After the event had concluded, evening blanketed the castle. The moon's soft radiance seeped through the window, gently rousing me from sleep. My eyes blinked open, and I found myself in a bed.
"An unfamiliar ceiling," I remarked softly, my gaze locking onto the ceiling above.
"Neat! You're finally awake! We can finally eat," Tem exclaimed with excitement, springing up from his bed where he had been patiently waiting for me.
I pushed myself into a sitting position and glanced over at Tem.
"How long was I out?" I inquired, rubbing my temples as a sudden headache throbbed. "About 4 hours," Tem replied.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Both Tem and I turned our attention toward it, and the door swung open to reveal Claire, dressed in her nightgown. Her silhouette accentuated her curves, a breathtaking sight that left me momentarily entranced.
"W-why are you staring? Stop... it's embarrassing," Claire said, her face reddening with embarrassment.
I quickly averted my gaze, feeling flustered and sheepish. "S-sorry," I stammered in response.
Tem, seemingly out of place with his poker face, raised his hand. "Should I leave the room?" he deadpanned.
Claire, hearing Tem's comment, blushed even deeper. She hastily left the room, her voice carrying an embarrassed tone as she clarified, "D-don't misunderstand… I’m not here to show you my nightgown or anything… I’m here to tell you that we should eat."
Tem's ears perked up at the mention of food, and he quickly scurried away from me, making a beeline for Claire, his mouth watering with obvious hunger.
I rose from my bed and made my way toward the doorway. As I stepped into the hallway, Claire was already there, illuminated by the soft light on the hallway. She looked captivating.
"Beautiful…" I inadvertently whispered, lost in the moment, thinking my words were safely confined to my thoughts.
Claire, upon hearing my whispered compliment, swiftly turned her back to us, her nightgown swaying subtly as she walked away with a faint smile on her lips.
"Let's go," she called, her voice still tinged with embarrassment, without turning back to face us. Unbeknownst to us, my words had clearly brightened her evening.
Tem and I exchanged glances, and shrugged our shoulders, and then followed Claire to the dining room to enjoy our dinner.
We entered the dining room, and the three of us took our seats. Claire and I faced each other across the table, while Tem sat beside me.
As we ate, the clinking and clanging of spoons and table utensils accompanied each scoop of food onto our plates. Tem, on the other hand, attacked his meal like there was no tomorrow. Amidst the clatter, we engaged in conversation about the day's events.
“What happened anyway?” I asked Claire, curiosity getting the best of me.
Claire sighed. “You still haven’t gotten over that?”
Reluctantly, Claire began to explain how Noir had defeated me with just a punch and moved so quickly it was almost like teleportation. As I listened to her account, it became clear that she wasn't exaggerating.
“Your brother… is something else,” I remarked, still astonished at how effortlessly Noir had defeated me.
“Well, of course… He is one of the zero sets after all,” she replied matter-of-factly.
I choked on the food in my mouth in surprise. Hastily, I banged my chest to forcefully swallow my food and then promptly gulped down some water to wash it down. I turned to Claire, my curiosity piqued.
“Zero sets!? You mean the highest of all the sets!?” my eyes widened as I exclaimed in amazement and my curiosity getting the better of me.
Claire, with a hint of pride, replied, “Well… yes,” as she took a bite of her food. I leaned in, eager for more information.
“If you don’t mind me asking…how strong are the zero sets anyway?”
Claire then choked on her food, banging her chest to forcefully swallow the food, and immediately gulping down water to wash it off.
“You reacted like that, but don’t even know how strong a zero set is!?” Claire asked, her brows furrowed in annoyance.
I chuckled awkwardly. “Hehehe,” I scratched my head, and Claire let out a sigh.
"Set zero or zero sets are the most powerful out of all the sets, but you already know that. So powerful that the sets from 6 to 1 are considered as normal people, while set zeros are those who are beyond them. They can obliterate a mountain if they wanted to. There are only 8 zero sets that exist around the world. Luckily, Aurora has 2 Set zeroes, while the other 6 are scattered around the world," Claire explained.
“Why are there only eight?” I asked out of curiosity.
“For a person to achieve zero set, they must first fulfill certain requirements. These include defeating a legendary beast or completing a quest with legendary difficulty. Legendary quests are extremely challenging and unique. In the last 100 years, there have only been 10 legendary quests. So, you could say it's roughly one per decade,” Claire explained.
“Legendary beasts? Legendary difficulty?” I leaned back in my chair, looking up thoughtfully. “Those are some intimidating words,” I continued.
And suddenly, Tem, who had just finished emptying his plate of all the delicacies on the table, let out a loud burp. “Excuse me,” he said, leaning back in his chair and looking quite relaxed.
“Tem! Manners!” I scolded Tem, but he just shrugged it off.
After this, we finished our meal, and the maids came into the dining room to collect the plates and clean the table. Claire led us back towards our rooms, guiding us through the moonlit hallway. As we passed by the windows, Claire spoke. She walked ahead, with Tem and me following closely behind.
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"He wasn't always like that, you know," she said. Tem and I exchanged glances, intrigued.
"Who?" I asked, my curiosity piqued.
"My brother,"
"What do you mean, Miss Claire?" Tem inquired.
"My brother wasn't always a Zero set, like all of us, he had a beginning. And believe it or not, he wasn't expected to excel in anything," Claire answered. Her brows slightly furrowed, and her gaze drifted to a distant point beyond the present. A subtle, melancholic smile played at the corners of her lips, as if she remembered the touch of a bittersweet moment.
"He wasn't this strong when we were kids, and back at the academy, he'd always be bullied because people called him incompetent, weak. Yet whenever we saw each other, he'd smile, acting like nothing happened. It was when the bullying got too much that something unexpected happened."
Mid-conversation, we had arrived in our room. Tem, who was just full because of the meal, waddled towards his bed. "Ugh… I don’t think I can eat another bite," Tem mumbled as he laboriously crawled onto his bed, finally reaching the top and sitting down. I then walked towards my bed and sat down, and Claire sat beside Tem.
"Please continue your story, Miss Claire," Tem suggested.
Claire just smiled and patted Tem’s head, and she continued her story. "Brother and I went to the same academy; he was a year above me. After school, we’d meet at my dorm even though it wasn’t allowed because it usually took place at night. We were still kids at that time, so kids running around at night is a huge no-no. So there was a time when the three bullies targeted me, and—"
"Why would they target you? Heck, why would they even target the both of you? You’re nobles, Miss Claire," Tem asked, and both Tem and I shared a glance at each other and nodded, agreeing with Tem’s words.
Claire, with a soft smile, raised her hand and poked Tem’s forehead. “Let me finish first.”
Tem rubbed his forehead. “Okay… sorry, Miss Claire.”
Claire then continued. “It’s alright, Tem… so where was I? Ahh… The bullies were targeting me because they really wanted to make my brother’s life miserable. Now, the academy we were in isn’t found in Aurora or anywhere on the known map… no, this academy was situated on a huge remote island called Solstice Isle, and the school is named Luminaris Academy. One day, I saw a letter slipped under the gap of my door. I took a closer look and read it, and it said that it was about my brother, who wanted to meet behind the school building. I was reluctant to go because my brother never wrote a letter to me before, but still, I went. After I had arrived at the meeting area, at night, there was no one… it was dark and no one was there. Until suddenly, my eyes were covered by something. I panicked and tried to struggle, but to no effect—”
“Who did that to you, Miss Claire?! I’ll punish them,” Tem said with a sharp look and clenched fists.
Claire looked at Tem with raised eyebrows, like a mother telling her child to listen, and Tem behaved.
“Sorry again, Miss Claire,” Tem apologized, still rubbing his forehead.
Claire continued her story. “With my eyes covered, I tried to yell, but they covered my mouth with their hands. But then, he came. With my eyes covered, I could hear that there was a fight going on, and suddenly, when it became quiet, someone touched the bag on my head. At that time, I didn’t really know who came because of the bag. I tried to struggle, but then, the bag was removed, showing that it was my brother. His face was full of bruises, his shirt ripped, and his eyes wide out of concern for me. He was considered weak, even by our family, even by the whole school, yet he stood strong against the three bullies, even winning against them. At that time, even though he was at odds, even though he was meant to lose, he still stood strong and never gave up. Until now, he still trains to be the strongest, to protect the ones he loves. He’s mysterious, yet thoughtful. He’s serious, yet he always smiles. After he saved me, I cried and hugged him. And that was his story.”
“Why did they even drag you into it?” I asked.
“They just wanted my brother to feel miserable so would quit the academy. They knew that if they hurt someone my brother loves, he would crumble,” Claire explained.
“Did the school know about this? Did they do anything about it?” I asked in concern.
“They did. They banned the three, and the nobles that were responsible for the three were noted by the incident. The kids were punished by them also.”
“Good thing the school helped out.”
“Well, of course, it is a pristine school after all, where all races and all opportunities are equal when it comes to magic,” Claire replied.
After hearing about how great the school was, it gave me nostalgia for my old world. I don't mean to brag, but I was one of the top students in my university. Yet, I can't seem to remember any of the lectures. Perhaps it's because I valued grades more than actual learning.
Claire shifted her gaze at Tem and saw that he had fallen asleep sitting down. She chuckled with her hand covering her mouth. She then stood up and slowly pushed Tem to lay down. Afterward, she covered Tem with a blanket. She then proceeded to walk towards my bed and sat down beside me.
"You know... I haven't visited Grace in the hospital, not even once because my father won't let me out yet. Do you... do you know how Grace is right now?" Claire asked with a concerned expression, her brows furrowed and her eyes glistening and slightly narrowed.
"I was told that she was in an extremely bad condition," I replied, staring at the wall.
Claire, upon hearing this, suddenly leaned closer to me, her eyes filled with surprise and terror, and a tear forming. "What?! Please don't tell me—"
I grabbed her and hugged her tightly to reassure her that everything would be fine. "Vigil said he'll help me with Grace... let's just believe in him."
Claire then leaned back and wiped a tear from her face. "Vigil? W-who's that?" she asked, her voice slightly stuttering due to her stuffy nose.
"It's this grumpy old guy who lives near the hospital in an abandoned looking house," I answered.
"You don't mean Vigil Amos, right?" she asked, raising an eyebrow with a smirk. Looks like she doubts my words.
"Yeah... that guy said he was going to help me," I replied.
"No way," she replied as if she was doubting what I said. She then stood up and walked towards the door. "That guy hasn't shown his face for almost a year now, but if this guy... this 'Vigil' that you spoke of is going to help Grace recover. I would like to thank him in advance, no matter the result."
I stood up and looked at Claire with sharp and serious eyes. "Don't worry, Claire... We'll do what it takes. She's my friend too."
Claire smiled, her expression showing sadness and worry. Then she walked away without a word.
I sat back down on my bed and slowly lay down. I raised my hand in the air and clenched it, contemplating the situation. "Do what it takes," I said softly, and slowly my eyes shut, and my hand dropped.
Morning broke, and the sun shone brightly, birds chirped, and the birds flew in the bright sunny sky. Tem and I were being escorted by an umbroven outside the castle walls, and the gates almost closed until we heard a voice.
"Wait!" Claire yelled, running towards us, with her armor on. She stopped in front of Tem and me.
"Are you going to work today, Claire?" I asked.
"Yeah... I'm just gonna do some patrolling today, and hopefully visit Grace when I have the time," Claire replied with a smile.
The expression she showed today was different than what she showed last night. Last night she looked depressed, sad, and hurt. But now, she's back to her old self, confident, sometimes prideful, and happy. "She is a Captain after all, she's not gonna let these things drag her down," I thought.
"Are you coming with us to see Vigil? He told us we have to be back after 3 days, so maybe we can go together," I asked.
"I'd love to... but unfortunately, I have a lot on my plate for now. I've been gone for a couple of days if you didn't know," Claire replied with a smile.
A luxurious coach with golden doors and wheels that shine with silver suddenly galloped in front of us and stopped. The knight who was driving the coach opened the doors.
"Why don't I take you to the hospital?" Claire suggested as she put one of her legs on the stairs of the coach.
"Neat! Let's go, Sir Aaron!" Tem replied, excitedly skedaddling towards the coach.
"Tem! Manners!" I exclaimed with a whisper.
Claire, hearing this, started laughing with her beautiful and mesmerizing smile.
"Why are you so considerate with my nobility? We're friends, let's act like one," Claire said as she reached out her hand towards me.
Seeing this, I smiled and looked down and looked at Claire. "That's right... Let's go," I said, and then I reached out and held Claire's hand, entering the coach. We headed out to Vigil's place.
End of Chapter