Chapter 234: Moving to the Residence. Officially Inner Sect Disciples
The atmosphere behind Elder Silvia’s residence became strangely quiet after the spar. The ground still carried traces of the fight. Cracked stone, torn grass, and shallow craters marked where Bahamut and the Black Fang Prodigy had exchanged blows. Yet despite the destruction, there was no hostility between them, only curiosity.
Bahamut sat on the edge of the training field wall with Ren sprawled lazily on his shoulder again, nibbling on a fruit someone had mysteriously handed him earlier. The veiled girl sat beneath a nearby tree, her darkness elemental floating upside down beside her while staring at Ren as if it had just discovered a long-lost sibling.
Sel leaned against a pillar nearby with his arms crossed while Exildra stood beside him, occasionally glancing toward Bahamut with frustration, mostly because Lily refused to let go of him. The fox-girl currently sat directly on Bahamut’s lap with her arms around his neck like she was guarding territory.
"Lily."
"No."
"You are literally crushing my lungs."
"You survived the spar. You’ll survive this, too."
"That’s not how biology works."
"It should."
Sel sighed deeply.
"I miss when the sect was quiet."
"You mean boring," Ren corrected.
"That too."
Before the banter could continue, Elder Silvia finally returned carrying a scroll alongside a small black badge engraved with a silver fang symbol. The moment Bahamut saw it, he tilted his head.
"Oh?"
Elder Silvia smiled faintly.
"It seems the sect elders moved faster than expected."
She tossed the badge toward Bahamut casually. He caught it midair while Sel received another one.
"These are your new disciple insignias."
Sel glanced at his own before raising a brow slightly.
"Inner Sect?"
Elder Silvia nodded.
"You and Bahamut officially qualify now."
That immediately drew everyone’s attention, even the Black Fang Prodigy looked mildly surprised beneath her veil. Elder Silvia folded her arms calmly.
"Actually, all of you qualify."
Her gaze swept across the group, one after another.
"Tier 2 disciples are automatically granted Inner Sect status unless special circumstances apply."
Exildra blinked.
"So all of us are moving up?"
"Correct."
Ren raised a paw.
"What about me?"
"You are a rabbit."
"That’s species discrimination."
"You tried to eat one of my birds last time."
"It looked delicious."
"It was a spirit beast worth more than this entire building."
"It still looked delicious."
Bahamut covered Ren’s mouth before the bunny could say something worse. Meanwhile, Elder Silvia turned toward the Black Fang Prodigy.
"As for her..." Her expression carried a hint of amusement. "She’s already an Inner Sect disciple."
Sel looked toward the veiled girl. "And soon to be a Core Disciple?" The girl remained silent for a moment before nodding once.
"It will likely happen after the evaluation results."
"That fast?" Gabi muttered in shock.
Elder Silvia chuckled lightly. "She’s not called the Black Fang Prodigy for decoration."
The darkness elemental puffed up proudly beside the girl.
"She’s terrifying."
"Thank you," the girl answered politely.
"That wasn’t a compliment."
"I accepted it anyway."
Bahamut grinned.
"I like her already."
Lily immediately tightened her hold around his neck.
"No."
"What do you mean, no?"
"You smile too much around strong girls."
"That is not true."
"Your heartbeat literally changed during the spar."
Bahamut froze.
"You can tell?"
"I’m a fox."
"That’s terrifying."
"Good."
Sel looked physically exhausted watching them. Elder Silvia shook her head with a sigh before finally getting to the important part.
"Now then."
Her voice became calmer.
"You two have two choices moving forward." She looked towards Bahamut, Sel, and Alana, her disciples. Everyone focused on her immediately.
"You may move into the Inner Sect residential district alongside the other Inner Sect disciples... Or you may stay under my residence."
Bahamut blinked.
"You have space for all of us?"
"This isn’t my actual home, and I meant you three who are my disciples."
That surprised them. Elder Silvia pointed toward the distant Obsidian Citadel visible beyond the trees.
"This residence was assigned to me by the sect for disciple supervision and sect duties."
"Then where do you actually live?" Sel asked.
"Far from here."
The way she answered made it obvious she didn’t want to elaborate. Bahamut immediately understood. A powerhouse’s real residence was usually hidden, protected, or outright separated from civilization.
"The residence here is large enough for all of you," Elder Silvia continued.
"And even if you stay with me, you will still retain full Inner Sect privileges and access."
Sel and Bahamut exchanged glances. The answer came instantly.
"We’ll stay here," they said simultaneously.
Elder Silvia smiled knowingly as if she already expected it.
"Good."
Sel rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.
"The Inner Sect sounds troublesome."
"It is," the Black Fang Prodigy said immediately.
Everyone looked toward her.
"There are factions."
"Never mind," Bahamut said instantly.
"I’m definitely staying here."
"I agree," Sel added.
Ren raised a tiny paw proudly.
"I vote for the place with food."
"You would vote for literally anything with food," Exildra muttered.
"That’s because I’m wise."
"No, that’s because you’re fat."
Ren gasped dramatically.
"You wound me."
"You ate six grilled lizards earlier."
"They were small."
"They were not."
Elder Silvia pinched the bridge of her nose.
"I’m beginning to regret this already."
Bahamut suddenly stood up, making Lily cling onto him like a koala. "Then we should go pack."
Sel nodded.
"I’ll get my things from the residence." Gabi quickly followed after them while Alana stretched lazily before waving at Bahamut.
"I’ll go get Master’s clothes."
"Why do you know where my pillows are?"
"I know everything. I am your contracted beast..."
"That is somehow more terrifying than Ren."
"Impossible," Ren scoffed.
Meanwhile, the Black Fang Prodigy remained beneath the tree, silently watching them. Her hidden blue eyes softened slightly beneath the veil.
"Interesting," she whispered. Beside her, the darkness elemental grinned.
"Told you."
...
Very soon, Bahamut and Sel returned with their things. Well, they were empty-handed. Bahamut had a storage space to keep his stuff, and Sel had a storage ring. Besides, the only thing they needed to take were their sect clothes, which they wouldn’t be wearing anymore. Inner sect disciples wore black robes with silver collars, instead of the shirt and skirt with the grey collar. So, they practically didn’t need to pack anything.
The girls had also moved to their residences and possibly to report to their masters. So did Gabi, leaving only Alana with the Black Fang Prodigy. She would also be staying at the residence since she’d never been a people person. The only people she talked to during her time were Elder Silvia, her elemental, and later, Ren.
Bahamut and Sel picked rooms and went to rest after eating something from the eatery, for the last time. They would be required to cook their own food now that they were inner sect disciples.
