The Overreach Garden was a high-class restaurant in the upper districts. Its special trait was the thousands of flowers that bloomed throughout the year, thanks to Arcanists who carefully controlled the temperature. This created a magical sight, even in the capital of magic. Elizabeth's group arrived after buying formal clothes for Benedict, Shirley, Freon, and Nassandra for the banquet in five days. As for Elizabeth, she had an abundance of dresses to use, so much that she could probably wear a new one everyday and never run out. That was one of her unspoken benefits of being a princess. Currently, she had changed into a simple dress, Benedict and Shirley had changed into their armors, and Nassandra wore her Ten Dawn robe. Freon was the odd one out without a uniform. When the waiters saw Elizabeth's flaming red hair and her golden crown, they immediately knew who she was. Her group was quickly escorted to a private room.
"What a good place!" Shirley exclaimed. Her eyes were practically sparkling.
From pink roses and white peonies to yellow chrysanthemums and blue irises, there were flowers stretching across the ground, the walls, and down the ceiling. The faint illumination in the room gave the flowers an almost illusionary property, enhancing their beauty. Furthermore, the fresh floral scent coming from the lavender filled the air, making it feel particularly soothing. This restaurant, or rather its decorations, were leagues above the other restaurants she visited before.
"The Overreach Garden truly deserves its reputation!" Elizabeth beamed.
The girls happily went around, and admired the flowers up close, while Benedict and Freon sat in their chairs. Freon was happy to see his sister enjoying herself with Elizabeth and Shirley. Nassandra did not have many friends, especially those around her age, because of her special status. That was one thing he hoped would change. Benedict found his eyes kept wandering to Elizabeth, mesmerized by her brilliant smile and melodious laugh. He almost jumped when he realized what he was doing. How awkward! Thankfully, nobody caught him.
Benedict coughed and said something to dispel his embarrassment. "It… must take a lot of work to maintain all these flowers. I wonder how they do it."
"That's true. You need someone to plant, water, trim, arrange, and clean up. Not to mention, the Arcanists required to control the temperature. There must be many people employed here," Freon commented, cupping his chin. "The meals here must cost a fortune."
"I guess we're lucky that we don't have to pay."
"One of the perks of being a princess," Elizabeth said with her back turned. "But don't worry, I won't take advantage of them. I'll insist on paying."
"How come there are so many Arcanists though?" Shirley wondered. "I thought there weren't many in the world, since they were a rare bunch in the war; however, it feels like Arcanists are everywhere here."
"We're in the capital of the kingdom of magic. It's only natural there would be more Arcanists here than anywhere else," Freon explained. "Besides, not everyone wanted to or could join the war. They were a minority."
"I thought there was a mandatory military draft," Benedict questioned.
"There is and we're required to join the army for a year or two, but… some people have the power to ignore it. You should understand what I mean, since you were a Grand Lord once."
"That's true."
"Speaking of which, don't you have a Magic Core, Benedict?" Elizabeth asked.
"Huh? You do?" Shirley was incredulous, though Freon and Nassandra were calmer. They had their Magic Perceptions, so they could naturally sense his condition.
"I am technically a Low Gaseous Fog Arcanist, except I don't know any spells."
"I'm the only one who doesn't have a Core then." Shirley pouted. "Elizabeth, teach me."
"Sure, next time we're free."
"Did you learn from the Sword King?" Freon asked with an eyebrow raised.
"I did."
"That's unexpected. I thought the Sword King would have despised Arcanists and Magic Energy."
"No, he does."
"…"
"Haven't you noticed?" Elizabeth smiled knowingly. "The Sword King is an Instinct Realm and a Condensed Drop. Protector Avin is a Perception Realm and a Blue Depth. If the Perception Realm and Condensed Drop is the 'second level', and the Instinct Realm and Blue Depth is the 'third level', then they both have a second and third level. I suspect that might be one of the requirements to become a Rank 3 King." Although she wanted to ask her master, Rena, to confirm, the spirit had not answered in a long time. Elizabeth was getting concerned. Was there a problem?
"So, if I wanted to become a Rank 3 King, I would need to be an Instinct Realm and Condensed Drop?" Shirley exclaimed, her eyes wide in disbelief. One was hard enough, but both at the same time? The difficulty was tantamount to climbing to the heavens! How was she supposed to achieve Rank 3 King in her lifetime?
"Alternatively, you could try to get Blue Depth, since you're close to Perception Realm," Freon pointed out.
"But I don't know any magic…"
"We'll take it one step at a time," Elizabeth comforted.
"Should we learn Martial Energy then?" Freon wondered.
"That sounds like a good idea. Shirley, could you teach us?"
"Of course!"
"I also need some help to advance my Core," Benedict said meekly.
"I can help you with that." Freon smiled. Despite developing in different ways, they could compliment each other's strengths and weaknesses. They were slowly, but surely, forging their ways forward! When Freon turned his head, he realized his sister was giving him a sad look. He was startled, jumping off his chair, and ran to her side. "What's wrong, Nassandra? Why are you crying?"
"I don't get it, brother. Why do you have to get stronger? Why can't you stay here with me? I don't want to see you in any more pain. I don't want to see you risk your life anymore."
"…" Freon could not say anything. He felt awful.
"You know… when I heard you died in the Battle of Liguang, I didn't want to believe it… No, I couldn't believe it. We lost our parents already… I didn't want to lose you too. You barely came back from the war, and now you want to fight again. Do you understand how I feel? I know you want to protect me from being a Ten Dawn, but it's the same for me. I want to protect you too. I don't want you to fight anymore."
The door creaked open, and Lord Fredrick and Lady Kalasena, who stepped in, froze upon seeing the awkward scene. Lady Kalasena did not reveal any emotion on her stoic face, but she was inwardly flustered. She was unclear what to do. Thankfully, Lord Fredrick was someone who weathered many storms. He quickly composed himself and smiled.
"Are we interrupting, Your Highness?" he whispered.
When Nassandra realized she was seen, her cheeks turned scarlet red, and she bolted out the room. Freon cursed and chased after her. Meanwhile, Elizabeth, Benedict, and Shirley were quiet. Nassandra's speech hit them especially hard. That was right! Training by itself was not a bad thing. However, the pursuit of strength would inevitably lead to conflict, to pain, and potentially… to death. There was no avoiding it. Few people could reach the summit after all! It was a path littered in failure. The problem was that… they were not alone. They had family, friends, and people who cared about them too. Elizabeth had Auntie Christina, Benedict had Sir Lorenzo, and Shirley had her mother and two brothers. Like Nassandra said, it was inconsiderate of their feelings to persist.
Why did Elizabeth and her friends pursue greater strength? Although the causes varied, their answers were the same. It was because they wished to control their own destiny! The battle with Emperor Lianghu, the run-in with the Whispering Shadow, and the war in the Xingyuu Empire… Everything forced them to get stronger or risk dying. The weak would die, and the strong would prevail. It was brutal yet simple. But what about now? While the apex was still out of reach, Elizabeth and her friends could call themselves strong. They were monsters in their own way! Furthermore, the war was over. Was there a need to be stronger anymore? To place themselves in harm's way? To risk their lives and worry others? Their motivations faded, as Elizabeth, Benedict, and Shirley found themselves doubting. Was this enough? Should they stop here? If so…, what would they do next?