'That's going to be...' Mia hesitated a little when she saw the insides of the carriage she was supposed to board.
It wasn't bad. On the contrary, it was luxurious.
Starting with the seats, instead of cramming all the disciples like she expected, the carriage was outfitted with proper chairs, each of them covered in blankets and pillows for the comfort of transportation.
Yet, the people sitting inside gave Mia the greatest impression.
'It's going to be hard,' she thought, clenching her jaws as she stepped on the small stairs by the side of the carriage and entered the vehicle.
"So this is the last one to join," one of the passengers commented the second Mia appeared.
He was a young man in a set of robes vastly different from what Mia was wearing. But that was the case to literally everyone on the carriage.
Yet, even though everyone wore different clothes, one thing unified them all.
Just a single look at their clothes was enough to see just how expensive they were.
'If not for the quality of materials that Arthur used to make my robe, I would look like a beggar when near them,' she thought, already preparing herself mentally for the inevitable unkind treatment.
That's why Mia simply sat down on one of the free seats and lowered her head, keeping to herself, rather than replying to the man's invitation to talk.
"Oh, so she is a shy one," the young man commented, gracing Mia with a relaxed smile. "I'm sorry for being pushy, then," he added before turning his face back to the guy that was sitting beside him.
"Ignore that jerk," a girl spoke out. Her clothes were kept in a graceful tone of pink. "He only looks for someone to get his dick wet with," she added, openly insulting the guy from before.
"Yet, you are the one who constantly brings that topic out," the guy countered, instantly joining in on the banter. "What, are you itchy down there?"
For a moment, the two of them were in a standoff of stares. Yet, before the situation could turn any tenser, both of them laughed out loud.
"For real, I know that our group might look intimidating, but there is no reason to keep to yourself like that," the girl said. She then stood up and reached out with her hand. "I'm Kathia. Nice to meet you," she said, shaking her head before Mia's face.
"Nice to meet you too," Mia said, sighing out and shaking Kathia's hand. When approached directly like that, ignoring the other would only give the girl a reason to lash at her. "I'm Mia," she added.
"You are still on guard around me!" Kathia protested, recognizing the reasons behind Mia's retreated behavior right away. "I don't know what you went through in this backwater sect, but you are a sponsored student now!" Kathia exclaimed, a happy grin blossoming on her face. "You should keep your head straight and enjoy your life from now on! Here, no one will dare to bully you anymore!"
'Was I wrong?' Mia thought hesitantly, running her eyes around the faces of everyone in the carriage.
True. Her life at the Skyladder sect wasn't easy. If not for the likes of Arthur and Media, it would be one hell of an experience.
'Am I safe to assume that I won't be bullied here?' Mia thought, pretty guarded about the possibility of any sneak attack coming her way the second she would relax.
"Just give her some time," another person, this time from the back of the carriage, spoke out. "You guys are overwhelming her right now. She needs some time to adjust," a guy in dark robes said before lowering his eyes back at the scroll he was reading.
'Maybe this... isn't going to be as bad as I thought.' Mia silently breathed out a small sigh of relief.
Even if this was all just a prelude to the greater bullying that awaited, she wanted to treasure every last moment of peace that she could have.
Yet, as she looked over the carriage once again, she noticed a familiar face right outside of it.
It was Jenne, sitting in the carriage right next to her.
'It's him,' Mia thought, her eyes widening.
The source of all the problems that she was faced with. The source of all the trouble that came her and Arthur's way in their time in the sect.
'It's pretty safe to assume that whatever happened to Arthur is this guy's direct responsibility,' Mia guessed, her hands once again tightening into fists.
"Mia?" Kathia asked, noticing the signs of fury surfacing on the girl's face.
"Huh?" Hearing the familiar name, Jenne looked to the side. Yet, the second she noticed Mia's hateful glare, he instantly looked away, pretending not to see the girl at all.
'This fucker...' Mia thought, standing up from her seat. 'Even if it kills me, I will...'
Mia couldn't even finish her thought as an adult finally appeared within the carriage.
"Sit down," a kind-looking elder looked at Mia and pointed at the seat she just jumped out of. "Whatever grudge you have against that man," he said, looking over to the carriage Jenne was in, "you can't solve it now," he said.
'Just like that bastard from before,' Mia thought, instantly recognizing the old man's strength.
It was something almost tangible. The aura of the man was so thick that Mia was certain that just by reaching her hand out, she could burn her fingers in it.
"I guess I need to wait for the tournament?" Mia asked cheekily, partially to not give way to that man and partially to confirm what she had heard before.
"That's right, but for now, you need to sit," the man said with a smile. "It's not that I don't want you to sit, but if you keep standing when we will start moving, you are likely to break some teeth!" he advised.
'I guess I need to bid my time,' Mia thought, clenching her jaws and obediently sitting down. And then, as if by a touch of a magic wand, the carriage pulled forward.
"Everyone, I don't really want to explain it all over, so I hope I can leave the explanation of what's going on to you," the elder said before moving towards the head of the carriage and sitting down.
"So, listen," Kathia instantly took the role of explaining. "We are going to the outer compound of the Tuxi sect now," she said. "As the sponsored disciples, we will be provided with all the resources we need to grow. Your only responsibility will be to train hard to make the sect proud," she said, a wide smile blossoming on her face once again.
"For now, though," the elder said, only to cut his words right in the middle of the sentence.
"Right, my bad," Kathia muttered, blushing a little. "For now, though, we are going to pass through the borderlands surrounding the barrier. That's why, while in the carriage and during camping, we need to keep our spiritual energy in check," the girl said.
"And why is that?" Mia asked, using up the last bit of her inner defiance for that.
"Because we don't want to add work to the experts that are escorting all of the carriages," Kathia explained patiently. "Even if they can defeat the beasts roaming the borderlands, it's not an easy task. So..." the girl smiled, "if we don't want to have any trouble once we arrive at the sect, it's best not to make any trouble for others now!"
Updated from fr𝒆ewebnov𝒆l.(c)om