Eve of the Evaluation

Shui was surprised that Lefirius managed to utter those words out of his own mouth, but before he noticed his shock, he quickly responded.

"Yes, I do."

Although it was the answer he expected, Lefirius' expression crumbled. He wanted to complain, but that would be counterproductive, so he set it aside for later.

"In that case, you should come. Once Alice enters The Ancient Sanctuary, she won't be out for a year. A lot could change in that time."

To Shui, this still didn't sound like a reason for Lefirius to reluctantly inform him, but he detected a hint in his words so he didn't bother asking him to clarify any further.

"Understood. I have some other matters to take care of before that, but I'll try my best to make it in time."

"Good."

Once that was out of the way, Lefirius felt a weight removed from his back. He thought now was a good time to run Shui out, but there was something else he thought he should tell him.

"By the way, how's your finances been doing these days?"

As he didn't know the objective of this question, Shui answered ambiguously, "Well, I'm doing fine you could say."

"Hmm, anyways there'll be a big auction held between the city's administration and our auction house, so you should gather your funds for that day. I don't mind putting something up for you if it's at least as good as your 'last masterpiece'."

"Haha, I'll keep that mind," Shui replied with an awkward laugh.

The auction that Lefirius talked about occurred every time the Minor Ranking was changed, so he knew that it was something that he had to attend. Shui knew that he was probably lacking the funds for an auction like that, but his options were limited. Although Shui had acquired quite a few goods that could be sold for good money, most weren't gained through fair means. Since he definitely didn't want Lefirius to have any more dirt on him, he had to find some other means of securing more funds.

'I wonder if I should forge something.'

Since he had said all that he needed to, Lefirius told Shui that he could go, in other words he was telling him to get out. Shui didn't have any other business with him, so he obediently stood up and walked towards the door, but his hand froze before he made contact with it. He recalled a question that he was urged to ask.

"Do you know if, she still remembers?"

Irritated by the very thought, Lefirius barked in response, "Hmph, how should I know? She's probably forgot about whatever happened in that small town by now."

"Hmm, I see."

Afterwards, Shui finally left, but the Lefirius' dark expression remained.

'Tch, I really don't like that boy.'

He clicked his tongue and moved his gaze to the papers on his desk. He was currently looking at information on the item that was attracting experts from all over the kingdom. This was going to be main item in the auction, but he hadn't told Shui about it since he wasn't qualified to bid for it in the first place. Even he didn't know what sort of people would come in search of it, but this wasn't under his jurisdiction so he could only be a spectator.

The city of Paraj, was known to be home to several entertainment industries. Naturally this included the traditional gambling businesses, as well as the fairly recent idol trend. As the Array Master Minor Ranking was about to begin, the cost to hold events anywhere in the city had skyrocketed, but even so there was something planned to keep in the coliseum near the centre of the city.

In preparation for that event, there was someone dancing in the ballroom of a mansion that was across the street. She, who possessed a figure that had been maintained to perfection, slid about the room with elegance. Her facial features seemed to have been finely sculpted by a higher being for her looks had surpassed the opinion of beauty and was simply a fact. Her long hazel hair, floated gently like a leaf in the breeze despite the vigorous movements of her body. Despite her great fame, she knew that her brilliance could be extinguished at any moment, so accumulating fatigue was just another challenge that she was determined to overcome.

When she eventually took a break, it was not to rest, but only to wipe off the sweat that had reached the point where it interfered with her practice. However, before she could go back to her training, the sound of applause kept her stagnate.

"Even better than I remember. I'm glad to see that success hasn't dulled your motivation."

In any other case, her first thought would be why her staff let this unknown intruder get so close, but there was no need for that with this person. Even before turning to look, the woman exclaimed in response to that laid-back voice.

"Sister!"

When she turned in the direction of the applause, she easily found the charismatic and devilishly charming figure who she she expected. She had on casual clothes, but her style was something that couldn't be suppressed by the price of her clothing. Even a plain green dress would look dazzling on her for it was she that made it look good. Considering her profession, the woman was naturally confident in her own appearance, but she still felt a prick of envy whenever she saw her.

"Skali, it's been a while."

"Indeed it has, Sister."

As they exchanged greetings, the two stunning beauties approached each other. Despite how friendly they were, their respective auras contrasted like an angel and a demon. When the fatigued angel stopped in front of the seductive devil, her heart skipped a beat when she felt that hand brush the top of her head.

'Yes, it was just like this.'

The two used to be aspiring idols working together under the same agency, with the devilish woman acting as her senior. Everyone had high hopes that she would be the next solo idol star, but before she had that chance, a certain incident cut off her shiny path. Afterwards, Skali had sworn to work hard for both of them, but she didn't know how to react when they were suddenly reunited.

"So, how have you been?" the woman asked after removing her hand.

Slightly disappointed, Skali answered, "Great. It hasn't been easy, but I've worked hard and managed to reach where I am now. Did you hear? I have a concert scheduled in two days."

Skali wore a bright expression as she tried to hint at her success in a way that would make the woman praise her. The woman knew that the idol world was definitely not all fun and games, but she could see some degree of authenticity in her smile, so she didn't ask about the reason why her gaze wasn't as innocent as before.

"Yes, at the coliseum right? I've seen some of your shows before so I'm sure that you'll do fine as long as nothing goes wrong."

Hearing her commendation filled Skali with joy that had her squealing inside. Many of her fans would probably pay to see their idol acting in this adorable manner, but unfortunately it wasn't a sight for the public.

Watching that sweet, nostalgic smile of hers, the woman felt a little sad that she only chose to see her now, but she didn't regret it.

"By the way, Skali, can I ask you for a favour?"