After Nila had officially announced the end of their fight, the two of them gave themselves the freedom to get the rest they sorely needed as they proceeded to talk about various topics.
Whether it was on blacksmithing, the various class ranks, or the current state of Veldanyr, the two of them undoubtedly talked about it, gradually forgetting the fact that the two of them were even in the Gates of Awakening's trial grounds.
In fact, with how long their conversation had lasted after the fight, the young man began to look at Nila with a hint of curiosity.
"Are you not going to disappear anytime soon?" asked the young man, telling her about how all of the opponents he'd fought against earlier eventually dissipated into thin air at some point.
In response, Nila looked at the young man for a bit before chuckling.
"Well, if you want to move onto the next fight, then I could dissipate right here and now," said the woman, eliciting a bit of fear to appear on the edges of Valyr's face.
Though, that fear all disappeared once Nila looked at the young man with an amused smile as she sunk into the chair she had brought out.
"However, where's the fun in fighting opponents without being at your best condition?" Nila grinned. "Plus, it's quite interesting listening to the perspective of a blacksmith from a more recent generation."
"In any case, to ease your worries, all of the opponents you'll face within this final sub-trial have a say as to whether or not they dissipate to let you proceed onto your next fight."
"Since I've taken quite a bit of liking to you, then I'll help give you some more rest time before your next fight."
Hearing those words, Valyr gave Nila his words of gratitude, only to feel his ears heat up a bit after recalling the woman's final statement.
Seeing the slight redness on the young man's ears, Nila began to laugh, teasing the young man as they continued to talk and unwind.
At this point, thoughts of their respective identities had more or less disappeared from their mind, even though they knew that both of them would send waves to many people in the right places.
Though, as the two of them were both in the Gates of Awakening's trial grounds, there was no Nila from the Hephaista clan. Nor was there a Valyr from the Zeihardt clan.
There was just Nila and Valyr, two blacksmiths that had been brought together by fate to see whose skills were better.
With that, the two of them enjoyed each other's company for a bit longer, with only something changing by the time two days had unknowingly passed.
"Well, I think I've extended my stay here for far too long."
Seeing that the opponent she fought against had more or less returned to his peak condition, a satisfied smile crept up on Nila's face as she stood up from her chair.
Doing a few basic stretches to maintain her body's limberness, she soon noticed the young man doing a few stretches of his own, eliciting the smile on her face to turn into a slight grin.
"I think you're more than ready for your next opponent at this point," said Nila, the gears in her mind slowly turning.
"Whether you use the Legendary grade artifact you forged or the arquebus you showed me, as long as you catch your next opponent off guard when the fight calls for combat, you'll probably reach the end of the trial without a problem."
In response, Valyr briefly chuckled. "Let's hope the conditions the next opponent gives doesn't affect that part, then."
Nodding back at the young man with an amused smile, Nila took in a deep breath as she took on a solemn expression.
At the same time, her body had begun to transform into golden strands of energy, prompting the young man to realize that it was now time for him to return to reality.
"Once again, I've quite enjoyed your company," said Nila with a smile. "With how much information you've gotten from me these past few days, your goals have become more than obvious to me."
"Then again, such goals excite me for the future."
With half of her body having become translucent at this point, Nila fell into a brief moment of silence before deciding to give Valyr the dagger she had upgraded for the fight.
"In any case, hold onto this for the meantime," she told him. "Infuse a bit of your mana into it to make sure the Gates of Awakening doesn't take it."
Though unsure of what the woman was planning, Valyr still did what he was told, infusing his mana just like how he had gotten hold of most of Arcaelus' weapons from the previous fight.
"Good." Nila nodded in satisfaction as she smiled. "Now the reason why I told you to keep this dagger is that it'll act as your compass for when you eventually travel beyond Veldanyr."
At those words, Valyr's mouth went slightly agape, only now understanding why she was excited for the time he had accomplished his goals of going to space.
After all, that meant that there was a chance for them to meet up in the outside world.
Seeing that the dagger was connected to it somehow, Valyr continued to listen to what the woman had to say, noticing that her rate of disappearance had visibly slowed down by a few degrees.
"I've decided to infuse a hint of my original energy into the dagger," Nila told him. "That energy will resonate with me once you've gotten close to my true body."
"Of course, once I feel this resonance, I would also get a rough idea as to where you are."
"In a way, don't you think it's quite romantic?" asked Nila with a chuckle, only for her rate of disappearance to reach ever greater heights in an instant.
Watching the woman who had given him more than what he had bargained for, Valyr felt a hint of sadness from seeing her disappear.
Though, before she truly left the young man's sight, she planted a kiss on his forehead out of nowhere, catching Valyr off guard.
"It may feel like this will be the last time we'll see each other, but I have a strong feeling you'll come eventually."
"For now... this is farewell."
…
…
…
'You have defeated the seventh opponent of the Trial of Nine Stars. Two opponents remain.'
