Act 1: Blue Ocean Pavilion - Chapter 22: Return to the Pavilion

Act 1: Blue Ocean Pavilion - Chapter 22: Return to the Pavilion

'It was a long journey.'

It was only a few days, but Oscar felt he had had enough of missions for the time being. The reward was the Ein Amassing Elixir that Oscar craved. Together with the next batch of the free elixir the Pavilion hands out, they should propel him to a Middle Apprentice Exalt.

Next to him, Frederick and Emily were not arguing as they usually do. It seems fighting life and death together had the effect of bringing them closer together.

'Nevermind.' As soon as Oscar thought they were getting closer, he saw Emily smack Frederick on the head, starting their usual shouting match.

"What was that for?" Frederick shouted, feeling wronged by Emily's violence. Did they not patch things up earlier?

"You were undoing your bandages again." She stated coldly. "I took the effort to do it tightly, and you ruined them again."

"Are you crazy?" Frederick felt extremely wronged by this.

Oscar tilted his head in confusion. The argument now was opposite to what they normally fought over. Emily seemed more concerned about Frederick's condition.

"Remove them. I'll do it again." Emily took out bandages like a saint, but her eyes and body language implied she would not take any complaints or rejections.

"Os! Do them for me." Frederick had enough of this forceful girl and looked to Oscar to bail him out.

"Leave it to Emily." Oscar felt something strange between them but decided not to interject. He ignored Frederick's pleas and went on his merry way.

Frederick found no way out. He sulkily extended his hand to Emily. Unlike her boisterous attitude, Emily's hands were careful and attentive as she redid the bandages in seconds.

Frederick looked down at the fresh bandages with a blank expression. He did not know what he was feeling right now. It was refreshing, but at the same time, he did not like that it was because of this girl, so he mumbled his gratitude and left.

Emily did not respond and followed, not noticing that her face broke into a small smile.

'Something is strange.' As the third party, Oscar noticed all the little interactions, Frederick and Emily's weird actions, and that smile. Shaking his head, Oscar put it out of his mind.

After some time, they saw the great walls of the Blue Ocean Pavilion, standing tall and unwavering, like a stalwart bastion of repose.

"We're back!" Oscar's voice trembled from all the emotions that swelled in him. He wanted nothing more than to rest in his room. However, they were barred from entering through the gates by the guards, who noticed Greg's corpse being dragged by Frederick.

"Who is this? What happened?" One of the guards released his Knight Exalt powers, pressuring the trio to answer truthfully or be beaten down.

Oscar stepped forward despite the pressure. It was overwhelming to Oscar but paled in comparison to the coldness of the feeling of death.

"This person ambushed us during our mission. He tried to kill me and nearly succeeded." Oscar unveiled the gruesome scars on his stomach side to the guards, who were shocked. To survive such grievous wounds and still move was admirable.

"If what you say is true, that is a heavy offense. We will call for a Judge to get your statements." The guard sent out a messenger to the Record Hall. Judges were the ones who recorded every action of every student. Thus, they were the keepers of the truth. They would never let any falsehoods be recorded.

Oscar, Emily, and Frederick waited for a while. The guards offered them some food and water, which they graciously accepted.

The good meal lifted their spirits from the long journey. It was silent until, finally, the messenger came back. Next to him was a beautiful woman with leafy green hair tied in a ponytail, great bejeweled yellow eyes, and tall, slender legs.

"Aunt?!" Frederick was shocked to see his aunt, Ivanka Klein.

Emily was curious and eyed Ivanka with gleaming eyes. From what Frederick had told her, this aunt was a powerful Exalt.

"Nephew. You sure run into trouble no matter where you are." Ivanka spoke in a slightly amused tone, creating an air of lightheartedness. However, that suddenly dropped to chilling suffocation with her next words. "What's this I hear about someone dead?"

Her yellow eyes gleamed with clear resolution. It did not matter if it was her nephew. As a Judge, she would fulfill her duty. Though if Frederick was guilty, she'd do everything to have him return home safely.

"It may have been painful, but this experience will help you greatly in the future. I'll investigate this matter. You three can go report your mission." Having done what she could, Ivanka departed with Greg's corpse. Her beautiful figure flashed into the distance.

After the guards allowed them inside, they arrived at the Mission Hall. Another Judge was seated at the front desk. This Judge was responsible for verifying the completion of a mission and recording the details to be marked on each person's record.

"What mission have you completed?" The Judge spoke in a lazy tone and yawned over his hand.

"Hunt for Night Raptor. Here are its body parts, blood, teeth, and claws." Oscar handed over the mission pamphlet along with them.

The Judge scanned the items and the mission details. He stamped the paper with a "Complete" and collected the Night Raptor parts.

"Your names?" The Judge needed to record their achievements. The trio complied, and the Judge wrote down their details. He placed the records in a tube that shot it straight to the Record Hall.

"Well done on completing the mission. Here are your rewards. Three Ein Amassing Elixirs and 1000 contribution points. How will you distribute them?" The Judge took out three blue vials containing the precious elixir.

"400 for her, 300 for the two of us," Oscar said.

Emily, however, did not agree. "You should get the 400. If not for your plans, we would have had more trouble dealing with the Night Raptor and a hard time against Samuel's group." She acknowledged Oscar's efforts and leadership that led them back home safely. She felt undeserving since she boldly took the position of leader yet failed.

Oscar waved his hand in disagreement. "We agreed on this split before we left. Besides, your power made it easier for us to do it."

"But!" Emily wanted to argue more until Frederick intervened.

"If neither of you wants it, I'll take the 400," Frederick smirked at Emily as if goading to her.

Her face went red from anger seeing this idiot try to take advantage. She understood what he was trying to do, but her moral code did not agree with this.

"Just take it. You can owe me a favor later if you feel it's unfair." Oscar offered a way out.

Emily contemplated. "Fine. I'll owe you a favor."

The Judge, indifferent to the children's jesting, distributed the contribution points. Oscar's badge lit up slightly; he could see the number 300 under his name. The badges were identification and wallets at the Blue Ocean Pavilion.

Next, he split the three elixirs. They grabbed theirs firmly yet not tightly as if they were scared of dropping it.

"Thank you." Oscar thanked Emily for her help.

"I owe you a favor, don't hesitate to ask for anything." Emily smiled slightly. Her pretty face and orange eyes were glowing with joy.

"What about me? I gave up the 400 as well; shouldn't you owe me a favor?" Frederick jokingly said.

She turned to Frederick with a harsher look, causing him to freeze. "Take care of your hand." She said almost in a whisper and left.

"What the hell?" Frederick could not understand this girl at all. One moment she's beating him up. The next, she's telling him to take care of himself. She was so inconsistent in her behavior that Frederick's mind was tired of trying to understand.

"Don't mind. She's just saying goodbye. Let's go get some rest." Oscar stretched his back and went outside. There was definitely something going on between Emily and Frederick, but he chose to remain on the sidelines and let them figure things out.

He looked around the vast structures and places of the Blue Ocean Pavilion when something caught his eye.

A girl was walking toward the Mission Hall. She had a beautiful figure, further emphasized by the Pavilion's uniform. Her amber eyes and scarlet hair perfectly matched her beautiful face.

"Isabella?"