With Lyra having joined the Guild, the group basked in a cheerful atmosphere for the next few hours, gathering in the main hall to properly celebrate. Raphael, as a true professional, quickly grasped the situation and prepared a feast in their honor, all without neglecting even a single patron!


    They sat in a circle at one of the empty tables, with Athanya’el watching them curiously from the counter while she stuffed herself with tasty, sweet pastries. The sight prompted a chuckle from the group, and even from some of the customers, who seemed to have already grown accustomed to the tiny Goddess’ presence.


    While Raphael served a distinctive array of delicacies on their table, Lilithra shared with Lyra the details about their recent adventures and the tests they had to overcome to create the Guild—From Kain’s initial irritation toward them to the moment where their Guild was finally established.


    “Whoa! Rank C with only three members is amazing…! W—with the Fluffy Warriors, we barely made it to C thanks to our numbers!” Lyra exclaimed as Lilithra broached the subject of the Guild’s rank, excitement clear in her big, brown eyes.


    “Well, one of these members is beyond amazing…” Selorien chimed in with a playful tone, glancing over at Ascalon, who was busying himself with gulping down a glass of orange juice. Ascalon looked at the elf with a resigned smile, letting out a relieved sigh as he placed the glass on the table.


    “Everyone is amazing.” The knight declared with undeniable confidence, garnering a giggle from his friends. As Lyra began cutting on a piece of chicken with a fork and a silver knife at hand, a question popped up in her mind.


    “So, uhm, do you have any plans for us? Until Loraine’s event, I mean?” Lyra asked with curiosity, her ears twitching as she nibbled on the chicken. Lilithra, whose mouth was full of pasta, paused to ponder for a moment, and swallowed before replying.


    “Well, I was thinking we could check if headquarters has any quests available for us!” Lilithra responded animatedly, her fork spinning in place as it gathered pasta around it. Ascalon listened intently as he admired her technique, and Selorien then raised his voice to cut in, grinning mischievously.


    “Nice. I hope they have some easy ones, hehe.” The elf joked as he bit down a sandwich, the contents threatening to spill onto the table—though having been prepared by Raphael, it was unlikely!


    “Well, I wouldn’t mind a break after all we’ve done lately!” Lilithra stated with a content grin, appraising the big ball of pasta she had managed to gather around her fork. Ascalon nodded thoughtfully at her words, acknowledging once again that the last few days had been quite eventful, so a more relaxed quest would do them good.


    “I would prefer something simple too, to get back into the swing of things…” Lyra spoke with shyness, her cheeks slightly reddening as she looked at them, fidgeting with her fork and the half-eaten chicken.


    The rest hadn’t considered that, after Starugnia’s whole ordeal, Lyra had been out of action for a while. Perhaps she felt a bit out of practice, making a straightforward mission sound all the more appealing! They just had to hope there was a quest available that suited their needs, but, for the moment, they would keep enjoying the meal Raphael had prepared for them.


    As they kept chatting about various things and their bellies began to fill, Lyra mentioned she wanted to go check on her brother. It was understandable, since Levi was probably still getting used to being on a wheelchair. Lilithra looked a bit dejected at first, but quickly perked up as an idea flashed across her mind.


    “Let’s walk Lyra to the station, guys!” She proposed with a bright smile, earning an affectionate stare from Lyra. The Felinae glanced at the others, and both Ascalon and Selorien nodded in agreement.


    “Thanks!” Lyra exclaimed with glee, perhaps sharing on Lilithra’s feelings about parting. But still, they would get many chances from now on to enjoy each other’s company, as they were now all part of the same Guild.


    With a brief wave to Raphael, everyone set out to escort Lyra toward the train station. It was late afternoon, so many people were going back to their homes or preparing for their night shifts—though it wasn’t as bustling as peak hour so the station was actually quite calm.


    As they stood around waiting for the vehicle to arrive, they kept the conversation going, until Selorien brought up a topic that had been almost forgotten!


    “Oh, right! Should we give it to her now?” The elf questioned cryptically, a playful grin spreading across his face. Lyra tilted her head with curiosity, while Lilithra and Ascalon exchanged confused glances. It didn’t take long for Lilithra to figure out what Selorien might have been talking about.


    “Oh, yeah! Before the train arrives!” She declared with excitement, causing Lyra to perk up with a mix of suspicion and eagerness on her face. Selorien chuckled confidently as he fiddled with his network interface, causing Ascalon to realize what they meant.


    Soon, a huge, black scythe emerged from thin air, its macabre appearance prompting Lyra to take a step back in surprise. “Whoa!” She muttered in awe, yet confusion was still clear in her visage.


    “Here, for you.” Selorien said straightforwardly as he pushed the huge armament toward Lyra, who recoiled slightly.


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    “Huh? F—for me?” She questioned with evident reluctance, arching an eyebrow and leaning back.


    “Yes! It’s a gift for you!” Lilithra chimed in as she stood behind her, pushing her shoulders softly to urge her forward.


    “B—but why? I don’t even know how to use weapons—especially a scary scythe like this!” The Felinae complained, starting to panic as she tried her best to back away from the weapon. “I—is this the newbie ‘hazing’ I’ve been hearing about?!” Lyra added with a worried tone, her expression darkening.


    Ascalon felt bad for her, and the rest didn’t take long to share his sentiment. Lilithra placed a hand on Lyra’s head and gently patted her, while Selorien sighed with a remorseful look in his eyes. It was then that Ascalon decided to explain things more properly.


    “We found that weapon in a dungeon, but none of us can take advantage of it. We thought that maybe you could learn to use it, to have a means to defend yourself in close quarters.” The knight spoke with calmness, a reassuring smile on his face. “There may be times your magic alone will not be enough, or that you might be stopped from using it—in such cases, a physical, reliable weapon would be best!” He finished with confidence, puffing out his chest.


    Lyra looked up at him, and then at the weapon, her eyes still shining with hesitation. But Ascalon words encouraged her a bit—after all, she had told them she wanted to be stronger, hadn’t she? Nodding as if to motivate herself, she extended her hands and grabbed the huge scythe.


    Her shoulders sank slightly under the weight of the armament, her expression shifting to one of surprise. “Whoa…!” She whispered in wonder, her lips curling up into a small smile. “T—thanks…” Lyra said, accompanying her word with a slight bow.


    Everyone watched warmly over her, while Lilithra clapped a few times in excitement. “Yay! I hope you like it! I’m sorry it’s so creepy-looking, but it’s probably a really rare weapon—it dropped from a boss!” Lilithra revealed, causing Lyra to open her eyes wide and fidget in place, completely flustered.


    “W—why would you give me such an amazing thing?!” She questioned with a chastising voice, actually angry. It was unexpected to see her behave like that! But unexpectedly, Selorien giggled at her words.


    “Because we wanted to~ you better learn how to use it!” The elf declared mischievously, a content smirk on his face. Lilithra stood at Lyra’s side and nodded enthusiastically, while Ascalon simply showed a gentle smile.


    Under their resolute stares, Lyra couldn’t complain anymore, and saved the scythe into her inventory as she sighed deeply. “I’ll do my best! Thank you, everyone.” She finally relented, a shy grin adorning her expression.


    “Ah! You have to appraise it later!” Lilithra commented, remembering an important detail. “And if you don’t mind… could you appraise a few things for me, too?” She asked shyly, fidgeting at her side.


    “Of course, leader!” Lyra nodded cheerfully, her smile widening. Lilithra’s eyes sparkled at her words, perhaps relishing on being called a leader, and abruptly hugged the cat girl. Lyra twitched for a moment, and then hugged her back, while Ascalon and Selorien simply watched from the sidelines.


    They then talked for a couple more minutes, until the train finally arrived and Lyra boarded it in a hurry. Just before the doors closed, she bowed to them. “See you tomorrow, everyone!” She exclaimed excitedly, standing up straight and causing her fluffy hair to bounce slightly.


    Everyone waved as Lyra’s train set out to another district, basking in the warm afterglow of a pleasant moment. After a few seconds of silence, Lilithra spoke up.


    “Let’s go back!” She commanded playfully, and her friends nodded in agreement.


    They made their way back to The Chalice uneventfully, talking about how their Guild had now earned a really amazing new member—not only because Lyra was both an appraiser and a healer, but also because she was simply a really sweet girl. No one could retort to that!


    As soon as they reached The Chalice, Selorien bid the other two goodbye, and left for the day. Ascalon and Lilithra headed inside and were met by a bustling ambience, so they quickly decided to lend Raphael a hand.


    A few hours later, the masterful steward set the sign outside the door to ‘closed’, letting out a relieved sigh as he marked the end of another day of splendidly-done work. Lilithra and Ascalon were seated at the counter, alongside a really drowsy Athanya’el.


    Seeing his Goddess in this state, the knight remembered one of his goals. He had to be on the lookout for the other items from his world, like the emblems, to see if they contained any remaining ‘energy’ that Thany could absorb. Perhaps, now that their Guild was official, they could explore other cities and ask about them!


    But for now, he wanted to follow Lilithra’s lead—there would be a time and place to ask her for help in his search for the emblems. As he was lost in thought, Lilithra poked his cheek with a finger, attracting his attention.


    “What’s up?” She asked with a content grin, her cheeks slightly reddened. Ascalon sighed and smiled back, placing a hand on her head to caress her hair.


    “I was just thinking about something.” Ascalon answered, not deeming it necessary to burden her with his troubles—for now, at least. She closed her eyes and relished his touch, and then his hand brushed against her horns, causing her to twitch slightly.


    Ascalon chuckled as he brought his hand back, pondering about how much he had changed. He had grown fond of patting this ‘demon’ on the head, while his old self would’ve probably chastised him or even challenged him to a duel over it—though that made no sense, of course. Ascalon was but a mere man, whose feelings and beliefs could change—it was in the very nature of people to grow and develop, after all.


    Seeing his thoughts were going into a philosophical spiral, he shook his head and glanced over at Thany, who was now sleeping against the counter. He then looked at Lilithra, whose hazy eyes were locked onto him, which caused him to hesitate for a moment.


    “Uh, Lilithra… could I ask you to take her to your room?” Ascalon pleaded as he looked away, feeling slightly flustered. Lilithra twitched to attention, startled from her own thoughts, and stood up to walk over to Athanya’el.


    “Leave it to me!” She declared cheerfully as she scooped up the tiny Goddess and walked away, her long, red hair swaying in rhythm with the child’s golden locks. “See you tomorrow!” She said as she looked over her shoulder, and Ascalon waved at her.


    As he saw them go up the stairs, he sighed in relief and stood up, making sure to bid goodnight to Raphael before heading to his own room to clear up his thoughts. Tomorrow they would probably head out to find a quest, so he wanted to be up and ready as early as he could!