"I thought we were done with the cold!"


    Karteira shouted, holding her shoulders while faking being frozen cold.


    "You can''t complain, because for once we can travel with Orion like old times."


    Putting her hand on her back, Amelia smiled.


    "Well, she''s not wrong about the cold. Do you want me to fetch a fur coat from one of the shop before we leave?"


    Orion took out his purse full to the brim with money from the inner pocket of his long coat.


    "Honestly, I wouldn''t mind."


    They were still roaming Turric. It was only a matter of time before they were back on the road to fight the remaining Apostles.


    "Can I get one too? Nothing fancy, simply one that retains heat easily."


    "Sure, I''ll come back in a few minutes. Here."


    Amelia caught the five coins he threw at her with an unusual swiftness.


    ''I should have known. By getting another Elemental Mastery, her whole body slowly changed.''


    He pointed at a coffee shop behind them.


    "We''ll wait for you there then. Take your time."


    With a nod, Orion left to buy two fur coats, leaving Amelia and Karteira in the middle of the street.


    "Alright, before we really freeze to death, let''s enter the store."


    "Can I order something to eat?"


    Looking at the coins in her hands, she noticed that they were Orion''s most valuable ones.


    "I think you could buy the menu three times with all of this."


    The two women entered the shop while laughing in unison.


    *Bling*


    A bell ringed to notice the staff of their arrival. As if time had stopped, everyone''s breath stopped too.


    ''Who are these two beautiful ladies?''


    The clerk blinked a few times behind his counter as they approached him.


    "Excuse me, do you have a table for three available?"


    Amelia naturally smiled to the man.


    "A-Ah... a table for three."


    He shook his head and returned to his business mode. He wasn''t the head of this establishment for nothing, he saw many faces enter and exit this building.


    "We do have a few tables opened. Are you waiting for someone here?"


    "Yes."


    Looking around at the interior of the shop, Karteira answered reflexively. She looked at the people enjoying cakes and coffee.


    ''Mostly couples, huh?''


    Indeed, this was a place were many couples in Turric liked to hang out in peace, away from the cold air outside.


    "Please follow me then."


    The man hurriedly walked out of the counter area and led the two to their table. They walked past many people, inevitably forcing everyone to gaze at them in awe.


    Men were enraptured, and women were internally asking how such beautiful women could exist in this city.


    There was some jealousy mixed in it, but it was mostly from women having a partner with them. It was understandable to feel like this.


    "Here''s your table, have a relaxing time. I will sent someone the moment you are ready to order."


    "Thank you. We will call for a staff member at that time."


    The clerk walked away from the two, glancing back at them silently.


    ''Blonde hair, an air of purity, and a blue haired woman with an eyepatch. Are these two the ones who helped Lord Eric during the border''s invasion?''


    ''That means their last friend is...''


    How did this man know about them? Simple, his son was in the army. The exploit of these three saving the whole expedition in the nick of time did leave a good impression to anyone who heard the story.


    ''If it wasn''t a business, I wouldn''t make them pay. I can only offer the coffee.''


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    He smiled and returned to the counter.


    "Mmmmh..."


    Karteira immediately opened the menu and checked every desserts written on it. Amelia chose to look for coffee instead.


    "What are you going to take, Karteira?"


    "Me? I''m thinking about getting that set of macarons. I''ve never seen blueberries and cherry flavored macarons before. Lemon and chocolate are rather basic though."


    Placing her elbow on the table, and her hand on her cheek, Amelia pondered in front of the menu while answering Karteira.


    "Can''t go wrong with the basic stuff."


    "True."


    She shrugged and looked over the coffee area, like Amelia.


    "What about you?"


    "Hmm? I wasn''t planning on getting anything, but... I wouldn''t mind a strawberry cake right now."


    "Haha~ very basic of you."


    Amelia began to pout cutely.


    "Sorry for being basic."


    "You know I didn''t meant it in a bad way."


    "I know."


    Removing her hands from her cheek, she held it close to her face and called out.


    "Excuse me!"


    One of the waitress working in the shop approached the two with a little memo pad and a pen in her hands.


    "Yes, hello! What can I get for you?"


    "Hi."


    Both Amelia and Karteira noticed the little sweat on her forehead, so they began by smiling to her.


    "One set of macarons, and a strawberry cake. For the drinks, we''ll have..."


    Amelia looked at Karteira as if to confirm something.


    "Three coffee. Two with milk, and the most bitter coffee you have, please."


    She finished the command for Amelia.


    "T-Three c-coffee... I''m sorry, could you repeat please?"


    They both blinked a few times and looked at each other.


    ''Oh. I see.''


    Coming to the same observation, they repeated their words.


    "Sure, no problem. Three coffee, two with milk..."


    Once the waitress finished writing this part, Amelia finished.


    "and your most bitter one please."


    The waitress bowed slightly.


    "Thank you for being patient with me."


    "Sure, anytime."


    She looked at them both with a question mark in her mind.


    ''Why are they so kind? I usually get criticized for being slow.''


    Amelia looked at the woman who was approximately the same age as her, and smiled.


    "Do your best."


    "Hmm."


    Confused as to why these two women said that, she closed the memo. Just when she was about to turn around, she thought that maybe they had noticed she had been recently hired.


    ''Did they... cheer for me?''


    She smiled happily.


    "Thank you very much. I''ll bring your order in a few minutes."


    They returned to being a duo once the waitress stepped away toward the counter.


    "It feels great to help others, don''t you think? Sure, we don''t know her, but we can at least make her day better."


    "Well, I didn''t do much. I just knew a few of ''them'' that were also shy, so it''s normal to support the struggling ones. Or so I think."


    With a nod, Amelia looked out the window on her right.


    "Admirable, Miss Aegis."


    "Are you mocking me?"


    "That''s payback for earlier."


    Karteira smiled and also looked out of the window. As she was sitting in front of Amelia, she looked on her left.


    A minute passed without a word being spoken. Only the voices of the other customers and the working staff feel in their ears.


    "Let''s talk seriously until he returns. Tell me your thinking about the situation."


    Amelia turned her face and gaze inside Karteira''s blue only visible eye.


    "That Florian guy left this morning for Lahro, the city of the Lamias."


    "Stella is resting in her bed with the Qu- sisters watching over her, and Sirius stayed with her too. She shouldn''t be alone, which is something Orion wanted to avoid."


    She answered.


    "That''s what happened this morning, I want to know how you feel about us getting on the road again."


    "..."


    Karteira sighed. This was pretty unusual for her to avoid Amelia''s gaze.


    "Honestly, I don''t know."


    Her gaze fell outside again.


    "Maybe he is tired? Maybe he just wants our company?"


    "Or maybe he wants to give us more of his time... now that the days shortened?"


    Lifting one brow higher than the other, Amelia pondered for a second.


    "You began to understand him pretty well too. I thought it would take you longer than that."


    "So you''ve been thinking that too, I suppose?"


    The answer was a nod from Amelia.


    "Well, nothing we can do about that. I won''t complain if I can enjoy some time with him."


    "You''ve been his room for the whole night yesterday! Haven''t you had enough fun already?"


    An provocative smile formed on Amelia''s face.


    "Jealous now?"


    "Of course, damn it! I haven''t had much time with him alone since then."


    She cusped her face inside her hands in frustration.


    "Don''t worry. He will not forget about you."


    *sigh*


    "Imagine being consoled by your rival in love, who is also a few steps away from you. That''s unfair."


    "Sorry."


    The serious conversation ended rather fast, leaving the two to smile at each other, until the door of the shop opened.


    *Bling*


    A man with a long coat, and two bags hanging from his right arm approached the counter. His features were rather unusually handsome, so it immediately caught the eyes of the women in the room, just like how it happened with Amelia and Karteira.


    He exchanged a few words with the man at counter while politely smiling. When their conversation ended, the clerk pointed at a table further away from everyone.


    The man walked up to the girls, and gave them both a bag.


    "Pink for Amelia, and blue for Karteira. I hope you like it."


    He smiled and sat quietly on the chair in front of the window after removing his coat. Under it, a black sweater made of wool was revealed to everyone.


    All the people understood when he sat at the table. These three were all extremely beautiful people they had never seen before.


    "Here''s your order."


    The previous waitress arrived with a tray in her hands. She placed the shortcake in front of Amelia, and the plate of sixteen macarons in front of Karteira.


    She handed the coffee with a milk pod to both women, and pushed the black one gently toward Orion.


    "Thank you, Miss."


    "My pleasure."


    Giving him a business smile, she returned to her work, a little flushed though.


    Now, Orion, Amelia, and Karteira were both reunited. It was now time to enjoy some peace before their next travel along the border wall west.


    "Hmmmm!"


    Amelia ate a piece of her cake and happily smiled.


    "Oh! Blueberry''s good!"


    Karteira bit half of the blue macaron and threw the other half inside her mouth after realizing how good they were.


    Orion wrapped his finger around the cup handle, lifted the cup, and smelled the aroma wasting off of the black liquid.


    He took a good whiff of its fragrance, and felt slightly relieved just doing that.


    "Thanks for ordering a coffee for me too."


    "Hmm?"


    His girlfriends looked at him as if he came from another planet.


    "Of course? You''re welcome."


    "We''re not that ingrate. Sure, we didn''t order sweets for you, but what''s about a coffee?"


    His eyes opened a bit wider, but a very gentle expression took over almost instantly.


    "My bad, it just made me happy."


    *cough*


    Both choked on their sweets at the same time.


    ''Not fair!''


    They hurriedly poured the milk into their coffee, and drank some of it.


    "Wow, that was close."


    Turning their gaze toward Orion, they looked behind him.


    "So, are you going to do anything about this guy glaring holes into you?"


    "No. Unless he comes for me, I won''t budge. I don''t even know his problem."


    A large and very broad man was standing behind Orion on the other side of the glass.