As one might expect, the morning in Dusk City was no different from any other time, and even the weather remained the same. The winds were cool at least, so that was a good thing.

Once they were ready, they went for a run outside the city. Cali's weights were much heavier than Aegon's, yet she easily matched his speed and even overtook him several times.

This was just one of the many methods to train one's body. They were burning the excessive Essence they had gained from the Cardila Juice.

"One more round!"

Cali laughed as they finished their tenth round of the city. Sweat dripped from her body, her clothes clinging to her athletic figure.

Aegon smiled, being in the same condition, and increased his speed even more using the boost of the sun. Dusk City was large, so a single round covered several kilometers, and they were running all of that with heavy weights slowing them down.

Their muscles burned and then healed rapidly with the excessive Essence flowing through their bodies in an unending cycle.

Before long, they completed the last round and collapsed on a grassy field not far from the city. The twilight sky reflected in their eyes as their chests heaved up and down, breaths heavy but satisfied.

After a few moments of shared silence, Cali raised her hand, examining something in it.

Aegon followed her gaze and looked at her calloused hand filled with countless tiny scars that ran up to her arms, marks still unable to heal completely, proof of the days she had worked relentlessly to reach her current rank.

"Little Gon, do you think my hands are dirty?" Cali asked quietly.

"They're beautiful," Aegon gave his honest opinion, as always.

Perhaps knowing that he wouldn't lie to her, Cali smiled softly and said, "Perhaps they would be better without all this hard work. Soft, squishy hands, right? They look even more beautiful and attractive."

"What are you trying to say, Cali?" Aegon asked directly.

"I'm just wondering why people find these hands ugly," Cali mumbled, her tone betraying any emotions she might have been feeling.

"They do?" Aegon raised an eyebrow and said, "People with trash taste are increasing in number then."

"Haha! You always have something to say," Cali laughed, but there was no humor in her voice. "Can you guess the number of friends I've found here?"

"Zero!" Aegon said flatly.

"Hey! That hurts!"

"Am I wrong then?"

Cali was silent at that. After a moment, she said, "Why do so many people have a problem with women being Knights?"

Aegon glanced at her before replying, "Because they are rare."

"Women are either mages, or they give up completely on trying to become stronger," Cali said, as if giving him the reason for that rarity. "They don't want to go through the hardships of the Body Pathway."

"Can you blame them?" Aegon asked, staring at the twilight sky. "Not awakening the Mage Pathway is already a bad thing for them, not to mention they have to work harder than men in the Body Pathway."

The Body Pathway was heavily dependent on one's essence, and the male body generally had a higher essence capacity, so it was quite natural that it would be more favorable for them, just like how the Mage Pathway was more favorable for the female body due to its structure.

But in a society filled with Knights, men dominated the ranks, and a woman trying to enter those circles had to try much harder. Even then, she would still most likely be rejected.

Society had made it so that women either became Mages or remained ordinary humans. Men didn't like women in their field because they didn't think women fit there, while many women gave up on the hardships, preferring to live a safe and secure life instead.

"So I'm getting rejected just because I tried to become a Knight?" Cali chuckled dryly. "Men reject my presence for that reason, and women are no different. Some of them are even worse because they think I would've become a great Mage."

"You already are a great Mage," Aegon pointed out and asked, "But I don't get where you're going with this. Do you want to be accepted by them?"

"Fat chance! If they can't respect me for who I am, then I don't care about them," Cali said, but Aegon could still see that she was affected by it.

It was quite natural. Being rejected by everyone leaves a mental scar that isn't easy to heal. Aegon understood it very well because he, too, had been rejected by everyone in his previous life.

He sighed and asked, "Do you want to talk to your idol?"

"Huh? What?" Cali's cheeks flushed instantly. "N-No! I'm fine!"

"Well, I already called her," Aegon said, showing her the communication stone and smiling mischievously.

"What are you doing!?"

"Shh! Just wait!"

Aegon could have comforted her or said some words of encouragement, but he knew none of those would be truly effective. The best way to help was to let her talk to someone who had gone through the same thing.

Despite Cali's protests, Aegon still continued the call, and soon they heard a familiar voice he loved so much.

[Miss me? I bet you did.]

"I definitely did," Aegon smiled and said. "Xiu, I wan—"

His words were cut off by the sound of an explosion from the other side. It was so loud that even they could feel the slight vibration from here.

"What was that?" He asked, wondering if she had already found the Bandaged Man.

[Oh, nothing much. We just found a Demon Camp on our way, so we're destroying that.]

"What a coincidence, huh."

[...]

"..."

[JASON! GET YOUR ASS OUT OF THERE AND CHASE AFTER THAT BASTARD!! SANTIAGO! STOP PISSING AND DESTROY THEM!]

Aegon was left speechless by her actions. Did she really not think it was too coincidental that they found a demon camp while searching for the Bandaged Man?

"Xiu, language!"

[Ahem! My bad! I forgot we were still on the line for a moment.]

Aegon rolled his eyes at her. "How did you not suspect it?"

[The signs say the camp is very old.]

"So, they've been preparing it for a while. They knew I would attend the Academy," Aegon said, narrowing his eyes slightly.

[Yes. I'll find him quickly, even if there are a hundred more delays.]

Her tone turned serious, determination radiating from her words. Aegon smiled faintly, knowing that if anyone could find the Bandaged Man, it was her.

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