Sara and Boss Bill seemed divided on their opinions. The glaring match seemed to be intensifying.
But it did look like Sara had the lead in that match-up. Her glare looked like it wanted to burn Bill apart.
"D-Don't give me that look. I am the boss and what I say is what we will do. And my gut says to trust the young miss here." Bill forced those words out.
His nervousness grew the more he was glared at by Sara.
"You say that now boss. But you do remember what happened the last time you had a 'feeling' about something?" Sara asked. It looked like there was a history behind that look.
"I know. But that was last time. This time would be different. And they even say that they are not with the tower. Would a tower elite really say those words? Give me some credit here." Bill asked as he raised his hands in mock surrender.
Aurora watched the scene fold out in amusement.
She had heard about Sara in the future but had never dealt with herself. Rumors had painted her out to be a fair but battle-hardened lady.
Aurora could already see the shadows of her future reputation in her current self.
"No, they would not. But you should still use your head a little more. Also, we should return the stolen goods to these people if we want to make a good first impression on them." Sara pointed out.
Bill's face bounced back from the nervous laughter to a determined expression. He quickly picked up the stolen bag Rita had been reaching for and threw it toward their youngest.
"Here. Sorry for the trouble. But it is your fault that your stuff got stolen in the first place. You should better take care of it." Bill's words caused Rita's anger to come back.
But Aurora stopped her before she could destroy their temporary truce.
"We know. Rita is still in training. I will be sure to teach our next batch better." Aurora assured. She wanted to bow but her body would not allow it. And neither did the 'goddess' part.
It snarled at her to not explain her actions to those below her in status.
"Next batch? Ah, you must be from one of the three new approved academies. Be careful not to be crushed by the tower." Sara warned.
Her words surprised Aurora. She had not known that there had been two other academy setting requests that were approved along with her.
But it should not have been that surprising since most ambitious people did try to make one before realizing that they could not rival the tower.
In the end, they ended up merging with the tower and training people under their name.
"Don't worry. We are not fragile enough to be crushed. Be sure to visit us in the Rocx valley if you have some time." Aurora spoke those last words as she messaged Rita to prepare a summon for them to leave.
The thief's boss and his second-in-command looked shocked at her words and that gave them enough time to leave.
Rita had picked up their supplies and she summons looked ready to take them out.
Aurora could have left the hole under her own power but Rita's huge summon made her look better.
"Was it wise to tell the academy's location to them? Won't it allow the tower to track us down?" Rita asked. She sounded worried which made Aurora chuckle.
"Once we pass the first inspection, the high council will announce our location to the world anyway. There is no point in keeping quiet. Besides, it is better to have allies in our situation." Aurora explained.
The bird broke through the hold but there was not enough room in the cave for the creature to be able to fly freely. The ceiling was too low for its wings to flap comfortably.
Aurora picked Rita up by the waist and jumped down the huge summons. The sudden moment caused Rita to lose concentration and dismiss her summon.
"Once we return to the surface, we will focus on your conditional control and not lose focus even when something surprises you. You are too easily distracted." Aurora scolded.
Her words did not have any heat since she did not want to scare Rita.
"Sorry. And for that matter, I could have taken that Bill guy if he did not have his ax. That thing felt wicked and magical." Rita complained.
But the teen in her arms was also feeling guilty at her scolding. This confrontation must have made her realize just how much more there was to this abyss.
"Ax or not, he was more powerful than you. Do not engage with such people unless you know you have a way out." Aurora scolded with finality. She let the teen on her shoulder down and opened her map.
It had improved a lot but it still did not show any significant detail.
"I understand so you can stop nagging now. Even my caretakers never nagged this much at me." Rita sounded annoyed and pleased at Aurora's treatment.
Aurora was about to reply before she felt someone head her way.
She quickly pulled Rita toward her and behind a small boulder. She had a feeling she should not be seen here.
"-believe the audacity? They say it's the same chick who disrespected the headmaster of the tower. She sure got guts. Quince said that his father was angry and wanted to retaliate against the new academy." Aurora did not recognize the new group but she could tell that they were from the tower.
And their ease of moment also told Aurora that they were not first-timers in the abyss. They moved like professionals and knew how to carry themselves.
"Who cares about this any longer? If the leader has his eyes on the new academy, it had no chance of success. Lady Minerva or not, it'll not last more than a few months." the second person in that group spoke.
Aurora was sure that they were talking about her academy now.
"Oi. A few months is giving them a lot of credit. I bet that the leader would not let them go past the first observation scale. Isn't that why he asked us to capture a beast from lvl 10? He wanted to release it in the Rocx valley and blame it on the outlanders." the first person spoke.
Aurora slapped her hand on top of Rita's mouth to keep her quiet. This was crucial information and would come in handy to know.
She only lifted her hand off Rita's mouth once the tower group was gone.