As soon as Aira opened her eyes, they were already outside, in front of the cave. Still in his arms, she sighed in relief once again but realized she had forgotten something important.

“Kyuu!”

“Ah! There you were! I thought you were trapped in the dungeon. How come you are small again?”, she asked the little fox, petting his head.

“Kyuu!”, Saika replied, burying his head into Aira’s palm whenever she stopped petting him.

“Huh? Why are you not speaking?”

“Did this mutt speak before?”, Elias asked.

“Yes, he did, but I don’t know why he doesn’t anymore. And stop calling him mutt! His name is Saika”, she replied.

“He is a beast form Asteria and being in that dungeon he came in contact with the mana flow from his homeland. Now that he is no longer there, he must have lost his ability to speak which he regained only temporarily.”

“I see. It’s a pity though. I would have liked to talk to you. I had many things to ask you.”, she continued to pet him.

“You don’t need him. You can ask me.”, Elias said, smiling wickedly.

“How… how much time did we spend in the dungeon?”, she asked, completely ignoring his words.

“Don’t worry, you still have time to be assessed. We only spent a few days in the dungeon. There are still a few hours left.”

“What? I have to go now!”, she said, then turned around to leave.

But Elias quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her closer.

“Leaving without saying goodbye is rather rude, my little lady.”, he said, pulling his lips away from hers.

“You… You… little piece of shit!”, she yelled, her cheeks washed in red.

No other words could come out of her mouth. She was about to punch him in the face, but missed the chance because Elias spread his wings and flew away before she could touch him.

“We will see each other soon, my sweet lady.”, he said as he disappeared into the distance, his voice resonating throughout the whole mountain.

She was left behind, speechless, rooted to the ground, unable to contain her frustration.

“Kyuu! Kyuu!”

Saika jumped all around until she finally came to her senses.

“Ah! Sorry, Saika.”, she said. “Hm! What are you going to do now? Are you going back into the cave?”

“Kyuu!”

Saika jumped into her arms, looking at Aira with innocent puppy eyes, as if he wanted to say he wanted to go with her. At least that is what Aira understood from his actions.

“I’m sorry, but I cannot take you with me. The baron will not allow me and I don’t know if I can take you with me in case I am successfully assessed.”, she said in a sad tone.

She owed Saika her life as much as she owed it to Elias, although the latter lost her respect through his shameless behavior.

The fox then jumped down. Looking at Aira’s ring, his eyes turned blue and was suddenly absorbed into the relic. After a few seconds, the ring spat Saika out, leaving Aira astonished. He went back into the relic and out several times.

“How convenient! Can you stay inside the ring for longer periods of time?”, she asked.

Saika nodded.

“Then, you can come with me. But, never show yourself unless we are alone.”

Saika nodded again to let Aira know that he understood, then went back into the ring.

Aira’s lips were still burning as she rushed down the mountain through the forest, but she could not let herself distracted by Elias’s shameful act.

Hours later, when the sun had not yet set, she arrived in front of Aiden and Elian, who were still waiting, in hope for new candidates.

“Miss Windbloom, do you have other questions?”, Aiden asked, wondering why she came again and, most importantly, why she had no shoes on.

“I want… I want to be assessed again.”, she said, breathing heavily. “Ugh! I really need to start exercising soon.”, she mumbled.

“…Um, even if you are assessed again, you…”

“Please assess me again. This time is different. I promise this is the last time. I will not waste your time anymore.”, she implored.

Aiden and Elian looked at each other, confused.

“Alright! If that is what you wish.”, Aiden sighed, unable to refuse her puppy eyes. “Please place your hand on the orb!”

The two dashing youths jumped out of their chairs as soon as the orb started glowing. “This… How in the… How can this be possible? What did you do, Miss Windbloom? You have a completely developed mana core.”, Elian asked, Aiden still in shock by his side.

“He-he!”, Aira laughed. “I heard some rumors about an Acarasa flower in the mountain so I went to search for it. It took me a  few days but here we are.”

“Miss Windbloom, the Acarasa flower awakening a mage is only a myth. There is no evidence that it works. There must be something else that…”

“But I really used an Acarasa root. How else could I have awakened my core in such a short time?”, she replied innocently, following the advice of the obnoxious young man she did not even wish to remember.

“There is no trace of dark energy. She might not be lying or her core was sealed and it just came off.”, Aiden spoke through telepathy. “I think we should take her to the academy and have Cillian see her. He might be able to tell how she managed to awaken.”

“Let’s do that, then!”, Elian agreed.

Whether she used dark magic or not, Aira’s genuine smile touched their hearts a bit, unable to stop themselves from smiling as well.

“I guess, this is the last assessment.”, Aiden said. “The other candidates will gather here tomorrow morning. Please go home and talk to your parents. There is not much time left, so make sure you properly say goodbye to your family. You will not be able to see them for six months after you join your peers at the academy.”

Author notes:

QUIZ:

What would you do if you lost your shoes in a dungeon and had to walk through a forest.

A. Cry.

B. Pretend you’re in the Stone Age.

C. Shoes are for the weak.