Chasing after Stars… That did not seem like a bad idea. Especially since he was not going to chase after the stars on his own. He had a team, one whose company he had come to enjoy over the past couple of weeks. He may have been a little hesitant about opening up to them at first, but as he spent time with them, he began to understand why his master had insisted that he come to the Lost City and make new friends.

Even if most of the friends he would make would go on their separate ways after leaving the Lost City, just the experience of opening up to new people, and learning to trust them would still help him in learning more about himself… about his Heart. When it came to leading a team though…

Obviously, Yuri was much more qualified to become their team’s Captain. Even Vestia would probably do a better job than him. At the very least, she would not be hypocritical like him. Asking everyone to share what they had on their mind, only to keep everything that he was struggling with to himself… He did not even share the origin of their team’s name with anyone.

Star Seekers. Wanderers chasing after ‘Stars’, ‘Seeking’ the ones that belonged to them. That was how he had explained the idea behind the name. In actuality, he had borrowed the name from another world, from the group of people who called themselves Starseekers, seeking the stars within themselves, slowly transforming into stars themselves. Though in his defence, Star Seekers was not exactly the same as Starseekers, so he could not be said to be blindly copying the name, like he had done so for himself.

Names held power, especially when it came from another world. Who knew what kind of curse it could be carrying with itself? Having learned his lesson once, Alnea was not going to repeat the same mistake. Even if it was nominal, change was necessary. As long as it could fight against the curse of name… as long as it could fight against Fate… Was he really fighting against Fate though?

Star Seekers… Oathkeeper… It was as if he was seeking comfort for everything that had once happened to his namesake. No, not for his namesake. He was seeking comfort for himself… He was running away from himself… from what he had done… from what he could do… He was running away from his—

“What are you thinking, Alnea?” Cecilia said, breaking Alnea away from his thoughts, from the cliff of the abyss that he did not dare to look at.

“Nothing,” Alnea said, forcefully subduing the waves his Heart, as he shoved a spoonful of thick, brownish broth into his mouth, wondering if he had been cutting back on his meditations a bit too much lately. For his Heart to lose control of his thoughts so easily…

“…It did not seem like nothing,” Cecilia mumbled. “Are you worried about Zain and the others?”

“…It would be a lie if I say that I am not worried about them, but this is not the first time they are venturing into the Black Desert so they should be fine.”

“Then why have you been acting so weird recently?”

“…Have I?”

“…I have not known you for long, so I cannot say for sure, but you have indeed been frowning a lot for the past couple of days,” Karl said in a low voice.

“It’s not just the frown,” Cecilia added. “The way you have been phasing out… and the faces that you are making…”

“What’s wrong with his face?” Vestia said, with her lips curving upwards ever so slightly. “I like the way he looks so serious—

“Of course, that’s the first thing that would come to your mind. What else could I have expected from a vixen who only thinks about herself?”

“…I was just being polite,” Vestia said, rolling her eyes at Cecilia. “He has a right to keep his thoughts to himself, you know?”

Pausing for a moment, Vestia turning towards Alnea, and flashed her dimples at him, before continuing where she had left off.

“Though I would not mind if you shared your thoughts with me.”

“Of course, you would not mind,” Cecilia said, glaring back at the blue robed girl. “Why not ask him to also cuddle up with you while you are at it?”

“Here? In front of everyone? Although I would not mind…”

“Vixen!”

“Thank you for the complement, little snake.”

“You—

“That’s enough,” Yuri said, glancing between the two girls. “Stop bickering like children. If you two want to fight, you can do so back in our mansion. But while we are in the Blood Hall, try to act like the Wanderers you are.”

“…She started it—

“Cecilia.”

“…Fine,” Cecilia said, shooting her glares at the blue robed woman, which the latter returned with a smile.

“You too, Vestia. Since you know how Cecilia will react, why do you have to provoke her in front of other Wanderers?”

“…It’s just so much fun.”

“You—

“You can have your fun when you two are alone. When there are other Wanderers around us, do not let your urges overwhelm your Heart.”

“…You were much more fun to talk with the first few times we met,” Vestia said, clicking her tongue. Once her eyes met with Yuri’s though, she could only shake her head in resignation. “Fine. I will try not to tease her as often.”

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

“…That will do for now,” Yuri said, nodding in satisfaction, before turning towards Alnea.

“…Why are you looking at me like that?”

“What do you think?”

“…I did not do anything.”

“That is the problem,” Yuri said. “You are their Captain. You should be doing something when your teammates are arguing.”

“…It was just some harmless banter.”

“For now. Once we begin venturing into the desert though, even a harmless banter may prove to be fatal.”

“…It is not that serious—

“It is.”

“…Even if it is, you can easily shut them up when necessary.”

“But I am not their Captain, you are.”

“…Maybe I should have thought a little bit more before agreeing to become the Captain.”

“Stop whining. You are Wanderer now, and not an inexperienced one. It is that time that you grow up.”

“…Fine. I will stop them if they cross the line.”

“And complete the rest of your responsibilities as a Captain.”

“…And complete the rest of my responsibilities as a Captain.”

“Good,” Yuri said, finally allowing a hint of a smile to surface on her face. Once she let go of her emotions though, she could not hide the hint of worry flashing in her eyes. Not that she ever hid her emotions from him. Still, it was rare for her to show her concern in front of other Wanderers.

“Stop worrying so much, Alnea. You will do just fine.”

“…I hope so,” Alnea said, as he gulped down the last of the broth from his bowl, before putting away his spoon, and glancing at his teammates with a wide grin. “Is everyone done?”

“Does that even need to be asked?”

“It has been nearly three quarters of an hour since we came to the canteen. Just how much do you think we can eat?”

“Huh? Has it been so long?” Alnea said, glancing at everyone’s plate. They were indeed empty. He would never have missed something like that in the Night Canyons. It looked like he was beginning to become a little too comfortable with the city. Even if the city promised absolute safety within its Blood Hall, he could not let himself become complacent. At the very least, he had to maintain a sense of vigilance to not let his instincts become dull, and waste months of his experience.

“Time sure does fly fast when eating.”

“…That’s not how the saying goes.”

“Why are you worrying about something trivial like that?” Alnea said, trying to deflect the topic away from himself. “You should be more worried about your appetite. And not just you. I think everyone has cut down on their food lately. Is everything alright? Or is everyone worried about gaining weight?”

“…If anyone should be worried about gaining weight, it should be you.”

“What are you talking about?”

“She is talking about how much your appetite has increased recently.”

“Has it?”

“It has, and not just by a small margin.”

“You eat more than me and Vestia, and our Spirit Power is nearly two entire Stages above yours. Where is all the food you are eating even going?”

“Clearly, not his stomach.”

“…It must be because of the Blood Crystal Martial Styles.”

“Although the Blood Crystal Martial do indeed have a high demand for energy, you are not the only one practising them.”

“It may be because I am more proficient in them, especially the four Blood Forging Styles…”

“Maybe…”

“Why are we even discussing about my appetite anyway?” Alnea said, smiling awkwardly, as he got up from his seat. “Rather than wasting our time here, we should go back to our mansion to continue our training.”

“…Who do you think we have been waiting for?” Cecilia mumbled, but did not continue to dwell on the topic. Getting up from her seat, she followed behind Alnea, as did the rest of the Star Seekers, walking out from the canteen, and up the stairs into the main lobby of the Blood Hall. Just as they were about walk out of the Blood Hall though, Alnea stopped in place, as if recalling something, and turned towards his teammates with an apologetic smile.

“Can you wait for me for a while?” Alnea said, scratching the back of his head. “There is still something that I need to attend to in the Blood Hall.”

“Are you going to Wanderer Tia?”

“Tia… the receptionist of the Warrior Hall? How do you know her?”

“Should we not know her?”

“Unless she has connections with your clan…”

“Then how do you know her?”

“I have my sources… but that is not what we are talking about right now,” Vestia said to Cecilia, before turning towards Alnea. “What are you going to Wanderer Tia for?”

“Who said I was going to Wanderer Tia?”

“Then what are you going to do?”

“…Why does it feel like I am being interrogated?”

“…Because we are afraid that if left alone, you might do something reckless,” Yuri said, not caring if her words would embarrass him in front of everyone. Even though she herself said not to argue in front of other Wanderers… Women really were a bunch of unreasonable creatures.

“…I am just going to exchange for some resources.”

“I thought you were not going to use the ‘defective’ resources of the city.”

“…Not that kind of resources. I want to exchange some resources to help me practise my Glyphs. You cannot expect me to practice all my Glyphs on Glyph Disc, right?”

“You do sound reasonable…”

“…Should I also exchange some resources to practice my Glyphs?”

“You? Practising Glyphs?”

“Why? What’s wrong with me practising my Glyphs?”

“As an heiress of a Grand clan, you should know how dangerous practising with Glyphs can be. Especially for those who have just taken their first step on the path of Scholars. Unless they are of agile mind, and can quickly adapt to different situations, Wanderers should have an experienced elder supervise their practise. And since you refuse to seek help from your clan in the city…”

“Stop talking in circles, and just say what you want to say.”

“Well, since you asked… I think it would be better if you keep yourself restricted to Martial Styles. At least until you are more familiar with your Glyphs.”

“Are you saying that I am a muscle head?”

“I did not exactly say that, but if you insist—

“Alright, that’s enough,” Alnea said, stepping in between Vestia and Cecilia before they could create another scene. “Stop provoking her, Vestia. And you too, Lia. Stop trying to find excuses to fight with Vestia.”

“…I was not finding excuses.”

“Have you reached the stage where you can inscribe your Glyphs?”

“…No.”

“Then just stay put.”

“…Fine.”

“Do you need any help?”

“No. I have already decided what resources to exchange. Just stay here. I will be back before you know it,” Alnea said, and rushed towards the counter for redemption of resources before the girls could ask any more questions.