The murmurs from other guild members around him snapped him out of his thoughts. He stood up straight, trying to regain his composure.
‘Guess I should head over to my room and change my clothes,’ he thought. ‘Although it’s a bit late, I might have to visit the black market and search further… on second thought I should save that for tomorrow, I’m beat.’
Alister continued through the guild building, the whispers of other members following him like shadows.
“What do you think he took from the treasury?”
“Did you see him holding anything? Maybe he didn’t get anything in the end.”
“Serves him right for being so arrogant.”
Alister sighed, shaking his head slightly. ‘People will always talk, whether things go well or poorly,’ he thought. ‘Not that I care.’
As he walked, a sudden grumble from his stomach caused him to pause. He turned pale, mumbling to himself, “Damn… I forgot to eat. I was so busy looking for the ingredients I completely forgot, I don’t even think I had lunch, and that little breakfast the guild representatives offered that I ate this morning was practically nothing.”
Just then, a voice called out to him.
“Over here, Alister.”
He turned around to see Beatrice waving her hand as she approached him. She stopped in front of him, catching her breath before standing up straight. Folding and tightening her fists, she said, “I’ve been looking for you.”
Alister tilted his head, a confused expression on his face.
“Looking for me? Why?”
Beatrice smiled. “Some friends and I are having dinner together and wanted to invite you.” Alister blinked in surprise, his mind still partially preoccupied with the recent events in the treasury. “Dinner?” he asked, a bit distracted. “With your friends?”
Beatrice nodded eagerly, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “Yeah! We thought it would be nice to get to know you better. You’ve been the talk of the guild lately, and… well, we figured you could use a break.”
Alister’s stomach grumbled again, louder this time, as if emphasizing the point. He chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. “I suppose I could use some food. I’ve been so caught up in everything that I forgot to eat.”
“Great!” Beatrice exclaimed, her enthusiasm infectious. “Come on, let’s go. Everyone’s already at the Tibte Café.”
Alister followed Beatrice through the winding corridors of the guild building, the whispers of other members gradually fading into the background. As they approached the Café, it was a massive building owned by the guild, the warm, inviting aroma of food filled the air, making his stomach rumble.
The Café was filled with activity. Guild members sat at long tables, chatting and laughing as they enjoyed their meals. Beatrice led Alister to a table near the center, where a group of her friends were already gathered. They looked up as the two approached, their expressions a mix of curiosity and friendliness.
“Everyone, this is Alister,” Beatrice introduced, gesturing towards him. “Alister, these are my friends – Axel, Blitz, and Lila.”
Axel, a prankster and troublemaker with a playful yet sheepish attitude, grinned widely. “Hey Alister! It’s been a while, I think we met this morning.”
“Didn’t you guys gather with the other in the main hall?” Alister asked.
Blitz, equally mischievous, leaned back in her chair, a confident and slightly boastful smirk on her face.
“Na, lady Aiko was all over our case, she really went through with punishing us so we couldn’t show.”
“Then why are you sounding so confident about it?” Alister asked a bit awkwardly, finding his attitude a bit strange.
“Hi, Alister,” a voice said, causing Alister to look at the other side of the table where a woman sat, he instantly recognised her.l, his eyes widening slightly.
It was Lila, the same Lila who he had saved along with their teammates from an A rank dungeon raid. her cheeks turning a faint pink.
“Oh, hi Lil-”
Before Alister could finish she looked away swiftly, causing Alister to feel a bit awkward. ‘Whats up with her… I thought she said she would like for us to talk again next time we met?’
‘What’s up with the cold shoulder?’
Alister focused his gaze on her, noticing the blush on her cheeks. freewebnσvel.cѳm
‘Maybe she’s enbeharrsed about not being much help during the dungeon raid?’
Alister let out a sigh as he thought, ‘Guess there’s no helping it, she wasn’t really able to help when things got rough.’
Alister finally settled into his seat as he said, “Thanks for inviting me. It’s nice to meet all of you again.”
As they all settled in, they placed their orders and plates of food were passed around, and Alister felt his tension slowly melting away.
The conversation flowed easily, with Beatrice and her friends sharing stories about their adventures and the various challenges they had faced as guild members.
“So, Alister,” Blitz said between bites of her meal, “we heard you were in the treasury today. Did you find anything interesting?”
Alister paused, considering his response. He decided to keep the details of exactly what he got to himself for now.
“I did find some items that might be useful for my future endeavors.”
He said carefully. “But the search was more challenging than I expected.”
Axel nodded. “Yeah I’ve heard rumors that the treasury can be overwhelming. So much stuff packed in there.”
“Although I’ve never personally seen it, I’m sure my exploits one of these days will allow me to get the chance to pick something out,” Axel said with a playful grin.
Beatrice rolled her eyes, but her smile remained. “Knowing you, Axel, you’d probably go for the most outrageous thing you could find.”
Axel chuckled, leaning back in his chair. “You know me too well, Beatrice.”
As they continued to eat, the conversation turned to lighter topics, and Alister found himself relaxing more and more. He was grateful for the break from the constant pressure of his quest and the tension with Yuuto.
“So, Alister,” Blitz said, her mischievous smile returning, “got any stories from your days back at your academy? You must have some good ones. Right?”