Another evening fell. Night hung low, the starlight obscured by clouds, with only a faint, dim glow filtering through. At the entrance to a somewhat secluded detached villa in District Two, Lucia crossed the cobblestone path and knocked on the wooden door before her.
After a while, accompanied by the sound of footsteps, the door opened. Standing behind it was a blonde woman in an apron. Wrinkles had formed around her eyes, yet she carried herself with elegance. Her face held a puzzled expression as she said, "You are—"
"Hello, Mrs. Vida. I'm here to see Anya. My name is Lucia. I'm her friend and also her teammate at the Discipline Committee Branch. Tonight, she and I are assigned to patrol Beast Spirit Academy in Fourth District," Lucia said politely.
"Oh, so you're little Lucia? I'm her mother. Anya is taking a bath, so come in quickly." Mrs. Vida smiled warmly. "Anya talks about you often. She says you're an unprecedented genius swordswoman—"
Before long, under Mrs. Vida's enthusiastic welcome, Lucia entered Anya Vida's home with a mixture of nervousness and curiosity.
This was her first time visiting Anya's home. Previously, they had always met and talked at school, so there had been no need to come here. But the final exams for the various academies had recently ended, and the holiday was about to begin. With no fixed meeting place anymore, she had arranged to meet Anya at her home for the first time.
Just as she had expected, Anya's family was indeed well-off, belonging to the upper middle class even among Truth City locals.
Her father, Mr. Vida, had started out as a traveling merchant. He would go to the Snow Kingdom to purchase Ice Crystal Flowers, then resell them at the Academy of Truth. The Potion Academy's