Chapter 230

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Chapter 230

Her hand stopped, just an inch away from Sylas’s skin. Her palm slowly opened, gently caressing the beautiful beast through the small gap between them. The palm traced the curves, lightly covering the chest that remained upright even when lying down. Suddenly, as if remembering something, the hand slid towards the lower abdomen, then turned outward and moved downward to the waist.

Here, her hand finally touched the slightly cool skin. Her breath became heavy, and the hand that had just settled down began to tremble slightly. This direct touch felt far more intimate than through the fabric. The slender waist seemed like it could be grasped with just one hand, inviting repeated exploration with its intricate contours. The archmage’s hand continued to trace along the waist, delving into the gap between the sheets and the body, following the indentation of the spine.

This must have felt very comfortable as Sylas let out an adorable whimper and even rubbed against her hand, resembling a cute young animal.

But she was no longer a young animal. Xerath turned her head slightly, thinking to herself, "It’s still warm here."

She sighed, closed her eyes, and whispered softly, "That’s enough." Then, she pulled back the mess of sheets that Sylas had kneaded into a pile and gently placed the blanket over her.

Sylas was awakened by a gentle shaking and opened her eyes to see the water lord, vibrant blue, right in front of her. Its transparent body allowed light to pass through, creating a dazzling array of colors through complex refractions.

"Hyectra? Why is it you? Did… did I oversleep?"

"Yes, that’s right, the lady asked me to wake you up."

After hearing this, Sylas looked a bit disappointed, sighed, and asked, "Did she not come herself?"

"Um… she’s waiting for you in the living room," Hyectra said vaguely. In fact, the Elemental King had just arrived, but for some reason, he didn’t personally wake her up.

Sylas got up with a gloomy face, washed her face and brushed her teeth, all the while thinking about the privilege she had lost: the wake-up service performed by Xerath herself.

Sometimes she wondered if she could just stay in bed and wait for Xerath to wake her up if she wanted to see him as soon as she opened her eyes in the morning.

But now she had lost that privilege, and before she could even use it, she missed the chance!

When she stepped out of the door, Xerath was leaning against the window. He heard her footsteps and turned to her, extending his hand. This made Sylas feel a little better, and she quickened her pace slightly, reaching out to shake Xerath’s hand. Their palms rubbed against each other, and his warm, dry hand held hers just right.

These hands had roamed her body in her daydreams yesterday, and they had actually been tightly pressed against her waist and back at a ball a few months ago. Suddenly, Sylas felt that shaking hands had become very embarrassing. What if Xerath knew how she was portrayed in other people’s fantasies?

Would he… in a fit of anger, exile her to the edge of Teraoul and command her never to return to Aimekotes?

"Teacher…"

"Hmm?" Xerath slightly turned her body and paused her footsteps. They were standing in the middle of the stairs.

Xerath glanced down at Sylas, making her feel the pressure deeply.

"Today… I plan to go to the Withered Leaf City library… um… actually, I plan to go this whole week."

"…" Xerath fell silent. Not showing her emotions didn’t mean she wasn’t happy that Sylas had returned. She tried hard to maintain a calm appearance. But since Sylas came back, she finally felt that the missing piece had been filled. Now, whenever she looked up and to the right, she could always catch a glimpse of Sylas’s elegant side profile.

It had been a long time since she felt such intense satisfaction. Even though Sylas would occasionally go out on an afternoon trip, she had never been away for this long.

She had been gone the whole day since the morning, for seven consecutive days.

"Will you come back for dinner… tonight?"

Sylas forced a smile. "I might not come back today."

Xerath turned around and continued walking, coldly saying, "Then I won’t save dinner for you."

After entering the library, she walked straight to her own table and sat down. She pulled out the books she needed for today from the nearby bookshelf and placed them on the desk. She never looked at Sylas again.

Sylas deliberately walked slowly past her, keeping an eye on her out of the corner of her eye. Whenever she showed any sign of looking up, Sylas would react immediately.

But unfortunately, after Xerath prepared briefly, she put on her glasses and started writing, not intending to look up at her again. Sylas reluctantly left.

Today, her goal was not the Withered Leaf City library, but she planned to take a stroll, so it wasn’t exactly a lie. She came out of the Portal and went to the adjacent teleportation hall to apply for teleportation to Star Song Castle. It was just an ordinary workday, with few people on the road. The September Star Song Castle was a bit chilly with cloudy weather. She wandered around wearing her apprentice robe, looking like an ordinary student with no classes at the moment.

She quickly slipped into an alley and used her magic to form a trail of ice to reach outside Fenika’s window. She knocked on her window directly.

Many people came to this bookstore, but the owner had very few visitors. Fenika opened the door to the terrace and let her in, warmly asking, "Luna told me you graduated?"

"Yes," Sylas wasn’t sure how much Fenika knew about her situation, "but right now I have nowhere to go."

Fenika smiled and said, "Then coming here is just right. Sit down and browse through the books to see if there’s anything you’d like to read. If you’ve gotten tired of the ones here, there are many complex and substantial works waiting for you in the front."

"Big book?"

"For example, this book called ‘Nonlinear Proportional Relationship between Spell Intensity and Siphoning Phenomenon’."

Sylas blushed and whispered in doubt, "But this book isn’t big."

It has the same thickness as a normal novel, which is comparable to a thesis, although it cannot be read easily.

Fenika explained, "We call these kind of books that are as thick as novels but cannot be read casually ‘big books’, it’s more about describing their amount of information rather than their size."

"Oh… oh…"

"Uh… I am preparing for my graduation exam, and I want to find some books."

Fenika exclaimed in surprise, "Already? I thought you were going to stay in the tower for a few more years!"

Sylas asked in confusion, "How long do I have to stay?"

"Most ordinary wizards don’t teach their students wholeheartedly, so they won’t let the students graduate too quickly. After all, it’s not easy to find free labor. Most students who graduate from school and enter the tower will stay there for four to five years. During this process, the students can also learn a lot from helping the teacher with odd jobs."

It was quite exciting for Sylas. Xerath’s work rarely involved her, but most of the time, whenever Sylas had some crazy idea, Xerath would come to help her. Usually, she would take the lead in the whole research process.

"Will the graduation exam be completed in these four to five years?"

Fenika shook her head, "Yes, some students have the ability to directly pass a few written exams. They will only take one or two exams in a year and then complete their thesis under the guidance of the teacher."

After hearing this, Sylas’s mood became a little gloomy again. Xerath just wanted her to leave Aimekotes quickly. Other students would take four to five years to graduate, but she would have to take the written exam in six months. If things continued like this, in two or maybe three years at most, she would be able to graduate and become an official wizard. Once she had the qualification to establish her own tower, Xerath would most likely provide additional funds to buy a tower for her.

"Oh, but don’t worry, I have some books that sell well. I’ll have Lucy bring a few over."

Sylas suddenly grabbed her and said, "N-No.. No need to hurry, actually I have… I have a little problem."

Fenika smiled, patted her shoulder, gesturing for her to sit down and take her time to speak. But Sylas couldn’t bring herself to speak for a long time. Fenika poured her a cup of tea, sat down with her at the table, and said, "Is there something you want to ask me? If you find it difficult to speak, you can write it down too."

Sylas gently shook her head and said, "N-No… it’s not that I can’t speak. I have a… a really good friend who is very kind to me, but I feel like I’m just so terrible."

"What did you do?"

"I always… always fantasize about her."

"Her?"

Sylas paused in astonishment and asked, "What’s wrong?"

Fenika smiled soothingly and said, "In general, same-sex love is not something that can be openly discussed, so I need to confirm something."

Sylas’s eyes widened, "But, but the teacher said… although love often happens between a man and a woman, it can also naturally occur between people of the same sex…"

Fenika smiled and asked, "The ‘teacher’ told you that?"

Sylas nodded, nervously looking at her.

"On that point, she’s not wrong. In theory, it is like that, but sometimes the majority of people don’t accept it," Fenika furrowed her brow and asked uncertainly, "You just mentioned fantasizing about something?"

Sylas held the cup, her fingertips turning white, and after hesitating for a while, she whispered, " … everything that’s mean, cheap, and dirty."

Fenika became even more uncertain and asked, " … specifically?"

Sylas said softly, "She helps me with my homework, explains problems to me, and even writes letters to her friends to discuss things she doesn’t understand. But what am I doing? At this moment, in my mind, I’ve practically stripped her naked. I only want to hug her, kiss her, and haven’t thought about anything important." She looked angry, perhaps angry at herself.

Fenika immediately corrected her, "No, no, sweetheart, I think there’s one thing you’re mistaken about. It’s not shameful to feel this way. Liking someone, anyone, and having thoughts like these is completely normal. Wanting to be closer is not something to be ashamed of."

"But, but she’s so good to me, always worrying about me. When I see her, all I can think about are these thoughts. Nobility and baseness, aren’t they completely different?"