Seeing how enthusiastic Miri and Anne were in participating at the Pentacle Trials (with Miri being way more enthusiastic than Anne), Madame Laveau had advised them to go to one of the libraries within the city, one where the librarian there was an old friend of hers. Over there, the librarian would be able to help guide the two of them by providing them with the records of the previous Pentacle Trials—one that contained a collection of various information regarding the trials for them to study up on.

  Knowledge was power, after all. What better way to gain an advantage and potentially increase their odds of winning than to read up on the previous trials. As the two women sat inside the library, they began doing as much research as they could with all the available records they have in front of them—reading up on previous players, optimal strategies, and notable incidents. As they studied from the records, they would jot down notes and compiled them to be used for future reference.

  After hours of studying and compiling notes, Miri and Anne had decided to take a break by eating dinner at a nearby tavern. The extensive studying session had left Miri feeling incredibly exhausted. She hadn't felt this tired from studying since her college days. Now, all those dreadful memories of late nights cramming for an exam was starting to come back to haunt her. Where were the multiple cans of Red Bull when you needed them?

  “Man, I’m so exhausted…” Miri complained with a groan, her face firmly planted onto the surface of the tavern table. “I don’t think I can read another word…”

  With the way she groaned, she could almost be mistaken for a wight. Good thing she had a cleric sitting right across from her at the table.

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  “Oh, poor Miri. There, there…” Anne cooed, patting on the mage’s head with a gentle hand in an attempt to soothe all her stress away. “I can feel your pain. Don’t worry. I’ll brew up a cup of nice herbal tea for you to drink once we return home. It is brewed with a special mixture of ingredients that is quite effective in relieving mental strain.”

  “Thanks, Anne. You’re a lifesaver,” Miri muttered as she lifted her head to meet the cleric’s eyes. “By the way, how are you not as tired as I am after all that studying? We’d been at that library for hours! Seriously, you are something else!”

  “Well, when I was training to get my cleric’s license, I had to do a great deal of studying,” Anne explained. “This is nothing when compared to that.”

  Miri gave Anne a deadpan stare. She didn’t know if she should be inspired by or jealous of the cleric’s incredible studying ability. With that level of scholarly aptitude, Anne would have easily aced med-school, maybe even get a PhD while she’s at it. Despite that, she’d consistently maintained an attitude of modesty and humility. Truly, Anne was a treasure of a human being, one that was worth protecting at all costs.

  “Well, studying up on the previous trials is good and all, but we’ll also need to work on training our magic as well,” Miri said, stretching her arms. “After all, knowing is only half the battle. I’d say that we should alternate between studying the records and practical training with our magic until the day of the trails arrive. Besides, after dealing with the chimeragon, most of the jobs we've done so far aren’t really that demanding when it comes to magical combat. It is best to sharpen our skills if we’re gonna take on someone in a fight.”

  “Yes, you are probably right,” Anne agreed with a nod.

  Suddenly, a loud clang caused by the dropping of some dishes was heard at the other side of the tavern, causing Miri and Anne to quickly turn around to see what’s going on. After that clang, a random man spoke up with an arrogant voice.

  “What’s that?! You’re saying you want to participate in the Pentacle Trials as well?!”