"You got everything prepared?" Renna asked with a small smile on her face.She had to admit that a part of her felt... sad that they had to separate after talking to each other over the course of the last few days.But for someone like her, partings weren’t uncommon.

"I have my mead, I have my memory device. I don’t see anything else I need unless you want to give me a gift before I go." Alice checked her important belongings.

Renna simply rolled her eyes. Of course her friend would prioritise mead before the other stuff. Why wouldn’t she?

"In that case, take care on your way to the capital. I’ll keep investigating the World Tree and will let you know if I find Feris’s location. I doubt someone like me can talk sense into the Lady of the Void after all." Renna laughed.

However, her laugh soon faded away as her expression turned serious.

"Are you ready for what’s to come?" she asked as Alice exhaled softly.

"Can’t say for sure. I’m just a six Sigil Hunter after all," she joked.

"Oh ha ha... Taking on the entire Zenia family, even with your strength, won’t be easy. I don’t know what they’ve done, but ever since they tore off their mask of doing things for the greater good, they’ve been creepy as all hell." Renna furrowed her brows.

"They’ve always been like that. Though it’s just more obvious now, I suppose."

Renna paused before nodding reluctantly. After everything Alice had told her, their strange actions in the past had now been verified. Everything was connected, and it started to make sense for Renna.

Why they did the things they did, the requests, and the takeovers.

In isolated incidents, it was hard to find a connection. But now that she took a step back and had gotten some information from Alice, it all made perfect sense.

Shaking her head, she reached into her pouch and offered a small twig to Alice.

"What’s this? Am I supposed to shave it and use it to smoke my drinks?" Alice asked curiously, picking up the stick.

"Hell no! I swear if you try to smoke a branch from the World Tree into your drink, I’ll personally run over and steal the branch back!" Renna held back the urge to kick Alice.

"I’m only kidding, ahaha. It’s to contact you, right?" Alice grinned.

Renna massaged her eyelids.

"Yes. You can contact me through this branch and vice versa. If anything happens, don’t shy away from contacting me. We’re..." Renna hesitated.

"Friends, right?" Alice finished the sentence for her.

A smile appeared on Renna’s face as she nodded.

"If for any reason I’m not there to receive your contact, a subordinate of mine will answer instead. They’re the ones currently checking the World Tree, so if anything major happens, feel free to inform them of the changes.

"I can vouch for all of the ones I’ve given the branch to. They’re all trustworthy."

"Is that so? I’ll keep that in mind then." Alice smiled.

She was originally going to tease Renna about the fact that they grew close in a few short days but decided against it in the end.

"Since it’s also a branch from the World Tree, it’ll provide you with some benefits by just keeping it close to you. Realm tears, poisons, sealing. As long as you keep it on you, it should be able to ward off against one high-level ability. It won’t activate against weak stuff.

"But~ From what I know about your power, you shouldn’t need any help with the low-tier crap, right?" Renna asked as Alice held the branch against the sky.

"Should be fine unless it breaks when I use my own skills. I do use all three of what you just mentioned after all. Well... maybe not sealing, but I use a lot of Void stuff and poison." Alice squinted at the branch.

"It won’t react to anything you do, so don’t worry about it. And here’s the second gift." Renna threw something at Alice as she quickly caught it.

Opening her hand, Alice noticed that Renna had given her an emblem of sorts.

It was a silver emblem that felt cool to the touch. An intricate design showcasing what seemed to be a crown with swords behind it. Even without Cayla, Alice could sense a bit of Abyssal energy stored within the emblem.

Likely a verification of sorts to ensure that the emblem was real.

Alice weighed the object in her hand before looking at Renna.

"It’s the King’s Guard emblem." Renna folded her arms. "I may be sent to this place, but my name should still hold a bit of weight. Not to brag, but I was a rather good employee at the time.

"With it, you should be able to request one meeting with the royal family. Just one, no more," she explained.

"Is that a guarantee?" Alice raised an eyebrow doubtfully.

If Renna was sent to this place, she doubted the emblem held enough sway for the royal family to grant her an audience.

"Well... maybe not exactly a guarantee. But at least you won’t get turned away at the gates if you show them the emblem. As for how you want to convince them... I’ll leave that to you."

"You think mead will win them over?" Alice joked, putting the emblem into her pouch.

"Convince them to put you into a cell, definitely." Renna smiled.

"The royal family is at odds with the Zenia family, as you know. It’s been escalating for some time now, even if civilians don’t know the full picture.

"Even though they hold a lot of power, the royal family is in need of allies. So this could be your way in. Enemy of my enemy and all that. You know the deal."

"Are you sure you should be encouraging this? What if I’m someone suspicious?" Alice was surprised by how much information Renna was giving her.

"If you’re suspicious, then we’re all doomed. I don’t exactly think you’re worried about Lords, so why would you go out of your way to cause chaos?

"Either way, just be careful. The people sitting in power always have a bit of a fragile ego after all. Say the wrong things, do the wrong greeting, and they might just take offence to it." Renna ranted.

Renna paused for a moment, then let out a small sigh.

"Just... don’t treat it like a game and piss off everyone you see," she added. "You’ve got a habit of walking into things without thinking about the consequences."

[She’s not wrong, you know?] Cayla squinted at Alice, who kept quiet.

She appreciated Renna’s advice and made a decision. Reaching into her pouch, she pulled out an extra bottle of Ayrian mead.

She held it up, offering it to Renna, who swallowed her saliva slowly. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

"Want another drink before I go?" Alice smiled.

Renna’s eyes lingered on the bottle momentarily before she pulled her gaze back.

And to Alice’s surprise...

"I’ll pass."

"Huh?"

"Ayrian mead. Stuff you can’t get anymore. You shouldn’t be wasting two bottles on someone like me. I still have a bit left after all." Renna folded her arms with a chuckle.

"Stuff like this is liquid gold. Who knows when you’ll want another sip only to realise you’re one bottle short? It’s not something you can get your hands on easily, so don’t be so eager to offer it away.

"If anything, I’d be happier if you use it to bribe another Lord to be your friend. At least then, I know I’m not the only dumbf*ck who got swayed by a good drink." Renna let out a hearty laugh as Alice smiled helplessly.

"If you say so. Just don’t beg me for another bottle afterwards, okay?"

"Well~ If I want another drink, I can always tempt you like you did with me. Or what? Are you going to enjoy a good drink without anyone to share it with you? A drink tastes better when shared between two people." Renna glanced up at the sky, forcefully ripping her gaze away from the bottle.

Even though she said all of this, she had to admit.

A part of her still wanted to accept the bottle.

Alice didn’t push it further and stored the bottle away.

"Let’s go for a drink once we solve the Void issue then," Alice suggested.

This was something Renna could get behind, as that would be when her biggest headache would be sorted.

What better time to drink than after a job well done?

Alice and Renna gave each other a firm handshake as Renna patted Alice on the shoulder.

"Try not to die on the way there. Be careful of anything and everything. Know that spies could be around every corner."

"No promises," Alice chuckled.

Pattern recognition was a powerful thing. Based on everything that’s happened already, even if she was careful about spies, sh*t would probably go up in flames regardless.

Renna rolled her eyes.

As reluctant as she was, there was no more need for words between them.

They had already said everything they wanted to say. Anything extra could wait until next time.

Watching the group walk away from the city, Renna found herself struggling to walk away.

"Troublesome girl," she mumbled. But a smile never left her face.

Alice Agnelia. A mead lover who acted like a gremlin. That cheeky grin, that playful personality. But most of all, her love for peace.

"May the World Tree bless your endeavours. May you reach the life you seek." Renna offered Alice a prayer before turning around and walking away.

Now that she had said her farewells, it was time for her to track down Feris.