The Most Arbitrary Wizard

Chapter 118: Chapter 77: "If You Don’t Go, There Are Others Who Will

’What does "you two are partners" even mean?’

Elvire was a little dumbfounded.

’She had just been thinking of Sean. Did that mean Elise was also thinking of Sean and wanted to cultivate with him??’

Elvire whipped her head around to look at her best friend.

Elise’s heart tightened, and she quickly explained, "It’s not what you think, Eli."

Elvire stared at her. "Then what is it?"

"I just remembered something he said," Elise countered. "Isn’t he on good terms with Lord Blake? It seems Lord Blake told him in advance that there’s a dual Meditation Technique on the fourth floor."

"Oh, I see." Deep down, Elvire still trusted Elise. She nonchalantly averted her gaze and said, "Actually, it’s fine if you want to cultivate with him. It’s not like he and I have anything going on. If you like him, you can have him."

Elise: "..."

’She’s baiting me, isn’t she?’

’If I hadn’t just been on the receiving end of a death glare from a certain young lady, I might have actually believed her.’

’This woman never says what she means!’ Elise griped internally.

Elvire even added with a sincere expression, "Really. Do you want him?"

Elise refused decisively. "No."

’How could I possibly dare?’

Elise was willing to bet that if she so much as said the word "yes"—or even just the first syllable—Elvire would instantly give her a live demonstration of a friendship capsizing.

Meanwhile, there was Kate and Sopea.

The two of them were also bickering.

’Are you kidding me? The two of us, partners??’

It was a testament to their good tempers that they hadn’t already stabbed each other.

Kate’s face was flushed red with frustration, and Sopea was no better off.

It was a well-known fact that Meditation was an intensely personal affair. No one could help another, neither by transferring Magic Power nor by assisting them in breaking through a bottleneck. The only thing one could do was offer a bit of advice from their own experience.

But everyone’s Meditation visions were different, which meant this experience might not even be useful. That’s why, for Wizards, Talent was so important.

The dual Meditation Technique, however, undoubtedly broke this rule.

Two people meditating together created an opportunity for mutual assistance.

Sopea had wanted to take this opportunity to guide Koni in her cultivation, striving to help her catch up to Elvire. If his daughter became powerful, it would bring him, her father, great honor.

But who would have thought the statue would "match" him with the detestable Kate.

He couldn’t very well blame Lord Blake. To use an inappropriate analogy, it was like the great families or the Church Court of the Era of Polymath arranging a marriage for their children. You couldn’t curse your parents; at most, you could only vent your anger on your betrothed.

And that was exactly what Sopea was doing now.

He looked at Kate indifferently. "I was planning on teaching my daughter, but I ended up with a son instead."

"Oh well. If you’re willing to call me ’Father,’ I suppose I could bring myself to guide you a little, help you break through to Tier Six sooner."

Kate: "???"

’Guide my ass! You can go guide your neighbor Aunt Susan’s apple pie!’

’This old coot is using his age to get high and mighty with me?’

Kate really wanted to curse him out.

But as a mature and elegant man, he couldn’t stoop to this old fool’s level.

It wasn’t worth letting Sopea make him lose his composure and ruin his image.

So, Kate’s face fell into a cat-like pout as he said coldly, "If I had a choice, I would go to the morgue and pick a corpse before I’d ever pick you."

Sopea said unhurriedly, "Unfortunately, there is no morgue in the Holy Sanctuary."

"And you don’t have a choice."

Sopea didn’t want to be Kate’s partner either, but since he had the verbal upper hand, he naturally pressed his advantage. He even challenged Kate, "Are you saying you want to defy Lord Blake’s arrangement?"

To be honest, he was also tempted to "defy" the arrangement. But a thought was just a thought; he wouldn’t act on it. He had said he would follow Sean’s plan and he was a man of his word. Therefore, the best outcome would be to provoke Kate into complaining to Sean. That way, he wouldn’t have to be the scapegoat and could escape this wretched situation.

But Kate wasn’t a fool.

How could he not see Sopea’s obvious intentions?

He was Lord Blake’s most loyal follower. If even Sopea wouldn’t disobey, how could he?

Besides, he wasn’t a pushover, either.

’In any case,’ Kate thought, ’the die is cast. We’re the only ones on the fourth floor of the Holy Sanctuary right now. Elvire and Elise are almost certainly a pair, which leaves me and Sopea. We really don’t have a choice. Since that’s the case, why not just have it out with this old fool?’

’If Sopea wanted to make him miserable, he’d make sure Sopea wouldn’t have it easy, either!’

Thus, to the astonishment of Elvire and Elise, Kate marched over to the display case, retrieved the Book of Ancient Language, and bellowed, "Old man, get over here and study. I’m waiting!"

Sopea: "???"

He never would have thought that Kate would actually turn the tables on him.

He had even thrown Sopea’s own provocation back in his face.

"What? You want to defy Lord Blake’s command?"

Now Sopea was in a real bind.

Elise covered her face. "These two... are so weird."

Elvire was also watching Sopea and Kate with a strange expression, but she quickly looked away. "Don’t change the subject. Do you or do you not want to cultivate with Sean?"

Elise: "I do..."

Elvire’s eyes shot up. "Hm?!"

Elise quickly finished, "...think you’re being ridiculous!"

She gave her friend a mock-reproachful look. "Do I seem like the kind of person who would steal someone’s love?"

"Don’t be ridiculous. Love? He and I are just friends." Elvire paused, then added, "But if you don’t want to cultivate with him, then I’m going to go ask him."

Elise: "Go on, then. Hurry up and go."