Chapter 182: Toward the Distant Light (1)
"I see... yeah, with you already strengthening those Velthia’s scholars, and me helping Zian grow stronger," Lovia crossed her arms before grinning confidently, her eyes filled with excitement. "We might actually be able to do what Zian couldn’t."
For a while, the atmosphere between them became strangely heavy, as both of them knew exactly what those words truly meant.
Ruvian nodded lightly.
"Yeah. We can destroy the Magus Spire."
Hearing that, Lovia’s grin widened even further, almost looking thrilled by the absurdity of that impossible ambition.
"Damn. Saying that out loud honestly sounds cool as hell,"
She stretched lazily against her chair before casually pointing toward the communication device.
"Alright then. I can’t stay here for too long now. There’s still a mountain of annoying work waiting for me."
A tired sigh escaped her lips afterward.
"Let’s keep each other updated on our progress and preparations for the upcoming event."
"Sure. Let’s do that."
Then, just like before, Lovia slowly reached toward the communication device, preparing to terminate the connection.
But before she could—
"Also... Good luck with your Vazrun Island Test. Make sure your squad could get Top10 ranked for the test. I’m going to kill you if you fail to do so."
"...Oh, and don’t let your guard down during the island test, Spicy. Julian is the least of your concerns. You’ve got a much bigger enemy to worry about than that guy."
Ruvian paused for a moment. Genuine concern was the last thing he expected to hear from her. A faint smile slowly spread across his face.
"Well, I figured as much," Ruvian replied. "But don’t worry. I’ll get to the bottom of it before the island test."
Seeing his confident reaction, Lovia returned him a small smile, seemingly content to leave it at that.
Then, placing a hand over his chest, Ruvian gave a small courteous bow toward her projection.
"Until next time, Duchess."
"Sure, until then, Spicy."
Lovia waved her hand lazily in response.
And soon after...
Bzzzt.
The projection dissolved into countless particles of pale green light before disappearing completely.
*****
Ruvian opened the door to the room, only to find the two women already waiting outside in the corridor.
"It seems like you had quite a long talk with the Princess," Silvena remarked while leaning against the wall with her arms crossed.
She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously.
"Huh? And it looks like you’re oddly happy about it too."
"If you’re trying to find out what we talked about, then give up." Ruvian casually raised one hand to stop her before she could continue. "I already made an oath with her, unfortunately, so I can’t tell you anything."
He paused briefly. "But don’t worry. The only thing I can say is that she also knows about the existence of demons."
Silvena immediately puffed her cheeks in disappointment. "An oath, huh? Now that’s a shame."
"Yeah. It really is."
Ruvian shook his head lightly. However, just as he was about to continue walking, his legs suddenly lost strength beneath him.
A sharp pulse hammered through his head!
’Damn it... I guess talking with the Duchess drained me more than I thought,’ he muttered inwardly.
Well, it made sense. Not only had Ruvian not fully recovered yet, but he also had not eaten anything since waking up.
Silvena quickly moved forward and caught him before he could fall.
"Hey, you alright?"
Her expression immediately turning serious.
"I told you to rest first, didn’t I?" she said with an exasperated sigh. "Keep being stubborn, and I’ll personally exhaust your body into compliance!"
"Huh?"
Ruvian slowly raised an eyebrow.
Silvena coughed into her fist.
"Ahem... Now, now. Don’t put words in my mouth. I haven’t even finished explaining myself yet," A sheepish grin spread across her face as she adjusted her grip on him. "The sleeping drug. I was talking about the sleeping drugs. I still have it with me from those thugs!"
"Haa... fine, maybe I really do need some rest."
Right at that moment, his stomach suddenly growled loudly.
"...And something to eat too."
Irene casually added while munching on yet another chocolate bread.
’Yeah... something to eat too would be great.’
His gaze quietly drifted toward the bread in her hand.
The moment Irene noticed, she hugged it protectively against her chest and removed it from his line of sight.
"Don’t even think about it."
*****
After Ruvian finished his meal, a very lavish and highly nutritious one at that, he finally decided to rest for the time being and laid himself down on the bed.
"Don’t worry about the academy. We can return by tomorrow morning. I already sent a letter to them, and they’ve already given their approval."
Silvena said while sitting casually on Irene’s bed.
"I see... alright then," Ruvian replied as he slowly closed his eyes, both hands resting beneath his head against the pillow.
"Also, I forgot to tell you this, but Aqua managed to coax the father-and-son blacksmiths you mentioned before in your request." (+100PP)
’Ah, Dain and Gared.’
"So, how did it go?"
Ruvian asked, opening his eyes again as he turned to look at her.
"Both of them were quite reluctant at first. But after Aqua mentioned your name, they immediately changed their minds."
Silvena shrugged lightly.
"Well, when it comes to negotiations, I know I can rely on Aqua. I guess she used your name pretty well."
"Anyway, what are we planning to do with them?"
Silvena asked.
"Same as what I told you in the letter."
"Train them and provide all the materials they need to polish their skills. Honestly, I’m still searching for the final piece needed for them to work together as a complete unit."
Silvena tilted her head slightly.
"Final piece?"
"Yeah. We still need to find an Enchantress."
Ruvian closed his eyes briefly.
"But let’s leave that for later."
"Hm~ alright."
Then, Silvena lightly smacked his head.
"Now, stop thinking too much and just go to sleep already."
Silvena spoke in a quiet voice as she slowly rose from the side of the bed, lightly brushing the folds on her clothes afterward while beginning to make her way toward the door.
"Yeah, yeah... stop scolding me already. You sounded like my mom."
Ruvian replied lazily while lying there, clearly trying to ease the atmosphere with a casual joke.
Later, the entire room seemed to grow strangely still.
Silvena’s fingers, which had just been about to reach the doorknob, stopped slightly before curling faintly inward.
Then, almost immediately afterward, she quietly let out a faint scoff and lowered her hand again before turning her face slightly to the side, carefully hiding most of her expression from him.
"Ha! If I was your mother, then I would’ve scolded you even more, you know?"
A small smile even appeared on her face afterward.
Ruvian noticed it. The moment he realized it, a quiet sense of regret immediately crept into his chest.
’Haa... why did you say that, you idiot.’
He cursed inwardly while staring at her back.
Out of every possible joke he could have made, somehow he had chosen the one thing he probably should not have said at all.
’Let’s change the topic for now.’
"Anyway... what about you?" he asked casually, though his voice sounded noticeably softer than before. "What are you planning to do before tomorrow’s departure?"
Silvena remained still for a moment after hearing the question before finally turning her head slightly back toward him, her expression already returning to its usual calmness.
"Nothing much. Maybe some light training." (+50PP)
Then, she faced forward again.
"After fighting those demons, I realized that I’m still not strong enough yet."
Her voice became slightly quieter.
"I need to become much stronger too."
As she reached the door, Silvena paused for a moment before glancing back at him over her shoulder.
"So bye bye~"
Click.
The door quietly closed behind her.
’....’
Ruvian slowly rubbed his face.
’I seriously shouldn’t have said that.’
With that thought in mind, Ruvian slowly closed his eyes and covered it with his arms.
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[Chapter 182: Toward the Distant Light (1)]
Plot Points= 15,420
