"You can turn around now,"
Fei said as she buttoned the coat that Eisen lend her. Hearing her words, he turned around. Now that he doesn't need to avert his gaze, he can look directly at her face. Fei was still flushed from the earlier fiasco, but she managed to keep her cool.
"So, what brings you here? Are the assessors already on their way further North?" she inquired. Eisen nodded his head in agreement.
"The group is just a few kilometers that way," he said as he pointed in a certain direction.
"That's quite a distance, can you make it back?" she asked. Eisen grabbed a map from his pocket, showing it to her.
"I've got this. We decided to set up camp in an area marked on this map. If I follow it, I'll be able to meet up with them," he explained. "But first, we need to get you back to Ancdam," he said.
"Oh? Don't worry, I can make it back by myself," she said.
"No," Eisen insisted. "Let's move," he said.
Fei isn't used to this assertive side of his, so she decided to indulge in his generosity for the time being.
"Okay, but only as far as the gates became visible. Is that alright?" she asked. Eisen nodded his head in agreement.
The two started heading back in the direction of Ancdam.
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After exhausting her magic, Sofia lay sprawled out on the grassy meadow. She was too tired to move even a bit, so she just lay there for a quick rest. The sun was shining brightly, but the wind is giving out a refreshing feel to it that she didn't mind leaving herself open to the elements. Clouds can be seen moving in the sky, some of which would occasionally cast shadows over her face.
She can see the occasional adventurer passing by as they are on their way for a quest into the north. Some of them are a party of three, while others prefer going solo. Still, the choice is up to the individual. If he/she thinks that they are better off going solo, then they would just do that.
Sofia was of the latter kind. She preferred going solo on missions because she knew that she is more than capable of doing so. However, after being in a team with Fei, she had become somewhat used to the idea of relying on another person during missions. Sure, they may have some mishaps and other major tumbles along the way, but her trusty companion is always there to give her support.
Looking back, Vivian back at the academy must have been feeling the same thing that Sofia had when during their academy days. Even though they are constantly fighting over something, and even though their ideas mostly do not align, they are still close friends.
As close friends, she can't bear to deprive her of the chance at getting a chance at a better life. That's why she didn't show up at the final round of their competition. Because she wanted to be an adventurer, if she ever does win, the prize would be useless. Vivian will have a better use for it.
But that is also the exact same reason why they became distant. Their recent duel was actually a good thing. Through that, she was able to speak with her fully afterward. Now that she doesn't have anything to cloud her thoughts, she would be able to look forward with a clear mind.
"I better head back," she said.
Getting up, she cleaned the pieces of wood that she inadvertently destroyed during her practice. She picked up the pieces, then pile them in a corner. Soon after, she has this small mountain of wood made up of destroyed dummies. She then used a spell, Igni, to light up the wood, burning them. Burnt to a crisp, a trail of smoke can be seen originating from the pile. Sofia made sure that the fire is completely exhausted, before finally heading back to Ancdam.
"I wonder how Miss Fei is doing right now,"
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"He sure is taking a long time to catch up," Vince remarked as she glanced at the back of the group and saw that Eisen is still not with them. "Do you think he's okay?" he asked.
"He doesn't need you worrying about him. I'm sure that he has his reasons as to why he is taking longer than usual," Rose said.
"Oh, really?" he said, disinterested in furthering the conversation with her. Instead, he went ahead and asked their group leader, "Hey, Kreig, what do you think happened to Eisen?".
The man, Kreig, simply glanced at him. His demeanor and manner of speech are too formal, too rigid that others find it amusing that Vince actually has the gall to speak with him so casually, and that Kreig would usually answer his questions.
"Eisen is more than capable enough to carry his own weight. Besides, he knows where the group will set up camp, so I bet he'll meet us there," he replied.
"Oh? Hmmm ... that is true," Vince said, convinced by Kreig's words.
"Are you that concerned 'bout him? Then head back and check for yourself," he added.
"Nah, that would be too much for me. See how he quickly disappeared? I can't match that if anything-"
"I'll go," Rose interjected in their conversation. "I'll check on him. We'll meet you back at the camp," she said as she sped off into the distance. The rest of the group was surprised at Rose's sudden volunteering to be the search party for Eisen.
"Now, we have two people missing from the group. Yep," Vince said as they saw Rose disappearing from sight. Kreig was of the same thought.
"She said she'll meet us back at the camp. Keep moving," he ordered the group.
The sounds of footsteps resounded as the group resumed their march.
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"Okay, the gate is on sight, I'll be fine from here," Fei said to Eisen.
"No, I'll walk you to the gates," he said.
"The gate isn't that far, though," she added. The gate is no longer than 100 meters from their spot.
"Yeah. But still, I insist," Eisen said as he started walking ahead of Fei. On their way here, they would occasionally meet a group of adventurers out for a quest, equipped to the full with weapons and other necessities. But each and every time, Esein would be walking in front of her, like he was shielding her from them. (Weird). Fei can only describe his behavior as strange, but still, the sight of Eisen's back in front of her clams her down. This back had protected her many times in the past.
They soon arrived at the city gates.
"Thanks for taking me back," she said.
"It's fine,"
"Oh, your coat, I'll change real quick and give it back to you, but then, it would still be dirty. How about I give you another coat for now, and then-" Fei darted off, thinking of some way to return the coat Eisen lent her.
"I said it's fine," he said. "You can keep it," he said.
"Then I'll hold on to it 'till you get back,"
"Yeah. That will work too, but I'd prefer you keep it,"
As if only remembering it now, Eisen took out a stack of paper from within his pocket. The paper looks like a stock of notepads aligned above one another. He gave half of it to Fei, keeping the other half for himself.
"What is this?" Fei asked as she was handed the notepad-looking thing,
"An instant message note," Eisen replied. "Everything you write there will be seen by the other party that holds the other half of the note," he explained.
"Oh, I've heard of this. But why are you giving me this?" she asked.
"For insurance," he said. "Besides, it is better to have contact with someone in case something happened in the North," he added.
"That is true. Okay, I'll be keeping this then,"
"Yes, please do,"
Fei and Eisen exchanged farewells before they each started heading their own separate ways. Eisen to his group, and Fei to the inn.
The sun is shining brightly above the sky. The day was supposed to be uneventful, but perhaps fate had a couple of things in stock for her, and that thing ended up going the way it is. Still, she doesn't hate these random events. She turned around to look at him again before he finally disappear into the North, an assessor's true battlefront. A pair of black eyes was also staring at him in the distance. The both of them, for some unknown reason, had the exact same thought and met eye to eye. Seeing that, Fei hurriedly averted her gaze, wrapped her arms around her as if the afternoon is too cold for her, and started darting off, daring not to look back again as she walked timidly with a smile on her face.