I still remember the first time I met her. I didn't think much of her back then. She was just another brat—not that I was any different. I was barely seven, just a year and a half her senior. You'd think that we'd have met much earlier. There were barely five hundred of us in all, spread across the mountains.

It was our families' fault. I never did learn too much about the details, but apparently, we'd feuded often in the past. Dad had managed to negotiate a truce around the time she was born, but we'd been a bit too uneasy to visit.

I had seen her at a distance, during all of the festivals and other events, but we'd never truly spoken.

I was really excited to meet her at first. In terms of age and status, she was the closest by far.

But she was boring. She never said anything unless addressed directly, and even then, her responses were short, often just a single word. She may as well have been a puppet.

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get the ball rolling. Nothing I liked seemed to excite her.

Back then, at least, I was convinced that we'd never be friends.

___

While those within Claire's barrier were free to ignore the giant horse, those training outside of it were subjected to his shouting and banging. It didn't take long for Allegra to approach the shield with a scowl painted across her lips. The others followed directly behind her, with Lana curiously tilting her head, Krail stroking his beardless chin, and Jules creasing his brow.

"Durham!" she shouted at him before they came into vision. "What the hell are you doing!? I can hear you from a mile away!"

"Allegra?" The giant horse scratched his head. "Is that you?"

"Of course it's me, who else would it be?" She pushed through a few brushes and entered the clearing.

"Hey, you don't have to be that mean. For all I know, you could've been some sort of monster, you know, like the kind that reads minds and copies people you know?"

"Did you really think I'd have told you if I was?"

"Wouldn't you? I thought they always said yes if you asked. Pretty sure that was supposed to be the rule."

"That was a rumour they spread to get idiots like you to let down your guards," she said, with a sigh.

"Oh, no wonder." The giant horse paused for a second before lightly tapping his knuckles against the safe zone again. "So is this barrier your doing?"

"Barrier?" Allegra creased her brow as she approached the invisible shield and dragged her fingers across its surface. "How… strange."

"I'm guessing that means it's not you."

"Not me," she confirmed, as she continued to rap her fingers against it.

Lana followed suit and started feeling around for the shield, but she couldn't quite find anything nearby. After a few attempts with no luck, she even tried touching the place where Allegra's hands were stuck, but again, was met with nothing. She simply went to the other side and turned around confused.

"Did you feel anything, Lana?" asked Allegra.

The wolf girl blinked a few times before stepping back out.

"Did you say something?"

"Yes, I was aski—you know what, nevermind. Krail, Jules, can the two of you give it a try? If it's keeping Durham and I out, but letting Lana go freely, then it might have something to do with our mana pools," said Allegra.

The elf and the clam exchanged glances before emulating the wolf girl and passing right through.

"I don't feel jack shit," said Jules.

"I do get the vague impression that there's a little more magic than usual lingering around," said Krail.

Allegra seemed to say something, but neither of the men were able to catch the words until they stepped back over the boundary.

"...etty obvious that there's definitely something here," said Allegra. She fired a blast of magic from her fingertips. The crimson bolt flew for all of twenty centimeters before deforming and exploding into a burst of lightning. "See? There's something going on, something that's only keeping Durham and I ou—wait a second. This is her doing, isn't it?"

She looked straight at the armoured figure nonchalantly enjoying her breakfast by the fire.

"Her doing?" Durham frowned. "I knew it! Claire's the one in the armour, isn't she!?"

Allegra scrunched up her face. "Err, uh, that's not really what I mean," she bent the light around her and forced her lips to look as if she was smiling. "Claire is still back at the castle. She does most things remotely and can cast spells from extreme distances."

"Huh? Wait, are you serious right now?" asked Durham.

"Err, yes," said the rabbit. "I'm always serious."

"Does that mean she killed the god remotely too?" Durham toyed with his beard. "I guess it'd have to depend on what her abilities are, but I can kind of see it."

"I'll be heading off for breakfast while you continue your discussions," said Krail.

"Now hold the fuck on," said Jules. "You're literally the last person that's got any right to duck out of a conversation that's getting a little long-winded."

Krail laughed. "Are you coming or not?"

"You bet your ass I am."

"Me too," said Lana. "I'm starving."

"Alright. I'll head over as soon as I can find a way past this barrier," said Allegra.

"Yeah, good fucking luck with that," said Jules.

Allegra watched him approach the fire with an awkward smile. "So what, exactly, are you doing here, Durham?"

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"Same thing as you lot," he said. "I'm grinding levels. Hell, most everyone that's hit the wall is grinding right now. Even the boss has been at it all spring."

"Doesn't that mean you've effectively left Valencia unguarded?" Allegra frowned. "That doesn't seem wise. I don't even want to think about what'd happen if you died up here."

"Relax. No one's dying. You're not the only one who's been up here before, and worst case, the boss can cover our asses."

Allegra scrunched up her face. "Every expedition has gone catastrophically wrong, Durham. We've been lucky to have our lives each time, and besides, even Virillius is fallible. He's still mortal, just like the rest of us."

"Barely."

"I doubt he's even over three thousand. He's spent the last thousand years idling."

"Eh, I mean, sure, mostly, but I don't really see how it matters. You've seen his strength. There's no way he isn't close."

"It doesn't work out mathematically."

"Oh, goddammit. You and your math again. How many times have I told you I don't give a shit about math?"

Allegra sighed. "Numbers are the most important part of the system. I've told you this a thousand times. Math is the secret to strength."

"Yeah, I dunno if it matters nearly as much as you think it does. I hit shit and it dies. If it doesn't die, I hit it again. The only number I'm keeping track of is the number of generals I've killed. It's gotten me far enough."

The cottontail shook her head. "Sometimes, I look at you, and I fear for Cadria's future."

"I don't really see how that's my problem." Durham raised his spear over his shoulder and began to work his mana. "Now, I'm gonna break this thing whether Claire likes it or not. Move, unless you want to get caught in the blast."

"Don't bother. It's too strong to break."

"Never know until you try."

The horse dug his feet into the ground as a bright arcane light poured from his body. In the Langgbjerns, the technique was even stronger than it was in Valencia. He integrated his body with the leylines that ran through the mountains and became an outlet for their power. A swing of his spear brought the magical torrent crashing down upon the shield. It was a storm of pure, condensed mana, dense enough to drill its way through a diamond sheet.

But the spear was rejected.

The barrier was written into the world with a celestial as proxy. As designated by Alfred Llarsse, the area defined within it was assured to be safe. Nothing, nothing, could bypass the shield without circumventing the concept written directly into its source.

Durham's spear bounced off the barrier without so much as leaving a scratch. The recoil ripped his arm from its socket and sent him flying into the hills.

It was the sort of damage that would have left an ordinary person screaming and crying, but Durham simply regenerated the limb and used it to scratch the back of his head. If anything, he was more surprised by the barrier's durability than the damage to his person.

"Damn. This thing's a lot tougher than it has any right to be."

"I told you," said Allegra.

"Yeah, I forgot she killed a goddess just a little while back. Must've provided leaps and bounds of experience." Durham scratched the back of his head. "Oh yeah, why're you stuck out here anyway? I know she hates me, but…"

"I'd say she hates you for good reason."

"Now you're just trying to change the subject," said Durham.

Allegra said nothing. She simply averted her gaze and frowned.

"Well, whatever it was, it's looking like you messed up big time."

"I'd rather not talk about it."

The horse looked at her for a few seconds before sitting down atop a fallen tree. For some mysterious reason, it was bent backwards with most of its leaves, branches, and even bark already stripped.

"Fine. Does it look like we'll be getting any decent fights? How long have you been up in the mountains?"

"Almost all winter," said Allegra. "They've shaped up surprisingly well."

"Good. I've been hoping for a decent fight for a while now. Best I get is a spar against the boss, but it's not the same when he's not seriously trying to kill me."

"You make it sound like you want him to."

"I do."

The two continued to chat while everyone else started breakfast. Though temporally inappropriate, the stew earned high praise from everyone that sampled it, including Arciel, who had eventually wandered out of bed with a sleepy fox in tow.

"Y'know, I was thinking that I felt kinda bad for Allegra, and not just for this shit just now," muttered Jules.

"She has seemed a little low energy ever since our reunion," yawned Arciel.

"Because Claire," said Lana.

"She deserves it," said Claire. She didn't mask her voice. Durham was too much of an idiot for her to bother.

"So? What the fuck did she do to get you acting like this?" asked Jules.

"I wish to hear your reasons as well. From the timing, I suspect it must stem from whatever it was you saw in Aurora's mirror, and if she is perhaps untrustworthy, I would like to be prepared," said Arciel.

Claire set her spoon back down in her bowl and slowly raised her eyes to the sky. "I will never trust her again."

"That bad, huh?" Jules crossed his arms.

"Don't be so hard on her." Panda suddenly appeared out of nowhere as usual. "I mean, I know she's kind of a lying, cheating, hypocrite, but that's kinda just how people are, and worse comes to worst, I can do my thing and make her listen."

"You're not any more trustworthy than she is," said Claire.

"Oh, the betrayal! The agony!" Panda pressed both hands to his heart and fell to his knees. "How could you, oh niece of mine!? You're supposed to be one of the three people who knows how good my intentions are! To think that even my own flesh and blood would scorn me in my time of need!"

"Half the reason you're doing any of this in the first place is for your own entertainment," said Claire, dryly.

"Well, can't deny that." The raccoon got back to his feet and brushed the dirt off of his legs. "So how much has a guy gotta pay to get some stew around here? 'Cause that stuff smells pretty damn good."

Claire lifted a bowl with a vector and filled it with another. She moved it in front of Panda, but pulled back as he tried to grab it and kept it out of reach. "Order Allegra to poke herself in the eyes with a stick and its yours."

"Deal."

There was some inexplicable screaming outside of the barrier, but the safe zone's noise-blocking function ensured that no one was in earshot.

"So?" Panda swallowed a piece of blackened meat before continuing. "What's the plan? You guys heading back to Amrinia anytime soon, or are you just gonna keep dicking around in the mountains?"

"Have we any reason to return?" asked Arciel. "I am of the impression that we would stand to benefit from further training."

"Barely," said Panda. "It's not like the four of you that are still just thrice ascended are gonna make it all the way in time, and all of you are pretty much stuck in your ways. Sure, grinding'll make your numbers go up, but not by enough to make a difference. All it'll really do is give your enemies a chance to see you in action. If you ask me, it's a straight shot to going bankrupt."

"What might you suggest we do instead?"

"It's simple, really. Head over, figure out who your opponents are gonna be, and work out your strategies," he said. "Hell, you wanna win the jackpot, you'll probably want to figure out where all the possible candidates are staying, so you can arrange to have them taken out as soon as they're all locked in."

"I would rather a more honest approach."

"Yeah, I'm with you on that one," said Jules. "Ain't no fucking way I'm pussying out of my duel. I'm fighting the bastards head-on, fair and fucking square, and I'm making them eat shit."

"All playing fair will do is put you at a disadvantage. The Cadrians won't even be trying to play fair," said Panda.

"I was under the impression that Cadrians were rather fond of their duels. Does it not then stand to reason that they will do their utmost to ensure their legitimacy?"

"Assassination doesn't really count as cheating," said Panda. "You see, the thing is, we love putting on airs and making it sound like we care how things get done. We throw up all these rules and regulations, but at the end of the day, strength is all that matters, and victory is how its shown. Doesn't matter how you get there, people'll eventually start praising you for it all the same."

"I suppose I shall keep the option in mind," said Arciel. "I see the point you have made concerning the obfuscation of our abilities as well. I do believe we have grown accustomed enough to Griselda's gifts. Perhaps, we may find greater short-term improvement by reflecting upon our techniques and methods of application."

"Does that mean we're going back?" asked Sylvia.

"It does," said Arciel. "Let us abscond from the mountains posthaste."

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