Chapter 29: Can I surrender after being rescued from starvation?
"I succeeded?" Ancia stared blankly at the golden shield on her body until it faded and disappeared after its duration expired.
“Yes, you did it, Ancia.” Cheryl gently patted Ancia’s shoulder, the slight pressure bringing Ancia back to her senses. “Intelligent, persistent, brave, calm…you are my proudest apprentice.”
“My mentor only has me as his apprentice.” Ancia smiled, flattered by the compliment, before realizing what was going on.
The moment Ancia stood up, a wave of dizziness washed over her. She steadied herself by holding onto the table and clutched her forehead.
“You need to rest,” Cheryl said with concern.
"How much time has passed... Is it dawn yet?" Ancia and the others regained their senses and looked at the closed walls. The research room was located at the bottom core of the mage tower, without windows, so they could not see the sky.
“It’s been long since dawn, and it’s only afternoon now. Your progress is much faster than I expected.” Cheryl took out her pocket watch and announced a time that shocked Ancia.
"What? Instructor, where is the teleportation array? Hurry, I have an assassination class this afternoon, I have to go back." Ancia grabbed Cheryl's sleeve and tugged at it gently.
"Are you still capable of attending assassination classes in your current condition?" Cheryl asked hesitantly. "Let me ask for a leave of absence for you."
Cheryl habitually recited the incantation for telepathic magic, but awkwardly stopped when designating the recipient. She and Murtrie were not close and had not established a telepathic connection.
"tutor?"
But her apprentice was still looking at her trustingly. Cheryl remained unmoved. "I'll send you back to Gracia. You can ask Mortley for leave and say you're here to participate in my research."
“Okay, mentor.” Ancia nodded, feeling a pang of regret for missing the daily lessons, even though the daily lessons didn’t give much experience.
Cheryl led Ancia to the upper level of the mage tower, where the normal entrance was located, and there was a one-way teleportation array in the corner of the hall.
"You can return to Gracia from here. Your access to the Mage Tower has been fully granted, and you can activate it yourself from now on." Cheryl had Ancia stand inside the teleportation array, her magic illuminating the runes, and the teleportation array emitted a soft white light.
Ancia blinked, and the scene before her eyes changed from the mysterious mage tower to the familiar academy.
The research into the skill consumed a lot of mental energy, and the satiety level decreased even faster than during combat, already reaching a critical red warning state.
The teleportation point was at the main castle gate, and Ancia had no idea how she got to the shore of Moon Lake.
Her vision was getting increasingly blurry, and she could hear a slight ringing in her ears. Ancia walked unsteadily, and she could already see the door of her villa, number 11.
The feeling of weightlessness washed over her, and Ancia's legs went weak and she was about to fall, but she fell into a firm embrace.
"Ancia! What's wrong?" A rare look of panic appeared on Merri's face, and his dark red eyes trembled slightly.
"Mertri, I'm hungry..." Ancia managed to utter a weak sentence before closing her eyes and fainting.
So she fainted from hunger...
Murtrie breathed a sigh of relief, carrying Ancia towards his office. A black figure darted through the academy, moving so fast that its trajectory was impossible to discern.
The magic student by the roadside looked up from the scroll and exclaimed in surprise, "Huh, are there still mosquitoes this time of year?"
...
After several attempts, Ancia finally opened her heavy eyelids. The first thing she noticed was the warm feeling in her abdomen.
"Awake?" Murtrie put away the silver spoon and said softly, "Do you still have the strength to sit up?"
Ancia was not fully conscious and looked at Merriel, who was holding a silver cup, with a dazed expression.
“This is milk I got from the little fairy. I’ve already tasted it, and it’s not poisonous.” Seeing that she was still weak, Murtrie continued to scoop up half a spoonful of milk and feed it to Ancia.
The rich, creamy aroma was incredibly enticing, and Ancia couldn't help but drink it down, the warm milk flowing from her throat all the way to her stomach.
After feeding her the last bit of milk, Murtrie placed the silver spoon into the cup, making a crisp clinking sound. He patted Ancia's head and said, "Lie down for a while, you'll be able to eat soon."
Amidst the ever-present aroma of meat, Ancia finally snapped out of her daze, turning her head to look at the figure cooking on the other side of the room.
The beige apron tie stood out against the pure black shirt at the waist, cinching her slender waist and shaping it. While Murtley's waist wasn't particularly thin, its slender waist and pert hips were especially noticeable against the contrast of her broad shoulders and back.
Ancia thought to herself, she didn't seem so hungry anymore.
Murtrie, having taken off his apron, came over with a plate of meat, which had been thoughtfully cut into bite-sized pieces. He helped Ancia up, placing a pillow behind her back. "Open your mouth. I made this, and it's safe."
It didn't taste like the dragon meat I'd had before, but it was still quite good.
Ancia's slowly and steadily increasing satiety level gradually returned her to normal, and she even had the energy to joke around.
"Mr. Murtrie is like a little... big fairy, she can do everything, she's a must-have for every household."
Murtrie gave a low "hmm" in response, and only after Ancia finished eating did she ask, "Are you full? If you're still hungry, I'll make you something else."
"No need, I'm already full." Ancia's satiety level had turned a healthy green, but she still felt a belated sense of fatigue, making her want to lie down for a while longer.
"Now can you explain how you fainted from hunger? I remember there was a little fairy taking care of you in the villa." Murtrie put the plate aside and quietly looked at Ancia.
"Because of this!" Ancia excitedly cast a mid-level counter-damage shield. "I spent a whole day and night researching it in my mentor's mage tower, and finally succeeded in upgrading it."
Merri produced a dagger from somewhere and stabbed at Ancia's damage reflection shield. The damage feedback made him raise an eyebrow. "It's been enhanced a lot."
"The damage reflection effect has reached 50% now, isn't that amazing?" Anciya said with beaming eyes, like a child showing off her candy.
Murtrie's hard facial features softened, and he nodded slightly. "Very impressive."
"I used up too much mental energy while doing research, and I only ate one meal the day before. I was starving when I got back to the academy. Luckily you found me. What a coincidence," Anxi said shyly.
"Unfortunately, I came here to see you."
Ancia was startled, and heard Murtrie continue:
“I’m worried because you didn’t come to class.”
"My advisor was going to help me apply for leave, but I haven't been able to contact you telepathically..."
A finger covered in tiny scars and calluses was extended in front of Ancia, with black magic floating at its tip.
"This is my magic. Now that we've established a connection, they can just ask me for leave next time."
Ancia also reached out her hand, her fingertips lightly touching. The golden and black magic intertwined, carrying each other's magic back into their respective owners' bodies.
A subtle, opposing force surged back into my body, causing a tingling sensation, as if I had been electrocuted by a tiny electric current.
Ancia's fingers trembled slightly, while Merriel remained motionless as if he hadn't reacted at all.
“Mr. Murtrie, I have to go now. Thank you for your help today.” Ancia sat up; she had mostly recovered by now.
Without saying a word, as Ancia bent down to put on her shoes, Murtrie thrust the dagger straight at the back of Ancia's neck.
"Damage Reflection Shield".
Ancia felt a chill run down her spine and instinctively activated her damage reflection shield to block the dagger attack.
The dagger didn't actually touch her; instead, it stopped just a hair's breadth away from her skin.
“Yes, he has indeed recovered.” Murtrie put away his dagger and carefully instructed, “Remember to eat something before your next study.”
He asked thoughtfully, "Do you think Cheryl would agree to me placing a shadow clone in her mage tower?"
Ansia: "..."
"Given that you two don't even have a telepathic connection, your mentor probably won't agree," Ancia said honestly.
"Okay, if you feel anything's wrong, just call my name. I'll come wherever you are," Murtrie added in his mind, even if it meant dismantling the tower.
Ancia nodded, thanked them again, and walked lightly out of the dimly lit room.
*
After a two-day rest, the competition resumed.
The match schedule is determined by a draw, and each team only has one chance to win. There is no round-robin or best-of-three format. The classes in Miracle Continent exist to fight against demons and monsters. In the face of life and death, there is only one chance, and the same applies to the competition.
Only 16 teams remain out of 32, and this week's competition will determine the eight teams that will be decided.
"I can't say whether it's good luck or bad luck, we just didn't run into Eve's team." Ancia sighed as she looked at the match schedule.
"We'll meet in the finals," Heligalo said casually.
“I’ve been watching for two days, and the other squads aren’t much of a threat. I thought there would be some at a similar level,” Skulk said regretfully, scratching his head. “I should have slept in a bit more.”
“Our opponents this round are a three-star assassin, a three-star assassin, and a two-star assassin.” Ancia looked at the three adjacent cloak icons with a puzzled expression. “How can there be a combination of three assassins?”
“Ancia, although I believe in you, don’t underestimate them. In the last round, they emerged from the shadows and attacked together, instantly killing the opponent’s three-star Light Mage.” Skark pointed to the heart. “That Light Mage had three daggers stuck in his heart at the same time. His light shield shattered almost instantly when faced with the damage they unleashed at the same time. It didn’t even last for a second. He himself set a record for the shortest survival time.”
Ancia wasn't afraid at all. She raised an eyebrow and said, "In the next round, we'll change our positions. The three of us need to stand at a distance where we can support each other at any time."
"Do you have a way?" Skark asked curiously.
"I'll invite you to watch the shooting stars then," Ancia said with a mysterious smile.
On the other side—
"Ah, it's her."
Can we surrender?
"cannot."
"well……"
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