High Guardian Spice Twice

Ch. 12 - The Destiny That Guides Us.

As time passed, the day of the grand tournament arrived. All the students ready to give it their all gathered in Burniston. Although this city wasn't huge, it wasn't small either. It was a place where commerce thrived, evident from the prosperity of its shops. The predominant color palette was a blend of beige, grape, and lavender tones, adding a particular charm to its streets. Elegant street lamps illuminated every corner, providing a cozy atmosphere at night. The greenery, in the form of trees and other plant life, harmoniously integrated with the urban environment, bringing freshness and vitality to the landscape.

The first day in this pleasant city was peaceful. The Triad decided to give the students a day to enjoy the new surroundings. The High Guardian Spice were exploring all sorts of shops and food stalls. During their fun, they ran into Salthyer and Olive, and Rosemary excitedly approached them.

«Hey Olive, we were planning to go eat at a shop we saw earlier. Want to join us?»

The cat girl smiled but quickly tried to hide it, saying, «N-No, I can't. I need to stay by Salt's side to help him with whatever he needs. I still need to redeem myself for my actions.» Olive said, glancing at Salthyer with determination. However, the professor noticed that her tail was wagging, clearly betraying her excitement, though she tried to hide it.

«Don't worry about that, go with the girls now.» After hearing those words from Salthyer, the cat girl perked up and started jumping with joy. The professor simply gave a small smile and attempted to continue on his way, but Rosemary stopped him.

«But, Mr. Salthyer... you should take a break too, you look... um... a little tired.» The professor, with bags under his eyes and a slightly more worn-out appearance, could only notice how unusually attentive and hyper the pink-haired girl was being.

«No, young lady, I'd prefer to stay focused on keeping everything in order. You should enjoy the day and be ready for tomorrow,» Salthyer replied.

«Oh, come on, don't be such a grouch.» Rosemary said without thinking, causing Salt to frown once again.

«Oh, sorry for being such a grouch, Miss Supreme Swordswoman. I seem to recall that your unique skill hasn't been fully developed yet... or am I wrong? How about you focus on that? We're just a day away from the tournament qualifiers.» They glared at each other, but Callibur spoke to Rose.

«Girl, I don't think you're even trying to get close to him. Your relationship seems to be going downhill.»

Rosemary stepped back, pondering her sword's words.

Suddenly, two women arrived, each taking one of the professor's arms. Anise and Aloe had arrived to watch the tournament, and Anise spoke first.

«Hey kiddo, let's let 'Salty' rest. Just because he'll outlive us doesn't mean his bones don't ache like ours, haha.»

Salthyer's face went blank as he shrugged. «Ha... ha... ha... very funny, you two. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to leave...» The two lowered the elf so he could make his exit, and Sage approached to greet her cousin and her wife.

As the cousins explained to the girls, it seemed that they weren't the only ones who had come to town. Sage's parents, Rose's father, and Chicory had also arrived. The girls were excited by this news, but something had caught Rosemary's attention earlier.

«Hey, Aunt Anise,» Rosemary said, only for Sage to quickly interject with "Cousin" so she could continue.

«Right, Cousin Anise, how do you know Salthyer?»

Both women smiled and answered, «Oh, well, Salthyer is a close friend of Caraway's, and he told us some of their few stories together. We didn't get to interact much, but it was fun when we did. He was also a friend of your mother. The three of them, along with Dretch, made a great team back during their academy years.»