Hera and Blue waited around for half an hour. It came to a point where they were sure Silah was just stalling, trying to see if they would leave before Hera could talk to her. However, they were just patiently waiting around.

"Girl, it's time for you to go. If you keep cleaning that armor, you will rip out the enchantment," Kahala said.

"I… I just don't know what to say," Silah could feel her face getting hotter.

"Did I ask why you were waiting? I don't care. Just go. Your work is done here."

"Seriously?" Silah turned towards the armorsmith, "I thought we got closer these past days."

"I may be willing to teach you a thing or two, but that doesn't mean I care about your personal life. Besides, I was never a fan of that teenager who likes who thing."

"I'm not a teenager," Silah huffed.

"Then stop acting like one and go talk to whoever you want to talk to, or don't. Either way, get out of my forge," Kahala was still working and kept her eyes focused on the melting metal.

Silah cleaned Blue's armor from the excess oils and cleaning products she used and put it in a basket. After taking a deep breath, she left the forge and walked over to the bench by the lake where the humans were.

"Hey, Blue. Sorry for the delay. Here's your armor. Try to clean and dry it every day. Once every other day, you should apply a thin layer of oil to it. That way, the metal will always be in good shape. If you want, I can show you how to do it. We can drop by the guard to get some supplies and…"

"Thanks, Silah. I really appreciate everything you guys did. But I think you and Hera need to talk. Even I can see some weird tension between you two," Blue picked her armor and walked away from the bench.

Silah just stood there for a while, avoiding Hera's eyes.

Unsure of what was going on, Hera decided to be careful, "Hey. How are you?"

"Oh… Hi… erm… Hey, I'm ok," Silah replied.

"Do you want to sit down?"

"Well… sure," Silah sighed and sat down on the bench.

"So… how is working with the master armorsmith?" Hera asked.

"It's… different from what I expected."

"How so?"

"I don't want to badmouth her, but she's so rude! I mean, if I ask for advice about anything that is not forging, she either ignores me or just complains about me asking. Not to mention that she keeps teasing me about basic things."

"Well, I don't see her as rude. Just blunt. She might not want to talk about other things, and instead of being polite, she goes, 'I'm not interested.' But what basic things she teases you about?"

"Remember when she asked if I already knew how to melt iron? She kept saying that over and over and asking if I even knew how to use a hammer. I've been holding a hammer since I was two. Of course, I know how to use it! She's just picking on me," Silah crossed her arms in a huff.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course, I'm sure I know how to use a hammer!" Silah gasped.

"No, no. I mean, are you sure that she's just picking on you? Maybe she's trying to teach you something."

"But I know how to melt iron and how to use a hammer."

"You know one way to do that. Maybe there are other, better ways to do the same thing. Like when using the subtle strike. You can block an attack by directing it elsewhere or by hitting the opponent's arm before they can do the swing. Both give the same results but have different moments to be used," Hera explained.

"So, she might be trying to tell me a different way to melt metal and to swing the hammer?"

"Maybe. I can't say for sure, but you can try to see things from a different perspective."

Silah stopped to consider that for a moment, "That may be true. I noticed she pays much more attention to the ingot while it's melting than I do when I'm doing something."

"So try that. Worst-case scenario, you just lose a few days. Best case, you might find something new."

"Yeah, you're right. I might be too set in my ways to realize other options. Like the mold thing you taught us, it's so simple. I'm amazed no one ever thought about it before."

"Most people end up too focused on their own perspective to find something new. That's why people who think outside the box tend to be the best inventors," seeing Silah's expression, Hera chuckled, "Thinking outside the box means to think in a way that doesn't follow regular rules and traditions."

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

"I see. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense, actually. Thanks for the tip."

"No worries. I'm here anytime you need me. And… does that mean we are good?" Hera asked.

Silah looked at Hera and started getting red, "Yeah, we are. Sorry for being weird. I just wasn't expecting you to kiss me like that. I guess it's a society thing. Here we tend to talk about things first and then date. By the end of the date, if things worked out, then we kiss. Starting off with that threw me off. It was a bit much, but I liked it. I mean, you're hot. By the mountain, you are hot. So, do you mind if we start things my way? Can we start with a date, maybe having dinner?"

Hera kept staring at Silah without understanding what was going on, "Silah, I'm sorry. But when did I kiss you?"

"What do you mean? You kissed me on the cheek a couple of days ago after you fell asleep in Kahala's workshop. You really don't remember?"

"No, I mean. I remember giving you a kiss goodbye, but that is like a greeting. You do it with any friend that you are close enough, like Blue and the rest of the people at my party," Hera felt guilty for misleading her friend. Silah was beautiful, easy to talk to, and made her feel safe. There was no need to try to impress her or something like that. She didn't want to hurt her friend, and if she was honest to herself, the blacksmith was incredibly attractive. If circumstances were different, there was no way Hera would give up on the chance of dating her. The issue was the possibility of losing her friend in case things don't work out.

"Oh… I see. So... you don't like me that way. It was all in my head," Silah's response made Hera feel even worse.

"Silah. Look, it's not like that. I mean, I like you, and you are beautiful, but that's not the issue here. I mean, what if we break up? I don't want to lose you as a friend," Hera explained.

Silah stared at Hera with a confused expression, "Are you serious? Is that how humans think about relationships? You guys go in already thinking about what will happen when you break up? Not even saying if, but already assuming it's a certainty? "

Hera didn't have a reply for that. It was true that everyone would think first about the end of a relationship before thinking of anything else. She never realized how odd that was until now, "I honestly never thought about it that way. This is just how we tend to see things."

"Well. Even if we do break up, what's the matter? Why would you lose our friendship?"

"I mean, what if we end our relationship on bad terms."

"Why would we? I don't think you would do anything to hurt me on purpose, and if it was an accident, why would I hold a grudge? And again, if we break up, that doesn't mean we can't talk anymore. We are just not a good couple."

"I guess you're right. You are very mature, you know that?" Hera chuckled.

"I don't think I am. This is just how we are raised. Everyone understands that being with someone should be good for both."

Hera nodded, "I guess that living in such a small place makes you want to keep everyone on good terms."

"Well, yeah. Is that different where you are from?" Silah asked.

"Most couples that break up just never talk to each other again."

"Wow, that sucks. And isn't it weird when they meet each other?"

"They don't. People mostly go their separate ways and almost never see each other again."

"How can they do that? Do they use a spell to avoid each other?"

"They don't need to. There are a lot of people where I'm from. Like millions, and you could walk in a straight line for months and see something different every day," Hera said.

"Wow, that seems amazing."

"It kind of is, now that I think about it," Hera smiled and looked to the lake. The two stayed there for a few moments until Hera finally broke the silence, "Is that invitation still up?"

"What invitation?"

"About going on a date. Even though we misunderstood each other, I want to be with you. It's just like you said, I shouldn't go in something like this already thinking it's going to end," Hera said.

"Are you sure?" Hera could see Silah's ears turning red.

"Yeah. I told you, you are beautiful, and I'm fine with taking things your way. Well… actually, I have a weird question beforehand."

"What's the question?" Silah asked with a big smile.

Hera leaned over and whispered, "Do you guys have any rules about sex? Like you won't do it until marriage or something?"

Silha instantly looked away, becoming redder than ever, "N-n-no. We do that when we feel comfortable… Th-the-there is no rule about waiting for marriage. Is that bad?"

"Oh, no don't worry. I asked so the goodbye kiss thing wouldn't happen again. I'm ok if you say that it's not something you want to do or if there are any other rules. I just wanted to know."

Silah nodded, "Ok, just… don't talk about that in a place so open. That's the kind of thing that we only talk in private."

"I will keep that in mind, and I just have one more question," Silah turned to look at Hera, "Where are you taking me for our date?"

"I'm taking you?"

"It's your city. I don't know much about where we could go," Hera replied.

"I have a few ideas, but let me surprise you, ok?" Silah reached out and held Hera's hand.

"That's fine. It would be nice if we could wait for our day off. That way, I won't fall asleep randomly," Hera chuckled.

"I like that idea. It will give me time to set things up."

"I'll look forward to it. It's been a while since I've been on a date," Hera gently squeezed Silah's hand. They kept talking, changing the subject to the training they had during the day.

Later, Hera went back to her house and told Blue about her date. The controller was very excited for her, and even if it would take a while, they already started discussing Hera's outfit.

During the next day, Hera and Blue woke up early as usual and headed to the guard. They still had to do two laps around the city before their training. Halfway through the second lap, a notification appeared in front of Hera.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Quests Triggered

Explorer's quest – Controller Skill

Explorer's quest – Fighter Skill

Explorer's quest – Hunter Skill

You have acquired the abilities needed for one of the roles above. You may attempt one of the quests to unlock the related role skill.

To begin the quest, head to a doorway, and the option to travel to the desired test will appear.

Restriction: Quest must be completed within 24 hours of arriving in the test area.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"What? No, no, no. What the hell just happened?" Hera stopped running and opened her status, trying to figure out what skill ended up leveling up.

"What happened?" Blue asked, still running in place.

"Some random skill I have got to fucking rank 4," Hera kept looking, "Shit, it was the improved stamina."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"No! Now I got a quest for the Controller, Fighter, or Hunter roles. I wanted to get the mage one."

"And can't you like, give it up?"

"If I do that, I need to increase the skill to rank 5 before getting the test. Or I do it now and should get the improved stamina to rank 5 already. At least that's how it worked with the assassin role," Hera sighed.

"So, what are you going to do?" Blue asked.

"Honestly, I don't know. I think I'm going to ask Naka and everyone else their opinions first, but I might need to take one of those. We need all the help we can get to kill the Sky Ruler."