Chapter 86: A Morning of Awkward Encounters and Upcoming Trials

The morning sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled shadows upon the flagstone path.

Summer was drawing to a close, with autumn fast approaching, and the weather had grown pleasantly cool.

Yalin had arrived early at the crossroads, standing alone beneath the streetlamp.

He was waiting for Liujue.

This was at Professor Fulin’s previous request.

In exchange for the pass that granted him access to the underground library, the sole task he had to perform was to keep Liujue company more often.

As for how to keep her company, Yalin honestly wasn’t entirely sure.

Nevertheless, accompanying her to school was, at the very least, something he felt he ought to do.

Carol had been ill for the past few days, making today his first time waiting for Liujue at this spot.

Although Liujue attended the Magic Division, she resided at Professor Fulin’s home, which was quite close to the Alchemy Division.

Consequently, their paths conveniently converged.

‘It should be about time, shouldn’t it?’

Yalin gazed at the distant, towering clock tower, mentally calculating the time it would take to walk from Fulin’s home to this intersection.

Sure enough, a moment later, the soft cadence of footsteps echoed from nearby.

Liujue, clad in her academy uniform, slowly approached.

Her head was bowed, seemingly lost in thought, so much so that she failed to notice the additional figure standing beneath the streetlamp.

“Good morning, Liujue.”

“Ah, good morning… huh?”

Only when Yalin called out to her did Liujue snap back to reality, hastily lifting her head.

“You, what are you doing here?”

She flinched like a startled kitten, retreating a few steps in her confusion, a faint blush rising to her cheeks.

Then, turning her head away, she pretended nonchalance as she smoothed her hair.

‘I’m a bit groggy this morning; I hope my hair isn’t sticking up anywhere…’

“Because our paths converge,” Yalin explained with a smile.

“Shall we walk together?”

“Ah, to… together?”

“Yes. But if you’d rather not, that’s perfectly fine too.”

“No, I don’t mind at all!”

Liujue quickly shook her head, her two curved little dragon horns swaying gently. “I’ll… I’ll walk with you…”

She mumbled softly, trailing behind Yalin like a shy duckling.

It was still quite early, and only a scattering of people could be seen on the road.

Yet, on the spacious street, the two walked one behind the other, an oddly conspicuous sight.

Yalin felt a pang of confusion; why did she seem even more reserved than before?

‘Ah, I understand now,’ he thought. ‘It’s probably because Celeste isn’t around, and it’s just the two of us.’

As he pondered this, Liyang suddenly poked his back with a finger.

“Um, how’s your body?” Liyang asked in a hushed tone.

“My body?”

Yalin then realized she was referring to his recent fainting spell.

Earlier, on the commercial street, he had attempted to hypnotize Celeste, only to suffer a backlash that completely knocked him unconscious.

‘Damn it, is this what protagonists have to endure?’ Yalin’s eye twitched, yet his smile remained unchanged.

“Ah, I’m perfectly fine now, thank you for your concern.”

“Then, that’s good.” Liyang smiled with a visible sense of relief.

However, a worried expression soon resurfaced on her face.

She hesitated, wondering whether she should tell Yalin about the mysterious Man in Black they had encountered that day.

A shiver of dread ran through Liyang at the mere thought of those writhing black tentacles.

During that battle, both Celeste and the Man in Black had sustained considerable injuries.

Judging by the final moments, Celeste seemed to have been at a disadvantage, yet the Man in Black had chosen not to press the attack further, opting instead for a decisive retreat.

Not long after, several individuals claiming to be Imperial Mages arrived on the scene.

They stated they would handle the matter and requested that the two of them keep silent about the Man in Black, so as not to alert him.

‘But perhaps it would be better to tell Yalin after all…’

“Oh, right,” Yalin suddenly recalled something, turning to face Liyang.

“Professor Fulin mentioned that you were the one who saved me when I passed out. Thank you so much.”

“Ah, that was…”

Liyang blinked, then abruptly froze in place.

The scene from that day resurfaced in her mind, vivid and undiminished.

At the time, in order to give the unconscious Yalin artificial respiration, she had actually… kissed him.

“Aaaahhhhhhh!”

‘No, no, no, no, no, no, no!’

Liyang clutched her head, letting out a sudden, mortified shriek.

She had spent days painstakingly forcing herself to forget that humiliating scene.

Yet, with Yalin’s casual mention, all those past memories came rushing back in an instant.

“Liyang? What’s wrong?” Yalin asked, a hint of confusion in his voice.

‘She seemed perfectly normal just a moment ago; why has she suddenly come down with an ailment?’

Liyang’s face was flushed crimson, a deep blush even extending to her neck.

She waved her hands frantically, “You, don’t misunderstand, that…”

“That was an act of God! I had no choice!”

“An act of God? What are you referring to…”

“Ah, I… I don’t know!”

Liyang’s body trembled even more violently.

Finally, she simply gave up trying to explain, turned on her heel, and fled, her figure vanishing in an instant, leaving Yalin utterly bewildered.

‘I can’t figure out if I said something to upset her,’ he mused.

Yalin shook his head with a sigh.

‘Never mind,’ he decided. ‘Liyang ran off on her own, so it has nothing to do with me.’

In a way, he considered Professor Fulin’s task accomplished.

The research lab was empty, a clear sign that Professor Wendy Rhine would not be coming today.

For some reason, Yalin had a persistent feeling that the professor had been avoiding him these past few days.

He had no idea what she might be thinking.

In the past, Yalin might have indulged in speculation, but now, he resolved to abandon such thoughts.

After all, rather than expending energy on these trivial matters, he ought to focus his attention on the critical juncture three months away; that was his true concern.

Having obtained a good deal of useful materials from Yufinika yesterday, Yalin spent the entire morning replenishing his mediums.

Since he had utilized more advanced ingredients, the quality of these new mediums was more stable than ever, allowing the imagined deities to exert even greater power.

Naturally, the cost was a considerably lighter wallet.

The first class of the afternoon was, once again, a lecture on theory.

Yalin idly waited for the dismissal bell to ring, then began gathering his books.

Just as he prepared to leave, a tall figure blocked his path.

Yalin sighed, knowing without a second thought who it must be.

“Hey? Isn’t that Yalin?”

Totomia spoke, slapping Yalin heartily on the back.

“You haven’t been around for days, what have you been up to?”

“Oh, my sister was sick, so I went to look after her.”

“What?!”

Upon hearing this, Totomia immediately straightened up, his face etched with admiration.

“Skipping the academy just to care for your sister… you, my friend, are truly a responsible man.”

Although unsure of Totomia’s intentions, Yalin patiently inquired, “Is there something you need me for?”

He had previously experimented with his abilities on Totomia, hypnotizing him and leaving him in the academy’s back garden without a second thought, so he suspected Totomia might be seeking him out for that very reason.

Evidently, Yalin had overestimated Totomia’s intelligence.

After so many days, Totomia had long since forgotten the incident entirely.

“Heh heh, nothing in particular. I just saw you and thought I’d come over for a chat.”

Totomia flashed a hearty smile.

“Oh, right, what do you think of this sword? I paid a pretty penny for it.”

Totomia suddenly remembered something and drew the magic sword from his waist.

It was indeed a fine sword: its slender blade faintly pulsed with magical energy, the edge gleamed with a cold light, and three magic crystals of varying hues were embedded within it.

‘However, held in Totomia’s hand, it instantly seemed to lose several degrees of grandeur, giving off the impression of a dim-witted heir to a wealthy landlord.’

“It’s quite good,” Yalin nodded.

“But why the sudden change of weapon? After all, they are merely academy students; a standard magic sword would be sufficient.

Moreover, at a first-year’s level, one can hardly unleash any profound magic. Someone like Totomia probably couldn’t even tap into a tenth of this sword’s true power.”

“Heh heh, that’s where you’re mistaken,” Totomia said, shaking his head with an air of profound wisdom. “As the saying goes, ‘a man relies on his clothes, a horse on its saddle.’ Before a battle, the most crucial thing is presence! At the very least, you need to utterly overwhelm your opponent from the start!”

“Battle? Are you fighting someone?”

“Ah, you don’t know? Oh, right, you’re from the Alchemy Division, so you probably don’t pay much attention to these things.”

Totomia sheathed his sword.

“Next week are the preliminary rounds for the Academy Festival.”

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