Talk

"Ugh..." Bein rubs his temples. 'I'm too busy for this. That moron better have a good reason for bringing this kid along,' he thinks before reaching into his bag. At the same time, he turns to Kael. "V, was it? Why are you here?"

Kael exhales, struggling. "Here," he groans as he manages to pull a letter from his pouch.

"Ah ah ah, don't try to break free, love. You're too young to be left unattended here," Yula smiles, playing with Kael's hair.

"She's right. The Dúranthil Forest is extremely dangerous. Someone your age shouldn't be here," Bein says before taking the note and opening it up. 'Hmm... this is troublesome.' He rubs his eyes and retrieves a device from his bag. It looks circular and metallic, something like a short cylinder with multiple layers of circles on top. "I did hear some students entered a program to study with elves. Being from class A and getting recognized by the elven elders, the king, and the princess is quite an accomplishment," he mumbles, tapping his chin.

"If you wish, I can call Professor Ayla. I'm sure you know who that is," Kael says, still unable to move.

"No, that's unnecessary." Tapping the device, it starts glowing a light red. He holds it out, pointing at Kael, and after a second, he stops. "Everything looks good. You haven't awakened your attribute," Bein states, taking off his cloak. Underneath, he wears a dark, fitted shirt with emerald green accents that contrast with his hair and dark trousers that match his eyes.

"What is that?" Kael asks curiously, staring at the device. 'I've never seen this device. I know other devices that can detect attributes, but I've never seen this one.'

The vice guild master walks to the desk and pulls out a bottle of alcohol, pouring himself a drink before taking a seat. "This is a device made by one of our members. It helps us determine people's strength," Yula says calmly with a smile.

"PFFFHAHAHAHAHA what a stupid bastard! HAHAHAHA!" Even from the room, the laughter from downstairs can be heard. 'They must be making fun of the prince,' Kael thinks.

"Those idiots are making too much noise. I'll go silence them," Yula states coldly.

"No, forget them," Bein says, taking a sip before continuing. "This is going to be a long operation. Let them have their fun before we head out. Now, Yula," he places his glass down, "why are you here? You're supposed to be preparing."

Yula blinks. "I would like to finish, but the guild master decided to run off and play," she responds with a sigh. "Avoiding chores like always," Bein exhales heavily.

Both Bein and Yula turn to the window. "Oh look who's bac—" BOOM! The wall shatters and dust fills the room. "Hahahahaha, I had a blast today!" A voice rings through the air, a type of voice that commands attention.

"How many..." Bein mumbles under his breath, standing up. "How many damn times do I have to tell you to open the fucking window, Cora!" He yells, rubbing his forehead. 'Goddess give me patience,' he thinks with an exhale.

Once the dust settles, the figure becomes visible. She wears black short boots and long silk black socks that go over her knees. Her black short shorts have red and silver edges, with two black straps hanging from each side. A simple black shirt is adorned with a chain around her neck, the center of which holds a metallic sphere. She also wears a long black cloak that extends to the floor, with long sleeves. Over her shoulder, she carries a huge blade, dark as night with purple and red glowing lines across it. She is completely covered in dust, mud, and blood, with some of her clothes shredded. She grins with an enthusiastic smile.

'Oh, that's the sword I prepared for her. I gave it to the vice guild master during the auction. Heh, black blades are the coolest,' Kael thinks with a sigh.

"Oh? Who's this?" Cora asks, making eye contact with Kael. Her eyes are black, but her hair is a striking mix of black and bright red, falling down to her waist. The colors are messy, with no particular pattern, just a chaotic blend. Her eyebrows and eyelashes are the same mix.

"I'm V, nice to—" Before he can finish, Kael is interrupted by Bein.

"Fuck, Cora! I told you fixing this place up is expensive. And what creature did you torment?" he asks, exhaling and rubbing his eyes.

"I don't know," she shrugs, spotting the bottle and grabbing it to pour herself a drink. "It was big and fun to fight."

Before she can take a sip, Bein yanks her glass away. "I told you to stay put. No alcohol for you until you get your checkup with Yula," Bein states with no room for debate, finishing the drink in one gulp.

Cora pouts, crossing her arms. "You're no fun, Bein. I haven't even caused a scene today."

"What? You just demolished the wall!" Bein retorts, glaring at her. 'Why do I even bother?' he wonders.

"Okay, okay, how about we all calm down and get a drink," Cora says, trying to calm Bein.

"Get a drink... Get a drink?" he repeats calmly, turning to Yula. "Feel free to give her, her checkup." Making eye contact with Yula, the guild master takes a step back. "H-Hey Yula, there's a baby behind you." The guild master practically points at the wall behind Yula.

"No?" Cora says as Yula stands up with a cold stare. "Guild master, leaving in the middle of your checkup is quite disrespectful," she walks closer, still holding Kael.

'Why the hell is she still holding me? I'm not a damn baby!' Kael yells internally. 'Oh, I have an idea.' Kael stares at the guild master until she looks down at him, and without saying anything, he moves his lips so she can read them: [Use me as a shield and get us out of here.]

Reading his lips, Cora takes more steps back as Yula continues to approach her. "Don't try to run, guild master," Yula coldly states, extending her hand out. A cold breeze flies around, freezing the area and quickly casting a dome. 'Finally,' Kael sighs and nods at Cora. Yula loosens her grip on him. Instantly, the guild master jumps up, causing a shockwave that shakes the building.

"You know better than to run from me," Yula mumbles. In front of the guild master, an ice wall forms mid-air with countless sharp spikes growing out of it.

"W-what?" Yula says, looking down surprised as Kael breaks free. In that instant, the guild master creates a mana string and shoots it at Kael. Kael manages to grab it a split second before Yula can catch him, and he's pulled up in an instant.

"Hahahaha, I win!" Cora laughs, grabbing Kael and pushing him in front of the spikes.

"Tsk, how dare you manipulate a kid!" Yula says coldly, canceling her magic so she doesn't hurt him.

"I'll see you later!" Cora turns and winks before vanishing in an instant, holding Kael.

Meanwhile, the vice guild master sips his drink with his eyes closed. "You could've helped me," Yula mumbles, taking a seat.

"Hmm... He might be a spy. If he is, she'll find out. You know how sensitive her instincts are."

Yula sighs, rubbing her temples. "I just wanted to make sure he wasn't in danger. And now, thanks to her, he's out of my sight. If he returns with any injury..." She grips onto the wall shattering it.

"Calm down. If he isn't a spy, I doubt the guild master will let him get hurt. Speaking of which, I should have a chat with the prince. If the king really did allow this boy to join us, there's nothing we can do. After all, it's thanks to the king we're able to do this operation," Bein says calmly, standing up and adjusting his glasses.

"There is one other child here. She won't run away from me twice," Yula looks out the broken wall with an exhale. "These children are so energetic, but they need to be educated and learn to behave. No child should be here."

Hearing her, Bein catches his head. "Yula, I've told you this before, that is not a girl, and they are neither human nor an elf," he says, tossing her a couple of papers.

"Does her origin matter? Regardless of what she is, she is a child. Every child deserves to be happy," she coldly states, making eye contact before jumping out the hole.

"Ugh..." Bein groans. "I have so much work to do..."

Meanwhile, the guild master stops running outside of town in an open field. "Hahahahaha, freedom!" she says, extending her hands out to feel the breeze.

"Thanks for that. That crazy woman wouldn't let go," Kael says, dusting himself off.

Turning in a flashy 180, she tilts her head. "Yula is scary, but she's a good person. Just stay away from her, and you'll be fine. That's what I do," she says with a proud smirk.

"Anywho, nice to meet you. I'm Cora, the best of the best, the strongest guild master of all time," she says with a proud, cocky voice, yet for some reason, it fits her perfectly.

"I'm V, just a normal student," Kael mumbles, shaking her hand.

"Pff, normal student? Oi oi, come on, have some enthusiasm," she laughs, laying down on the ground. "How can a student from class A of Equinox Academy say that? Vouched by the elven elders, the princess, and the king?" she says, making a shocked face for fun. "There's nothing wrong with bragging every now and then," she says with a smirk.

"How did you..." Before Kael can continue, she smiles mischievously.

"How did I know? I read the papers Bein was holding."

Hearing her, Kael blinks. "So... from that distance, you managed to read the whole sheet in a couple of seconds?"

She nods. "Yup."

Kael scratches his head. "That's amazing."

She shrugs and points up at the clouds. "I want to see this place without any fog or clouds. The sky must be beautiful here, right?"

"A looong time ago, this place used to be beautiful. It was a sanctuary for the elves. According to ancient documents, the sky here was a hundred times more beautiful than any other place," Cora says, blinking calmly as she looks up. "But that was thousands of years ago. Who knows how accurate the documents are," she sighs.

Kael looks up. "I'm curious, why did you guys come here? Just how special is this dungeon? The princess told me the king prevents anyone from entering this dungeon," Kael asks, turning to her. 'I already know why, but given her personality, she's testing my intentions. I'll play along with her,' he thinks.

"The king offered to let us explore this dungeon with the agreement that we'll take the prince along. We have no clue what's in there, only that the plants are dangerous and poisonous," she mumbles, tapping her chin with a smile as she stands up, waving at a figure approaching. "I'm an adventurer. Why would I reject an opportunity to visit a new place?" she asks with a smirk. "Don't worry, I'm strong. I won't let any of the people get hurt," she says, swinging her sword once, causing a shockwave that feels calm for some reason.

"Oooh! That was awesome!" Leena says excitedly, running closer as her fiery red hair waves side to side. "Hey V, I didn't think you knew Cora," she says, giving Cora a hug.

"I just met her," Kael responds. 'Did she bring me here knowing Leena would pass through here? The guild master is a genius strategist even if her personality is a bit... crazy. Why Leena though?' he wonders.

"Hmhmhmhm, of course, it's awesome. This sword is cool, isn't it?" Cora asks with a twinkle in her eyes.