"Come on, Tyrus. What were you and Aunt Selena talking about? You can tell me, you know?"

"Stop buzzing around my friend like that. As you can see, he is in no mood to talk to a woman as annoying as a mosquito."

"Friend? Ha! You couldn't befriend an earth spirit if you give it a thousand years. In fact, even a rock would sprout legs and run if it saw you coming. I'm surprised Sir Wayne can put up with a spoiled brat like you."

For the past half hour, Igneal and Fiona had been fighting like two lesser hounds competing for food. Tyrus had been ignoring them for the most part, keeping to himself and toying with his Explorer tag. He would brush his fingers along the cold copper, allowing the culmination of his experiences fester in his brain.

During that exhausting half hour, Tyrus had bought himself a new set of garments, nearly identical to the ones he purchased before. He favored dark colors like black more than the lighter ones, as the color suited his hair. Black was also his favorite color as well because it was easy on the eyes.

Aside from the wardrobe change and feeling glum that his coin pouch was getting lighter, there was one more thing that stumped him: the enchanted coat. There was still mana inside of it, but its current condition was worthless. No matter how many times he wished for the darn thing to change shape, the coat remained motionless. It was as dead as a stone, and he wasn't sure for how long. Because of that, he'd been using it as a scarf in the meantime. It was now just a regular piece of cloth, all because he couldn't handle one measly Scourge member.

The battle with Jericho lingered in Tyrus's mind. He couldn't shake off the memories of the man's repulsive scar, his eerie grin, and his constant sneering that echoed like a piercing bell. Tyrus vividly remembered how Jericho took pleasure in causing pain and suffering. His eyes gleamed with amusement with every thrust and cut of his blood-stained dagger, while his lips contorted into a mocking smile, relishing in the violence and driven by a sinister desire to kill his opponent.

At the memory, the nicks around his body burned, as if a flame was licking away at his flesh; wounds that he should've healed with Healing Touch. But this time, Tyrus chose not to, even though he had the mana to do so.

While his experience with Jericho was brief, he wanted the pain to linger. To remember that he got these cuts because he was weak. To remind himself that he actually killed someone. Eyes that trembled with fear when he thrusted that sword through his heart. The gagging as the man took his last breath, defeated by a brat more than half his age. But what struck Tyrus, other than finishing the job, was that he felt nothing after taking a life, only numbness. No, it wasn't just numbness, but relief as well.

Was there something wrong with him?

"Something the matter?" Fiona asked, shoving Igneal away like a piece of garbage. "You're as pale as a ghoul. Do you need a place to lie down and rest?"

Tyrus shook his head. "No, I'm fine. I was just thinking about what to do now since I'm an explorer."

Igneal glared daggers at his sister and wrapped an arm around Tyrus. "Now that we're explorers, it's only natural we join forces and rise the ranks. I'd say we'd reach adamantine in a few years. With my strength and intelligence, we'd be the most powerful explorers across Dharmere."

"You little pest!" Fiona snarled. "Like hell Tyrus will join you. He already made the choice of joining Blue Dawn a while ago! Go find someone else to bother."

Igneal laughed. "My friend would only waste away if he were to join your rudimentary group. I bet he's learned a lot from me in the past few hours than however long you interacted with him. Face it, you're just not a competent enough leader to reach adamantine."

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"Not competent enough!? Huh!? Oh, I'll show you who isn't competent. Come here, you little shit."

Fiona's hands shot forward and latched onto her brother's ears, twisting them to where his face writhed in pain. Igneal grabbed Fiona by the forearms and tried to force her away, but Fiona was far bigger than he was. He barely freed his ears from the torment, but Fiona still overpowered him, so they were locked in a constant struggle like two lesser hounds trying to catch the other off balance.

During the sibling fight, onlookers from across the road stopped and watched. Some chuckled while others sighed. The ones that seemed to enjoy the fight the most were the children. Their giggles were loud and lively, pointing at Fiona and Igneal as if they were street entertainers. At this point, they might as well be considered one with how big of a crowd they gathered, who were also loving the show.

I should probably do something, Tyrus thought.

"Hey! What's with all the damn noise in front of my store!?"

Suddenly, water appeared between the bickering siblings, forming into two hands that shoved the siblings away from each other. Igneal and Fiona shouted in surprise and toppled over, and the hands dissipated, turning into droplets of water and falling onto the ground. Everyone turned their heads to Erza and Ivy approaching them.

"Oh shit, it's Erza! Let's leave before she drowns us!"

Like scared mice, the crowd dispersed away from the store, busying the alleyways and roads once more. Erza stopped in front of the rising Lockharts with a look of disgust.

"I thought I smelled nobles around here," Erza growled. "What in Sthito's name are you doing scaring away the customers? I got a business to run here, not some free entertainment for the public."

"Are you sure we scared them away?" Fiona muttered under her breath, dusting off her garments.

Ivy broke away from her mother and rushed over to Tyrus with a smile. "You got an Explorer tag! That means you're an explorer now, right? Congratulations!"

"Thank you," Tyrus said with a slight nod. "The exam was harder than I thought, as you can see by all the cuts on my face. I'm just glad it's finally over."

"Did the enchanted coat not work? It was supposed to shield you from blows, especially to the face," Ivy said, examining him with a puzzled expression. It took her a moment of further inspection to realize what was going on. "Oh, it's just out of mana. I'm confident it will return to its usual protective state by tomorrow. Whatever happened during the exam must have been quite serious. What did you do to end up getting beaten up like that?"

Tyrus reflected to Jericho and dismissed the image. "There were a lot of... beasts coming after me. That's all."

"That's it? Considering your capabilities, handling them should have been a breeze, let alone getting hit so often. It's strange that the exam posed such a challenge for you..."

Erza approached Ivy and gave her a friendly pat on the shoulder. "Dear, would you mind heading back inside and taking care of the customer at the counter? Just make sure he doesn't steal anything, alright?"

"Okay!" Ivy replied cheerfully, walking back towards the front entrance.

Once she was gone, Erza whipped around and inspected Tyrus. "You look like crap. What the hell did Selena cook up on that exam of hers? Actually, don't tell me. I couldn't care less what that shitty woman is up to. Probably scheming with that annoying grin on her face."

Igneal snorted and faced the scowling woman. "Typical commoners. Bad-mouthing nobles without a care in the world. Aunt Selena would've burned off that tongue of yours if she were to hear you."

"I'd like to see her try," Erza said with a sneer. "Fiona, take that vile brat far from here while I'm still in a somewhat good mood."

"Don't gotta to tell me twice," Fiona mumbled. She grabbed Igneal by the collar and motioned over to Tyrus. "Come on, let's go find Reo and Grant. We should tell them the good news."

Without a moment to waste, Fiona began dragging her brother, who was putting up a struggle and yelling curses, in which Fiona ignored. The crowd parted away from the loud pair as they disappeared into the crowd.

"She has the right idea," Erza said. "Best to be tough than complacent with those types. Let them know there's someone stronger who won't put up with their bullshit. It's the only way they'll learn."

Half-expecting to see her face scowling, Tyrus peered to the side, only to be surprised. Instead of a scowl, the corner of her lips were curled, but her eyes seemed distant. Almost sad, even.

Her face changed when she turned and made her way to the store. "You better catch up with Fiona before you lose them. Oh, and congratulations on becoming an explorer."

With nothing left to say, Erza left her words hanging in the air, leaving Tyrus all alone at the bustling plaza.