Chapter 20: A Tense Welcome

At the edge of the small town, nestled close to the border, Ellis and Meixia dismounted their magic brooms. They proceeded towards the town’s entrance, where Larry was already waiting patiently for their arrival.

Ellis lifted her gaze, a smile playing on her lips. “Oh, you’re quite fast. Evening runs are good for the body and mind, but there’s no need to rush so much. You must not have enjoyed the scenery along the way, right?”

“It was alright,” Larry replied, though his neck was still beaded with sweat. “But it’s certainly better than sitting on a broom with a stiff backside. Couldn’t even get a decent cushion up there. Training on the ground is much more comfortable.”

He feigned an air of ease. “The cold wind up high gives me a headache. It’s much better to run down here; my whole body feels warm.”

“That’s truly you,” Ellis said, patting Larry’s shoulder. “From now on, you won’t need to ride a flying broom. Just run everywhere.”

“No, no, no. Spending time with my lovely fiancée is far more important. As long as I can be by your side, everything else is secondary.”

In an instant, Larry’s words turned into sweet declarations of love. The cloying sweetness made Meixia retreat a full three paces.

Ellis’s calm words carried a hint of warning. “Alright, then. But I do hope you’ll maintain a proper distance!”

“Absolutely, absolutely.”

After finishing their conversation, Larry began to move forward. Suddenly, Ellis realized someone was missing. She immediately looked around. “Meixia, Meixia? Where did you go?”

“I’m right behind you.”

Meixia’s faint voice drifted over. Ellis and Larry spun around abruptly, only to find Meixia gazing at them with a distinctly sour expression.

“You actually forgot about me!”

Listening to Meixia’s aggrieved little tone, both Ellis and Larry looked utterly mortified.

Ellis quickly explained, “Sorry, sorry. You see, when we start bickering, we forget everything. It wasn’t intentional.”

“I know. It’s fine. Let’s go.”

Meixia showed no signs of brightening at Ellis’s words. Instead, she ignored both Ellis and Larry, walking forward with a palpable aura of low spirits.

As the trio walked, Ellis, Larry, and Meixia could distinctly feel the entire town enveloped in a tense atmosphere. Though it was already night, the eerie silence, devoid of any human presence, felt unsettling.

Every door, from private residences to shops, was tightly shut. Fortunately, the inn still glowed with lights, its entrance wide open.

They entered the inn. Ellis, with practiced ease, pulled a card from her bag and placed it on the counter. “Two rooms, please. One single, one double. As close to each other as possible.”

While the clerk processed their request, Larry inquired, “Excuse me, has something happened here? Why is the border so tense?”