Chapter 736 - 680: Third Place (2/2)
”You don't look scary, though.”
”Iz becwz yu puvvi-”
She couldn't say any coherent words so she tried shaking her head to make him stop but that only made her cheeks get pulled with more strength.
…
”Arthur is talking to the guardians and preparing for the last two trials. Are you all alright?”
Excluding Ho Qing, who was still holed up in his room, Lucy grouped the remaining five and made them sit in front of her. Bora and Ardor seemed to be in a good mood, Cristina looked much better than before, Shu Ru was absent-minded, whereas Rosea still had her head lowered and hands tightly clenched.
”Third place is an amazing achievement considering you've trained for only a week. I'm really proud of you all.”
”Thank you, teacher!”
They all replied in unison, though it was clear that some voices were louder and more cheerful than others.
”Now that the compliments are over, let me make a couple of things clear.”
Lucy's tone drastically changed, so much that even Rosea had to lift her head and pay attention.
”I will start with Rosea. I'm sure that they spoke to you and tried to lift your spirits, but, as I yet see, it did not work. If one defeat was all that took to crush your determination that your place is not here. Either you stop sulking and start training or you will have to leave, there are no two ways about it. Arthur is too kind to directly tell you this but I will tolerate weak-minded pupils.”
The girl opened her mouth, tried to say something, but, in the end, only a long silence left her lips. Lucy wasn't waiting for a response, instead, she shifted her gaze to Bora and Cristina.
”The matter with the Dark Blaze Sect will be solved shortly. You two will stop worrying about them and focus on training… that is not a request but an order. As for Ardor and Cristina, I personally have nothing to say, at least concerning your overall performance, but Arthur did say he wanted to have a private talk with you.”
***
”To be honest, I expected more of you to participate… oh well, whatever.”
Arthur swept his eyes across the eight Guardians who agreed to join the last two trials. Considering how many teams actually joined the competition, the number of guardians willing to participate was relatively low, but it's not like Arthur cared. The last two trials were a bonus, an entertainment for the guardians, who had been spectating so far, and the crowd, which wanted to see real experts fight.
”Please make your acquaintance, sir Arthur.”
A green-haired elven beauty took a step closer to Arthur and elegantly bowed, a gentle smile plastered on her snow-white face. The parasite reciprocated with a wry smile and tried to stealthily distance himself from her. For their first meeting, she was acting a bit too friendly, whether it was her expression, her subtle movement, or her sweet and overly-amicable tone.
Unlike her, however, the rest of the guardians were either neutrally silent or giving him a hostile glare, especially the Patriarch of the Dark Blaze Sect.