"Congratulations!" Leo stepped forward and hugged Daphne. "This is really good news!"
After hugging her, he suddenly thought of an idea. He knew that Daphne wouldn't stop bothering him unless he took her with him to the forest. He would also be able to appreciate the help that she could give to him.
As he predicted, she immediately raised the conversation about going to the forest.
"So, I am coming with you next time you go out right?" She asked him.
"Not yet. We have to find you a proper gift to celebrate this. We will get you a proper Aura Knight technique that you can use in the forest." He said.
He had saved over 150000 Star coins that he could splurge on. Money was earned to be spent after all. He was going to get her a proper technique that she could use at the Thousand Treasure Tower so that she would be able to defend herself in the forest.
If she got strong fast enough, she would be able to join him on the hunt to hunt down a 2nd Circle Magical Beast. This was all based on ifs, but he trusted Daphne with his back more than any random person he just met.
"Really? Thank you so much!" Daphne said. "But I don't need a gift or anything."
He smiled. "Don't worry about it. Just get ready, and we'll head out."
She got dressed in nice clothes very quickly. They both went to a clothing store first. Leo got Daphne a cloak as well. He didn't want to attract any attention in the tower because of the number of nobles there.
"Wear this cloak. It will hide your face so no one will bother us." He said to her. She took the cloak and wore it. He was already in his cloak.
"Okay. Now we are going to go to the Thousand Treasure Tower." He told her.
They walked to the Thousand Treasure Tower. When Daphne saw the tower, she gaped in amazement. It looked incredibly lavish from the outside. They entered the tower. When they did, Leo explained to Daphne what he was going to buy her.
"Daphne, you will now have to pick what style of fighting you want to do. Do you want to fight close range, or do you want to be an archer and give support from far?" He asked her.
She was stuck. She wasn't prepared to answer a question like this. "Is there a right answer? Do you need me to pick a particular one?" She asked.
He shook his head. "You can pick whatever you want. Don't worry about it and pick what you feel is most natural." He said.
"Can I be an archer then? I think I should be able to shoot arrows nicely." She said.
He nodded. "Yes, that is good. So you can start browsing the Aura Techniques they have here to see if anything suits you. Look for manuals that will help you become an archer. These manuals will influence your aura, so be careful."
All of the information he knew came from the last trip he made here. He didn't buy himself an Aura Techniques yet because he didn't become an Aura Knight yet.
Daphne nodded and hesitantly went toward the section where they sold Aura Techniques. Meanwhile, Leo just browsed through the items they were selling there. He was looking for bows that he could buy for Daphne.
After around two hours, Daphne came back. She had a book in her hand.
"I think I want this one," she said. She handed the book to Leo. He took the book and glanced at its description.
[Snowdrift Arrow]
[An arrow that creates a large, explosive burst of snow and ice upon impact, burying the target and damaging them]
The book had a 1st Circle Aura Technique. Aura Techniques were categorized similarly to spells.
Spells were categorized based on the minimum power the mage needed to cast them. For example, the Magic Bullet that Leo could cast was typically categorized as a 1st Circle Spell. Obviously, if a 3rd Circle Mage cast the same 1st Circle spell, it would be stronger than what Leo could cast. In Leo's case, he had Stars instead of Circles. All the spells he could cast were different from other mages.
In the case of Aura Techniques, a 1st Circle Aura Technique would be able to properly show a 1st Circle Aura Knight's strength. The technique that she picked seemed to be a proper one. Since it had an element attached to it, it would change the elemental nature of Daphne's Aura.
This meant that her attacks would have ice imbibed in them, and freeze her opponents. It would mean that her support would be more effective.
Meanwhile, Leo had narrowed his search for a bow down to a few bows. With her selection being ice related, he thought the bow with the aptest materials used was the Froststeel Bow. It used a metal called Froststeel which retained chilliness.
The bow itself would be 40000 Star coins while the arrows would cost him 10000 Star coins for 30. As for the book itself, it would demolish the rest, having a 100000 Star coin price tag.
Leo didn't mind the price tag. He would be able to make money, but he now had a powerful ally who he could trust wholeheartedly.
He went to the counter and paid for all of the items he needed. Daphne was trembling when she saw the price of the items she wanted.
"Will I ever pay you back for this?" She asked.
"Don't worry. It's just a gift." He said.
"But-" She wasn't able to retort. He interrupted her before she could.
"No buts. You accomplished something worth celebrating. That's why the gift. Now, don't ask any more questions." He said.
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A/N: I would greatly appreciate comments about the story at any point. I would also appreciate reviews.
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