Inzagi finally arrives at the hospital, to say goodbye to the three ladies, for a while.
"Ah, welcome back Inzagi, did you finally get a job?" — Hecate sarcastically asked as she smiled, still lying down
"Ah, yeah, that's why I'm here. I'm here to say goodbye, while I finish this quest." — Inzagi smiled as the three ladies swiftly sat up
"Seriously?" — Sumiko asked, with a sense of sadness in her heart
"That was quick" — Syu said as she looked rather bummed out
"Ah, yeah, sorry— But, I don't think I can rely on you guys that much. You guys have jobs too, and I want to improve, to help you guys with those jobs, soon." — Inzagi said as he smiled
"Pfft, well, if that's what you wish, then we won't stop you" — Hecate said as she throws a sack at Inzagi
"Ah? What is this, Lady Hecate?" — Inzagi takes out a green diamond from the sack, confused of what it was
"It's a communicator... If you find yourself in major trouble, just say my name to the diamond, and it'll open a portal for me and Sumiko." — Hecate said as she smiled
Inzagi smiled brightly, as Sumiko threw a key at Inzagi. Inzagi swiftly catches it and is confused.
"What is this, Sumiko?" — Inzagi asked
"It's the key to Ruru's spectre motorcycle. You can have it, she doesn't use it anyway. The motorcycle itself can turn into a blade. So, if you find yourself without a blade, then, use that. You can find it by pressing the button on the key" — Sumiko giggles as Inzagi smiles
"Ah, guess it's my turn to give something, right?" — Syu chuckles
"A-Ah, you don't have to, lady S—" — Inzagi gets cut off, as Syu hands Inzagi an envelope filled with money
"In case you starve, find the most expensive restaurant and don't just eat in it. Buy the entire restaurant, for yourself." — Syu chuckles, as Inzagi was amazed by the care of the three ladies for him.
"Thank you, the three of you... I don't know what I've done, to deserve this much..." — Inzagi almost teared up, from joy, remembering that just last week and a few days ago, these elites were unaware that he even existed in this world.
"We wish you the best of luck, Inzagi..." — Sumiko smiles, as she hugs Inzagi tightly
"Come back soon, will you..?" — Sumiko said, having a subtle tone of worry and longing.
"I will, I will. When I do, I'll make sure the first thing I do is to hug you, Sumiko." — Inzagi smiles, as Sumiko blushes deeply and looks away.
"O-Okay, I look forward to it..." — Sumiko leans her head on Inzagi's chest as she looks down. Inzagi chuckles and pats Sumiko, as the two ladies cherish the view they're watching.
"Alright, you must get onto your quest now~" — Syu said, as Inzagi nods and heads out, waving goodbye to the three ladies.
Inzagi smiles brightly, as he walks through the halls of the hospital, towards the exit of it. Once Inzagi finally exits, he presses the button of the key, to see a motorcycle automatically drive in front of him, from the main shrine of the city.
"Woah... This is some extremely high tech stuff." — Inzagi says, as his eyes sparkled at the view of the motorcycle.
Inzagi gets on the bike and it begins to talk
"Kindly, put fingerprint, here." — A tablet rose in front of Inzagi as he pressed his thumb on the screen.
"name, Inzagi Rier, rank, Rook. Initiating: Introductory AI." — the bike said as Inzagi was completely amazed, as the crowd of people were in awe of his vehicle
"Welcome, Inzagi Rier, to KaiTech. Trust us, with your quest." — The AI of the bike said, as it automatically drove at a comfortable speed.
"Woah, shit— what kind of sorcery... I never knew technology like this could exist in such an era..." — Inzagi was filled with awe, as the bike drove around
"So, do you know where we're headed?" — Inzagi asks the bike
"We're headed to an alleyway. My radar senses a crying female sorcerer. Perhaps, you should bring her with your mission, to try and cheer her up, Captain Inzagi." — The AI replied, as Inzagi nods
"Alright, that's a pretty good idea, let's go." — Inzagi replied, as they went faster, quickly arriving at the alleyway
"There she is, captain Inzagi." — The AI said, as Inzagi looked at the crying lady
The sorceress notices them and is startled
"W-Who are you?" — The sorceress asked
"This is captain Inzagi, he's here to recruit you. I am the AI of Lady Ruru. But, Lady Sumiko has given Captain Inzagi permission, to use me." — The AI precisely said, as Inzagi sighs
"Sorry, sorry, this bike told me that it would be a great idea to bring it in a quest and I'm about to go to..." — Inzagi said, as he felt a subtle wave of embarrassment
"Quest..? But, why bring such a defect like I..?" — The sorceress said, as she looked up at Inzagi
"Hey, hey, no one is defective, don't tell yourself that... There are no defects in this world, only people who are yet to find success." — Inzagi comforted the sorceress as he got off the bike and kneeled in front of her
"Yeah..? Well, explain why I was kicked from the Occult Militia..." — The sorceress asked as she wept.
"Not all things are meant to be... Sometimes, dreams aren't things we get to grasp on... But, sometimes, it takes time for those dreams to get in the palm of your hand... I'm chasing my dream, to be an elite, one day, and it's been pretty well. But, that doesn't mean that I won't be experiencing obstacles, in the future. Life is a game of luck and skill, it cannot live without the other." — Inzagi replied as the sorceress stayed silent
"So, you're telling me to give up as a sorceress and chase something else?" — The lady asked
"If you feel that it is necessary, then go ahead. I'm not here to manipulate your future, I'm only here to tell you that everyone experiences difficulties." — Inzagi replied
"Now, do you want to come with me?" — Inzagi offers his hand at the lady, as she stays silent.
The lady nods and takes his hand, both of them getting up
"I-I know not much sorcery... But, I'll try my best to be of assistance.." — The lady said as Inzagi chuckles
"Enough with the formalities, we're both in this together. So, let's not meddle with what we're capable of and just kick butt!" — Inzagi said as the lady smiled lightly
"Alright, hop on" — Inzagi sits on the bike, along with the lady.
The bike began to move and drive out the gates of Shitosan, heading to their quest
"Hey, I didn't catch your name, what is it?" — Inzagi asked, as the bike began to levitate, for them to have a better conversation.
"A-Ah, it's Aster... Aster Norden" — Aster replied
"Aster, huh... Sounds like a name fitting for an elite!" — Inzagi replied as the two chuckled
"Ah, please, don't flatter me... Captain Inzagi was it..?" — Aster asked as Inzagi giggles
"Ah, ignore the captain part, I'm just a rookie..." — Inzagi replied
"Doesn't look like it... Your armor looks so finely smithed. Looks extremely expensive, too... Are those real diamonds?" — The lady asked
"A-Ah, diamonds? What? Never noticed that... But, I don't really know, it was a gift from Lady Sumi, same with this Bike" — Inzagi replied as he looked at the road. Eventually, they passed by the ruined city of Yin, and it was still silent, with standing scaffolding
"I guess the city is still under renovation.." — Inzagi looks down as he remembers what happened to Ruminasu.
"What happened here, exactly?" — Aster asked
"Eh? Oh, uh, some war broke out or whatever, I don't... I don't really want to speak about it, sorry sorry." — Inzagi replied, as he shook his head
"A-Ah, right, sorry for prying, Inzagi." — Aster looked down
The trip was completely silent, for a while, until they passed by the city of Herya
"Ah, this is my hometown... Maybe I should visit my mother, in a while." — Inzagi smiles as he looks around
"You were born in Herya? That explains why you're so strong... Only the best fist fighters are born here.." — Aster says as Inzagi chuckles
"Pfft, thanks for that... But, hey, Aster, where were you born?" — Inzagi asked
"I was born in Hecatia, the city of Lady Hecate. All born there are blessed by Lady Hecate's blessing. The blessing of sorcery. But, I was cursed with these weak abilities..." — Aster looked down
"Oh? Well, what kind of magic can you do, anyway?" — Inzagi asks, as he focuses on the road, as if he was actually driving
"Well, it's not different from everyone else... I can heal people, typically, and my only special spell is what I call Chain Reaction." — Aster replied, as Inzagi was intrigued
"Chain Reaction?" — Inzagi was filled with curiosity
"Yeah, it's when I chain up the physical feeling of two or three individuals. Meaning if one of them gets hurt, the other individuals will feel the same pain. No physical injuries for the others affected, however. They'll only feel the pain." — Aster replied, as Inzagi was impressed of her capabilities
"That's impressive! It can happen to anyone?" — Inzagi asked once again
"Nope, it depends... Lady Hecate's blessing relies on confidence... So, if you dare to use her blessing, her magic, without confidence, it won't work at all... Some spells will even replenish your lifespan by 1/3 to 1/2, if you force to cast it, without confidence.." — Aster explained
"Wow, so Lady Hecate must be in some serious stuff, because she always seems to cast these ultimately powerful spells... She even summoned a portal once, and made a flying boat go through it..." — Inzagi replied
"Indeed, Lady Hecate is the chosen successor of the greatest sorcerer of all time, afterall... Grandmaster Ruminasu."
"Mmm, I see... I do remember Lady Sumiko telling me that Grandmaster Ruminasu has taught everything he knew, to lady Hecate." — Inzagi replied
"Yeah, and now, lady Hecate is creating an army of sorcerers, to hopefully multiply her power, the Occult Militia." — Aster said
"Interesting... Hey, what else do you know? You seem to be knowledgeable about the history and background on the allied forces" — Inzagi smiled as he asked
"Of course, I've studied every book, before joining the academy... I've aced the tests, but I'm not quite the ace, at sorcery performance..." — Aster looked down
"Ah, well, it's probably because of that tone of yours... I'm gonna be real with you, because I feel like everyone has lied to you, to lift up your confidence, but it doesn't. You just read into their words too much and in the end, you see yourself as a specimen of failure, dependent on everyone's compliments." — Inzagi said, as Aster's eyes widened, because of Inzagi's words.
"D-Do you read minds..?" — Aster asked as Inzagi chuckled
"No, but, I know what it feels like to be reassured, when you're at the bottom. It doesn't recharge you completely, but it gives you a short boost. You need to remember that getting up can be easy, with the help of other people. But, people aren't gonna move your legs, for you, just to make you walk the long road ahead." — Inzagi replies
Aster looks down and nods as she began to tear up, as the chains in her heart began to shatter.
"I'll be the one to tell you what you've done wrong, and tell you what you need to do. But, I'm not the one who'll be there to sugarcoat your mistakes. If you're a dumbass, be better, if you're a bitch, be better. Every negative thing about you should end with the words 'be better'." — Inzagi said, in a serious tone as Aster began to whimper
"I'm sorry, if that was too blunt. But, I know deep inside, you've been longing for someone to be true to you, I've seen it in your eyes, when I first saw you back there in that alleyway." — Inzagi adds
"I-It's okay, I was just surprised that you read me like a book, and you didn't even cast a single spell..." — Aster replied as Inzagi chuckles
"I don't need sorcery, to read someone. I just simply need to care about the person." — Inzagi replied as Aster blushed from his strong words
"So, please, when we go on this mission, promise me you'll have confidence in your abilities." — Inzagi added as Aster nods
"I'll try my best... My best to be better.." — Aster replied, as Inzagi smiled
"That's the spirit" — Inzagi chuckles
Aster felt extremely tempted to hug Inzagi, to thank him. But, she considers that Inzagi might have a significant other or is interested in someone. So, she stops herself and stays silent.
"You were about to hug me, weren't you?" — Inzagi stated as Aster's eyes widened, as she blushes deeply
"H-How did YOU know that, now?!" — Aster said, in a panicky way
"I-I can see you on the side mirror of the bike..." — Inzagi chuckles, as Aster held Inzagi from behind.
"Forgive me, Sumiko, but, she needs this one. My heart stays with yours." — Inzagi said in his mind, as Aster held him.
"Pfft, you can keep holding, if you wish, it'll be a long trip. We're headed to Ryoria, the city of gangs." — Inzagi said as Aster smiled, as she held him.
"God, truly forgive me, if this is considered as betrayal for Sumiko. May the world have mercy on me for my courtesy and leniency..." — Inzagi said once again, in his mind
The two peacefully rode the spectre bike, as they were heading to the city of Ryoria.