Chapter 258

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Chapter 258

The flowers must have all died.

She went to see Titus twice. The footstool seemed to remember its heroic moment and bounced excitedly when it saw her, as if asking if there were any more battles to fight.

Her magical power gradually recovered, just as Xerath had said. Eating and sleeping more was the best way to restore magical power. At first, she thought she was the only one who had never experienced magical exhaustion. However, there were some familiar signs, such as feeling dizzy and blacked out after teleportation, and having headaches and being sleepy. The last sign was especially obvious – she couldn’t summon Leunen, the mischievous water lord, and could only rely on one tentacle to keep her entertained.

These were all signs that Xerath had experienced before. After carefully recalling the climate and details at the time, she was certain that Xerath had experienced magical overuse twice.

The second time was because of breaking through the storm, but what about the first time? What reason did she have to face the storm alone?

But she didn’t have many chances to ask Xerath. Compared to this issue, wasn’t the kiss between them even more confusing?

However, Xerath seemed to have no intention of explaining. Sylas couldn’t help but speculate on what Xerath meant by "the last thing I want to know," and why… why did it suddenly escalate to a bestowed kiss?

She thought for a long time but couldn’t figure out what Xerath wanted to know and why she needed to confirm it with a command kiss. In the end, she could only assume it was for the purpose of "knowing if my student had any inappropriate thoughts about me." This made her feel exposed every time she went to see Xerath, waiting for her judgement. However, the judgement never came, and she would often look out the window with a tired face, wrapped in her mage robe for warmth, and speak only superficially.

"Sylas, I’m really sorry I delayed your paper."

"I’m sorry you have to wait for me to get better before going back to Aimekotes."

"I’m afraid our library might not be saved, and your progress will be affected."

"But I still hope you can continue your paper during these days when you can’t go home, don’t let me delay your future, okay?"

She always looked polite and distant, as if she had forgotten about it, as if she was silently denying their past intimacy.

Sylas had plenty of free time, even though Aimekotes still had a lot of repair work for her. However, the main issue to solve should be the Portal problem, and in order to directly return to Aimekotes through the Portal, they must have a Mountain Giant to bring them back safely.

She commuted between the library in Sotralo and Saint Trelanxi every day, and luckily, she ran into Emerson, who came to visit Xerath. When she hesitantly asked Emerson to teach her how to summon a Mountain Giant, he surprisingly agreed, with one condition of watching her perform a few water ball tricks.

Is it that simple? She couldn’t believe it, but Emerson warmly invited her to visit Soloronkren. There, she not only visited the room where Xerath used to live, but also summoned a Mountain Giant in the empty space right across her room.

Emerson was extremely happy throughout, maybe a bit too kind-hearted.

Next, everything went smoothly. She used her own money to order a new portal in the rebuilt Withered Leaf City guild. She lied to Xerath, saying that she would stay at school for two more days, and then she had the Mountain Giant carry the staff responsible for installation and debugging through the desert for two days (Virgil led the way) to return to the gray tower.

Her flowers were almost dying. These miraculous plants had to consume the thick leaves below to support their growth when no one watered them. She quickly watered them, and the spectacular sight of watering scared the space mage who came with them, leaving them speechless.

The ground was littered with wolf corpses, but that was not the priority. Sylas ordered the loyal Earth Child who had been silently guarding the door to leave, and then she walked into the library.

Luckily, she had temporarily repaired the damaged walls before leaving. Even so, the library inside was still in a mess. There was a thick layer of dust on the neatly stacked books. The smooth and shiny stone floor still bore the marks of a battle, with deep furrows and remnants of melted and solidified rocks.

The old portal had been taken away as evidence, leaving only a pedestal at the end of the library emitting light. The Earth Child followed behind them, holding the new stone ring and following Sylas’s command to place it on the pedestal. After a low humming sound, the runes on it lit up one by one. The staff breathed a sigh of relief. This journey had been really difficult.

Yes, they encountered all sorts of strange phenomena in the desert, except for sandstorms. It was as if the king was seriously ill, and the nobles were itching to make a move.

She was very happy and proudly asked everyone to leave through the teleportation array. Regardless of the dizziness, she went through three teleports and arrived at Saint Trelanxi. However, because of the heavy load, she fell to the ground, which scared the staff here. Two young priests even wanted to come and help her up.

Sylas waved her hand and said she was fine. She walked to the depths of Saint Trelanxi and arrived at the resting area of the temple. Unable to resist, she looked up at the row of neatly arranged windows. There were only a few rooms here, and among them, only Xerath’s room had the curtains drawn.

Was she behind the curtains? Was she sleeping? Sylas’s shoes tapped on the floor of the suspended corridor. It was too quiet here, and even though she deliberately walked lightly, she still disturbed the tranquility of this place.

This disturbance seemed to disrupt the small courtyard. Xerath’s curtains moved slightly, but just once, and then there was no more movement.

She went upstairs, and there were hardly any people here. Paladin and inspector, who were stationed outside when she woke up, had already left with Xerath’s recovery. She knocked on Xerath’s door, and there was a faint sound coming from inside, inviting her in.

"Teacher…"

There was no one else here. Xerath sat alone on the bed, knees bent, pressing her fingertips against her forehead. She seemed uncomfortable. She still wore her robe, and the position of her shoulders created a sharp outline due to gravity.

Who caused the curtain to flicker just now?

Sylas had this question in her mind, which was quickly replaced by another question.

"Teacher, what’s wrong? Are you not feeling well?"

Xerath lifted her head, her pale complexion making her look more like a statue than a living being. "Nothing, just a bit tired. Any new discoveries after two days and two nights of effort?"

"Um… when will you be discharged? Do you still need to stay at the temple for a long time?"

Xerath smiled and said, "Is it too stuffy here? The priests said I just need to rest, no need to soak in holy water anymore."

"Eh? Eh? Why don’t I know…"

Xerath smiled faintly and said, "You never asked."

These words sounded painfully harsh, as if Xerath was blaming her for not caring about her.

By now, Xerath had withdrawn her smile and her furrowed brow showed her discomfort. She whispered, "Could you come closer, please?"

Sylas happily sat beside her bed. Xerath lowered her eyelids and spoke in a soft, almost whispered voice, "We’re just homeless. Now I regret a little for settling our home in such a desolate place."

Sylas patted her hand and said, "You don’t need to worry. We can go back home now."

Xerath lifted her head in astonishment.

Sylas smiled and said, "I’ve put the Portal back."

"When?"

"Today, just today."

"Are you going in the next two days?"

Sylas immediately showed a bright smile, "Going to make a delivery."

But Xerath didn’t show the relieved expression she expected, she just quietly turned her head and calmly said, "Next time before doing something so dangerous, you must tell me."

Sylas also lowered her head and whispered, "Teacher, are you unhappy?"

"Going home certainly makes me happy, but the things that happened recently made me worried. What you did deserves praise and gratitude, but I’m always worried… worried about your safety." Xerath looked at her, hesitated for a moment, and could tell that she was not very happy, her brows slightly wrinkled, unhappy to the point of being stingy with the praises that used to be on the tip of her tongue like interjections. But at the same time, the expression on her face was teetering, as if the layer of marble-like facade would immediately crumble into pieces.

However, in the end, her hesitation came to an end. When she looked at Sylas again, there were no more moving expressions in her eyes, and that layer of marble was once again steadfast. "I need… some time alone."

Sylas had to stand up and say something to hide her embarrassment, "I’ll come see you at dinner time."

When she went out to close the door, she looked back at Xerath, but could only see her expressionless face, just like when she first saw Xerath, cold and distant, as if nothing in the world could please her.

But after she closed the door, the archmage slumped onto the bed, feeling deflated. There were obvious red marks on her open palms, matching the imprints of her nails. She had clenched her fists too tightly earlier.

"What am I… what am I doing…"

I want… to make her happy because of me…

She touched her lips, gazing at the tiny sliver of sky between the curtains, lost in thought. If she didn’t space out, she would keep remembering the malicious things she did, one by one, ruining Sylas’s good mood.

But what… what am I really doing?

Self-disgust surrounded her, but she couldn’t think of any solutions, until it was time for dinner in the evening. Miss Priest brought her dinner and kindly checked on her health, suggesting that she "just needed more rest and not to burden herself too much, especially to let go of her work."