The Star Seekers walked into the Trial Space of the Peak Stage Mystery Trials with great enthusiasm, vowing to break at least one record each. They walked out nearly twelve hours later with no records to their name, having barely cleared three to four Trials on average. Even the best of them, Zain, could only clear five Trials by the end of the day. Still, at least he managed to clear all his Trials perfectly. The rest…

  “…Now, I am really beginning to wonder if Zain is the most talented of you people…”

  “What do you mean wonder?” Zain said, with a haughty smile plastered on his haggard face. “I am indeed the most talented of all the Star Seekers.”

  “…Cecilia also cleared all her Trials perfectly, and she cleared three more Trials than you,” Karl said in a hoarse voice, with other nodding along with him, while Cecilia beamed with pride and joy.

  “…I have mastered more Arcanas than her…”

  “Vestia and Yuri even broke a couple of records.”

  …Cecilia’s joy decreased by a few degrees in an instant, melting away her smile, turning it into a glare directed at the blue robed girl.

  “…I am not comparing myself with girls…”

  “Although Captain challenged only seven Trials, he broke records in all seven of those Trials.”

  “…I was just feeling a little under the weather today. Tomorrow…”

  “No matter how many records you break tomorrow, it will still be less than the number of records Captain broke today.”

  “I…”

  “Alright, Karl,” Alnea said, trying to restrain his smile. He was not so vain as to beam with just a few words of praise. Unless it was from Yuri. Or Cecilia and Vestia. Or big sis Serena and his mother. And his master… Maybe he was a little vain. But it was fine. As long as his Heart and conscience could remain Clear—

  But then, why was he hesitating?

  “…Stop teasing Zain,” Alnea said, barely suppressing the nausea bubbling in his chest. “I am sure everyone is exhausted. Let’s just finish our dinner, and go back to rest. We have to return here tomorrow early in the morning, so that we can finish what we began today.”

  “…I do not think that is possible.”

  “Regardless, let’s just do our best.”

  That was all he could do. Do his best. Both, for his team, and for his Heart. For the three girls stealing glances at him, each in their own ways. Never again, he had said to himself. And he had proved it. It was just that, had he always given his best? Had he always used all that he could? Or had he always been hesitating, afraid to open a box that he could not close…

  The Star Seekers went back to their mansion, tired and exhausted, returning to the Arcanist Hall the next day with same enthusiasm they had the day before. Unfortunately, their enthusiasm did not prove to be of much help. Karl and Aren did manage to clear a couple of Trials perfectly, but ended up losing the perfect clearance streak when the Trials got more difficult. At the end of the day, only Zain, Vestia, Cecilia, Yuri, and Alnea managed to complete all the Mystery Trials. Not so surprisingly, they were also the only ones to clear all of their Trials perfectly.

  “…What are you being so smug about?” Norren mumbled, as they walked back to their mansion. “You did not do too well in the Warrior Trials either.”

  “At least I cleared the first few Trials perfectly,” Zain said, grinning from ear to ear, appearing the happiest he had been in a long time. “Do you want me to guide you?”

  “…No need,” Norren said with a snort, pulling a few steps away from Zain, dragging Ralph along with him. “Just wait for the Final Trial. We will show this bastard how strong we are.”

  “…Let’s get qualified for the Final Trial first,” Ralph said sheepishly.

  “…We still have a couple of Trials left. And there is still the Arcana and Arcanist Trials. I think there is still some hope for us.”

  “…You are belittling yourselves too much,” Vestia said, when she heard their discussion. “Our Captain gave you a standard to encourage you, not to destroy your self confidence. Even though you did not perform well in the Mystery Trials, you are not too bad. At least you did well in your area of expertise. Most of the Wanderers in the city cannot get perfect clearance in any of the Peak Stage Trials.”

  “…But those Wanderers are not our competitors. The Dark Priests—

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  “Have we not discussed them already? There is no need to worry about them. Just focus on your Trials, and try to improve yourselves as much as you can. We will know who our real competitors are once the city announces its new rules.”

  After encouraging the duo, Vestia hopped back to Alnea’s side, and began her usual back and forth with Cecilia, leaving the rest of the Star Seekers a little dazed.

  “…I feel like our team is being carried by the Captain and the girls…”

  “…Be confident. Remove feel…”

  “…Are we really strong enough to enter the inner city?”

  “…I do not know…”

  “…No, you know… we know… We just do not want to admit… Especially you and me… At least Karl and Zain can still support Captain from behind. Even Aren and Fran have their shining moments. Only us…”

  “…Ralph, you should relax—

  “How can we relax? With our strength… With how weak we are, how can we relax?”

  “…You are taking this too seriously, Ralph. Calm down. Like Vestia said, there is no need to belittle ourselves. Maybe we are not as strong as Captain, but we are still stronger than most of the Wanderers of the city.”

  “…You are right. We are indeed stronger than most of the Wanderers in the city, but we surely are not strong enough to stand out in the Final Trial. Maybe not even strong enough to qualify for the Final Trial on our own. At the very least, without the help of our Captain, without the support of our team, we would not have made it this far in the city. Do you really think that we can enter the inner city? No, we are just going to hold him back. We are going to hold everyone back…”

  “…Pathetic,” Fran said, as he walked past a trembling Ralph, only to pause a few steps later, and turn back. “If you think you are weak, then get stronger. If you think you are going to hold us back, then work harder. But if you are just going to stand there and cry, then you better leave the team. I do not want to trust my back to someone who cannot even face his weakness.”

  “That’s enough, Fran. Ralph… he is just not in his best condition right now. He just needs a little rest, and he will return back to his normal self in no time.”

  “We do not need his normal self. We need his better self.”

  “If you are not going to help, then you better leave.”

  “It’s alright, Norren,” Ralph said, biting his lips to calm his Heart. “He… He is not wrong.”

  “Are you listening to his nonsense?”

  Fran ignored Norren, and said to Ralph, “Are you going to charge ahead with us, and chase after the Star you Seek, or are you going to stay behind, and watch as the Star slips away from your hand just as you are about to reach it?”

  “…I…”

  “I do not want to hear your answer. Neither do I deserve to hear it. I am not much better than you, after all. Unlike you though, I do not have the luxury of doubting myself. So, I will continue to be a part of this team. And I will strive to make myself stronger, to work harder, and not hold anyone back, so that when we fight, my teammates can trust their back with me, just as I can trust my back with them. What about you? What are you going to do?”

  Saying so, Fran turned around and walked away, not waiting to hear Ralph’s answer. Not that the latter was in the state to answer anyway. He just kept staring at Fran’s back in a daze, lost in his own thoughts and memories…

  “…Should we stop them?” Cecilia said, glancing back at the rest of the Star Seekers. “He is not going to have a breakdown, is he?”

  “…Are you doubting in my vision, Lia?” Alnea said, glancing back at Ralph with a serene and confident smile. “He will be fine. Maybe even better than ever. But he needs to find his own Heart first. Just like Fran.”

  “…Huh? Is something wrong with Fran too?”

  “…His problem is a little more difficult to solve, but it is not as urgent as Ralph’s. We can leave him to his own devices for now. Still, we will have to address his problem at some point…”

  “What about Norren? Is he fine? He seemed a little down too.”

  “…He is a Warrior. He should be fine,” Vestia said, with her lips curving upwards in a sly grin. “Sometimes, being a little dumb can be a blessing.”

  “…Are you trying to insinuate something, vixen?”

  “I don’t know. Am I?”

  “…If you have something to say to me, then just say it. Don’t go around beating the bush.”

  “That is why I say that Warriors do not know how to use their head.”

  “…Then let me show you how I use my head,” Cecilia said, clenching her fist, and squaring her legs, as if preparing to headbutt Vestia right on the streets. Fortunately, Alnea was paying attention to her movements. He always had to. At least when Cecilia and Vestia were together. Especially since a week ago. Though the two girls had reconciled with each other after Vestia’s confession, that did not stop them from quarrelling with each other.

  On the contrary, they seemed to be fighting even more frequently than before. Probably because they did not have to do missions anymore. Or maybe they just wanted to make things difficult for him. In any case, he could not let their fight escalate on the streets, and Yuri seemed to have no intention of helping, so he had to step in and pull Cecilia away by himself.

  “Let me go!” Cecilia said, struggling to free herself from his grip. “I am going to show this vixen what a Warrior is capable of.”

  The more she said so though, the more Alnea refused to let her go. Not even when her dumb cat pounced on his legs. Thankfully, it could not penetrate the defences of his robe, or he might have had to go back to the Blood Hall for some immediate treatment. It was not until Cecilia finally found something wrong with his reaction, and calmed down, that he let go of her, and looked at her with a solemn expression.

  “Are you done?”

  “…I… She started it first… I…”

  Looking at the aggrieved expression on Cecilia’s face, Alnea smiled helplessly, and gently pinched her cheeks, before saying, “We have enough problems already, let’s try not to get into any more trouble during this period, alright?”

  “…Alright.”

  “And you too, Vestia. You know how special this period is… Do not provoke Cecilia unnecessarily.”

  “Only if you also treat me so gently…”

  “…Let’s just go back to the mansion.”