“…You also have elders in the core city?”

  “Is that really something to be so surprised about?” Daes said, shrugging her shoulders. “I am even more unscrupulous than you. Do you think I would have been able to live peacefully in the city if I did not have someone protecting me?”

  “You would not have been able to afford this mansion either,” Tia said, glancing at Daes. “Or raise your privilege to two and a half stars, let alone gather fifteen thousand Contribution Points.”

  “…Shut up,” Daes said, glaring at Tia, who, in turn, just shrugged her shoulders.

  “I was just helping you convince him—

  “No one asked for your help,” Daes said with a snort, before turning back towards Alnea. “Anyways, just know that you do not have to worry about our safety. At least not mine. I cannot say anything about the annoying Bluestorm next to me.”

  Tia rolled her eyes at Daes, before resuming her smile, and leaning towards Alnea, while brining her right hand next to her mouth, as if she was about to whisper something. And she did whisper in a sense, just in a voice loud enough that everyone could hear. Especially the Thunderbird sitting next to her

  “I will let you in on a secret,” Tia said. “The more arrogance a Thunderbird shows, the softer she is in her Heart. Especially a certain woman, who acts like she is—

  “Shut up!” Daes said, glaring at Tia, with a hint of red spreading across her cheeks. “If you dare to say another word…”

  “…See,” Tia said, chuckling along with her words, as she returned her hand back to her side, and straightened her back. “Besides, I may not be as strong as the Black Serpent, but I am not that weak either. At the very least, I should not have any problems in saving my life against a Fifth or even a Sixth Stage True Wanderer. So, you do not have to worry about me.”

  “You mean us,” Daes said, still glaring at Tia, before turning back towards Alnea with a haughty expression on her face. “While she can only defend against Fifth or Sixth Stage True Wanderers, I can even defeat them.”

  “Without your Glyph Tokens?”

  “…What’s wrong with using my Glyph Tokens?”

  “They were not made by you.”

  “…You are saying that as if I never make any Glyph Tokens. I am also a Scholar, you know.”

  “I would have almost forgotten that if you did not mention it.”

  “At least I am better than a Warrior who has not fought any battles in over a year.”

  “…At least I do not rely on Glyph Tokens to win my battles.”

  “…What is wrong with using Glyph Tokens in battles? That is what they were invented for in the first place. To use Glyphs instantly in battles.”

  “To help you in critical places. Not to just keep throwing them at your enemies from the moment your battle begins until you overwhelm them completely.”

  “That’s called being prepared, alright? And it is not as if there is anything stopping others from doing the same.”

  “Do you think everyone is as prodigal as you?”

  “…You do know that there is an expiry date for Glyph Tokens, right? What do you think would be more prodigal, letting them all become a piece of waste, or using them against my enemies when needed?”

  “…I do not want to argue with you anymore.”

  “You are only whining because you cannot store Martial Styles like Glyphs.”

  “…Anyways,” Tia said, turning back towards Alnea. “Did you get the answer you were looking for?”

  “…I did,” Alnea said, widening his smile. “It is my honour to have you two as my Dependents.”

  “The honour is all ours.”

  “Now, you are just being a little overdramatic.”

  “…Daes.”

  “What? Am I wrong?”

  “That is not the point. You—

  “It is alright, Tia,” Alnea said. “She is right. If we are to be companions, then we cannot keep observing trivialities between us, or we will never get things done. So, how about we just treat each other as friends?”

  “Huh? I thought we were friends already.”

  “…And I always treated you as a little brother.”

  “I am not little!” Alnea said, glaring at Tia, prompting her to burst out in a light laugh, with Daes joining in soon after.

  “Now that you mention it…”

  “I am not little!”

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  “…Of course, you are not little,” Daes said, raising her lips in a smirk, as she glanced at the girls. “Little boys do not go around kissing girls in public.”

  “…Then it is settled,” Alnea said, feigning a cough. “Now, all that is left is registering you as my Dependents.”

  “…About that.”

  “What?”

  “…Before we register as your Dependents, I—we would like to clear up a few things first.”

  “…Still?” Alnea mumbled, before quickly coming to a conclusion. “Is it because of what I said about planning to go the Union?”

  “…I almost forgot about that part,” Daes said. “And no, we are not too worried about going to the Union. On the contrary, we cannot be more excited. After all, if our progress cannot satisfy the city’s assessment, then the freedom we will get from following you would be temporary. And going to the Union will definitely provide us with more opportunities for growth.”

  “Not that there is no scope of growth in the Tes Domain. Just from what I know, I can think of at least twenty places which can help us grow rapidly. But those places might not be suitable for you. And the places that can help you, would not provide us with any substantial benefits. Unless you plan to go to the Grand Chasm. Except, going to the Grand Chasm will have its own set of problems, of which, constantly walking on the edge of the death would be the least.”

  “Then there are your enemies… Staying in the Tes Domain would mean being constantly chased by Orthodoxies and Heterodoxies alike, while in the Union, we will have to worry only about the Heterodoxies. If they can even infiltrate the Union, that is. Unlike the other Domains, the Union takes very strict measures against any possible incursions of Heterodoxies.”

  “In short, going to the Union in indeed the best choice. Both for you, and for us.”

  “Besides, if we are going to have our freedom for only ten years, then I want to see more of the world,” Daes said, letting out a light laugh, before quickly restraining herself. “Do not take that in the wrong sense. I have never had doubts in you. I just do not have enough faith in myself.”

  “…That is a big problem,” Alnea said solemnly, only to smile in the very next moment. “As my Dependent, I cannot have you doubting yourself.”

  “…Then we will have to try our best to live up to your expectations,” Tia said, smiling in amusement. “Jokes aside, before you register as your Dependents, we would like you to hear our stories, just as we listened to yours. And if, by the time we are done, you still think that we are worthy of becoming your Dependents, then we will gladly follow you wherever you go. Be it the Union, or the Grand Chasm.”

  “…There is no need to go through so much trouble. I can tell you right now. Both of you are more than worthy of becoming my Dependents.”

  “…How can you decide whether or not we are worthy, without even knowing anything about us?”

  “I already know more than I need to,” Alnea said. “And more importantly, I trust you. Both of you.”

  “…Though hearing you say that makes me glad, I still insist that you hear our stories first. After all, if we are to be companions, then we must have a basic sense of trust. And we can build our trust only if we know more about each other. That is what you said, right?”

  “And you also promised to hear about my Roots.”

  “…I never made any such promises. And I never said that I would not listen to your stories. I just that said that I have already made my decision.”

  “And that is why we are saying that you should at least listen to our stories first. What if we are different from what you expected us to be?”

  “It does not matter. You will still be my Dependents.”

  “You… You do not even know about why were punished by the city.”

  “Or anything about my Roots.”

  “So? What does that have to do with you becoming my Dependents?”

  Daes and Tia paused for a moment, before glancing at the girls beside him, and said, “Is he always so stubborn?”

  “You call this stubborn?” Vestia said, glancing at Alnea, before turning back towards Tia. “You have not seen anything yet.”

  “When he decides on something, no one can change his mind,” Cecilia said with a scoff. “Even if that means jumping into fire, or on the sharp edge of a knife.”

  “…That was not my fault.”

  “…And he never admits his fault.”

  “…Alright, maybe I was a little stubborn in the past, but this time, I have my reasons,” Alnea said, shifting his gaze back to Daes and Tia, as he put on a solemn face. “I may not know anything about you… about your past, and what you did that got you punished by the city, but none of those things matter. To be willing to go along with my ‘experiment’, and risk your lives with me against my enemies… Just those two things are enough for me to overlook all your faults.”

  “…I can see why you girls are so attracted to him,” Tia said after a few moments, as she glanced at the girls. “Though, he must also often have you worried to no end.”

  “…You have no idea.”

  “We can never let him leave our sight, lest he tries to kill himself.”

  “Again.”

  “Not to mention the ‘flies’ he attracts.”

  “Some even older than his mother.”

  “…But he has been behaving himself lately, so we do not mind the ‘flies’.”

  “As long as the ‘flies’ know their limits.”

  “…Are girls these days so aggressive?” Daes mumbled, while Tia just let out a short giggle.

  “Do not worry. The ‘flies’ know their limits. They would be content with just being able to fly in the skies once again.”

  “Talk about yourself,” Daes said with a scoff, before shifting her gaze back to Alnea, and licking her lips. “I, on the other hand, am ready to pluck—

  “She has never had a lover.”

  “Hey!”

  “Or a male friend.”

  “That’s enough!”

  “Other than in battles, she has never even touched a man’s hand.”

  “Shut up!” Dae said, as her blood rushed to her cheeks. “She is lying! I have had hundreds of lovers!”

  “…Hundreds?”

  “I am telling the truth!”

  “…We believe you.”

  “…Stop looking at me like that!”

  “…As you wish.”

  “…Look at what you did!”

  “…In any case, you do not have to worry about us having any ill intentions.”

  “…We can see.”

  “Shut up!”

  “We are sorry for misunderstanding you before, Daes.”

  “All of you, just shut up!” Daes said, glaring at all the people in the hall, before turning towards the only person who was not laughing at her. “My choice was indeed right… You are the only person I can trust.”

  “…Did you say anything, Daes?”

  “I said, you are now going to sit there, and listen to my story, just as I listened to yours. Do you understand?”

  “But—

  “I said, do you understand?”

  “…I do.”

  “Good. Then listen carefully, because I will tell it only once. The story that began thirty two years ago in the Blue Thunder Canyons…”