Chapter 283

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Chapter 283

At the entrance of the mage tower, there was a complex magic circle. After Xerath cautiously stepped on it, she soon heard a sound inside. She could almost imagine her little beast tumbling and crawling all the way down from the top of the mage tower.

Not that there haven’t been wizards falling to their death in the mage tower…

Suddenly, it became quiet inside. She heard a low cough, and then the door opened. Her student was wearing linen pants and a linen vest, with the sleeves of the white shirt halfway down and the buttons not fastened.

She was familiar with Sylas’s habit of not liking to wear mage robes while working. She always took them off and put them aside, sometimes rolling up her sleeves. And when she put them down, she often forgot to button them up.

There was a water elemental insignia on the cuff, which was a gift from Xerath on a certain "birthday" year.

Sylas was astonished when she saw her, her beautiful green eyes widened, her mouth slightly open, as if she had seen a monster. Xerath couldn’t help but lower her head. She had thought her student would be delighted, but she wasn’t.

"Sylas."

She seemed really surprised and asked in a soft voice, "Teacher, why is it you?"

"Did you make an appointment with someone else? Did I disturb you?"

"No, no…" She reached out and grabbed the sleeve of her oversized mage robe, "I just didn’t expect to see you… I’m really glad to see you… Are you alone?"

Xerath asked with a smile, "Who did you want to see?"

"Hyectra."

Suddenly, a pillar of water sprayed from the sky, and the enormous body of the water lord squeezed out from a rift in space. It adjusted the golden bracelet on its hand, covered its forehead with its hand, but unfortunately the sunlight still pierced through its hand and body, creating a glistening shadow on the ground.

"Beautiful lady, it’s really hot today."

Sylas welcomed Xerath and her water lord into her house with a smile. The base floor of the mage tower was the reception room. Sylas invited Xerath to sit down and asked, "Why did you come? Is there something wrong?"

She faintly hoped that Xerath missed her, just like how she was longing for Xerath—longing like madness.

However, Xerath simply said, "Come and see your mage tower. Every teacher should do this – it’s great, a good place, a good tower… It will… It will make your future limitless…"

She looked around, unconsciously repeating a few words that always hung on her lips: nice, smart, excellent, talented. She never spared words of praise for Sylas, but Sylas knew that she was no longer satisfied with these few words.

She wanted to be "unique" and "irreplaceable."

Lake Yongning’s steward, Leunen, appeared from thin air. He straightened the gold bracelet on his hand and brought in a complete set of tea utensils. The teapot was filled with already steeped red tea, which he poured for Xerath before standing behind Sylas.

The two water elementals exchanged a helpless look without saying a word.

Xerath took a sip of tea and then furrowed her brow.

Sylas, who had been paying attention to her all along, immediately said, "If you don’t like it, I’ll change it to your usual milk tea right away. Just wait a moment."

Xerath squeezed her hand, signaling for her not to get up.

"It tastes good. What’s inside?"

"Red tea, honey, dried lemon."

Xerath nodded, "The kind you drink at home — I mean, the one at Aimekotes."

"Yes."

Under Sylas’s gaze, Xerath finished all the tea in her cup. She tried to drink slowly to savor Sylas’s gaze, but the cup was so small that she had to speak up, "Won’t you show me around upstairs?"

"Of course! If you’d like, I’d be delighted to."

She led the way, up the long staircase inside the mage tower.

The mage tower was expensive because many essential parts needed materials with time and space spells. This made the space fold within the slender mage tower. However, Sylas’s mage tower was empty. It was just a wall from top to bottom, with an astrolabe suspended in the middle of the staircase. It floated by magic, moving in a certain pattern. Only the top three levels of the mage tower had rooms. The very top was Sylas’s bedroom. When the door opened, Xerath sensed a familiar feeling.

It wasn’t just because the bedroom looked exactly like her own in Aimekotes — after all, Sylas had only seen that one bedroom. It was also because the bedroom had the same scent as Sylas, just like her.

Xerath stood at the doorway for a moment, carefully breathing in this familiar scent with a voice that she was sure Sylas couldn’t hear.

"Teacher…" Sylas’s voice sounded cautious, "I hope you don’t mind, I decorated my bedroom just like yours."

"Oh, no, of course not. Basically, everyone follows what the teacher teaches. After all, we are wizards, not architects."

The two of them fell into a subtle silence, and Sylas motioned for her to go down one floor.

Leading the way ahead, she heard Xerath’s voice coming from behind, "Sylas."

"Yes, teacher."

"You don’t need… to use ‘you’ to address me anymore. Legally, you have officially become a wizard, no longer an apprentice. You are equal to all the wizards in the world."

"But… you are my teacher, and that will never change." Sylas stood at the doorway of her study, holding the doorknob. However, Xerath suddenly grabbed the doorknob along with her hand, stopping her from pushing the door.

She was now slightly taller than Xerath – perhaps because of her shoes – as Xerath slightly raised her head, her gray eyes staring at her. The two of them were a bit too close, for whatever reason, which made Sylas feel both delighted and unable to resist leaning against the door.

"Since you say so, you should listen to me. My teacher taught me the same way."

"But, but I will always be yours–"

"I command you," Xerath raised her voice slightly, her tone still so dismissive, the sternness making Sylas feel a familiar pang in her collarbone, "do not address me as ‘you’."

"I… I will listen, listen to your words." The contract between the demon beast and its master still held, even after she became a mage, she couldn’t break free from this contract. She was still Xerath’s demon beast, still unable to defy Xerath’s commands. What surprised her even more was that the issue of addressing was serious enough for Xerath to resort to using this contract.

Sylas nodded and gently patted her shoulder, comforting her, "I’m very insistent on this matter. I promise not to misuse this contract in the future. Can you forgive me this time?"

"But I am… after all…"

Xerath still hadn’t let go of her hand and calmly said, "You are a mage just like me. If you don’t acknowledge that, I will use the contract to make you acknowledge it. If you acknowledge it, I cannot use the contract."

A very beautiful paradox, Sylas could only say, "I forgive you."

Xerath nodded, indicating that she could open the door.

Sylas turned the doorknob, but in that instant, she froze. She had been leading a very decadent life since she moved here, spending most of her time on the terrace, drinking tea, daydreaming, and missing Xerath. The thought of being hastily forced out by her made her frustrated and unable to focus on her work.

Their club was facing dissolution: Luna’s application to become an apprentice of her desired magician was finally received, Jane’s apprentice work was increasing, Caroline and Swis were busy with exams, and Mrs. Slote’s house – their base – was facing demolition.

The equipment and tools were still piled up in the workshop, maintaining their unopened state.

Xerath glanced at her, seeming not angry, and simply said, "Focus on your work and don’t get distracted. Basically… I don’t really agree with some magicians placing their mage towers in overly beautiful places."

Her gaze fell on Lake Yongning outside the window. The lake surface was calm and still, its deep blue and clear water shimmering like a well-cut gemstone. The water was so transparent that even the submerged dead trees could be seen clearly. Groups of fish swam leisurely within, and along the lake’s edge stood thick forests of fir trees. Whenever the wind blew, it seemed as if they were whispering softly.

Lake Yongning is truly an appropriate name.

Aimekotes was located near a rift in space where elemental eruptions occurred. The surrounding area was barren due to the violent power of the elements, with nothing but storms and scorching heat every day. Aside from the chaos resembling the dawn of creation, there was nothing else. In such a harsh environment, anyone who lived there could only focus entirely on their studies.

Sylas quietly defended herself in her mind: It wasn’t because she was only focused on admiring the scenery and neglecting work, but because of missing… you.

They walked out of the study, and Xerath asked, "What’s on this floor?"

"Um… it’s the living room."

The living room is not as spacious and magical as the study. The whole living room is about three quarters the size of the mage tower’s cross-section. There is a set of sofas in the middle, and cabinets of different heights are placed against the wall. A lighting crystal is hanging in the air. In the corner, there is a separated kitchen. Xerath turned around and found a toilet with a good view behind one of the walls.

She sat down in the middle of the sofa, and her disciple sat down next to her. "Sylas, your mage tower is great."

"It is quite simple, I know."

Xerath said gently, "It reminds me of when Aimekotes was first built. My mage tower used to be very basic too. You still have… a long time to improve it. It is your home, your career, your sanctuary…you should take good care of it."

"Yes… alright." Sylas casually responded, "Oh, would you like to sit on the terrace?"

She pointed to the outside terrace.

Xerath was very curious. She also had a terrace, but she either stayed in the study or went to her various rooms filled with collections, so it was almost neglected.

Sylas’s terrace, however, was different. There was a set of woven rattan chairs near the outer area, and some plants were planted along the wall. Surprisingly, there was even a canvas lounge chair in the middle of the terrace, with a small table next to it. On the table, there was a pile of books that didn’t seem very tidy, definitely not meant to weigh down this lightweight table.

"I think…I know where you usually stay the most."

Sylas’s face turned red. However, the cold wind blew and took away the heat on her face.

"Sylas," Xerath’s voice remained calm as always, but her constant finger fidgeting revealed her slight unease. She tentatively asked, "Would you, um, I mean if you’re available, would you like to come back and stay for a few days?"