After parting from Nox at the tavern, Wendy returned to the temporary base for the students of Vermilion Royal Academy.
The base was actually a luxurious two-story mansion with marble tiles, smooth polished walls, and two imposing pillars at the front. This mansion belonged to the Mayor of Frostburg, who leased it out to generate extra revenue for the city.
Due to his wealthy noble background, Ren easily rented this extremely expensive mansion, stating he couldn't settle for anything less.
Wendy walked into the mansion and saw her fellow students who had participated in the fight last night; she noticed that none had sustained any serious injuries and were still alive. Those with minor injuries were being attended to by healers.
'Had those bricks fallen on ordinary humans, they would surely have perished... Awakened are indeed terrifying beings.'
As soon as Wendy stepped into the room, all the students, happily chatting among themselves, frowned.
Walking past them, Wendy heard them blaming her for not attacking the boy when she had the chance; they blamed her for their injuries and everything that happened last night. Wendy paid them no heed and continued her walk. If she had a second chance, she would still do the same thing.
Soon, she arrived in front of a wooden door. Inside this room was the annoying noble who was the squad leader of this mission. If it were up to Wendy alone, she wouldn't have come here because she couldn't stand the sight of Ren. However, it seemed something important had come up, and he had called all the important members of the squad to a meeting.
"I wonder what trash he'll spit out of his mouth this time around," Wendy thought and pushed the door open.
Two weeks flew by, and Nox still hadn't gotten any leads on the Elemental Beast. He had scouted the entire city and asked questions, but none of his findings were satisfactory.
From all the investigations he conducted, he was starting to suspect that the Beast wasn't in this city, but he decided to wait a few more days before proceeding to the next city... and there were over ten cities in the Snowhelm Kingdom.
Searching all these cities would really be a grueling task, but Nox was determined. His only worry was that other factions might beat him to the Elemental Beast.
"Maybe they already have," Nox thought, but shook his head, dismissing the thought. He had seen an influx of foreigners in Frostburg in recent days; most of them came from the valley, and Nox could tell they were here for the same reason.
...Which meant that the hunt was still on.
"The more time passes, the more people will know about the Elemental Beast," Nox thought.
He was currently serving Thirteen and Fluffington breakfast while he ate the food his mother had packed for him. The storage space also preserved food and other things, so he wasn't worried about the food spoiling.
As Nox ate, his mind couldn't help but drift back to the Barony. It was the first time in his life that he had traveled away from home, and the feeling was quite strange; it didn't take Nox long to recognize this feeling.
He was missing everyone. He missed his grandfather, mother, his master Serena, Aunt Celine, Aunt Camila, and even his annoying twin sister. In fact, he missed the peaceful, quaint Barony with its warm temperatures, not this icy kingdom that forced him to wear thick cotton clothes.
"They must be worried about me," Nox sighed. "I wish I had those communication crystals."
But those were very expensive; even in the Barony, only the likes of Eve, Aunt Celine, and Nathan had one. If they were cheap, everyone could easily get their hands on one.
Nox sauntered to the balcony, his gaze fixed on the Warrior's Pride Dojo and the ongoing construction. With the help of mages with earth affinity, the process was fast, and Nox estimated that it would take just a few more days before the building would be completed.
In the past days, he had subtly covered his face and avoided the district where Warrior's Pride Dojo was located. An angry Master Parker had even instructed all his students to watch out for Nox and report to him personally.
Nox wasn't really scared of Master Parker or the students in the dojo; however, the reason he avoided them was that he didn't want to draw too much attention to himself. After all, he was in an enemy kingdom and was supposed to stay low-key.
"Sigh, just two weeks, and I almost flooded the entire city and destroyed a dojo that had stood for a hundred years. Am I that chaotic?"
As he reflected on his actions, Nox's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a knock on the door. He had expected it to be the receptionist or one of the inn workers, but to his surprise, it was...
"Wendy?" Nox spoke, surprised.
"As expected, you didn't return," Wendy sighed as if she had given up persuading Nox to return to the Barony.
Nox frowned. "I didn't tell you where I was staying. How did you find this place?" Alarmed, he even looked around, thinking the white-haired girl had been followed. There were people who wanted to get rid of him after all.
"No one followed me; I'm very sure of that," Wendy brushed her hair back. "Won't you invite me in?"
"Ah, sorry. Come in." Nox gestured for her to come in and closed the door behind her.
As soon as she stepped in, Wendy's eyes fell on Thirteen and Fluffington, and she shuddered a bit. When she had seen the cat and the panda cheering in the mock tournament, she hadn't thought much of them, but after witnessing what the two beasts had done two weeks ago, her entire perspective on the cute-looking creatures had crumbled.
Now, it was safe to say she was slightly frightened of them.
[Enemy!] Thirteen wasn't only hardworking; he also had a good memory. As such, when he saw the white-haired girl, he quickly remembered her as the one who fought Nyx and Nox in the tournament.
"No, she isn't, Wendy is a friend." Nox patted Thirteen's soft fur, and the angry panda calmed down, going back to eating bamboo shoots as if he hadn't been angry a few seconds ago.
"So, what brings you here?" Nox returned his focus to his visitor.
Taking her eyes away from the panda, Wendy sighed deeply and said, "At first, I didn't want to tell you this, but since you're so stubborn and want to proceed with the hunt, I figured I should tell you."
"Tell me what?" Nox raised an eyebrow.
"We have news about the Elemental Beast and where it is."