(3rd Person POV)
Despite her friend's victory, the smile on Cassie's face was rather strained.
Of course, it wasn't because she was upset about the result.
Rather-
"AHAHAHA, Guess who taught him that! Yep, it was me!"
It was because the swordsman hiding next to her wouldn't shut the fuck up.
Currently shaking a very, very, VERY confused outer settlement hunter, Audun was jumping up and down like a kid on Christmas.
The corner of Cassie's mouth twitched.
At first, Audun had been leisurely chatting with her, but after a few minutes, his attention was completely drawn in by the fight."
"OH YEAHH, JUMP HIS ASS, SUNNY!"
"YOU IDIOT, IF YOU'RE THAT AGGRESSIVE WITH YOUR SWORD, YOU'LL BREAK IT!! JUST BEAT HIM UP WITH YOUR FISTS!!"
"BAHAHA, THEY'RE PLAYING WHACK-A-MOLE WITH THAT TIN CAN'S HEAD!"
Cassie was convinced that if she hadn't been holding the swordsman back, he would've jumped into the ring to get a closer look.
Regardless, she was now completely sure that she wouldn't have to worry about Sunny's safety, at least, not with this overly enthusiastic teacher watching over him.
Now, her only concern was making sure Nephis didn't die because of some hiccup in her planning.
A sigh escaped Cassie's lips.
"Hey, Cas?"
She felt someone tap her on the shoulders.
Recognizing the voice, she grasped her necklace, specifically the silver ring strung around her neck.
'What's up?'
Audun suppressed a laugh.
"Pff~ Caster's face right now is priceless."
Cassie kept her expression neutral, but naturally, she was quite curious.
'Oh?'
"Mhm mhm, he looks absolutely horrified! He's probably cursing out his entire clan right now~"
The swordsman let out another laugh.
Truly, without others watching, he acted completely different.
Well, upon further thought, she realized that there were always signs... after all, he had called Nephis a stripper when they first met.
'Hah~ leave him be for now. We still need him."
"Really? I still have no idea why you guys insist on keeping him around. Both you and Nephis keep saying that we need him, but he seems pretty weak, no? I could probably do twelve times the work he could; in fact, even Sunny could, and quite easily too."
'His identity as a legacy is still useful, plus, an extra set of hands is always appreciated.'
Audun sighed.
"I mean... I guess. He still pisses me off, though."
A mischievous smile spread across the swordsman's face.
"Well, whatever. After this, I'm gonna go spit in his food again... Maybe I'll trip him a couple of times while he's trying to act cool in front of the Hunters."
Cassie let out another sigh.
'Just don't do anything excessive. We can't make use of his reputation if you keep embarrassing him in front of the others.'
The swordsman shrugged.
"I'm just having some fun before shit hits the fan..."
The oracle chuckled quietly.
'We're almost there... Just a little longer.'
The two fell silent for a moment, listening to the commotion happening in the center.
Audun sighed.
"Looks like Nephis is almost done with her speech."
Cassie nodded.
'Neph is surprisingly charismatic when she wants to be.'
"Indeed. She's got everyone captivated, Sunny included."
Another sigh escaped the swordsman's lips.
"My idiot disciple doesn't even realize he has feelings for her... Hah~ That dense buffoon."
Cassie frowned, feeling the urge to say something, but ultimately she decided against it.
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After Nephis had claimed ownership of the castle, everyone's schedules became inhumanely busy.
Combining both the populations of the outersettlement and the Bright Castle had been no small task, and it had taken a week alone to sort out housing and weed out the scum within the castle hunters and castle staff.
During that time, Sunny had taken over the place where the memory market occupied and opened up what he had dubbed a Brilliant Emporium alongside Stev, Aiko, and Kai, a place where he sold literal tons of abomination meat and a vast array of memories.
Needless to say, Sunny also had his hands full, and thus, the expedition the cohort had originally planned to take had been pushed back by quite a bit.
Not that anyone was really complaining.
After all, none of them truly wanted to venture into the labyrinth.
With Nephis so busy, Sunny drowning in riches, and the rest of the cohort either stuck hunting to sustain their massive population or forced to help Nephis with menial tasks, no one had even noticed a month and a half pass by.
And thus, the time for a certain Star's reappearance was nigh.
"Cas, why'd you gather us here?"
Gathering the cohort normally would've been quite difficult, but with a few vague words and a mysterious smile, the oracle had been able to round up most of the group.
Standing just in front of the Castle Gates, Changing Star's cohort stuck out like a sore thumb.
"Just wait."
"...Huh?"
Effie eyed the oracle suspiciously.
"Didja see something, Cassie?"
With the same mysterious smile she had baited them here with, Cassie casually pointed at an empty spot in front of them.
"He's back."
"What?"
Sunny, quickly realizing what she was talking about, widened his eyes.
Smacking his forehead, he let out a sigh.
"Right... It's been two months."
Flashing Sunny a quizical look, Nephis frowned.
"What are you guys talking about?"
A small, knowing smile spread across Sunny's face.
"Knowing him, he'll make a dramatic entrance. Just watch-"
The space before them began to warp as reality itself seemed to tear apart.
A tiny platinum pearl lit up the surroundings as a dainty hand ripped through the air, opening a rift before the gathered cohort.
Stepping out of the void, a crown of platinum orbs shining above him, the Star of Solitude made his presence known.
A pair of lilac eyes scanned the group in front of him, locking onto a certain black haired sleeper.
"Sunny!"
In complete contrast to the transcendent display of power, a big, goofy smile spread across the swordsman's face, his dimples disarming any sense of threat the cohort felt.
The teacher jogged over to his student, ignoring the others, and a smile spread across Sunny's face.
"So... I see your trip was, uh, productive."
Slinging an arm around Sunny, the swordsman nodded.
"You could say that~"
Audun turned his gaze towards the cohort and flashed them an awkward smile.
"Uh, Hi...?"
Waving stiffly, he carefully observed their actions.
Nephis furrowed her brow, and Cassie simply gave him a knowing smile.
Neither Caster nor Kai was present; the two were currently out hunting and scouting, respectively.
A wolfish grin spread across Effie's face.
"Sup, sexy- Was wonderin when you'd be comin back~"
Audun deadpanned, slowly turning towards Sunny.
"Does the Bright Castle have an HR department? If so, I'd like to file a workplace harassment charge against-"
"Wow, Prince Charming, didn't think you had a sense of humor."
Without even flinching, Audun lied through his teeth.
"Humor? Ma'am, I'm a minor. Under Article Five, Section 12 of the Dream Realm Conduct Guidelines, if an awakened over the age of 18 were to harass an awakened minor, the adult in this situation is to be subjected to heavy fines and-"
Effie, completely flabbergasted, was helpless under Audun's verbal barrage.
"Audun, I think she gets the point."
Nephis cut him off, a small, amused smile on her face.
The Star of Solitude and the Star of Ruin engaged in a silent battle, one that Nephis unfortunately won.
Audun sighed and pointed at the huntress, a hint of disdain in his eyes.
"Get this pedoph-"
"HEY!"
"-ile under control. If you let her run wild, you're gonna go broke paying compensation to all her victims."
Still smiling, Nephis nodded.
"Fair point."
Smirking at Effie's misfortune, Sunny playfully punched Audun in the shoulder.
"Welcome back."
"It's good to be back."
Nephis coughed into her fist.
"How about we continue this inside. It's getting dark."
Nodding, Audun followed the cohort into the castle.
-----------
"So, I see you guys have been busy."
Looking around the room covered in maps and documents, Audun let out a low whistle.
Nephis nodded.
"After Sunny killed Gunlaug, we've had our hands full trying to organize everyone."
A hint of surprise flashed in the swordsman's eyes.
"Oh? You murked that asshole?"
Puffing out his chest, Sunny smirked.
"Yep. Kicked his ass in front of everyone."
The Star gave his student a thumbs-up.
"Good job~ I was getting tired of that Tin-Can's shenanigans."
Veering the conversation back on track, Nephis cleared her throat.
"As I was saying. We've been quite busy for the past few months, but with you back, we can finally move on with our plans."
Audun raised a brow.
"Plans?"
Nephis gestured towards a map.
"We're going to travel to the edge of the forgotten shore, near the hollow mountains."
Following her gaze, Audun looked at the circled area, his brows furrowing slightly.
"Why? There's literally nothing there."
Sunny sighed.
"I told her the same thing, but apparently, there's some memory over there that we need to siege the Crimson Spire."
Tilting his head in confusion, Audun turned to Nephis.
"A Memory?"
Changing Star nodded.
"Yes, a Memory."
She continued:
"It was owned by the first lord of the Bright Castle, and if we get it-"
"You mean this one?"
In the swordsman's hands was a simple metal band decorated with a single gem.
Nephis and Sunny blinked.
'Hah~ couldn't you have been a little more subtle?'
A certain oracle face-palmed, a bitter smile spreading across her face.
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(A/N: There's a Monster Hunter Wilds update coming out tomorrow, and I got a shit load of homework today, so don't expect me to post tomorrow!
I got priorities, y'know?
Anyway, I still owe you guys a bonus chapter, so there'll be a double release this Tuesday.
If you enjoyed, drop a comment, and if you want a spare chapter or two, drop some stones, yknow?
See you guys in the next chapter!)