Awkward silence.

As the three-way deadlock remained at a standstill, the atmosphere grew more tense with every passing second.

Guildmaster Noah, looking more like a child than an actual leader, kept fidgeting as he alternated glances between Rey and Trisha.

As for the two, they stared at each other without saying a word.

"Me? Strong? Please don't joke."

"I'm not joking. I enjoyed my fight with you." Rey raised his hand towards Trisha. "It was enjoyable."

Perhaps it was because he had the Martial Arts Supremacy Skill, but despite being able to see and easily react to Trisha's moves, he could still admire her skills.

No, maybe it was because he could see everything that he had a better appreciation for her prowess.

"You really impressed me."

"Whatever." Trisha scoffed, slowly walking away from Rey as she moved towards the entrance--which also served as the exit.

"The world needs the Otherworlders, so I have no choice but to grow stronger. As powerful as you are, I don't think it's wise to leave the safety of humanity in your hands alone."

She walked past Noah and nodded slightly, muttering "Guildmaster," before walking out of the room.

"Also... I enjoyed my fight with you too."

Those were her last words before she left the room for Rey and Noah, taking most of the tension away with her as she departed.

**************

"Haaa...!"

Moments passed after Trisha left the room before both Rey and Noah finally released the breaths they had been holding for some time.

While it was true that Rey was stronger, and Noah had more influence, both of them still felt tense around the fierce tomboy that was Trisha. Maybe it was just the way she spoke or reacted, but they waited a few seconds before saying anything--even after she left.

Then, after what felt like an eternity, Noah finally broke the silence.

"Damn man... you really pissed her off. I wonder why..." The smaller boy made a sly grin, looking at Rey with knowing eyes.

"Shut up, Noah. You know why."

"Of course! Haha! I guess with the cat out of the bag, things are also quite tense back in the Royal Estate."

Rey shrugged as he heard this. He shook his head and even sighed.

"Not really. In fact, most of them were pretty cool with it."

"Yeah... I guess. But most of them weren't your friends, so I guess that makes sense."

Noah's response made Rey's face tense up a little, but he quickly dissolved it all and returned his expression to the stoic kind.

"Hm?" Noah tilted his head a little, obviously noticing the change, but he said nothing more on the issue.

In fact, he said nothing more about Trisha as well.

"Tell me you organized this meeting because you finally found a way back to Earth." He laughed, having his seat on the bare floor.

His friendly tone perfectly matched the unimposing look on his face. He didn't look angry, neither was he hurt. He truly seemed happy to see Rey.

"I... haven't found a way back. But if I did, would you really want to return?"

"Ehh... I'm not quite sure anymore." Noah said with a broader smile.

"What does that even mean?"

"I mean, there are days when I feel like returning, but others where I feel like this world is too good to pass up."

Upon hearing this, Rey couldn't help but nod and smile. He wholeheartedly agreed with the sentiment.

'I wouldn't want to return, but... I can understand why some would.'

Life in H'Trae held the most promise for him. He had his challenges sure, but he wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

"So why did you call for me? I mean, I am the Guildmaster of this place, but... I guess, in a sense, I'm still your lackey."

Despite the way Noah phrased those words, it didn't seem like he took offense by it, or the thought of that position made him uncomfortable.

Instead, he seemed somewhat proud of it.

The only one who seemed to have an issue with the status quo was Rey.

"Why would you still call yourself my lackey? You've made a big name for yourself already."

"What? Being Guildmaster? If not for what you did, giving me that sword and making that big speech, I don't think I would have been able to achieve such status so quickly."

Rey chuckled and shook his head. "You underestimate yourself, Noah."

Sure, if there were more qualified people, perhaps Noah wouldn't have been considered for the role. However, not only did he prove to be the strongest Adventurer in the city, but he also had a spirit of camaraderie that was evident during the Teleportation Incident of the Dungeon, and also how he stood up for Jet and Lux when they needed him most.

He showed that he had everything it took to be a good leader

and a strong one too.

"I don't consider you my lackey, Noah." Rey smiled as he softly planted his fist on his shoulder.

The two of them had gone a long way since they first knew each other. Noah was the first person he intentionally showed his true identity to, and while the start of their relationship wasn't the best, they had come so far.

That was more than enough reason for Rey to utter his next set of words.

"You're my friend."

A slight hint of pink appeared all over Noah's face as he looked at Rey and his genuine smile towards him.

His jaws loosened slightly as the two boys stared at each other in sacred silence for a moment.

Then

"W-whatever it's fine." He murmured, looking away from the smooth talker. "I mean I already consider you my friend as well."

Rey chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, thanks."

"A-also as a friend, I have to ask since you disguised yourself as Jet, did you also do the same as Lux? Did you shapeshift as her, or?"

"No. She's real."

"Whew!" Noah held his chest and sighed.

Since he had fallen head over heels for Lux, he would have felt completely weird if that had been Rey all along. How would he be able to live with himself if he had indirectly been ogling him?!

"Ugh" The boy shivered.

"I'm actually surprised you are taking all of this well. I remember you crying over Jet's death, and also falling for Lux." Rey murmured. "Aren't you a bit livid that I deceived you like that?"

"..."

Noah's face slowly became seriousalmost sternas he took in Rey's question.

"Well, it's been nearly three months since all of that. I suppose that's enough time to get over some things." He began with a slightly low tone.

"Besides, I don't know if everyone informed you of this, but I visited the Capital as soon as I heard the news."

Indeed, Rey heard the news from his classmates when they were discussing all that Rey missed in his near-three months coma.

"I did my best to convince that servant of yours the red-

haired one but he didn't let me see you. I had to settle for meeting everyone else and having a talk with them."

It was then that they revealed themselves to have disguised as Adventurers to participate in the Grand Calamity Class Dungeon Conquest.

"Of course, I already figured most of this out. Not only because the higher-ups who supported the Guildmaster told me, but also due to my observations."

In fact, it was after these observations that his suspicion of Jet, Lux, and the other Adventurerswho were secretly his classmatesbegan to surface. The Vice Guildmasters spilling the beans was only due to him pressuring them on the topic.

"I still can't believe you did all that listening to me talk about you in that bar, and pretending to be another person for so long it's crazy."

Still, Noah returned to the topic and sighed.

"I couldn't get mad at you even if I wanted to. I know you too well for that."

The two of them had gone to the Black Market together, and they had been through thick and thin. Also, thanks to the revelation of Rey as Jet, Noah didn't need to bring him up to speed regarding his new perspective on the world and how much he had grown.

The two knew too much about each other.

"Whatever you do has a reason. You disguised yourself as Jet, instead of Ralyks, for a purpose. You didn't reveal your identity to me for a reason, and you went through all of those theatrics for a reason."

Yes, Noah was curious about those reasons, but he wasn't going to condemn Rey for anything.

"Don't worry about all of that, Rey. We're cool."

All of that meant a lot to Rey, and while his expression didn't do his current emotional state justice, he knew Noah would understand regardless.

"Thanks. So, how's the sword treating you?"

"I figured it wasn't any special cursed sword or anything, but it's still pretty good. Just introduce me to Lux and we'll call it even."

"That's actually the main reason I contacted you, Noah." Rey sighed and shook his head.

His expression turned grim and a hint of desperation flashed in his eyes.

"I'm looking for her."