Dawn pouted, "But she still doesn't have abilities. If Emery used his powers, she would have been done for a long time ago."
Bernice nodded in agreement, her gaze cold and determined, "Close combat is only effective against ordinary enemies." She spoke calmly and composedly.
Feeling a bit disheartened, I couldn't deny their point. Just take someone like Halle, with her abilities, I couldn't even get close to her. In a world dominated by ability users, what use was a bit of martial arts?
However, facing the tests, I still had to give my best. Celeste had given me this opportunity, and even if I wasn't an ability user, I wanted to complete these tests seriously and provide her with some answers.
"I'm here! I'm here!" Suddenly, Edmund ran out from behind them, greeting Elder Arufa and Princess Asna. Then he looked around in confusion, the usual spot for Uncle Dominic was empty. "Chief Dominic, what happened to you?"
"Nothing!" Uncle Dominic suddenly jumped up again, standing behind the glass, clenching his fist and coughing lightly. "Ahem."
Edmund immediately looked at Celeste, "Celeste, has Yvette's test started?"
Celeste smiled at him, looking heroic, "You've missed it; the first test has already concluded."
"What?!" Edmund looked at Celeste in astonishment, and Princess Asna smiled gently at him, "See for yourself."
Only then did Edmund turn around, peering through the window towards my direction. When he saw Emery on the ground, he took another step forward in surprise, leaning against the glass, "Yvette! You defeated Emery!"
I just smiled faintly.
"And with just one move!" Lindsay added incredulously. Her excitement was evident as she rubbed her hands together and looked at me with anticipation, "I really want to spar with her."
Celeste glanced at her with a smile, then withdrew her gaze to me, "Can you wake Emery up? We need to proceed with the second test."
"Sure." I crouched down and checked Emery's pulse. In truth, he would wake up soon enough on his own. I pressed my fingers lightly, and Emery coughed, "Cough!"
Emery was awake.
I stood up, taking a step back.
Emery propped himself up, shook his head, and stood up somewhat dazed. He faced the wall, looking confused, "What happened... hmm? Where am I?"
"Here." I spoke, and he stiffened when he turned around. As he faced me, he bit his lip, furrowed his brows, scratched his head, blushed a bit, and then lifted his face. His gaze passed over me directly, as if avoiding me. He looked at Celeste, "Can we keep today's tests confidential?""Hahaha!" Lindsay's laughter instantly filled the entire testing room. Her laughter was particularly loud, drowning out others. The enclosed testing room turned into a soundbox amplifying her laughter, leaving Emery with a blackened face, glaring at Lindsay.
Lindsay laughed for a while, realizing her laughter was too loud. She promptly stopped and turned serious, looking at Emery. "What are you looking at? Can't I laugh a bit after defeating you?"
Edmund nodded enthusiastically on the side, seemingly enjoying Emery's embarrassment.
Elder Arufa and the others also chuckled, while Uncle Dominic covered his face, almost gritting his teeth, "Emery! Come on!"
"Phew!" Emery huffed with his hands on his hips, lowered his head, and looked at me. Suddenly, his expression changed, and he looked serious. "I won't let you win in the next round!"
Well, that's assuming you've ever let me win in the previous rounds.
"The second test: Long-range combat." With Celeste's words, the white walls around us began to ripple, protruding many square grids. The entire wall became movable, and I was somewhat surprised by the undulating walls. They gradually stopped moving, and some of the squares began to flip, revealing knives and guns!
I took down a gun from the wall, similar to the one Halle used. Then, I picked up a knife, noting the sharpness of its blade. I immediately looked at Celeste, questioning, "Celeste, are we really going to engage in long-range combat?"
Celeste gave me a serious look, a gaze that could make any soldier obey. Asna started to get nervous, Amanda looked worriedly at Emery, Bernice's gaze remained calm, and Dawn's eyes shifted between me and Emery.
Edmund fist-bumped me, "Go for it!"
Lindsay and Farley also nodded in encouragement.
"What's the matter? Scared now?" Emery had already returned to his usual self, skillfully playing with the gun in his hand. I looked at Celeste with concern, "But, weapons are dangerous. I'm afraid of hurting Emery."
"You're afraid of hurting me?! Hahaha!" Emery laughed triumphantly, leaning backward almost as if he would collapse from laughter.
Celeste glanced at me and then looked sternly at Emery, "Emery, I've always been curious. Even the people in Silvermoon City thought Yvette was a boy. How did you know she was a girl?"
"Cough, cough, cough!!!" Suddenly, Emery started coughing violently, seemingly choked by his laughter. His face turned red due to the intense coughing fit.Princess Asna also looked at Emery, "Emery, how did you figure it out?"
"Eh~~~~~ Emery, big brother has a problem, huh?" Dawn squinted her big eyes behind the glass, her ample chest pressed against it.
Edmund and Lindsay also looked puzzled, while Farley propped her chin on Lindsay's head with both hands.
Bernice's gaze remained calm, as if nothing could disturb her tranquility.
Elder Arufa mysteriously smiled.
Uncle Dominic, however, became nervous and secretly looked at Celeste.
After coughing for a while, Emery raised his face, combing his hair back with his right hand, "With my keen intuition!" He played it cool, tilting his face upward and raising his eyebrows.
For some reason, I suddenly had a bad feeling. I stared at him intently, "How did you really know?!"
Emery's raised eyebrows started to freeze.
"Emery, you're my son. How could I not understand you?" Celeste spoke up. "You and your father are the same, only having an intuition for the beautiful. Haven't you confused the genders many times?"
Immediately, Uncle Dominic rubbed his forehead again, looking frustrated.
Emery became even stiffer. His eyebrows were frozen, and he gritted his teeth while lowering his face. Like his father, he rubbed his forehead, muttering, "Are you really my biological mother... why do you always catch me off guard..."
What? Confused about genders? I raised my head in confusion. What did Celeste mean by that?
Edmund laughed, "Yvette, whenever Emery goes on missions to other cities, he often mistakes handsome boys for girls."
"Edmund!" Emery exclaimed, glaring at him.
"Hahaha!" Lindsay laughed again, untimely and exceptionally loud. Her laughter echoed in the awkward atmosphere, making things even more uncomfortable.
However, she quickly stopped, looking serious at Emery. "Did you happen to touch her, so you knew Yvette is a girl?"
Suddenly, there was a collective gasp. Asna covered her mouth, even Bernice's gaze changed, becoming icy, and it carried a hint of killing intent.
What?! My heart tightened, and when I looked at Emery, he was completely tense, his face turning red.
"Emery! Explain quickly!" Amanda urged. "I believe you wouldn't..."
"I didn't mean to..." Emery suddenly spoke up, admitting it!