With nothing else to do on campus, me and the others went towards the gates. With each step we took, the sky lost its orange colours and gained a dark blue colour.

Although we were together, silence dominated between the eight of us. We were too tired to talk and, without the euphoria of the victory, we went back to being strangers.

When we arrived at the campus gates, Elias ran and stopped in front of us to prevent us from leaving before hearing what he has to say.

“Since we passed the test, we need to do something crucial, very important, that can't be missed!,” He announced.

“And that would be...?,” I asked.

“What else would it be? A victory dinner!”

It took a few seconds for someone to say something in reply.

“…They serve dinner in the dormitories. They must be serving now,” Lynette spoke, not understanding Elias' excitement.

“No, no, no, you didn’t understand!,” Elias laughed. “When a group of adventurers finish their quest, they go to a tavern to have their victory dinner and eat until they can't anymore. It's tradition!”

“We are not a group of adventurers,” Gregório replied dryly.

“Technically we are. We accepted Hugo Reignia’s offer just now,” Elias replied. “Oh, come on!,” He went to Gregório and put his arm around his shoulder. “Don't be shy! I know we only started working together towards the end of the test, but you're already part of the team, so let go!”

Gregório looked at Elias' arm with mockery.

“Excuse me!,” he let go of Elias, looking at him as if what Elias had made was outrageous.

Snapping his tongue, Gregório turned his back on Elias and continued walking, leaving him alone. However, when he arrived on the way to the dormitories, he went straight instead. Elias thought that was strange.

“I think the tiredness got him good,” He murmured, kind of laughing and then joined both hands with his mouth, imitating a megaphone, and shouted: “Hey, the dormitory is over here!”

“I know, but I don't sleep in the dormitories,” Gregório turned to answer. “I sleep in a rented house.”

Erina was dumbfounded by what she heard.

“Rented house?!,” she shouted, approaching Gregório with wide steps. “Don't we necessarily need to sleep in the dormitories?”

“No,” he answered as if it were a common knowledge. “If you have money, you can rent a house in residential neighbourhoods during the school period.”

Upon hearing this information, Erina was shocked, staggering backwards and babbling meaningless syllables. Worried, I went to her to try to calm her down, but she suddenly grabbed my shoulders and shook me violently.

“We could have a house just for us!,” She shouted while shaking me. “And I could have asked Dad to let me take one of the maids with me! Damn it!,” after shouting her frustrations, Erina relaxed her hands and I took the opportunity to let go of her. “Next time, I'll rent a house,” she murmured, this time calmer.

Gregório looked at the way Erina got frantic and laughed, with his hand covering his mouth. But his laugh wasn't arrogant. It was a genuine laugh of fun. My hypothesis was that he liked to feel that he was one step ahead of Erina.

Elias took advantage of Gregório's entertainment moment to reduce the distance. Seeing that the redhead had arrived at his side, Gregory's laughter stopped.

“Look, the way to your house goes through that establishment called Balad!,” Elias commented, with a sly smile on his face. “Since you're going to pass by anyway, why not stop at the restaurant for dinner?,” This time, he preferred not to touch Gregório and limited himself to staying close to him.

Gregório didn't answer anything, he just rolled his eyes and tried to follow his way, but Elias blocked him. Whenever Gregório tried to dodge, Elias followed his step and continued to block him.

Gregório gritted his teeth.

“You won't leave me alone until I agree with this dinner, will you?”

“You're very insightful!,” Elias put his hands on his waist full of confidence, already feeling victorious.

Gregório, realizing that there was no way out, sighed in surrender.

“So let's go already”

“Yes!,” Elias raised his fist to the sky in celebration. “You two will come too, okay?,” He addressed Erina and me and then he looked over our shoulders. “You four have to come too!”

I looked back. Angelo, Lynette, Ozul and Rebeca were standing in the same place. They probably stayed because they were curious to know if Elias' insistence would be successful. The four looked at each other, shrugged and agreed to have dinner.

“Now yes! That’s what I like!,” Elias was radiant. “Follow me, guys! A dinner awaits us!”

We walked together to Balad. Elias was going in front like a leader, with Angelo by his side, and me, Erina and four others following right behind.

Erina had her arm interconnected with mine and she whispered in my ear her intentions to be able to sit next to Gregório or try to find out more about Elias and Angelo. In addition to the arrogant blonde, did she want to drag the other two to her harem?!

Gregório and Ozul - who was also on my side - were quiet and Rebeca made a comment about how she wanted rabbit meat there in the establishment, which made Lynette question her about how often she ate rabbit meat in her homeland.

Elias was the most excited of the group, sharing his ideals about dinner for Angelo, who was involved in his friend's excitement.

“Oh, do you know what’s the best part of a victory dinner? We can drink to our hearts’s content!,” Elias spoke loud enough for everyone to know what he had in store for the meal.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

“That's right!,” Erina agreed, entering the conversation, her eyes shining with excitement. “You don’t have to worry about the money, it's on me!”

“We have class tomorrow,” Lynette recalled in a polite way of saying "It will be bad for us to attend class with a hangover".

“Oh, no problem!,” Elias reassured. “Hey, er, healer girl!,” he called me.

“It’s Amaris,” I told him.

“Yes, Amaris. Remember when I asked you what you knew to do in the dungeons? I remember you said something about a detoxification spell.”

“Yeah, I remember saying that.”

“So, does this detox spell of yours work with drunkenness and hangovers?”

My eyes widened. Seriously, this guy wanted to use a life-saving spell to help him become a drunkard?!

Suddenly, Ozul intervened in my defence.

“Don't answer! He's trying to use you!”

“You're being a little exaggerated in your accusation, Ozul. I'm just asking our pal here if she can use her skills at our dinner,” Elias justified himself carelessly. “Think with me: being able to enjoy the best drinks without worrying about the side effects because you have with you a healer mage to detoxify you! Doesn't it sound wonderful?

Ozul stared at him with an displeased gaze, clearly questioning what his priorities were.

“You're only making things worse for yourself, Elias,” Angelo laughed.

“Look,” I started. “I can use detox magic to nullify the effects of alcohol, but I worked a lot in the dungeons and I'm tired, so you won't be able to fulfill your fantasy.”

“Oh, it's a shame,” Elias sighed, but soon smiled. “Maybe next time, then.”

I could have lied and said it wasn't possible, but he seemed so determined to fulfill his desire to drink without restrictions or side effects that he would probably end up unmasking me in the future.

We finally arrived at Balad. As soon as we entered, we were noticed by some students who preferred to have dinner there. I think we looked tired and careless and that's why they were looking at us. Anyway, these students didn't matter.

Elias found a large table and guided us to it. The table was rectangular, with four chairs on the two largest edges, totalling eight chairs.

Elias sat on a chair of the ends and Angelo sat next to him. Gregório sat in the same row as the two, but at the other end, leaving an empty chair between him and Angelo. That would be the perfect opportunity for Erina if it weren't for the fact that Lynette had occupied that chair soon after.

Erina was frustrated, of course, but she wouldn't cause a scandal because of that. Therefore, to get around the situation, she went to the chair parallel to Gregório's and occupied it, maintaining her lady's posture. From an optimistic point of view, she could stare at his face and vice versa.

As expected, I was on Erina's side. Then, Ozul occupied the chair next to me. Erina kept poking her foot on my leg when she saw it. Finally, Rebeca got the seat next to Ozul and parallel to Elias.

With everyone seated, we started to make our orders. Elias made a point of making that moment a victory dinner and, with Erina's investment, he asked for several recommendations from the restaurant and also beer, however, following Lynette's warning, only a glass for him and Erina, who was the only one besides him who wanted to drink.

Little by little, our table was filled with different foods and drinks, in addition to our plates, glasses and cutlery. Everything seemed so tasty that I was looking forward to eating.

Before we could taste our meal, Elias drew our attention and raised his glass.

“I’d like to make a toast,” He announced and, after seeing that everyone had their glasses raised, he exclaimed: “To our victory in the dungeons and to the creation of our group!”

“Cheers!”

And finally it was to eat! As soon as I started feeding myself, I could understand why Elias insisted so much on this victory dinner. After hard work, the food always seems to be tastier than imagined. And at that moment, the act of eating was giving me a lot of joy.

While the food was being savoured, I saw that Lynette was eating quietly and slowly, her face with a distant expression.

“Is your food good, Lynette?,” Out of curiosity, I wanted to check how she was.

Hearing my voice, Lynette looked at me as if she had just woke up from a trance.

“Oh... yes it is,” she replied and then smiled. “Thank you for your concern.”

I assumed that Lynette had no habit with lively meetings like this, so I felt like helping her get along.

“You know, Lynette,” I called her. “You were amazing there in the dungeons! The monster was very close to me and, even so, you didn't missed it and killed him with just one arrow! You must have practiced a lot, right?”

“Actually, no,” she moved the cutlery, looking away. “It's only been four years since I started using the bow and arrow. Archers usually start practicing earlier.”

“So you’re a fast learner!,” I exclaimed. “That's awesome!”

“Yeah...,” she looked at me again. “I also think it's something good.”

“It's not just anyone who knows how to use a firearm. Tell me, Ozul, how did you learn?”

I heard Rebeca asking Ozul a question full of enthusiasm. She must have leaned in his direction, because his body approached mine and consequently, he bumped into me. Upon realizing that he had entered my personal space, Ozul quickly apologized, but I was not bothered.

Just like Rebeca, I also wanted to know more about how Ozul got his gun.

“Oh, I'm also curious,” I entered the conversation. “You know, once an adventurer went to buy potions at my family's store and he was a shooter. It was the first time I had seen a firearm so close. And you, Ozul? How did you become a shooter?”

With my interest added to Rebeca’s, Ozul finally told his story.

“A few years ago, an adventurer who was a shooter spent some time in Tromoa. Just like you, Amaris, that had been the first time I had seen a firearm in person. It was so unprecedented that it looked more like a treasure and I wished so much that I could get it for myself. Of course, the adventurer didn't give me his gun, but he was attentive enough to teach me how to shoot. After he left, my parents bought me a gun and I continued practicing, in addition to learning its mechanisms and maintenance.”

While I was eating, I listened to everything Ozul said and I got impressed with his dedication to learn something new.

“Wow, you’ve got a pinch of self-taught on yourself, huh! I liked it,” Rebeca praised, also impressed.

Parallel to Rebeca, a contagious laugh came up. It was Elias. He was watching all of us as a hospitable host. His glass was already almost empty and his mood, light and relaxed.

“I'll tell you,” he began to report with nostalgia. “I used to live near a tavern in the adventurers district and, whenever a group returned victorious, they made a dinner to celebrate. And now we're just like them!,” and finished the last sip of his beer.

I had a lot of fun at dinner. I was able to enjoy delicious food, spend a good time with my friend and I was even able to interact with some schoolmates. I didn't know them well yet, of course, but we were a team now and eventually we would need to work together, so dinner was even useful to ease the strangeness.

The only one I couldn't interact well with was Gregório. Because he was there only at Elias' insistence, he preferred to stay quiet more than the time. Erina was the one who tried the most to talk to Gregório. Although he didn't ignore her, his answers were short and gave no loopholes to extend the conversation. To be honest, I already expected this behaviour coming from him, because he proved to be a difficult person to fit in.

Other than that, I have nothing to complain about.

At the end of the meal, we paid the bill - or rather, Erina offered to pay - and we left Balad. At the door of the establishment, Gregório made a formal farewell and went on his way to a residential neighbourhood. The rest of us went to the dormitory. Thanks to our bellies full of delicious food, the walk was pleasant.

Arriving at the dormitories, I discovered that Ozul and Rebeca slept in the same building as Erina and me, while Elias, Angelo and Lynette slept in another. Therefore, before we enter our respective buildings, we wish "good night" to each other.

As soon as I entered the dormitory and went to my room, I began to think about how things would be from now on. At first I thought my student life would be somewhat simpler with an obvious routine, but I broke my own expectations by accepting the offer to collaborate with Hugo and John.

I confess that I felt a little tense. Working with the Modern Imperial Dragon, even if not at all times, was a little scary. But maybe this was a chance for me to develop more, get stronger and, obviously, improve my skills as a healer mage! This last thought in particular filled me with a excitement so strong that could overcome my tension.

Whatever it comes, I'll find a way to make the most of what I have!