Chapter 44

  Lydia

  As soon as the proctor gave the signal, my opponent rushed forward with his weapon drawn. My blue flames launched toward him, but he easily slashed through them by covering his blade with wind magic. He quickly closed the distance between us, and I obscured his vision with a firewall before launching myself behind him.

  “I don’t know why the two of you just wouldn’t win. You want to be promoted, right?” Azure asked as I released a barrage of blue fire arrows toward the adventurer to keep him in place.

  “You were there for the conversation… I don’t know what's confusing about it.” I said while watching my opponent swing his blade precisely to deflect my magic. The room had a barrier to protect the spectators, much like the academy, but it was still for the best to keep the heat down. Audrey and I had only been in Oylutz for a few weeks now, and we didn’t need any more attention after everything that’s happened.

  “Being promoted to D-Rank would be perfect—better paying quests, including guard jobs for caravans. It’s the perfect way to travel. And jumping from F to D is not unheard of.” I dodged between a counter-attack of wind blades and returned a wave of fire that my opponent easily jumped over. This man is pretty good, even if he isn’t on par with my brothers or the captain…

  “Just use Audy’s shadows! It’s so much faster!” My goddess whined as if she were the one doing the traveling.

  “Because traveling with others is the best way to grasp the current state of the empire!” I ducked beneath a swing of my opponent's sword before blasting him back with a point-blank fire explosion. The adventurer’s clothes were singed a little, but he had protected himself with a concentrated wind barrier, so it hadn’t done any real damage. “Plus, the guild requires us to check in at the town branches once we arrive… I have no desire to explain how we made a week's trip in a day.”

  “The obvious solution would be to just… not check in right away.” She grumbled, and I sighed internally. Meanwhile, the adventurer launched a few more magic attacks that I promptly dodged before deciding I had shown a good enough performance. I’ve lasted slightly longer than the others already… The fight had only been a few minutes, but that just showed how skilled the adventurer chosen as my opponent was.

  “Then Audrey and I can’t accept quests. We still need money, so I’d rather spend the time traveling on a job than waiting in town for the right time to check in.” I explained for the third time because Audrey had also asked the same question.

  I let the man get close again and slowly began to take hits from his wooden blade as I gave up ground. It ended when a massive burst of air launched me back into the mats lining the walls, and I sank to my knees, gasping for air. That hurt a little more than I thought… I groaned as I stood up and raised my hands in surrender. I made a show of limping slightly back to the center of the room.

  “Thank you for the match, sir,” I said, taking his outstretched hand with a smile.

  “...” The man said nothing and stared at me momentarily before letting my hand go. “You did well.” His gruff praise didn’t sound completely genuine, but I brushed it off as I walked back to Audrey and the ‘Shining Wind’

  “You did so well, Lydia!” Audrey excitedly hugged me, and I relaxed into the embrace as I felt her holy magic enter me and subtly heal the minor injuries I had gotten.

  “It was a good fight. You were right to say I’d appreciate your skills.” Bernard said with a smile as I broke away from my girlfriend. “But I’m even more interested in seeing little Audrey in action,” I noted the new nickname, but decided it wasn’t worth commenting on.

  Audrey should be next since we had gotten in line together, but they didn’t immediately call for her. In fact, the adventurer that I had fought and who had been doing all the sparring until now had left the room in a hurry after our match. It took a few minutes, but a replacement examiner eventually arrived. She was a woman in her late twenties, with short, black hair and green eyes.

  Once everything was sorted, she called for Audrey, smirked, and introduced herself.

  “My name is Cassandra—Cass for short. I’m an A-rank adventurer, and I hope you’ll give me a good match, little girl.” The condescending way she addressed my girlfriend made my hair stand on end, but it seemed to fly right over Audrey’s head as she smiled and nodded excitedly.

  “I’m Audrey! F-Rank. I’m looking forward to the fight!” They were both using the training weapons… But Cass had one in each hand. A duel-wielder? The sight made me a bit nervous, but Audrey looked even more excited as the proctor once again called for the match to start.

  ***

  Audrey

  She’s fast!

  As soon as the proctor called to start, Cass launched herself at me, and our blades collided as I blocked her overhead swing. Both of her blades pushed down on mine, but once she lost her momentum, I was able to repel her backwards.

  “Very good.” She purred after dancing away. “My speed isn’t easy to keep up with.” Her green eyes—A few shades lighter than Lydia’s— danced with excitement, and I couldn’t help but mirror the smile on her face.

  “You use wind magic to boost your movement. I’ve never fought someone who could move like that.” Leah had used her wind magic more so for area control and flight, and the previous examiner used wind to carve a path forward. Using it for controlled bursts of speed took considerable mana control and focus. Reminds me of those damn birds!

  “Stop being impressed. This is a test, remember?” Aurora scolded me in exasperation.

  I didn’t respond as I blocked another strike, this time from the side, but I immediately felt only one of her blades on mine. Her right arm moved with blinding speed to thrust her other weapon into my stomach, but was met with a defensive ring of water that caught the tip. The black-haired woman clicked her tongue and made a feint backward to free our locked swords, letting go of the one trapped in my water as I sensed another swell of mana.

  Cass spun around, her left hand aiming for my exposed neck but only meeting my sword once again. As if hit by her own wind, she shot backwards in a pretty funny way and brushed some hair out of her face.

  “Damn, little girl. You’re full of surprises. I can tell your technique is top-class. Not to mention that magic strength… You must’ve had some incredible teachers.”

  “Yeah… They were the best.” My heart panged with sorrow as I thought of Captain Heingar and Professor Tressum, but I quickly shook the feeling away as I met Cass’s gaze. I grabbed the hilt of the sword I had stolen from her and threw it back. She caught the weapon easily and looked at me with surprise.

  “You know re-arming your enemy is a bad choice, right?” She said, but I shook my head and let the excitement wash over me again.

  “You’re not my enemy, Cass. Even if this is a test, it’s been a long time since I’ve sparred like this, and I want to enjoy it to the very end.” Lydia and I had agreed only to use our base magics so we wouldn’t cause a commotion, and I knew I couldn’t show off much longer before surrendering the match.

  “My guardian is still a battle junkie…” I took offense at my goddess bringing up that term again, but I had no ground to stand on to deny it. Not with the grin on my face as I faced down my examiner.

  “I see. You’re like me, then.” My opponent said with a laugh, then took a ready stance. “Let’s make this fun for us both!”

  With that, she flew toward me again, but with a leading wind blade that forced me to dodge out of the way. I rolled and just barely turned to see Cass perform a perfect ninety-degree turn toward me, and I parried one of her blades and ducked beneath the other one.

  Changing tactics, I focused on evading her blows while only using my weapon on defense when necessary. She really is fast… Almost too much for me to handle… The constant flurry of blows left no room for me to counter as she forced me backwards around the room. Yet, she wasn’t landing any hits either, despite the advantage she had.

  “C’mon! Aren’t you gonna hit back, little girl!?” She shouted with glee, and I pursed my lips as I waited for my chance. A few strikes later, I ducked beneath another blow, this time spinning on my heel as I kicked out and swept her feet off the ground. She fell to the ground, and I angled my blade down at her as I came out of the move. A burst of wind rolled her away, and the tip of my wooden sword struck the ground right where her chest was a moment ago. You won’t get away! I chased her down, but her movements were unpredictable thanks to her magic, and she eventually got back on her feet as she caught my blade between both of hers.

  “Ah! This is so fun!” She cried out as we struggled in a contest of strength.

  “You’re telling me!” I replied. From what I’d seen, I should have no issues actually overpowering her, but she was holding her own. Again, her wind was proving quite annoying as she used it to increase the pressure in her favor.

  She’s not the only one with tricks! I had wanted only to cross swords for a while, but now it was time to fight magic with magic. Plus… I don’t think she’s going 100% yet. I want to see it… All thoughts of throwing the match had disappeared from my mind as my competitive spirit burned inside me.

  The wind was coming from Cass’s back, so all I had to do was cut off the source. Activating my mana, I erected a wall of water behind her, and when the sudden loss of reinforcement took her by surprise, I landed a kick directly into her chest, sending her into the water. Then, I manipulated the liquid enough so her body sank into it.

  “I think you should take me seriously, Cass… Otherwise, you’ll lose to an F-Rank.” I said, the tip of my blade hovering an inch from her forehead.

  “This was just supposed to be a test… but if that’s how you want to play it…” she said. A moment later, I was blown backwards as a massive storm of wind rocked the room, shredding the water holding her in place.

  I recovered to my feet in time to just barely block her follow-up strike. The blow was increased by a ridiculous amount of wind magic, sending me flying again.

  “Remember. You asked for this, little girl!” Cass shouted with unbridled enthusiasm as she chased me. I managed to hold my ground against the next strike by using water to hold myself down, but her current speed was nearly impossible to keep up with.

  “It’s impressive she can hit so hard with almost no muscle… She must have incredible mana potential.” Aurora observed calmly as I defended my life.

  “She’s finally going all out! It’s a shame I can’t…” I grumbled internally despite struggling on the outside to fend off her blows. Some of her attacks were starting to sneak through my defenses now, and they still hurt, even if we weren’t using real blades. “At least I can heal myself… Is that cheating?”

  “I won’t say anything. You’re handicapped enough as it is.” My shadows were definitely off the table, but Lydia never said I couldn’t use my stella with my water magic!

  I whipped a tendril of water toward her foot on her next attack, bringing the quick woman to a screeching halt.

  “W-What?!” She gasped in surprise, but I didn’t stop to explain as I swung my sword at her. The sudden shift in momentum had knocked her off balance, and I landed a clean blow into her side, releasing my water in tandem so she skidded across the ground.

  She smoothly recovered, but couldn’t hide the wince on her face as she looked at me. “No average person can overpower my magic… Just who are you?”

  I noticed Lydia rubbing at her temples with a frown on the sidelines, and I scratched my cheek sheepishly. “N-Nobody special… Just you’re average girl.”

  “Yeah, right!”

  “Like she’d believe that…”

  The layered objections from Cass and my goddess made me pout. “I am!”

  My examiner only shook her head with a smile. “Whatever, keeping secrets is part of being an adventurer, forgive me for asking.” Then, she began to sprint around me with incredible speed. At this point, the spectating crowd was cheering and laughing at every move between us, and with my strengthened water magic evening the playing field again, we began to trade blows once more, each of us landing strikes on the other but unable to deal the final blow.

  “Alright, it’s about time I finish this!” She yelled, then changed trajectories to come at me head-on.

  “Give me you’re best!” I replied, but my eyes widened as she threw her wooden swords at me in quick succession. My eyes left her as I deflected the make-shift projectiles, and I sensed her behind me a second too late, thanks to her wind.

  “Let’s see how you handle this!” I couldn’t react as I felt her cupped palms slam against my ears, and pain shot through my head. The world around me fell silent, and I couldn’t even hear myself scream as I collapsed to my knees. The room spun around me, and I suddenly lost all sense of direction as I curled up on the ground, covering my ears.

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  It was an odd sensation underneath all the pain. I knew I was crying out, but there was no sound. Despite that, the agony and ringing in my mind was so intense I couldn’t even register my goddess’s shouts of concern.

  Slowly, I removed my hands from my ears and stared at the blood covering them. People were running around me now, and hands shook my shoulders, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the scarlet staining my skin again… again…

  I saw flashes of armor and weapons in my peripheral vision, and my heart started to pound.

  My body went cold.

  I couldn’t breathe.

  I could smell the blood in the air. Taste the smoke and ash.

  A warm feeling broke through the dampness, only to disappear as my hearing was restored.

  And I was overwhelmed with sound.

  “NO! STAY AWAY FROM ME!”

  Then, my shadows exploded around me.

  ***

  Lydia

  “What the hell is wrong with you?!” I screamed as I rushed into the middle of the room. The examiner, Cass, had backed off Audrey with a look of overwhelming regret as soon as her attack landed, but I didn’t care as I pushed past her.

  “I-I’m sorry! We were having such a good match! I-I wasn’t thinking!” She sputtered out, then turned toward the crowd. “Is there a healer in here?! Somebody get me a healer right this instant!” The crowd began to move in a whirlwind of activity as some adventurers

  I kneeled beside my girlfriend, ignoring her cries of pain as I tried to roll her toward me. “Audrey! Hey! Can you hear me?!” That bitch blew out her eardrums!

  Resisting the urge to roast the A-Rank adventurer beside me alive, I pulled Audrey’s head onto my lap, only to see her staring at her bloodied hand, her eyes completely cold and unfocused. I laid my hands on her head, focusing my holy magic on her injury.

  “Audrey—!” I started, but was cut off by a blood-curdling scream.

  “NO! STAY AWAY FROM ME!”

  Audrey's shadows exploded, knocking Cass and me away. I managed to protect us with a light barrier and quickly got to my feet.

  “What was that?!” I heard the black-haired woman shout, but I didn’t bother to respond as I rushed forward, dodging the out-of-control shadows and using my barriers when I couldn’t.

  “Dia! Be careful!” Azure warned, and I created a thick barrier of light in front of myself as a wave of shadow collided with it, sending me sliding backward as I struggled to stay upright. This is much worse than last time!

  “She’s going to hurt herself at this rate!” I cried desperately, “I can’t get to her like this, teach me something!”

  “I can’t just do that in the middle of this!” Azure shouted in disbelief. The barrier in the room didn’t last long against Audrey’s power, and the rest of the crowd quickly evacuated the room as her shadows began to pierce the walls.

  I gritted my teeth in frustration. “There has to be something!”

  “A-Alright! There is, it’s similar to when Audy enters the shadows… But it’s a lot harder to control.”

  “Just tell me!”

  “When you create your barriers, you’re essentially weaving the wavelengths of light together into a physical form. What you need to do is not manifest them all the way. If you connect them with stella, they will act as doorways.”

  “That sounds like—”

  “It’s short-range teleportation magic.” It was a magic that only the most renowned saints of the church were recorded to use.

  “Damn it! I just need to create softer barriers and keep my power moving through them, right?!” I cried for confirmation, already materializing a second barrier behind my defensive one. My magic flooded the room, and a third appeared in the air right above Audrey.

  “Dia, this magic requires an immense amount of power to be released in the moment you teleport. If you use too little… You risk only transferring part of your body. If you use too much…”

  “I risk becoming a spirit.” I finished for her. Audrey had told me firsthand just how terrifying losing yourself can be.

  “Yes,” Azure said, but then I heard her slap her own face with resolution. “But that won’t happen. Because you are my divine guardian of the day.” My goddess said with confidence. “She’s waiting for you.”

  “Right.” I took a deep breath and focused my mind on my mana and stella, connecting my barriers together in what I assumed was the right way. Stepping forward, I placed my hand on the rippling wall of light before me, then jumped in. Immediately, I let go of my stella, letting it burst out of my body as the world blurred around me momentarily. When everything came into focus again, I was looking down at my girlfriend, who was sitting up now, but holding her head as if terrified.

  I fell from the ceiling, using a barrier to cushion my fall as I rolled beside her. My arms wrapped around her head, pulling her into my chest tightly.

  “Please… I don’t want to spill anymore blood… Don’t make me…” I only caught pieces of her words, but it was enough to break my heart.

  “It’s okay, Audrey—my love. I’m right here.” I whispered gently against her ear. I kissed her head as I cradled her. “Everything will be alright. You don’t need to hurt anyone ever again…”

  After a minute, the shadows around us calmed, and I felt her body shudder against mine as Audrey took staggered breaths.

  “Lydia…?” She mumbled, her dazed blue eyes meeting mine.

  “That’s right, my love. I’m here.” I smiled at her with tears in my eyes.

  “...” She said nothing, but her hands gripped the front of my hunter’s tunic. “D-Did I hurt you again? What about the other adventurers?”

  “Everyone is fine, me included,” I reassured her as I stroked her hair.

  “Thank the goddesses.” She sighed, leaning against me in relief. For a moment, everything was silent, but it didn’t last long.

  I felt a pulse of heat from my core… a scorching sensation emanating from my soul. No! My stella… I can’t… Stop!

  Without hesitation, I pushed Audrey away.

  Then lost control.

  ***

  Audrey

  I felt Lydia’s body heat up, but I was pushed away before I could say anything. My body still felt heavy, but using my holy magic helped to alleviate the aching as I pulled myself to my feet. I whipped around, ready to jump toward my girlfriend, but the sight that greeted me left me stunned.

  Lydia had stood up, clutching at her chest with an expression of pain as she grunted. “G-Get back, Audrey… My stella… It’s too much!” The waves of her blonde hair slowly ignited into golden flames that also flickered from the corners of her eyes—Her emerald eyes that were shifting into a deep gold and shone with immense power.

  “She used an advanced light magic spell and used too much divinity.” Aurora quickly explained.

  “Like what happened to me the night the assassin attacked?!” I asked in a panic as waves of power buffeted me from Lydia. “I won’t let her lose herself.”

  I moved toward her, locking my feet to the ground with water and shadow magic as I covered my eyes from the blinding light that was beginning to grow from my girlfriend.

  “Lydia! Focus on my voice! The stella may feel unstoppable, but it is! Don’t try to keep it contained!” I shouted as I drew closer. The heat was almost unbearable, and I had to cover myself in insulating water to combat her rogue magic.

  “B-But if I let it go, I-It could destroy the building!” She screamed back between her gasps of pain. The wooden floor and walls were already singed black, but I had no intention of letting it affect anything more.

  “It will be alright!” I said. A bubble of thick water surrounded us, reinforced with my divinity. “Funnel it toward me! I’ll send it to the shadows!”

  “What?! N-No! I won’t put you in danger! What if that doesn’t work? Not even you could withstand this much!”

  “I’d like you to remember I’m your amazing and strong girlfriend! Trust me!” I screamed back, which seemed to shock her for a second.

  “It’s a good plan, Audrey.” Aurora voiced her support, so I resolved myself and opened the shadows at my feet, extending them into a large opening before me.

  “Aurora said it’s fine! Now shoot!” I yelled.

  With a scream, Lydia redirected the rampaging mana through her arm, and I felt the air around me pulse with divinity as two spires of gold and white flame burst from her palm directly toward me.

  The intense pressure pushed me backwards as the fire collided with my shadows, and it almost cut through my magic, rather than fall into it. I had to use even more stella of my own before the flames began to sink into the darkness. It’s a good thing I practiced so much.

  Lydia continuously released her magic for nearly five minutes before we both sank to the ground in exhaustion. The flames overtaking my girlfriend's body slowly faded, and her eyes returned to their natural emerald color. I released my shadows and water magic as well, and the two of us just stared at each other before a weak laugh escaped me.

  “The property damage wasn’t just my fault.”

  Her eyes went wide, and then she also laughed. “This will come out of our quests… won’t it?”

  We crawled to each other before resting back-to-back while waiting for the other adventurers to return with the guild staff.

  “So much for not making a scene.” She breathed out.

  “Well… look at the bright side! We definitely passed!”

  ***

  “Finally back!” I groaned as I collapsed onto the bed in our room at the inn. The exams had been placed on hold because of what happened, and we had been questioned for hours by the staff before they eventually let us go.

  “Don’t lie down yet, at least change first. I’m not going to do it for you again.” Lydia said with a tired smile as she began to remove the leather straps of her tunic.

  “Don’t wanna…” I mumbled face-down in the mattress, but I did as I was told and reached around to unclasp my armor. My breastplate stayed on the bed as I sat up again and worked the other pieces off. After a few minutes, we were both under the covers in our nightgowns.

  “I’m sorry,” I said into her shoulder as I held her form behind. Our legs intertwined together, and I could feel her bare skin on mine. “I really messed everything up…”

  “It wasn’t you’re fault. It was that bitch— I mean, Cassandra. She should’ve never attacked you like that.” Lydia said sharply, and I couldn’t help but giggle at her obviously intentional slip.

  “While that’s true, you shouldn’t hold a grudge. She already apologized a lot to me, and I accepted. Things happen in the heat of the moment. We were both having fun… She just got a bit carried away.” I remembered the way the Rank-A adventurer bowed her head to me repeatedly with tears in her eyes after it all. The remorse in her voice had been more than evident, and I didn’t want to be someone who held onto pointless grudges.

  “That move could’ve killed a normal person, Audrey. And what if we didn’t have our holy magic? You’re hearing loss could’ve been permanent!” My girlfriend ranted, which only made me giggle more against her back. “It’s not funny!”

  “No, it’s not. But everything turned out fine, so there’s no point in thinking about those things.” I said with a smile. I unraveled myself from her and positioned myself above her instead. “Instead, we should talk about how cool you looked coming to save me,” I said, gazing down at her. I only remember bits and pieces of what happened during my episode, but the one thing that vividly stuck out was the flash of gold I saw as Lydia fell toward me. Her hair had been flowing behind her, and the look on her face made my heart race as I remembered it.

  I leaned down, brushing her lips with mine. “I’ve never been more attracted to you.” The change of atmosphere was immediate, and my body ached with it.

  “What a blatant change of subject, Audrey…” She said quietly with a subtle smile. “Not that I mind.” She closed the distance between our lips and kissed me before breaking away. “You were also incredible today… I suppose we saved each other.”

  “It’s only right to show our appreciation, right?” I teased quietly as my hand slid up her thigh beneath the nightgown. “It’s been a while… can we?”

  “Only if we do our best to be quiet… I don’t want to disturb the other guests.” She replied, her eyes hooded with desire as my fingers traced her inner thigh.

  “Our guardians are something else…” I heard Aurora mumble in my head before feeling our bond close as much as possible. Not wasting another moment, I claimed my girlfriend's lips with an intense hunger, and the rest of the night faded away in bliss.

  ***

  The Adventurer’s Guild

  “What a mess!” Guildmaster Zarek said as he sat behind his desk. The incident during the combat exams had left the room in an unusable state, and the two girls responsible had refused to explain in clear detail what had happened. Eventually, he had no choice but to send them home.

  “Cassandra. Ordan. Give me a report.” The guildmaster ordered while staring down the two A-Rank adventurers who had been acting as examineers for that room. There had been a spectating crowd, and the guild employees had pieced together a timeline of what happened, but he wanted to hear it from the two who had fought the girls personally.

  “There was nothing out of the ordinary with the blonde,” Ordan replied gruffly. “I sensed she was holding back quite a bit during the test, and it was obvious that she threw the match on purpose. I hadn’t understood why at the time, but if they both possess such power… I can understand why they were trying not to stand out.” The man had left the room to discuss that very thing with the guildmaster and mark the girl as a person of interest.

  “Cass?” The guildmaster urged. The black-haired woman was unusually quiet as she stared at her lap before meeting Zarek’s gaze.

  “It was my fault. Any costs should be sent my way for the damages.” She said.

  “Understood, but that wasn’t what I was asking. I’m well aware that this all stemmed from you injuring one of the girls—”

  “Audrey. The blonde is Lydia, I believe.” The woman cut in. She had made it a point to remember their names and faces. She was determined to make up for her mistake and wanted to be ready if they needed help.

  “Right. Audrey and Lydia… We have reports from witnesses that Audrey used shadow magic. But you were the last one to leave the room. What else did you see?” He questioned with narrowed eyes, observing her carefully.

  Cassandra thought back. She had indeed been the last one to leave after realizing she wouldn’t be able to help. The woman had witnessed Lydia use teleportation magic… and had even seen the immense release of magic that Audrey had subsequently absorbed. The way that girl looked… as if she was made of fire itself… The A-Rank had seen plenty of magic in her career as a top adventurer, but she’d never seen such displays of power as she’d seen today.

  “I… didn’t see much more than anyone else,” she finally said confidently as she challenged the guildmaster's glare. She knew the man would see right through her, but it didn’t matter. There’s something about those girls… like the world will change around them.

  “Are you sure that’s how you want to play this?” Zarek asked with a raised brow, but Cassandra only nodded with resolution.

  “Yes, sir. But I will add that those girls will no doubt cause trouble wherever they go. It would be wise for the guild to keep an eye on them.”

  The air in the room was tense, then the guildmaster sighed and rubbed his brow. “Damn it… These girls were the ones who brought in the captain of the guard as well. They’re already causing trouble.”

  “I didn’t know that… That makes me want to know them even more.” Cass said with a grin. “They’re good girls, so I’m sure it will turn out alright.”

  “Well, you shouldn’t be too excited. You’ll be receiving a punishment for what happened.” The guildmaster said seriously, causing Cassandra to pout. Receiving the punishment made her feel better, so she wouldn’t object. “The two of you are dismissed,” Zarek said, then watched as the two A-ranks left his office.

  It’s unlike Cassandra to cover for others… especially not when they’re so new… He thought to himself as he mulled the situation over. He had seen the room's damage and even felt the magic power while it was happening. It was obvious those girls hid some intense secrets… But it wasn’t in the guild’s best interest to pry.

  He reached down and removed a folder from his desk drawer. It described the details of a quest that the guild leaders from across the continent were still working on.

  “Maybe those girls…” It was an insane thought, especially for someone with his experience, but he had talked to the girls personally… and felt they were trustworthy. The blonde—Lydia— Had a good head on her shoulders for negotiation, and certainly exuded a certain aura of status. Audrey seemed aloof at first, but was clearly a strong individual once you looked closer.

  “The two of them successfully kept a low profile until now… Unassuming girls with immense hidden power…” He mused while rubbing his chin. “They might be perfect for investigating the so-called ‘resistance’ and their criminal dealings.”

  After looking over the file and giving the idea some time to solidify, he eventually returned the documents to his desk before standing up. Let’s see how I feel about this in the morning… I need some sleep, he thought, then left the room to head home for the night.