Elder Vova smiled as he looked out at the new generation of Fae Masters.
Not only were they extremely numerous, but also, their talents exceeded that collective off all the past few generations.
Almost fifty Fae Masters in a single generation.... such a thing is truly a blessing, he thought.
The Lecture Hall Elder smiled before clapping, attracting the attention of everyone present.
"Alright then! We will now all head back towards the Village. The convoy carrying these new Fae will be protected by Dominic's group, while the rest of us break up into two groups. The first group will ride with Dominic and the others and learn how to protect a convoy. You will be escorted by myself along with Dominic and the rest".
"The others will break off with the other two Elders and form a path at the front of the convoy. You will be walking, and if danger approaches will be the first to enter combat. Those who a willing to enter from front please come forward, while the rest of you, follow Dominic's instructions".
Andrea, Randolf, Ratimir, Alina and Borik all headed to the front of the convoy, along with Zoya and some of his friends.
Some of the young Fae Masters were relatively tired from the long trek and opted to sit with the horses and rest for the time being.
They were being a little bit lazy, but if the time came and they needed to fight, it was better for them to be rested and be useful, rather than by tired and nothing but sitting ducks waiting to be slaughtered.
Arthur chuckled slightly.
"I mean, having cannon fodder is never a bad thing though....".
Arthur walked side by side with Andrea, the both of them taking up the rear as Randolf stood in the centre of the vanguard.
Borik stood at the very front of the group, while Ratimir and Alina took up the flanks.
Zoya and his friends, depending on what what their combat styles were stood somewhere in between all of them.
Most of them stood near Randolf though, obviously unable to compete in hand to hand combat, and instead opting to use ranged offensive fae to support their allies.
Just from looking at them, one could tell that, at the very least they knew what they were doing. They knew how to react when it came to combat, and they each knew they places if the need arose.
However, theory and practice were two completely different things.
In the event that they were ambushed, unless one was experienced in that sort of thing, would result in a frenzied attack.
They would just attack anything that moved, rather than focusing their attacks while retreating.
The two Elders from the Lecture Hall also stood near the sides. They were both Rank 3 and could react to anything if the need arose.
.... Fortunately for them, the entire trip back was normal, with no such interruptions.
Some of the Elders descendents, like Ratimir and Alina thought that the Elders might plan some sort of surprise attack, and test their reactions, but in the end, they couldn't help but sigh and shake their heads.
That just meant that they might do it in the future, which meant they had to keep their guards up.
Seeing the main entrance to Parachenko Village, all those who walked in the vanguards sighed before plonking down against the main gates.
Even Andrea, with the Boundless Forest Yearning leaned against a wall, wiping the sweat from her brow.
Even with their enhances physiques, it was still roughly half a days walk to get to the Falling Snow River.
That meant it should've taken them an entire day to get back.
Of course, the Kovacs Clan had secret routes and travel points which decrease the travel time. Not only was this safer, but it was also one of the main patrol routes outside of the Village.
Arthur drunk some Spirit Water over the course of the trip, which rejuvenated him somewhat.
Even if he didn't appear tired to sore from their journey, his body was in only a somewhat better condition than the rest of them.
Elder Vova smiled at those who walked in the vanguard and knew that most of them were anticipating a fight, which is why they decided to walk.
If they could show of their new strengths and abilities, then perhaps they could gain some more insight into their Fae, or their compatibility.
The Lecture Hall Elders chuckled before shaking their heads, dismissing their students.
"We will see all of you next week! You all are lucky to be granted another Fae, so make sure you all take the time to refine it properly!".
Those students who sat in the carriages nodded happily before returning home, Arthur turned towards Andrea and extended her hand, one which she took readily.
She smiled at him and gave him a curious look.
"So.... what Fae did you pick?".
Arthur shrugged his shoulders before giving her a mischievous smile.
"I don't know. You tell me".
They girl giggled happily before shaking her head.
"I can't let you know all my secrets Arthur! Otherwise, how can I repay you for what you did to me during the tournament?".
Arthur rolled his eyes, before his expression became daring.
"I can think of a few ways you could repay me actually".
Andrea turned red in the face and punched Arthur's arm, cursing him under her breath.
The pair walked back towards her house, where Arthur said her goodbyes. Andrea invited Arthur inside, but seeing the looks on her parents faces it seems that neither of them had anything planned and could only politely tell their daughter "no".
Arthur waved them off, not giving it a second thought.
"I'm sorry, but I have to meet Chensa and Dominic later. Mother wants to have dinner all together tonight".
Andrea seemed a little downcast but just smiled at Arthur waving him goodbye.
"Perhaps another time then. One where you'll be the cook?".
Arthur's comment elicited a bright red face in Andrea, causing her to shut the door quickly and Arthur to smile.
He stood outside their house for a few seconds, before shaking his head an immediately heading towards the Fae Market.
It was only a matter of time, he thought.
"For the time being though, I should probably focus on Robert and increasing the revenue I gain from him".
The hidden shadow fae was popular in Parachenko Village, but over time its growing popularity would eventually plateau, before falling once the market became fully saturated.
It would occasionally spike when merchants of travelling Clans would go through Winter Rain Mountain and arrive at Parachenko Village, but other than that, it didn't see much growth in terms of profits.
Arthur polite smile grew as he opened the door to Robert's store.
Perhaps "this" would be a better source of attraction than the previous fae, he thought.