"You knew! I don't know how, but you knew it all!!!" Vina glared at me angrily, calculating our winnings. I guessed that the merchants were in third place, and Asura and we occupied the first and second places. "Well, you see, I just helped it happen a little." After the festival, the rector congratulated all the winners. The merchants weren't left empty-handed; they chose the most valuable items from the loot and received nearly half of the prize money. As for Asura and her gang, luck wasn't on their side. They were entitled to half of the treasure but unanimously decided to take the katana. Its value exceeded that of all other treasures combined, so they received nothing else... if not for Werner's wager. His winnings amounted to a substantial sum, and he used it to buy the entire house where their guild was located, along with the trading area. True to his word, he invested all the money into the guild, and now they expanded their business, with some remaining still. Our winnings were also quite substantial, and we unanimously decided to spend it on a new guild house. However, we chose to postpone it until the New Year. Among all the treasures, we kept some alchemical ingredients, what I brought out from the dungeons, and the most adorable golem in the world. We reached an agreement with the rector that Rumi would become the combat arts instructor at the Academy, along with Levris. Strangely enough, our amiable teacher quickly found common ground with the warrior-maiden and they became best friends. Now, we had an almost complete guild; we just needed a few more things.
A week after the festival, Asura came to my room. "Krito, I've been thinking a lot about this," her voice trembled a little, "I'm very grateful for everything, but I can't accept your gift." Asura handed me the katana in her clan's scabbard. "Thank you, thanks to you, we won, and Werner was able to buy back our guild. But this sword was made by you, and I can't accept it as a simple gift." "Who said it's a simple gift," I smirked, "I want our guilds to unite. I know you have some reservations about mages, especially our nobles, and I understand you perfectly. But it seemed to me that you got along with the girls: Katrina, Seleria, and Kurone. They are mages too, high-ranking nobles even. But you could talk to them without any problem." Asura looked down at the floor with a sad expression. "Everything you're saying is true, but," she paused, "I can't join you just yet, and I can't abandon the girls and Werner. So, take the sword back." "Nah, I won't take it back. I made it for you, and you should keep it. Besides, I didn't say you have to join us alone. I would suggest merging the guilds, and if you want, we can even change the name. Of course, we'll have to discuss it with Katrina, but I don't think she'll object." "Yeah, your guild's name is quite silly," Asura smiled and left. I hope she agrees.
Making sure no one was around, I peered under the bed. There lay a bundle, an elongated object wrapped in fabric. Another creation I hadn't shown to anyone. I pulled out the bundle and unfolded it on my knees. Inside was a staff, dark blue in color. It was crafted in the form of two intertwining dragon necks, holding a black opaque crystal at the top of the staff. In their paws, they held another smaller crystal of the same kind. Of course, the dragon design was the idea of the blacksmith, but I loved the staff. I let a bit of magic flow through the shaft, and each scale on the surface of the staff glowed with small symbols. Thousands of tiny runes covered the staff; it was my best creation.