Chapter 37: Knight

Chapter 37: Chapter 37: Knight

"How do I get into the A-rank Warren Pit of Wrathful Fire under your family, auntie?" Mars asked, and Solaris instantly raised a golden eyebrow.

"What?" she said, her stance shifting into something less relaxed and more guarded. "You want to enter that Warren? Why?" Then she shook her head wildly. "No, that’s not the right question at this point. Why the hell do you want to enter an A-rank Warren when you’re only a bloody Seeker? Do you have a death wish?"

"Well, do I look like someone with a death wish?"

"You look like someone who does stupid things," she replied, her mind traveling back to the recent event with Loris. "Like burning yourself with a Lightbringer’s fire. How smart of you. How brave!"

Mars’s lips twitched. "That was a special occasion, Solaris. I don’t enjoy being roasted like a pig on a spit, you know? But this Warren is important." He lowered his head to look at the figurine of The Fool in his hand, his lips pulling into an involuntary smile. "I want to get stronger."

"You won’t get stronger in that Warren. You’ll die."

"Or I could survive and get stronger."

"I don’t like your stupid optimism, plebeian," she cursed. "An optimism only people like you can have. People who barely know anything about what it’s like to be inside a Warren." She raised a finger and pointed it at him, scowling. "It’s very dangerous, plebeian, and so are the monsters. You’re a Seeker. The monsters you can handle are E-rank, maybe D-rank if your Gift is battle-oriented. Which it isn’t, fool."

She narrowed her golden eyes, and through his Gift, Mars felt a strange irritation boiling inside Solaris. Irritation at him for doing something so reckless.

He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

He should probably be happy that Solaris cared enough to tell him all of this. Unfortunately, this was not the time to be cautious and prudent.

"And I’m not even done yet," Solaris continued, crossing her arms under her chest the way she always did when she was getting seriously worked up. "Even that damn woman Alice, a Protector at Breaker rank, can only handle C- and B-rank. You need to be at Warden level to get through an A-rank Warren."

At those words, Mars paused inwardly. Hearing Solaris lay it out like that, he realized just how stupid he was being.

A Seeker trying to clear an A-rank Warren was just a polite way of saying he wanted to kill himself.

’Damn it, System! Do you want me dead or what?!’

[It’s an item made to elevate your Gift’s rank, Consort Fox. It will not be easy to obtain. And besides, we never told you to seek it right now.]

’So it’s my fault for being impatient?’ he retorted bitterly. ’After you put me in a situation where a whole group of drug dealers and criminals is waiting to grab my ass? Where a bunch of Protectors might teach me how to tell the truth once they realize I was bullshitting them? With three crazy women who only protect me because I’m either interesting or ’worthy,’ and one more who only wants amusement?’

[Your life sure is interesting, Consort Fox.]

’....’

"I don’t like it when you don’t focus while I’m talking to you." Solaris’s irritated voice pulled Mars back to the present.

He sighed, running a hand back through his hair. "I know it’s reckless, but can I at least know how I could get inside it?"

Solaris stared at him intensely, her golden, sun-like eyes heavy on him.

At that moment, he almost wished he could read her mind, just to know what kind of thoughts lived inside someone like Solaris.

Eventually, she spoke. "First, you need a Hunter License. Second, you need to ask the Lightbringer Guild for permission." She smiled mockingly. "You don’t have the first. And as for the second..."

Her smile turned sharp and cold.

"...do you really think my family will grant that to you? You?"

"Hey, I’m your husband, aren’t I? That has to count for something."

Her lips pressed into a thin line. "That’s exactly why they won’t accept, dumbass."

"Really?" he said, then sighed. "No, for real, what the hell did you do? I know what you did in public, but why do the Primes, your own families, hate all of you this much just because of that?" Mars was genuinely puzzled. "Why?"

Only after he had asked did Mars feel the intense surge of anger, and something he couldn’t name, coming from Solaris.

He cursed inwardly.

Solaris’s face had darkened. She clenched her jaw, her fists so tight the blood fled them, leaving them bone-white. "That’s none of your fucking business."

’Wrong question, I guess,’ Mars thought dryly, then nodded. "I’m sorry. I was just curious. No need to get so mad."

"Shut the fuck up."

"Oh?" He took the opportunity to pull out the Cinema Ticket he had received as a reward and dangled it in front of Solaris with a smile. "Me? Shut the fuck up? And here I wanted to invite you to watch the new JoJo’s Bizarre—!"

Mars fell suddenly silent, his eye twitching. He looked at his hand, and the ticket was no longer there.

He looked at Solaris. She had her hands behind her back and was looking everywhere but at him.

"Cinema?" she muttered, still not looking at him. "Who the hell wants to go to the cinema with you, a plebeian?"

"Yeah, right?"

"Yeah, you’re just a plebeian."

"Aren’t I?"

"And I’m a Prime. I’m not like you."

"You are indeed. The Princess of princesses."

"Yes! Yes!" She nodded, and Mars almost stepped forward to pat her head, because she was far too cute. "But every princess needs a...a knight. Right? Like, uh, you know that anime, right? That, uhm, one?"

’How am I supposed to know if you don’t say its name?’ Mars thought with an amused smile, but he still nodded. "Yes, I do. Then I’ll be your knight. If you allow me, of course."

"You’re not too bad. I can allow it." Solaris nodded to herself, extremely proud.

"But we need to settle something. Should I call you princess or auntie?" Mars asked, hiding a smile.

The question immediately made Solaris nervous. "Oh..." she whispered, holding her chin, seemingly struggling to choose between them.

She tried to speak several times, but kept closing her mouth again.

Mars said nothing all the while. He only watched her, patient, until finally Solaris couldn’t take it anymore.

"Arggh!!! Both!!" she said, throwing her hands up, unable to choose. "Call me auntie when we’re alone, and princess...when we’re with the other bitches."

"Alright." Mars nodded, seeing Solaris happy, and used that window to ask his question again, but differently. "Still, auntie, beautiful princess, could you find a way for us to enter the A-rank Warren? Could you do it for your nephew and knight?"

Solaris paused at the question, narrowed her eyes at him, then said slowly, "Well, if you ask like that...maybe I can threaten them into giving me passage. And if not, I’ll burn their damn church."

Mars’s face paled. "There are no other alternatives? One that won’t earn you and me the wrath of your family?"

"Nope."

"Could you at least take the time to think about it?"

"Nope."

"Still—!"

"Enough talking. Let’s start training." She cut him off and stored the Cinema Ticket in her storage ring. "We need to make you strong enough to get the License. When are we doing it, by the way?"

"I’ve thought about it. Let’s do it in two weeks," he decided, flexing his body. "In the meantime, we’ll have all the ingredients for the Serum, and maybe even some of them already prepared."

"What about the drugs?" Solaris asked, distaste in her tone.

"For now, we do nothing about them," Mars decided. "I’m not very fond of dealing with that stuff, but we can’t just throw it away either. So we’ll keep it until we know exactly what to do with it."

Solaris hummed in answer, saying nothing more.

Then she took her battle stance and said, with a cold smile, "Fine. In any case, you need to be more of a man and less of a pussy. You also need to get back at the people who beat you up. Don’t think I’ve forgotten about that."

"Oh, those people?" Mars grinned coldly, taking his own battle stance. "Oh, don’t you worry. I’m sure they’re enjoying what I left them with."