"What if renounced, leads to no regret?" The Saintess asked as a faint smile spread on her face.
"Only giving up our anger leads us to no regret." Eve's voice resounded in his mind to give him the answer.
"Anger." The boy said in a composed manner.
The saintess looked at him as a delighted light shone in her serene eyes. She continued, "What if relinquishing, makes one wealthy?"
"If you have no desire then you're the wealthiest person" Eve answered in his thoughts, she didn't even take time to think as if she knew all the answers.
"Desire," Rio said, keeping his calm to not let saintess doubt that he was taking help from the 'Know it All' Empress.
"You're correct. Okay, last question. If you answered it correctly then I will let you three go through a test and one of you can have the treasure. What if forsaking, makes one happy?" The lady in white clothes asked as her eyes were flickering with a mysterious glint.
"Having no greed can make you happy." The monarch beast's girl responded as her wisdom seemed to be on par with the saintess.
"Greed," Rio answered in a nonchalant manner as he believed this should be correct like before.
The Saintess' face drowned in an emotionless expression upon hearing his answer and kept silent, making the two girls worry if the answer was right or wrong. They had expected the Saintess to be pleased with Rio's answer like the previous time, but instead, she seemed almost uninterested.
The long silence in the tomb after Rio gave his answer was perceptible and almost suffocating for the two girls. The air felt heavy and still as if the entire room was holding its breath.
Girls stood frozen and kept their calm, their hearts pounding in their chests, as they waited for the Saintess' response.
The trio was gazing at the white figure sitting on the coffin. They couldn't help but feel that something was wrong, that Rio's answer may have been incorrect. The silence seemed to stretch on for an eternity, the tension mounting with each passing moment.
"Looks like we have lost." Nyla put her head on Rio's shoulder as her lively face turned downcast. The saintess was still without any positive expression as if she wasn't happy with his answer.
Helia also became nervous as she mumbled inwardly, "He should have thought twice before answering. I guess We have lost now."
'Was it the wrong answer?'
Even Rio didn't have faith that his answer could be correct as this was all said by Eve. The orange-red-haired beauty was giggling in his thoughts, giving him confidence that he hadn't lost the chance to get the first piece of the map.
The red radiance cast the room into even deeper shadows. The girls could hear their own breathing echoing in the stillness, and they couldn't help but feel as if they were being judged.
Saintess stared at them one last time before saying, "All your answers are correct."
Hearing her words, the girls took a heavy breath as they finally relaxed and exchange a happy smile with each other. Rio also felt better as he finally understood why Eve was giggling because she knew they were worrying for nothing and was enjoying seeing them getting anxious.
The saintess continued with a gentle voice, "Since you have answered all the questions, I am going to let you three decide among yourself who wants the Exalted Clover ring, Only one of you can become its master and will be able to use it. Think carefully and tell me who you choose to be the master of Exalted Clover Ring. It is a responsibility that will bring great power, but also great risk."
The saintess threw the true test in front of the trio that she originally wanted to let them face but she wanted to see if they could pass her basic examination which Eve easily helped Rio to qualify.
As they heard her sentence the real problem started, Rio, Helia, and Nyla looked at each other, the weight of the decision heavy on their minds.
Each of them hesitated, as stepping forward could make their relationship bitter. They had all come this far together, and the thought of choosing one person over the others was difficult.
'I don't need this exalted clover ring, I just need my sweetie but then Sister Helia and Rio would be the ones to get the ring. Does Rio want the exalted clover ring? Should I volunteer and get the treasure for him? Would sister Helia agree to let him have it? But she probably doesn't like him that much because of some past grudges. What should I do? What should I do?'
Nyla was hesitating as she wanted to get the exalted clover ring for Rio but the magenta-haired beauty didn't know if she should say it out loud or not. For her, this ring wasn't that important but she was still in a tight spot as she didn't want to let go of the chance for Rio to have it.
'He is Lia's Husband, so if he becomes the master of the ring it would help us all. So I should let him become the master of the exalted clover Ring. But it's very difficult to say that 'you can have it.' This feels even harder than our journey in the scorching hot desert. Helia, you can do it... it's not that embarrassing to say it to him.'
The lioness wanted to decline her participation in treasure and offer him to become the master of the exalted clover ring but she was shy to say it out loud and was collecting her courage.
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[SnowNote]
Any Guess, who would become the Master of the Exalted Clover Ring?
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Edited By: TheWhiteSnow
