The room fell silent after the reaper’s sudden demise, the awkwardness of the situation adding to the hesitation to speak. Both Lilithra and Selorien stared at what had been a frightening opponent, wondering just how much more they had to experience before they could finally get accustomed to Ascalon’s strength.
Just as they recomposed themselves, a voice from beyond their bracelets caught their attention.
“You can… you can come out when you’re ready…” Said Kain with clear confusion, probably just as surprised as they were.
Ascalon, unaware of everyone’s feelings, was crouching down and inspecting the skeleton’s remains. “A robe and a scythe… could they be of any use?” He pondered aloud, causing Selorien to approach with curiosity. With each step, Selorien’s mind grew clearer, and soon, he jolted in realization.
“No way!” Selorien exclaimed with evident excitement, earning a curious ‘huh?’ from the still-recovering Lilithra. “Lil! The boss… the boss dropped a weapon!” His voice echoed with unbridled enthusiasm, and Lilithra opened her eyes wide.
“O.M.G! Are you serious?!” She questioned as she skipped toward them, her yellow eyes shining as she gazed upon the scythe. Ascalon glanced at them and tilted his head, wondering what was so special about this event. Sensing his inquisitive stare, Lilithra addressed him.
“Uhm! Boss weapons are, like, the rarest drop ever!” She explained with elation, her whole body quivering. Ascalon let out a curious ‘oh’ as he absorbed the information. If it was such a rare occurrence, then their excitement was understandable.
“It also dropped its ‘armor’, which ain’t bad at all either!” Selorien added, a wide grin adorning his face. He carefully picked up both items and promptly vanished them to his inventory. “Let’s keep them safe for now…” The elf said as he sighed, trying to calm himself down a bit.
His friends nodded in unison, agreeing with his words. Then, Lilithra sighed deeply, following Selorien’s lead to try and get a grip over her racing heart. Ascalon, on the other hand, watched over them with a warm gaze, proud of having been helpful.
After a few more minutes of calming themselves down, Lilithra used the dungeon escape skill and everyone returned to New Lumingard.
As soon as they gathered their bearings, they were swarmed by examiners.
“How did you complete it so fast?!” One of them asked in pure disbelief. “Are you sure they’re D-rank?!” Questioned another staring at Kain.
The Canidae looked visibly troubled, his gaze fixed on the recently arrived. “Get your act together, people.” He growled as he rubbed his furry temples, causing the examiners to shyly step away, clearly embarrassed by their actions.
The only one that hadn’t approached was Urvan, who stood silently against a wall, his intense gaze focused onto Ascalon—though the knight ignored him blatantly.
Before the awkward silence could settle, Lilithra raised her voice with a bit of nervousness in her tone. “Uhm, so, h-how did we do?” She asked as she fidgeted in place. Even if she thought they had completed the dungeon at an incredible rate, she wasn’t sure if Kain was pleased by the results.
The Canidae looked at them for a moment, pondering briefly before replying. “It was the fastest dungeon clear we’ve ever seen.” He began, his tone serious. “You even had to deal with one of our examiner’s rude behavior… allow me to apologize for that.” Kain bowed deeply, causing Ascalon to raise an eyebrow in suspicion.
“But I was told it was normal to impede the other team’s advance.” Ascalon stated with clear confidence, earning a curious glance from Lilithra.
Kain sighed once more, his expression growing in dejection every time. “Yes, it’s normal to do so… but not for D-rank applicants.” He shook his head. “It’s especially not normal to antagonize D-ranks with a Guild leader… and this one acted on his own, too.” Kain concluded, shooting a sharp gaze toward Urvan, who simply shrugged and rolled his eyes.
Both Lilithra and Selorien were surprised by the revelation, and felt relieved for Ascalon’s presence. They didn’t mind as much now, but what if they had gone in by themselves? Could they have dealt with a Guild leader? Then again, Urvan’s actions seemed to have been triggered by Ascalon’s presence in the first place. It was a complicated situation, though at the end of the day, they had been victorious.
Ascalon, on the other hand, sighed in disappointment, wondering if all the Guild leaders were as egocentric as the ones he’d encountered so far. Lucio, Urvan, and the leader of the Flaming Fists—whose name he had already forgotten—all shared similar, unpleasant attitudes, to say the least. Jay and Calista didn’t seem as prideful—but he didn’t know them that well, either.
As Ascalon mulled over his thoughts, Kain’s voice was heard again.
“That aside, I have to ask—what’s your deal?” The Canidae stared at Lilithra with a firm gaze, his brows furrowed in doubt. “Did you bring him to have an easier time—to ‘cheat’ the tests?” Kain questioned with an accusatory tone, causing Lilithra to shrink in place. Selorien furrowed his brows in indignation, ready to retort, but the one to answer was Ascalon.
“How dare you?” He dragged his words, angered. “She would never do such a thing! I follow her willingly, and I shall not allow anyone to slander her further.” Ascalon declared, his voice echoing with a thunderous conviction.
Every examiner was taken aback, specially Urvan and Kain, who eyed Ascalon with both wariness and suspicion. Clearing his throat, the Canidae replied.
“I apologize if I upset you, but you have to understand this is a strange situation.” He began, casting a glance toward Lilithra. “Anyone can see you don’t belong in a D-rank Guild at all—there’s a huge gap between you and your ‘leader’s’ skill.” Kain explained, his eyes narrowing further. “It’s just too convenient for them.” His words carried some truth, even if Ascalon didn’t want to accept it.
“That is irrelevant.” Ascalon replied with a confident tone. “Does a king need to be stronger than his knights?” He questioned with authority in his voice, his words causing the examiner’s thoughts to waver slightly.
“I am her knight—and I shall make sure she gets to accomplish her dream.” Ascalon proclaimed, crossing his arms and letting out a proud ‘hmph!’ After that declaration, Lilithra beamed at him with a gentle gaze, her heart pounding in a soft, delightful rhythm. Selorien, standing beside her, looked proudly at his friend.
Everyone was left speechless by Ascalon’s palpable sincerity, making it hard to doubt his words. Kain pondered over the matter, when suddenly, a small device inside of his ear rang. While Lilithra and Selorien were aware of that kind of communication technology, Ascalon was taken in by curiosity. Raising his hand to activate the gadget, Kain spoke.
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“Mr. Ron, finally! I wanted to ask—” He began, but was cut off by the voice on the other end, presumably Mr. Ron. Kain listened intently, nodding a few times as he absorbed the incoming message, though the rest could only hear faint, indistinct chatter coming from the earpiece.
“I see. Very well. Thank you.” Kain suddenly replied, bowing slightly. It was amusing to see him behave like that, when Mr. Ron wasn’t even present in the room with them, or so Ascalon thought to himself. Just then, Kain cleared his throat, speaking up.
“Ehem. I sent a message to Mr. Ron when Urvan acted on his own—but mostly because of you, Mr. Ascalon.” Kain exclaimed, his tone a bit more respectful. It was the first time he addressed Ascalon by name, probably due to Mr. Ron’s intervention. While the knight wondered about that, the Canidae continued.
“But Mr. Ron has vouched in your favor, and explained your situation briefly.” He added, a bit more content. “You’re clear to proceed with the rest of the tests.” Kain concluded with a softened expression, likely feeling more at ease.
It seemed that Mr. Ron had taken proper care to keep Ascalon’s presence concealed from even headquarter’s employees—though that was likely going to change from now.
Lilithra slumped her shoulders in relief, a small smile on her lips, while Selorien gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. Ascalon bowed slightly to Kain, showing his appreciation, though the Canidae still seemed a bit troubled.
“That aside… your dungeon clear will be displayed at headquarters, under one of the ‘records’ boards… so I hope you’re ready for that.” Kain said as he glanced away. Ascalon was, once again, confused by the words, and looked over at his friends.
Lilithra looked worried, while Selorien stretched his arms above his head, always the carefree one. Since no one was continuing the topic, Ascalon had to be the one to ask!
“What does that mean?” His curious words earned him a few dubious looks, and Kain took it upon himself to answer.
“Well, to motivate Guilds to do ‘better’, there’s various ranking categories for them to ‘compete’ with each other. From something as basic as popularity, to dungeon clearing times, for example.” Kain briefly explained. “You’ve broken the record of the fastest clearing time for this dungeon, by a long shot, so it will garner some attention…” With these final words, Kain turned toward the exit.
“Ehem. We’re done for today, good work.” Kain smiled, surprisingly. “Come meet me at headquarters tomorrow for your next test.” He waved at them and proceeded toward the exit, with some of the other examiner’s following behind.
A few of them bid them goodbye, one even asked to shake hands with Ascalon for some reason. Soon, the group was left alone… with Urvan.
The massive bear remained leaning against a wall, acting all tough, his gaze intently set on Ascalon. While Lilithra gulped and Selorien eyed him with irritation, the knight approached the Ursurian.
“What is it?” He asked straightforwardly, the tension in the room growing by the second.
“Wanna join my Guild?” Urvan replied without hesitation, a spark of anticipation in his eyes. The words took everyone by surprise, and, as unlikely as it sounded, Lilithra was the first to protest.
“No!” She retorted before promptly covering her mouth with both hands in a panic. It seemed her mouth had been faster than her brain. The bear shot her an angry stare, growling slightly and showing his huge teeth, while Ascalon chuckled heartily.
“You have your answer. Lilithra, Selorien, let us go back.” Ascalon declared without an ounce of hesitation, and the huge man-bear seethed in place. After a few seconds, Urvan sighed, clicked his tongue, and left. As his colossal figure disappeared, the sound of his footsteps vanishing into the distance, Lilithra let out a deep, relieved breath.
“I thought he was gonna eat me!” She exclaimed with teary eyes, and Selorien burst out laughing. Ascalon approached her and patted her head gently.
“I would not have let him!” He responded with confidence, causing Lilithra to blush slightly.
“Ah, that was a funny one.” Selorien stated as he stopped laughing, a mischievous grin adorning his face. Ascalon shook his head at his friend’s words, while Lilithra pouted in irritation.
“It wasn’t funny, it was scary!” She protested cutely. “Anyway… let’s go home!” She commanded, and her friends nodded in acknowledgement. They proceeded to leave the abandoned train station, emerging onto the sunny streets of New Lumingard.
On the way back, Lilithra raised her voice again. “So, we completed the first task thanks to Ascalon—two more to go!” She clenched her fists tight as she skipped ahead, her excitement contagious.
Selorien, walking carefreely behind Ascalon, chimed in. “I wonder what’s gonna be next.” He commented with his arms crossed behind his head. “I doubt it’s gonna be another dungeon.” The elf added, eyeing his surroundings absentmindedly.
“Hmm.” Ascalon pondered. “We shall see tomorrow. For now, let us prepare.” He said thoughtfully, prompting Lilithra to slow her footsteps, waiting for them to catch up.
“Ascalon…” She called out to him, her voice ringing with shyness. “Thanks for today.” She thanked with a huge grin, her cheeks reddened. Ascalon simply bowed slightly.
“There is no need for that.” He stated plainly, letting her know there was no need for further formalities. It was natural that he would lead her to victory—he was her knight, after all. Tomorrow, and the day after, and hopefully forever—he would keep helping both her and Selorien.
With these thoughts in mind, and some idle conversation to pass the time, they navigated the streets until they finally reached The Chalice. Once inside, they were greeted by a rather peculiar scene.
“...I see, that is quite convenient!” Thany chirped cheerfully, sitting on a stool while swinging her legs in rhythm. Across the counter stood Raphael, showing her a phone.
“Yeah, and pretty much everyone has one.” Raphael explained, setting the device on the table as he saw the rest come in. “Oh, welcome back! Congratulations on passing your first test.” The steward said as he bowed slightly, with Thany completely absorbed by the phone.
Lilithra eyed him suspiciously as she walked toward the counter, her friends following close behind.
“How did you know we passed?” She asked while narrowing her eyes.
Raphael chuckled and puffed out his chest. “It was obvious! How could my niece fail? Especially with Ascalon and Selorien backing you up, haha!” He laughed joyfully, clearly joking. Even so, it was evident that he wholeheartedly believed in them.
Both Ascalon and Selorien chuckled alongside him, while Lilithra sighed and shook her head, sitting beside the tiny Goddess.
“What’s up with this?” Lilithra asked, a shy smile on her face.
Thany turned to her and hesitated for a moment. “Raphael has been teaching me about different things… I am now learning about this ‘phone’!” She exclaimed, her wariness completely replaced by excitement.
Everyone felt a sense of Déjà vu, recalling the time they had explained the same topic to Ascalon. With a cheerful atmosphere, they huddled around Athanya’el and continued teaching her about various subjects, with hours passing in the blink of an eye.
At some point, the tiny Goddess had spent her energy, so Ascalon decided it was time for her rest. This time, however, Lilithra stopped him.
“Let me handle this!” She exclaimed with confidence, scooping Thany into her arms and hurriedly fleeing. Though the Goddess complained, she was too tired to break free, allowing Lilithra to do what she pleased! With curiosity guiding their steps, everyone else followed. Lilithra then took the child to her own bed, placing her carefully among the army of plushies that guarded her resting place.
As if by instinct, Athanya’el grasped one of the plushies and hugged it tight, quickly falling asleep. Watching her peaceful slumber, Lilithra squealed with delight.
“Yes! I’ve been waiting for this!” She said excitedly, trying to not raise her voice too much. With uncanny speed, she produced her phone and started taking pictures of the sleeping Goddess and the stuffed animals that protected her dreams.
Ascalon was taken aback, bewildered by Lilithra’s actions, but he quickly realized the sight was indeed quite adorable, so he couldn't complain. Everyone else silently agreed with this sentiment, and soon scattered. Selorien went back home as per usual, while Raphael headed to the kitchen in order to prepare dinner.
Ascalon remained with Lilithra for a while longer, watching the Goddess rest. Lilithra leaned onto his shoulder, a satisfied, blushing grin on her face.
Basking on the calm atmosphere, Ascalon wondered what tomorrow would bring, taking into account how ‘easy’ the dungeon had been. Still, no matter what challenge presented itself, Ascalon was determined to make Lilithra’s Guild a reality.