"Ten Gold," Lori said, arms crossed in front of her chest as she sat down on the couch with her leg crossed and her smoking pipe in one hand. "That's the lowest I'm willing to go."

"Ten Gold?" Loganel repeated in a soft voice as he felt the impact of the price of Iry.

"Don't tell me you're gonna give up now," Lori eyed Loganel with a somewhat worried look but her worries were immediately mitigated when Loganel responded.

"I won't," he said,"just don't go back on your word. That is all for today, so I shall get going now."

Loganel walked over to the door, and opened it, closing it softly as he stepped out of the resting room at Sister Lori's. Outside the door, he saw Iry, who appeared somewhat worried since she was permitted from being present by Lori's orders. However, her worried look was dispelled when Loganel smiled at her. With a newly founded joy in her heart, Iry was more than happy to accept Loganel's proposal to spend the day together once again. The two of them then proceeded to leave Sister Lori's and walked towards the other areas of Astalan in seek of solitude and other forms of entertainment.

"What's wrong?" Loganel asked upon seeing a frown on Iry's face.

"N-nothing," Iry responded after realizing that Loganel was worried about her. "It's just that I feel like people are staring at me..."

"I think that's normal," Loganel smiled as he answered. "Who wouldn't fall for your beauty?"

That night, when Loganel had returned home after walking Iry back to Sister Lori's, he surreptitiously entered his dorm suite, in hopes that he would not be forced into an encounter with Juliana. However, his wishes didn't came true, and there she was, waiting for him as she stood by the dining table that was all set and everything.

Upon seeing her and feeling the awkward atmosphere, Loganel's mood plummeted to a chilling depth. He neither smiled or greeted her as he entered, but merely walked over to his room without looking in her eye almost as if he didn't see her.

That was how things were for the past few days. It would appear to Loganel that Juliana was awaiting an explanation from Loganel. However, Loganel merely opted to avoid them at all costs. In his mind, Juliana and the others weren't that special to him anymore. He's found someone that is special to him, and that is Iry. To him, it's just like the others aren't worth his time at all anymore.

In his bedroom, Loganel laid down on his bed and sighed. His mind was still plagued by the awkward encounter with Juliana, but when he started thinking about Iry, his mood brightened a bit and a faint smile appeared on his face.

I will earn about five Silver each day I head out to the wilds...And if I accept a quest, I can usually earn around fifteen to thirty Silver. He started doing calculations in his head about how long it would be until he could save up that ten Gold. If buying healing supplies and equipment maintenance costs about thirty Silver all together and with all my miscellaneous spendings I should assume that my monthly savings should be around fifty Silver, give or take ten Silver. And if a hundred Silver is worth one Gold, that means I'll have to be saving up for...twenty months at my current rate...It shouldn't take that long since if I were to become stronger, and earn enough points by slaying monsters so that I can be ranked up in the Academy/Adventurer's Guild rankings, I should be able to take on higher level quests and earn more.

***

In the dining room area, Juliana began cleaning up after finishing her meal. She reluctantly dumped the plate of food that was intended for Loganel away after waiting for about two hours and seeing no indication from her master that he was to leave his room for dinner. She sighed as she began washing the dishes, thinking to herself what might've caused this massive transformation.

She originally intended to consult with Laurina or Redgilus, but sadly, they were all out of the city on a quest with their own respective parties and wouldn't be returning for a bit, leaving Juliana alone with no aid. She had thought about referring to Azura, Sheriel, and Tetsuya for help, but it would seem like they wouldn't be of much use in situations like the one she was in.

After finishing the dishes and setting them on the dish rack to dry, Juliana dried her hands on her apron and walked over to Mazriel, who was quietly eating from his small little bowl in the corner of the dining area. When Mazriel noticed Juliana squatting down near him, he meowed and looked at its caretaker with the innocent eyes. In response, Juliana brought her hand onto the creature and stroked its fur, which caused Mazriel to purr in response. Mazriel's purring seemed to have brought a source of tranquility to Juliana, comforting her as she was in a relationship crisis with her master.

"Right," she made up her mind, "just give it time and things will get better. I still have to finish making that scarf for his birthday."

With a new mission in mind, Juliana carried Mazriel to her room after he had finished his meal. Inside her room, she set Mazriel down on her bed as she walked over to her desk and reached for the ball of yarn and other materials that she needed to finish making a nice cozy winter scarf for him. She gently pushed Mazriel away as the tabby cat decided to walk over and began playing with the small ball of yarn. Next, she knitted in the silence of the night.

***

The next day marked the end of the weekend and the beginning of a week without any classes for Loganel. He left the house in the morning eagerly, skipping breakfast and merely taking a piece of bread with him to eat as he went. As he left, Juliana was still preparing so he was able to avoid walking with her until the Academy gate.

However, just because he avoided Juliana doesn't mean he was safe. At the school gate, the others of the party that he was formerly in were already gathered around, waiting for Juliana to arrive. Upon seeing them, Loganel lowered his head so as to avoid making eye contact, but he knew that they were all staring at him as he walked by.

"Loganel," Tetsuya called out to him in a friendly voice. "Wanna head out together today?"

Loganel stopped out of a sense of obligation to answer and shook his head in response.

"Don't be like that," Tetsuya continued. "Tell us your problems. We'll help. I swear. We'll help you solve your misunderstanding with Juliana. So come one."

"Is that all you have to say?" Loganel asked, without lifting his eyes on the ground beneath him. "If that's all then please excuse me so I may be on my way."

"Wait--" Tetsuya was interrupted by Azura.

"Don't mind him," she said. "He's not worth the effort."

Upon hearing those words, Loganel stopped and looked over his shoulder at Azura.

She's still the same...The same cold look...The same cold stare...with no hint of warmth for me. That necklace...Tetsuya got it for her?

Afterwards, Loganel proceeded on his way, turning his back from his party. He walked past other parties that were heading out. They all were a polar opposite from him, full of lively discussions and laughter as they prepared to face the day's dangers with coordination and cooperation. Basically, they were prepared to fight for each other. But for Loganel, he has no one to rely on.

In the wilderness, Loganel decided to venture deeper into the forest, where the tougher monsters made their home. Here, even the goblins were on an entirely different level than the ones at the outskirts of the forest. This was mainly due to the fact that in the forest depths, enemies are every where. Anything could be there to take your life if you weren't careful, and this condition is what led to the stronger creatures being the only left in the depths of the forest, which was far away from human activity. Here, after years of bloodshed amongst the different creatures, only the strong could live in here, where food is abundant and away from any dangers of humans.

Due to the dense canopy above, the sunlight and blue sky was only able to be seen between the trees, causing the jungle to be at a lower brightness than the outside world due to the umbrage casted by the trees. Here, Loganel walked alone. He was cautious and quiet as he searched for his target. The bounty that he had accepted from the Academy was to hunt five Barghests, jet black hounds that hunted in packs. These creatures were particularly dangerous due to their strong jaws, making a pack of them capable of taking on monsters like Behemoths.

For practical reasons, Loganel should be hunting for the Barghests at night, but the nighttime forest is way more dangerous than during the day. During the night is when the hunt begins for the wild creatures, and that is when predators are at their mightiest. Therefore, Loganel is forced to search extensively for the Barghests that are so often immobile during the day and usually just loitering around their territory.

Suddenly, Loganel heard a loud howling in the distance, and realized that he has found his targets. He knew that he wouldn't have the element of surprise since Barghests have a superior sense of smell and could smell him trespassing their territory from a long distance away. However, that means Loganel could just stop and prepare for the encounter since the Barghests would be the ones coming to him.

Loganel could hear the sound of paws hitting the ground as the hounds rushed at him from the cover of the bushes of the forest. Loganel drew his sword and looked around, preparing to dodge a lunge by the Barghests.

From the corner of his eye, he saw a dark figure emerge from the bushes, leaping through the air as it lunged at him. That was when Loganel first saw his target. The Barghest's eye was like a burning ember as it shined in its jet black body. It's fangs, sharp and powerful, was open as the creature aimed for Loganel's arm.

Immediately, Loganel brought his sword over, causing the beast to bite onto his blade. Loganel could feel a heavy weight being added to the amount that his right hand was supporting as the Barghest bite onto his sword. Loganel ignored the sudden increase in weight and brought his free hand over to the creature with his palm facing out towards it in order to prepare for a casting of Igni. A powerful orb of fire emerged from his palm and blasted at the creature's exposed belly. This attack caused the Barghest to wince in pain as its coat caught on fire, burning the creature as it rolled around in the ground, desperately trying to put out the flames before it burned to death.

As it did so, the other members of its pack showed itself. They were more cautious after seeing what the human before them had done to one of the members of their pack. They circled Loganel as he prepared for a tough fight ahead of him.

***

A week later, Loganel sat in the classroom of the Academy. He has saved up about thirty Silver in the week's time and was therefore happy about it. In addition to that, he felt as if he has gotten stronger after surviving in battles with tough creatures that could easily rip a human apart.

In the past week, whenever he would head out, Tetsuya would be there, trying to entice him to rejoin the group. However, each time he would decline and each time, he would feel Azura's cold stare pierce his body as he walked away. Every night, when he would return home, due to the fatigue from the day's hunt, he would eat the dinner that Juliana had made for him, but not at the table. Instead, he would bring it into his room so as to avoid having a conversation with Juliana.

All in all, the week has been good for him. He was making more than he was expecting and was happy about his progress. Then, a new opportunity came to him.

"It has been decided," Avelin announced, "The Royal Knights Corp, Adventurer's Guild, and the Academy shall be holding an expedition into the depths of the Ruins of Ekeletas. All are welcome to sign up for the expedition, and this expedition will be led by Sir Marsha Merilot of the fifth battalion."

"We get to fight alongside the 'Flora'?" Loganel heard a student whisper to someone sitting beside him. "That's so cool!"

Marsha Merilot is a name that almost all residents of the kingdom would know. She was someone that was born a commoner but has risen through the ranks due to her outstanding performances in the numerous missions granted to her, earning her the honor of the title Flora.

"As for pay, all who participate will be rewarded one Gold," Avelin continued, "but all drop items from monsters are yours to keep."

Avelin's words about pay caused Loganel to take interest in the expedition. One Gold was what he would expect to earn in two months, and now there's an opportunity for him to earn it in a way shorter amount of time. At the instant, Loganel's mind was made up. He had decided that he will go.

"To participate, head to the Adventurer's Guild and register with your party. No single applicants will be allowed since this is a dangerous expedition."

With the whole party? Loganel was caught off guard by the requirement.

Author's Note:

For those of you that like Iry, I'm sorry...

Please vote if you've enjoyed and comment what you think of the story so far. And also, follow me if you haven't and add this story into your reading list if you like it. Thank you eveyrone!