“…Supreme Rank,” Alnea mumbled, going into a daze for a few moments, trying to digest what he had just heard. It was not that what Norren had said was too unbelievable, but that the news was far more shocking that he had expected it to be. Everything else aside, just how much danger must big sis Serena be putting herself into when confronting a Chaeon Lord?
And then, there was also the news that Vestia had shared. Hunting down Heterodox Wanderers in Rianra… He already knew that she was going after the Heterodox Wanderers in Rianra, but he did not know that she would be so zealous in her hunt, going so far as to fight against even Mystic Wanderers. Should he say, as expected of big sis Serena?
The more he thought about what she had done, the more he felt how much she cared for him. At the same time, he also became more worried about her. But… he should believe in her. She was big sis Serena. And he knew how strong she was. Besides, did the news not say that she was fine? She even became the known as the greatest genius of the Lightning Region… As expected of big sis Serena.
“…Wait for me to take that title from you,” Alnea mumbled to himself, just as he smiled to himself. He did not forget what he had said to her. That one day, once he becomes strong enough, he would make sure that they never get separated again. Although it was not a promise, he still meant to keep his words with just as much dedication as he kept his Oaths.
“…Thank you for sharing the news, Norren, and Vestia,” Alnea said after supressing the waves in his Heart. “I—We will remember this favour.”
“…You are taking things too seriously, Alnea,” Vestia said, shaking her head, while flashing her dimples. “It’s just some gossip. Most of the people in the Lost City should know about it.”
“The value of information is never based on how much the information is spread, but on how much the person receiving the information values it… And for us, news about big sis Serena is invaluable.”
“…I do not understand,” Norren said just as he finished speaking. “If you call her big sis… and Cecilia is the daughter of the Serpent Monarch, then why are you not in the Southern District, with the rest of the Serpia clan? What are you doing here, in the Northern District?”
“…We have our own reasons,” Yuri said. “Just as you have your own reason of not training in the Red Trail Desert but running almost halfway across the Fifth Sector to come train in the Lost City.”
“…That…”
“Alright, let us continue with where we had left off,” Alnea said, trying to diffuse the sudden onset of the awkward air. “Cecilia, you were introducing yourself…”
“…Right,” Cecilia said, still in a bit of daze from what she had heard about big sis Serena. No matter how annoyed or distant she acted from her sister, they were still sisters after all. Not hearing anything about her for over half a year, only to hear so many shocking news about her one after another…
She was probably even more worried about big sis Serena, than he was. But she was Cecilia Serpia. Stubborn, strong headed, and bursting with self respect. A girl like her would never show her weakness to other people around her. Maybe to Alnea and Yuri. But never to anyone else. Not even if they were in the same team.
“As I said earlier, I am Cecilia Serpia, daughter of Ionia Serpia, from the Serpia clan of Rianra, and an Intermediate Stage False Wanderer. From my name, you should have already guessed that I am most proficient in close combat Martial Styles. In addition, I am also proficient in single attack Arcanas. If the conditions are right, I can even defeat Peak Stage Wanderers with my Arcanas. Even in normal cases though, my Arcanas would still be enough to take down most, if not all Advanced Stage False Wanderers.”
“…No wonder you three have always been together,” Vestia said with a complicated expression on her face. “You make just the perfect team together.”
“And now, the ten of us will make the perfect team,” Alnea said, earning Vestia’s smile in return. “Alright, who’s next?”
“…Zain, Zain Enhall,” Zain said, with a haughty expression on his face hiding the excitement of finally getting his own teammates. “Son of Zaen Enhall. From the Enhall clan of Inar. I should be able to reach the Peak Stage anytime now. And I am proficient in all three paths. I can take on any role on the battlefield.”
“…Zain,” Alnea said, glancing at the white robed man with a sigh. “Be serious.”
“I am serious,” Zain said, trying to look and sound as solemn as he could. “Only the mediocre will be bound by norms. A genius like me can take on any role he wishes.”
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“…Right, you are the greatest genius. You can do whatever you wish. But can you tell us what you are more proficient in?”
“…Well, if you insist, you can say that I am most proficient in casting Arcanas.”
“…The Enhalls do have quite a varied collection of Arcanas,” Vestia said from the side. “The Enhalls have been… quirky since the Age of Gods. Every once in a while, they will have some eccentric Wanderers amongst their ranks… Anyways, just know that the Arcanists of the Enhall clan have dabbled in all twelve lineages since the Age of Gods. As such, their collection of Arcanas is also one of the most extensive ones. So, it is not an overstatement to say that he is most proficient in Arcanas.”
“…That should be enough,” Alnea said, trying not to pay attention to Zain, puffing his chest out in pride. “Though we would prefer if everyone told us about themselves on their own, rather than hearing it from others. Alright, who is next?”
“Since the four of you have already introduced yourself, let me be next,” Vestia said, glancing at everyone in the hall. “I am Vestia Weina, daughter of Foriana Weina, from the Weina clan of the Erwein Forest. And I am a Peak Stage False Wanderer. In addition, just like the others before me, I also walk on all three paths, though my specialisation is combining the path of Arcanists with the path of Warriors. That is to say, I prefer to use Arcanas while fighting in close quarters with my enemies.”
“…Quite an interesting way to fight. Maybe I will try it when I have enough Spirit Power.”
“How about I teach you myself?” Vestia said, flashing her smile once again. And for a moment, Alnea almost agreed to her. That was until he felt the cold gazes fall on him.
“…We will talk about this later,” Alnea said, turning towards his new teammates. “First, let us complete what we have begun.”
“…I am Ralph Erstone, son of the Erstone clan of the Broken Stone Valleys, a Peak Stage False Wanderer. I have dabbled in all three paths a little, but I am best in the path of Scholars. Mostly in Glyphs and Glyph Arrays which can help me trap my enemies.”
“…Aren Winstoke, son of Garreth Winstoke. From the Winstoke clan of the Winstoke plains. A Peak Stage False Wanderer. Best at Arcanas which can trap my enemies, and Glyphs which can torture them…”
“…Fran. Fran Greenspark.”
“…Greenspark,” Karl mumbled. “You do not mean the Greenspark clan of the Green Lightning Valley, right?”
“…There is only one Greenspark clan in the world.”
“…Is it true that some of your cities were—
“That is enough, Karl,” Alnea said, shaking his head. He had heard about the tragedy of the Greenspark clan from Vestia. “He will share what he wants to share. There is no need for you to dig into it.”
“…I am a Peak Stage False Wanderer, good at defensive Martial Styles, and offensive Glyphs.”
“…Next…”
“…I am Norren Redwin, son of Venrier Redwin, from the Redwin clan of the Red Trail Dessert. I am also a Peak Stage False Wanderer, walking on all three paths at once, but my specialisation in all three paths is the same. I prefer attacking over defending or controlling my enemies…”
“…Karl Onet, son of Igor Onet, from the Onet clan of the Umber Forests. I am a Peak Stage False Wanderer, walking on the path of Scholars—
“Scholar?” Alnea said, looking at grey robed man in confusion. “Did you not say—
“Right, I meant Arcanist—
“Warrior…”
Everyone looked at Karl in silence, making him shift uncomfortably on the ground.
“…It is not my fault. You said that we should hide our abilities…”
“…Even if you hide your abilities, you should do it in way that everyone believes you…”
“…I am an Initial Stage False Wanderer who has just begun my journey as a Wanderer?”
“…Do you think anyone is stupid enough to believe that?”
“No? Then—
“Just tell us how you want to act in the team in the future, so that we can better arrange our tactics.”
“…I want to stay in the back during battles. That should increase my chances of survival.”
“…As a scholar then?”
“That’s what I was saying in the beginning.”
“…You do know some Glyphs, right?”
“Of course. I have mastered thir—one Glyph in total.”
“…I do not care how you usually hide your abilities, but if your clumsiness endangers anyone in our team, then I will kick you out of the team. Do you understand?”
Silence spread in the hall along with his words, forcing everyone to look at him with a bit more respect, while Cecilia and Yuri had a hint of pleasant surprise on their faces. For a few moments, Alnea could not understand what they were so stunned for, until he heard his own words.
…When did he become so domineering? Especially to a timid Wanderer like Karl… On second thought, he had been pretty assertive during the whole conversation, dominating it from the beginning to the end… No, his dominance—his confidence had not sprouted just after entering the mansion. It was something he had cultivated over the past two days…
All sorts of emotions crossed his Heart, making him feel faint and embarrassed, only for his instincts to kick in, and supress all those emotions. Taking a deep breath, Alnea glanced towards Vestia and found her looking at him with pride teeming in her eyes. As he had thought… He would have to thank her later. But for the moment, he had other important things to do.
“Now that we have learned a bit more about each other, I think it is time that we move on to what I had mentioned earlier. Deciding the future direction of our team, and how we will go about fulfilling our goals and dreams.”