Chapter 2057: Choosing a Color

Adam slowly opened his eyes.

The last thing he remembered was Relana and her long sword.

Now, he was still in her atelier, but they had left the training hall some time ago.

“Wait…” Adam muttered as he hurried to sit up, only to stop when a wave of pain shot through his body.

He grimaced, clutching something beneath his hands.

Looking around, Adam realized he was sitting in a large leather armchair in the corner of Relana’s atelier. His chest and arms were covered in bandages. Even with the help of Relana’s Operator, it was impossible to heal all his wounds at once.

Ahead of him stood Relana. She was standing in front of three mannequins, selecting the right fabric and shape for Adam’s future suit. For now, she hadn’t yet begun working on Silvana’s outfit for the Radiant Branch.

“Oh, you’ve finally come to,” Relana said without looking his way. She held a pair of sharp scissors in her hands as she cut off a long piece of fabric.

Adam made another attempt to sit up, but as soon as a wave of pain washed over him, he leaned back against the chair and sighed heavily.

“How long have I been asleep? And… Did you really have to end our fight like that? I can barely move!”

Relana thoughtfully touched her chin, continuing to look at the mannequins rather than at him.

“You’ve been asleep for about ten hours, maybe more. In any case, you’ll be fine soon. Your treatment is ongoing, and your natural regeneration is helping as well. I think in 3–4 hours you’ll be back to your peak form, and in an hour you’ll be able to move freely.”

Adam sighed heavily, afraid to even rest his head on his fist. He didn’t want to risk raising his hand.

“How about some coffee?”

He was sure that Relana would either ignore him or refuse his request with some sharp remark, but she just gave him a glance before nodding.

“Milk and sugar?”

Slightly surprised, Adam nodded.

“Yeah, that’ll do.”

“Good.”

Adam was confused, but he decided not to think about it too much, as he just shrugged, thinking about their battle.

It wasn’t until a few minutes later that he realized neither Gladius nor Silvana were at the atelier.

“Hmm? Relana, where did Gladius and Silvana go?”

Relana opened the milk carton with a calm expression.

“I don’t know. Most likely, the same thing is happening between them right now that happened between us. I’m not sure if they’re fighting. It’s probably just some kind of trial or something like that. I’m just not sure which one of them started it: Gladius or Silvana?”

Step. Step. Step.

Relana approached Adam with a cup of coffee and a saucer with three chocolate cookies.

“You seem to have a sweet tooth, right? Consider this a reward for your victory.”

Adam took the cup and saucer in his hands.

He didn’t know if Relana had always been like this or if something had changed after their fight, but he wasn’t about to turn down the coffee and cookies.

Besides being badly wounded, he was also exhausted after their battle.

“What main color would you like?” Relana asked, returning to her work.

“I don’t know, maybe just black? You’re going to make me just a basic suit for important events, right?”

Relana didn’t answer right away as her gaze grew more intense.

“Yes, I’ve wanted to do this from the very beginning. Most Phantom nobles will be in their ceremonial robes and outfits, and the same goes for faction members, well… most of them, anyway. The regular people will be in ordinary expensive suits. So, I think we can come up with something more interesting for you than just an expensive tuxedo.”

Adam tilted his head.

“So? What options do you have?”

Relana turned to him as her gaze grew more intense.

“Well, considering your abilities and your aura, I think I have something suitable for you. We can keep the black color, at least partially, but what about the gray one?”

“Gray? Well, as long as I like the overall design, I don’t mind your experiments, but just don’t try to dress me in some rags as Kaerno did.”

Kaerno was a monster, but it was obvious that Relana knew quite a lot about him, and about his tastes as well.

The corners of her lips curved upward, forming a slight smile.

“Sure, we’ll go with your style, Adam. Your outfit shouldn’t be too stern and powerful like a military commander’s, but not as loose and carefree as Kaerno’s either. Don’t worry, I have plenty of experience with this.”

Adam took a sip of coffee as he remembered something.

“Silvana, she’s coming with me. That means she needs a suitable outfit, right?”

Relana nodded.

“Yes, but…”

Her gaze grew colder as she touched a piece of gray fabric.

“First, we have to wait for her to return. A lot depends on that.”

…

At the same time, Silvana was also talking with Relana.

The only difference between their situations was that Relana wasn’t real to Silvana. She was merely an illusion sustained by the Lost Sun and Lost Moon.

Whoooosh!

The purple threads shot forward, forming two blades that crashed down on Relana.

Relana raised her hammer in front of her to defend against the blades, but the main power of these weapons wasn’t their sharpness.

Crack.

The blades cracked as a powerful energy pulse burst forth, causing a devastating blast.

The impact sent Relana flying to the side as her hammer shattered into fragments.

But she was unharmed. Her control over her energy was sufficient to protect herself and land near one of the stands.

Strangely enough, Relana was in no hurry to pick up her next weapon, even though a long spear lay right beside her.

“The purple threads?” Relana muttered as she got to her feet. “Not bad. So these threads are your will?”

Silvana stepped forward as more and more purple threads emerged from her energy. They trembled, not yet knowing what shape they were meant to take. They were too young, having been born only just now, just like Silvana’s flame.

“Yes. This is my hope and my faith that Adam will always fight to the very end. I do not doubt that.”

Relana looked at Silvana for a long time before turning away and taking a long sword from the wall.

“Good. In that case, let’s put your hope to the test.