In the morning, we set out on our journey again. Seleria didn't want to stay any longer in the house where her father had not only thrown away her jewelry but also her most precious treasure.
Ragni flew back to our storage to deliver a new batch, and of course, I asked her to separate my share once again. Only one treasure remained with us. Sheraza said she wouldn't include the small ring in the inventory, but it didn't help to ease the heart of the offended princess.
Once again, a crowd of townspeople bid us farewell. We departed amid their enthusiastic cheers and approving shouts. It seemed they had already learned about our victory over the sphinx and the significant contribution of their beloved princess.
"Ah, I wish they welcomed me with such warmth too," Katrina sighed, dampening the atmosphere.
"Don't worry, Kat, if you can establish your guild, people will praise you not just because you are a princess, but because you'll become a hero."
"Hmm, it's easy for you to say; you have an entire city of fans."
"Hehe, well, I earned their love for sixteen long years, and you'll succeed too."
"Royal duties can be harsh. I wonder what lies ahead for us, Vina?"
"We don't have much time. In a week, we'll cross the desert and reach the eastern coast, where the mysterious Golden Tomb awaits. After that, we can return to the Academy."
"What did the queen mean by testing the strongest warriors?" Asura stroked her katana thoughtfully.
"Asura, how's your sword doing?"
The warrior unsheathed it. It seemed that overnight she managed to repair its blade again, using metal from another blade, but it still looked somewhat pitiful.
"I'm sorry; it's because of my strategy."
"It's alright. The sword wasn't originally suited for magic use. I foolishly wielded it without much thought."
"We'll come up with something about that."
"Thanks, but it's not necessary," Asura sheathed the blade and lowered her head slightly. "Krito, Katrina, there's something I want to tell you."
We retreated to a secluded spot away from everyone.
"I would like to finish our collaboration here."
"What do you mean? We're almost done," Katrina didn't want to part with Asura. Over this month, she had grown quite close to the stoic warrior.
"I understand, but I want to face this alone. I'll tell you what happened inside once I'm done, but I'll enter the tomb only with my guild."
"But what about your katana? If there's a formidable opponent waiting for you there, you won't manage with that blade."
Asura glanced at her sword once more.
"If necessary, I'll fight with my bare hands, but I want to prove that I'm a great warrior without any external support."
"Asura?" Katrina sadly lowered her eyes.
"If this is how you want to repay us for the help of your guild, it's foolish. But I understand you; everyone must face this trial on their own. Just promise me you won't die in there."
"Thank you, Krito. I'm glad you understand me."
The road was long, but we didn't encounter any adventures. After three days, a black dragoness joined us. Unlike us, she had experienced more adventures while crossing the desert; she was attacked three times by some Bedouins. Apparently, a Dragon carrying chests of treasures attracts a lot of attention.
Along the way, we stopped at several trading ports along the coast. As it turned out, many of them belonged to trading houses friendly to the royal family, so they received us as esteemed guests. In each city, Asura searched for a master who could repair her sword before we reached our destination, but many were reluctant to take on such a challenging order in such a short time. So she tried to fix it herself as best as she could.
As planned by Vina, we reached our destination in a week.
In the middle of the desert, there was a small oasis, and on its shore, a tomb was carved into the rock. Two statues guarded the entrance. We arrived late at night and set up camp in the shade of the trees.
The dinner wasn't as extravagant as Seleria's house, and Ragni half-heartedly stirred her soup with a spoon. I decided to take the opportunity to talk to Asura again.
"Do you mind if I sit down?"
The blue-haired beauty glanced at me and shifted slightly.
"Don't try to dissuade me, I will still go there with my guild."
"I have no doubt about that. We'll be waiting for you. I hope you'll succeed."
"Come on, Krito, we're your competitors now. If we manage, we might get the most valuable treasures from there."
"Alright then, I wish you a safe return."
"Silly boy, when a warrior goes into battle, they must be ready to die. If I only care about my safety, I might put myself or even worse, my comrades, in danger."
Unfathomable sadness was evident in Asura's eyes.
"Is there something else bothering you? Your katana?"
"My katana?" Asura caressed her sword again. "It was my clan's pride, the founding sword of my clan. The guard is all that remains of the blade; the edge is melted, and I couldn't fully restore it. I might have to replace it entirely. And the hilt, I squeezed it so hard during that attack that it cracked."
"I suppose you're upset that you destroyed the sword using magic?"
"Magic, why do you all cling to it? It brought only trouble to my clan, and now it has destroyed the pride of my clan."
"Well, magic isn't everything in this world. It may have its impact on politics, but for an individual, it means nothing," I reclined on the ground and looked at the distant starry sky.
"Yes, it's not everything," Asura did the same. "But you still remain at the magical faculty. I wish you were in my guild."
"Well, it's not too late, anything can change."
"I will enter the tomb at dawn," Asura wrapped herself in her bedroll and turned away from me. "Don't follow me."
"Good night then."
When we woke up, the sun was already high in the sky. Asura and her group were nowhere to be seen.
"Krito! They're gone!" Tearful Katrina ran up to me; she had been sure that Asura would change her mind.
"Don't cry, princess. Everything will be fine with them. You know Asura; she's quite proud."
"I thought we became friends. I wanted us to stay together."
"Calm down. I believe we'll have another chance to convince her."
Inside the tomb, the clash of crossed swords could be heard. The battle didn't last long, and after a couple of minutes, our recent comrades appeared.
The twins, along with Werner, carried strange items. They were clearly ancient and very valuable: a staff, a sword, an elaborately decorated plate, and even a musical instrument resembling a trumpet. Asura followed behind them, carrying only a small velvet bundle with unknown contents. It seemed tears were in her eyes.
"You've returned, and it seems you took something useful. Was the trial not that challenging?"
Asura walked past, ignoring everyone, and sat by the lake shore. Then one of the twins, Miriam, approached me.
"We didn't pass the trial; the guardian allowed us to take one item from the treasury because she liked how Lady Asura fought. But that fight cost her dearly. There are many valuable items in the treasury, all ancient and likely worth a lot, though there are no real gems there. You'll find it challenging to choose a reward. And about the opponent... ask the lady."
Everyone listened attentively to Miriam, and they allowed me to talk to Asura.
I approached the warrior quietly and sat down beside her. From her sobbing, she couldn't seem to calm down. I slowly placed my hand on her shoulder, and Asura flinched.
"Krito? Do you want to know about the opponent?" She didn't lift her head.
"First, I want to know what happened to our Snow Queen. You never let emotions take control, especially in front of others."
Asura slowly handed me the velvet pouch. I unfolded it and saw an incomprehensible set of metal and bone fragments inside. At first, I didn't understand what it was, but then I saw a gilded guard in the middle of the shards.
"Asura?" I looked at her sword sheaths; they were empty.
"Now the pride of my clan is completely destroyed. I won't be able to repair the sword from such tiny fragments."
A new wave of tears overwhelmed the warrior.
"Can I take something?" I asked.
"I don't mind."
I picked up the surprisingly well-preserved guard from the pile of shards.
"Even if the sword is destroyed, it will still remain in your heart."
"Hehe," Asura chuckled almost inaudibly, not looking up from her knees. "You're talking nonsense."
"Well, consoling girls isn't my talent."
Asura finally lifted her head, her expression once again cold as ice. Besides her teary eyes, nothing revealed her recent emotions.
"Thank you for trying to console me. But I also have my duty to you. After all, I promised to tell you what's inside."
I listened intently to every word.
"There are only two small rooms inside, and in the passage between them stands a single guard. He is a powerful warrior, very powerful. He easily broke my sword in a couple of minutes and threw me to the ground. But even so, he acknowledged my skills and allowed me to enter the tomb. He said it was gratitude for preserving the tradition of an honorable duel and for my excellent abilities. I don't know how he managed to assess them, but from his voice, I understood that someone else had already been there besides us, and not everyone fought fairly.
"And what about the instructor?"
"That's the thing. There isn't a single mentor from the academy in there. The guard is the only one who keeps the tomb's peace. I even thought he might be the head of the martial arts department, but his skills are not on par with the guard's," Asura paused briefly. "And one more thing... He is very much like you, or rather, his fighting style is. Perhaps you have a chance to defeat the guard and claim all the treasures."
"Then I'll do my best not to disappoint you."
It was our turn to face the guard.
Leaving Asura in the oasis, we proceeded inside. The narrow corridor soon opened up into a long room with statues lining the walls. Each statue held braziers in their hands, and the weak flames illuminated the room. At the end of the room, two narrow passages led to another small statue, resembling a person in gilded attire, with crossed arms on the chest and a golden mask of a human face on the head. It looked like a living person, but the statue remained motionless since we entered.
"Where are the monsters?" Katrina suspiciously examined the statues along the walls. "Won't they attack us from the darkness?"
"No, Asura said there's only one guard, and I believe it's him." I approached the golden statue, and it moved.
"Who has come to challenge me? Choose the strongest warrior among you."
"Who will go?" I looked back.
"Let me!" Katrina stepped forward proudly.
"Huh, I warn you, magic won't work on me," the statue just smirked! It's definitely a human!!
"Krito, I'm not so sure about myself now. We should choose a warrior."
"All right, I'll go. There's no running away from this." I stepped forward, and the "statue" straightened up and drew weapons from behind its back.
"The choice is made," the guard's hands flashed with two blades, thin and curved in the middle of the blades, with straight handles ending in small pommels.
"Oh, my! Krito, doesn't this remind you of anything?"
I don't know who this is, but his stance reminds me of what I saw in the book about dual-wielding swords. Although these blades are not exactly the same, they can also be used for similar techniques. And this opponent is definitely more experienced than me.
With a single motion, I drew my own blades from behind my back. I held the smaller one closer to my torso and extended the larger one slightly forward. I noticed how the guard's eyes widened, then narrowed again. I'm sure if it weren't for the mask, I would have seen his satisfied smile.
"Brings out nostalgia..." the guard muttered these words. "Show me what you're capable of."