Half an hour after Asterios and the girls left the academy, they reached the building of the Rosewind Adventurer’s Guild. On their way there, Tina and Silvia had chatted a little, pulling Asterios into their conversation now and then. Tina was slowly growing a bit more comfortable with the princess’ presence and gradually becoming more friendly and casual around her.

Making way for a six-man party of adventurers which was leaving through the main entrance, they slipped inside the main lobby. It was as busy as usual. Asterios was glad that the guild was still popular and hadn’t lost too many patrons from the Rhode incident in the past.

Such revelations were fickle. One could never know if announcing heavy or controversial topics to the public would lead to a sudden crash or a new high. But, thanks to Guildmaster Suanori and the rest of the staff, the controversy had ended on a good note. Perhaps on a better one than just good considering that their decision to reveal things, fix them quickly, and apologize earnestly had earned them forgiveness and even raised their renown a little.

“Should we find Ellie?” Miria asked, glancing over the line of receptionists.

“What if Ellie finds you first?” A feminine voice reached their ears from behind.

Everyone turned around and found the red-haired receptionist smiling at them warmly.

“Ellie! Why are you here and not on the other side?” Miria jumped forward with a cheerful smile to hug their friend.

Chuckling quietly, Ellie spun around with Miria in her arms.

“I was just escorting someone out when I saw you walk inside. Nice to see you again, Miria, Ast, Selene. Oh, and Tina too. As for the other blue-haired lady, I don’t think we’ve met, have we?”

Asterios and the girls glanced at each other, not sure how to introduce their new friend since they were standing right in the very middle of the main hall. Thankfully, Silvia took it on herself and stepped forward, nodding her head politely.

“Hello. You are right, I don’t think we have personally met yet, but you might recognize my name. I’m Finix, a B-rank.” She brought out a crimson coin and secretly showed it to the receptionist.

Ellie’s eyes widened briefly after noticing it and everyone from Ast’s party didn't miss that small change before their friend returned to her sweet, professional smile.

“Of course I do. Please, follow me, then. I’ll lead us to a private meeting room.”

She made a courteous bow and nodded at Asterios. He glanced at the princess curiously with a raised brow but Silvia responded only with a tiny smile. With Ellie in the lead, they quickly arrived in an enclosed meeting chamber clearly meant for VIPs.

Closing the door behind them, Ellie activated some arrays hidden in the walls, revealing the patterns for a second as they activated.

“First of all, let me say that it’s a huge honor,” she began with a wide smile. “I would have never thought that I would get to meet and be of service to you, Princess Silvia.”

“Ummm… How did you know it was her?” Tina asked the question most of them had in their minds.

“It’s simple.” Ellie chuckled softly. “Whenever Princess Silvia goes out undercover, unofficially, she uses the adventurer nickname Finix. That way, the guild staff immediately knows to keep themselves in check since she doesn’t want to be found out. And the token Princess Silvia showed me is just proof that she is the real deal and not some impostor.”

“Ohhhhhh! That’s so sneaky!” Miria beamed at the princess.

“It happens rarely but that procedure was prepared exactly for situations like this,” Silvia explained. “Usually, I head out for expeditions or dungeons under my real name, as you already know from Father’s mentions.”

“Does that mean that you have two accounts since you are using two identities?” Asterios pondered out loud.

“She has one,” Ellie answered instead. “Pretty much everything goes under the same tab. The other name is just for us, mostly, and also so that people don’t overhear the princess’ real name during the briefing in the lobby or something like that.”

“It must be really hard to be so recognizable.” Tina giggled softly.

“Sometimes it is. But, there’s not much we can do about it.” Silvia showed a tiny smile.

“Anyway, please, make yourselves comfortable and take a seat. How can I help you today, Princess?” The scarlet-haired receptionist gestured at the lounge sofas in the middle and walked up to a glass cupboard. “Would you like something to drink?”

“There’s no need to be so formal. I’m just accompanying Asterios. I don’t really have any special business with the guild today,” Silvia explained as they all sat down.

“Oh? Are you guys on a quest together? Considering that it seemed like you knew about Finix’s true identity, it has to be something important, right?”

“I’m a member of Ast’s party and that’s pretty much all that there is to it. Please, don’t mind my status and treat me as an equal. If I’m not mistaken, we came here to let Tina register as an adventurer,” the princess continued.

Ellie froze for a second while mid-step as she was walking closer to them.

“What? You have the princess in your party? Not the other way around?” She raised her brows at Asterios.

He chuckled. “It’s a long story. Yes, Silvia is part of the Scarlet Scale.”

“Trust me, I still can’t believe that it’s real,” Tina added with a giggle.

Their receptionist friend put her hands on her hips. “How the hell did it happen? The last thing I remember is you heading out to the Demon Continent. And the Dungeon War, of course.”

Asterios shrugged. “One thing led to another and here we are. If you heard where we are heading next, you wouldn’t believe me no matter how long we have known each other.”

She squinted her eyes at him. “I’m tempted to prove you wrong but I feel like it’s a big deal and I shouldn’t really pry into it.”

“That would be for the best.” He smiled at her.

“Fine. What’s this I hear about Tina registering as an adventurer?” Ellie moved her gaze to the first blue-haired woman in the room.

“I’m also joining Ast’s party. It’s only natural that I register, right?” Tina smiled at her.

“You too? How many are there already?”

Asterios scrunched his face a little while doing a quick headcount.

“If we only count members from this realm then three with Tina, including me. Adding Miria, Selene, Umbra, and Bryn as my familiars, that makes it seven?”

“And let me guess, they all are girls.” Ellie raised a brow at him.

“Umbra isn’t!” Miria chimed in cheerfully.

Their receptionist friend shook her head with a chuckle. “Looks like the rumors about the Summoner’s Harem were true.”

“Hey. We have already changed that name. And it’s not like it’s my goal to recruit only women. That’s just how it turns out. There’s Svertaniel too, although he isn’t exactly a member of our party, I guess,” Asterios replied with a smile.

“Alright, alright. I’m just teasing you. I still remember you coming alone to the guild to submit some tasks not that long ago and now you are the leader of an all-female party. Miss Kindra must be proud.”

He rolled his eyes at her.

“I bet she would still try to match you with Master just like back then, Ellie.” Miria giggled quietly.

“I don’t think that will change no matter how many mates he gets.” Selene chuckled too.

“There’s no doubt about that.” Ellie laughed a little. “So, to not waste your time, should we get it done? I think Guildmaster Suanori is free at this moment so we could see if she would like to supervise the registration.”

“I think that’s fine. Tina?” Asterios glanced at his Summoner partner.

“Getting reviewed by the guildmaster feels a bit stressful, hahaha.”

“Don’t worry! I’m sure it will go great! You have Asterios and the princess to vouch for you, don’t you? Come on!” Ellie helped the shorter girl up and they all followed her to the guildmaster’s office.

She knocked on the door shortly after their arrival.

“Guildmaster, there’s someone who would like to register.”

“Are all examiners busy?” Suanori’s muffled voice reached them from inside.

“Finix is with them.”

Something ceramic clearly shattered and silence followed. Asterios and his beastfolk girls could hear a faint noise of the pieces being tidied up and they shared a chuckle through their bond. Ellie had clearly done this on purpose.

Soon, the door opened and Guildmaster Suanori appeared in front of them with all her grace.

“It’s my honor to—” She paused the moment her eyes found Asterios and a sigh escaped her lips. “You really make nothing of my advice.”

He smiled wryly and Suanori invited them inside.

“As I was saying, it’s my honor to welcome you, Princess. Who do we need to evaluate?” she continued shortly after.

“Me.” Tina revealed herself from behind everyone and timidly raised a hand.

“Oh, Lady Tina. I apologize, I completely missed you.” Suanori chuckled softly. “That’s pretty quick, I must say. You literally just graduated and you are already registering as an adventurer.”

“I wanted to do it right after Asterios was kicked out but someone convinced me against it. And I’m glad I listened.” She glanced at him with a smile. “Now, nothing else is stopping me. Since we will be traveling together a lot, I would like to register and officially join Ast’s party. Hopefully, no one will say bad things about Asterios after they see a low-rank join their team, hahaha.”

Silvia deactivated the hairpin and returned to her original appearance for the moment.

“I can vouch for her if necessary. From what I have seen, and heard from Asterios, I think Tina shouldn’t be placed lower than C-rank. She is really amazing.”

“That she is,” Asterios added.

The person in question dropped her gaze to the ground while blushing heavily. Suanori waved her hand at them.

“There’s no need for that. I’ve seen myself how strong she is during the showmatch.”

“You were there?” Tina raised her head and glanced at the guildmaster curiously.

“Of course. It’s a quite big event. It’s not just nobles and parents who are invited. I try to show up to each graduation. Many of the students later come to register so we have some initial data on them thanks to that, especially from the duels.”

“I guess we don’t have to fight an examiner, then?” Asterios inquired.

“She would wreck most of them anyway. I think we can easily fit Tina in B-rank just from that display.”

“That’s quite high! And the same as Master!” Miria joined in.

“Only because a certain someone is still slacking around with their rank.” Suanori looked at Asterios.

“It’s not my fault that almost everything we do we just can’t really take public credit for.” He chuckled, spreading his arms to the sides.

“I’ll go prepare the badge in the meantime, then,” Ellie suggested and escaped the office after making a polite bow.

“So… Just like that?” Tina giggled shyly.

“Yes, just like that.” Suanori smiled at her. “Now, may I know what it is this time that you guys have gotten yourselves into to be traveling with the princess? Or is it one of those secret things you can’t take credit for?”

“I believe I mentioned that I kind of became Silvia’s instructor, to some extent,” Asterios replied.

“Since when does being an instructor translate to being in someone’s party and adventuring with them?” She shook her head with a wry smile.

“Technically, I’m the one in Asterios’ party,” Silvia corrected her.

Suanori rolled her eyes. “That’s even better.”

Soon after, Ellie came back with a neat wooden box and they attached the badge to Tina’s shoulder with all the decorum and ceremonials. Naturally, they also registered her as a member of Scarlet Scale. She brushed over the golden plate with a jubilant smile.

Since they didn’t have much time, they chatted only briefly about the situation in Dagger’s End, and a little bit about Ast’s adventures before they had to leave. The exploration of that dungeon was progressing fairly well. Suanori suggested visiting it if they wanted to get some combat experience for Tina while still being amongst the first people to dive in.

To avoid bringing unnecessary attention to themselves, they jumped to the castle straight from the guildmaster’s office after saying their goodbyes. Miria and Selene remained in their realm to give the moment fully to Tina. A butler had been waiting for their return and led them outside.

They soon found themselves on a training ground in front of what looked like barracks of some sort. The building was much more stylish and noble-looking than Tina and Asterios would have assumed it would be.

At the edge of the sandy court, stood a line of six people in military uniforms matching the kingdom’s white and gold color scheme. They had no armor on themselves at the moment. A winged tiger lay by each person’s side. The king talked with someone in robes not that far from them, just near what seemed to be a summoning circle.

He noticed them first and waved at the trio. “You are back just in time! Come!”

“Greetings, Princess!” the soldiers shouted loudly at the same time as Ast's group arrived closer.

Welrond ordered them to be at ease and placed both hands on Tina’s shoulders.

“How are you feeling? Nervous?”

She giggled timidly. “A little bit.”

The king smiled at her and gestured to the side. “The people gathered here will be your squadmates from now on. They belong to the Twelfth Regiment of the Royal Division, Codename Sunray. They were inactive for some time since they lacked one member so they are all very excited for you joining them.”

Tina roamed her eyes over the six figures briefly. Five humans and one high elf, who was a woman. She was glad that she wasn’t the only girl in the squad even though it didn’t really matter that much since she wouldn’t be spending all her time amongst them as normal squads did.

“Are they all Summoners?” she asked, remembering Silvia’s escort from the ceremony.

“Yes, in this particular case, they all are. As mentioned earlier, this is a special quick response squad that does function as a reserve. As its name suggests, it means to bring the light of hope to those still troubled by darkness. They often arrive at the battlefield after the main operation to assist people however they can, or they are sent on precise missions where complete accuracy in following the objective is necessary. Generally speaking, of course.”

“That sounds like… a lot of responsibility. Will I be good enough?”

“I have no doubts that you will. Believe in yourself more. You are very talented and smart, Tina.” Welrond smiled at her warmly and turned to the troops. “Is there anyone who thinks otherwise?”

One person, a man with shoulder-long black hair, stepped forward.

“Oh? State your name.” The king crossed his arms over his chest.

“Ryeon, Your Majesty!”

“And what’s your opinion then, Ryeon?”

“With all due respect, Your Majesty, I think she looks too scrawny and timid! She might not be the best pick for the quick response squad which often has to deal with unexpected situations and opponents!”

The man’s teammates looked between themselves weirdly as if they weren't sure if their friend was sane. No one dared to say anything, though.

Welrond raised a brow at him. “In other words, you think she’s weak, right?”

Ryeon thought about his answer for a few seconds before speaking up again. “Yes, Your Majesty!”

His squad was even more shocked than before.

“Do you think you could beat her in a duel?” the king asked.

“Naturally, Your Majesty!”

“I see. Just to make sure, have you seen the recordings?”

The man furrowed his brows briefly and finally glanced behind him at the others. The woman was giving him a look full of pity while a few of the men tried their best to hold in a laugh.

“N-No, Your Majesty?”

“Ezbern, if you would.” Welrond glanced at the older magician in the robes right beside him.

In just a few moments, an illusory panel materialized in the air between the soldiers and the people on Ast’s side. Asterios watched attentively how the person named Ezbern perfectly manipulated Illusion Magic to display the memory sealed in the crystal he was holding in his hand. His and Tina’s duel played from start to finish and the magical mirror disappeared.

The black-haired man paled slightly by the end of the show. Welrond raised a brow at him again.

“Would you like to volunteer as her sparring partner to confirm if Tina really is such a scrawny and timid girl?”

“N-No, Your Majesty... I concede my point… I think she will do just fine…”

Ryeon hastily got back in line while a few other men chuckled quietly at him. Asterios could only smile wryly. He was pretty sure that each person in their team specialized in something and Ryeon might not be the best at offense amongst them.

“Right. With that resolved, should we move on to the summoning? Since you are also a Summoner, old Ezbern will just help you guys out in learning a few key elements that allow us to signal the winged tiger tribe about our wish to meet. Naturally, it’s fine for you to join too, Asterios. I’m expecting a big and strong winged tiger from this attempt.” Welrond laughed at them heartily.

Tina blushed a little and Asterios arrived at her side. After they glanced at each other and exchanged warm smiles, they walked up to the magician and he brought out an old book. For the next fifteen minutes, they listened to his explanations while reading it, chiming in to discuss a point or two now and then. He was clearly surprised about the accuracy of the duo’s remarks.

Near the very end, Asterios and Tina started flipping through the pages by themselves, going back and forth a few times, while the man just kept the book open. They had initially talked to each other but now they were just exchanging glances in silence, poking the paper now and then, which confused him greatly. The speed with which they went through the book was shocking too. Unfortunately, he couldn’t know that they were communicating mentally through their bond.

Suddenly, Asterios and Tina straightened up and turned to the king at the same time, spooking the older magician.

“Can we add a few small changes to the formation while retaining all the crucial elements?” they asked together, realizing that they had still been in sync, and chuckled afterward.

The king raised his brows at them while Silvia smiled softly. “Uhhh… I guess?”

They immediately got to work and knelt by the already prepared magical circle next to them. Again, in complete silence, they cooperated perfectly, not getting in each other’s way even once. It surprised everyone watching them, except for Silvia, who had kind of expected Tina to be similar to Asterios.

Done with the changes, they stood up and glanced at each other.

“You don’t need Joint Summoning for this, do you?” Asterios asked with a smile.

“I would love to but you are correct.” She smiled back at him. “Thanks for the help. I’ll handle the rest by myself. I don’t want them to think that I have to rely on you for everything.”

“That’s understandable. Good luck. Not like you need it.”

He stepped closer and Tina raised her face, letting Asterios peck her lips gently. With a tinge of rosiness decorating her adorable cheeks, she nodded at him before he left the circle. Taking a deep breath, she refocused on the ritual.

A small shiver passed through her body as she extended her hand forward. “Old-school practices are so cringe…”

She mentally asked Hydran to make a small cut in her palm and a few droplets of blood soon fell onto the formation, causing it to glow. Closing her fingers into a fist, she made a wide swing to the side.

“Hear my voice, o magnificent beast! In the name of the old agreement, I call upon thee to fulfill the generations-long oath!” she shouted with her eyes closed.

The blood dripping from her closed palm stopped in mid-air in a trail behind her fist and began forming a ring as Tina spun around in a full circle. The droplets soon turned into small sigils and kept hovering at the same height.

With her eyes still closed, she grabbed a bunch of them from various positions all around her in a certain order and threw them above her head.

“My name is Tina Nobelle, the new spear and shield of the Human Kingdom! Come! Be my valiant steed! Together, we will protect the peace of this land and attain glory fighting off any threats trying to disrupt it!”

Clasping her hands together, she released a lot of spiritual energy into her surroundings. A faint azure aura began leaking out of her body. Tina knew how important this part was so she gave it her all, filling the formation with as much mana as she could.

Thanks to her bond with Asterios finally reaching its full form, she could draw on much more spiritual energy than before. It was similar to the time during their Joint Summoning but without him needing to actively feed her his essence and mana. She felt like those were now permanently attached to her, making her part of him, and him part of her.

“Heed my call!” she shouted the final words and slammed both hands to the ground.

The formation shone the brightest yet with a light blue glow and a beautiful cerulean gate formed almost immediately after she finished speaking, surprising everyone greatly. Those who had witnessed this particular ritual in the past, at least.

The portal increased in size until it was around twice as tall as Tina. Then, the glow faded a little and a mighty, white-furred paw stepped through the swirling mist. In an instant, all the winged tigers lowered their heads, confusing their riders with the sudden action.

Slowly and gracefully, the summoned beast walked out of the gate, soon revealing its powerful build. In just a moment, a splendid winged lion entered everyone’s sight, with a majestic, lush, silvery mane decorating its snow-white fur and its glowing cerulean eyes filled with wisdom, experience, but also power.

After this imposing beast fully emerged from the portal, it regarded everyone present around with a slow, unhurried glance, stopping its gaze on Tina. It repositioned its legs a little while taking a deep breath and released an earth-shaking roar into the air as it displayed its wings, shattering all the windows in the close vicinity of the summoning site with an immense spiritual shockwave.

“It’s a… striped winged lion?” Silvia asked after noticing light blue streaks over its entire body while partially covering her ears.

“No…” Asterios shook his head. “Those are not stripes… Those are external spiritual circuits…”

Meanwhile, Tina stared at the majestic entity from below with a wry smile and just a single thought in her mind.

That’s no tiger…