“…Don’t worry,” Alnea said with a sigh. “I remember everyone’s surprises. Now, can we go back to the mansion?”
“…We should indeed go back,” Vestia said, nodding along with his words. “With the state you are in now, if the Lotus clan issues a Blood challenge against you…”
Everyone fell silent for a few moments, before they nodded at each other, and quickly left the Arena one by one, heading back to their mansions—Alnea and the girls to the mansion that he had rented, and Zain to the mansion he was living in with the four other men in their team, except Karl. Their mansions were in the same general direction, so they walked together most of the way, but when they reached near the Blood Hall, they finally had to separate.
“Remember to ask everyone to come for a team meeting later today,” Alnea said to Zain. “I have some important things to discuss.”
“A team meeting,” Zain said with a nod. “Got it.”
Alnea seriously doubted whether the stinky mouth got anything, but his headache, and the soreness of his body which kept increasing with every passing moment, did not give him much choice. Walking all the way from the Arena to his mansion did not help either… It was at times like this, that he missed his master the most. If she was with him, she would just have to wave her hand to carry him all the way from the Arena to his mansion. No, even before that, she would just heal all his pain with her warm and soothing smile… Her healing touch…
Alnea sighed, and glanced at Yuri, trying to ease the sadness within his Heart by looking at her. It helped a little. Especially when she looked back at him in confusion, before flashing her irresistible smile. Still, nothing could replace his master…
“I am going to rest a little,” Alnea said to the girls after they entered the mansion. “Let us meet in a couple of hours… Karl should also come back by then. And yes, I remember your surprises. I will give it to you later. Just be patient for now.”
A couple of hours… that should be enough time for him to prepare the surprises for the girls. It would delay the recovery of his Spirit Power, but who told him to run his mouth earlier. Besides, even if he could not recover completely, as long as he could recover a quarter of his Spirit Power, that should be enough for him to go about the day normally. As for the soreness in his body… That was going to stay with him for a couple of days.
“Forget about the surprise,” Yuri said, shaking her head. “Just go have some rest.”
“How can I—
“It is fine, Alnea,” Cecilia said. “We were just joking with you. There is no need for surprises or anything.”
“But—
“Here,” Vestia said, handing him a small vial—barely as thick as two fingers, and as large as his thumb— from the pouch hanging by her waist. “Drink it before resting. It should help you recover faster.”
“What is it?”
“…You can think of it as a recovery potion.”
“I have drunk a few of those, back when I was just a Seed,” Cecilia grimaced. “They taste nasty.”
“…I think I should recover naturally,” Alnea said, trying to shove the vial back to Vestia. “Using external help to recover would make me more reliant on them.”
“My recovery potions are different,” Vestia said, shaking her head with a smile, refusing to accept the vial back. “Unlike others, I always have my potions sweetened and made in different flavours to suit my taste.”
Sweetened…
“This particular potion is made in the flavour of Harun fruit, an exotic fruit found exclusively in the Erwein Forests.”
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“…It is not that I want to taste something sweet, but that refusing a present is considered to be ill mannered. And we can rely on some little external help from time to time…”
“Right, right,” Cecilia said, nodding in agreement, before glancing at Vestia. “That… Can I have one too? I am also very tired and need to recover as soon as possible.”
“You are already at your peak strength.”
“…We need to prepare for any eventualities. What if we are attacked by other Wanderers, and I end up using all my Spirit Power in defence, only for more Wanderers to attack us right after? Should I not carry some recovery potions for emergencies?”
“…If something as ridiculous as that happens, then you can start praying to Goddess Ilea,” Vestia said. “My recovery potions can help in recovering, not instantly recover you to your peak state.”
“…It’s just a recovery potion. Can you not just give me one to taste?”
“…This is a False Ranked recovery potion, not a Seed Ranked one. Each of these potions cost more than ten False Oren Stones to make. And you want me to give you one for you to just taste?”
“…Stingy.”
“…If it is that expensive—
“Even if it is expensive, it is still something that is made to use,” Vestia said before he could even complete what he was about to say. “Just keeping it in my pouch would make it feel sad. And you really do need the potion. Did you not call for a team meeting later? Are you going to hold the meeting in your current state?”
“…I—
“Just accept it,” Yuri said with a smile. “If I am not wrong, this potion should also help you recover from the fatigue of using your Martial Styles for too long.”
“…Then I will not be polite,” Alnea said, putting the vial into the fold of his robe. As for his pouch… He had indeed recovered enough Spirit Power to use his pouch, but not enough to waste it on storing the vial into the pouch for just a few moments. “Thank you for the potion, Vestia.”
“What are you thanking me for?” Vestia said, waving her hand dismissively, before winking at him. “After all, what is mine is yours.”
…She would never let any chance go, would she?
“…Though, if you really want to thank me, then just smile at me more often.”
“Let us just go back to our rooms,” Alnea said, turning away from Vestia. Seeing her pout from the corner of his eyes though, he could not help raising his lips in amusement. Even when she was not smiling, she still looked so—
“Remember to come back out in two hours.”
Trying to suppress his errant thoughts into the depths of his Heart, Alnea hurriedly rushed to his room before his thoughts could get the better of him, hearing the sounds of laughter behind his back. Vestia Weina… she was a terrifying woman. Shaking his head, he took off his sword, and put it on the rack, before sitting down on the cushion, and taking out the vial from his robe.
A blue vial… No, the vial, made of glass, had no colour in itself. It was the liquid sloshing within the vial that was giving it the vibrant blue colour. To think that such a small amount of liquid was worth more than ten False Oren Stones… Within the city, that would be equivalent to a hundred Blood Coins. Though he had a hunch that a sweetened recovery potion would be even more expensive…
Removing the stopper of the vial, Alnea took a whiff of the sweet, citrus smell wafting from the vial. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes, and poured the recovery potion into his mouth, savouring every drop of its taste. It was mostly sweet, with a hint of sourness hidden along its edges. But that was just the most superficial taste.
The vibrant blue liquid, sloshing around in his mouth, reminded him of drinking iced Fersun juice in midsummer heat. It reminded him of the harmony between two contrasting feelings, and the joy that lay hidden within that harmony. Most importantly, it reminded him of a lush, vibrant forest—
No, not remind him. Through some unknown means, the potion was projecting images of a lush, vibrant forest, stretching endlessly in all directions, directly into his mind. And it was not just the forest. There was also the image of a large lake at centre of the forest. A lake so large, that it could not even be called a lake anymore. Maybe a sea…
Erwein Forests. Although the images did not have a label, he was sure that the images flashing in his mind were of the Erwein Forests. Which other forests could the potions made in Erwein Forests make him see? The Origin Forest? Alnea shook his head, as he supressed the irrelevant thoughts, allowing himself to enjoy the warm, soothing sensations washing over his mind, Spirit, and body…
By the time the warm sensations retreated, Alnea was already back to his peak state, both in terms of his Spirit Power, and his body. Even his Heart was more Serene than ever. Maybe the blood red light seeping into his body from the floor had something to do with the latter, but without the potion, he would not have recovered so quickly…
How much time had passed anyway? An hour? Two hours? Or maybe even more? He did not know. The recovery potion had made him forget everything for a while. But its effect was over. And so was his rest. Although he wished to enjoy the warm sensations for a while more, he could not keep the Star Seekers waiting for him. After all, he was their leader. And a leader always had to lead by example.