[Damnation, I swear in the name of the king, I'll punch your face if the chance ever arises] Alex cursed inwardly, recalling how Mirai had left them without any warning.
"Sir, what should we do now?" Alex asked the second-in-command, seeking their next course of action as his voice edged with urgency. It had been minutes since Mirai had incinerated a portion of the forest with his flames, but the forest was already beginning to repair itself, and Mirai's tracks were fading. They could sense the presence of beasts, but none seemed inclined to attack.
Looking down at Alex with evident arrogance, the imposing man replied coldly, "Before leaving, Mirai took one of my spirits with him. It has already signaled that we must meet him."
Alex's teammates had already warned him about the unique personalities of their leaders. The team leader was a playful individual who enjoyed teasing new recruits, yet his strength and reliability were unquestionable. The second-in-command, an elf named Edward, was known for his arrogance. He never bothered hiding it, except when speaking to Mirai, the only person he deemed worthy of respect.
Alex had grown weary of dealing with the two individuals, so he asked in a resigned tone, not even expecting an answer, "If you knew this earlier, why didn't you tell us so we wouldn't waste time?"
Edward replied dismissively, "Caution is second nature on the battlefield. Variables can appear out of nowhere, so ensuring nothing goes wrong is essential, especially since our duty is to protect and escort. It's pretty obvious you're the first to ask me questions because you're so freaked out, so I was just waiting for you to ask, kid."
Alex stood there, baffled, as he heard small chuckles from the other knights. He didn't expect anything less from the haughty elf. To his surprise, Edward continued, "The main reason is that Mirai hates waiting, so I thought we should take our time and not bother our esteemed Lady." Edward pointed to the wagon, and just like that, the small chuckles turned into full-blown laughter, with Alex joining in.
Edward gave them a meaningful look as he finished speaking, "Since Alex is our new recruit, we will take our time to teach him everything he needs to know. Let's meet Mirai at sunset."
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"What took you so long?" Mirai yelled at the group entering the hall, though half of them had stayed outside to guard the wagon.
Edward replied with a hint of sadness that barely masked the sarcasm in his voice, "Sir, as an elf, I couldn't help but mourn what happened to the forest. All those ancient trees were incinerated to ashes. For a moment, I thought of sending one of MY SPIRITS to tell my sister about such a miserable sight."
"Ed, are you really that spiteful that I kidnap— I mean borrowed one of your spirits without asking?" Mirai retorted.
"You know this isn't the first time you've done that," Edward said, his tone sharpening. "What really concerns me is your lack of respect for nature. Maybe I should really tell her about this."
"Damn you, alright, you win. What do you want for your silence on the matter?"
"Hmmm, no teasing the new member for a month... and your paycheck for the year."
"Do whatever you want, you snitch. You took it too far; I'm not doing any of those."
"Sure thing," Edward replied immediately as a wind spirit started flying out of the hall.
"Alright, alright, I hope you're happy, Ed. I agree to the terms," Mirai conceded.
While Edward and Mirai argued and yelled at one another, the knights took the opportunity to search the hall for any relics that might have been left behind. This was the main purpose of their expedition: to retrieve anything of value linked to the fairies.
The saintess who accompanied them was there to detect what they needed from what they collected, but according to the information they had, no fairies should have been present since they were nearly extinct after the Age of Dawn so that would make their mission easier but If any did exist here, they would likely be one of the ancients l, which was why someone as strong as Mirai had been sent on this mission.
Alex, meanwhile, noticed a grand staircase and was drawn to a beautiful statue engulfed by thorns resting on a throne. As he closed the distance, he saw a crown on the statue and thought that Lady Luck had finally blessed him. He forgot the lesson he had been taught: never lower your caution. Just as he was about to grab the crown, the statue's eyes opened and looked at him with interest.
The ethereal being's silver eyes were sharp as steel yet calm and clear as a lake, exuding an air of clarity that cut through any pretense. The figure muttered calmly, "Thou'rt strangers, it seemeth."
The ruler had awakened