"Hah! Finally!"
Noir exhaled a long sigh upon seeing the silhouette of a fortress from afar. Although not as big as Haven Liberty or Majesty, that city would have at least a warp dock he could use to return home.
Probably, due to the interference of the Sovereign, Noir was thrown out of the Magnitude Tower to a random location after finishing the trial.
The trial was cleared in four days because of time dilation, and the journey from the wasteland searching for the city took him another three days. That was already given the fact Noir was using GPS and [Azure Lightning]'s boost.
On his journey, Noir almost collapsed and even died due to hunger multiple times. He had to eat anything. Everything that looked edible on the road was snatched by him on the first day.
Fortunately, on the second day, Noir found an abandoned settlement or, precisely, a camp. There, he found canned food supplies that were almost due date.
Noir received a message from an unknown number asking him about his whereabouts and why he didn't attend the academy for a whole week.
Turns out that was Argent's contact.
Sending a message explaining that he was sick, Noir shoved his phone into his pocket and continued walking toward the city.
'If I were using my [Azure Lightning] right now, I would collapse once I arrived at the gate, so... it's better to walk and take my time.'
After some time, Noir finally reached the city's gate. It wasn't as humongous and meticulous as Haven Liberty's or Majesty's. It was just small and simple, like Apollis' gate.
The gatekeeper noticed a haggard boy approaching their city.
They stood their ground, puffing their chest as they held the mechanical spear that looked like it could be detached into dual swords tightly.
"Halt!"
Although Noir couldn't hear them saying halt, he judged that straightening themselves up meant that they were ready to stop him in his tracks.
He sighed at the sight of that.
'A verification...'
Noir examined himself.
Then he clicked his tongue.
He didn't bring anything to verify himself. And even if he did, he wasn't registered as an official Resonant but a student.
It would be complicated if he was to verify as a student.
Because the only group or individuals that were allowed to go outside and roam the wasteland were those with identification as a registered Resonant.
However, if he couldn't prove himself as a legit Resonant, he couldn't enter the city and be treated as a Vagabond.
Vagabond was the term for an individual who lived without the Lord's protection. In other words, they lived outside the city.
Being treated as a Vagabond wasn't necessarily bad. It was just that they weren't allowed inside the city because people's perception of them was that they were a bunch of bandits.
Some things happened in the past that resulted in that perception.
That being said, that was the situation at the big cities like Haven Liberty, Majesty, Orion, and so on.
But here, in Jessnel, a city within the region known as Africa in the past, Noir heard the relationship between Vagabond and the cities was not good.
So, if Noir couldn't prove himself as an individual approved by the Resonant League, there was a big chance for a conflict to blow up.
As the ragged boy stood in front of the gatekeepers, they clenched their weapons tightly. Their eyes warily examined Noir.
"Your identification?"
Noir was silent for a moment before rummaging through his clothes while thinking of a reason to avoid trouble.
After a while, Noir looked at the gatekeepers. He wore a friendly smile as he scratched his cheek.
"Umm... I think I lost it somewhere... But if you—"
Before he could finish speaking, two pointy blades were already at his throat.
"Vagabonds aren't allowed here! Get out of here now if you don't want this spear stuck in your neck."
***
Soon after Noelle received a notice from an unknown number about her brother's whereabouts, she immediately ran for the warp dock.
Usually, she would have given it a second thought whenever she got information, even if the one who sent it was her colleague.
However, in that desperate situation, Noelle didn't bother checking for its credibility because of her worries. Or rather, she became a brainless monkey whenever her brother's safety was concerned.
That was her only weakness that, fortunately, no one knew about because she acted like she didn't care about her brother.
Although that was hurting her and her brother's feelings, it was necessary, even if it meant receiving hate from the little brother.
One thing she didn't expect was the amount of hate her brother had for her, which made it impossible for her to act like a doting sister when they were alone, out of the public's eyes.
Even though she told her brother that it was just a facade...
Noelle sighed.
'If only I was strong enough to protect you, I wouldn't have done that...'
Shaking her head, Noelle focused on the present instead. It wasn't time to lament for what had been done.
She looked at the message again. This time, the anonymous told Noelle that her brother was threatened by the gatekeepers at the south gate.
Knowing the situation, Noelle rushed to the location. Since the area was small, she used her Art Resonance to boost her speed rather than taking transportation.
Soon after Noelle activated her Art Resonance, golden electricity wrapped her legs, enhancing her speed.
In a blink of time, she arrived at the south gate.
Noticing the two gatekeepers were pointing their spears at the haggard boy, who she quickly recognized was her younger brother, Noelle released a thunder as a warning.
Roar!!
Golden thunder roared in the air, striking right behind the gatekeepers.
"What are you doing?!" Noelle screamed at the top of her lungs.
The gatekeepers flinched, instinctively turning around and finding a woman running toward them. Despite her distorted expression out of anger, they still found the woman excessively beautiful.
But once they recognized who she was, they suddenly stiffened up.
"G-grandmaster Noelle!"