King Of Limbo

With the verdict given, the room returned to its regular state while Aron was seated on the chair with a look of satisfaction on his face as he contemplated the verdict they made.

[ The panel has reached a verdict. Your entry into Galos Academy has been approved, your rank shall be announced during the entrance ceremony along with other students ]

Those were the words that the gentle masculine voice had said to Aron before bringing the interview to a close.

With the interview over, the older gentleman came to his side and gave a polite bow. "That will be all, shall I escort you out?" He asked politely but Aron shook his head as he stood from the chair and turned to leave.

As he began descending the stairs, he saw the number of contestants in the lounge had reduced significantly and that it had now become nighttime as the moonlight shone through many of the large windows present. 'The sun has already set?' Aron thought to himself as it didn't seem all that much time had passed.

After he descended the stairs, he could see many gazes eyeing him. Some out of curiosity while some gauging him but he showed indifference to these acts and simply exited the building.

Outside, he found numerous people still entering and exiting the building as well as roaming it's premises despite the time. However Aron's focus was on one particular individual who stood less than a fifty meters away from the building's entrance, Ariel.

"You're finally out." Ariel expressed with a small smirk as she looked at Aron keenly. "Are the others already done then?" He asked plainly as he saw Ariel maintain the act of not knowing him, playing her part right she responded to his question formally. "Yes, they've already been escorted to their lodgings. They said they'd wait for you at a tavern not too far from your own residence. Shall I take you to your lodgings first?" Ariel asked but the message behind her words was clear enough.

"Yes, take me to my lodgings first." Aron replied while wearing a casual expression. Anyone who saw him from far would think he was perhaps just a charming young man with a lot on his mind as he neither smiled nor frowned.

As they made their way into Galos City, Ariel did her part as the guide and explained whatever she thought necessary like a sort of tour. Aron was silent most of the time as he only observed and listened.

The city itself could be considered quite beautiful, clean streets and all kinds of individuals roaming them, neat architecture and an all around pleasant atmosphere. The perfect definition of beauty in simplicity.

"Here we are." Ariel came to a stop near a small road that diverted from the busy street road. After walking twenty meters down the road, they arrived at a small opened gate which Ariel gestured for Aron to walk past.

After he did so, his residence was in view. "I tried to get you a simpler home but it seems having a golden invitation has its perks." Ariel commented as Aron began looking around.

The building itself was a mid-sized manor with a small beautiful yard with plenty of unique flora. The property size in total covered a radius of roughly a three hundred meters. Which could be considered very large considering the property was so close to the city's lower business district.

"It's fine since I'm still near the business district and it looks to have all the basic amenities I'll need." Aron showed a satisfied look as he said this before he and Ariel made their way to the front door using a neat brick path with lit lamps on the sides.

Aron, who hadn't grown up under any sort of luxury, didn't really see the need for anything grand. So long as the home had the basic amenities, he needn't spend more.

After getting his approval of the place, Ariel proceeded to give him the runed key that opened the doors to the manor.

Once inside the manor, Ariel began giving him a tour of the place as well. The interior was as one would expect, luxurious but not too much. The floors were made of fine wood with neat intricately carved patterns. The same could be said for the walls except some were lined with neat wallpaper while others had fine polished wood to match whatever furniture was in the room.

All this was illuminated by the sunset orange light that the lamps and candles within the house projected, giving the home a cozy feeling despite its emptiness.

"Well what do you think?" Ariel asked curiously as they made their way into the manor's study. Aron gave a small nod and showed Ariel a smile as he expressed his acknowledgment of the place. "I like it, it will do just fine." He said in a sincere tone which Ariel found a bit odd.

In the short time she knew Aron he seemed like the cold, arrogant and cunning type. "Good, now that we have that out of the way. Why don't we properly talk." Ariel showed a smirk and suggested as she took a seat on a chair and crossed her legs.

"..." Aron didn't respond to this but instead only glanced around to which Ariel chuckled. "No need to worry, the house isn't monitored as far as I know but you're free to take precautions just in case. Either way what we're discussing isn't all that secretive, I just prefer not having everyone know what I'm up to." Ariel explained in a relaxed manner.

Seeing as she cleared his concerns, Aron simply leaned against the wall and crossed his arms with his gaze directed at Ariel. "I tend to be overly cautious. That aside, what is it you want to discuss?" Aron asked in a casual tone to which Ariel smiled before giving him an answer.

"I'm not stupid Aron, given how things have gone for you this far I'm sure you've at least considered going back on our deal." Ariel bluntly revealed while Aron snickered. "Well the deal did imply that you'd help me meet the arch-mage, thus far it looks like I can accomplish this on my own. The only thing you've provided thus far is information, basic at that." Aron too had replied bluntly to Ariel.

"I'm well aware of that, which is why this conversation is necessary for me to prove I can still be of use. I am after all the number one student under the scholar program in my intake." Ariel boasted with her head held high but Aron quickly dismissed this with his indifferent reaction. "I could be the number one student in general, including all years. Rank is superficial, just tell me what it is you offer and what it is you need." Aron grew tired of the conversation being dragged out longer than it should and quickly cut to the chase.

"It's that directness of yours that I find intriguing. What I need from you requires you to be rank 3 or above. Not because of strength but the privileges that come with it, once you achieve that I'll state what it is I require and what I can offer. Until then I'll keep you informed of any knowledge that can be of use to you." Ariel's expression turned serious as she quickly explained herself.

"That works fine." Aron agreed without any hassle causing Ariel to sigh in relief. Although she didn't show it, she had already told Aron she was desperate after thinking she was needed by him most. But now that the roles were reversed it was clear she was even more desperate despite how carefree and composed she seemed.

"Good, well I should be leaving now. The tavern your friends said they'd be is just down the road from where we turned coming here." Ariel quickly said her goodbyes and left Aron in the study.

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