Chapter 125
Although Dvořák snorted discontentedly, he actually accelerated. Virgil clicked his tongue to show his dissatisfaction.
When he got closer, he noticed a white outline on the ground that was different from the other sand. It must be Xerath. Her clothes were fine, so she must be fine too. "Don't be afraid, she's still sitting."
"Teacher--!"
The figure in the distance moved slightly and then slowly stood up. Sylas jumped off the horse, of course, she couldn't stand firm and rolled twice in the sand. But she got up and ran towards Xerath.
"Don't..." Xerath slowly turned around and raised her hands to stop Sylas from approaching. Sylas suddenly stopped.
"Teacher...?" Sylas comforted herself. Maybe Xerath couldn't stand steady now. If she rushed over, both of them would end up falling on the ground. But seeing that Xerath was fine, she was incredibly joyful. She breathed a sigh of relief. Besides immense joy, she also felt lucky. The fear had just left, leaving a huge void that she didn't know how to fill. Maybe hugging Xerath tightly could fill this void, but...
Xerath sighed deeply and said, "Let's figure out a way to go back home first."
Sylas wanted to simply hold her and recite a spell, but Xerath gestured to stop her. "No need, I can walk by myself."
She was just walking slowly and unsteadily. Sylas tried several times to come and support her, but she was always stopped.
"Teacher..." Sylas was on the verge of tears. Xerath refused her help, but the archmage seemed to need someone to support him. Why did she have to refuse Sylas?
Virgil approached, reaching out to assist her. Sylas held her breath and stared at Xerath, hoping for a reaction. Luckily, Xerath also refused Virgil.
Her entire head was wrapped in a large scarf, with only a glimpse of her face visible. But her complexion was pale, light-colored eyebrows, pale skin, grey eyes, and lips drained of color, making her feel cold and almost not like a living person.
"Sylas."
"Teacher?!" Sylas immediately ran to stand where Xerath could see her.
"Where is Leunen?"
Sylas's face immediately turned red: She completely forgot that she had a water lord who could act as a water bed, but she couldn't answer where Leunen is now. Just now, they threw Leunen outside the wind barrier to find his own way, and he probably has returned to the Elemental Realm by now.
"Leunen?" she quietly opened a crack and asked inside.
Leunen extended a tentacle, followed by his whole body wriggling out, ironically saying, "I'm glad you still remember me."
"I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to leave you... Would you help me support the teacher?"
It grunted, "Reluctantly." It flattened into a puddle of water, even forming a staircase for Xerath to step on and come up. The archmage sat down slowly, and Sylas climbed up and sat beside her, looking very worried.
Virgil led them back with Dvořák and slipped to Xerath's side and said, "To be honest, I was scared a lot just now. I didn't expect you to actually have a way to eliminate the storm, but why didn't you use it from the beginning?"
"It needs... a bit of skill and luck, and it's better if no one is nearby, otherwise it might cause accidental harm."
"But we were just nearby, less than three miles away from you."
Xerath smiled, as if it took a lot of effort to smile, "I saw it, Sylas used the Exile Spell too, right?"
Upon hearing her own name, Sylas sat up straight again and said, "Yes!"
"The Exile Spell causes a tornado, the stronger the wind, the greater the destruction, and it spreads outwards. Sylas's impact counteracted some of it, so you're safe. It's... just a coincidence, I guess."
"So, teacher, you've been waiting for it to turn above your head, right?"
Xerath nodded gently.
"But the longer this process takes, the easier it is to get struck by lightning, right?"
Xerath nodded again.
"Isn't that very dangerous for you? Why go alone? What if... what if you get hit?"
"Because I suggested going straight through the desert and putting you in danger, so I must... take responsibility for protecting you."
"Why not run with us?"
Xerath closed her eyes, "This is the conclusion I reached after careful consideration, please don't ask anymore."
Sylas grabbed her hand, "But, but..."
Xerath opened her eyes, released Sylas's grip, gently held her shoulder, "I know what you're going to say, but since we've already resolved the matter, let's not dwell on trivial details, okay?"
Sylas looked up, her emerald eyes shimmering with water, helplessly looking at Xerath, causing the archmage to have to turn her head to avoid her gaze and restrain the urge to pull her into an embrace and kiss her.
It's so cruel to make a girl like her cry... she remembered the words Virgil used to say when he was young. However, Virgil had already mounted his horse and didn't look back.
After waiting for so long, Xerath still didn't look her way. Disappointed, Sylas withdrew her gaze, deflated, sat down without saying a word, curled up with her back to Xerath, which conveniently allowed Xerath to gaze at her. The archmage's gaze was focused on her back, repeatedly stroking her delicate earlobes through her messy hair, and her skin was so pale it almost seemed translucent.
The two syllables of "Sylas" stuck in her throat. I don't know when it started, but the archmage liked sighing out these two words, speaking softly as if talking to herself. But no matter when, as long as Sylas was nearby, she would respond to her call, which is why she dared not utter those words now.
After thinking for a long time, Xerath sighed and stared blankly at the sky. There's still so much work to do at home, so many documents to read, notes to write, data to analyze, and now that Sylas has come back, she was supposed to have an extra pair of hands, but Xerath suddenly had the urge to bring her out to play, almost losing her life in the process.
"Virgil! How much longer until you arrive?"
"I don't know! If you wander slowly, it might take all afternoon. Do you still have food? I gave all my rations to your starving dog."
The archmage fell silent, and Virgil, puzzled, turned his head to look back, then focused on the road.
Just now, it was cold with rain and wind on the desolate plain, but as the sun came out, the temperature slowly rose. The sun made the body hot, but the wind was still chilly, making people uncomfortable. However, soon the wind also became warm.
The archmage politely asked Sylas, "Sylas, can you help me create a dark cloud?"
Sylas was more than happy to do so. She thought about Xerath lying on her water lord magic carpet, enjoying the cloud she had conjured. It brought her an indescribable sense of satisfaction, dispelling the disappointment of not receiving a hug earlier. It seemed that Xerath was also pleased with her performance, as she didn't pull away when Sylas reached out to hold her hand.
Leunen, as a water ball, looked quite lonely without Hyectra to talk to. It even bored itself by conjuring wings, pretending to fly like a Pegasus.
Xerath kept her eyes closed, and Sylas didn't dare disturb her. She might have entered a state of shallow meditation by now. With Virgil being too far away, they had to shout to talk, so no one said a word throughout the journey.
Only the tower body appeared taller and taller. It was initially just a small black dot on the horizon, but now it was right in front of them. Pegasus pulled the carriage of Leunen into the teleportation array. The archmage suddenly woke up, sweat dripping from her forehead. Sylas offered to wipe it off, but she refused and silently awakened the surrounding stone steles of the magic array. The next moment, they entered Aimekotes' territory.
The colorful flesh plants were still thriving, unaffected by the stormy weather. This probably had a lot to do with their short and sturdy form. "Bang!" The door opened, and Fudeng rushed over with tears in his eyes. But in the instant the archmage took off her turban, he abruptly stopped and growled fiercely.
A deep warning growl came from Titus's small body, but the unique scent from the archmage confused it deeply. With a small whimper, it circled around the archmage several times, sniffing repeatedly, before finally barking and asking Sylas what was going on.
"Why are you so nervous? Is this your teacher? Hmm, you seem lighter..." She couldn't help but weigh Titus's round chubby body.
"Woof??"
Even the footstool they kept at home questioned her hairstyle, dampening Xerath's joy of returning home. She apologetically told Virgil, "I'm sorry to inform you that there's no dinner for you tonight. If you don't want to stay and cook for the two of us, I can send you off now."
"Why??"
"Woof??"
Virgil and Titus were both on the verge of starving. Virgil was frightened intensely, while Titus had made himself round by secretly eating his own food for the next few days and had been hungry ever since.
Only Sylas gently leaned in, holding her hand and sincerely asking, "Teacher, what's wrong? You didn't personally summon Leunen, and you only asked me to conjure a dark cloud. Does this mean you can't summon the Fire Lord either?"
Xerath's hand trembled for a moment, she silently withdrew it and replied coldly, "No, it's just a close call. I suddenly crave hometown dishes."
"Then we can go..."
Xerath glanced at Sylas coldly, and Sylas immediately shut up, remembering that they had survived the ordeal because the archmage didn't want anyone to see her unsatisfied new hairstyle.
There must be a reason, but Xerath didn't say, and Sylas didn't dare to ask further. Virgil, on the other hand, immediately agreed, but he made a condition, "Respected archmage, since there's no ready firewood in your mansion, I need your help to cook a good meal."
Dvořák left everyone and rushed into the stable to eat hay and dried beans. Immediately, he got angry and said there was no water, and only Titus understood. So he told Sylas about it, and Sylas reluctantly watched Xerath and Virgil go upstairs.
Hearing Sylas closing the door downstairs, Virgil whispered, "Old friend, what's going on?"
