While they were eating potato stew for dinner, all people in the fort gathered around the campfire to eat together. One thing was agreed on by Luke, Alexis and Yoelona: not to talk about the demons until the next day. This was not something practical, but necessary so that the half-wolf could learn to trust Yoelona again, as also his former Mistress' friends.
Counting the entire gang, the S-Class, Yoelona and her friends, the total was twelve people in the fort.
The half-wolf could tell that Yoelona's friends were not so strong. Joelma was a woman with almost gray hair and thin, who had a gentle smile, like that of a mother. Carlos, the archer who was on guard when Luke arrived, was a balding middle-aged man, but who always had vigilant eyes. Solange was a woman of almost forty, and her son, Snape, was a very energetic boy.
Although Yoelona didn't explain in full detail why she decided to bring Meredith and the others so far away from everything, Luke understood from the superficiality that it must be something connected with the demons.
During the dinner, John, Snape and Zack kept talking to Luke, asking him to tell them what the Dungeons were really like. The half-wolf told how the corridors were cramped and dark, how the monsters came out of nowhere, and how sometimes he could hear them whispering to each other from many meters away. For Luke, from the moment you enter a Dungeon, you can no longer get away with it, as if the fear, the uncertainties and the insecurities generated, were the price you pay for trying to become someone stronger.
While listening to Luke talks about his experiences, Yoelona noticed how much more mature Luke was. His physiognomy was no longer the same as the boy with few muscles that she had abandoned. The half-wolf was grown and had become strong.
"So, Luke... who won the Tournament of Legends?" Alexis Dmitry asked and then put a piece of potato into her mouth. Since they were traveling, the new information did not reach them.
"Me." Luke answered naturally because it had been almost two months since the night, he fought against Nebezial.
"WHAT!?" Almost everyone exclaimed, surprised.
Of all the people around the campfire, Alexis and Yoelona were the only ones who didn't seem surprised. The two women had experience and a sharp eye, at least enough to understand the half-wolf's talent to always exceed his own limits.
"Wait a minute... Alexis warned us that you were participating in the Tournament when she left Oukiwa, but did you really win?" Ynosuke asked.
When the half-wolf left home, Ynosuke could tell that they were almost on the same level because Ynosuke had knowledge in martial arts, but being as strong as a Champion of Legends was totally out of his scope.
"Yes, I won."
"You used some trickery, huh? Did you throw dirt in people's eyes like you did with the guards?"
"Well... it was something like that." Luke spoke with a mysterious smile, remembering that the <Tumult of Souls> used by Nebezial was a crucial factor in his victory.
"Ha! I knew it!" John spoke, thrusting his chin up proudly.
For the rest of the evening, around that fire, they sang, swapped stories, talked about what their experiences away from each other were like, and told jokes. Luke laughed so hard that he couldn't remember the last time he had such a good time.
The half-wolf introduced his Summoning, Bastet, to his friends, who thought he was the cutest thing in the world, especially Alexis and Meredith.
Luke also told everyone that he has started using the Genes Abilities. The half-dragon was confused by everyone's surprise, but Yoelona soon calmed them down, saying that this was a choice made by Luke to become even stronger. At this point, Ynosuke and John expressed their desire to also get Gene Skills, but when Luke told them that only one Common Skill would be worth as much as two kegs of beer, they were discouraged.
Thus, Luke told them that they didn't have to worry about fighting if they didn't want to, because he would protect them himself, provided they didn't leave without warning again. The gang liked this; however, they still had doubts about whether Luke could fight the demons Yoelona told them about.
After a while, when Joelma, Carlos, Snape, Solange and Yoelona had already retreated into the rooms of the fort to sleep, Luke spoke to his gang:
"Shiro is alive."
The revelation was so sudden and abrupt, it left everyone in a state of trance for a few seconds. Ynosuke, John and Zack had heard that name for years, and created a lot of empathy while hearing about how strong, caring and kind he was and how he sacrificed himself to save them.
Alexis noticed this reaction and decided to clear up her doubt. For the first time in years since meeting the last gang member, Matthew, Meredith, and Luke came together to tell the story of how they tried to rob a shed and how it all went wrong for them, resulting in the loss of two gang members.
However, at the end of it all, the half-dragon was much more shocked by the story than they had expected. "You guys said your friend's name was Sarah, right?"
"Yes?" Meredith replied.
"And that she had pink hair and a gentle gaze?"
"That's right..." Matthew spoke up.
"So, I guess our destinies crossed long before I met you, Luke..." said Alexis, with a surprised look on her face.
Then, she told that in her past, when she was rescued by a priestess of the Cardinal Church who was traveling through the West of the Broteforge Empire, there was also a pink-haired girl, whose name she quickly discovered: Sarah.
"And what happened to her? Is she in Cardinal City still?" Luke was the first to ask. More than anyone else, he felt responsible for taking the tiara from the wooden box it was in and for not warning her that the tiara was strange.
"Although we grew up together, we chose different paths as teenagers. I became an Adventurer and she went to the Flak Kingdom, to carry out peace missions and also live in the Sanctuary..."
Everyone was extremely happy for a second until they remembered that the Flak Kingdom was at war at this moment.
However, Meredith didn't let pessimism take over the group. "Lift your heads up, people. There is no reason to be sad, because I believe that today we have regained everything we once thought we had lost.... Still, we may lose all that hope and happiness if the war against the demons really happens."
Luke arched his eyebrows, not understanding. "What are you talking about?"
This content is taken from (f)reewe(b)novel.𝗰𝗼𝐦