Chapter 118 - Challengers

In a dark room, only lit by a small light coming from a dim Luminant stone on the table, three human figures are sitting around a round table.

Seemingly meeting and talking about something serious, one of the human figures put a transparent orb on the table. After putting it, it lit and showed an image of a girl with black hair, talking and walking with two girls near her age.

"This must be the savior. Her black hair just tells us that she's an anomaly to the norm." one of them said.

"She is. But how can we go there, find her on that continent? As for what she was doing, she knew something and was hiding it from others." another one with a female voice said, expressing her worries.

"How about a rune owner with an ability to search? We have a top-class spy, right?" the third one said.

"We can do it, but we can't do it ourselves. We must protect the last wall of the human world."

"Tsk. Just why are these demons so strong that they can overpass our intervene?"

"Don't worry, if we can ask for her help, we can still grab that hope. Is your God connecting with you often?" the third person inquired of the female.

"Not really. The Goddess of Message barely sent me some precognition." the female answered.

"I see… Then we have no choice but to hasten things. I will prepare the plan for taking her and bring her here. After that, we can think of another way to ask your goddess. My guardian is a pushover. I can't ask him about anything related to the orb. It just shows us a little image of her." the first one said.

"Then, let's go. This old one is getting excited about seeing the master."

"Master?" the female raised her eyebrows.

"Master. Indeed. Because she is our savior, we will serve her to the best of our ability."

"Master, huh. I hope she does have the features to be the master of the three elders of the holy continent. Even though she came from a special continent, it's not enough for her to be the master of us three." the female one retorted.

"Why do you say? It's not like she'll be on the dark path. Her actions right now are a hint that she'll be a great person in the future."

"I hope so."

***

Selena was still dumbfounded by the revelation Ellena gave. Clearly, Ellena trusts her and that made her feel special too. Her emotions were so overjoyed that even in bed, she couldn't think straight.

'If she trusts me, then she just revealed to me that she's special. Her ability half a year ago was supposed to be close-combat, but it also appears that she has magic and leadership? Oh… How great is this?! Her trusting me is just overwhelming.'

A day has passed and another one has come. Still, even the next morning, Selena was still stiff. 

She was unfixed with her duties, because of the reason that Ellena trusted her.

'I am her friend. Why is it a big deal if she trusts me?' she reasoned inwardly to try to cope with her thoughts.

After 20 tries of reasoning herself, she had already become composed.

"So, what should we do?" Selena asked when she met Ellena in the guild. She didn't even bother to see Ellena wearing dark gear.

"I'm going back to Phlabian," Ellena said, with her eyes showing little worry about the content.

Selena's eyes became depressed, but she didn't make it obvious to Ellena.

"I see… So, you were just here for a day?"

"No, actually. I want to stay here for a week." Ellena said.

"Huh? Then why are you saying that you're going back?" Selena asked with her voice filled with confusion.

"It's a proposal. Can you come with me back to Phlabian?"

Ellena's question dumbfounded Selena.

"You want me to go with you?"

"Yes, I want you to come with me."

"But the orphanage…" Selena mumbled.

"If it's what you worry about, I made sure that even if you're not there, it'll still be okay."

"What do you mean?" Selena asked, but instead of answering, Ellena just smiled at her with hidden meaning in it.

"Don't tell me… You donated again." Selena patched up and said it. Her voice currently has the sound of disbelief.

"I did. That's how I wanted to help you out, but even if it looks like I'm just spending my money, don't worry. Our grandmother gave us the privilege to do what we can to spread our names, but of course, I just love to help people."

Selena was still speechless and couldn't help but shake her head.

"You are just surprising, Ellena. But do you think that it will be enough for me to be complacent? What if the headmaster does it again?"

"Don't worry. I got it fixed. So, what's your answer?" 

Even though Aaron was thinking of it as stupid, he couldn't do anything about it since he wanted Ellena to decide things on her own. But he just advised her that people aren't that easy to persuade.

Money doesn't mean freedom.

"Can you give me time to think about it?" 

"Of course. You can."

"Sighs. Thank you."

After it, a female staff of the guild approached Ellena with a parchment paper containing different names of gold-rankers and white gold-rankers.

When Selena noticed it, she took an interest in it.

"What's that?" Selena asked with her fingers pointing to the paper.

"This? This is a paper containing the names of challengers."

"Challengers? What do you mean?"

"Well, I made a little arrangement for a duel with different people. It's training on my part, actually." Ellena said and nodded to the female staff member, returning the paper in her hands.

"What do you mean again about it? Is training needed to fight with different people that are higher ranked than you?" Selena asked.

Ellena nodded. "Yes, I needed it since I have an advancement test. Though I still don't have the details, I know who I am fighting against."

"Then, who? If you can't answer other details."

"Well, he's a platinum-ranker. Think of me as dreamy, but I have to fight a platinum ranker to be advanced to the white gold rank.." Ellena said, and once again, Selena was just speechless, now that she realized things about Ellena had just changed.