Sera stood there now lost. She was having a hard time actually speaking to a kid. If the rest saw this, the world would not believe it.
The consequence of approaching first is that you have to speak first and the deep look she was receiving just happened to make it harder for her somehow. Should she seat or stand?
"You really might have just saved the elite group of our academy… Okay you just did it," she changed her wording when she saw the dejected look.
She realized she was not going to change anytime soon and she decided to continue with her own speed.
"I won't pry into your secrets or anything. After all, you survived alone all this time while our group is having a hard time. Maybe I should have listened to you first. Okay, I should have…" She paused when she heard his sigh.
Damned kid. She wanted to curse that aloud but her restraint kept her back. Here she was making a fool out of herself.
"You should know when to take a step back for your own good," she said after composing herself once again.
"I am seated actually you should just go straight to the point. No need to waste each other's time with unnecessary formalities." Lyren said with finality and Sera felt like he had just poured ice cold water on her.
How many in the group would be wagging their tails to have her talk to them. She had gone through the lengths of coming this dark to speak to him and it was a waste of time?
Unnecessary formalities? Her ancestors might as well roll in their graves!
"Also, don't think that you are doing me a favor by approaching me. If you expect me to be grateful, then forgive my ungratefulness for asking you to leave. Its but a waste of time."
Sera felt a thousand arrows pierce at her chest as her pride was flashed down the drain by a non-cultivator kid.
She never knew that she could lose her composure this many times! She could only take it because he was her golden ticket and she had to treat his well and also bear with him. If he enrolled in the academy, she was going to make sure she had her revenge.
"Okay, does our deal still stand?" she asked and realized being more straightforward was going to bear more fruits than beating around the bush.
"Maybe I should add more terms to it now." Lyren said and Sera was taken aback.
"What terms?"
"For as long as I can remember, I have always travelled with my father' sword. Not even once have I parted with it and it feels like ages have passed since I last held it.
"I was so scared without it by my side. I only request to have my sword back. It has been my sole source of company," Lyren spoke with seeded longing that Sera could not help but shake her head. So, this was all it was about?
"And what if I don't?"
"I guess I have no choice then. I have seen Kaelen spying on us. I wonder how much he knows. Maybe he will be more cooperative. After all, men do get along well even as strangers or enemies…"
Lyren let his words linger as Sera's face turned pale. Kaelen was spying on them? How did he know and she did not?
"How much does he know?" she asked and Lyren looked at her as though she was a complete idiot.
"Maybe I should just approach him and find out how much he knows. Maybe he might be willing to accept my terms at 100%. That sound much better than 75%, don't you think?"
Lyren asked and right about then, they heard distant footsteps in the woods and Sera took several steps back as her dream was actually being threatened to be pushed off the cliff.
Kaelen was the favorite of many elders and seniors in the academy. If he agreed to 100%, he would get even more rewards than she would get after becoming a core disciple.
Just what was the kid playing at and how much did Kaelen know. The fact there were footsteps after the kid mentioned his presence meant that that was actually Kaelen and he had made loud footsteps on purpose.
As though acknowledging that he was okay with giving even 101% if Lyren approached him.
Sera looked at Lyren. He seemed to be in deep thoughts. Contemplating what was the better deal. From what she had found out, he really could fall into the materialistic category.
She gritted her teeth because she was once again being told that she did not matter. She for the first time took a seat on the ground next to him.
"Okay, I understand now. I have been looking down on you all this while but you have a back up plan for yourself and I am treading on thin ice.
"I won't beg or anything but you know, you just don't go blackmailing women like that. I will give your sword back but you must promise that you are going to honor your part of the deal."
"I plan on seeing it to the end as long as nothing goes wrong. I only had one demand and you went ahead and tried to make things hard. I am not a fun of troublesome people," Lyren said as he finished with a sigh.
Dealing with troublesome people required actual leverage and he had his boot right on her throat.
"There might be a problem though…"
"It doesn't matter. Just keep your word."
Lyren was quick to dismiss her before she gave excuses. Then he closed his eyes completely ignoring her. She stood up and just as she was about to leave, she turned back to him and told him the tent he was assigned. He just nodded and she left.
Lyren realize that his internal clock had reset a long time ago and so had his awake hours increased.
He did not fall asleep throughout the night and he spent this time refining his awareness on the arrays. He had not bothered entering the tent at all.
He had attempted drawing an array in the air but he had failed over a hundred times. He had even lost count of the number of times he had reread the creation part.
It was the birds that pulled him from his world as he opened his eyes only to realize that it was already morning. The sun was already up and the tents had been folded.
Only the treatment one was still set up. Lyren looked around and he saw that they were now dissecting the deer. It was not easy to rot and it could take a week for it to start rotting. This meant that it was still fresh.
The one involved were Kaelen and his gang. Lyren watched from afar and he could see Sera was standing a distance away from them.
She seemed to be so engrossed on what Kaelen was doing and this was somehow weird even to the girls because it was not usually like this.
There was absolutely nothing special in what Kaelen was doing by cutting the deer yet she was so absorbed.
Well, that was until one saw that they were dissecting the deer with a sword and the sword specifically was very important to Sera. It was the sword that carried the key to her destiny.
The reason it was complicated was because it was Kaelen who had Lyren's sword and Sera meant it was going to be difficult to get it from him without making a deal with him.
Now he was using it in the open. Mocking her and also confirming that he knew what was going on. This just raised the stakes for the sword and Sera was helpless here.
Did men have to be this difficult to deal with? She saw Kaelen tear the fur with the sword and he kept brandishing the sword tormenting her. He kept sending he glances and at times, he would look at the kid who had just woken up.
This had just gotten more complicated….