Bia flapped her wings and her eyes lit up when she spotted Kyle in the distance. With a swift movement, she soared into the sky. The air around her crackled with crimson flames flickering around her entire body. After completely absorbing the flower's aura, she had effortlessly shattered the small wall blocking her path.
The divine energy in the air rushed into her body, and a radiant golden glow appeared on each of her feathers, which were blue at the edges. The air grew still as the phoenix flew around in the sky and let out a loud cry. In an instant, all types of monsters in her vicinity, those who could hear or sense her presence, froze in place as if witnessing the birth of a divine beast.
Kyle looked up and saw Bia's flames take on a pure golden hue. A little distance away from him, Yue gasped, her amber eyes fixed on the beautiful phoenix as Bia spread out her wings in a majestic manner, covering the entire sky in a blanket of flames.
Yue began to float and eyes turned crescents.
"She's beautiful..."
Kyle leaped up from where he was and floated alongside her, humming. He reached out his hand towards the elf, who blinked but still took hold of it. The duo floated up towards Bia, who had finally ceased her display of newfound authority to the other monsters.
The phoenix circled the two of them with excitement and then came to a stop in front of Kyle. She quickly transformed into her shorter form and landed on Kyle's head with a lazy expression.
Kyle leaped up from where he was and floated alongside her, humming. He reached out his hand towards the elf, who blinked but still took hold of it. The duo floated up towards Bia, who had finally ceased her display of newfound authority to the other monsters.
The phoenix circled the two of them with excitement and then came to a stop in front of Kyle. She quickly transformed into her shorter form and landed on Kyle's head with a lazy expression.
The previously proud demeanor faded away as Bia made herself comfortable and, in the process, messed up Kyle's hair with a contented sigh.
-"It's been a while, right? Now that I think about it, I'm feeling pretty hungry! Let's find a good place to eat now!"
Kyle, who had just raised his hand to pat her head in praise, paused after hearing her words. His lips twitched a little, realizing that no matter what, the phoenix would never change. Regardless, he agreed and looked at Yue, asking if she wanted to go together.
Yue had already used the brown crystal to form an image in her mind before she took Bia to a quiet place where the phoenix absorbed the flower. The elf thought for a few seconds. She had a lot of things she needed to do, especially in the Kingdom. But then she noticed the two pairs of bright eyes, staring at her quietly, seemingly waiting for her answer.
'Well... it would be fine to put the work on hold for a while.'
"Okay..."
Kyle nodded at her, and they left the forest together, only to find themselves in front of the border. Then, they walked on foot and entered the crowded space after crossing the border. A lot of eyes lingered on them, probably those who had seen Yue before or those who had seen Kyle with the other young guardians. But nobody had time to meddle in their matters because the urgency of the situation kept everyone focused on their own tasks.
Yue noticed they had come quite far away from the border. She paused and gazed back, but Kyle grasped her hand and pulled her beside him.
"There's a lot of crowd, just stay beside me. Also, I can smell a good place a little distance away. Let's go there."
She was curious about what he meant by smell, but her attention shifted when she realized he was still holding her hand. Yue softly gripped his hand in return, and even though he noticed, she didn't say anything.
They quietly walked through the area, taking in the sights of the houses and numerous individuals selling weapons or skill cores on both sides of the street.
Bia's eyes roamed around. She had seen all of this before, but now that she was with Kyle, it felt a lot different. However, the streets weren't filled with enthusiasm, probably due to the ongoing circumstances.
The phoenix's sharp eyes narrowed at the duo's interlocked hands, and a surprised look flashed across her face.
-'Wait, when did they progress so far? Why didn't I notice?'
She let out a little laugh in her head and closed her eyes because it would be bad if she disturbed the moment, unaware that she had already done so before.
However, unlike Bia, Kyle's eyes narrowed a little as he noticed the familiar bracelets on Yue's wrists. He hadn't thought about it before, but now that he looked closely, he noticed that they were slightly different from before, especially the glowing gems embedded on their surface.
But he stopped his thoughts as they arrived in front of the place he sensed would be perfect for a good meal.
It was a medium-sized hotel with wooden furniture, probably the only decent place in the surroundings. Inside, there was an old dwarf couple serving the customers. The place was quite crowded, but Kyle's eyes wandered around and he spotted an empty table in a corner.
As the duo approached the table, many eyes turned towards them, impressed by how good they looked together. Both of them were good-looking, but Kyle furrowed his brows and drew a few symbols to cast a small barrier around them. So, they could enjoy a peaceful meal together.
Yue chuckled at him as he sat down across from her, and she was pleasantly surprised when he naturally pulled out her chair so she could sit down.
"So, if I pay for the meal, would that count as repayment for sparing Nox's life?"
Kyle blinked and then rubbed his chin with a thoughtful expression.
"Well, to be honest, the meat of a beast with (SSS+)-Rank talent would be a lot more expensive than just one meal. But since it's our first meal together and I think we should get closer, you can keep that little monster alive. Also, it would be better if I paid. After all, I'm the one who invited you."
Yue's face turned slightly red when she heard the words 'we should get closer'. The recent memory quickly came back to her mind.
Bai hopped down from Kyle's head, realizing they were taking too long, and startled the elderly dwarf woman who came to take their order. The phoenix didn't hold back and ordered everything because she felt like she should eat a lot more now that she's a pseudo divine-rank being.
If only Alec and Nine could hear Kyle's words, saying that he would pay for the meal. The same Kyle who dine and dashed, leaving a big bill for Alec, even though he had a storage ring full of mana stones. No one would know what their reaction would be because they weren't here to witness it.
The atmosphere was quiet and peaceful until Kyle pointed out the bracelets on the elf's hand.
"I believe you found all the parts of the artifact because there's divine energy on its surface."
Yue was taken aback by his words, unsure of when he discovered the artifact.
"You knew it's an artifact...?"
"Hmm, it was back when we first met. I completed some symbols on its surface and realized that the bracelets were part of a powerful artifact, but I wasn't sure what kind. Then I didn't see them on your wrists, so it slipped my mind."
