Emilia sat down in front of Alex and placed her sword beside the chair. With a raised hand, she ordered a glass of beer, which the waiter quickly brought over.
She took a sip and said nonchalantly, "It's good."
Alex watched all her actions but didn't react.
A person from the Ten Clans.
He remembered his motto: Never trust a person from the Ten Clans.
He stared at the girl, who was swirling her glass and enjoying her beer.
"So, who are you?" Emilia suddenly asked, locking eyes with him.
"I'm Straw Hat Pirates," Alex said without hesitation.
"What?" Emilia blinked.
"Ahem," Alex coughed awkwardly. "I'm a hunter. E-rank." He showed his badge.
"Hmm. E-rank," she mumbled.
"Can I ask you some questions?" Emilia asked.
"Only if you answer mine too," Alex replied.
"Okay," Emilia agreed.
"Why aren't you acting like the others? Everyone here is showing me clear hatred and anger," she asked.
"Good question," Alex said. "Because I'm not an idiot like them."
He pointed toward the others.
"The Ten Clans are strong. Weaklings showing anger toward them is like putting meat in front of a monster and telling it not to eat."
Emilia was taken aback by that kind of reply.
"Now it's my turn," Alex said. "How do you get into EE Academy?"
Emilia smiled. "Oh, let's see..."
After thinking for a moment, she replied, "After six months, a test will be held. The preliminary test checks your elemental power and type of element. Then you get teleported to the Ten Clans' main city, Protegia, where the real test happens. It's different every time. Students who rank in the top thousand get into EE Academy, the number one academy in the world."
"Then my question," Emilia said, "do you know about the monster storm?"
"Yes," Alex replied plainly.
"Now my turn," Alex said immediately.
"Wait, wait! You didn't answer properly!" Emilia protested.
"I did," Alex said calmly. "You asked if I know about the monster storm. I said yes. That's an answer."
Emilia sighed. "Go on then, ask away."
"Is there any restriction for entering EE Academy?"
"No, there are none," Emilia answered.
"Now my turn. What do you know about the monster storm?" she asked.
Alex leaned back and replied, "It wasn't a normal monster storm. Monsters lost their minds and charged at the cities without caring for their lives. Monsters with elemental powers don't act like that. They value their lives, and their rage is usually controlled."
Emilia fell into thought.
Monster storm attacks have increased over the past four years. Monsters rushing recklessly toward cities... It's not normal.
Alex quietly drank his milk.
He didn't want to ask more questions.
He preferred to stay silent while the girl in front of him kept thinking.
After some time, Emilia snapped out of her thoughts and saw Alex still calmly sipping his milk.
"You didn't ask me a question," Emilia said.
"I don't want to ask further," Alex replied.
"Why?" Emilia frowned.
"Because I don't trust people from the Ten Clans," Alex said plainly.
"What?!" Emilia almost screamed.
"Oh, sorry about that," Emilia said embarrassed
Emilia thought to herself, Maybe it's understandable. The Ten Clans have been ignoring common people for too long.
She sighed and asked, "Sorry, I didn't ask earlier. What's your name?"
"Alexander," Alex replied.
"Alexander... what?"
"Just Alexander. No last name."
"Oh, sorry about that," Emilia apologized again.
In Alex's mind, two voices debated:
The white-dress-wearing Alex said, She's not bad.
The dark-dress-wearing Alex argued, She's from the Ten Clans. Nothing else to say.
But look how she keeps apologizing, White Alex pointed out.
Our motto is to never trust anyone. Especially not the Ten Clans, Dark Alex insisted.
Alex sighed and continued drinking his milk, almost finishing the jug.
Emilia's interest in him grew.
He looked like someone who wasn't used to talking to people.
The purple mysterious pupils and white hair under his straw hat intrigued her.
But the most interesting thing was... a boy with a mysterious background trying to enter the elite academy.
Emilia stood up, leaned near Alex's face, and whispered,
"Word of advice, Mr. Alexander. Try to avoid people from the Ten Clans. And if you must deal with them, don't talk so bluntly. They'll be offended."
She stepped back, smiled brightly, and said loudly,
"Okay then! I'll say my goodbye, Mr. Alexander. Until we meet again."
Alex just nodded slightly.
She smiled even wider at his simple gesture.