Chapter Fifty-Five: The Unreliable Teammate

“We can put off searching for other members for now, but what we truly need at this moment is a warrior,” Vivian analyzed as she led Zhou Tian somewhere unknown. “Demons may mostly fear holy light, but holy light isn’t omnipotent. Not to mention that neither Father Mike nor I possess much magic power; even if we could continually wield holy magic, some demons are simply immune to all forms of magic. If we run into such a demon, we’ll need a warrior companion to fight on our behalf.”

Although Zhou Tian felt that, with his own abilities, a warrior was hardly necessary, he had already lost face enough times in front of Vivian to argue back. Besides, having another close-combat fighter in the team wouldn’t hurt, so he obediently followed Vivian to “invite” someone.

They came to an isolated little courtyard on the fringes of the Holy City, where Vivian kicked open the small gate without hesitation and marched in, Zhou Tian trailing behind her in stunned silence.

Truth be told, Zhou Tian was completely shocked by Vivian’s behavior. In his mind, Vivian had always been gentle, never doing anything out of line—even when facing Reyn, she had always been polite. Yet here she was, kicking down someone’s door. Zhou Tian could hardly believe his eyes.

Vivian seemed to feel his gaze. Her body tensed momentarily, but she composed herself, retracted her outstretched foot as if nothing had happened, and calmly explained, “Sorry, it’s a habit. Please forgive me.”

A habit? Kicking doors was a habit...

Ignoring Zhou Tian’s silent commentary, Vivian strode into the courtyard, her head lowered in focus. Helpless, Zhou Tian could only follow.

He hadn’t even been inside three minutes before he came back out, face flushed crimson.

Honestly, Zhou Tian had never imagined that following Vivian into the house would present such a scene: one girl atop another, both disheveled and clinging to each other. As his mind filled in the blanks, and though he knew that in his current serpentine form the girls were unlikely to misinterpret his presence, Zhou Tian was still mortified and beat a hasty retreat.

“You shameless brats! Doing such things in broad daylight—have you no shame at all?” Vivian’s furious roar rang out from within the house. This was quickly followed by a clatter of chaos, and then the two girls emerged, each holding her head like a pagoda, trailing behind an utterly disgruntled Vivian.

Vivian didn’t bother to explain to Zhou Tian. Instead, she pointed at the two girls and introduced them. “Captain Zhou Tian, these are the people I wanted you to meet.” She then turned to glare at the pair and barked, “Don’t just stand there like idiots—introduce yourselves!” With her dignity clearly in tatters, Vivian avoided Zhou Tian’s eyes, turning her head away as though something fascinating had caught her attention elsewhere.

One of the girls, dressed as a knight, stepped forward. “My name is Afra. My profession is Dragon Knight.”

“Dragon Knight!” Zhou Tian was dumbfounded. A Dragon Knight—one of the most formidable existences among warriors and knights, strong enough to rival an entire army. Even kings treated such individuals with respect, and even the greatest empires boasted only a handful. To think that this inconspicuous, lily-loving girl was one of those legendary figures!

But just as Zhou Tian’s face registered his astonishment, Afra continued with complete calm, “But my dragon ran away from home, so for now I’m without my mount.”

Thud. Zhou Tian collapsed to the ground. Half a Dragon Knight’s power came from her mount; only with a dragon could one truly be called a Dragon Knight. Without it, no matter how strong she was, she was just an ordinary knight. Afra first claimed to be a Dragon Knight, then admitted she’d lost her mount—especially since her dragon had “run away from home.” Zhou Tian had no idea what to say to that.

Giving Afra a speechless once-over, Zhou Tian picked himself up and, still polite, said, “It’s an honor to meet you…”

“You’ve heard of me too?” Afra’s eyes lit up with delight at his words. “I knew it! As a Dragon Knight, my name should already be famous across the continent. But you don’t need to idolize me too much. When my heroic deeds become legend, as my friends, you’ll all get your moment in the spotlight too!”

Smack. With a blank expression, Vivian knocked Afra flat and turned to the other girl. “Ignore her—you go ahead.”

Er… Watching Vivian, whose head was practically steaming with frustration, Zhou Tian gave up all hope in this “Dragon Knight.” He could only pray that the other girl was more “normal”—otherwise, he’d truly have to worry about his team’s future.

But fate seemed determined to disappoint Zhou Tian today. There’s a saying: “Birds of a feather flock together.” Anyone who could be a member of the Lily Flower group and get along with Afra was unlikely to be “ordinary.”

“My name is Anna. Three years ago, I held the title of Wind Sword Saint!” Zhou Tian brightened at her words, but she quickly added, “But I took the wrong medicine last year and have temporarily lost my battle energy.”

Zhou Tian almost spat blood. How could everyone he was inviting be so unreliable? The Dragon Knight had lost her dragon; the Sword Saint had lost her battle energy. Even if they were Vivian’s recommendations, how was he supposed to have faith in their abilities?

“What’s with that look? Even without a dragon, I’m still a Dragon Knight, and I’m definitely stronger than a little mud eel like you! If you keep giving me that stare, don’t blame me if I beat you up!” Afra, bristling like an angry kitten, stormed up to Zhou Tian, grabbed his collar, and threatened to strike him.

Thump! Vivian “teleported” behind Afra once again, KO’d her with a single punch, and rescued Zhou Tian from her clutches.

But after saving him, Vivian turned to Zhou Tian and said, “Captain Zhou Tian, although Afra and Anna’s abilities are somewhat diminished at the moment, even without their mounts or battle energy, they are still the strongest people I know. If you truly want a well-rounded team, I recommend you choose them.”