Taking his Blood Card back from the guard, Alnea turned towards the voice, and found a white robed man walking onto the stage. Another Wanderer of the Lotus clan.
“Raython…”
“Pardon me for suddenly barging on to your stage, Wanderer,” Raython Whitebud said to the guard, ignoring the injured red robed man. “I did not wish to come to the stage at first, but you heard it yourself. He first insulted my clan, and then said that he will accept all challenges. Me coming to the stage should not be in violation of any rules, right?”
“…Next time, schedule your challenges before coming to the Arena so as to not waste my time.”
“…We will try, Wanderer,” Raython said, smiling in gratification. Or at least that is what he showed on his face, while bowing towards the guard.
“Can you move?” the guard said to the red robed man, standing on the stage while clutching his right arm.
“…I can.”
“What are you still doing on the stage then? Do you want me to personally send you down for healing? Or do you not wish to keep that hand of yours anymore?”
“…I was just a little careless, Raython,” the man mumbled with a pale face.
“Do not worry, Enel. Everyone makes mistake. Just go down for now, and heal yourself. As for your punishment… It will be handed out after you go back.”
“…I understand,” the red robed man said, nodding with an ugly face, before leaving the stage to Raython, Alnea, and the guard.
“Another Free Challenge then?”
“…Although he has insulted our clan, in the end, he is just a kid. For now, we just wish to teach the boy a lesson, and have no intention of driving him out of the city. So, yes, another Free Challenge.”
“Wait a moment!” Cecilia shouted as she jumped onto her small platform, and hurried over to his side. “I have not had enough fun yet. Let me fight with him, Alnea.”
“…I am afraid that is not how things work, Lady Cecilia. Since you have left your stage, you are no longer qualified to challenge anyone. Unless someone wins their battle and then challenges you while standing on the sage, you can only watch others fight. Or you can exit the Arena, and then schedule another challenge. But that is not going to work either. The Lotus clan is not here to entertain you, and your challenges. We have come here to recover the dignity of our clan.”
“Is that so? Then I will just—
“Lia!” Alnea said, shaking his head to remind her of where she was. “Don’t let go of your emotions.”
“But…”
“It is alright, Cecilia,” Yuri said, arriving next to Cecilia. “Believe in him.”
“…Don’t get hurt, idiot,” Cecilia said after a while, biting her lips to keep herself from saying what she should not.
“…Pity,” Raython said with a sigh, shaking his head in disappointment. “You are not as impulsive as the information say… Have you grown in the past few months?”
“…Are only the Wanderers of your clan allowed to grow?”
“If only I could achieve something like that…”
“…You remind me of the old bastard,” Alnea said, frowning at the white robed man. “Of Reinhart Whitebud.”
“…Why, thank you, little boy. It is not often than a False Wanderer can be compared with True Wanderers. Especially when that True Wanderer had left quite a few of his own legends.”
“The old bastard still had legends?”
“You seem to be quite interested in him… How about you join the Lotus clan, and I will you everything about him?”
“…Do I look like a child?”
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
“…Pity,” Raython said, shaking his head, before turning towards the girls. By then, Vestia had also finished her battle, and had come to stand beside Cecilia and Yuri, staring warily at the white robed man.
“Raython Whitebud… I did not expect that your clan would send you out too.”
“I did not wish to come either,” Raython said, shrugging his shoulders. “Fate always has a way to play with us all, right?”
“…Is he strong?” Cecilia asked, frowning with a little worry.
“…He is an heir of the Whitebud family. Do you think he is strong or not?”
“Speaking of expectations… I did not expect you to join these little kids, Vestia. Is it your whim, or are you trying out one of your experiments once again?”
“…You sure have good source of information. But no, this is neither my whim, nor my experiment. After joining their team, I am now a true Star Seeker.”
“Come on, Vestia. You can fool these kids, but you cannot fool me. With your strength and status, as long as you are willing, which clan in the city would not accept you? Yet you have rejected all the invitations sent to you, only to join these kids in their play… What are you planning, Vestia?”
“…Do not listen to him,” Vestia said with a pale face. “He is trying to drive a wedge between us.”
“There needs to be a space for me to drive a wedge into. Besides, if just a few words from me are enough to sow discords between you, then your relationship was not worth much to begin with.”
“There is no need for you to teach us how judge our relationships, Whitebud,” Yuri said, before turning towards Vestia, nodding her head to show her understanding. Deep down in her eyes though, Alnea could see a layer of wariness building against Vestia. “We trust our teammate more than we trust you.”
“…Ignore him, Yuri. He will not be smiling for long.”
“Yes, yes. Ignore the only man who is wishing the best for you.”
“By threatening me with my mother? Or by sending swathes of Wanderers after me? After what your clan has done against me, I would be more willing to believe that Enn has stopped climbing in the sky than believe that your clan is wishing the best for me.”
“It is just a misunderstanding…”
“One big enough to almost take my life. Multiple times.”
“…Forget it. With your current mood, no matter what I say, you will not believe me.”
“Then just stop talking and start fighting.”
“What is the hurry?” Raython said, shaking his head, while pointing towards the girls. “Do you not see that our guests are still with us?”
“…Be careful, Alnea,” Vestia said. “Raython… He is in a class of his own.”
“Do not worry,” Alnea said, nodding at Vestia. “I got this.”
“…He is a Peak Stage Wanderer. You don’t have to hold back against him,” Yuri said. “If the need arises, you can even use Intermediate Grade Martial Styles, and your Arcanas.”
“…If you get hurt, then I will break your legs.”
“…I will try my best.”
If not for the sake of defeating the Lotus clan, then for the sake of his legs… After wishing him luck, the girls finally made their way back to the edge of the Arena, leaving just Alnea and the white robed man on the stage.
“Are you ready?”
“I have always been ready.”
“…You can begin.”
Urging his Aspects to wrap around his body, Alnea did not rush towards Raython immediately, like he had done in the battles before. No matter how sure he was of himself, fighting against a Wanderer two stages higher than himself was not going to be easy. Especially since the Wanderer was not just an average Wanderer, but an heir of the Lotus clan. Even if it was of a declining clan, he was still the heir of an Orthodoxy. He could not be underestimated. So, instead, of rushing headfirst towards his opponent, Alnea tried to open a distance from the white robed man, while preparing to release his Arcanas.
“In the threads weaving through the forces of the worlds…”
Coincidentally, Raython also had a similar plan. Covering himself in the green, blue, and white lights of his Aspects, the white robed man reached into the pouch on his waist to take out a Glyph Disc and a carving knife. A scholar…
This was the first time Alnea had ever faced a Scholar in a fight. But that did not stop him from analysing his enemy. What kind of Scholar was the white robed man? One focussing on stronger Glyphs, or one taking the path of a balanced approach? What lineage had he chosen? And what was the Glyph that the man was carving at the moment?
“Hiding in the folds of existence…”
Unfortunately, Alnea did not have the answers to any of his questions. And he did not dare to guess. After all, in a battle of their level, even a small mistake in judgement was enough to prove fatal. Although the Arena boasted of having the capacity to save his life, he had seen how effective the protective curtain of the Arena was. Even if it could save his life, he would not be able to avoid suffering from grievous injuries.
Besides, barring a few people living in the core of his Heart, Alnea had never liked the idea of entrusting his life to someone else, much less a curtain of light. Guessing the abilities of the white robed man was out of question. Yet, he could not just still, and let the white robed man do as he wished either. That would put him in an extremely passive position.
“I beseech upon the forces of the Origin…”
In the end, the only option left for Alnea was to slowly test the limits of his enemy and figure out his details during their battle itself. Like how he had done with the Heterodox Wanderers two weeks ago. It was just that unlike those Heterodox Wanderers walking on the path Warriors, the white robed Wanderer was a Scholar. Or at least, that was what the man was showing. If the man had any other abilities though, he was not going to be able to hide them for long.
“To shower unto the world, Yuri’s Dominance.”