At my proposal, Crimson... sighed in annoyance. "What do you want to talk about now...? I'm telling you, I don't want to continue this conversation. I'm happy that you're mine, Snowflake. I really am."

"Okay, well, I still want you to talk."

"About what?"

"I don't know... You seem troubled! Just vent!"

Her lips turned into an amused smile. "What do you mean 'just vent'? I can't just vent on command."

"Vent!" I insisted. "You seem down ever since the fight with Carolina."

"I've told you already... I'm just a little upset because it didn't go like I wanted. I was holding back," she shrugged, pulling her knees to her chest.

"That's better; it's a start," I said with a smile. "Though I really can't imagine you holding back."

"What do you mean? I always hold back with you!"

"I mean in a fight..."

"Yes, I was referring to that, Snowflake..." she said with a smug smile. "You could break with a twist; I always hold back with you, in everything, actually. Don't you remember the fight we had after we first met? Even there... or after Elizabeth's party..."

I averted my gaze, remembering the scene. "Well... I don't want to talk about this."

"You're so hard to please..."

"Come on, tell me, what would've happened if you used the spell?" I said, returning on the main subject.

"A disaster," she flatly replied, slightly leaning back her head. "It's my most powerful spell. Everyone has that kind of spell they have to measure when to use."

I comfortably settled beside her, squishing my body against her for warmth. "Do you think Carolina also held back?"

"Hmm, I'm not sure. It's been a few years since I last saw her fight. My mother won last time. So I thought I could win as well."

"You're stronger than your mom?" I asked, side-eyeing her.

She nodded. "I am when I'm under that spell. Since generations, every family member of the Incendiaria has always had a codex. Our mana is very similar, and most of our spells revolve around fire. But I'm the only one who's ever gotten a similar spell, from what I've heard. Even among my family, I'm a raw talent," she explained with a smirk.

"Hmm..." I observed her with some amusement at her confidence; just like me, she seemed to deeply admire her mother. "Are you planning to become Guild Leader like your mother was?"

"Hell, no," she scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Being a coordinator is stressful enough. I'd rather just have fun and enjoy myself. I have enough headaches dealing with members, and being around Guild Leaders is excruciating already. I've just dealt with three of them around a campfire..."

"But that was interesting. You enjoyed it, admit it," I said, giving her a little nudge. "I'm still thinking about it; I'm surprised Carolina is the strongest among them. I expected it to be the Prince."

She shook her head. "Guilds are particular, Snowflake; most of them focus on a specific kind of path. The Golden Lucenti is a guild extremely focused on defense; you'd have a hard time fighting any of them thinking you can get past their spells. On the other hand, we, the Abyss Reavers, are heavily focused on offense. Though, ever since Laura retired from dungeons, our strength took a hit. Me, Leonard, Mika, Ceruleo..."

"Ceruleo?"

"A member you still haven't met. But you get the gist; everyone has strong attack spells. The Amalgamated Thorny Roses, instead, are... extravagants."

"Extravagants?"

She groaned. "Bunch of weirdos..."

The way she lamented it made me laugh. A genuine, unrestrained sound. "What does that mean?" I asked, trying to stifle it.

She looked at me for a moment, her eyes widening slightly, her lips parting as if in surprise.

I tilted my head. "What?"

"Huh, well... I think this is the first time I've seen you actually laugh," she said, her smile weirdly tender. "You should do that more often; you're even more beautiful when you do."

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

That caught me so off guard that I couldn't think of an answer for a moment; enough time for a warm blush to spread across my cheeks. "Shut up and continue talking."

"I should both shut up and continue talking?" she chuckled softly, rolling her eyes. "So hard to please..."

I gave her another nudge, and she kept giggling, until she exhaled. "What I mean is that their spells are nonsense," she then continued with a smile on her lips. "You saw Carolina. I mean, what the fuck were those spells? Can't they just be normal? Every member in her guild like that... she scouts for weird things. And she's the only one who uses the Goldenovum's tournament to recruit personally. She's... extravagant. A weirdo."

"Goldenovum's tournament? What's that?"

"It's an annual tourney held by the King, at Goldenovum. It's where adventurers can register to fight, and the winner gets a prize in coins and recognition. The top three guilds are also invited to open the event; they're the first one to fight to warm up the spectators. Next year we'll be invited as well," she explained. "Carolina uses this event to scout for adventurers she thinks are intriguing."

"Oh, I've never heard of it. It seems interesting!"

She nodded. "Next year we can go there together," she then said with a smirk.

"Hmm-hm," I nodded back; my idea was working! Her mood was improving the more she talked. "Come on, continue! Tell me, what about this Ceruleo? Laura, too; you said the guild's strength took a hit with her retiring. Is she that strong?"

"They're both strong. Ceruleo and I are on the same level, in a way. We used to go to a lot of missions together; we make a good team. And Laura is insanely strong..."

"Would you win in a duel against Laura?" I teased.

"No, I'd lose," she nonchalantly replied.

My eyes widened. "Really? She's that strong?"

She slowly nodded. "She was considered the strongest mage, after all... before she left it and that fraud of Elizabeth took the title."

"Even Mereoleona didn't sound convinced by Elizabeth," I mused aloud.

"Who would be?" she muttered disappointedly.

"Why, though?"

"Elizabeth deserves none of what she achieved..." Crimson sighed; clearly, just the mention of Elizabeth was enough to darken her mood. I almost regretted asking... "You could say that every libromancer starts from scratch: a codex, a weapon, and a spell..." She stopped for a moment, turning her head towards me, her expression softening. "Ah, well... not you. Sorry, Snowflake," she said with a grin, patting my head mockingly.

I pouted. "Just continue..."

She giggled. "But, well... the same can't be said for Elizabeth. When she retrieved her codex, she found more than just a single spell."

"Huh, really?"

She sighed once more. "Yes. And the way which she learns spells is just as absurd. Once, in a single dungeon, she acquired more than ten."

"Wow..."

"And yet, she can barely use any of them because she sucks... She's wasted potential. Laura, on the other hand, could be considered a genius. Doesn't that make you angry? Imagine what you could do, if only you possessed some spells..."

"Hmm..." Her words made me ponder for a moment before returning to the conversation. "But why did Laura retire if she's so powerful and still considered as such?"

Crimson shrugged. "I guess she wanted to focus on being a mother for that failure. Who knows..."

"Hmm, I suppose that makes sense. It's what a mother would do..."

Crimson let her body slightly lean back, sighing as attempting to relax.

"I'm surprised though," I mused aloud. "At first I thought that the top guilds were far more specific in terms of strength, but I suppose they're far more variegated than I anticipated. To think we have the strongest mage, and the second top guild boasts the most powerful leader... I wonder what's so special about the Golden Lucenti, then..."

"Being the Prince's guild, you can expect it to be exceedingly practical to a fault. So it's only natural for it to be to the top; the King must've pulled some strings as well, perhaps. But yes, just because it's the first one, it doesn't mean every member there is the strongest ever; I could face some fairly easily," she remarked with a little, proud smirk. "Most of the strongest libromancers out there are not even in a guild; they're just adventurers. Laura is the strongest mage I've ever encountered, but I don't think she's the strongest libromancer."

"Really?" I asked; now my interest piqued. "Then who is it?"

Crimson's smile twitched slightly as she pulled her knees closer to her chest, her grip tightening. Slowly, her breath became erratic, and her eyes glistened with excitement. "An adventurer I once met, some years ago..."

Her sudden change of expression made my confused. "Crimson?"

"I utterly lost..."

"Huh...?"

Crimson hugged her knees tighter. "I couldn't do anything... She completely overwhelmed me..."

"Who was she?" I almost stammered at her behavior.

"A monster..." she breathed. "Just an ordinary-looking adventurer with long brown hair and a blue dress. And yet... a swordswoman, a warrior like never seen before... I had never seen someone control mana the way she did; she was a master at it."

"Hmm... What's this girl's name?" I asked, resting my head on my knees as I stared at her.

"Her name is... Benedetta... Oh, I'd love to fight her once again... I wonder how it would go now; I hadn't obtained my spell yet at that time," she said before taking a deep breath, her grip softening, her body relaxing. "Her sword was long and of a shimmering blue, her mastery with it outstanding... She was composed, even as she fought. Her figure slender, gentle... her bright cocoa eyes enchanting..."

"Okay, now you're talking too much about her."

She chuckled, a smug smile playing on her lips. "Oh, am I?"

"Hmm-hm."

She slowly closed her eyes, her smile never fading. "Well, I guess I'll stop talking about her, then. For now," she replied playfully.

"Well, at least you seem in a better mood now," I said, a yawn escaping me.

"We should go to sleep," she said softly. "I can see you're tired."

"Who's going to stand watch tonight?"

She shrugged. "Carolina was the last one to arrive, so I guess she'll do it. I don't know and I don't care. I'm resting tonight," she said, sinking into a comfortable position beside me, shutting off the tent lantern.

I followed, leaning it to give her a kiss. "Good night, Crimson."

She wrapped her arms around me, pulling me close before returning my kiss. "Good night, Snowflake."

Somehow... this felt like a little victory.