Chapter 57
The archmage didn't seem to think about getting her new clothes. On one hand, it was a pity to put away the old clothes, and on the other, her clothes, although old, were exquisite and custom made. The tailor put in countless efforts, and it would be such a shame not to wear them.
Moreover, they fit her perfectly. Xerath carefully examined her and then asked her to take them off. Sylas looked at her curiously, her eyes innocent and full of curiosity. Xerath couldn't help but explain, "Have you seen the sunlight? I think you've noticed something, right? Sometimes the sunlight reaches the doorway, but sometimes it can't even enter through the window. Sylas, it's winter now, the coldest time of the year. You need to dress like this when going to Withered Leaf City so you won't freeze on the street."
Sylas was puzzled for a moment, seemingly unable to connect the seasons with the temperature. She didn't really understand the word "seasons" before coming to Aimekotes, and even after arriving here, she had no experience with them.
In the tower, it's always a constant temperature throughout the year, but outside the tower, it can be scorching hot during the day, cold enough to freeze water at night, and even water children accidentally falling out from the crack of elements at night could turn into Frost children. Even during the hottest time of day, a sudden storm could cause the surrounding temperature to drop to the lowest levels of the night.
And in the past few years, whether it was intentional or not, Xerath always avoided the coldest times of winter. They didn't really feel much cold or heat in Withered Leaf City.
Seasons" for Sylas were only distant stories in books, to the point where she couldn't even find a feeling that could correspond with "winter.
"Put on thicker pants inside, and socks too." Xerath wrapped herself up thickly, to the point where she felt sweat on her back in this warm room.
"Teacher, it's so hot."
"Of course it's hot, take this jacket." Xerath draped the jacket she gave Sylas over her arm and adjusted her collar. "Alright, let's go upstairs to eat."
After drinking hot milk, Sylas felt even hotter. Xerath seemed to have noticed and couldn't help but burst into a smile on her previously expressionless face. She reached out her slender fingers and wiped the sweat off Sylas's nose. "It's quite hot, we should leave now. Titus is going for a check-up today, so it shouldn't carry anything. Sylas, you can hold its leash."
When Titus heard its name mentioned, it quickly ran over, wagging its tail with small but fast movements.
It's such a shame that it doesn't have a tail.
Sylas gently drew a complex line in the air, the golden light overflowing from her fingertips merging with the slanted morning light. Slight mist dispersed and then tightened into a line, tying it in the middle of the stool. It formed a beautiful bright blue bow behind her.
In the morning sunlight, Titus forgot the feeling of being bound and chased after the shiny "wings," running in circles nonstop.
Sylas tugged at the string in her hand and said softly, "Titus, let's go play outside!"
Titus immediately ran ahead, making Sylas lean back to hold onto it.
Xerath picked up the cloak hanging behind the chair and draped it over herself. Sylas walked beside her and glanced at it briefly, feeling a sense of familiarity. She suddenly remembered the similar cloak Xerath wore when they first met and blurted out, "Teacher, did you find that cloak?"
"What?" Xerath didn't realize at first, but then understood what Sylas meant. She smiled and said, "No, that's not possible. This is another one, with slightly different colors."
"I could hardly tell, I can't remember the details anymore."
Xerath replied, "It's similar, but I didn't buy this one." Indeed, apart from the apprentice uniform that Xerath had bought multiple sets of according to age, she rarely had identical clothes, especially ones that were worn so infrequently.
When Sylas silently nodded, she suddenly heard Xerath say, "This was actually a gift from my mother. She accidentally bought two identical ones, so you are right, these two clothes are almost exactly the same."
Sylas was extremely surprised and said, "Your, your mother? You've never mentioned your family... except, except...?"
"Hmm? Aside from what? What did you discover?" Xerath casually asked, just like her usual catchphrase when she asks Sylas questions.
Sylas did think that Xerath was an orphan like her, but suddenly remembered something she had heard a long, long time ago and tentatively said, "Um... There was this one time, when Virgil read a letter for you, and he mentioned someone... someone who came to advise your whole family..."
Xerath gave a short laugh and said, "Yes, Maryland Star Song."
"So... You don't have a very good relationship with your family?"
"Sort of, my mother believes she has control over my life, but I disagree. I couldn't convince her, and sadly, she couldn't convince me either. So, I haven't gone back home in about seventeen years."
These things that happened before Sylas was born made her feel like she had no right to speak, so she stayed silent and looked down at the overly excited Titus. Instead, Xerath put her arm around her shoulder and said, "Come on, let's not think about these pointless things."
They passed through that Portal and arrived at the end of the Portal located in Withered Leaf City.
This hall couldn't maintain a constant temperature, and Sylas felt the cold air blowing in her face, dispersing the pent up heat she had accumulated at home.
Xerath draped a black cloak over herself, took hold of Sylas's hand, and walked out of the guild's entrance.
The staff here don't wear too many clothes. Someone nodded friendly towards the archmage, and the archmage nodded slightly without expression. The crisp sound of leather shoes echoed from the hallway to the outside.
It's really cold outside! Not only did Sylas shrink instantly, but even Titus whimpered and curled up at Sylas's feet. Sylas picked it up and let it lie on her shoulder. While rubbing its cushion, she said, "Gosh, it's so cold, isn't it? Isn't it?"
"Woo-woo!" It whined twice, but it was still a small whimper. When Xerath looked over, it didn't even dare to make a sound and curled up against Sylas. After a while, both little ones felt a bit warmer.
"Look, Titus, the breath is white! So white!" Sylas seemed to have found a new toy. She ran forward while holding Titus, exhaling white breath all the way, feeling very powerful. Titus barked and ran far away. She was panting when she finally stopped.
Xerath slowly walked over and patted her back, saying, "Isn't it heavy?"
"Y-yeah... It's a little heavy..." She was still gasping for breath. Xerath took the chubby Titus from her hands and dragged the stool, quietly calling forth an Earth Child. This rumbling Earth Child walked behind Sylas, lifting her to sit on its broad shoulders and followed behind the archmage.
Sylas was still uncomfortable. The cold air greatly irritated her respiratory system. She took deep breaths, and now her entire lungs were filled with a rusty taste, causing great pain. She wrinkled her face and asked Xerath, "Teacher, am I bleeding in my lungs? It hurts so much, so uncomfortable."
Xerath smiled and answered, "Running in such freezing weather usually leads to this. It's nothing serious, just that the mages don't exercise much. Sit and rest for a while."
Sylas held the head of the Earth Child and leaned to the side, breathing softly. Sitting like this was quite nice: from this angle, she could see the side of Xerath's face. The thick black fabric on her emphasized her slender figure, with the fur collar surrounding her fair face and light golden hair, seemingly blending with the quiet street scene around.
It was very cold.
After walking for a short while, Xerath turned left. Sylas ran to the door before her and happily opened it for her, allowing her to enter without any obstacles. Xerath smiled politely, nodded, and received a bright and warm smile in return.
After the door closed, Titus suddenly realized something was wrong. He trembled in Xerath's arms and tried to jump down, but Xerath had already noticed. Before Titus could reach the ground, he was swept up by a gust of wind and struggled futilely in the air.
A redhead woman wearing a white lab coat came out and politely smiled at Xerath. "Esteemed archmage, are you here to have Titus checked? You've come early this year."
"Yes, I have some things to take care of. I brought it along. It won't come out until spring, it's really cold."
"Yes, this is the coldest time. And Sylas is here too!" Seeing that Sylas seemed happy, she reached out her hand and shook Sylas's hand. "Your hand is warm! It doesn't seem too cold?"
"Not too cold, ma'am. I'm wearing a lot of layers."
"That's good! We just lit the fire here, so it will take a while to warm up." The redhead woman smiled apologetically and called over a young man to take care of Titus.
However, Xerath didn't immediately leave with her. Instead, she followed the young man and walked into a room further inside. Maybe it was too cold outside, and she wanted to stay a little longer. This was Sylas's guess.
The first step for Titus to check his body, of course, is to turn into a magic wolf. Many magic wolves forget this because they have been turned into footstools for too long without needing to turn back into magic wolves, but veterinarians have many ways to make them turn back.
"His name is Titus, right? He's so cute," the young boy said, as he accurately shook Titus' front paw (not the back paw) and kindly said, "Come on! Titus, transform!"
Sylas took a step back. Titus' full form was almost as tall as her, and when transforming, it stirred up a whirlwind that could blow out dog hair. This was a completely instinctive action for her.
However, after a moment of touching silence, nothing happened. Titus acted as if he couldn't understand those words, innocently wiggling his own rear end.
"Um..." The young boy glanced at both of them, but then shyly and embarrassedly lowered his head, feeling embarrassed in front of the two beautiful ladies... It was really embarrassing.
