“Right, I almost forgot,” Alnea said, interrupting the bickering girls once again, drawing everyone’s attention back to himself. “I have already figured out why I failed last night.”
“Already?” Yuri said, raising her brows in question. Not in doubt of his words, of course. Even if he was just using them as an excuse to diffuse the fight between Cecilia and Vestia, Yuri knew that he would not lie about things related to his path. But that did not stop her from questioning him. Or becoming grumpy. After all, unlike what he usually did, he did not share his discovery with her when he made it…
“Then would you care to explain it to us?”
…In his defence, by the time he found the reason for his failure, he was already well into the night. That was the time when Yuri usually Wandered into the Origin Sea, or experimented with her Arcanas. Disturbing her had not seemed like a good idea. Especially since he had already disturbed her once. Not to mention that he did not have time to spare either. Wandering the Origin Sea, indulging in his Serenity—
“I failed because I followed the instructions in the scroll.”
“…Are you still blaming your failure on the scroll?”
“Not exactly,” Alnea said, shaking his head, as he heard the disappointment in Yuri’s voice. “There was nothing wrong with the scroll itself. The Wanderer’s experience of inscribing a Glyph was indeed true.”
“Yet you still failed because of the scroll?”
“Yet I still failed because of the scroll.”
“…I see.”
“What did you see?” Cecilia said, blinking at Yuri in confusion. “How did he convince you with such an absurd excuse?”
“Absurd? Hardly,” Vestia said, shaking her head, before flashing her dimples at Alnea. “To find your fault so quickly… As expected of the person I chose.”
“…Do you think he will be pleased just because you take his side?” Cecilia said with a snort, only for Yuri to shake her head at her.
“She is right, Cecilia. Alnea is not making an excuse.”
“But… That… How does that make sense?”
“That is the beauty of Scholars,” Vestia said. “Nothing they do makes sense, yet they are still called as the Wanderers walking closest to the Origin Sea.”
“…Since when did Scholars become the Wanderers closest to the Origin Sea?” Cecilia said, becoming even more confused than before. And a bit irritated as well. “Why have I never heard anything about this?”
“Because it never happened,” Yuri said, answering for Vestia. “Only some radicals among the Scholars claim to be walking closest to the Origin Sea, but no one pays them any attention. They have not succeeded in letting other Scholars recognise their claims, let alone the rest of the world.”
“That may be so, but those Scholars do have a basis for their claim,” Karl said in a low voice. “And what Vestia said was partly true. The path of Scholars indeed does not make sense. But going so far as to say that nothing they do makes sense would be an overstatement.”
“That’s because she likes to dramatize everything,” Alnea said, shaking his head with a wry smile. “Don’t listen to her. And don’t digress from the topic. You too, Vestia. Don’t make things unnecessarily complicated.”
“…As you command, Captain.”
…Although he knew that Vestia was just having fun in her own way, hearing her being so servile and obedient did make him feel a little good about himself. It was as if—
“…In short, the reason I failed to inscribe my Glyph last night was because I followed the experience of the Wanderer in the scroll down to the very last detail.”
“But isn’t that a good thing?”
“It would have been, but only if our circumstances would also have been the same,” Alnea said, patiently explaining his reasoning. “Inscribing Glyphs is a very complicated process, one that might fail because of even the smallest mistakes. To ensure their success, Wanderers have to perfect their strokes, carefully study the materials they are using, estimate what their combination would become, and how they would react with the Mysteries being summoned.
“Or at least that is what everyone thinks. What people often tend to forget is that our world was also born from the Origin Sea. Though it is separated from the rest of the Origin Sea, it is still a part of the Origin Sea. The ground that we stand on, the air that we breathe, even the food that we eat, everything within its boundaries is just an expression of the countless Mysteries of the Origin Sea.
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“It is just that these Mysteries intersect with each other in a very subtle manner, enough to go unnoticed for most of the time. This is where the concept of Origin Grade Arcanas and Glyph Arrays came from. Only Arcanas and Glyph Arrays that are more like an expression of the Origin Sea rather than its interpretation or manifestation are deserving of the title of Origin Grade…
“In any case, as I was saying, everything within the world is an expression of the Mysteries of the Origin Sea. Naturally, that also includes our environment. And though these Mysteries are subtle, hardly interacting with each other, we can still feel their presence. In some cases, we can even feel their interaction with each other. Like change in weather with time, and the difference in climate from place to place.
“Of course, as I said, these interactions are not enough to affect our usage of Glyphs. And neither are they strong enough to interfere with the Glyphs that we inscribe on Glyph Discs. After all, Glyphs Discs are meant to be used in battles. If they could not even isolate our Glyphs from the fluctuations of Mysteries around us, they would be practically useless. When it comes to inscribing our Glyphs though…
“Let alone isolating our Glyphs from the fluctuations of Mysteries around us, the materials we use to prepare the base and ink of the Glyphs heightens their sensitivity. The better the materials we use, the greater their sensitivity would be. Though that in itself is not a bad thing. Greater sensitivity of materials to Mysteries means greater chances of successfully inscribing our Glyphs, and a greater potential for our Glyphs.
“However, greater sensitivity of Mysteries also means that the materials would be more sensitive to fluctuations of other Mysteries around us, including those embedded in our environment. Using the experience of a Wanderer inscribing a Fire Glyph in snow capped hills be used to inscribe the same Fire Glyph in a blistering desert… No matter what I did, I was bound to fail from the very beginning.”
“…Is inscribing Glyph so complicated?”
“There is a reason why the path of Scholars is called as such,” Vestia said, answering Cecilia’s question. Though it was not exactly a question, but more of an exclamation. “Though any Wanderer can become a Scholar, only those with an agile mind can walk far on this path.”
“…Are you saying that I am dumb?”
“I did not say anything. But if you insist…”
“After all that I said, everyone should understand why I failed last night,” Alnea said, cutting off the girls, prompting them to grumble. But that was better than letting them bicker, so he ignored them, and continued with his words. “This is a lesson not only for me, but for everyone. Rather than relying blindly on the experience of our predecessors, we should adapt according to our circumstances. And we should never be overconfident.”
“…Indeed,” Karl said, nodding solemnly at his words. “Last night’s accident was also a reminder for me. When it comes to saving our lives, no amount of precaution can be enough…”
“…That too,” Alnea said, smiling awkwardly. “Is there anything anyone else would like to add? No? Then that’s it for last night’s incident. Next, Vestia, you should focus on finding a mansion that fits our needs. Take your time. We can afford to wait a little. A few days’ delay in exercising our Aspects would not hurt anyone. If need be, you can even enlist our help, including that of the rest of the Star Seekers, who went into the desert yesterday. Just make sure that what happened last night should not happen again, even by accident.”
“Understood, Captain.”
“Moving on, Karl, I need you to keep an eye on the movements of the Lotus clan, and any potential enemies. See if they have any reaction to what happened last night. But do not take any risks. Like you said, when it comes to saving lives, no amount of precaution can be enough.”
“…Understood.”
“As for the two of you… I do not have any specific task for you at the moment. Just be ready to assist Vestia if she asks for your help.”
“Why do I have to—
“Lia. This is not the time to be wilful.”
“…Fine. But if she provokes me—
“She won’t,” Alnea said, glancing at Vestia.
“…Of course, I would never disobey my Captain.”
“…Good,” Alnea said, trying his best to ignore the dimples flashing in front of him. “That’s it for now. Let us wait for the rest of our team to come back from the desert to discuss what to do next.”
“…Are you sure?” Yuri said. “Are you not forgetting about something?”
“…Did I?”
“…You never said what you were going to do.”
“Me? I am going to the Blood Hall to check a few things.”
“Like what materials to buy for your next experiment?”
“…That too, but buying materials is only my second objective. And do not worry. I have not forgotten our agreement.”
“…Then what else are going to do in the Blood Hall?”
“…Check something.”
“What?”
“…I am not sure yet,” Alnea said, shaking his head. “This is just my guess, but…”
“Do you need my help?” Vestia said, only to be met with rejection in the very next moment.
“Not now,” Alnea said. “I still am not sure what I am looking for. But I might need your help when I do know what to look for.”
“I am always glad to be of help,” Vestia said, flashing her dimples at him, prompting Cecilia to glare him once again. He was already used to it though, so he did not mind. Especially since he got to enjoy the smile…
“Anyways, I am just looking for some rumours, and that too, in the Blood Hall, so I don’t think I will be in any danger.”
“…It was fine when you didn’t say it. But now that you said it, why do I feel like you might really end up in a dangerous situation?”
“…Given his past, that is indeed a possibility.”
“Should we go with him?”
“That sounds like a good idea.”
“We do need to keep an eye on him to make sure that he does not court any troubles.”
“Or bees.”
“…I don’t think there are any bees in the city,” Alnea said, only to be ignored by the girls. It was as if they were not even listening to him. Or to reason, for that matter. Then again, what chance could reason stand against the united front of the three girls? Such a rare sight… For the first time in a while, neither Vestia nor Cecilia provoked each other, as they followed him to the Blood Hall with Yuri, protecting him against the dangers of the city. Including that of the bees.