meet again." Although the wolf girl named Lily was a little confused, but quickly decided to hold it in.
Especially by how the gentlemanly man phrased 'becoming part of the Radiant Sword Mirror Religion'. Still... she took the leaflet and waved at him. The Priest left in a hurry to preach some more.
"I guess not everyone is stupid..." A clear smile she had never made before life appeared on her face.
Lily seriously considered becoming part of the Religion that was threatening to change the world.
She was unaware about the fatty Baron's change of heart and was unaware of her own special quality.
Little did she knew the swordsman and magic user duo had saw what happened from the beginning.
Hah... The poor bastards were unlucky to meet this girl. If they knew how her 'luck' worked, they would have avoided her like the plague. But what could they do once their started to feel curious?
Later on, they will definitely regret seeking her out for many reasons. Ones yet to be revealed...
Though currently, they ignorantly discussed things:
"Did I see that right? A 'crazy' helped a random girl on the street without forcing her into their Cult!"
Alex's mouth was wide open like this: (°□°)
He was unable to hide the surprise appearing in his eyes. His Bro loudly spoke about the incident:
"Shhh... Don't say stuff like that in public. We might attract too much attention... and Lily isn't just any old 'random girl', by the way. She's a great genius when it comes to the study of nature magic...
Heck, she might even be better than you when it comes to the research of magic." Arthur's explanation surprised the scholarly young man next to him. He didn't expect this to be the case.
Both of them peeked at her from an alleyway...
Alex seemed to understand Lily's sentiments towards the Radiant Sword Mirror Cult.
However, he still decided that it was best to persuade her not to join before it was too late.
Although he wanted to bury the hatred he had with them, it wasn't that easy to truly trust them...
Especially considering the bad blood they had between them in the past... Who could blame him?
Therefore, he approached her first...
"I wouldn't agree to that guy's proposal if I were you. The past history of their 'Religion' is actually darker than you'd think." Was the first thing he said to her upon meeting a fellow 'Anomaly'.
"You're... Alex, right?" Lily recognised the brawny youth standing next to Alex straight away and connected the dots. It was only then she started to remember what she had heard from Arthur.
"I was only curious..."
"You know what they say: 'Curiosity killed the cat.' I believe the fact that they are handing out Evil Attribute Spell Slots to those who join their cause is proof that they aren't as righteous as they speak."
"Don't act like a know-it-all. Whether they're truly wicked or not still remains to be seen.
After all, actions define 'evil' rather than a Spell Slot. I heard you're considered a scholar of magic...
As someone who walks the path of knowledge instead of faith: You really shouldn't judge a book by its cover. After all, it isn't impossible that they really HAVE had a changed of heart." She retorted with a lot of words. He kinda hit a sore spot.
She had been alienated in the past as well...
Though Alex's words were good advice it was from someone on Earth... Here, it was just naive.
"Those are just words of the ignorant." The scholarly young argued. It was the first time he such a intelligent conversation with someone who seemed to be his own age. A rare occurrence...
He decided to evaluate the smart girl before him once again. His previous conclusion of her was that of a mad scientist and sadist (considering what she had done to his good friend in the past...).
He was honestly still feeling bad about it...
"Let's walk and talk. I would love to chat about that Cult a little more. But something more important came to my attention: I heard about the miraculous and 'great' Body Refinement technique you taught my buddy right here almost killed him a few times.
What do you even think he is?" The Arcanist gave his own fake smile while holding back his emotions.
Arthur, who decided it was best to stay out of the conversation when his best friend started talking politely, was stunned at how the topic suddenly shifted to him in an unexpected turn of events.
"Oh... That." She smirked while walking along with him to wherever he was trying to take her.
A hint of mischief appeared in her eyes. She shifted her eyes between the intelligent newcomer (Alex), and the companion she made after years of travelling alone with no one beside her (Arthur).
Lily spoke with a poker face:
"A chump who willingly became my test subject."
"Chump...?" Arthur winced. Why was she jabbing him out of nowhere? Just to get a reaction?
"Hey, he may be a chump, but he's MY chump! No bullying my chump of a childhood friend!"
"Geez... Thanks..." The brawny youth rolled his eyes. Alex seemed to be having a lot of fun here...
Arthur's frown looked like this: ( ͡° ʖ̯ ͡°)
He looked like he was pouting, which seemed really odd on such a brawny appearance like his own.
"You're welcome~!" Though Alex acted like he was having fun, only he himself knew of the anger he was unable to convey in words. It was hard for him to internalise what his friend went through in life.
Even though he previously thought he was fine.
He made sure to hold onto his trembling hands behind him as he spoke. The young man tried to feign that he was okay by speaking in an over-the-top tone. The Arcanist felt like his heart was exploding despite the smiling face he put up.
He couldn't understand why he was feeling so irritated right now and felt that it was irrational...
Arthur was fine now, and they had went through numerous life or death situations anyway...
...so why was he feeling irritated?
Even at this moment: The brawny youth was fine l mentally, physically, spiritually, and emotionally...
"Kidding, kidding~! Don't be offended by it. I'm actually happy helped me prove my theories. No one else believed me when I said there was a way to infuse Elemental Ether into one's physique.
You were the only one willing to put your safety on the line to prove my theories to be facts." Lily helped calmed Arthur down after Alex 'poked fun at him'. His outside look and insides were different.
She truly was grateful to the brawny youth no matter how much she teased him about it.
Back then, she witnessed his determination to become stronger with her own eyes. It moved her heart whenever she reminisced on the time he stated how much faith he had in her theories.
Though it still eluded her even to this day why he convinced so thoroughly about her previously unconfirmed magical theories. Even the Magic Association lacked evidence to prove her words...
As her theorems had to do with overtaxing the body in order to reinforce it, there was no one willing to test her theories... not even herself. The experiments were too dangerous for a Human.
And yet, he helped her prove them...
Of course she'd feel intimacy towards him. Her earlier words were just teasing for teasing's sake.
"I'm sure you'll be able to unlock the potential of your Elemental Physique if you continue to train the Nature Style you're so proud of." The friendly wolf girl assured the youth while patting his shoulder.
"You practice Nature Swordsmanship?!" Her casual words provoked a big response from the scholarly young man who was walking in front.
Alex suddenly stopped and caused Lily to walk into him, but he didn't notice this whatsoever.
All of his attention focused on his childhood friend.
An awkward silence was born...
The young Arcanist hadn't been suspicious before since Arthur didn't use any techniques under the category of Elemental Skills, but now he was really shocked. Was this the same 'lazy' kid he knew?
"And what about it? Hah... Bro, you gotta stop overreacting." The brawny youth sighed at him.
He probably already forgot what he was like back then. Now that he was used to training like this, he probably thought it was 'normal'. Even though an average individual would've died in his shoes.
"Overreacting, my ass! Who was the one who said he'd rather die than study the forces of nature with me? You know as well as I do that Radiant Swordsmanship suits your personality more.
Especially more than any of the five form of Nature Swordsmanship. Those are styles that require studying the external energies of nature and understanding of the Gaia Affinity...! Why are you trying to force your way into this difficult path?
You even risked your life just to acquire a physique that was infused with elements, and all for what?
Do you even understand what would have happened to you if her calculations were even a little bit off? You could have died! Why aren't you actually frickin' taking yourself just a little more!?!
Are you screwing with me?!
And you, Lily, what made you think you could use my close friend as your personal test subject?!" He blew his top off and finally vented out the crap he was keeping bottled throughout their conversation.
Finally, he spoke what he'd thought all this time.
Alex's angered face was a little like this: (ʘдʘ╬)
His eyes widened in fury. You could almost barely see the flames pouring out of his black pupils.
What the heck were he risking his life for?! If there was one thing their previous adventure should've taught him: It was valuing life. Both their own and of others. So why was he screwing himself over?
In truth, Alex could only see the current Arthur as a suicidal idiot for going through with the girl's 'Body Refinement' technique. There was absolutely no reason for him to actually go that far...!
"Bro, I was the one who made the decision to prove her theory. Don't blame Lily for my choice." His sincere tone made Alex freeze up. He wasn't able to say anything after seeing that innocent face...
"I'm not... I-It's jus- You could have died! You selfish, idiotic chump!" Alex found it hard to speak.
It was only after that adventure and separating from him for years did he realise how much he valued Arthur... despite how he considered himself a passerby in this second life of his. He expected their next meeting would be a happy one...
Arthur was the one who broke that mindset he had of himself being alien in this world. It only started to crumble bit by bit over time. Especially after understanding the dangers his closest friend had went through throughout their adventure...
For such a hardworking guy to have been experiencing pain... He felt a bit guilty. This was because he had been busy enjoying himself while travelling around Gaia. It pained his heart greatly...
Wasn't he supposed to be a comrade?
Of course, Arthur also noticed this sentiments of his... There was no way he WOULDN'T notice.
He decided to stop acting and felt sorry for risking his life even after the promise they made to meet again. The brawny youth didn't want to tell his best friend because he knew this would happen.
Alex has always been taking care of him...
"I'm sorry..." The brawny youth apologised. It was his first time seeing his friend shed tears in his life.
When they were kids, they acted like the world revolves around them and never took anything to heart. This was different from how he was in the past, when they were kids with big dreams.
Even when the Radiant Sword Mirror Cult pursued them with the intent to kill in the past, Alex only showed off his discomfort and complained rather than showing sadness of the danger they invited.
Perhaps going through their own 'Heroic Journey' earlier on in life changed them as they matured...
He never once cried back then, but now...
"Sorry..." Lily didn't know why. but even she felt the need to apologise after seeing such friendship.
"Well you better be, meathead! And you... There's no need for YOU to apologise, girl. He would have done something even more outrageous even if you tried to stop him. Thank you for taking care of him." Alex regained his composure and forgave them.
He could sense that Lily wasn't a bad person at heart. The Arcanist knew she likely made sure to keep Arthur safe throughout that hellish training regimen he'd self-imposed on himself.
It was then that he turned and headed towards the house he had decided to buy before coming to Lancia. His friends and new acquaintance followed in tow like children who had done something bad...
This was the beginning of the friendship between the trio. A clear and sincere bond between friends.
At least, that's how this relationship started off...