The Summoner's Rebirth: Awaken, Milady

Chapter 44: Realization

With each step, the sound grew bigger. From within the shadows, a woman appeared, looking at the arena where an unconscious Aria was laying down on the ground.

"He was against you joining the competition in the first place, and yet you still wouldn't relent and kept pestering him. Now that you've caused this to happen, I wonder what he'll say?" Her piercing gaze swept through the area.

"...Shut up," White Fox replied, turning her head away in displeasure.

"Even if you tell me to shut up, this matter won't go unnoticed by captain and the others," The woman was now standing right below the arena,

"Shut up, Reina!" White Fox raised her voice, striding over to point fingers at the woman in high heels.

In response, the woman placed one hand on her hip, as she let out a gentle sigh and reprimanded this troublesome coworker of hers. "This is why the Captain doesn't trust you with important missions. You are short tempered and cannot hide your emotions for a long time. You might get a good start, but you still have a trace of that immature you... like what's happening right now," Reina scolded.

"Arghh! It was the newbie's fault for not accepting my offer in the first place! I would've been able to hold back much better if she did nothing but defend, but, but-"

White Fox clenched her fists as she recalled Aria's taunting. She was seething with rage. Why did the newbie dare to overestimate herself?

On one hand, she detested the newbie. But on the other hand, she felt immense potential buried within the woman who she had just fought. It was crazy to think that a newbie would be able to make her cornered.

White Fox detached her decorative mask from her face, revealing a large scar that cut through the middle of her face.

The scar was a gift from her current Captain.

Struggling with her conscience, White Fox finally rushed to the 'newbie' Aria to check her condition. She turned the woman over so she could lie on her bed, and scanned her body.

No harsh injuries were found. White Fox chuckled.

"As the expert, aren't you supposed to restrain yourself?" The woman continued to question. "As a prideful A ranker,"

White Fox didn't reply at her words. She was fixated with something else. Aria's current condition.

White Fox then broke into a laughter. She thought that Aria was the same as the previous her. A reckless fool that would eventually get a 'gift' which would stay on her for eternity. One that would remind her of the mistakes she had made as a foolish person.

But that surprisingly wasn't the case.

Hearing her strange laughter, Reina twitched her brows and approached the woman closer. She had originally wanted to reprimand the girl further, but before she could say anything, the girl beat her and replied first.

"...Do you think I am strong?" White Fox sighed, looking at the ceiling and around the arena to spot something that might've played a hand into the fight.

There was no object in question that could rig the match, but she still couldn't accept the hard truth.

"What kind of question is that? Did you accidentally bang your head when you fought the newbies?" Reina voiced out her confusion as White Fox was never someone that doubted her power.

Not since she went through the training Captain gave her.

"Then, what would happen if a newbie could withstand 75% of my full power after clashing with me for more than five minutes and get out unscathed?" White Fox sent a grin towards the woman's way, ruffling her hair and laughing boisterously.

Reina widened her eyes. She checked Aria's figures and found no injuries. Yet, by the sound and power output she sensed during her way here, she expected White Fox to have applied enough force to take down at least a high B-rank monster.

"..You are saying that she withstood it. Are you sure?" Reina herself couldn't believe it as well. White Fox was a pretty well-known figure within the Hunter community.

"Would I say it out loud if I wasn't sure?" White Fox's gaze turned serious, as the matter in question was actually much more perplexed than she took it out to be.

Reina, too, sensed her colleague's expression as she acknowledged the assumption. During her years of working with the person, she felt an outstanding quality of genuineness from the girl.

"If that's the case, then we should just snatch her up for our squad," Reina stated blankly.

A newbie that wasn't even registered up until the selection. No matter what, there was a high chance of succeeding if they wished to sign her up.

"I guess so," White Fox dusted off her palms before carrying Aria in a princess hold and standing upright. She wished to bring her back.

Even if someone obstructed, she was willing to use her Captain's influence.

Because the woman in her hands had the capability to be someone great. A magnificent figure.

"But.. you still won't get out of the punishment that easily, okay?" Reina reminded, drawing irk from White Fox.

"Ahh, I know, I know!"

The two figures exited the arena with complex emotions.

Was this the birth of a new star?

____

Outside the arena, specifically in a waiting room, the ones that had followed Aria to cheer her on were waiting sullenly.

They never expected to be denied access into the room. Who would've guessed?

"Do you think Aria will win?"

"Unless someone ruins the competition's balance entirely, she will win. What, are you not confident in her ability?"

"I have a bad feeling. I don't know where it comes from, but I suspect that..." Arin thoughtfully said as she sensed several incoming presences.

"...Did you really have a premonition? Then, isn't this bad?" Lein replied. He knew that both Arin and Jin-kyung had bizarre powers that couldn't be explained with mere words. They were abnormal in a good sense.

"Actually, Aria seems to be coming near us," Arin reported, confirming that the target she had picked up really was the Aria she knew.

She had an unsettling feeling bubbling inside her. It led her to feel uncomfortable. What was it? What caused the feeling?

"Is she?" Lein's eyes darted to where Arin was looking at.

At first, no one was there. But after a few good seconds, three figures appeared.

Two people, in addition to a familiar unconscious figure held within a girl's arms.

Arin and Lein's face darkened as they recognized the figures that brought Aria.