Reason

It might be due to the effect of her skill, but the residual particles still lingered around her body, turning her yellow hair into gold.

On her hand was a thin sword. The handle was gold, but the blade was red. She showed no emotion, but she didn't look cold and aloof.

Their eyes intertwined and both of them surprisingly recognized each other.

Theo aside, Alea was a famous figure whether in the school or public. It wasn't possible for someone not to recognize her.

However, he couldn't understand why Alea acted as if she had met him.

"You are the one I have been searching for." A smile appeared on her serious face before the atmosphere itself had gotten calmer. She approached him and bent down.

Theo sweatdropped. A powerful family like the Eilric Family would surely have a way to check his identity, so he should avoid leaving any evidence about his real identity.

He adjusted his voice to let it sound a bit deeper than his actual voice. "You… Know me?"

Alea felt a weird sensation when he spoke. Since she had an agenda with him, she decided to ignore it and said, "Yes. The one who killed a Rock Turtle despite being a Normal Rank. I was too occupied back then and let one of the Rock Turtles escape. When I chased it, the only thing I found was just the aftermath. After a few investigations, I found out that you were the one who killed it."

Theo's heart skipped a beat as he began to panic. He grumbled inwardly, 'What should I do? Did I get found out? There shouldn't be surveillance cameras on this side, but she could find it was me? Did someone inform her about me? No, her influence was enough for her to get an answer from the blacksmiths all over the base…The old man must have told her about me.'

As he put too much thought into the matter, Alea continued. "It turns out that my second blunder leads me to you. This must be fate. Seeing your body and vibe, you should be a high school student like me. I can't pinpoint which grade you are though."

"…" Theo fell silent. 'It seems the situation is still under control. At the very least, she hasn't known my identity yet. In that case, I should take it to my advantage.'

Suddenly, Theo looked away, refusing to answer.

"You…I just saved you, but you couldn't even say thanks." She pouted before adding. "Is what I want to say, but since this is my blunder, I should apologize to you."

She politely bowed her head. "I am sorry for this blunder and the previous mistake."

Theo blinked his eyes a few times, not believing what he just heard. With her status, the matter could be solved with just a word.

However, the person in question lowered her head to apologize. He had no choice other than to say, "It's fine. Since you saved my life, we can call it even."

Though, another thought appeared in his mind. 'How many blunders are you going to make despite being known as a genius?'

He could take advantage of the situation, but it would just entangle him with her matter, so he decided to draw a line to prevent any troublesome things from happening.

"But I can't leave it like this. I need to compensate you in one way or another. Do you need anything?" She asked.

Theo thought for a moment. He might be able to get a high level weapon with her background, but he felt that it wouldn't be safe for his identity.

There was one way to settle it in an instant.

"Money."

Alea blinked her eyes a few times as if she couldn't believe what she heard. "I don't know whether you are greedy or foolish. Well, I already said it, so I wouldn't take it back."

What she meant by greedy was because he said money without a specific amount. In other words, how much she would give to him would depend on her discretion. How bad she felt for almost killing him twice?

At the same time, Theo could be considered foolish. It was the perfect chance to get something expensive. Even if he didn't need it, he could sell it. Even if it was a bit cheaper than the original price, it was still a fortune for a poor person like him.

Little did she know the true reason Theo asked for money was so that no one could track him. The Swift Transfer wouldn't have the record, making it hard to find his real identity.

"Give me your Skylink." She took out a cylindrical device called Skylink.

Theo also took out his and put it closer to hers. Her Skylink then projected a blue screen where she put the amount she wanted to transfer.

"By the way, I don't know your name." She took a quick glance at his face to get his name, but to no avail.

Theo refused to give his personal information. But since the situation was him getting saved and he was getting money from her, he decided to give his alias. "Joker."

"Pfft…An alias. Are you a middle-schooler?" She laughed while saying, "Ah, I am sorry…Haha…I didn't mean to make fun of you. Still, hiding your identity, huh. No wonder you want money instead of other things."

"…" Theo remained silent, not wanting to rebuke her or whatsoever.

"Say…Do you need a party or something? I don't have anyone with me, so how about we make a party?"

"You are far stronger than me. I am not qualified to be your party member. Besides, if you allowed a bat like that to escape with your current strength, can you…Never mind. I don't want to be rude." Theo shook his head.

"My bad. I encountered a flock of Blood Sucking Bats. I managed to kill 49 of them, but one of them got past me, so I do feel sorry." She sighed.

"…" When Theo heard that she fought that many bats alone, he was impressed. The difference of level between the bats and Alea might be far, but the situation changed when she encountered so many bats at once. It was very hard to keep the bats in one place, so letting only one pass her could be considered amazing instead.

He scratched the back of his head. "Sorry. I don't mean to mock you, but I have my own situation. That's why I can't join your party."

"That's a shame."

"And I couldn't understand why you invited me to your party."

"When I first heard about you, I noticed that you were special. You must have leveled up a few times after killing the Rock Turtle, so I knew that you were weak at that time. I mean…Take a look at your current situation and I can predict your previous level…Not the exact level though." She shrugged.

"Is that the reason?" Theo narrowed his eyes. "I am not unique. Just a bit lucky. If I were to fight the turtle again, I would lose ten out of ten."

"Look. This is the second reason. You knew your weakness well, but instead of cowering, you kept improving. I could see how you still pointed your spear despite knowing that you would have died with that last charge." She smiled.

"…" Theo looked down. It was just his last attempt and he never expected anything from it. 'To think it could be seen that way.'

"I have a few more reasons, but the most important one is to ask you to join my party. I feel that you are someone worth grooming. I want to teach you myself."

"You mean like your student?"

"Nope. I will be your mentor. There will be a global competition this year. It requires a party of six to join. And each grade will need to send two people to participate. For now, my current candidate is Sihan Raskaka and my friend. I still need to search for three additional members. With how polite you are, you must be a junior." She narrowed her eyes, looking at him up and down. "Ah, the school hasn't spread the news yet, but I think they will do something soon, so don't spread it, okay? Well, I will know your identity that way anyway, so your choice. By the way, are you a first year or second year student?"

"…" Theo remained silent.

"Since you don't want to answer, it's fine. But I already know that you are a student, my junior on top of that. Don't make me catch you." She grinned.

'How sharp is this woman?' Theo's eyebrows twitched. He never expected that the way he talked could be a clue as well. It was normal to be polite to your seniors in school or even in general.

Alea knew this too well and gathered all the clues she got before coming to a conclusion.

"Fufu. And don't try to drop out or escape, I will know it is you." She threatened him. "I will drag you back. Even if you are not chosen, I will have a backup ready."

Theo looked at her face helplessly. 'It seems I need to lay low for the time being. Luckily, Laust is suspended while Eric and Shella have died. I can take a breather from bullying.'

She then stood up and stretched her hand.

Theo reached her hand and rose from the ground.

"Then, I think I need to go now. I am looking forward to our next meeting." She waved her hand and turned around. "Don't forget to take a bath. You reek of blood."

Just like that, Alea disappeared from his vision.

"What should I do now…" Theo facepalmed.