Chapter 131
The library system in Withered Leaf City is much better than at home. She spent the morning here and found most of the books she wanted to read. Watching Xerath yawn while looking at the "Collection of Magic Guild Journals," Sylas couldn't help but say, "Teacher... you can leave me here and pick me up at the guild in the evening."
Within ten days, Xerath had continuously exhausted her magic power. Even though she was an archmage, she couldn't handle it. She needed good sleep, sufficient food, and a peaceful state of mind. Even though Sylas couldn't be certain that Xerath was experiencing magical exhaustion, she knew that getting more rest was always a good idea.
"I haven't reached the point where I'm too old to have fun with young people, especially when it's just reading a book. I yawned simply because the articles in this issue are too boring."
"Would you like something to drink? Coffee? Tea? I can loan the books and read them outside." She stood up and brought the books to the lending desk. Mages don't carry heavy things themselves, and obviously, they can't move them either. So the books neatly flew behind Sylas and landed on the counter, one by one.
The eldest sister of the Rost Family must have changed shifts without Sylas realizing. She warmly greeted Sylas and mentioned that the two little rascals at home constantly talked about her and hoped she could come over to play.
"Oh, I miss them too, but I have work to do."
"Oh, so you're running errands for the teacher? That's not fair, you can't even have a proper summer vacation. Did you do well on your exams? I heard from Swis that you have good grades. Even so, the teacher won't reward you?"
Sylas smiled and explained, "No, no, this is my own job. The teacher came with me."
She handed over her newly issued library card, which made it convenient for her to register. It said "Sylas·Hevel" on it. Before, Xerath used to help her borrow books, but most of the time they would just come to read and not borrow any.
Xerath slowly walked up behind her. Sylas wasn't surprised at all when her shoulder was tapped. Catherine's face was filled with admiration. She had probably never seen Xerath up close like this before.
They walked out of the library, and finally Earth Child could help. Sylas had all the books rest on Earth Child's broad shoulder as they slowly walked to a restaurant at the street corner. Sylas was about to decide on a drink when Xerath said, "I want to try something different, I want what you usually drink."
Sylas ordered two cups of ice honey lemon tea and then focused on her work. After taking a few sips, Xerath seemed unable to resist the warmth of the summer and fell asleep on the table. Sylas summoned a dark cloud to shield her eyes from the sunlight coming through the window. She then propped up her chin and admired Xerath's sleeping face for a while, thinking that this trip was really worth it. She couldn't stop smiling.
"You're laughing too much." A translucent, azure tentacle stretched out from behind with small facial features at its tip. "Shh, don't wake her up." Sylas pressed it back into the void.
Elemental fluctuations are much more likely to wake up an archmage than sound. She finally thought that it wasn't appropriate to stare, as it might disturb Xerath, who is sensitive in other domains.
She looked away, trying to focus her attention on the book in front of her. Luckily, this book wasn't boring.
This was probably the easiest afternoon ever. As Xerath slept soundly, Sylas would occasionally take a look at the side of her face that was exposed while she read. It was truly a wonderful way to relax. Sylas had some vague ideas, and after writing them all down, it was almost time for dinner. The restaurant started to fill up, and Xerath woke up from her sleep. Her hat fell off, and Sylas nervously looked around, but Xerath casually sat on the couch, not seeming to have any intention of putting the hat back on.
"Teacher?"
Xerath slowly shakes her head, not knowing what it means. But Sylas doesn't ask further, she looks at Xerath, and Xerath looks at the hat in her hand. Suddenly, a strange silence falls upon them.
The sky quickly darkens, especially in the plain areas. Lights start to illuminate everywhere, and as the horse-drawn carriages with little sun lamps pass by outside, the sparkly lights are magnified by the archmage's silver eyes, reflecting in Sylas's eyes.
"Sir, are you feeling unwell?" a voice abruptly interrupts their "stillness". Someone appears next to them, and a soft white hand is about to touch Xerath's shoulder. Sylas quietly dismisses the elements and forms a water curtain around Xerath, preventing the hand from advancing, causing ripples to form on the water.
The newcomer is a very beautiful young lady who seems startled by the water curtain. She turns her head and sees Sylas, taking a small step back in surprise.
"I'm sorry, but we don't want to be disturbed," Sylas's displeasure is evident in her voice, and the delicate girl instantly reveals a sharp and dangerous demeanor, like a wild beast. The wind hovers around her, quietly cheering for the opportunity for trouble.
Xerath is now awake, politely and distantly smiling at the newcomer. She instinctively holds Sylas's outreached hand, preventing her from making any dangerous moves.
Her hand is soft yet resilient, the skin on her palm is not as soft as Xerath's, maybe due to her wild past. The skin on one side of her palm is slightly rough, and her fingertips are cool. Xerath holds her fingertips in her palm, unconcerned about anyone nearby, just wanting to warm up this bit of coldness.
"I'm sorry, very sorry, I didn't see this... I'm sorry, I didn't know who you are..." She makes a strange gesture and slowly steps back. At this moment, Xerath puts on her hat, coldly extending her hand in a "please" gesture.
The girl hurriedly leaves. Just as Xerath is about to speak, Sylas pushes a cup in front of her. "Drink some water first."
Xerath's throat felt dry and a little itchy. He took a sip of water and asked, "Are you hungry? Why don't we eat here?"
The wind next to Sylas dispersed with disappointment because there was no lively scene to watch. The little beast also restrained its wildness and laughed softly, saying, "Are you the one who is hungry? You even slept through lunch."
She was lucky she wasn't reminded, but after being reminded, a feeling of hunger rushed over like an avalanche. Xerath nodded and out of thin air, the water lord emerged and went to the bar to order for its master.
"By the way, what was that person here for?" Although she instinctively felt her territory was being invaded and acted directly, she still wasn't clear about the other person's purpose.
Xerath looked at her slightly surprised, "Trying to flirt." She had encountered this kind of thing quite a lot, especially when she was young and had short hair as an archmage. Virgil often teased her as a "pretty boy." It seemed that her hairstyle caused trouble again.
It hadn't even been a week since she was forced to cut her hair short, and now it felt like ages since her hair grew out. Not to mention there would definitely be an awkward stage in between, no matter how she tried to manage it, it wouldn't look good. She sincerely hoped that during this stage, she wouldn't need to meet anyone or use a mirror. But calculating the time, it seemed like she couldn't avoid Sylas's presence at home no matter what.
Sylas still had doubts and asked, "She said she didn't know what our relationship was?" She repeated the gesture. "What does this mean?"
Xerath shook her head, "I'm not quite sure. It's probably a secret code among young people. Elderly people who rarely leave the house don't understand the trendy secret language. How was your afternoon of reading? I'm sorry I fell asleep and couldn't help with anything."
Obviously, she was lying. This gesture—clasping both hands into fists and touching thumbs—generally indicated a very intimate meaning. In this context, it at least showed that the girl thought they were in a romantic relationship. Perhaps this girl initially just saw a handsome young mage sitting at the innermost table of the restaurant and wanted to strike up a conversation. From this angle, no one could see Sylas completely blocked by the back of the chair. Therefore, she assumed the mage was single—but clearly he wasn't. The woman sitting across from him was very displeased and even the wind element eagerly responded to her possessiveness.
Just like always, the archmage was initially happy to discover this possessiveness, but then became frustrated because the origin of this possessiveness was completely different from her own.
However, Sylas didn't notice at all. A hint of joy appeared on her pretty face and she said, "No, it's fine. You also need rest, it's not good to trouble you. I have some ideas, and I still have a few books to read for them."
But even so, Sylas didn't intend to ask for the teleportation stone in the tower, and Xerath openly dragged it away from her. Apprentices should each have one, after all.
"It's always good to read more." The archmage smiled faintly. Her lady's hat covering her short hair made her appearance less neutral and gave off some charm that only older women possess.
Sylas's face reddened again. The charm of an older woman seemed to be like a gaze that can see everything, giving her a feeling of embarrassment as if she had been caught red-handed peeking at her teacher while she was sleeping, even though she comforted herself that Xerath had never shown any signs of being able to read minds.
When she returned home in the evening, the sky was completely dark. The library was pitch black, with only the runes of the Portal still faintly glowing. Fortunately, the fluorescent moose heard the sound and came running, bringing some light.
The archmage opened her arms, and golden magic emanated from her fingertips, flying upwards in strands, lighting up one Sunstone after another. The simple Illumination Spell, repeated infinitely, created a dazzling effect similar to advanced magic.
Sylas recalled Xerath's descriptions, "An infinite quantity and an infinite volume can both create a sense of grandeur."
"Um... Sylas."
"What's wrong, teacher?"
"I feel like I forgot something... It seems like we didn't buy ingredients." She said calmly, but after she finished speaking, both she and Sylas burst into laughter.
"But is our food at home almost finished? Because Virgil has been staying for too long, so the consumption rate should be much faster than expected."
"Yes, unfortunately, we'll have to go again tomorrow."
Although she said she was sorry, Xerath's expression didn't look like she was sorry.
