CHAPTER 160: HUNTING PARTY

Aegis woke up with her ass screaming in protest.

She groaned, rolling onto her side. Every movement sent sharp reminders of last night’s "training session" with Nazraya through her body.

[Worth it though. I learned some useful shadow magic theory. And got railed. Win-win.]

Lune was already awake, sitting at her desk with her sketchbook. She didn’t look up as Aegis dragged herself out of bed.

"You’re walking funny."

"Your observational skills continue to astound me, roomie."

"Mm."

Aegis limped to the washbasin, splashing cold water on her face. Better. Marginally.

As she dried off, something white caught her eye near the door.

A letter. Slipped under while she’d been sleeping.

She picked it up, breaking the wax seal.

Lady Aegis Starcaller,

You are cordially invited to attend the Annual Summer Auction, to be held at the Rosevale Grand Hall in fourteen days’ time. As a newly titled noble, your presence would honor the occasion.

Please note: All attending nobles are expected to present an offering—be it a rare item, a work of art, or a performance of exceptional quality. This tradition demonstrates one’s commitment to Valdria’s cultural heritage and one’s worthiness to participate in such esteemed company.

Failure to present an adequate offering may result in... social consequences.

Sincerely,

Lord Matthias Clearwater

Master of Ceremonies

Aegis read it twice.

Then she laughed.

"What?" Lune asked.

"They want me to bring a ’gift’ to the auction. To prove I belong."

"Isn’t that normal?"

"Sure. If you ignore that it’s clearly a hazing ritual designed to make new nobles look stupid when they show up empty-handed or with something inadequate."

She tossed the letter onto her bed.

"Guess I need to find something impressive."

"You could commission a painting."

Aegis glanced at Lune, who’d gone back to sketching.

"From you~?" Aegis smiled. "Lune Solana, trying to market herself, perhaps?"

"Only if you want. Though I doubt my work is ’rare’ enough for their standards."

"Your work is better than half the garbage hanging in noble estates."

Lune’s ears turned slightly pink, but she didn’t respond.

Aegis grabbed her clothes, dressing quickly despite the soreness.

[A rare item. Something that screams ’I belong here’ without being try-hard about it.]

She ran through her mental catalogue of game knowledge. Legendary weapons were out—too aggressive. Magical artifacts were expensive and hard to source. Art was subjective.

Then it hit her.

[The Singing Crystal.]

A Day-One exclusive. Well, technically a "summer exclusive." Players were supposed to grab it during the first summer of the game, but the item itself was available any summer, as long as you knew where to look.

It was a palm-sized crystal that resonated with ambient magic, producing harmonious tones when held. Beautiful, rare, and completely useless in combat—which made it perfect for impressing nobles who valued aesthetics over function.

And she knew exactly where it was.

"Lune, I’m heading to the manor. I’ll be back later."

"Mm-hm."

Aegis left before Lune could ask questions.

---

The manor courtyard rang with the sound of steel on steel.

Scarlett and Kanna were sparring, both stripped down to training clothes despite the summer heat. Sweat gleamed on their skin as they moved—Scarlett aggressive and powerful, Kanna precise and efficient.

Aegis leaned against the gate, watching.

Scarlett lunged forward with an overhead strike. Kanna sidestepped, her blade coming up to tap Scarlett’s ribs.

"Dead," Kanna said flatly.

"Fuck!"

Scarlett backed up, shaking out her arms.

"Again."

They reset.

Aegis let them go through two more rounds before clearing her throat.

Both women stopped, turning toward her.

"Starcaller," Kanna said, lowering her blade.

"Hey!" Scarlett waved. "What’s up?"

"Road trip. Right now. Both of you."

Scarlett’s face fell.

"Are you serious? We just got back from those ruins like a week ago."

"I’m aware."

"And you want us to leave again?"

"I do. With me."

"With you?"

"Yep."

"For how long?"

"Just a day this time."

Scarlett still groaned, tilting her head back dramatically, trying to hide how happy she was internally. She was probably very much enjoying all this alone time with Kanna, after all.

Kanna sheathed her blade.

"Where are we going?"

"Western forests. There’s something I need to retrieve."

"Monster hunting?" Kanna asked.

"More like treasure hunting."

Scarlett perked up slightly.

"Treasure? Like gold?"

"Better. A rare magical item that’ll make me look good at the Summer Auction."

"The what now?"

Aegis explained quickly—the invitation, the offering requirement, the political bullshit involved.

Scarlett listened, then sighed.

"Fine. But you owe me."

"I pay you."

"You owe me emotionally."

"Deal."

Kanna was already heading toward the manor.

"I’ll grab supplies."

"Make it quick," Aegis called after her. "I want to leave within the hour."

Scarlett stretched, muscles flexing.

"So what exactly are we looking for?"

"A crystal. About this big." Aegis held up her hand, fingers forming a circle. "It’ll be in a cave near the old river bend. Probably guarded by something annoying."

"Something annoying. Great. Specific."

"You’ll know it when you see it."

Scarlett scowled, but there was no heat in it.

Kanna returned with packs for all three of them—food, water, basic camping supplies. Efficient as always.

They set out.

---

The road west was well-traveled, at least initially. Merchants, farmers, the occasional patrol. But as they moved deeper into the countryside, the traffic thinned.

Scarlett walked beside Aegis, still complaining.

"You know, most employers give their retainers time off. Vacation days. Rest periods."

"You’ll get plenty. I promise."

Behind them, Kanna sharpened her blade as she walked. The rhythmic scrape of whetstone on steel was oddly soothing.

"How’s the new sword treating you?" Aegis asked her.

"Adequate."

"Just adequate?"

"I need time to adjust. The weight distribution is different from my previous blade."

"But it’s better?"

Kanna paused, considering.

"Yes. It’s a very good weapon."

"High praise from you."

Kanna didn’t respond, returning her attention to the blade.

They walked in companionable silence for a while, the sun beating down on them.

Eventually, the forest came into view. Tall pines and oaks, shadows stretching across the ground. The air grew cooler as they entered, the canopy blocking out the worst of the heat.

Aegis led them off the main path, following landmarks she remembered from the game.

A lightning-split tree. A cluster of white stones. A stream that forked around a mossy boulder.

[Left at the boulder, follow the stream north for half a mile, then east toward the cave entrance.]

The forest was quiet. Too quiet.

Aegis’s hand drifted to her dagger.

"Something’s off."

"I noticed," Kanna said.

"Noticed what?" Scarlett asked, looking around. "It’s just trees."

"No birds," Kanna clarified. "No small game. Something scared them off."

Aegis scanned the ground as they walked.

There.

Fresh tracks. Bootprints. Multiple sets, moving in the same direction they were heading.

She crouched, examining them.

[Heavy tread. At least four people, maybe five. Recent... these were made this morning.]

Her stomach dropped.

The bootprints were expensive. High-quality leather, probably custom-made. The stride length suggested confident movement, not the cautious approach of commoner hunters.

And the spacing between tracks showed a leisurely pace. People who weren’t worried about danger. People who felt entitled to be here.

Nobles.

"Fuck," Aegis muttered.

Scarlett moved closer, looking at the tracks.

"What is it?"

"We’ve got competition."

She stood, brushing dirt off her hands.

The prints led in the exact direction they needed to go. Toward the cave. Toward the Singing Crystal.

[Of course. Because nothing in my life can ever be simple.]

Kanna’s expression didn’t change, but her hand rested on her sword hilt.

"How far ahead?"

"An hour. Maybe less."

"Do we turn back?"

Aegis looked at the tracks, then at the path ahead, then back at her retainers.

[I need that crystal. Without it, I show up to the auction empty-handed and look like an idiot. With it, I prove I belong in their stupid club.]

"No," she said. "We keep moving. Fast."

"And if we catch up to them?" Scarlett asked.

Aegis grinned, but there was no humor in it.

"Then we’ll figure it out."

They moved forward, following the tracks deeper into the forest.

The sun filtered through the canopy above, dappling the ground with light and shadow. Birds should have been singing. Small animals should have been rustling through the underbrush.

Instead, there was only silence and the sound of their footsteps on the forest floor.

Aegis’s mind raced through possibilities.

[Best case: they’re not heading for the crystal. They’re just hunting game and happen to be going the same direction. Worst case: they know exactly what they’re looking for and they’re going to beat me there. Most likely case: someone else got the same invitation I did and had the same idea about bringing something impressive.]

The tracks were getting fresher. The edges sharper. The disturbed leaves hadn’t fully settled yet.

They were close.

Very close.

Aegis held up a fist. Scarlett and Kanna stopped immediately.

She pointed ahead, then held a finger to her lips.

Through the trees, maybe fifty yards away, she could see movement. Flashes of color that didn’t belong in the forest. Voices, low and confident, drifting through the air.

[Oh, fuck. Competition.]