Nick was lost in his own thoughts. Suddenly, Silvanus’s voice rang out: "Look."
The sun had already risen, and the early morning rays shone down upon the earth, illuminating the land before them.
Tiny points of light erged from the ground. Petals that had initially been transparent like shards of glass, nearly impossible to see with the naked eye just monts ago, now stretched upward to twice their previous height. The petals spread as wide as they could, welcoming the first sunlight and reflecting a dazzling array of shimring colors.
So this is the Rainbow Petal Daisy, the flower that dispels illusions, Nick thought silently. He saw Silvanus already step forward to pick the flowers. Seeing Nick still standing there in a daze, Silvanus raised his voice and said, "Dragon Grass should be nearby too. Hurry up and look for it. That way, we can head back together."
Nick nodded blankly. He did not know why, but ever since seeing the Rainbow Petal Daisy, his mind had felt strangely hazy.
Within this blurred, dreamlike scenery, Nick saw the cloak draped over Ariana’s shoulders, pure white and spotless.
Nick’s eyes flew open, his pupils shrinking. He instinctively looked toward Matthew, only to discover that Matthew was also looking at him, smiling. His eyes were clear like water, as though he had been watching Nick for a long ti.
Suddenly, Matthew narrowed his eyes and smiled, speaking softly: "So lucky, isn’t it, Nick."
Lucky that they had coincidentally completed the mission by chance, or lucky that the Rainbow Petal Daisy had blood in ti before Nick could say sothing "crazy," Matthew did not make it clear. Yet in their hearts, they both understood.
Nick quietly clenched his fist, feeling that Matthew’s figure seed to dance like a demon.
Ariana stood timidly behind Matthew, as though she too was being entwined by specters. They all stared at Nick, baring their teeth in constant warning.
Nick only felt a suffocating tightness in his chest.
At that mont, his back was suddenly slapped. Nick staggered and fell forward.
Silvanus frowned and grabbed him. "What’s wrong? Exhausted?"
Nick stared blankly at Silvanus, then looked back again. Matthew and Ariana were standing there, harmless to the extre. There was no darkness, and no smile.
Seeing Nick look over, Matthew even tilted his head in confusion.
Nick swallowed and shook his head. "No, I’m fine..."
Silvanus directly held out a handful of Dragon Grass to Nick. "Is this enough? You can go look for more."
Nick spread his arms. The mont Silvanus released his grip, the bundle of grass imdiately spilled out. Nick snapped back to his senses a little, scrambling to hold the pile together.
"How can you even hold this much?!" Nick had thought it was only a small amount.
Silvanus shook his hand. "Because my hand is big."
As he spoke, he reached forward and pressed his hand against Nick’s face. Silvanus’s hand nearly covered Nick’s entire face.
Nick could not help but exclaim, his eyes shining. "Even your hands have main-character glow!"
Silvanus felt that Nick sotis said truly strange things. He did not pay it much mind and only said, "That’s enough, right? Let’s go back."
They had stumbled upon Lichina’s lair by accident. The longer they stayed, the more dangerous it would beco. Moreover, they needed to report this to the headmaster.
The return journey was far more peaceful than the way in. Along the entire path, Nick stuck close to Silvanus, talking nonstop.
Part of it was simply his personality. Another part was that he did not dare stray even a little from Silvanus, afraid that Matthew might suddenly take his life at any mont.
At the very least, Nick finally made it out of the Hazard Zone safely, without losing a single hair. But now, it was ti for them to part ways.
Nick looked at Silvanus and said, "I’m often at the tavern. If there’s another mission, could you let co with you? Silvanus."
Silvanus nodded when he heard this. "If we happen to et."
At that mont, Matthew spoke up. "Silvanus, let’s go."
Silvanus nodded and waved goodbye to Nick.
But just then, Nick suddenly rushed forward, slung an arm around Silvanus’s shoulders, and said loudly, "Silvanus, thank you!"
Silvanus paused for a mont. The smile on his face did not change at all.
Yet at that instant, he suddenly lifted his head. Matthew seed not to have expected Silvanus to look back so abruptly. He was not even sure whether he had managed to rein in his expression in ti.
"All right, let’s head back."
Silvanus took out a teleportation scroll. Ariana and Matthew were both unusually quiet.
In the blink of an eye, they had returned to the familiar campus.
From beginning to end, Matthew never let go of Ariana’s hand. He looked at Silvanus and did not notice anything unusual in Silvanus’s expression.
Silvanus only looked at him and said, "You should take Ariana back and let her recuperate first."
Matthew seed flustered as he nodded, then said sowhat awkwardly, "Alright, Silvanus. Goodbye."
Silvanus nodded and watched as the figures of Matthew and Ariana gradually disappeared into the distance. His gaze grew deep.
Matthew’s suspicion was not entirely unfounded. Just monts earlier, when Nick had slung an arm around Silvanus’s shoulders, he had indeed said—
"Be careful of Matthew."
Be careful of Matthew?
Silvanus would not doubt a friend he had grown up with just because of soone he had only t for a single day. But he was also not the kind of person whose emotions overruled his reason.
Vivian had clearly heard Nick’s words as well. Lying on Silvanus’s shoulder, she licked her lips. "Silvanus, there was a period of ti when I found Matthew very appetizing."
Silvanus gently stroked Vivian’s head, signaling for her to continue.
Vivian narrowed her eyes and went on, "But after we returned from Aqualon, everything went back to normal. Maybe I was just too hungry that day."
Silvanus did not show any reaction. He simply headed for the headmaster’s office.
The headmaster was extrely shocked upon hearing Silvanus’s report.
"You are absolutely certain that you fell into Lichina’s lair?!"
Silvanus nodded. "Yes, Headmaster. But Lichina herself was not there. I also don’t know where she is now..."
The headmaster shook his head, his gaze sharp. "She will not leave the Hazard Zone. I will have people search for clues. Silvanus, you did very well. Go back and rest."
Silvanus nodded, then took his leave. He did not say a word about the notebook he had found inside the secret chamber. The image of the ice coffin still lingered in his mind.
That evening, Silvanus sat on the bed and took out the notebook. Vivian hovered beside him in midair, spinning continuously along with the movent of Silvanus’s fingers. She spun like a little pinwheel.
This was Vivian’s favorite way of drying herself.
Silvanus did not pay it any mind.
He slowly opened the notebook. It was much like a diary of Lichina’s own life.
The pen recorded the lands she had cursed, the darkness and fear she had brought with her, as well as unfamiliar information about places that humans always avoided, such as Chaosland...
Vivian stayed by Silvanus’s side. If Silvanus showed even the slightest sign of sothing being wrong, she was ready to give him a few bites at any mont.
Yet after reading for quite so ti, Silvanus showed no abnormal reaction at all, as if this notebook were not the sa one as the thing found in the secret chamber.
Silvanus could not help but pause. He flipped through the notebook back and forth, but still could not find even the faintest trace of darkness. It was as if it had vanished without a trace.
But that was fine. There still seed to be plenty left to read inside. Even if it was of no help to Silvanus, after all, he was not an undead mage.
On the sa day, the forces of all three sides, from the nobility to the Church and Lumina, had already begun preparations for the purge of Lichina within the Hazard Zone. There was still ti needed for full deploynt, but for now, the entire area of the Hazard Zone that Silvanus and the others had entered had already been sealed off by layer upon layer of barriers, ensuring that if Lichina was still there, she would not be able to escape.
Naturally, the elves would also participate in this large-scale offensive. The rfolk, however, were temporarily unable to contribute due to internal issues within the sea.
Silvanus witnessed these changes and focused solely on his studies. During this period, they were unable to go outside. The hunters also seed to be gathering together in preparation for the upcoming campaign.
Silvanus looked out at Lumina’s architecture through the window. Vivian sat on his shoulder, sniffing lightly, with the vague feeling that a storm was about to arrive.
No, the sky was clearly clear and cloudless, with the moon hanging high above.
"Silvanus, a shooting star!"
Just then, Vivian suddenly cried out. Silvanus looked up as well. There really was a "shooting star", and it was even falling in their direction.
Vivian gaped in astonishnt, hopping up and down, muttering wishes nonstop under her breath.
Silvanus could not help but laugh. He tapped Vivian on the head, then raised his hand. A paper crane trailing dust-like motes of light flew in through the window, landed on Silvanus’s fingertip, and then suddenly scattered into countless glowing specks, just like fireflies.
Vivian gasped in amazent. Her two front paws stretched forward, swiping about as if trying to catch the fireflies.
At the sa ti, Nick’s face appeared, carrying a faintly translucent quality.
"Silvanus, have you heard the news? All the hunters are being summoned for a major mission. I’ll be joining too. Will you participate? The reward is huge. You get paid whether the mission succeeds or not. See you on the day of the mission!"
With that, he vanished from Silvanus’s sight, dissolving into countless points of light.
Silvanus lowered his eyes. A large reward even if the mission failed. Of course. Accepting the mission to hunt down Lichina ant staking their lives and facing death at any mont.
Perhaps only by accepting the mission would they be inford of this.
Silvanus traced symbols in the air with his finger, then blew gently. A paper crane imdiately took shape, carrying light as it swiftly flew off into the distance.
Seeing this, Vivian excitedly jumped up. "Silvanus, too, give one too!"
Silvanus smiled at her, then blew into his palm. A small paper crane instantly flew toward Vivian. Vivian let out a happy cry and imdiately showed off her agility, leaping two ters into the air, her front paws flailing as she tried to catch the crane.
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