The next morning's secret auction was quite a good opportunity for both Esdeath and Maruti. They could sell some of their essence stones and rare materials and even buy something useful if they found the right items. Of course, this auction wasn't on the same level where Rank A essence stones were traded—that kind of thing usually happened only in the Awakened Kingdom or royal gatherings or between powerful nobles who could afford such treasures.
Still, this one wasn't a small or shady event either. Lortell herself had recommended it, saying it was both safe and reliable. It was also known for having a decent number of Rank B essence stones, which made it valuable enough for awakeneds.
Even though Esdeath didn't think they would gain much from going, she still wanted Maruti to experience how such secret auctions worked. That way, Maruti could handle trading or buying resources on her own in the future without trouble.
So Esdeath gently shook Maruti awake and explained about the auction that would take place the next day.
Maruti rubbed her sleepy eyes and straightened up a bit. "Yes, yes, I get it. It's just like those illegal weapon auctions we went to in our past lives, right?" she said lazily.
Esdeath nodded with a small smile. "Kind of like that."
Not long after, another theory lecture began. A male teacher entered the room and started talking about deities and prayers.
"Prayers are very important for beginners in divination," he explained, pacing in front of the blackboard. "If your prayer is wrong or incomplete, your divination might fail—or worse, you could accidentally draw the attention of an evil deity. That's why ordinary citizens are not allowed to chant any kind of incantations. They can only use the deity's name for blessings. It's a rule made for safety."
Maruti leaned on her desk, half bored, watching the teacher talk. "Careful point, huh?" she muttered under her breath. "I can already do small divinations without any prayer. Maybe I should try praying to a few different deities and see which one gives better results."
It was early afternoon when all the lectures finally ended. Esdeath and Maruti slowly made their way outside the academy building. These days, they didn't have much to do except think of new ways to grow Maruti's popularity.
But honestly, it wasn't that hard anymore. Maruti had already become a celebrity—people whispered her name everywhere. If only she wasn't a barbarian, she would have been completely accepted by everyone without question.
As they walked through the quiet hallway, Esdeath suddenly said, "If you meet Kailith, ask her if she's willing to hunt a dragon."
Maruti blinked, startled. "A dragon? But that's illegal! If we kill one, everyone will know. That would ruin all our plans at once." Her brows furrowed with worry.
Esdeath's expression didn't change. "Not a normal dragon. I mean the discarded ones—the fallen dragons or the bone dragons that awakened again."
Maruti stopped walking and turned toward Esdeath, her eyes wide. "Already? Aren't those things usually S rank—or at least pseudo S rank?"
She wasn't wrong. Fallen dragons or bone dragons were terrifying creatures. A normal adult dragon was already as strong as a Rank A awakened. But when one underwent a second awakening, regardless normal or discarded one, their strength increases greatly.
Esdeath looked at her with a faint smirk. "What's wrong? Don't tell me you're scared."
Steam almost came out of Maruti's face as she stomped her feet several times in frustration. "Scared? Me? Never! Fine, let's go hunt one right now if you want!"
Esdeath chuckled softly and patted Maruti's back. "Relax. We'll go only if we find one, and it's not decided yet. If the exams happen on time, we'll go after that. If they get delayed, we can use that free time for the hunt. I know fallen and bone dragons are stronger than us, but we'll manage."
They started walking again. Esdeath continued calmly, "That's why I'm telling you to talk with Kailith. It's been more than two months since her awakening—she must have stabilized by now. Her power should already be near pseudo S rank."
Maruti crossed her arms, still thinking. Esdeath glanced at her and added, "And don't underestimate yourself either. We have so many Rank B essence stones—more than most Rank A awakeneds ever collect. And we even have Rank A essence stone. Once our ESR talent reaches A grade, we'll become genuine Rank A awakeneds too, of course a better one at that."
Esdeath paused for a moment, her voice turning serious. "And maybe, if we face a real life-and-death situation… we might awaken a second time."
Maruti gave a small laugh. "Second awakening, huh? Maybe I'll just go beat up my dad and sister to trigger mine."
She said it jokingly, but her smile faded quickly as her instincts suddenly warned her of something.
Her eyes darted toward the end of the hallway. "Alice is coming from that direction. Let's go the other way," she said quickly, tugging on Esdeath's sleeve.
Without waiting for a reply, she turned down another corridor, clearly not in the mood to deal with her today.
---------------
On the other side of the academy, Cassandra was walking with Ethan and his teammates. Her calm steps echoed in the hallway, but her sharp eyes kept scanning around as if she was searching for someone.
"Can you tell us now?" Ethan whispered carefully, glancing around to make sure no one was listening.
But Cassandra only shook her head, her expression blank as always. "Not now. Call Belta too. We'll talk at your place."
Ethan nodded, not daring to question her. "Okay."
"I'll go find Belta!" Emma said quickly, raising her hand before running off.
Belta was the newest member of their group — a tiger kin, one of the strongest beastmen races known for their wild strength and quick growth. She and Emma had become friends quickly, often laughing and agreeing on random things that confused even Ethan sometimes.
Of course in FLF there was supposed to be few more companions who was supposed to be great help of him but Esdeath had already killed either by herself or via maruti.
Ethan watched Emma disappear down the hallway, then turned back to Cassandra — only to notice her blue eyes suddenly sparkle. Following her gaze, he saw Princess Ravenna walking towards them.
Without hesitation, Cassandra dashed forward and bowed deeply. "My lady, if you are not in a hurry, I wanted to ask a small favor."
Ravenna froze on the spot. "Oh no…" she thought, panic flashing in her pink eyes. "Don't tell me she's going to drag me into her team! Maruti already warned me about Cassandra's plans!"
Even though Ravenna was kind of in a hurry , she couldn't just ignore her — it would seem rude, especially in public.
Forcing an awkward smile, Ravenna said, "Haha… well, I was on my way to meet Kailith for a bit of personal training, but I guess I can spare a moment and see what it's about."
"It's nothing serious," Cassandra replied quietly, her tone calm and polite. "I just wanted to know if the king has any free time soon. There are some small issues regarding land, the purchase of a few Rank B essence stones, and permission to organize a group of adventurers for a hunt. But to be honest…" She paused slightly, her voice softening. "Those are just excuses. I actually want to ask him about my father. I never really got to speak with him when he was alive, and now that he's gone, I… regret it."
Her face remained as blank as ever, but her words carried a faint sadness — like a doll talking about emotions it could never feel.
Ravenna blinked, a little taken aback. "I see. I'll talk to my father about it and let you know," she said with a kind smile.
"Thank you," Cassandra replied softly.
As Ravenna walked away, she sighed in relief. "Phew, thank the goddess it was a small favor! Still, I should tell Maruti about this later, just in case."
Once Ravenna was out of sight, Cassandra returned to Ethan and the others. Sylvania looked at her with concern. "You really miss your father, huh?"
"I sure do," Cassandra replied in her usual flat tone. Then, without even blinking, she added, "But I was lying."
The group stared at her, completely speechless. "What?"
"I lied… and then said I was lying… to hide a bigger lie," Cassandra said calmly, as if it made perfect sense. "Let's not talk about it here."
Ethan sighed deeply. "She's confusing again…"
They finally reached Ethan's home, and just about to knock the door, Emma came running back with Belta. The tiger girl waved happily, her tail flicking behind her.
When Ethan's mother, Brenna, opened the door and saw her son walking in with five different girls, she froze like a statue.
For a few long seconds, she just stared, her eyes wide. "Wait… was Maruti actually telling the truth? Is my son… a playboy?" she thought in disbelief.
"These are my friends," Ethan said quickly, scratching the back of his neck with a nervous smile. He then introduced each of them one by one — though Violet didn't need an introduction. Brenna already knew her well.
"Ah, I see! Come, come in! I've prepared some snacks," Brenna said, suddenly all smiles as she led them inside.
Luckily, she had extra snacks stored — leftovers she had made for Maruti earlier — so she didn't have to cook from scratch.
After everyone settled into Ethan's room, they closed the door. Voices soon disappeared behind the walls like an silent spell has been cast, leaving Brenna alone in the living room.
"One boy… and five girls… in one room?" she whispered, her face turning red. "No, no, what am I even thinking?" She slapped her own cheeks lightly and shook her head. "My mind's been getting dirtier these days!"
Still, her thoughts wouldn't stop. "Since they're having fun together… why don't I visit Maruti and have some fun too?" she said to herself with a mischievous grin.
And with that, Brenna grabbed her baf containing some unknown outfit and stepped outside, and headed straight for Maruti's apartment — which was conveniently right next door.