Airella’s face was pale, her body still trembling slightly, clearly terrified by the scene that had just unfolded.
The most powerful magic she had ever seen was about at this level, but it always required lengthy incantations.
Yet, the girl before her had released it with a mere lift of her hand.
How terrifying…
At her side, Riel bared its teeth at Lia and let out a low growl, clearly trying to protect Airella.
But its body was stretched taut, a classic reaction of any creature faced with a deadly threat.
Lia descended slowly to the ground, her tone icy.
“Who told you to follow me? Not a bad job hiding yourself—your aura’s no different from a magical beast’s.”
At some point, a staff had appeared in Lia’s hand.
It seemed she was wary of Airella’s ability to control magical beasts.
“I’ll give you five seconds. Explain yourself.”
While Lia threatened Airella, Airella squeezed her eyes shut, raising a jade pendant before her as if preparing to fight to the bitter end.
Seeing the standoff between the two, Lin Yue snapped back to his senses and rushed to intervene.
Damn, why is the act six boss fighting the act one boss?
Don’t do this!
If you two blow everything up when the cast is still at the Kalami stage, won’t that be the end for everyone?
The protagonist?
The protagonist won’t even get a chance to appear before it’s game over!
If Airella were to awaken all the forbidden magical beasts beneath the academy ahead of time, even if Lia could crush her, the whole underground and outskirts of Avilina would be overrun by a beast tide!
“Wait, wait, wait!”
Anxious to stop them, Lin Yue dashed between the two and spoke at the fastest speed of his life: “Lia, she’s someone I know, she doesn’t mean any harm! Her name is Airella, she’s just an ordinary student, not a bad person!”
Seeing Lin Yue waving his hands and explaining, both girls froze for a moment before lowering their weapons.
Lia frowned, still watching Airella warily.
“Ordinary student? Her skill at hiding her presence surpasses some fourth-rank warriors, and she can control such a powerful magical beast…”
Airella shrank behind Lin Yue, her fingers still clutching her life-saving pendant as she faced the demon-king-like Lia.
How could Lin Yue know such a powerful mage?
Maybe he was never kicked out of his family in the first place?
For a moment, Airella doubted Lin Yue’s background.
But thinking it over, he was supposed to be from a Warrior Family.
By all logic, he should’ve found a warrior bodyguard instead.
“Anyway, she’s my friend, really, there’s no harm. I mean, everyone who comes to study here is a genius from all over the world. Isn’t it normal to have a few tricks up your sleeve? Haha…”
For the sake of your own life, keep spinning your stories!
“Friend?”
Lia raised an eyebrow and asked suspiciously, “Girlfriend?”
Her gaze flickered between Lin Yue and the hiding Airella, tinged with scrutiny and a hint of girlish curiosity.
Lin Yue froze, completely unprepared for Lia to suddenly throw out that question.
Airella, hiding behind Lin Yue, turned bright red at those words.
She frantically waved her hands and protested in a tiny voice, “N-no! We’re just… we just happened to meet!”
Her voice was barely louder than a mosquito’s, her head lowering even more, wishing she could burrow into the earth.
She’d finally managed to explain things to Isabella, and now someone else was misunderstanding her and Lin Yue’s relationship.
Not that she could even explain it clearly…
Seeing the two in such fluster, Lia’s lips curled up in a mischievous, satisfied smile.
Having gotten the reaction she wanted, Lia lost interest in teasing them further.
After all, her stomach was still empty.
“The meat’s getting cold.”
She tossed out those words and headed straight for the campfire, sitting down and picking up a piece of Dongpo pork.
With a flick of magic, she sent it into her mouth, her face filling with satisfaction.
Lin Yue breathed a sigh of relief, his back soaked in cold sweat.
He turned to Airella with a helpless smile. “Don’t mind her. She’s just a kid at heart, only joking.”
Airella peeked out from behind Lin Yue, whispering, “She’s amazing…”
“Mm, her name’s Lia, she’s… a sixth-rank Archmage, and an honorary professor at Avilina Academy…”
Airella thought she’d misheard, and tapped her head in disbelief.
But recalling what had just happened, it all made sense.
“Si—sixth rank? Wow!”
Looking at that face, which looked no older than her own, Airella felt her worldview shatter.
A face that looked about her age, yet she was the legendary sixth-rank Archmage?
And also an honorary professor?
This was just ridiculous!
Lin Yue patted her shoulder, as if to comfort her.
Stay calm, stay calm.
She’s an exception—you can’t judge her by normal standards.
He’d gotten used to it long ago; after all, in the original story, Lia was a total game-breaking bug.
No wonder the editors eventually arranged a straight-up plot kill for her.
And you’re no easy case yourself. If you really made a mess of things, not even Lia could sort it out.
Airella still looked utterly incredulous, muttering quietly, “Sixth rank…”
“……”
Hearing the two of them discussing her, Lia, who had been in a good mood, suddenly fell silent.
She stared blankly at the now-congealed sauce, lost in thought.
Seems she doesn’t like people talking about her strength.
Lin Yue put his hands on his hips, recalling Lia’s past.
Was the power gained at the cost of lost family and fallen teachers too heavy a burden to bear?
He coughed lightly, trying to break the heavy mood.
“Uh… Airella, you still haven’t said why you were following me.”
Airella lowered her head, explaining softly: “I saw you wearing a wig on the commercial street today. It was strange, so I wanted to see if something had happened to you…”
And then you got tangled up with another pretty girl
Her voice grew smaller and smaller, and she never did voice that last thought.
In just a few days, counting herself, Lin Yue had gotten involved with at least three gorgeous, talented girls.
Was he some kind of “Peach Blossom Destiny” in the flesh?
Well, he was good-looking and special, with gentlemanly manners—no wonder so many girls liked his type.
But his reputation was just terrible.
How did he pull that off?
Lin Yue suddenly realized the reason.
“You know my reputation isn’t great. The wig is just for disguise, and I’m also looking for part-time jobs.”
“Part-time jobs?”
Airella blinked her emerald-green eyes.
“You’re really short on money?”
Why does this conversation feel like déjà vu?
Lin Yue patiently explained his situation again, telling her that he really was dead broke.
Airella hadn’t expected he was actually so poor he couldn’t afford a place to stay, and had assumed he just liked camping.
Lia, hearing them go over the same topic again, had no desire to join in.
“So good! It’s so delicious!”
That was Airella’s first reaction after tasting the Dongpo pork.
“I’ve never eaten anything so good…”
Lia heard that and nodded with a hint of pride, as if she’d made it herself.
Why are you nodding…
But on second thought, she’d acted as a pressure cooker, so she hadn’t done nothing.
Might as well let her be.
And then, the two of them each went their separate ways.
Lin Yue looked at the now quiet little campsite, a hollow feeling and some anxiety for the future welling up inside him.
The emptiness came from the sudden end of their strange little gathering.
The anxiety came from knowing these two were supposed to be his adversaries.
Would interfering with their destinies cause weird bugs in the world?
After all, in the original story, Lia and Airella had barely crossed paths, let alone spoken.
Who could figure it out…
Lin Yue lay back on the grass, gazing up at the star-filled night sky, and drifted into a troubled sleep.