Chapter 22: A Bet
“Yake, you wait here for me. I’m going to greet that girl and then I’ll be back. I want to see if she’s the one I’ve been looking for!”
Watching that increasingly familiar figure, Aierjisi finally remembered why it felt so familiar. That silhouette was none other than Phoenix, one of the playable characters from Beautiful Girl Symphony!
If memory serves, that Phoenix’s name was Weirafiya.
Well, I guess I should go say hi and see if she’s the one I’m searching for. If she is, it’ll be like finding treasure!
“Miss, it seems that girl over there has noticed you and is heading this way.”
Arthur quietly reminded the Little Princess as he saw her approaching their lady.
“Let her come then. This is just my luck. Didn’t expect her to frequent this bar. Back home, there’s a saying: ‘What is meant to be will be.’ Eventually, I have to face her. If I can clear things up with her now, that would be perfect!”
Weirafiya was already prepared to confront Aierjisi.
“Hello.”
Aierjisi reached out and tapped Weirafiya on the shoulder, greeting her.
“Yo. Hi there.”
Weirafiya turned her head to look at Aierjisi with an expressionless face. She returned the greeting.
“I wasn’t mistaken—it’s you.”
Seeing that the person was indeed Weirafiya, Aierjisi felt delighted. Who knew she would find another ally here? With Phoenix’s help, she and Weirafiya could rescue the Ice Dragon!
At this rate, she would have her trio ready to kick off this adventure!
“Hmm. I also didn’t expect to find you here. I thought you’d be hanging around the Royal Palace. Looks like I was overestimating things.”
Weirafiya said as she took a sip of beer.
“Wow. I didn’t expect to run into you at this bar. Seems like I’m pretty lucky after all.”
In stark contrast to the seemingly unhappy Weirafiya, Aierjisi couldn’t hide her excitement. After all, she had just found a powerful ally!
“Lucky? I wouldn’t say so.”
“Eh? Why not? It’s not every day we manage to meet up here; isn’t that lucky? Finding someone to fight alongside, isn’t that worth celebrating?”
Aierjisi couldn’t understand why Weirafiya didn’t feel the same exciting luck she did.
“Well, when did I ever say I wanted to be your ally? You’re just assuming I’m on your side.”
Weirafiya shot Aierjisi a chilling glare, making Aierjisi feel her temperature drop a few degrees.
“Wait, aren’t you also a fellow traveler from Earth?”
“That’s true, I am a fellow traveler from Earth, but so what?”
“Since we’re both travelers, we should help each other! We’re being hunted by those Adrian People, right? In this situation, we ought to look out for one another!”
“That’s only because you’re too weak to face them alone. You need companions to help you. But I’m not like you, a weakling. I’m strong enough to take them on alone. So I’m not becoming your ally.”
“How can that be…? We’re both travelers from Earth; we should unite! Going solo is super risky!”
Aierjisi desperately tried to convince her, hoping to change her mind and team up.
“No matter how many times you say it, I won’t change my mind unless you can prove your strength.”
Weirafiya valued strength above all else. If Aierjisi wanted to be recognized as a companion, she had to showcase her power. Only the strong could be trusted to guard her back.
“Fine, I get it. So how do I prove my strength?”
Aierjisi realized Weirafiya wasn’t someone who could be swayed with words alone. To get her onboard, she needed to demonstrate her strength.
“Hmm, let’s think… How about this: If you can rescue Ailin from the Adrian People’s Base Camp, I’ll recognize you as a trustworthy companion, someone I can rely on. How about that?”
Weirafiya pondered for a moment before laying out this condition. If Aierjisi accomplished this task, she would be deemed strong enough for Weirafiya to consider as an ally.
“Okay. Since you said it, I’ll make sure to pull it off. I hope you remember your promise by then.”
Just right! Even without this condition from Weirafiya, Aierjisi had planned to rescue Ailin from that cult’s Base Camp. If she could successfully save Ailin, getting Weirafiya as her ally would be like hitting two birds with one stone!
“Of course. I’m a purebred Phoenix, and what I say is what I do. You can count on that. But as a fellow traveler from Earth, let me warn you that their Base Camp is very dangerous. Don’t assume it’ll be an easy task.”
Weirafiya was serious. She had been inside that Base Camp before. Had it not been for her sudden burst alongside Arthur, she would’ve likely been captured by those cult leaders.
“Alright, I trust you. But let me tell you; I’m not the type to charge in without a plan. If I set things in motion, I’ll definitely strategize first.”
“Great! Then it’s a deal. If you can pull this off, I’ll willingly become your ally and lend you my strength.”
“Sounds good! Let’s agree on it!”
Aierjisi and Weirafiya hooked their pinkies together to seal the deal.
