When Aurora entered the living room of her home in Zerzura, the first thing she noticed was Cithrel looking at her holographic clock.
She was very comfortable in this place and had completely settled in.
“Tired?” Cithrel asked and, getting up with a smile, brought her to the couch while casting a few spells.
Aurora felt her body relax and cool, which was nice, as Zerzura was always a hot place.
“Thank you,” Aurora murmured and her lips quivered as she saw Cithrel go to the kitchen to get her a drink.
She looked like a lovely wife who indulged her husband and soothed the tiredness after a day’s work with affection and attentiveness.
Such a feeling was quite clear and Aurora did not know how to react, as she realized that the other part was the husband.
“And the others?” Aurora asked, realizing that there was no one present.
She had invited the students to come and rest and enjoy this weekend on a nice vacation.
They didn’t have to pay for a hotel because they could stay in the building and could train or relax in the city, enjoying visiting Zerzura.
Unfortunately...
“They went off to do some daily missions, as they called it. Venali and Alice accompanied them,” Cithrel reported, giving an amused smile.
They still had priority when it came to missions, so if something happened, they could accept the mission before it was given to someone else.
Which led to there being many missions to do and very varied between them.
What was problematic was that the students, instead of enjoying this weekend trying to relax from the exhausting previous week, went on missions.
Aurora just sighed, not knowing how to react to her classmates.
She liked the students’ enthusiasm and had to admit that it was nice to see them this way, but...
“I think they should relax a bit,” Aurora muttered with a sigh.
Cithrel’s expression quivered as she watched her closely, and when Aurora tilted her head uncomprehendingly, she continued.
“Honey, you’re not the one to say that,” Cithrel said, and smiling, she detailed. “Since you’ve arrived, you’ve almost always been away and when you arrive, you also perform these types of missions, resting the least or hardly resting at all.”
The word ‘honey’ was so honeyed made Aurora shiver, and the problem was that she didn’t know how to respond.
She couldn’t deny what she was saying, as she had been working in the city.
From reviewing security protocols, reporting on what was going on in Kenya with the Lord of Mombasa, or simply communicating with the military so she wouldn’t be left out of the loop when something happened.
Aurora did not have an important or decisive role in many decisions, but from time to time the authorities asked her opinion.
So, instead of responding by making an excuse, she plopped down on the couch.
The academy was nice, for the fact that it was relaxing and while she knew she had to take care of Cithrel, she couldn’t deny that she looked at the situation as a ‘vacation’.
Although she was still training with her teachers, beyond attending classes or monitoring Cithrel, she didn’t have too many tasks to accomplish when she was at the academy.
Cithrel sat next to her and projected the tournament stands to discuss with Aurora.
Alice, Clémentine, Gregorio, Rachael, and a third-year student left in the tournament held the positions for the A-Rank.
Oliver, who had moved up in rank, could not place.
All those who were hoping to get a spot for the international tournament were looking at that young student who had taken a spot.
Aurora did not know his name, but she had seen that he had faced Clémentine and lost.
In the B-Rank positions, they left all those students who took the first ten places.
Jordan, Nicole, Frank, Alexey, and Cristian are the top five.
Among them was Dalia, who made it to the top ten and other students Aurora didn’t recognize.
From what she had heard, many were sharpening their claws to grab a spot among those individuals.
It would be a disaster as there was no balance and anyone would challenge anyone, with those who looked ‘weaker’ being the major targets.
The appearance of weakness was what anyone would be guided by and for Aurora, it was doubtful that some who got the positions were very weak and easy to defeat.
After all, the champion students got the positions after several battles.
“Will you join? You can steal an A-Rank position if you wish,” Cithrel said and, with an enigmatic smile, whispered. “Or maybe more.”
She was pointing out that maybe she could be like her gluttonous friend, who was stronger than she looked.
Aurora looked at her and gave a mysterious smile.
If she was honest, she had no desire to compete.
“I’ll stay to protect you,” Aurora replied, leading Cithrel to smile immediately.
“In that case, we would have to go to South America, as I want to watch the tournament directly. I’ve signed up as part of the healer support team while Venali has entered as a trainer,” Cithrel reported, smiling faintly.
Aurora was surprised because she hadn’t informed her of that.
“I didn’t say it before why I had to take care of your bosses,” Cithrel said, realized her surprise and, with a smile, explained. “I’ve already spoken to Urfin, so he wouldn’t make trouble. This is not a diplomatic trip, but a student one, so I assume there will be no problems with the South American authorities.”
It wasn’t as if she had to ask permission, but she had taken it upon herself to inform Urfin, because it would be problematic if she suddenly went somewhere else.
Moreover, usually Aurora informed Urfin when she came to Zerzura or when she went to another country, together with Cithrel and Venali.
It was part of her job, so she took it seriously.
Aurora nodded comfortably.
“Is that okay with you?” Cithrel asked and with an odd expression, she commented. “I thought you’d go for Alice, but if you wish, we can switch things up.”
She was being kind as she saw her lack of enthusiasm for that decision and while she may have lacked enthusiasm; she was mistaken as to the reason.
“I’m in the academy for you, so I have no problem with your decisions. My job is to protect you or at least take care of you,” Aurora replied, giving her a pleasant smile, added. “It’s already too kind of you to let me do my job and come to Zerzura with me.”
While Cithrel was her target to protect, in a way, she was also her boss.
Even though it was Urfin who hired her, in the end, Cithrel, who was the boss of Urfin’s boss, and it was she who had the final decision.
When one thought about it, that she let her take time off to come to Zerzura and let her do her job was already too much.
The line of work and friendship blurred to a level that it was hard to tell if actually being at Cithrel’s side was to protect her or to have fun.
That happened a lot when they went out sightseeing from time to time.
Aurora understood that Cithrel was already being kind by allowing her to work in this place while she sometimes stayed in the house, not having anyone accompany her.
Cithrel gave an honest and pleasant smile, but Aurora noticed how her long ears twitched and her eyes sparkled animatedly.
Was the gallant knight waking up?
That question came to Aurora’s mind and when she noticed Liam enter the room, she stopped him before he ran away.
“Do you need anything?” Aurora asked with an expression of a serious worker.
Liam, for breaking the mood, got a dangerous look from Cithrel, who didn’t know the cause.
“Yes, I need to talk to you for a moment, boss,” Liam replied using a serious tone, of a professional and dedicated worker.
Aurora gave him a thumbs up and quickly fled from Cithrel.
That princess was not one to show her gallant side in front of others.
The reason was not embarrassment or shyness, but she was considerate of Aurora, who was easily embarrassed in public.
Following Liam into the meeting room, Aurora followed the man.
“I’ve been running a project,” Liam said on cue and shared a report over his holographic watch.
It was a rather short summary of what he was doing these past few days.
In these times, where Abyssal Portals were approaching and there were already traces of them, like in Japan, togetherness was vital.
Liam had assembled a group of people who ran their own information networks throughout Africa, and while the group was small, he was looking for it to grow over time.
His goal was to maintain an alliance to get as much information as possible from all parts of this continent.
“I’ve had contact with them before and they are reliable people. They’re one of those guys who won’t sell information from us and let us know when someone is looking for us,” Liam reported, and looking at Aurora, he explained. “With them on our side, we’ll have a better chance of finding out what’s going on in other parts of Africa and we won’t be blind-sided.”
Aurora nodded.
In the information business, there were always individuals who worked for money and had no codes among themselves.
Liam was someone who had codes and liked to associate with those kinds of people, so it was normal for him to meet other individuals in different parts of the world.
Africa was where he had his biggest associates.
However, Aurora hesitated for a moment and asked. “And Zerzura?”
They were connected to Zerzura’s information network and that meant that anything discovered by Zerzura’s authorities, such as the military, the Apicius Enterprise, or the church, would reach them.
“We will continue with them, but we are different. The church uses its believers, the military its contacts with militiamen, and the Apicius Company its money to get information, but there is still something undiscovered,” Liam said and with a smile, he pointed. “The underworld.”
The side of society where gangsters, mobsters, and criminals operated in secret.
That side was difficult to discover on their own and was problematic, as they dealt in the ‘dark’ with their enemies.
Unlike demons, sects and demonic cults, such organizations were the norm before the Great Cataclysm, and although, over time, their influence diminished, they were still active.
Some believed that to discover that side they had to be on that side... Something the church or Zerzura, in general, could not accomplish.
“My goal is to form an extensive information network covering all of Africa,” Liam announced, giving an animated smile.
“Quite ambitious,” Aurora muttered and without giving it any thought, asked. “Do you need me to increase your budget? We’re not doing missions, but I can direct some money to your new project.”
While they didn’t make a profit on most of the missions they did, some, in particular, she was getting paid very similar to the missions she did in Japan with Akira.
Adding the personal income she earned from the real estate and investments in Zerzura, her personal income was high, let alone when she had another source of income of higher profit, which she didn’t like to use.
Surprising as it may seem, getting money in these lands was easy and even more so when she could go to the magical forest and bring back ingredients that could have a high value or even hunt dangerous magical beasts.
She had acquaintances on the inside and, greater than anything else, confidence in her personal strength to emerge victorious from any hunt.
Investing in an information network was costly and would spend a great deal of money, however, in the long run, it was profitable.
“Money doesn’t matter, I have already spoken to the Apicius Company who is interested in being informed of this situation and their investment was juicy,” Liam said with sparkling eyes and coughing as, realizing her changed expression, he specified. “What I want from you, boss. It’s your word.”
Aurora looked at him carefully, as he had changed to the way he referred to her.
She knew that the Apicius company would invest because they could make use of that network on a business level, gaining information that could be valuable.
Africa was a large continent and there were still cities or locations where a company could make a profit.
However, for him to ask for her word was a heavy matter.
“The Apicius Company just looks like a profit-seeking company. It has been seen when it lures other guilds to its side with money, but what they will work with me they want is security,” Liam said and, giving a serious expression, he revealed. “The security that only the ‘Protector of Zerzura’ can provide.”
Not stopping at her frown, Liam continued quickly.
“Your support will allow them to feel safe when something happens to them. They wish the ‘Protector of Zerzura’ to be their support and pillar, allowing them to receive your help when they are in trouble,” Explained Liam in remarkable calm.
Liam was an S-rank and his strength in both the virtual and real world was considerable, however, the title ‘Protector of Zerzura’ had a deep meaning in these lands.
It was not only because behind the ‘Protector of Zerzura’ was Zerzura City itself, with all its different authorities, but because of her contacts in other areas.
From the magical forest or at the front of warlords, her title had power and authority.
That was when someone could go into the magical forest without fear or ‘secretly’ eliminate warlords who were causing trouble.
That she went out to protect refugees gave confidence that if need be, she could go help them when needed.
“Fine, I’ll do that. But you know our ideals. I don’t want to go help someone, only to end up finding myself in an unpleasant situation,” Aurora replied in a simple tone.
Her acceptance was quick, and her comment was just a casual reminder.
If someone in the information network was in trouble and that trouble was caused by selling information from allied magical beasts, Aurora wouldn’t mind informing said beasts.
Moreover, she would surely be the first to be on the side of the beast to take care of those individuals.
While her ideals would limit the area, those information networks would work with, at the same time, it opened doors for other individuals to work with them.
From Zerzura, the Apicius Company, the Church, the military, adventurers or mercenaries... The number of people to trust in the ‘Protectors of Zerzura’ was too large.
That meant it would be big business.
“Perfect. I’ll hold a meeting tomorrow. There’s nothing better than seeing you, to make them trust your words,” Liam replied like a professional and respectful worker.
Aurora shook her head and walked away.
She ignored the fact that, with this project, Liam was secretly entrenching his power and extending his claws elsewhere to increase the strength of his information network.
To Aurora, that was an insignificant issue.
By gaining allies in other areas where Zerzura’s eyes did not reach, it would allow her to entrench security when the Abyssal Portals appeared.
Even if some rogue guilds tried to take control of an Abyssal Portal, with those new eyes, she would find out and then intervene if necessary.
Although she had no influence and thus was unlikely to be able to act on other continents, in Africa, she could move as she wished.
In the same way that some warlords acted.
—If Liam entrenches his position, you will extend your influence.
Her system gave its commentary and Aurora, reading the text in her mind, agreed.
Greater influence was necessary for the future.
After all, the preparations for dealing with the Abyssal Portals included not only Zerzura, but all of Africa.
And she was an important point in that monumental project.
When Aurora entered the living room of her home in Zerzura, the first thing she noticed was Cithrel looking at her holographic clock.
She was very comfortable in this place and had completely settled in.
“Tired?” Cithrel asked and, getting up with a smile, brought her to the couch while casting a few spells.
Aurora felt her body relax and cool, which was nice, as Zerzura was always a hot place.
“Thank you,” Aurora murmured and her lips quivered as she saw Cithrel go to the kitchen to get her a drink.
She looked like a lovely wife who indulged her husband and soothed the tiredness after a day’s work with affection and attentiveness.
Such a feeling was quite clear and Aurora did not know how to react, as she realized that the other part was the husband.
“And the others?” Aurora asked, realizing that there was no one present.
She had invited the students to come and rest and enjoy this weekend on a nice vacation.
They didn’t have to pay for a hotel because they could stay in the building and could train or relax in the city, enjoying visiting Zerzura.
Unfortunately...
“They went off to do some daily missions, as they called it. Venali and Alice accompanied them,” Cithrel reported, giving an amused smile.
They still had priority when it came to missions, so if something happened, they could accept the mission before it was given to someone else.
Which led to there being many missions to do and very varied between them.
What was problematic was that the students, instead of enjoying this weekend trying to relax from the exhausting previous week, went on missions.
Aurora just sighed, not knowing how to react to her classmates.
She liked the students’ enthusiasm and had to admit that it was nice to see them this way, but...
“I think they should relax a bit,” Aurora muttered with a sigh.
Cithrel’s expression quivered as she watched her closely, and when Aurora tilted her head uncomprehendingly, she continued.
“Honey, you’re not the one to say that,” Cithrel said, and smiling, she detailed. “Since you’ve arrived, you’ve almost always been away and when you arrive, you also perform these types of missions, resting the least or hardly resting at all.”
The word ‘honey’ was so honeyed made Aurora shiver, and the problem was that she didn’t know how to respond.
She couldn’t deny what she was saying, as she had been working in the city.
From reviewing security protocols, reporting on what was going on in Kenya with the Lord of Mombasa, or simply communicating with the military so she wouldn’t be left out of the loop when something happened.
Aurora did not have an important or decisive role in many decisions, but from time to time the authorities asked her opinion.
So, instead of responding by making an excuse, she plopped down on the couch.
The academy was nice, for the fact that it was relaxing and while she knew she had to take care of Cithrel, she couldn’t deny that she looked at the situation as a ‘vacation’.
Although she was still training with her teachers, beyond attending classes or monitoring Cithrel, she didn’t have too many tasks to accomplish when she was at the academy.
Cithrel sat next to her and projected the tournament stands to discuss with Aurora.
Alice, Clémentine, Gregorio, Rachael, and a third-year student left in the tournament held the positions for the A-Rank.
Oliver, who had moved up in rank, could not place.
All those who were hoping to get a spot for the international tournament were looking at that young student who had taken a spot.
Aurora did not know his name, but she had seen that he had faced Clémentine and lost.
In the B-Rank positions, they left all those students who took the first ten places.
Jordan, Nicole, Frank, Alexey, and Cristian are the top five.
Among them was Dalia, who made it to the top ten and other students Aurora didn’t recognize.
From what she had heard, many were sharpening their claws to grab a spot among those individuals.
It would be a disaster as there was no balance and anyone would challenge anyone, with those who looked ‘weaker’ being the major targets.
The appearance of weakness was what anyone would be guided by and for Aurora, it was doubtful that some who got the positions were very weak and easy to defeat.
After all, the champion students got the positions after several battles.
“Will you join? You can steal an A-Rank position if you wish,” Cithrel said and, with an enigmatic smile, whispered. “Or maybe more.”
She was pointing out that maybe she could be like her gluttonous friend, who was stronger than she looked.
Aurora looked at her and gave a mysterious smile.
If she was honest, she had no desire to compete.
“I’ll stay to protect you,” Aurora replied, leading Cithrel to smile immediately.
“In that case, we would have to go to South America, as I want to watch the tournament directly. I’ve signed up as part of the healer support team while Venali has entered as a trainer,” Cithrel reported, smiling faintly.
Aurora was surprised because she hadn’t informed her of that.
“I didn’t say it before why I had to take care of your bosses,” Cithrel said, realized her surprise and, with a smile, explained. “I’ve already spoken to Urfin, so he wouldn’t make trouble. This is not a diplomatic trip, but a student one, so I assume there will be no problems with the South American authorities.”
It wasn’t as if she had to ask permission, but she had taken it upon herself to inform Urfin, because it would be problematic if she suddenly went somewhere else.
Moreover, usually Aurora informed Urfin when she came to Zerzura or when she went to another country, together with Cithrel and Venali.
It was part of her job, so she took it seriously.
Aurora nodded comfortably.
“Is that okay with you?” Cithrel asked and with an odd expression, she commented. “I thought you’d go for Alice, but if you wish, we can switch things up.”
She was being kind as she saw her lack of enthusiasm for that decision and while she may have lacked enthusiasm; she was mistaken as to the reason.
“I’m in the academy for you, so I have no problem with your decisions. My job is to protect you or at least take care of you,” Aurora replied, giving her a pleasant smile, added. “It’s already too kind of you to let me do my job and come to Zerzura with me.”
While Cithrel was her target to protect, in a way, she was also her boss.
Even though it was Urfin who hired her, in the end, Cithrel, who was the boss of Urfin’s boss, and it was she who had the final decision.
When one thought about it, that she let her take time off to come to Zerzura and let her do her job was already too much.
The line of work and friendship blurred to a level that it was hard to tell if actually being at Cithrel’s side was to protect her or to have fun.
That happened a lot when they went out sightseeing from time to time.
Aurora understood that Cithrel was already being kind by allowing her to work in this place while she sometimes stayed in the house, not having anyone accompany her.
Cithrel gave an honest and pleasant smile, but Aurora noticed how her long ears twitched and her eyes sparkled animatedly.
Was the gallant knight waking up?
That question came to Aurora’s mind and when she noticed Liam enter the room, she stopped him before he ran away.
“Do you need anything?” Aurora asked with an expression of a serious worker.
Liam, for breaking the mood, got a dangerous look from Cithrel, who didn’t know the cause.
“Yes, I need to talk to you for a moment, boss,” Liam replied using a serious tone, of a professional and dedicated worker.
Aurora gave him a thumbs up and quickly fled from Cithrel.
That princess was not one to show her gallant side in front of others.
The reason was not embarrassment or shyness, but she was considerate of Aurora, who was easily embarrassed in public.
Following Liam into the meeting room, Aurora followed the man.
“I’ve been running a project,” Liam said on cue and shared a report over his holographic watch.
It was a rather short summary of what he was doing these past few days.
In these times, where Abyssal Portals were approaching and there were already traces of them, like in Japan, togetherness was vital.
Liam had assembled a group of people who ran their own information networks throughout Africa, and while the group was small, he was looking for it to grow over time.
His goal was to maintain an alliance to get as much information as possible from all parts of this continent.
“I’ve had contact with them before and they are reliable people. They’re one of those guys who won’t sell information from us and let us know when someone is looking for us,” Liam reported, and looking at Aurora, he explained. “With them on our side, we’ll have a better chance of finding out what’s going on in other parts of Africa and we won’t be blind-sided.”
Aurora nodded.
In the information business, there were always individuals who worked for money and had no codes among themselves.
Liam was someone who had codes and liked to associate with those kinds of people, so it was normal for him to meet other individuals in different parts of the world.
Africa was where he had his biggest associates.
However, Aurora hesitated for a moment and asked. “And Zerzura?”
They were connected to Zerzura’s information network and that meant that anything discovered by Zerzura’s authorities, such as the military, the Apicius Enterprise, or the church, would reach them.
“We will continue with them, but we are different. The church uses its believers, the military its contacts with militiamen, and the Apicius Company its money to get information, but there is still something undiscovered,” Liam said and with a smile, he pointed. “The underworld.”
The side of society where gangsters, mobsters, and criminals operated in secret.
That side was difficult to discover on their own and was problematic, as they dealt in the ‘dark’ with their enemies.
Unlike demons, sects and demonic cults, such organizations were the norm before the Great Cataclysm, and although, over time, their influence diminished, they were still active.
Some believed that to discover that side they had to be on that side... Something the church or Zerzura, in general, could not accomplish.
“My goal is to form an extensive information network covering all of Africa,” Liam announced, giving an animated smile.
“Quite ambitious,” Aurora muttered and without giving it any thought, asked. “Do you need me to increase your budget? We’re not doing missions, but I can direct some money to your new project.”
While they didn’t make a profit on most of the missions they did, some, in particular, she was getting paid very similar to the missions she did in Japan with Akira.
Adding the personal income she earned from the real estate and investments in Zerzura, her personal income was high, let alone when she had another source of income of higher profit, which she didn’t like to use.
Surprising as it may seem, getting money in these lands was easy and even more so when she could go to the magical forest and bring back ingredients that could have a high value or even hunt dangerous magical beasts.
She had acquaintances on the inside and, greater than anything else, confidence in her personal strength to emerge victorious from any hunt.
Investing in an information network was costly and would spend a great deal of money, however, in the long run, it was profitable.
“Money doesn’t matter, I have already spoken to the Apicius Company who is interested in being informed of this situation and their investment was juicy,” Liam said with sparkling eyes and coughing as, realizing her changed expression, he specified. “What I want from you, boss. It’s your word.”
Aurora looked at him carefully, as he had changed to the way he referred to her.
She knew that the Apicius company would invest because they could make use of that network on a business level, gaining information that could be valuable.
Africa was a large continent and there were still cities or locations where a company could make a profit.
However, for him to ask for her word was a heavy matter.
“The Apicius Company just looks like a profit-seeking company. It has been seen when it lures other guilds to its side with money, but what they will work with me they want is security,” Liam said and, giving a serious expression, he revealed. “The security that only the ‘Protector of Zerzura’ can provide.”
Not stopping at her frown, Liam continued quickly.
“Your support will allow them to feel safe when something happens to them. They wish the ‘Protector of Zerzura’ to be their support and pillar, allowing them to receive your help when they are in trouble,” Explained Liam in remarkable calm.
Liam was an S-rank and his strength in both the virtual and real world was considerable, however, the title ‘Protector of Zerzura’ had a deep meaning in these lands.
It was not only because behind the ‘Protector of Zerzura’ was Zerzura City itself, with all its different authorities, but because of her contacts in other areas.
From the magical forest or at the front of warlords, her title had power and authority.
That was when someone could go into the magical forest without fear or ‘secretly’ eliminate warlords who were causing trouble.
That she went out to protect refugees gave confidence that if need be, she could go help them when needed.
“Fine, I’ll do that. But you know our ideals. I don’t want to go help someone, only to end up finding myself in an unpleasant situation,” Aurora replied in a simple tone.
Her acceptance was quick, and her comment was just a casual reminder.
If someone in the information network was in trouble and that trouble was caused by selling information from allied magical beasts, Aurora wouldn’t mind informing said beasts.
Moreover, she would surely be the first to be on the side of the beast to take care of those individuals.
While her ideals would limit the area, those information networks would work with, at the same time, it opened doors for other individuals to work with them.
From Zerzura, the Apicius Company, the Church, the military, adventurers or mercenaries... The number of people to trust in the ‘Protectors of Zerzura’ was too large.
That meant it would be big business.
“Perfect. I’ll hold a meeting tomorrow. There’s nothing better than seeing you, to make them trust your words,” Liam replied like a professional and respectful worker.
Aurora shook her head and walked away.
She ignored the fact that, with this project, Liam was secretly entrenching his power and extending his claws elsewhere to increase the strength of his information network.
To Aurora, that was an insignificant issue.
By gaining allies in other areas where Zerzura’s eyes did not reach, it would allow her to entrench security when the Abyssal Portals appeared.
Even if some rogue guilds tried to take control of an Abyssal Portal, with those new eyes, she would find out and then intervene if necessary.
Although she had no influence and thus was unlikely to be able to act on other continents, in Africa, she could move as she wished.
In the same way that some warlords acted.
—If Liam entrenches his position, you will extend your influence.
Her system gave its commentary and Aurora, reading the text in her mind, agreed.
Greater influence was necessary for the future.
After all, the preparations for dealing with the Abyssal Portals included not only Zerzura, but all of Africa.
And she was an important point in that monumental project.
