In the local library, Mercedes and Aurora were talking about the books and novels they enjoyed. The golden sun basked them with its gleaming sunlight, giving warmth to the slightly chilling atmosphere of the library.
The conversation between the two lasted for half an hour, which was refreshing for Mercedes. It had been a while since she had conversed with anyone who was the same age as her.
Anyhow, during their conversation, Mercedes discovered some things about Aurora. She was a 16th-year-old girl and was a student at a nearby academy. And from her demeanor, Mercedes had a feeling that Aurora was a rich young lady.
Of course, she wouldn't be bothered whether Aurora was rich or not. It didn't matter to Mercedes since wealth was fleeting yet reachable with her current capabilities. The only thing she needed was patience and experience.
"So, Aurora. What nearby academy are you currently enrolled in? I'm curious about the nearby schools and academies in the region since I haven't enrolled yet." Mercedes questioned, wondering what Aurora's academy was.
There were many academies nearby in the district, and a lot more throughout the region. Many were public academies, some were private ones, and a few were elite academies for the wealthy.
"Oh... So you weren't a student? I thought that you were from a student council of a neighboring school." Aurora was a bit surprised to hear that Mercedes wasn't a student yet. It was currently November, and many things had already begun in many institutes.
It would be hard for a normal student to adapt during the middle of the semester. Obviously, Aurora didn't voice it out. She was also confident that someone like Mercedes could handle it without that much of a problem.
'When I'm talking to her. I feel like talking to some heir of a conglomerate. It reminds me of my older brother.' Aurora silently thought before swiftly responding to Mercedes's question with a soft reply.
"Ehem... Anyway, I am a first-year student of the Rosario Academy. It's a few districts away from the library, but it's nearby when compared to other academies." Aurora wasn't hiding anything and there was no reason to do so.
Mercedes raised an eyebrow after hearing the name of the Academy. It sounded familiar, but she was a bit ignorant about the geo-political circumstances of the Federation. She didn't know much and rarely watched the news.
Most of her information was from books, which were mostly academic knowledge.
'Rosario... Rosario Academy... Quite an interesting name.' Mercedes kept thinking about the academy until she got out of her trance because of Aurora's voice.
"Hey... Hey, Mercedes... Are you okay?" Aurora kept waving her pale hand in front of Mercedes's eyes. Mercedes's body jolted out and consciousness came back to the brunette-haired young lady.
Mercedes shyly smiled while scratching her hair. She glances at Aurora and apologizes to the white-haired lady. "Sorry about that, Aurora. It's been a while since I talked to someone my age. It's easy to get distracted."
"It's okay... You look cute when in a trance." Aurora nonchalantly replied and the two of them stared at each other's eyes. Mercedes's sapphire-like irises were gazing at Aurora's ruby-like irises. The two colored eyes glistened like gemstones, until a man called out for Aurora.
"Young lady! Madam has called for you!" It was a man wearing a black suit along with some shades covering his eyes. He was a buff bald man with an earpiece in his right ear. Gazing at him, Mercedes was a bit interested in Aurora's identity.
"It looks like it's time for us to separate, Aurora. I had a good time talking with you." Mercedes smirked while waving her hand towards the white-haired Aurora. Aurora simply grinned and stood up from the chair.
Before leaving, Aurora glanced at Mercedes and muttered. "I'm sure we'll meet again, Mercedes. I hope that we'll be friends when the time comes."
"Eh, here I thought to myself that we were already friends. Ain't this a disappointing news." Mercedes faked a tear while secretly smiling to herself. Aurora stuck her supply and crimson tongue out while walking towards the guard.
Seeing Aurora's child-like behavior, Mercedes couldn't resist chuckling. It was the first time she had met someone that she could consider a friend. Mercedes felt that her life wasn't as much of a single pathway as she had previously thought.
It was much more than that and there were many more things she could do.
She even realized that she had become a bit narrow-minded with her path. There was something she could only do that others couldn't. The ability to take as many paths as she wanted.
Mercedes wasn't shackled by the limits of humanity and her growth potential was beyond such shackles. So Mercedes couldn't help but feel excited. It was time to unshackle herself of preconceived notions.
'But before that. Let's complete the sub-quest and start my plans.' Mercedes thought and continued reading through the books at a quick pace. Time passes by around her, though Mercedes hardly notices it.
She was immersed in the reading session that lasted quite a while. After a couple of hours, it was early in the afternoon. Mercedes stretched her body and yawned. She had finally concluded the reading session and had read 20 books.
Mercedes had read a total of 140 books in the span of a week. It was a torturous task that rivaled the coffin bringer training of the old man. But like before, Mercedes persevered through the reading session and finally completed the sub-quest.
"*Sigh...* Finally! The torture is over." Mercedes wanted to fall down to the floor and relax. But upon noticing the towering stack of books. She stopped and decided to return them before continuing on what she was planning to do.
As Mercedes returned the books to their respective shelves, she went back to her table and noticed the chair that was used by Aurora. The white-haired young lady was quite an intriguing one.
Mercedes wanted to meet her again, but as she thought about her. She glances at the billboard beyond the windows of the local library. It was an advertisement for a woman's shampoo. Though upon gazing at it with her sapphire-like eyes, Mercedes finally remembered something.
"Silverhearth Group..."
"Wait, wait... What the-"
Mercedes recalled something about the name Silverhearth. Now that she had carefully thought about it. The name belongs to a powerful company. The Silverhearth Group was a powerful corporate family that practically owned a conglomerate.
They were a regional power and had connections from the Federation's military to the regional economy. In simpler terms, they were the goal that Mercedes wanted to reach.
Especially with their status as amongst the top 10 conglomerates of the Federation.
'So she's part of that powerful family, eh? Though, the heir of the conglomerate was near his thirties. Perhaps, she's one of the youngest in the family.' Mercedes thought about it and slowly shook her head.
Even though she was part of a powerful family, Mercedes didn't think of it as much and her perception of Aurora didn't change. Besides, the future would be interesting with such a powerful acquaintance.
"*Yawn...* It's time for me to return. I wonder what Mom has for lunch." Mercedes stretched her arms and legs. Afterward, she left the local library and walked back to the Cafe. But as she walked through the sidewalk, she noticed something in the distance.
It was a lone teenage girl who was surrounded by a group of girls and some men accompanying them. From their expressions, it was obvious that they had devious thoughts in mind. The situation made Mercedes furrow her eyebrows and a thought of calling the authorities emerged in her mind.
However, her expression changed after seeing the face of the teenage girl. There was a cold glint in her eyes as bloodlust began seeping from her body. She slowly stepped forward towards the group with one intention.
As if sensing her bloodlust, the group turned their gaze to see a gorgeous lady walking toward them with a cold expression. The group steadily backed away while Mercedes arrived in front of them.
Kiara noticed her older sister who had a terrifying expression. She never thought that her older sister would be capable of revealing quite a bone-chilling image.
"Who are you, and what are you doing here?" Mercedes coolly questioned and squinted her eyes at the group of teenagers. The teenagers felt cold sweat dripping from their foreheads as they thought of cheap answers inside their empty heads.
"We just invited her to come with us."
"Ah, that's right."
"Yeah, we were going to eat in a nearby restaurant."
"She's our friend."
Hearing them, Mercedes felt disgusted and didn't bother listening more about it. She took a step forward and pointed at them with her pale fingers.
"This is a warning. I'll count one to five."
"If you're still nearby and are still in front of me. I'll beat all of you until your parents won't be able to recognize your faces."
Despite hearing Mercedes's warning, the group looked at each other and didn't leave. This made Mercedes raise an eyebrow before smiling gleefully. She gazes at them and expresses.
"I'll have to thank you for not running. It has been a while since I used my fist." Mercedes started cracking her knuckles as she decided to beat them to a pulp. Kiara only watched from afar as her sister started punching everyone's stomach while calmly dodging the attacks.
She didn't even give the girls any mercy and gave them the same punch that the guys took in their guts. Some peed from their skirts while the men could barely stand up. It only has been a minute, and the group had already fallen.
"You trash are more disappointing than I thought."
Mercedes harshly remarked while placing her boots near one of the teenage girls' heads. The one lying in front of Mercedes was the so-called leader of the group. This b*tch seems to be only strong on the outside and relies on her bastard dogs known as friends.
"Now... What should I do with all of you?"