Cinder suddenly walked up to Alister, her red eyes gleaming with a cold gaze as she spoke, “My Lord…”
Her voice was lo low but intense. She stood close to him, her tail flicking impatiently behind her.
“Shall I incinerate the humans here?” She turned to face a small group of men as she spoke, causing them to shiver slightly and feel uneasy.
Alister sighed, already knowing where this was going. “Cinder, again, you are not allowed to incinerate humans,” he replied firmly, his eyes meeting hers with a stern gaze.
The small group of men let out sighs of relief, proceeding to quicken their steps and get away from there.
Cinder opened her mouth to say something, but before she could speak again, Lady Aiko interjected, adjusting her glasses with a sharp glint.
“Stop wasting my time,” she said, her voice crisp and cold.
“I don’t have all day. I have important business to attend to.”
Cinder closed her mouth, her eyes narrowing slightly, but she obeyed Alister, stepping back without another word.
Alister glanced at Aiko, nodding, and they continued walking without further interruptions. As they walked further through the mall, Alister couldn’t help but notice the countless clothing stores they passed. He turned to Lady Aiko, his curiosity piqued.
“Is there somewhere specific in the mall that we’re headed? You’ve passed so many clothing stores without even considering stopping at any of them.”
Lady Aiko glanced at him, her expression calm. “We’re going to Finesse Fabrications,” she replied.
Alister raised an eyebrow, repeating the name questioningly, “Finesse Fabrications?”
“Yes,” Lady Aiko explained. “They are a company known for using high-grade dungeon materials to create clothing instead of armor.”
Alister found it odd and murmured, “High-grade dungeon materials for clothing? But won’t that make their clothing very expensive?”
Lady Aiko adjusted her glasses. “Yes, but that’s also what makes it the best.”
She continued, “As a member of the White Comet Guild, especially as our rising star, you can’t be caught dead wearing just any brand. You have to dress yourself in the best of the best.”
Alister’s expression shifted to one of awkwardness with a touch of shock. “I don’t suppose this is a gift from the guild?”
“It’s not, it’s coming out of your pay.” Lady Aiko said as she looked at him flatly.
Alister opened his mouth, ready to argue about the unexpected expense, but the words died on his lips. He let out a sigh, resigning himself to the situation.
“How long until we get there?” he asked, deciding to shift the topic away from the cost, as he took silently saw the benefits from such an endeavour.
Lady Aiko glanced at her wristwatch. “We should arrive in about ten minutes if we maintain our pace. Just keep walking.”
Lady Aiko and the group ascended some escalators, as they did Cinder found herself momentarily distracted by the sleek, metal ridges gliding beneath her feet.
“What is this creature?” She mumbled.
Lila noticed her unease had spiked slightly, deciding to explain to her, she then said, “They are sort of like moving stairs, people call them escalators.”
“Escalators? How percular,” she mumbled in response.
As they continued down heading towards their destination, lady Aiko paused slightly as she noticed a fammilar face approaching from the other side of the hall.
She had spotted a woman with a powerful presence, she had purple hair, red eyes, and was dressed in black leather armor with golden accents that glow faintly, with the insignia of the Berserker guild – a roaring bear.
She was none other than the Guildmaster of the beserkers, Anya Petrova. Behind her, Klaus followed, carrying an armful of bags, grumbling as he tried to keep pace.
“This is too much, ma’am! You’ve gone overboard again!” Klaus complained, visibly struggling with the load.
“And most of this cost millions, you’re denying guild funds again.”
Anya waved him off dismissively. “Money has never been our problem, Klaus. If we run low, we’ll just raid an S-ranked dungeon.”
“Push comes to shove I can always tell head quarters to send a check.”
Klaus sighed but kept following, clearly used to her extravagant ways.
As they neared, Lady Aiko decided to call out. “Guild Master Anya,” she greeted, her voice cutting through the hum of the mall. “I would have never expected to see someone like you here personally. Couldn’t one of your team members have handled the shopping?”
Anya smirked as she stopped in front of them. “I prefer to do my shopping personally. I don’t trust anyone else to get it right.” Her eyes gleamed as she glanced at Aiko.
“But what about you? What brings you here without the old man at your side?”
Lady Aiko adjusted her glasses, the glint catching the light. “I decided to step out to help our new star,” she said, pointing slightly to Alister, “look his best. Before I attend to other matters for the day, of course.”
Anya’s gaze flickered over to Alister, a glint of curiosity in her red eyes. “Oh? Look who it is,” she said with a smirk, striding over to him and placing a firm hand on his shoulder. “Apparently, you’re quite the popular figure now. You’ve changed so much, I almost didn’t recognize you-”
She suddenly paused mid-sentence, her eyes widening slightly as if something had caught her off guard.
Alister smiled, playing it cool. “Well, a lot has happened. It’s only natural I’d change over
time.”
Anya’s usual confident demeanor dissappeared for a moment as she stuttered, “Y-You don’t say…” Her gaze lingered on him, and her expression shifted slightly, as though something unsettled her. “H-how are the White Comets treating you, then?”
Alister found her sudden stuttering odd, and his eyes narrowed suspiciously. He kept his gaze fixed on her, trying to read her reaction. “They’ve been treating me well. The guild members are slowly becoming like family to me.” freewёbnoνel.com
Lady Aiko, sharp as usual, noticed the strange tension in the air. So did Klaus, who gave Anya a curious look, but neither of them said anything. Something was definitely off, but it wasn’t
the time to press the issue.
Sensing the discomfort, Lady Aiko intervened. “If you’ll excuse us, Guild Master Anya, we’re
in a bit of a hurry.”
Anya hesitated for a brief second before nodding. “Of course. Don’t let me keep you.” She gave one last glance at Alister, something still lingering in her expression, before she turned to leave, Klaus trailing behind her.