Inside the private training room, Emily and Oscar sat down to talk.

"Is everything alright except for that ear?" Emily started.

"My hearing is still working, but the sounds are slightly lower than usual. I can still hear, but if someone wants to whisper, that might be an issue." Oscar rubbed his left side with no ear.

"That's good. I was worried something worse may have happened to you. It's good to see you back." Emily seemed relieved, and her shoulder drooped as if a massive weight had been lifted. "What happened?"

Oscar drew in a deep breath and began to retell his journey in the Hurin Plains. He told her everything, from his arrival to the Rock Anklyon to the Rainbow Didus and Nicholas.

Each word was steady and stable until he mentioned Nicholas and his sacrifice. His voice was shaken as his chest felt uncomfortable.

"After three months, I returned home to see my parents. Seeing my parents for the first time after a year made me happy to be alive." Oscar finished his tale with relief at the end of his sentence.

"That's good. I haven't been home at all. Hearing you talk makes me want to go see my dad." Emily had a look of nostalgia as she pictured her dad.

"You seemed exhausted. What were you up to?" It was Oscar's turn to ask. He noticed her weary eyes and unkempt hair.

"I haven't been in the Pavilion much. Rather than staying put, I've been taking several missions in succession. I've only spent perhaps a full day at once here." Her tired expression was saddening to look at.

"Why are you pushing yourself so far like this?" Oscar asked. Even though Emily may have taken some missions where she had a place to rest, the stress from several missions would accumulate.

It was common practice to rest well after a mission was over.

"Why did you go to the Hurin Plains?" Emily retorted. "You didn't need to train constantly for three months. There was no need to push yourself, but you did. Why?"

Her voice trembled with her emotions. Oscar could not respond to her lonely expression that almost broke out in tears.

Emily was a bold and calm girl, but right now, she seemed very defeated and on the verge of breaking. Talking to Oscar made her unable to hold it back.

"I'm sorry." Oscar bowed to her. "Part of it was because I wanted to become stronger, but the main reason was that I wanted to leave. I'm sorry I could not be there for you."

"I know. It was the same for me. The Pavilion was suffocating, and I felt myself being drained every moment I stayed here." Emily's tears began to flow to Oscar's surprise.

"You and Frederick were the first friends I ever made. Only my dad was at home, and the other children were so far away that it was hopeless. I came to the Pavilion to become an Exalt and finally meet others."

Her voice quivered with each teardrop that fell. Oscar did not speak; he only listened.

"But I couldn't get close to anyone. I tried going on missions or speaking with others, but it never ended well. Some tried to hit on me. Others were too embarrassed to speak to me. But the worst was my big mouth. I was so nervous when trying to talk to them that I didn't know what to say. So often, I would accidentally say something insulting or wrong. I didn't know how to speak any other way."

Oscar recalled when they met. She did not hesitate to insult Frederick or put on an angry tone while speaking.

"It was always so awkward. I kept screwing up those chances and eventually gave up. But then I met you and Frederick in the Mission Hall. You invited me over despite having insulted the two of you. Even though I was harsh, you and Frederick accepted me. I was happy." Emily put on a small smile.

"We went armament shopping together, and I went on another mission with Frederick. I enjoyed every moment together. I finally had friends. But again, I ruined it. I pushed Frederick too far, and he left. Then, you left for three months. All because of me." The dam on her tears broke, and they overflowed, neverending. She had blamed herself for everything that had happened.

Oscar could not help but hold Emily on the shoulders, surprising her. "It's not your fault. The three of us could not handle what had happened." His voice was low and shaky

That was right; all three of them were weak and failed.

Frederick broke under the pressure of his own revenge, but neither Oscar nor Emily knew a thing about it. Oscar left to clear his own head without any regard for Emily's feelings. And Emily was lost, unable to handle their departures.

"I left, but I'm back now. Let's come back together, you, me, and Fred. I promise I won't abandon you. You're one of my best friends."

It was as Uncle Carlson said. "To hold his loved ones close."

Her eyes were no longer tearing up from sadness, but some strange happiness rose inside her.

"Promise?"

"Promise. Let's get Fred back to his senses together. That idiot doesn't want to involve us, but he doesn't need to be alone."

Emily nodded in agreement. Her lips curled as her eyes closed.

"Are you sleeping?" Oscar felt Emily go limp and relaxed. "Geez, you were struggling that much? I'm sorry."

Oscar laid Emily flat on the floor. Her face was now peaceful and smiling as if her worries had washed away.

…….

"Kuh. So embarrassing." Emily's face was blushed, and her teeth were grinding.

"It's fine. We're friends, so it's not strange." Oscar tried to calm Emily down.

"To just fall asleep crying like that is shameful!" Emily shouted with force and anger. She recovered fully and returned to her usual self after having unloaded all her grievances.

This made Oscar feel somewhat helpless since Frederick usually handled her angry tirades, but he was glad she was ok.

"If you did all those things, how are you so popular?" Oscar joked to lighten the mood.

"Turns out some people think that sort of attitude makes me some sort of lioness. But they only watch me from afar. No one actually wanted to approach me." Emily pouted.

"In any case, have you noticed that there were way more people than last time? I thought it was the first years, but this is too many." Oscar changed the topic. Emily should know the answer.

Emily nodded. "There's been many changes with the coming of the first years."

"First, many people passed the promotion test in the Minor Hall and entered the Outer Hall. From what I gathered, they also had an increase in the elixirs. They usually just had the one every year, but they changed to six months, and now it's four months."

"Four months….The Outer Hall is two months. I wonder how much the Inner Hall receives." Oscar never asked Celestina, but now he was curious.

"Not only that, but they also changed the restrictions on the promotion test. It used to be that people in the Minor Hall had to wait until the end of the year to take the test. However, moving on, anyone can take the test anytime and move straight to the Outer Hall."

"I thought they needed people in the Minor Hall for at least a year to have a steady supply of workers to do the menial tasks." The Minor Hall was tasked with collecting the herbs, mining some of the ores, and performing other tasks.

"The Pavilion said it was no longer necessary. So, we have many people from the Minor Hall here and the first-years. You should be wary of some of them."

"How strong are they?" Oscar asked seriously.

"There were some Grade Sevens that could not pass the trials and were sent to the Minor Hall, so they're here now, and their growth will be explosive with the Outer Hall's resources. There's also the first-years who will be receiving an elixir every two months now."

"Reminds me of what George said before. Thanks to that, we could catch up with some of the second-years. It looks like the same will happen to us." Oscar sighed.

"You don't look too worried." Emily smiled.

"In the end, I just have to be stronger. They may catch up, but I won't give in easily." Oscar voiced his determination.

"You know who is gone, though?" Emily smirked. Her usual temperament and confidence were back.

"Who?" Oscar was puzzled. Who would leave the Pavilion?

"Samuel. He's a complete mess now and can't even move. Maybe I smacked his head too hard? He was sent back to his family." She laughed mockingly.

"Remind me never to make you angry." Oscar did not feel anything for Samuel. He had brought it on himself and was left to deal with the consequences.

Wanting to change the topic, Oscar remembered the other odd change in the Empire.

"Did you know that the Empire has decided to enroll all the Grade One to Three people in a newly established military academy for youths?"

Emily was stunned, "Why would they do that?"

"Seems like a mystery slowly unfolding."

"The only ones who may know would be higher up in the Pavilion or the Empire. But we don't know anyone like that." Emily sighed. This feeling of being left in the dark made her uneasy and irritated her to no end.

"...." Oscar knew someone. The princess of the Brilliant Drake Empire. But would she be willing to divulge such a secret?

"Oscar. Let's train." Emily stood up and tied her hair back. "No weapons, only our fists and Anima."

"I'll surprise you with my strength." Oscar cracked his neck, ready to fight.

…….

"Ha….ha." Emily was standing, breathing heavily as her arms were trembling. Meanwhile, Oscar was kneeling on the floor with a bit of blood in his mouth.

"Your attacks with your Anima are really strong. I can see how it worked against beasts, but it's very simple to read." Emily sat down.

"Dammit, I thought I could beat you. Just wait until I drink all my elixirs." Oscar chided.

"You think I wasn't getting any from the missions? However, your physical strength is terrifying. That Rainbow Didus Egg is truly miraculous. Your 'Dual Awaken' is also insane."

"But I still lost."

"You might have increased your Anima's abilities with how you collect Ein in it, but it's easy for me to counter and hit it while it's defenseless. My Grade Six staff is stronger than your Grade Four deer."

"If I could control both my own movements and my Anima's attacks simultaneously, then you probably would have lost." Oscar said.

"That's true." Emily agreed. "If you could master that kind of dual movement, then I'd be lying on the floor. The alternating attacks you currently do with your Anima are easy to read. You need more experience against people, not beasts."

Oscar understood Emily's advice. Although the Rainbow Didus had some smarts and unique moves, it wasn't on par with a human's ingenuity and flexibility. Not to mention, it was also a large opponent.

"Constantly fighting against me won't do it anymore. You need to fight against others. We should apply for the Free Duels."

"The Free Duels?"

Emily explained.

The Free Duels was a series of events in the Azure City where two random people were matched against each other. The duels were entirely private and were a way for others to fight each other.

It was a new establishment created during Oscar's time in the Hurin Plains.

"Want to go to the Azure City? We didn't want to reveal too much about our powers to others, but with the Grand Gathering over, it's a moot point." Emily asked.

"I heard that two alchemists would compete in the Azure City. I need to absorb my elixirs and get used to my increased Ein. We can go next week."

"I've heard of that as well. They never said who the two alchemists were, but that will be great to watch. Let's meet in the Commune next week and head there." Emily smiled brightly. She was no longer alone.

Oscar returned to his room and locked the door.

He pulled out the three Ein Amassin Elixirs and the ataerstone.

The vast amounts of Ein from the elixirs, purified by the ataerstone, were not enough to propel him to the Greater Apprentice Exalt.

His face was full of disappointment.

"It's so hard to advance." Oscar felt extremely sleepy and fell asleep.

…….

In the Inner Hall, Celestina Lovre Dragnar walked onto the paved road, intent on going to the library.

'I wonder if Oscar returned? It's been three months now.'

Thinking of her good friend, Celestina smiled slightly.

"I wonder what is making our great princess smile like this?" A voice asked in a provocative tone.

Celestina turned to see a beautiful girl with long pink hair, blue eyes, an alluring face with a mole under one eye, and a tall figure.

Aurora Bellwood. A genius of Grade Eight Exolsia and the daughter of the Alchemist Guild Branch of the Brilliant Drake Empire.

Due to her position, she was near the same level of authority as Celestina.

"Ms. Bellwood. Why would I tell you that?" Celestina's emerald eyes glinted with an icy chill. "You should just focus on the upcoming contest against Orion."

Aurora clenched her hands.

"I won't let you have Gilbert."

Celestina sighed, "What makes you think I want Lockwood?"

"Who else can make you smile like that? I won't lose to you." Aurora left in a huff, leaving Celestina with a slight headache.

"Again….What kind of misunderstandings are you making in your head?"