Chapter 168

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Chapter 168

Maryland cautiously thought to herself, "As I suspected." All eyes were fixed on her mouth.

Sylas’s connection with the Stellar family has been a topic of discussion among the staff for a long time. Her student records are not a secret, and it is undeniable that she is their guardian. There are always people who want to pry some gossip from her, such as whether Sylas is her illegitimate daughter or the child of Hibya (Archmage Xerath’s older brother) who refuses to have children with her. But she has always avoided talking about this matter.

"Um…" She made this sound when she saw Sauran gulp, appearing nervous and fierce. Eilan watched her with full concentration, while Kuowa boredly tapped her own lips.

Maryland tried to slow down her speech. "This is about my privacy. My husband has always forbidden me from talking about this outside. But Archmage Xerath has always been the pride of the Stellar family. Young people take pride in this and are willing to duel for the honor of their family members. I believe this is in accordance with the ‘Dueling Law.’"

These words were quite suggestive: they hinted at the complicated relationship between Sylas and the Stellar family, and also hinted at Xerath’s special position in this small family.

Karrom touched his big nose and said gently, "Thank you, I’m done with my questions. You may leave."

Maryland got up and left, feeling conflicted. Should she tell Xerath about Sylas’s duel for him or not? Maybe Sylas wanted to tell him herself, as it was something between the two of them. Thinking about this, she ultimately decided not to get involved.

Sylas was eventually released from the classroom alone. Eilan didn’t say anything, but the mischievous little succubus said to her, "Little sister, if anything happens outside the school grounds, you might face retaliation. Make sure to inform the headmaster immediately!"

The succubus winked at her. Her purple eyes were very beautiful, sparkling with an enchanting color. This made her unable to help but remember Xerath’s completely different pair of grey eyes that forever radiated rational brilliance, and she couldn’t help but sigh deeply.

Sylas didn’t have many places to go. Her favorite thing was to stay in the activity room or dormitory reading, conducting experiments, and doing homework. This spared her from a lot of unnecessary trouble. It is not allowed to fight in the magic school, and those who violate the rules will face serious punishment. So as long as she was inside the school, Mede and his allies couldn’t lay a hand on her.

However, Eilan was worried. Bad news like "Shame Mark" and "Dueling Law" spread even faster than horses at school. Luna and her Lily Knight Order members were the main ones spreading the bad news. Regardless of whether Sylas and Mede admitted it or not, "Mede was disrespectful to Xerath and got punched down by a delicate fairy in a duel, hence he got the Shame Mark." This story had become the official version of the event. If anyone dared to criticize Xerath, others would remind them with a smile, "Do you also want to carry that thing on your back?" The corrupt trend that Sauran had started surprisingly got restrained.

Mede was too scared to go outside with the Shame Mark on his back. He skipped classes for the entire week. Even though Sauran was willing to help him in this regard, he had no connection at all with Sylas. He couldn’t even find fault in the classroom.

The girls celebrated in the dormitory by eating a big strawberry cake. Caroline secretly gave a piece to the undercover agent, Swis, as a thank you. It was said that Swis was so happy that he cried while eating it.

Sylas’s life was still regular and unaffected. The only thing that bothered her was the practical combat class. It seemed like there was nothing particularly useful in it. They had agreed to learn practical combat this week, but in the end, they just took notes in class. The teacher taught strategies for spell attacks during the whole class, which seemed useless to Sylas.

After classes in the afternoon, she hid in the activity room to do experiments. Today, besides Spider Shirley (whose Shame Mark had faded away), there were no living creatures in the activity room. Even Ms. Slote didn’t come because she had extra work to do.

However, she received an unexpected visitor. Even before seeing the face, she knew it wasn’t Swis, Caroline, Luna, or Ms. Slote. Clearly, this isolated activity room is not usually visited by anyone, so the footsteps made her feel very unfamiliar.

The beast inside her body suddenly became active. She looked around cautiously. There was a faint breeze outside the window, from where she could escape…

The footsteps grew closer, and then someone knocked on the door, asking, "Is Sylas here?"

Sylas became confused. She ran to the door and asked uncertainly, "Virgil…?"

"Hey! Little beast! It’s me!"

It really is Virgil!" She quickly opened the door and saw the scruffy hunter. She happily said, "How did you come here? Have you seen the teacher recently?

Virgil exaggeratedly hugged Leunen next to him and cried, "I came all this way to see you, and you asked about the teacher. I’m so sad, ah – my heart is going to burst…" He held his chest and slid down the Water Lord, then stood up as if nothing happened.

"Yes, I’ve seen her. She’s doing well, and the life of the old mage is still as regular as ten years ago."

"Did her hair grow longer?"

"It’s neither long nor short. She has mentioned more than once that she wants to keep her hair short."

Sylas smiled and said, "That’s still good-looking, although it doesn’t suit her to maintain a serious style."

"Stuffy style," Virgil corrected, "but short hair looks really good. Even Virgil, who has seen all the beautiful girls on the continent, couldn’t help but be enchanted!"

Sylas glanced at him with caution, while Virgil made a funny face at her and raised his eyebrows.

In response to the teasing, Sylas loudly objected and said, "No!," but she soon regretted it. People cannot control others’ actions unless there are special circumstances. She couldn’t threaten Virgil because he was an important friend in the Xerath world. And most importantly, even if one could control someone’s body, they couldn’t control their thoughts.

Unexpectedly, Virgil burst into laughter, and after laughing, he mysteriously grinned. Sylas angrily glared at him, unsure if she was mad at herself for not being able to keep a secret or if she was mad at Virgil.

Seeing that the conversation couldn’t continue, Virgil said, "Alright, alright, Uncle Virgil gets infatuated with beautiful girls every day, but not every one of them is worth pursuing. Are there no boys chasing after you in school?"

"…I guess there are."

"No one has captured your heart?"

Sylas shook her head sadly and replied, "No."

Virgil exaggeratedly shrugged and said, "Don’t be sad, my dear. After all, not everyone can be as handsome, witty, knowledgeable, and able to make girls happy like Uncle Virgil."

Sylas burst out laughing. Virgil had really thick skin, and even teachers would say the same thing.

Her thoughts were completely focused on her teacher. Sylas had compared herself to others, but no one, whether young man or young woman, seemed as suitable as Xerath. Maybe there were girls who were more delicate than Xerath, but they lacked her spirit. Perhaps there were boys who were more attractive than her teacher, but they lacked her elegance. She was a perfect creation, carefully balanced and composed of all these qualities. Others may be better than Xerath in one or two aspects, but so what? They still left her feeling uninterested.

"Okay, wanderer Virgil, why are you coming to Star Song Castle? Just passing by?"

"Almost, do you know there is a Lava River nearby?"

Of course, Delice’s Merchant Road was blocked because of the appearance of this Lava River.

"Well, that’s easier to say. There is a kind of fire lizard living in the Lava River. A regular customer wants a fire lizard, so I came to catch one and also wanted to see you along the way."

It turns out he didn’t come to see her because of Xerath’s request… Sylas was a bit disappointed and asked, "Did the teacher mention me?"

Seeing her and Titus with droopy ears, Virgil almost couldn’t help but tell her that the secluded old wizard would read her letters at home every day to comfort himself (not every day, really), but if this caused any misunderstandings, Xerath might really cut his throat. Taking this into consideration, he chose a compromise and said, "Of course, you are a big topic between the two of us. After I met you, I naturally wanted to tell my old friend about your recent situation. She has always been worried about someone bullying you at school!"

"Me? Why would someone bully me?"

"Need I say more? You are a kind and innocent little girl. You have never seen how bad people can be! How could she feel at ease leaving you alone?"

She didn’t think of herself as innocent or kind. In her mind, she imagined some vulgar and obscene things about her teachers, and what’s worse, she found pleasure and excitement in them.

"I have seen it," Sylas argued earnestly, "and even if she worries, she still let me come out alone…"

Virgil panicked internally, as Sylas always asks him about archmages. If he gives a bad answer, she seems on the verge of tears. Even Virgil, who is skilled at making girls happy, can’t handle it! "Don’t, don’t cry. What’s been troubling you lately? Tell Uncle Virgil about it. Maybe I can help."

Sylas appeared to forget her previous sadness, carefully considering where she might need Virgil’s help. But in reality, Sylas just didn’t want to tell Virgil about the Dueling Law or the girl’s secret crush, in case he would inform Xerath. Asking Virgil about something too professional wouldn’t be of any use, so there was only…

"Actually, something has been bothering me lately."

"Hmm? Tell Uncle Virgil about it?"

"It’s about the practical magic class. Have you ever studied it?"

"Yes, I have. I did very well in my studies."

Sylas said incredulously, "Really? But don’t you hardly know any spells?"