"Kiliffia! You're going to be late." A panda girl said as she walked over and pulled Kiliffia by her hand. But Kiliffia did not budge, nor did she acknowledge the girl. "Kiliffia?"
"Hmm? Sorry, I thought I saw something." Kiliffia finally snapped out of it and let the girl pull her along. She turned her head back and looked in the direction of a dark corner in the hallway once more. "Maybe I am imagining things..." Kiliffia mumbled before turning back around.
In the spot she was staring, a figure was merged with the shadows stared at Kiliffia. "That girl's senses are really keen. If she was at a higher level, I am sure she would have noticed me. At any rate, I need to find information on the target." The figure seemed to have melted into the shadows flowing through it like water as it made its way down the hall.
Kiliffia still felt like something was off as she followed the panda girl. But she couldn't place her finger on what it was. It had been months now, and her goddess had yet to return. She had only seen her goddess's handsome husband once, and since then, he never returned. "I hope she is okay..."
"Who do you wish to be, okay?" The panda girl asked with a smile.
"Ahh… It's nothing. Do you think our instructor will make us run around the academy one hundred times again? Last time I almost died from exhaustion."
"It all depends if that bitchy girl can keep her mouth shut and not make the instructor mad again. I heard the reason she got mad yesterday was that the instructor would not take her to bed." The panda girl answered.
"Instead of bitchy, that would make her more slutty than anything. I understand if you like someone, but shouldn't she take things slow?" Kiliffia felt that girls like that made her as a girl look bad to others as well. Wouldn't such actions make it so a stereotype would suddenly be formed for all the girls?
"Well, it's her reputation. As long as things do not get out of hand, it should be fine. But boys nowadays will take one instance and try to place the action of one on all. Anyway, from what I heard, the bitch has been chasing after the instructor since before the academy. I just wish she would not drag us into it as well." The panda girl frowned. Just thinking of how sore her muscles were when she woke up caused them to ache again.
"Well, if she begins to pester the instructor, I will knock her out." Kiliffia firmly decided. She would not suffer due to others' actions. It was not that she was not willing to train hard. In fact, she trained even after her specialty class. It was just that she did not wish to be punished for no reason.
"Haha! I will help you!" The panda girl said as she hugged Kiliffia's arm. "By the way, lately, Will has been taking peeks at you. I think he might have fallen in love with you. He is of noble ranking, so if you can marry him, your life would be set."
"I do not and will not get into a relationship any time soon. If you think he is sooo good, go take a lesson from bitchy and try to climb in his bed." Kiliffia teased.
"You! Why would I do something like that! I am a pure maiden and will not stoop so low as to use my own body as a means to get a man. Plus, unless they are as strong as me, they can forget about me even giving them the time of day." The panda girl said as she pinched Kiliffia's arm.
Kiliffia let out a laugh. "Then wouldn't I be the only one worth marrying you at this time?"
"Humph! Who wants to marry you! Do you know that every day I go back to the dorm with bruises all over my body because you do not know the meaning of treating a lady delicately? I have spent more on cream to reduce swelling than I do on food!" The panda girl pouted.
"Yeah, yeah! Who told me if I do not go all out, you would not be my friend anymore." Kiliffia said, flicking the girl's head. The two looked at each other and laughed. The past few months, the two had become good friends.
---
"Okay, this is the last match. Whoever comes out alive will be the winner. I will not waste words. Just get to it." The knight yelled.
Kana entered the cage and waited for the knight to yell, begin. Once he did, she wasted no time at all using her [Dragon Breath]. The match lasted no more than four seconds and was very uneventful. But the knight standing outside the cage figured this was going to be the result since out of the ones who had made it this far, Kana's opponent was the weakest of the five.
"Okay, rest up for tonight. Someone will be sent to your inn to pick you up in the morning and bring you to the military barracks. From there, you will be assigned to a unit and sent to the front lines. You will also be given a crystal that will count how many enemies you kill. Each normal soldier is worth half a point of prestige. Captains are a full point, and generals are two points." The knight explained.
"And how much prestige does one need to make a request from the king himself?" Kana asked.
"Ten million." The knight said with a smile before waving his hand. "Go. You will find out more tomorrow."
Kana nodded her head and left the testing grounds. She was tired from the day's events and really wished to take a hot bath and rest. She had a feeling her days to come will be trudging through the mud as she fought on the battlefield. But thinking of the ten million points, she needed to talk to the king made her heartache. She had a feeling the damn king was making things difficult for her.