"Why not?"
Lucian frowned.
"Because there is no point."
"There is clearly a point."
Lucian argued.
"I am eligible and you just spent several minutes explaining how valuable her contract is."
"The contract is valuable."
Vivienne nodded.
"But Aevrienne will not choose you."
"And why is that?"
Lucian frowned.
"Because of what you are."
"What does that mean?"
"Aevrienne permits demons to enter her Trial, however, she has never chosen one."
Vivienne looked at Lucian and—
"Not once."
She spoke, making sure he understood.
"Why?"
Lucian raised an eyebrow.
"She dislikes demons."
"That’s blatant discrimination."
"Don’t you hate demons as well...?"
Evelyn, who was standing behind them, pointed it out.
Lucian looked at her with a face that said, ’Whose side are you on?’ Evelyn looked away and Lucian answered.
"That is different."
"How?"
"Because I have excellent reasons."
Vivienne stared at him.
Lucian remained fixated on his statement and Vivienne simply ignored him and continued.
"Almost all Spirits hate Demons and their hatred is very apparent. Many demons or their Hosts have entered Aevrienne’s previous Trials, some even cleared the Trial, but she rejected every one of them."
"I am not a Demon."
Lucian countered with the only thing he could.
"I have a Human Soul."
"Low-Level Demonic Hosts and Demon-Class Blood-Altered Humans have Human Souls as well. Aevrienne never accepted them either."
"That does not sound fair."
Lucian complained.
"Ancient Spirits are not required to be fair."
Vivienne answered directly.
"They choose based on instincts, preferences, and standards they may never explain. The Trial does not decide the contractor, it only allows Aevrienne to observe the candidates. Even if you clear the Trial and reach her first, in the end, she still has the power to reject you."
"She still might be impressed by me, I am very charming."
Lucian did not wish to give up.
"I managed to seduce a world-famous star."
He spoke as he placed Evelyn in front of him to make his case. Evelyn lowered her face with a blush, Vivienne only watched the two and then, with a serious look on her face—
"It will not work, Lucian."
She spoke directly.
Lucian stared at her and—
"Spirits do not like demons, the faster you understand that, the better it is for you."
That was when the lift doors opened and the three stepped outside into the Main Enclave building.
The Main Building was chaotic, large screens along the walls were already activated. Maps, reports, and emergency messages appeared on them, hunters moved rapidly between the rooms, some of them held weapons, some held cases containing different artifacts and magical supplies.
The Enclave was almost always busy, but this time, it was much, much different.
Lucian observed everything around him with growing interest, then—
"If I am not entering, then why bring me here?
Shouldn’t we be training?"
He asked directly and Vivienne—
"Because the Enclave needs every available member."
She answered.
"Almost all Enclave Hunters are eligible to take the Trial and many of them will want to participate."
"Many of them? Why not all?"
Lucian asked curiously.
If every human could enter and possibly get stronger, shouldn’t it be something every one of them would desire?
Vivienne, however, shook her head.
"As I said, Demon-Class Blood-Altered Humans won’t participate, neither will the Hunters who have already reached their potential."
"...reached their potential?"
"Hunters like Garrick Vale or Cadrien Ashcroft, those who have already attained their peak, they won’t participate."
"Why? Won’t someone like Director Garrick have the highest chance to clear the Trial?"
Lucian asked curiously.
Garrick Vale was known as one of the strongest Enclave Hunters, this was the reason he was the Warden Seat.
If it was someone like him, he should have a fairly decent chance at this but—
"He can win.
But Aevrienne won’t select him."
"Hah? And why is that?"
Lucian questioned and Vivienne—
"He is old."
She shrugged.
"...old?"
"Yes, he is old."
"...and what does that have to do with anything?"
"We do not know, as I said, Aevrienne never clarifies her criteria. We only know that Aevrienne doesn’t choose the old."
Lucian’s mouth twitched in annoyance.
He was already hating this Aevrienne girl.
In the end, he simply sighed and gave up trying to analyse what it was the Spirit actually wanted.
"So why were we here again?"
He asked in a defeated tone.
"Because the rest of the Hunters will be busy. The Enclave will personally select some, others will enter independently. That leaves fewer personnel guarding the Shrine."
"Guarding the Shrine...? From what?"
Lucian tilted his head.
"From civilians."
And Vivienne answered.
She then pointed towards a screen and—
"That is where Aevrienne’s Shrine has awakened. It seems they still do not have the accurate location yet, but wherever it is, we need to seal the surrounding streets and move the residents somewhere else to avoid any accidental interaction between the Ordinary and the Supernatural."
"How are you going to seal the streets in a populated area...?"
Evelyn asked curiously.
Lucian only shrugged at that—
"Meh, they will think of something. Gas leak, maybe."
"Most likely."
Vivienne nodded at those words.
"Wait, wait, wait."
That was when Lucian’s expression changed.
"So I am guarding the entrance?"
He asked directly.
"Yes, you and other Demon-Class Blood-Altered Hunters will handle the outer perimeter. Your primary duty will be to keep civilians away, identify supernatural arrivals, and make sure no one causes unnecessary trouble outside the Shrine."
"So let me get this straight—"
Lucian groaned.
"While everyone else gets to enter a legendary Trial, I will stand outside telling people to turn around?"
"Yes."
Vivienne nodded and Lucian could not believe what his teacher was putting him through.
"...and here I thought I was the Main Character.
The Author really is shitty, isn’t he?"
Lucian groaned, making it very clear how much he hated this.
Of course, that was only him joking around, trying to get a reaction out of Vivienne. Inwardly, he was much calmer.
At this point, he could say that he knew his teacher quite well.
Someone like her wouldn’t stop *her* training just because the Enclave needed Demon-Class Blood-Altered Humans. Vivienne didn’t really think of herself as part of the Enclave, she considered herself above it.
The way she conversed with the Cleaner and Concord Seats showed him that very clearly.
So if Vivienne brought him here, she must have a reason.
And just as Lucian expected—
"Do not complain too quickly, this will still be useful to you."
Vivienne spoke up.