Celebration, a word that seemed easy to understand at first, but was filled with all kinds of complications and hidden rules of the world. Alnea, for instance, did not know that people were supposed to celebrate their birthdays until Cecilia celebrated it for him. And it was not just him. For most civilians, celebration was a privilege that only those of high status could enjoy. It was only when he spent time with the girls, that he understood what celebration truly was.

  Celebration was not a certain event or an action that could be controlled, and reserved, by just those in power. It was an emotion, a state, that everyone went through at some point or other. They just did not know what to do with their emotions. If they could somehow liberate their emotions, and forget about all their worries, just to enjoy themselves in the moment, then they could be said to be celebrating.

  Unfortunately, there were too many things for Alnea to worry about for him to truly celebrate along with the girls. Still, with their insistence, he had no choice but to go along with their plans. After returning to the mansion, he told everyone that there would be no meetings for a couple of days, and that they could do whatever they wanted. Except making trouble.

  There was an undercurrent surging in the city recently. Especially since the rumours about the new rules had finally begun spreading among the Wanderers at large. Speculations about the new rules, and the Final Trial proposed by the Orthodoxies were flying about, creating a sense of panic among the people. Those who were on the verge of reaching the standards of joining the qualification were becoming nervous about how the new rules might affect them, while the desperate ones at the bottom rung of the city were finally seeing hope.

  At this point in time, when they were so close to entering the inner city, provoking trouble needlessly did not make any sense. It was better to hole up in their rooms, and prepare to deal with the situation as it developed. Since he himself was going to be celebrating for the next few days though, he could not ask his teammates to train either. He may be selfish, but he was not a hypocrite. Mostly.

  Back in his room, Alnea digested his gains over the past few days, before returning back to his daily schedule. Exhausting Spirit Power, and then meditating to recover, only to exhaust his Spirit Power once again, and repeat the process. Of course, after he had digested all his gains from conquering the Trials, he did not forget about facing off against the Shadow of his Heart in the Mirror World either. Unfortunately, he still could not defeat the hesitation within his Heart…

  The next day, Alnea met up with the girls at the time they had agreed upon. All three of them. Celebrations were better with more people, apparently. As for why the other Star Seekers did not join in with them to increase their number from four to ten, he was not stupid enough to ask that question. Besides, he too liked spending time with the girls. If only Cecilia and Vestia did not fight so much, he would have liked it even more. The only thing he did not like was the smug cat trailing behind Cecilia’s legs.

  “…What is she doing here?”

  “What do you mean? Where else could Forne be, if not with me?”

  “I had already asked Karl to take care of her for the day.”

  “He did come to me earlier, but she would not leave my side. I could not have forced her away, could I?”

  “…I do not see the problem,” Alnea grumbled, glancing at the cat hissing at him.

  “Even if they are our teammates, can you really trust them with Forne?”

  “…Do you see the blood red tear hanging around its neck?”

  “…Blood Spirit Tears?”

  “That’s right.”

  “But did you not say that you were still not sure of its effects?”

  “That is why this was the perfect chance.”

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “What if something went wrong?”

  “…I was going to use a Glyph Array Scroll to bless it with a shield before we left the mansion. Even if something went wrong with the tears, the shield would have been enough to save its life.”

  “But would have left it limping for a week.”

  “…What is a little sacrifice for the greater good of the team? Besides, it has been just eating and sleeping for the past month. Look at how fat it has gotten. It is time that it contributed to the team. Unfortunately, my preparations are going to be in vain.”

  “…Tell me the truth.”

  “…I have not had the chance to make it pay for scratching my face last time.”

  “…You were willing to waste a Glyph Scroll on her, just because she scratched your face?”

  “I was not wasting it… I was just investing it to test an experimental product.”

  “You can be so childish at times,” Yuri said, laughing out loud, drawing everyone’s attention to herself. Feeling the inquisitive gazed burning into her flushed cheeks, she decisively chose to sacrifice him to save herself from further embarrassment, with an apologetic smile on her face.

  “I was just thinking if anyone saw him arguing with a cat, they would probably find it hard to believe that he is the man who conquered all of the Trials of the Lost City.”

  “…Not all.”

  “Did you say something?”

  “…I said, I am not being arguing with Forne,” Alnea said, turning his attention back to the cat. “It is the stupid cat who is glaring at me.”

  “…Although I like the way look so ruthlessly at a cat, as if it is your mortal enemy, you should not be so vindictive with her,” Vestia said, giggling at his words, while flashing her charming dimples. “It does not suit your status as the most talented Wanderer to enter the Lost City in the recent years.”

  “…Is that what the rumours say about me now?”

  “The rumours have always said that about you. It is just that more people have started paying attention to your rumours now.”

  “…Being called the most talented Wanderer is not exactly a good thing,” Alnea said, recalling his days in Anneve. “Do you know where the—

  “That’s enough,” Cecilia said, glaring at him with a pout. “First it was about Forne, and now the rumours… Aren’t you forgetting something?”

  “…What?”

  “Today, we are supposed to just celebrate. Stop worrying about all those unnecessary things, and just enjoy.”

  “…I am not against enjoying our time, but I think that we should to pay attention to these rumours too. If I am not wrong—

  “You are wrong. Now, come on. Forget everything about the rumours.”

  “…These rumours might bring a disaster to our team.”

  “…If you do not want to celebrate with us, then just say it,” Cecilia said, with her pout growing even more dissatisfied. “There is no need to make such a clumsy excuse.”

  “I am not making excuses, Lia.”

  “So, you want me to believe that just a rumour might bring a disaster to our team?”

  “…Absurd as it sounds, it is a possibility.”

  “There is also a possibility that we might get devoured by the Origin Sea the next time we Wander its depths. Should we stop Wandering the Origin Sea too? And what if the mansion we live in collapses on us? What if the entire city just gets fed up with its Trialists, and decides that it has had enough of us?”

  “…Those things are different—

  “No, they are not. Whether you agree or not, there is always a possibility of us dying the very next moment. If we just keep thinking of what might happen in the future, then we will never be able to live our lives the way we want.”

  “…I agree with Cecilia on this,” Vestia said. “Like I said before, rumours about you have always been around. It is just that, more people are taking notice of you now. And that indeed may not be a good thing. But we cannot live in fear of how those people might react. Besides, even if these rumours earn us some enemies, with the city being on the verge of changing its rules, they should not act against us any time soon. So, you can let go of your worries, and enjoy the day with us.”

  “…I cannot believe I am saying this, but well spoken, vixen.”

  “It is just a matter of interest,” Vestia said, shrugging her shoulders, before turning towards him with a smile. “After all, I too want to spend the day with Alnea without worrying about anything.”

  “…Once a vixen, always a vixen,” Cecilia said, before turning towards him. “Anyways, Vestia has also spoken. And I am sure that Yuri is with us too.”

  “I am.”

  “Now, it is three against one. You don’t have any more choice. Just give up, and enjoy the day with us.”

  “…That’s the weirdest threat I have ever received, but somehow, it sounds more threatening than any of the Lotus clan’s threats,” Alnea said, finally letting go of all his worries, and just laughing out loud. “Fine, fine. You win. I won’t talk about anything related to training or our enemies. For today, let’s just enjoy ourselves.”