Chapter 80
It felt like she hadn't touched enough, so she touched again. "So, in the end, I decided to keep you... I'm not sure if anyone else can appreciate you like I do, I don't want to take the risk."
Sylas curled up, her fluffy head nestled in Xerath's embrace, her soft lips lightly brushing against her fingers, whispering softly.
Xerath couldn't hear clearly, but the flattering wind still delivered Sylas's words to her ears, "...Xerath, thank you..."
Maybe she was shy, but after speaking, she didn't lift her head. Like a little cat, she curled up and didn't move. Xerath embraced her shoulder, talking about some things that came to her mind, and it was unknown who fell asleep first. Anyway, when Sylas opened her eyes again, the day was already bright.
What was different from before was that when she looked up, she didn't see her familiar window, but instead saw the side of Xerath's face.
She... she didn't leave yesterday, but fell asleep beside her. It seems the Archmage is quite willful when sleeping alone. Now, she has turned over and one foot is sticking out of the blanket.
Sylas was still curled up, holding her hand as if she had never moved.
She used to think Xerath had big hands, but now that she was holding them, she realized her hands were not big. They had slender and balanced joints, and were soft, dry, and surprisingly warm when touched against her face. She couldn't help but lean in and rub her face against them.
This action startled Xerath. Her eyelashes fluttered twice as she opened her eyes, a bit disoriented and unsure of her surroundings for a moment.
But she quickly remembered and turned her head to look at Sylas. "Little beast, are you awake?"
Sylas obediently nodded, cherishing this moment. But Xerath quickly got up, her golden hair flowing behind her. She casually gathered it and a hair ribbon at the bedside flew up, tying her hair into a bundle behind her head.
"Get up, we should get ready to leave. I'll go upstairs and tidy up."
It didn't take long for Xerath to appear neatly dressed at the dining table. After having a regular breakfast, she pulled Sylas and they entered the Portal.
After coming out of the Portal, Xerath handed two forms to the staff behind the counter. One of them led them to another room with several large teleportation arrays. They were given a strange stone each, then the staff member took them into a large Portal.
After a dizzying spin, Sylas stumbled forward and was caught by Xerath. The staff member who brought them laughed and said, "Still not used to it? It gets better with more visits."
Sylas blushed and smiled timidly, while Xerath remained indifferent as if she hadn't heard the words. Xerath returned the stone she was holding and led Sylas to the door to leave.
As they walked out onto the street, Sylas felt a completely different atmosphere compared to Withered Leaf City. The streets here were much narrower, the trees were tall, most of them just starting to bud. It was still cold outside, but the wind was already warm. Most of the buildings were made of wood with sharp pointed roofs that looked unusual.
The ground was covered in stones and made a clattering sound as they walked on it. Sylas grabbed Xerath's hand and suddenly felt the surroundings becoming noticeably darker.
She looked up and saw a strange cloud in the sky. Xerath noticed her gaze and smiled, saying, "That's the Laparel Islands."
Sylas suddenly realized, "Yes, all the advanced schools are right beneath the orbit of the Laparel Islands, probably to absorb the magical energy from the dragon god." (This is a mocking comment from the Rost Family's twins)
The shadow of the dragons' homeland quickly passed, and everything around them brightened up again. Xerath was wearing a mage robe and led her to stroll on the silent streets.
One major difference here compared to Withered Leaf City was that the terrain was hilly. It seemed like the entire city was built on a mountain. Although the slopes were quite gentle, many streets could only slowly climb along the mountain. The archmage guided her through a few quiet alleyways and suddenly stopped in front of a heavy wooden door.
Sylas looked confused, and the archmage reached out and touched the lifelike stone gargoyle carved on the door. The gargoyle suddenly opened its eyes, glanced at Xerath, then spread its wings and flew towards the edge of the door.
The door slowly opened, revealing a courtyard inside. Without hesitation, Xerath led Sylas inside.
"Right here, if you want to come in later, use magic to activate that stone statue."
"Will it recognize me?"
"Maybe, the stone statue portrait is a very capricious design, maybe it knows you but deliberately won't let you in. Then you have to knock on the door and ask the guard politely." Xerath stood in front of a small office, signed her name on the visitor list, and the on-duty guard glanced at the embroidery on her collar but didn't stop her.
Not far ahead, there was a middle-aged female sorceress lingering under a tree. After seeing Xerath, she waved and quickly walked over. Xerath only nodded silently to the other person and continued at a steady pace.
The lady held Xerath's hand, slightly excited, and said, "Xerath, we haven't seen each other in about fifteen years!"
"Maryland, how have you been?"
Not knowing the magic behind this sentence, the other person immediately calmed down and asked softly, "And you? Are you still unwilling to see your family?"
"If I wanted to see them, I wouldn't have contacted you directly. This is my student, Sylas."
Maryland smiled and reached out her hand to Sylas. Sylas shook her hand and returned the smile. After that, she could clearly feel Maryland smiling at her more often.
Xerath walked and looked around, bird songs came from the treetops, a light breeze blew through the branches, making dry rustling sounds. "There isn't much change here."
"Not much change, nobody wants that," Maryland replied.
Sylas suddenly remembered Maryland's name, Maryland Star Song, Xerath's brother's girlfriend. She looked up in astonishment, silently gazing at her teacher and stealing a glance at Maryland, who was looking off to the side.
Xerath nodded at her and suddenly asked, "Is everything okay with my brother and you... in your relationship? Sorry, I didn't want to ask in my letter."
Maryland smiled and lowered her head, saying, "No big problems... but I didn't expect you to be concerned about our lives."
"Someone mentioned it to me. I wouldn't ask on my own, after all, I don't want others to be interested in my love life either."
"Xerath, you're still exactly the same as before."
"It's hard to change things like that."
Sylas listened quietly and noticed another side of Xerath's attitude towards people. She was soft and sincere with her, teasing and straightforward with Virgil, distant but polite with strangers, and hidden sharpness towards old acquaintances, as if she wouldn't back down with every word.
Hyectra appeared and took Xerath's suitcase from her hands. Maryland led them through a wide and beautiful garden before entering a rather cold building. They signed papers and filled out forms without much talking, except for the middle-aged woman who looked surprised after inspecting Sylas's form.
On the contact person section of the school application form, Maryland Stellar's name was filled in, indicating that she had changed her last name. In the section for family relationship, Xerath's name was written hastily with the relationship stated as "teacher and student."
And most importantly, under "student name," it was written as "Sylas Hevel."
This name had a subtle meaning, as if Xerath intended to write her own name quickly and consciously left out a stroke while signing.
Sylas held the form that Xerath had filled out for her, her heart pounding. Xerath hooked her shoulder and said, "Maryland, let's go."
Then Maryland brought her to the dormitory area. The administrator at the entrance, an elderly lady, looked them up and down before quickly assigning a room for Sylas.
"There's nothing inside. You need to buy everything yourselves. The school provides the cheapest packages..."
Xerath interrupted her, saying, "No need, I'll take her to buy things. Maryland, thank you for today."
Sylas felt delighted. Now that unrelated people had left, it was just her and Xerath. She jumped a little and asked Xerath, "Teacher, will you be sleeping with me tonight? This bed is a bit small... Can I sleep on the sofa?"
In fact, she even slept in caves, with a gentle breeze swirling around. She could even sleep outside without a blanket.
"No need, my little wild creature. We can go sleep outside. Classes start in three days, so we can stay together for two more days. Let's go, I'll show you around."
This city is very beautiful, situated on rolling mountain ridges. There aren't many people on the streets, and as they walk, the shadows of light and darkness keep flickering on their bodies. A cool breeze flows through the narrow streets. Sylas reaches out to feel the breeze and brushes her messed-up hair. She whispers softly to Xerath beside her, "Even the 'wind' here is lively."
Xerath smiles at her, warmer than the surrounding temperature. She turns around and takes Sylas's hands, casually sitting at a table by the road. This makes Sylas worry and ask her, "Isn't this someone else's table? Is it okay for us to sit here like this?"
"Don't worry, my little wild creature. Star Song Castle is a quite warm city, not as cold as Withered Leaf City. Withered Leaf City hardly has any outdoor shops, but Star Song Castle has many."
Sylas pauses and asks, "Is this Star Song Castle?"
Xerath and Sylas stare at each other, both stunned. Sylas doesn't ask and Xerath doesn't say anything. They continue wandering around Star Song Castle like this for a while.
"Star Song Castle is my alma mater. It also has a primary section, but it's in the Nislan territory."
Star Song Castle - the school where the Rost Family twins study. They once mentioned that Star Song Castle is a town in the Methylani Principality, located at the border of Nislan, Sauran, and Sentlan. Xerath's alma mater is in the Nislan territory, and people usually choose a primary school closer to them, which means...
"Teacher, are you from Nislan?"
