Grumpy as Cecilia was, she could not resist the double temptation of her stomach and Forne’s pitiful eyes. Though the latter was probably just her imagination. After all, Fortune Devouring Cats could not really eat the same meal as humans. Instead, as their names suggested, they thrived on Fortune. Unfortunately, diverse as the selection of the canteen was, it did not serve Fortune to its customers. But that did not stop Cecilia from snatching back the dumb cat from his arms, and let out a snort.

  “What are you looking at me for? Were you not famished just now? Go on then. Lead the way.”

  “…As you command, my highness,” Alnea said, placing his left hand behind his back, and bowing towards Cecilia, in a show of exaggeration. Yet, somehow, it served to further fuel her vanity.

  “Good boy,” Cecilia said, nodding with a smirk on her face, while Yuri giggled from the side.

  “If you two are done flirting, then can we go to the canteen now?”

  “…Yes, teacher Yuri,” Alnea said, and rushed off towards the stairs before Yuri could react, laughing along the way. At the same time, he could not help thinking how stupid he was. Seeking thrills to relieve the pressure on his Heart? What else could be more thrilling than escaping the clutches of the girls? Maybe, he could even add in Vestia among his victims. Even Yuri had to admit that their Weina teammate was much more cunning than her. Teasing her, and then escaping her revenge would surely be much more thrilling…

  With so many options in front of him, why did he have to seek thrills by endangering his life? Could only the breath of Death make him feel alive? Even if that was true, he had no right to recklessly endanger their entire team. Thankfully, things had not unfolded in the worst direction yet. He could still salvage the situation. Though there was no salvation from the girls chasing behind him.

  Jumping down the stairs, skipping four to five of them at a time, Alnea tumbled his way down to the canteen, finally stopping in front of its doors. Hastily taking out his Blood Card, he was just about to check himself in, when the girls finally caught up to him, and pulled him down to the ground. What followed next was a violation of human rights by the two girls. Tickling him right in front of everyone, almost bringing him to tears…

  He would have his revenge, Alnea swore to himself. Of course, he did not say that out loud. He was seeking a thrill, not death. Thankfully, the two of them were just famished as him. Repeatedly exhausting their Spirit Power throughout the day… Although they did that in their daily training anyway, the Trials had taken it to another level by adding in the element of mental fatigue. Maybe it was not a bad way to train how much mental pressure they could bear…

  In any case, helped by their grumbling stomachs, he managed to convince them to let him go. Or maybe they just had enough fun. Getting up from the ground, they walked into the canteen ever so cheerfully, as if nothing had ever happened. The two heartless girls… He would have them begging for his mercy sooner or later, Alnea thought, imagining himself tickling them to tears.

  Pulling himself off the ground, and tidying up his robe, he followed behind the girls to enter the canteen. A large hall, populated with nearly hundreds of chairs and tables, and a large counter, displaying all sorts of delicacies. Meat of exotic Oren Beasts, unknown herbs and vegetables, and a few aromatic spices mixed together in different combinations, all made their way into his stomach. Or rather, their stomach. Only Forne seemed to be a little listless.

  As a Fortune Devouring Cat, its meals usually consisted of the Fortune of their enemies. Usually around three to four Wanderers’ worth of Fortune. On some lucky days, it could even get to devour as much as ten Wanderers’ worth. And that was not even considering the Fortune it devoured from the Oren Beasts they hunted. All delivered right to its mouth. Of course, the cat did not always used to have such carefree days.

  They had met Forne in the Night Canyons while hunting a Dark Wind Wolf. Thrown there by the Heterodox Wanderers to die, the cat had to hunt of its food on its own. And though it was not weak in itself, the enemies it was surrounded by were even stronger. At the very least, they were much stronger than the dumb cat. After all, Fortune Devouring Cats were not exactly known for their strength.

  The only way that Alnea could think of how the cat could have survived in the Night Canyons was by searching for unsuspecting preys. Beasts, who were either tired from fighting other beasts, or those who had just been defeated. Though that was easier said than done. Oren Beasts in their Adolescent Stage may not have as much intelligence as humans, but they were not fools either. Unless forced by circumstances, they were not stupid enough to fight without clearing out their surroundings first.

  Besides, the Heterodox Wanderers lurking behind the cat were not there for just a show. They may have been afraid to kill the cat with their own hands, but that should not have stopped them from pushing the cat towards its doom. They probably waited for the cat to succeed to in its ambush, before swooping down to steal its prey, forcing the cat to run away, and look for new prey, only to repeat the whole process. That was also probably why the cat had chosen to cooperate with them against those Heterodox Wanderers. Other than Cecilia’s Roots, of course.

  Regardless, the dumb cat must have led a hungry life before meeting them. In contrast, after they had freed it from the persecution of the Heterodox Wanderers, and decided to take care of it, it had lived a life of luxury, where it could get however much food it wanted just by helping out a little. And recently, it did not even need to help. Just by hanging around Cecilia, it could get ten times as much food in a day as it used to eat in a week.

  For a cat that had gotten used to live a life filled with so much luxury, being forced to spend the entire day without devouring even a single Wanderer’s worth of Fortune was truly akin to starving it to death. No wonder it was looking so listless. It did not even bother to purr, or hiss at him, when he teased the cat. It just sat there, staring into the distance in a daze.

  “…You should let Vestia take care for Forne for the next few days,” Alnea said, as they walked out of the canteen after a hearty meal. “It would not be good for us if something happened to it.”

  “…I will try. But I don’t know if she will listen to me. You know how attached she is to me.”

  “Oh, it will,” Alnea said, glancing at the dumb cat. “It may be a little dumb, but it knows what to do for its survival.”

  “…Maybe. Anyways, that’s for tomorrow. What about today? It looks hungry… How about I just take her for a round in the Arena?”

  “Can you bear the toss?”

  “…If I have her help…”

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  “You should not underestimate your enemies, Lia. Especially the ones who can make their way into top ten thousand rank.”

  “…Then Forne—

  “It won’t die if it goes hungry for a day. At best, it will just look a little listless, like right now. And you can ask Vestia to take her to the Arena in the morning. Besides, it was about time that it went for some dieting. Look at how fat it has become.”

  “She is not fat. She is just saving energy to reach her Adult Stage.”

  “…Isn’t your conscience going to hurt if you say that?”

  “Here, give her to me,” Yuri said, taking Forne from Cecilia’s hands, before slowly sifting her hand through its disguised black fur. “Although she will not die from going hungry for a day, she is not a good idea to starve her either. After all, we still do not know much about… her species.”

  “…So, to the Arena?”

  “…Did you not just that we are not in the shape to go to the Arena? Are you changing your mind so easily?”

  “…Stop teasing me. You must have a way, right?”

  “…I do have a way, but that does not involve fighting in the Arena,” Yuri said, before reaching out into the pouch hanging by her side to take a few blood red leaves, and bringing them to Forne’s mouth, surprising it just as much as she surprised Alnea. Confused, the cat tilted its head, and blinked at Yuri for couple of times, letting out a low purr, as if asking what she wanted it to do.

  In response, Yuri just smiled, and encouraged it to take a sniff. Still baffled with her actions, the cat acquiesced to her request, reaching out to the leaves ever so slowly, and taking a sniff. Moments later, the cat snapped back, looking at the leaves with wide eyes. It hastily turned its head towards Yuri, as if to confirm something, then turned back towards the leaves, and tore them away from the latter’s hand, happily chewing on them, shedding away all of its listlessness.

  “With how careless you two are, I always knew that something like this was going to happen sooner or later. So, I prepared these leaves just in case.”

  “Is that…”

  “Blood Leaves. They are usually used to help in condensation of Blood Crystals—

  “I know what they are. I am asking how Forne can eat them. Isn’t it supposed to eat only…”

  “That is why you should not believe everything a rumour says,” Yuri said, shaking her head. “Try to use your head. Why do we eat anything?”

  “…To replenish our energy?”

  “And how does the food we eat replenishes our energy?”

  “…By digesting it?”

  “…Let me put it in another way. How does energy flow in our body?”

  “…Through our blood?”

  “So, if we cannot eat, can we not just directly replenish the energy in our blood?”

  “…Genius,” Alnea mumbled, glancing towards Cecilia to find the same shock reflected in her eyes. Turning back towards Yuri, he looked at her with a shine in his eyes, and exclaimed, “As expected of teacher Yuri!”

  “…Did you not learn your lesson before?”

  “…Joke,” Alnea said, laughing awkwardly, while taking a step back away from Yuri.

  “Am I so scary?”

  “No, you are the most beautiful woman in the world. How can anyone find you scary?”

  “Then why are you backing away from me?”

  “…Survival instinct?”

  Yuri stared at Alnea in silence, making him more nervous with each passing moment. Thankfully, Cecilia came to his rescue in time.

  “…So, I don’t have to ask a favour from that vixen?” Cecilia said, only to change her words right away. “I mean, I don’t have to give up Forne.”

  “…No one is asking you to give up Forne. Rather, we would be the first ones to object if you tried to give her up. Still, Blood Leaves are just a temporary solution. Leaving aside how expensive the leaves are, it is not good for Forne’s growth to keep her away from… her usual diet. The best thing we can do for her right now is to let Vestia to take care of her few days.”

  “…So, I still have to say goodbye to her,” Cecilia said with a downcast face, looking reluctantly at the cat in Yuri’s hands.

  “You are acting as if you will never be able to see her again,” Yuri said, with her thin lips stretching out in a light smile, as she handed Forne—still lost in the euphoria of chewing Blood Leaves— back to Cecilia.

  “It will only be for a few days. And you can always get back together with her at night.”

  “…Let’s talk about something else,” Cecilia mumbled, absentmindedly playing with the cat’s fur in her hands. “How did your Trials go?”

  “It went well,” Alnea said, keeping his words brief, so as to not poke an already troubled Cecilia. “Comprehending Mysteries has always been our strong point.”

  “…You mean your strong point. Do you know how much trouble I had to face just so that I could break a few records?”

  “And yet, breaking records already qualifies you to stand above most of the other Wanderers in the city.”

  “Of course. Who do you think I am? If not for some freaks like the two of you, do you think anyone in the city could compare to me in terms of talent?”

  “…You should not be too complacent, Cecilia,” Yuri said, restraining her smile a little. “Underestimating your enemies is the greatest mistake you can make.”

  “…That’s a little harsh, Yuri. She was just a little excited—

  “It’s alright, Alnea,” Cecilia said, shaking her head, before turning back towards Yuri, staring at her with a hint of hesitation in her eyes. “…I was not being overconfident, or anything like that. I just—

  “I know that you were not being overconfident, Cecilia. On the contrary, I agree with your words to certain limit. You are indeed more talented than most of the Wanderers in the city. And you work harder than them too. But at the end of the day, the truth is, you are still weaker than them. We are still weaker than them. Efforts and talent, by themselves, mean nothing. Only when you have converted your talent into your strength can you stand tall. Until you have the strength to stand on your own though, just one mistake will be enough to send you to the depths of despair.”

  “…I understand. I will try to learn how restrain my temper…”

  “…You two, what kind of shady deal have you made behind my back?” Alnea said, glancing at the two girls in confusion.

  “We have not made any deals,” Cecilia said, hastily shaking her head, with a hint of panic in her voice, as if trying to hide something. “It is just that… Recently, I have been having some troubles with finding a way to Clear my Heart. I thought that those troubles would go away after a while, but with how tight our schedule has been for the past few weeks, I have barely made any progress. Then I thought about you.

  “Although both our Hearts are Serene, your Serenity is much deeper than mine. Yet, I still see Yuri giving you some advice from time to time. And since her advice could work for you, I thought that it should work for me too. So, I asked her to remind me if I make any mistakes. And you know the rest…”

  “…Right,” Alnea said, trying not to laugh at Cecilia’s bad acting skills. “If you don’t want your secret to be known, then you should teach her how to control her emotions.”

  “…I have been trying. How else do you think she has learned to restrain herself so much?”

  “So, you admit that you have a secret?”

  “…I am sorry. The secret is not mine to say…”

  “It’s alright. As long as you two do not fight.”

  “…That will never happen.”

  “Then that’s all I need to know,” Alnea said, resuming his smile. “So, what do you think the Arcana Trials are going to be?”

  “…It will probably have something to do with Arcanas…”

  “Anyone can guess that part. The problem is, how is it going to be related to Arcanas?” Alnea said, sighing lightly, as he glanced back at the Blood Hall, fading away in the distance. “I just hope that it is not about learning Arcanas.”