After nearly ten minutes of walk, the Star Seekers finally reached their mansion. A three storey tall building, that stood proudly amongst the other generic buildings around it, with over ten windows on each floor, each representing a tiny room barely as large as the bathroom he used back in big sis Serena’s mansion. Maybe even smaller. It was as if those buildings were competing with each other to see which could house more Wanderers.

  In contrast, the rooms in the mansion were much more spacious and comfortable, housing only fourteen rooms in the same area where other buildings would have housed thirty or forty rooms. That too, with much greater privacy and security. Both of which were essential criteria for the Star Seekers when choosing where to live. The latter, mostly because of their Captain.

  Unlike most Wanderers of their age, and Rank, who focussed on increasing their Spirit Power, and reaching the True Rank as soon as possible, their Captain liked to experiment with his Glyphs and Arcanas. And though his experiments would rarely fail, when they did fail, they failed miserably. Enough to shake their old mansion, disturbing other people’s Wanderings.

  Having experienced the havoc that their Captain’s awry experiment could wreck, the Star Seekers had learned how necessary a mansion with proper safety measures in place was for their rest and Wanderings. Especially if they lived with their Captain. And the building in front of them was just one such mansion, not only having enough safety measures in place, but also placed quite conveniently, making it easier for them move anywhere within their part of the city, while monitoring the movements of the Lotus clan and their allies.

  In other words, it was the perfect mansion for the Star Seekers. One that Vestia had spent nearly a week finding. And one, that they had grown quite attached to. At least Alnea did. The rest of his teammates were heartless. In any case, the mansion held quite a significant place in his Heart. So, when he saw the black box in front of the mansion rejecting his Blood Card, while indicating that it was occupied, he could not help turning back towards his teammates with a glare.

  “…Who is going to tell me why our mansion has been occupied by other Wanderers?”

  “…I do not think that this is ‘our’ mansion anymore, Captain.”

  “That is what I am asking! Why is it not ‘our’ mansion anymore?”

  “…Because someone else booked it?”

  “You…”

  Alnea took a deep breath, reminding himself that the idiots in front of him were his teammates. And that they had not yet completely recovered from their injuries. He could not bully them…

  “…Whose turn was it to book the mansion?”

  The Star Seekers all turned towards Norren in unison, forcing him to take a few steps back involuntarily, while hurriedly shaking his head.

  “…No… I…”

  “…Alright, stop scaring him, Alnea. It is not his fault,” Vestia said, and let out a sigh, as she glanced at the mansion. “Who would have thought that our Final Trial would last for a month… Besides, did you not say your farewell to the mansion already? Would entering it again not be awkward for you?”

  “…I thought that we would go right to the inner city after completing our Final Trial.”

  “See, even you thought that we were not going to come back here. How can you blame others for doing the same?”

  “He just wants to make excuses,” Cecilia said from the side, sneering at Alnea. “No wonder he was so eager to leave the Blood Hall. He just wanted us out of the way. Now, he can return to the Blood Hall in the guise of booking a new mansion, while asking us to stay here, so that he can have a good time with his ‘friends’.”

  Alnea gulped down the words that were about to come out of his mouth, and glanced at his teammates, before fixing his eyes on Karl.

  “…On the contrary, given the state that most of us are in, I think it would be more appropriate if I stay here to guard, while Karl goes back to book our mansion.”

  “…Me?”

  “…I can trust only you with this heavy responsibility, Karl,” Alnea said, patting Karl on his shoulder, while giving him a solemn look. “Our lives now depend on you.”

  “…I—

  “There is no need for anyone to go back to the Blood Hall,” Yuri said, staring at Alnea for a few moments, before glancing at the mansion and the other buildings around it. “A mansion is not the only place we can live in.”

  “…You mean those tiny rooms that feel like cages?”

  “It is only for a day. And it is not like we have not lived there before.”

  “But—

  “I think that is a good idea,” Vestia said, glancing at the buildings, before turning back towards the Star Seekers. “We are about to enter the inner city. If not tomorrow, then in a few days. And soon after, some of us would even the leave the city itself. Meanwhile, the shortest period that we can book a mansion for is one month. Booking a mansion today, and then booking another mansion in the inner city tomorrow, only to leave in a few days, would not make any sense.”

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  “…It is alright. We can afford to spend a little.”

  “Just because we can afford to book mansions for just for one night, does not mean that we should.”

  “…The feast we had was over ten times as expensive as a mansion.”

  “…Are you so eager to return to the Blood Hall?”

  “…On second thought, staying in single rooms is not a bad idea. It will teach us about the value of money, and the art of frugality. More importantly, without enough security measures in place, everyone would focus on resting, rather than experimenting with their Glyphs and Arcanas.”

  “…You were still planning on experimenting with your Glyphs and Arcanas?”

  “…Huh? What did you say? That you are tired and want to rest?”

  “…I did not—

  “Come on, let’s go find you a room,” Alnea said, dragging Karl with him, forcing the others to follow behind him, ignoring the grumbles he heard along the way. From one building to next, on and on they went, until they finally found nine empty rooms in just one building. Not on the same floor, of course. But everyone was tried, and just wanted to rest. So, after a brief discussion, the Star Seekers decided to stay in the building for the day. Though there was not much left of the day.

  Enn was halfway down the skies, inching towards the horizon, with barely a couple hours’ worth of day light left. Then again, it was not as if they would have gone out to explore the city even if Enn could have showered them with his grace for a few more hours. He may have made many excuses along the way, but he was right about one thing. They were all tired. Even the girls. Especially the girls.

  And though Alnea was not as tried as the rest of his teammates, courtesy to a stupid Fire Spirit, he was just as mentally exhausted as everyone else. Staying on high alert for an entire month, always maintaining his vigilance, even when meditating, and fighting thousands of battles… Anyone would be exhausted after experiencing the things he went through. And that was not even counting the things that happened in the past couple of days.

  Fortunately, he broke all those statues of the Heterodox Wanderers, forcing their Ritual to trigger in advance. Otherwise, he might have had to face both, the Lotus clan, and the Heterodox Wanderers, at the same time. He could not even begin to imagine what the situation would have been then. Especially with the weird means of those Heterodox Wanderers.

  Still, what he had went through was enough to push him to his limits. Almost dying three times, confronting the consciousness hidden within the memories of his namesake twice, and being possessed by a Fire Spirit… The only silver lining of all his struggles was Clearing his Heart. And getting rid of his namesake’s consciousness. Then there was also the wish that the Fire Spirit had granted. And the clues that the Fire Servant had given…

  Maybe his sufferings were not completely in vain. But he would need time to digest those gains. And time was one thing he was always lacking in. Faein’s month was already upon him, leaving him with just half a year to prepare for the Rising Wanderer Trials. Though he had already surpassed the goal his master had set for him. But he was not satisfied. He—

  “Let’s meet down at the entrance of the building an hour after dawn,” Alnea said, as the Star Seekers separated to go their rooms, all scattered through the different floors of the building. And for once, Cecilia and Vestia did not quarrel to get the room closest to his. Probably because they were too tired to fight. Or they could still just be angry at him. Even though it was not his fault. Such unreasonable creatures…

  “Are you still angry?”

  “Did you do something to make me angry?”

  “…I don’t know.”

  “…Fool. Stop thinking so much. Just get some rest. And do not forget to talk with Evi.”

  “…I will. I made a promise, remember?”

  “…I am sorry. I—

  “I will get angry if you keep apologising.”

  “But—

  “Have we not been through this already? Just trust me next time.”

  “…I will.”

  “Promise?”

  “…Promise.”

  “Then tell me the real price you had to pay to fight beyond your limits.”

  “…You are becoming clever.”

  “I was taught by the best,” Alnea said, as he removed his sword and dagger from his waist, and put them by the cushion, before walking into the bathroom. It was not just those idiots who needed a bath. He needed one too. Probably, more so than anyone else. Unfortunately, he had only one set of his robe left. The rest were all lost in the folds between space when the dumb Fire Spirit ruined his storage pouch. Along with everything else that his master had given him. And the dagger he had caught from the Heterodox Wanderers.

  “But your tricks are in vain. Like I told you before, I will just be a little weak for a few days.”

  “And?”

  “…And I suffered some injuries to my Spirit. But it is not a problem. I can afford the price.”

  “…Just because you can afford the price, does not mean that you should.”

  “…Are you comparing me to a mansion?”

  “No, I was just saying that there could have been other ways…”

  “…Maybe. But if we keep thinking about the things that have already happened, then we will always have regrets.”

  “So, we must do things in a way that leaves no regrets. And we must learn from our mistakes.”

  “…If anyone has to learn from his mistakes, it is you. Do I need to remind you of the times you almost got yourself killed?”

  “…Like you said though, we cannot live in our past. Instead, we must strive towards our future—

  “Just get some rest. And no experiments.”

  “…I know,” Alnea said, and plunged into the bath, thinking about the things he had been through. About his suffering, the things he had accomplished, and the things he had to face. No amount of preparation would be enough to let him walk into the midst of the Lotus clan unscathed. Especially since it was their Great Elder who had set his sights on him. A Mystic Wanderer…

  Though, before he faced the Lotus clan, he would have to face the Lost City’s council. The group of people who ran the Lost City, and seemed to be intent on driving him out. Or kill him outright. Whatever worked. After all, the world of Wanderers was a world of interest. And he was the greatest obstacle to their interests. Not to mention that he had also beaten up all the Wanderers of their clan. Even killed a few of them. It was only because of the laws of the Lost City that they had not acted against him yet.

  Though, those laws might not protect him in the inner city. Not that he needed their protection anyway. Especially not in the inner city, where his master was waiting for him. She could protect him from anything in the world. Except his own Heart. That, he would have to deal on his own. But later. When he entered the inner city. At the moment, the only thing on his mind was to rest. To enjoy his bath and get a good night’s sleep.